USA > Vermont > Rutland County > The history of Rutland county, Vermont; civil, ecclesiastical, biographical and military, pt 1 > Part 52
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Orren Kelsey, son of Curtis, m. Fanny Dwyer, of Fair Haven, in 1800. He died in Feb. 1847. Mrs. K. died Feb. 25, 1869. He was a post-rider from Fair Haven to Ferris- burgh in 1795, carrying the Fair Haven papers and mail to towns along the route. In after years he was constable in the town, and often pleaded suits in law before jus- tice's courts with success. His children were Mitty M., James N., Fanny, Olive M., Louisa, and Sally.
In the year 1782, Silas Safford and his brother-in-law, Ager Hawley, came from Arlington and made the first settlement in the village.
Col. Matthew Lyon, who then resided in Arlington, had, in Dec. 1780, located the 2d. div. of Nathan Allen's right, and the 1st and 2d of his own right-about 300 acres- on the land around the falls of Castleton river, the 2d div. covering the ground where the Park now is, and extending eastward over the swamp to Mr. Kelsey's first divi- Mr. Safford built first a log house near the river bank. Here he had 25 men to board, and Mrs. Safford, who was a small woman, and mistaken for " a little girl " on one occa- sion, did the work of the house alone, the sion lot, No. 60, and his own rights coming over the river and falls from the south and west nearly to the south line of the Park. Subsequently in Jan., 1731, he bought of Jolin Hamilton, of Tinmouth, a second divi- | men assisting her by washing the potatoes
sion of 105 arces lying next east of his own which had been surveyed to John Smith, thus giving him possession of over 400 acres, all in one body. He must have visited the place at the time of the survey, 1780, and at other times following, prior to removing himself and family, which he did in the year 1733.
Preparing to make improvements on his land, and to build on the falls while yet res- ident in Arlington, he proposed to Mr. Saf- ford to give him 80 acres of land as 'a pre- mium to go to Fair Haven with his family and board the men whom lie might employ in building his mills.
With Mr. Hawley, who was a mill-wright, he agreed to build a grist-mill in co-partner- ship, Hawley to have one-third when the mill was completed. Safford and Hawley came to Fair Haven, camping on their ar- rival, the first night, in their covered emi- grant wagon, near the river. Hawley built the first grist-mill, either this season or the following spring, on the south side of the Lower Falls, a little below the present site of the old paper mill.
About the same time the bridge over the river and the saw-mill on the north side were builc.
In building the grist mill Mr. Hawley re- ceived bodily injuries from falling upon the frozen water wheel while attempting to cut away the ice, which caused his death about 18 months afterwards. He is said to have been buried in the old burying ground, N. W. of James Campbell's. All the widow received for his interest in the property was the use of it two days in every seven, on which days her boy Asa then 14 years old, acted as mil- ler, and the inhabitants generally patronized him in preference to Col. Lyon's employee.
Widow Hawley married Derrick Carner, one of the proprietors of the township, whose name appears in the charter, and who is said by some to have been the first miller in town. He removed with his family to Hampton Corners, where he appears to have resided previously, in 1779 and '80, and thence he went to Underhill, Vt., where he and his wife died.
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at night and putting them on to boil in a | between him and Sharp. After this he seems cauldron-kettle out of doors in the morning.
Mr. Satford did not reside long on this spot, but built a house 20 by 30 feet square on the place where Henry Green's house now stands. He was at this point in Dec, 1784, when the first highway was laid by the selectmen from Kelsey's north ledge to the river on Oliver Cleveland's farm, and is said to have been here keeping a public house when Col. Lyon came, in 1783. He was here also in 1788, when the road was re-surveyed from the bridge northward.
At the time of the survey, in 1784, Col. Lyon's house is said to have stood near the north end of the bridge, the bridge S. W. of Safford's house, Ager Hawley's house S. W. of the north end of the bridge-each about 20 rods from the bridge.
These houses must have stood on Col. Lyons' land, and been owned by him, the contract upon which Mr. Safford came to town not having been written, and Col. Lyon deeding him no land according to the terms of the agreement.
In the spring of 1790, Mr. Safford bought the place where John Meacham lived-now Mr. Barnes'-and removed to that part of the town, opening there a public house, which he kept for a number of years. In the spring of 1814, he sold the place to James Y. Wat- son, of Salem, N, Y., and bought next north.
Mr. Safford died on this place. He was a justice of the peace from the commencement of the town for nearly forty years and filled other offices.
He had a large family, among whom Er- win was a prominent business man of the place many years.
Abel Hawley, father of Ager and of Mrs. Safford, was here with his children in 1784, and died in town, Oct. 16, 1797, aged 77.
Among those who came into town in 1783, either before or after Col. Lyon, and settled in the central portion of the present town, were Joel Hamilton, from Brookfield, Mass. ; Samuel Stannard, from Killingworth, and Daniel Munger, with his son, Asahel, from Litchfield, Ct. Timothy Goodrich and Reu- ben Munger, jun., may also have come about the same time.
JOEL HAMILTON first settled on west street, lot No. 5. He was here in August 1783, the place being called his "home-lot" at that time. In Dec. 1784, the river, it is said, ran
to have resided for a time on the side-hill where John D. Wood now has an orchard, north of Harmon Sheldon's house, the hill taking his name, and being called to this day " Mt. Hamilton."
We hear that Mrs. Hamilton was once ac- costed by a bear near her house on this place on Mt. Hamilton.
The house stood on the 1st division of the right of Benjamin Cutler ; and Mr. Hamilton bought of Mr. Hawkins in Dec. 1787 20 acres, buying subsequently until he had over 200 acres in his home farm, on which he remained attending to various public and private duties, and keeping a minute diary of his farm work and other doings, until his death, June 5, 1826.
A man of strong purposes and passions, he entered heartily into the Federalist side in politics, and was an open and determined political antagonist to Col. M. Lyon, with whom he seemed to be in almost intermin- able controversy during the last years of Lyon's residence in town He was constable from March, 1785 to 1792 and was deputy sheriff of Rutland county a number of years. He married Jerusha Walker from Brookfield, Mass., who survived him, married Squire Demming of Castleton and died Sep. 1839. Mr. Hamilton had no children.
SAMUEL STANNARD resided for a short time toward the Lake in West Haven, but soon came and made his home on the spot where his son, Heman, so long resided after him. The place on which he settled was pur- chased, in 1784, by Mr. Stannard and Tim- othy Goodrich, and by them divided, Mr. Goodrich settling on the east half where Joseph Sheldon now owns and occupies, and Mr. Stannard on the west half.
Mr. Stannard was frequently chosen on the board of selectmen. He was born in Killingworth, Ct .. in 1719, and came to Fair Haven in March, 1783. He married Jemima Wilcox, who was born in 1746, and died June 25, 1834, aged 83 years; He died Apr. 8. 1815, in his 67th year. Family : Betsey, Daniel, Charlotte, Samuel, and Heman.
Mr. Goodrich may not have come perma- nently into town, settling with his family, until the spring of 1784. He appears to have been a son of Waitstill Goodrich, of Woodbury, Ct. and to have had a brother Waitstill ; the father giving to Timothy, in Jan. 1781, two-thirds, and to Waitstill one-
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third, of a half interest in Asa Dudley's right | The place was afterward occupied by his son - in Fair Haven. In March, 1801, Mr. Good- in-law, Elihu Wright, and is now owned by Mr. Briggs. His great arm-chair, which was one of the first brought into the town, is in the hands of Mrs. Arnold Briggs. rich buys of Dr. Simeon Smith 59 acres on Mt. Hamilton, and the north half of the Frisbie lot, which he sold in 1818, to his son Chauncy, then living on it, he himself being in Bethlehem, Ct. whither he is said to have gone and temporarily resided.
The Mungers, Daniel and Ashael, settled on the intervale through which the road to Sheldon saw-mill now runs, known as " tle Munger road." Here, with them, also resid- ed Joseph Snow, who had married Elizabeth, a daugliter of Dea. Daniel Munger. Snow occupied a house which stood on the west side of the road, and Mr. Munger a house which was standing only a few years since, on the east side.
Daniel and Eunice, his wife, had received a deed from Judah Lewis, in June 1783, while they were yet in Litchfield, of the right of Jos. Taylor surveyed to Taylor Nov. 1780.
Mr. Munger died here Feb. 10, 1805, in his 80th year, and Ashael occupied the farin with his family until the Spring of 1817, when he removed to Michigan.
Daniel Munger was known as a deacon of the church, and is said to have superintended the building of the old meeting-house-now Daniel Orins' dwelling-house-about the year 1791, and to have found one of the first ministers who preached for the church, in the person of Rev. Mr. Farley, a young man, who came hither from Poultney about 1803, and preached for a time, boarding with Maj. Tilly Gilbert. After Mr. Munger's death, his son, Ashael, became a deacon in the church.
Reuben Munger, jr., from Norfolk, Ct. in 1782; bought a place now owned by Mr. Stannard, So. of J. D. Wood's. He was on the place in the summer of 1785, when the roa i was surveyed N. and W. from "the Narrows," to the eastward of his house. He semes to have removed to Middlebury prior to June, 1790, at which time he sold to Dr. Simeon Smith.
Lt. Charles McArthur, of Nobletown, N. Y. bought of Col. M. Lyon, of Arlington, in July, 1783, 260 acres-Elijah Galusha's rights -on the hill ever since known and called Scotch Hill.
He erected the first frame-house of which we hear in die town-a low studded, one- story buildling- east of Tilly Gilbert's pres- ent residence, and there resided and died.
Mr. McArthur's first wife, whom he must have married in Arlington, was a daughter of Gov. Chittenden, and sister to Col. Lyon's 2nd wife, by whom he had three sons, John, Daniel and Allen. He married Rebecca Stan- ton for his 2nd wife, by whom he had chil- dren: Charles, Clintha, Harvey, Bradford G., Alex, Minerva, and Seneca. Harvey is said to have injured himself bringing potatoes out of the cellar, and to have bled at the lungs till so weak that he fell from his horse and died.
Mr. McArthur's lands were divided among his large family. He died Oct. 8, 1816, in his 74th year, and was buried in the village grave yard. On his tomb stone is inscribed : "An honest man is the noblest work of God."
Eli Everts, together with his brother Am- brose, must have been in town, or vicinity, as early as the fall of 1783. In Dec., 1783, Ambrose is a witness to a deed from Isaac Clark to Abraham Sharp, and in April, 1784, both Ambrose and Eli witness to a deed from Joel Hamilton to Abraham Sharp.
They are said to have lived in a log-house on the lower side of the road below Mr. Stan- nard's at an early day, and they resided on the place in Dec., 1784, when the road was surveyed from Eleazer Dudley's southward to Eli Everts' before purchasing the land, of Col. Isaac Clark. Haskins was on the place in the spring of 1783, when the great change in the course of the river bed occurred, and as there was trouble between him and Col. Clark, he may have decamped about this time, leaving Col. Clark to lease the place to Mr. Everts. The place was deeded to Everts, Nov. 20, 1786.
Mr. Everts must have built the old gam- brel-roofed house which formerly stood where Otis Hamilton's house is.
Mr. E. was called " Captain" by the peo- ple of his time. He was selectinan of the town in 1793, and is spoken of as an old man in 1820. His wife's name was Jemima, and they had a daughter Millicent who mar- ried a man by the name of Fuller, and lived in Malone, N. Y., in June, 1826. Milo was a teacher, and removed to Athens, Ohio, sub- sequent to his mother's death, about 1823, where he became judge of probate.
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Richard Beddow, an Englishman who had been a soldier in the army of Gen. Bur- goyne, but deserted, or was taken prisoner and never returned, was early a settler near John Meacham, on the hill east of Mr. Kid- der's. He was a blacksmith and nailer, and worked at making nails with John Meacham, in a shop on his farm.
He married widow Rebecca Hosford and had 7 children. His sons removed to War- saw, N. Y., whither he followed them subse- quently to 1825, having in a fit of intoxica- tion beaten his wife so as to cause her death. The farm passed through the sons' hands to Oliver Maranville.
Andrew Race is said to have lived in a small house near the school-house in the south district ; and his brother, Isaac Race, on the Hampton side of the river. Mrs. Sally Benjamin, a daughter of Isaac Race, who was afterward a resident of this town many years, relates that when she was a child, she was playing beside the river bank and saw Col. Lyon's emigrant teams ford the river below Mr. Cleveland's on the arrival of the family in town.
We hear of a young physician of the name of Safford in the town as early as 1783, but he was no relation to Silas Safford, and ap- pears not to have remained long in the town. Perhaps there were other residents at the time Lyon commenced his works. We hear of several, among whom was Thomas Stonnage, a Dutchman, who cleared the land where Mr. Kittredge's house now stands. Benjamin Parmenter, or Parmentry, who married a daughter of Oliver Cleveland, and first built on the east side of the cedar swamp, afterward residing on land that Stonnage cleared, was also in the town at this date.
In the north and west parts of the town- now West Haven-Beriah Mitchell, who had come from Woodbury, Ct., to Castleton, and thence to Fair Haven, in 1782, was settled on the farm now occupied by Mrs. Adelaide Hitchcock. He was constable in 1784, but did not remain, returning to Connecticut in the year 1786.
His place passed to his brother, Ichabod Mitchell, who came here in the year 1783, or thereabout, and kept a public house at the corner of the road.
James Ball and Perley Starr, bought the right of John Fassett, jr., about where Rod- ney Fields now lives, early commenced im-
provements, bu soon sold out and moved away. In the early part of 1783, sometime between January and April, Eleazer Dudley and Abijah Peet, from Woodbury, Ct., loca- ted in the West Haven part of the town, Mr. Dudley on or near the " school-lot," about where Nathaniel Fish resides, and Mr. Peet next north of Mr. Mitchell's, toward Benson. Thomas Dixon, written also Dickson and Dickinson, in the records, came in from Cas- tleton, locating next north of Mr. Peet's on Benson line.
John Howe, Elijah Tryon, Elisha Frisbie, John and Henry Cramer, Timothy Lindsley, and others, came this year from Connecticut, and took up lands in West Haven. About the same time, also, or a little later in the year, came Heman Barlow, Cornelius Brown- son, David Sanford, Samuel Lee, Amos and John Mckinstry, and others, who-e settle- ments belong to the history of West Haven.
The first meeting of the proprietors, to or- ganize under the charter, was warned by Ira Allen, Governor's Assistant, and held at the house of Nehemiah Hoit, at. Castleton Cor- ners, June 14, 1780, Col. Ebenezer Allen moderator, Capt. Isaac Clark, proprietors' clerk.
Capt. Clark, John Grant and Nathaniel Smith were appointed a committee to survey and lay out a town-plot on the most conven- ient place for trade and navigation, of one lot to each proprietor's right, of not more than 4 acres, nor less than one. The com- mittee were instructed "to lay out such roads as they should judge to be most conven- ient to the place of trade and navigation."
It was voted to make a division of 100 acres of land, with 5 acres for highways, to each proprietor's right, and " that Maj. Eben- ezer Allen and Capt. Isaac Clark, as a com- pensation in part for their looking out the town and procuring a grant, " shall have the privilege of making the two first pitches in the first division."
Lieut. Elisha Clark, Oliver Cleveland and Asa Dudley were chosen to lay out the first division lots on the public rights, and Capt. John Grant was chosen proprietor's treasurer.
It was voted that the 21st of Aug. 1780, be the day to begin to survey the pitches. The next meeting was held by adjournment at the same place, Aug. 16th. Of this meeting Capt. John Grant. of Poultney, was modera- tor, and Michael Merritt clerk.
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It was voted to accept the survey of the | Philip Priest's house, and the house of Joseph town-plot reported by the committee, each Haskins ; Haskins' house being about 200 rods N. W., nearly from Mi. Priest's then residence. lot containing one acre, together with one acre set apart for a public landing-place for shipping.
Oct. 4, 1780, the proprietors met again at Mr. Hoit's. Philip Priest, moderator. Voted to make a further division of 100 acres to each right to be called the " second division lots." Ensign Gershom Lake, Oliver Cleve- land and Asa Dudley were appointed to lay the public lots of this division.
It was voted to draw for the town-plot lots in the same manner that they had for the Ist and 2d div. pitches, and Maj. Clark, Ensign Lake and Asa Dudley were appointed to lay out a public highway from the west line of Castleton to the Great Falls. It was directed that this main road from Castleton to the Great Falls should be 6 rods wide, and other roads which the committee might lay might be of any convenient width, they should think best.
Dec. 14, 1780. The proprietors met to draw for 3d div. pitches of 63 acres each, and chose .Michael Merritt, Philip Priest and Heman Barlow to lay the public lots of this division ; and Philip Priest, collector, with power to enforce settlements.
June 7, 1781. A proprietors' meeting was holden at the house of Maj. Isaac Clark, and voted to draw for a 4th division of 50 acres each. At a meeting, Oct. 4, Col. Isaac Clark and Jonathan Brace, Esq., were " empower- ed to act as agents for the proprietors of Fair Haven to vindicate the title of said town- ship, as granted by charter of the General Assembly, in October, 1779."
Apr. 8, 1782. Isaac Clark charges the proprietors £3 and 6s. for two journeys to Bennington " to procure the charter and get it recorded," and £1 and 8s. for fees paid the secretary for drawing and recording said charter. At an adjourned meeting, at Col. Clark's, Sept. 2d, of this year, Beriah Mitch- ell and Oliver Cleveland were constituted a committee to warn land owners when to work on the highways, and to keep the ac- count of every man's work, and see that the roads were properly and well made.
The main highway from Castleton line to Mr. Dudley's camp, a point somewhere not far westward of the present division line between Fair Haven and West Haven, was surveyed, Oct. 8, 1782, via " muddy brook"
In November, 1782, Philip Priest and Cur- tis Kelsey were appointed overseers of high- way work, and after several adjournments the last meeting of the proprietors in Castle. ton was held at Col. Clark's, May, 8, 1783 ; whence, after voting a tax of one penny per acre, 311 acres to each right, for highways and bridges, and appointing Heman Barlow, Thomas Dickson and Eleazer Dudley a com- mittee to look after roads and open such new ones from the main road, already cleared, as best to accommodate the inhabitants, the meet- ing was adjourned to come together again Nov. 3d, at the house of Philip Priest, in Fair Haven.
Nov. 3, 1783, the proprietors met at Mr. Priest's house, and after appointing a com- mittee to settle with the treasurer, adjourned to the first Monday of Jan. 1784, which meet- ing passed a vote limiting the special priv- ileges previously granted to certain persons of covering their claims, to the first day of February, and then adjourned to May 3d, when they met again, and having voted to ra se a tax of one penny on the acre, dis- solved the meeting. The town was organ- ized at the house of Mr. Priest, Aug. 28, 1783; Mr. Priest, moderator, Eleazer Dud- ley, town clerk ; selectmen, Philip Priest, John Meacham and Heman Barlow ; Mich- ael Merritt, constable. No other officers were chosen until the following spring.
1784. Town meeting was held at Mr. Priest's, Mar. 22d-Mr. Dudley was re-elected town clerk ; Eleazer Dudley, Thomas Dick- son and Oliver Cleveland selectmen ; Dan- iel Munger, grand juryman; Philip Priest and Beriah Mitchell, listers; Beriah Mitch- ell, constable ; Michael Merritt, treasurer; Ichabod Mitchell, John Meacham and Philip Priest, surveyors ; Philip Priest, Michael Merritt and Eleazer Dudley, trustees, to take care of the school right, and the right for the support of the ministry. A vote was passed to raise a tax of £6 and 10s. on the polls of the inhabitants, rescinded at a sub- sequent meeting, held May, 4th, when it was voted to raise the sum of £6 and 10s "on the polls and ratable estate of the inhab. itants."
By vote of the town the school lot was
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sold, in September, to Eleazer Dudley, for £75. | bardton river was to be the first district ; that At a meeting Sept. 22d, at Col. Lyon's house, south of Muddy Brook the second ; and that west of Hubbardton river the third. the inhabitants voted, 1st, "That the county of Rutland extend seven townships north and A vote was passed that Elisha Frisbie should be deemed an inhabitant of the town ; but another meeting, held in June, revoked the act, and he was warned to depart from the town in ten days, a practice of those days by which to prevent, perhaps, their be- coming a public charge. south, and that Castleton be the county seat." 2d, "That they will remonstrate against the town of Rutland being a county town." "3d, They chose Col. M. Lyon, John Meach- am and Heman Barlow a committee to draw a remonstrance against the doings of the County Convention.
Several new roads were surveyed in the town, in December of this year.
MOSES HOLMES appears to have come into town in the Autumn of 1784, from Lenox, Mass., buying 30 acres of land of Joseph Ballard, adjoining Poultney river, which he sold to Matthew Lyon, Nov. 29, 1785, and bought another 30 acres, which had been im- proved, of William Meacham, at the extreme southern end of the town, Nov. 30. Holmes appears to have been in Hampton in April, 1788, further than this we can get no trace of him. There is slight reason to think he may have been one of Col. Lyon's employees in the forge or mill.
DAVID PUNDERSON, chosen one of the listers at the March meeting of 1785, must have been here the year preceding. He resided on the upper side of the road, beyond Mr. Evert's. We learn nothing more of him.
1785. The town meeting was held at Mr. Priest's, Mar. 21st:
" Voted that Oliver Cleveland, Curtis Kel- sey and Joel Hamilton be a committee to view the road from Mr. Priest's to Hubbard- ton river and Benson line, and make a re- port where it is best the road should go, by the first Tuesday of May, and that the above committee lay a burying-place, by the road, south of Mud Brook.'
This burial-ground was located beside the old road, between the house now occupied by James Campbell and that in which John ! Allard resides. It was the first public burial ! place in the town, and had some 30 or 40 graves.
At an adjourned meeting, May 3d, at Mr. | the spring of this year. He bought 75 acres Priest's ; " voted that two days labor be done on the roads over what the law directs." The town was at this meeting first divided into three districts, whether school or high way districts is not stated, but we have reas- on to think this division pertained to the schools, if not also to the highways. The territory between Muddy Brook and Hub-
We have on record the names of about 50 individuals who were warned away, many of them with their families, between 1803 and 1813. Some of these continued to reside here for years afterward, contriving a way to support themselves and their growing famil- ies, like so many of the other early inhabit- ants who were too poor to go away.
CHARLES RICE, came hither from Brookfield, Mass., in the early part of this year. He had bought of Jesse Hamilton, of Brookfield, in February of the previous year, a half interest in the right of Elisha Hamliton, and in June, 1785, he buys of Joel Hamilton, of Fair Haven, " one- half in quantity and qual- ity" of Elisha Hamilton's lot No. 5, and one-half of Zadock Everest's 2d div., both on the west street, toward "Sharp's bridge." Mr. Rice was first constable in town in 1793, '94. He removed from the west street to West Haven. and was keeping a public house nigh where Nathaniel Fish now resides, in the latter part of the year 1795, and also in the years 1798 and 1799. He was an eccen- tric man, and wrote on his sign :
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