USA > Vermont > Rutland County > The history of Rutland county, Vermont; civil, ecclesiastical, biographical and military, pt 1 > Part 73
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The village of Mendon (a small place to call village) is in the north-west part of the town, on the direct road from Rutland to Woodstock, through Bridgewater, and also to Bethel through Stockbridge. There are only about a dozen families there now. The meet- ing-house is in about the middle of the vil- lage. There is a grocery-store kept in the place, and a blacksmith's shop. The post of- fice is kept at the grocery by Mr. Aloton Ben- nett. They have a Temperance society, and since the meeting house has been occupied, the Sabbath is better observed and the sab- bath-school has never yet winter killed as in some small places. No disputes have been raised in town in regard to doctors and law. yers. They have never been blessed by the former nor cursed by the latter,-none in town. The grand list in 1811 was $ 1,681.90. The population as follows:
1791, was 34; 1800, was 37: 1810, was 111; 1820, " 174; 1830, " 432; 1840, ₩ 545; 1850, " 554; 1870, " 612.
ACCIDENTAL DEATHS. In April, 1853, Har- rison Searls, killed by logs at the mill rolling on to him. In 1832, Mrs. Petty, in attempt- ing to dip up a pail of water out of the race- way, fell in and was carried under the wheel and crushed to death. In July of 1849, Fred- erick Ranger accidentally shot himself and fell dead. In 1859 John Eggleston was found dead in the field, it was supposed, died in a fit In 1866, Joseph Cullett, killed by the fall of a tree; the same year, Fannie Farr, a child, killed by a fall from a gate. In 1851, Ellis Pratt, killed by the fall of a tree. In 1853, Win. Eggleston. killed by the fall of a tree. In June, 1867, Mrs. Francis Willis and her daughter Julia, a young girl, while stand. ing in their door were killed by lightning.
The elevation of Mendon village above Rutland court house is 3.94 ft. barometric measurement by Joel Andrews of Albany. N. Y.
CYRUS EDSON, born in Bridgewater, Mass., moved to Parkerstown in 1825. He lived to be 85 years old His son, Ezra Edson, came into Parkerstown with his father's family, afterwards went away to learn the trade of blacksmith, in 1838. Married Angeline Washburn of Bridgewater, Mass., moved to Mendon in 1840. Ever since that time he has held some town office. He has been Jus- tice of the peace 25 years, except one year of the time; he has been an active man and much looked up to not only in town affairs, but in aiding and encouraging the cause of religion, always ready with purse and hand to pay for preaching, and an efficient helper in the Sabbath School, and been superinten- dent much of the time since the school was organized or at least when no one else want- ed that office.
JAMES K. PEARSON, born in Rutland, moved into Mendon about 1835. He was a prominent man and held several town offices. He was a peace-maker and never liked law- suits. All difficulties, he advised his towns- men to settle among themselves. He was al- so a charitable man to the poor or unfortu- nate and kept the town clear of paupers sev- eral years. Although he was a poor man he always had a trifle to give if any one was in need. He died in March of 1853. One in- cident of his life I will relate. When the ministerial lands were given to the town, it was agreed that every religious society in town should have a share of it. There had been only Methodist preaching some years and they had the money or some part of it. Mr. Pearsons claimed that some other preach- ing might be had and said he wanted a dol- lar and would engage a minister to preach a lecture on a certain evening. It was given to him, and he went to Rutland to see Elder Howard, and told him he wanted him to come to Mendon and give a lecture on a cer- tain evening, and also told him about the dollar he had got, and said he would send a team to bring him to Mendon and carry him back again. The thing took the Elder's fan- cy. He had never preached in Mendon and asked Pearson of what denomination the generality of the people were. Pearson said they were free thinkers.
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MENDON.
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When the evening came, the school house was well filled, as a notice had been given out. The Elder came and was by the stove to warm himself, it being in the winter. He looked around and observed a full house, and said he was glad to see them. He also said, your neighbor Pearson invited me here to talk to you and said you were free think- ers, and now I will try to tell you of some- thing to think about. He commenced his meeting and then took for his text these words," What think ye of Jesus!" All were interested and attentive and Elder How- ard had always friends in Mendon after that. Many still remember something of that dis- course.
In a part of Mendon called the Notch, was the mill, well stored with lumber and logs and a large quantity of wood corded up. In May of 1871, the saw-mill, 2 barns and 7 dwelling houses were burned down with the household stuff they contained and most of the clothing belonging to the families. A number of men hired to work getting out lumber, lost all their clothes except what they had on. There being so much dry lum- ber and bark, before they were aware of dan- ger they were surrounded with a sea of flame. The cattle and horses were got away but some hogs and fowls were lost; loss estimated at $ 20.000.
ZIDON EDSON was born in Grafton, Vt. He was one of the early settlers of Parkerstown, built the first mill in town in 1810 or in 1811; it was carried off by a freshet, he suffered con- siderable loss at that time. The place where he lived was on the road from Rutland to Woodstock, he got up and went out doors ear- ly one morning and saw his hog rooting some- thing about in the road, went out and saw the hog had a pair of saddlebags tumbling them abont, he took them into the house opened and examined them and found 2 large bundles of Bank notes in them, he then went out examined the road, saw tracks where a horse had just passed. He followed on the tracks to Rufus Richardson's public house. A man had just dismounted from the horse, and gone into the house, and as Eison came in, was giving orders to have his horse unsaddled and fed while he could have some breakfast, said he wanted a pair of saddle-bags brought into the house. Richardson went to obey or- ders, took care of the horse, but found no sad- dle-bags. When he came in, he asked for them.
Richardson said there were none on the horse. The man was positive, accused Richard-on of secreting them. (Edson by the bye had -liy- ped them into another room, when he came in). Matters began to grow serious, some hard threatening words passed, when Elson asked the man if he should know his saddlebags if he saw them, and if he knew certain he left them on the horse. The man was realy to take any oath that they were on the horse when he came into the house. Edson then stepped to the place where he put them and brought them forward well daubed with mud and dirt. The man was instantly calm+1 down; convinced he had been careless, he said the money was intrusted to him to con- vey from Rutland to Woodstock. Mr. Elson was many years a well known and an active citizen of Rutland. He resided at different times in Mendon and Shrewsbury in Rutland county. He was a delegate to the Constitu- tional convention of 1814, from Mendon, (then Parkerstown), and that of 1822, from Shrewsbury and was representative from Par- kerstown to the general assembly of Vermont in 1813, and from Shrewsbury in 1822, '25 and '26. He held several offices in Mendon, and was a business man. Heremoved to the West in 1850 ; after that he resided most of the time with his daughter in Aurora, Ill .; died April 6, 1870, aged 85 years. He was a represen- tative man of New England fifty years ago, strong, bold and rugge i in character an I con - victions, fearless for the right. He had a pre- dilection and a mind peculiarly fitted for the legal profession, but poverty and its atten 1- ant circumstances in early life frustrated his chosen aim and he became a farmer; but many years his face was familiar at the sessions of our County courts, and of his long services as magistrate in Mendon and Shrewsbury, many anecdotes are extant, illustrative of his soun i common sense, his native shrewdness, his ap- preciation and love of justice, and his abhor- ance of all deception and wrong. In him was more than fulfilled the allotted period of life, full of years and ripe for the harvest, he has dropped the husks of this material life and passed away.
[Mrs. Boorn, the writer of this sketch, now in ber 78th year. is a smart woman of the old school. Wo visited her by her special, kind request at her home in Mendon-a pleasant home among the mountains-in 1862 or '63. Her family consists of herself aad but band. Both are now in poor health, and will appar ently soon pass away .- Ed.]
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VERMONT HISTORICAL MAGAZINE.
SOLDIERS FURNISHED BY MENDON.
Names.
Age. Reg. Co. Enlisted.
Remarks.
Robert Penor,
23, 2
Abel M. Peters,
23, 5
B May 8, '61. Re-en. Dec. 31, 1863; Must. out July 15, 65- G Sept. 4, '61. discharged Dec. 21, '62; re-en. Dec 13, '63, wounded, sent to general hospital.
Marcus E. Tenney,
18, 2
B Aug. 13, '62. woun'd May 3, '63; pro. Serg. Feb. 23, 2d, Lieut. June 7. '64, must. out, June 19, '65.
Henry H. Rowe,
25, 5 G Ang. 23, '61. deserted Sept. 18, '62.
Elijah M. Mann,
26, 5
G Aug. 23, '61. transferred to Vet. Res. Corps, 1865.
Edward J. Neff,
27, 5 G Aug. 28, '61. deserted June 25, 1862.
Harrison D. Peters,
19, G Aug. 24, '61. died Jan. 24, 1862.
Nelson A. Rich, 18, 5 G Aug. 27, '61. pro. Corp., wounded, sent to gen. hos. Oct. 20, 1863.
Frank Sanders,
21, 5 G Aug 23, '61. discharged, Jan. 13, 1862.
Isaac Sawyer,
19, 5
G Aug. 26, '61. discharged Dec. 14, '61, again en. July 30, '62 in 10th, reg. Co. C. died Dec. 17, 63.
Frederic Wilcox,
29, 5
G Sept. 2, '61. transferred to invalid corps, Sept. 1, '63. G Aug. 22, '61. discharged July 1, '62.
Wallace Wilkins,
19, 5
Franklin H. Downey, 30, 2 G Aug. 13, '62. Sick in gen. hos. since May 4; '64 deserted. deserted Feb. 5, '64. G
Nelson E. Wheeler, 19, 5
45, 7
G wound. and missing in action, May 6, '84. I Jan. 22, '62. difl at Ship Island, Oct. 19, '62.
Charles Wilkins, 20, 7 B Dec. 2, '61.
died Sept. 20, '62.
Oliver P. Mordick, 18, 7
D Dec. 9, '61.
re-en. Feb .- 16, '64 ; pro. corp., then sergt., June 1, '65; reg. quartermaster, sergt. Feb. 1, '66; inust. out quarter master sergt. March 14, 1866.
Justin Clark,
18, 7
D Dec. 21, '61. discharged June 6, '63.
John Plath,
34,
7
D Dec. 27, '61
re en. Feb. 19, '64 ; deserted Feb. 19, '65.
Wm. H. Shedd,
25, 7
D Dec. 16, '61. discharged Dec. 8, '62.
Joseph H. Peters,
45,
7 D Jan. 20, '62. re-en. Feb. 20, '64.
Joseph H. Peters, jr.,
13,
7 D Jan. 15, '62. died Nov. 22. '62.
Enos Goslaw,
43, 7 I Jan. 14, '62. died April 4. '62.
Alfred Peters,
24, 7 I Jan. 14, '62. died Jan. 6, '63.
Wm. D. Kenniston,
7
I Jan. 9, 62.
pro. sergt., discharged Oct. 22, '63.
Josiah Brown, jr., 18, 9 B June 23, '62. des. Dec. 10 '62, returned under President's proclamation, dishon. dis. June 1:05.
Amos W. Edson, 23, 9
B June 18, '62. remov'd and trans. to Vet. res. corps, July 1, '64.
Christopher R. Rice,
33, 10
C July 16, '62.
Frederic F. Cady,
43,12
KAug. 25, '62.
Albert W. Edson,
18,12 KAug. 19, '62.
Melvin C. Edson,
29,12 KAug. 23, '62.
W'm. Rock,
20, 12
KAug. 25, '62.
George A. Wilkins,
30. 12
Charles W. Pett-y,
13, 14
Phineas R. Rice,
. 44, 14 H
Harlan P. Sherwin,
25,14
Joel S. Frink, 20, 12
Alonzo Hoyt, 23,
21, 7
D Dec. 5, '61.
D Dec. 16, '61. pro. corp. re-en. Feb. 17, '64, pro. serg. '65. re-en. Feb. 16, '64.
John Provost,
24, 7 K Feb. 1, '65.
Wm. Stewart,
32,
D Feb. 13, '65.
George Potter,
35,
D Feb. 14, '65. D Feb. 6, '65. 18, Istcav. KAug. 16, '64. must, out June 21, '65.
Anthony Birney, 29, 5 E Aug. 14, '62. pro. corp. Oct. 24, '64; must. out, June 19, 65.
John Lam'bert,
Henry Rowe,
Win. E. Stone,
H died while belonging to 7th reg.
Paul Clark,
Clark L Long,
Friend Weeks,
25, 5 F Aug. 23, '61. re-en. Feb. 20, 64; must. out June 29, '65. 23, 1stcav. E Oct. 1, '61. 7
18, 9 B Aug. 10, '64. must. out June 13, '65. 33, Istcav.D Sept. 6, '64. must. out June 21, '65. 1
served as substitute in Co. F., died.
K HSept. 10, '62. re-en. Sept. 1, 1864, absent, sick June 13, '65, died July 6, '65. deserted July 7, '63.
Wm. Butterfly,
19, 7 B Aug. 25, '64. mustered out July 14, '65.
John Kennedy, 26, 7
George Henry Rock,
H = KAug. 25, '62.
Charles Stebbins,
36,
7 G Jan. 17, '62. died Nov. 10, '62.
Ebenezer H. Rhodes,
Luther Rice, 18, 5
Nelson Durkee,
793
MENDON.
Names.
Age. Reg. Co. Enlisted.
Remarks.
Leland Williams,
26,10
C Dec. 11.
Orick Sprague,
18, 9 B Aug. 10, '64. must out June 13, '65.
Edward Z. Holbrook,
18, 9 B
Lewis A. Martin,
18,
B Aug. 15, '64. died Nov. 21, '64.
Addison Webster, 21, 2 I Aug. 12, '62. deserted Jan. 1, '64. -
Men drafted and paid commutation.
Harvey Corey.
George Petty,
George Eggleston,
Reuben Ranger.
Wm. Kimball, jr.,
Willard Edson, furnished substitute. Le- land Williams, paid commutation, and after- wards re-enlisted, was taken prisoner, libera- ted and served to the close of the war, and mustered out.
U. S. navy men paid by Mendon for services. David Conner, Antonio Roderick,
Wm. Harrigan,
Charles Smart. James Landy,
Mendon furnished, in number, for soldiers, more than half the number of legal voters in town, paid about $ 13,000 bounty money, and paid commutation money, $ 2,400, and furnished two men over the quota required, quite a number of men belonging to Mendon enlisted in and went for other towns.
MENDON INCIDENTS.
When Rufus Richardson was a young man, living at home, at his father's, who kept a sort of public house in Mendon, to accomo- date travellers, crossing the mountain from Rutland to Woodstock, his mother had to keep a hired girl, and she had a good smart one; her name was Lydia Fales. Rufus and Lydia took a liking for each other and agreed to get married. Both of them were great workers and very economical. They hardly could spare time to go to Rutland to get married and there was no one in Mendon nearer than Rutland to perform the ceremony, so they waited a little, till it so happened one day Esq. Williams of Rutland, who had bus- iness to attend to in Woodstock, called at Richardson's to get a baiting for his horse and dinner for himself. Lydia was washing that day, had got all done except to finish mopping the floor. She was right in the midst of that exercise when in came Rufus and told her there was a justice of the peace in the other room and proposed they should be married then, which she agreed to, provi- ded she might stand up and have the cere- mony performed just as she was, without the trouble of changing her dress, which was agreed to. The Justice was called in. She | Mendon, he had full meetings on the sabbath.
threw down her mop and was married. She then took up her mop and finishedi her work without any more hindrance. she male him a good wife, was a good neighbor ani a kind mother to a large family of cbfdres. Her husband was one of the first base's men in town and was always considered so as long as he lived.
One more incident to show Mendon as it was some four or five years ago. Mr. Elson Johnson kept a public house where the Richardson's used to. The young folks up there were decided to have a surrer acl a dance at Johnson's hall. Mr. Johnson hap- pened to be down at what is called Mesion Village and gave out several invitations :o have all that were pleased to do so come asi take supper and join the company. The Methodist minister happening to come along, Johnson gave him an invitation also. The Minister said he could not dance, never knew how, and his vocation was preaching-ke could do that well. Johnson said, come and preach to us then ; he would warrant bim an attentive audience and good treatment and a good supper. The Minister asked what time they would have supper ? Well. Johnson thought, they would get through dancing and be ready for supper about 11, or between that and 12 o'clock. The minister said he always ate his supper early. Well. Johnson said, come and preach after their supper. Finally he agreed to come, and the evening of the party several neighbors went with him. They got there just as supper was en i- ed. Johnson had given out word what was going to be, and the house was full. Every. thing all ready for the pr aching. The min- ister soon commenced his meeting in the usual way and took for his text " For bodily exercise profiteth little-but godliness, is profitable unto all things-having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come. Tim. iv. 8. Every one was attentive. All were interested. The audience, when be had finished his discourse, asked him to cos- tinue longer and thanked him for coming, and ever after as long as he remained in
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VERMONT HISTORICAL MAGAZINE.
MIDDLETOWN. BY HON. BARNES FRISBIE.
MIDDLETWON, situated in the S. W. part of Rutland County, is bounded N. by Poultney and Ira, E. by Ira and Tinmouth, S. by Tin- mouth and Wells and W. by Wells and Poult- ney. The territory of which it is composed was taken from the towns of Poultney, Ira, Tinmouth and Wells. Poultney, Tinmouth and Wells received their charters as early as 1761. The date of the charter of Ira is be- lieved to have been about the same time. I have been unable to obtain the exact date.
The township of Middletown was created by an act of the Legislature, Oct. 28, 1784.
THE ACT OF INCORPORATION.
At an adjourned session of the General Assembly of the State of Vermont, held at Bennington the third Thursday in February, 1784, on Friday afternoon, February 27th the following record is made:
A petition signed by Joseph Spaulding, and fifty others, inhabitants of the northwest corner of Tinmouth, northeast corner of Wells, southeast corner of Poultney, and southwest corner of Ira setting forth that the mountains, &c., around them are so impracticable to pass that it is with great trouble and difficulty that they can meet with the towns they belong to, in town and other meetings, &c., and praying that they may be incorporated into a town, with the privileges, &c., was read and refer- ed to a committee of five, to join a committee from the Council, to take the same into con- sideration, state facts and make report. The members chosen were Mr. Whipple, Mr. Moses Robinson, Mr. Jewett, Mr. Taylor and Mr. Cogsell.
On Monday, March 1st, 1784, the following record appears on the journal of the House :
The committee, Mr. Whipple, Mr. M. Rob. inson, Mr. Jewett, Mr. Taylor and Mr. Cog. sell, with the committee of the Council, ap- pointed on the petition of Joseph Spaulding. and fifty-two others inhabitants of Wells, Tinmouth, &c., brought in the following re- port :
"That it is our opinion that the petition be laid over until the next session of Assem- bly ; and that this assembly appoint a disin- terested Committee, consisting of three per - sons, at the cost of the petitioners, to go on the premises, state fact4, and make report to the next session of Assembly."
The aforesaid report was read and accept- ed : Whereupon,
Resolved, That a committee of three be appointed to nominate three persons for said committee, and make report. The members cho-en were Mr. S. Knight, Mr. Whipple and Mr. Cogsell.
On the opening of the afternoon session of that day the following record was made :
Mr. S. Knight. Mr. Whipple and Mr. Cog. s-ll the Committee appointed to nominate & disinterested Committee, on the petition of Joseph Spaulding, of Wells, &c., brought in the following report, viz.
" That they beg to nominate Mr. Moses Robinson, of Rupert, Mr. Nathaniel Blanch- ard, of Rutland, and Brewster Higley, Esq., of Castleton, for said Committee," Where- upon,
Resolved, That the aforesaid Moses Robin- son, Nathaniel Blanchard and Brewster Hig- ley, be, and they are hereby appointed a Committee, agreeable to the report of the Committee who took said petition under con- sideration, and that they make their report of the facts and their proceedings at the next session of the Assembly. And that Mr. Robinson appoint the time and place for hear- ing the parties, and notify the other members of the Committee, and the parties, to attend accordingly.
At the next session of the General Assem- bly, held in October at Rutland, the Com- mittee inade their report of the facts, accom- panied with a bill incorporating certain ter- ritory of the towns of Wells, Poultney, Tin- mouth and Ira, into a town under the name of Middletown.
Prior to this action the territory of which it is composed was included in the above named four towns.
The settlement was commenced some years before 1784; and in speaking of this set- tlement, we shall, for convenience, speak of it as Middletown.
The exact date when the first settlers came here, perhaps cannot now be given It was before the Revolutionary War. Mr. Thomp- son in his history says, that " the settlement was commenced a short time before the Rev- olutionary War by Thomas Morgan and others," " and mills were erected." Thomas Morgan came here before the war, and so did Richard and Benjamin Haskins, Phineas Clough and Luther Filmore. Mr. Morgan, who lived until 1811. said to me before his death, when he came here he found his way by marked trees, and throughout the entire town it was one unbroken forest. He said he came about 3 years before the war and when that commenced left. But he probably treated the stirring events of 1777 in this region, in which we may include the evacua- tion of Ticonderoga, Burgoyne's invasion, and the battle of Bennington, as the com- inenceinent of the war, for he was here until a short time before the battle of Bennington, Aug. 16, 1777. The probability is the set- tlement was commenced in 1774.
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795
MIDDLETOWN.
Mr. Morgan, after he came, put up a log house, and commenced clearing the forest. He purchased 100 acres of land about three fourths of a inile south of where the village now is, and put up his log house a few feet north of where the framed-house now stands on the " old Morgan farm." By the summer of 1777, I should judge he had made consid- erable progress in clearing up his land, as he had that summer 4 acres of wheat. He was called away to Bennington, and his wheat was never harvested.
Richard Haskins had commenced a settle- ment a little east of the village, near where Lucius Copeland Esq .. now lives. He too, in 1777, had 2 acres of wheat which he never harvested, but went to Bennington.
Benj. Haskins had built a log house and commenced a settlement near where Dea. A. Haynes now lives. Luther Filmore had put up a log house on the S. W. corner of what is now known as " the green," in the village. Where Phineas Clough first located himself is not now positively known ; but he very early settled on what has since been known as the " Orcutt farm," now occupied by Mr. Lobdill. Those five men are all who are now known to have been here before the Revolutionary war. They all left in the summer of 1777, joined the militia at Man- chester, and were all in Bennington battle.
The mills known as " Miner's mills," in an early day, were built by Gideon Miner in 1782. They were located about & mile east of where the village now is. Mr. Morgan assisted Mr. Miner, as a workman, in build- ing the mills. Morgan brought the mill-irons from Bennington on a horse. Some of the Miner family have informed us there was " some sort of a mill there" when Mr. Mi- ner came; but Mr. Morgan's descendants are confident he had nothing to do with mills in Middletown until he worked for Miner in 1782. So we cannot reliably state by whom this some-sort-of-a-mill was built. The opinion of the old people seems to have been that it was the work of Mr. Morgan. It might have been ; but whosoever it was the mill never went into operation, and Mr. Mi- ner had to build anew in 1782.
Mr. Thompson says, that the settlers " re- turned after the war." It is true there was not much done by way of settlement for some three or four years subsequent to the summer of 1777, when the settlers left to meet the ir- I
vaders at Bennington. But we find Benj. Haskins and Phineas Clough back here in 1778, and Morgan and Filmore were back soon after; and a good many others were here before the close of the war. Azor Per- ry came as early as 1778 ; James and Thomas McClure, it is supposed, carne in 1779; Wil- liam and Jonathan Frisbie came in 1731 and Gideon Miner, Nathaniel Wood and his sons, Jacob and Ephraim, Caleb Smith, Jonathan Brewster, Gamaliel Waldo, Nathan Walton, and some others were here as early as 1732. Joseph Spaulding and some others, it is sup- posed, came the same year, but we cannot be positive. We find that a Congregational church was organized as early as the spring of 1782, and Mr. Spaulding was made the clerk of the church.
It is evident the settlement was rapid, for in the Fall of 1784, the people petitioned the Legislature, then in session at Rutland, for.d new town-and we can now very readres see that the settlers upon those parts of lit- then towns of Poultney, Ira, Tinmouth Ias- Wells, now included in the limits of Migress town, would naturally become a commulling by themselves, and unite their interests .put feelings in spite of town lines. They 'hen already done so-two churches had beenfor- ganized-Congregational and Baptist, arty s. log meeting house erected near the S. Jere in ner of the present burial-ground, town in members of the churches were from been put towns, but had a common center, en called has been since, and now is. If theark (old lines had never been changed, thered that have been the same churches here, the sanes business-the same village. Nature formed the territory for a town, and as the settlers increased in numbers, they became aware of it and petitioned as has been seen, the Legis- lature for the same. The following is a copy of the Act :
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