USA > Vermont > Rutland County > The history of Rutland county, Vermont; civil, ecclesiastical, biographical and military, pt 1 > Part 76
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FRANCIS PERKINS was a soldier in the Rev- olution, and served nearly through the entire time. He was from New London, Ct .. He first located himself where John Lewis now lives, but afterwards, about 1786, removed below there where Mr. Charles Gardner lives, and there resided until his death. Mr. Per- kins first cleared up a spot, and put up a log- house, and covered it with bark and hemlock boughs, and for a door hung up a blanket. There was then no sawed timber to be hal. Miner's saw-mill had not been completed. He then had a wife and one child. He sub- sisted the first Summer, in great part, upon greens and leaks, and commenced boiling green pumpkins to eat as soon as they had grown to any size. It was then very diffi- cult for him or any of the settlers to procure grain. Morgan, Azor Perry and some few had so much of a start that they had raised their own grain, but not much to spare. Once or twice during this summer, Mr. Per- kins carried some potash to Manchester, and purchased what he could bring home on his back. On one occasion he went down to Azor Perry's and worked for him a day, and re- ceived in payment a half bushel of grain. This he'took upon his back, carried to Mr. Miner's grist-mill, which had just got into operation, had it ground, and carried it home, making about 9 miles travel, besides his day's work, on that day. On his arrival home, he found his cabin deserted ; his wife and child had gone, he knew not where; but as it was late in the evening, and very dark, conclud- ed he might content himself as best he could until morning, and then find his wife and child if he could. In the morning, as soon as it was light, Benj. Coy appeared at his cabin and informed him his wife and child had staid with him (Coy) over night. Per- kins went directly home with Coy, and found his wife and child. Soon after dark, it ap- pears, their pig (Perkins') came running through the doorway under the blanket into the cabin closely pursued by a large bear.
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The bear (probably from the sight of fire) | falling back to take a more advantageous [.o. did not enter, but with his head under the blanket surveyed the apartment for a mo- ment, and then left. She was very much frightened, took her child in her arms, start- ed on a run for Mr. Coy's the pig following- probably the most hazardous thing she could have done-but was not molested by the bear on her way there. Mr Perkins after their return, rolled up some logs before the door, went to Pawlet, got some boards, brought them home on his back, made a door, and said ever after that he felt secure from the intrusion of bears.
Francis Perkins was an upright man, mild in his deportment, but never known to devi- ate from what he regarded as honorable and right. In this respect he was like nearly all of the first settlers of the town, nor was he unlike them in the hardships, and dangers which he had to encounter. His experience is, perhaps, a little more striking, in that re- spect, than can now be related of many of them, though many of the settlers had their hogs, sheep and calves killed by bears and wolves, and sometimes taken out of their yards, where they invariably kept their stock in the night for some years after the settlement was commenced.
Mr. Perkins drew a pension of $ 96. a year and acquired a comfortable property. He died Dec. 26, 1844, aged 86. He has no de- scendants, to our knowledge, in Vermont.
JONATHAN HAYNES was probably, the last man who came here before the roll of 1785 was made. He came early in March that year. His son, Hezekiah, who lived in this town almost 80 years afterwards, was then 5 years old. From him we have had an in- telligible account of his father's history, also much of the early history of the town.
JONATHAN HAYNES was born in Massachu- setts. His father had emigrated from Eng. land. The family are able to trace their an- cestry back several generations to Jonathan Haynes, who was born in England in 1616. Jonathan Haynes, the subject of this sketch, removed from Haverhill, Mass., to Benning- ton before the Revolutionary war. His name appears on the roll of Captain Samuel Rob- inson's company, which is still preserved. That company was in the battle of Benning- ton. Mr. Haynes was severely wounded the first day of that battle. He received his wound at a time when the Americans were
sition. A musket ball struck him under the left shoulder blade, passed through his body, and came out at his right breast, and passed through his right arm near the wrist, which was at the time extended, in the act of rain- ming down the cartridge in his gun. This occurred about 2 o'clock in the afternoon. Not long afterwards, those who were sent out to pick up the wounded, came to Mr. Haynes and offered their assistance; but he told them he could live but a short time and they had better look after those who could be saved. They left him; but as they came around about 10 o'clock in the evening of the same day, to pick up the dead, they found Haynes still alive, and brought him in. Incredible as it may appear, it was not for him then to die, but to live, and to assist in laying the foundation of the institutions in this town.
Mr. Haynes removed here in the early part of March, 1785, and put up a log-house near where the school-house, in the south district, now stands. The snow was about four feet deep, but he shovelled it away, and in a short time had a cabin that he put his fami- ly into. He soon moved up the hill about half a mile, to what is now known as the Haynes farm : which has been in the family ever since. Mr. Haynes was never well af- ter his wound at Bennington, but was able to do a good deal of work, and accumulated quite a property ; frequently held town off- ces ; was a member of the Baptist church, and was chosen one of its deacons, but did not accept, on account of his physical weak- ness. He died in Middletown, May 13, 1813, aged 59. His widow died Oct. 14, 1841, 84 years old. Often, in the latter part of her life, we have heard her relate her trials at Ben- nington-how she was frightened when she saw that a battle must be fought, and took her children on a horse and fled to Pownal, and the first tidings she had was that her husband was slain, and when she returned and ascertained his real condition, she sup- posed his wound was mortal; but she took care of him, and at the same time of some of the Hessian wounded who were left in the hands of the Americans as prisoners.
Jonathan Haynes left a large family, all of whom, except Hezekiah, removed from Middletown many years ago. Hezekiah Haynes had a large family, of whom 6 sous
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and 2 daughters are now living. The oldest, a daughter, lives in Michigan; the second, Aaron, is a Baptist minister, and lives in Western New York ; the second son, Alpheus, resides here, and has been a deacon of the Baptist church since 1836; the third son, Arus, died some years since. He was also a Baptist minister, and stood high in his de- nomination, and was for several years pastor of the Baptist church in Rutland. The next two sons, Bacchus and Sylvanus HI. physic- ians, received their diplomas as early as 1841. Bacchus is in practice at Rutland, and Sylva- nus in his native town. Jonathan, the next son is a farmer, and resides on the old home- stead. Hezekiah, the youngest, is a mechan- ic, and resides in this village. The youngest daughter is also living here, and is unmarried.
Ephraim, Jacob and Philemon Wood, were among the active men of the first set- tlers ; but we reserve what we have to say of them, until the " Wood Scrape," so called, which happened about the year 1800. The others, not mentioned, whose naines are on the roll, were not long here, and very little is known of them; most of them proved to be " good men and true " while they remain- ed here.
I would not over estimate the character and worth of those men, but in my opinion it was fortunate (if I may so say) that it was not for their grandchildren to do the work which they did. With all our advantages at this advanced age, I honestly think we are inferior to our grandfathers and grandmoth- ers, physically, morally and intellectually. The popular opinion that they surpassed us only in their physical strength and endu- rance, is a mistake. It is in their moral pow er that they appear to the best advantage; their zeal and steadfastness, their unbending energy, their devotion to principle, has not since been equalled-so I think.
I might here say, those men who came to this place soon after the Spring of 1785, were of the same stamp ; the Clarks, the Caswells, the Loomises, the Oatmans, Moses Leach, Russel Barber, and others.
The town early made provision for 2. bur- ial-ground. The first ground used for that purpose was owned by Increase Rudd-now owned by Mrs. Green, and lies nearly north on the opposite side of the stream from the " nail-factory." There are appearances of graves there, but no monuments.
" At a town meeting, holden July 3, 1757, Joseph Spaulding, moderator ; Asher Blunt, Jonathan Brewster, Gideon Miner, Selah Hubbard and Jacob Wood, were chosen a committee to look out a spot for a burying- ground."
At an adjourned meeting, it was " Voted, To purchase an acre of ground of Luther Fil- more for that purpose." " Voted, To raise one penny on the pound on the grand list of 1786, to be paid in wheat, at four shillings per bushel, by the first of September next."
On July 30, 1787, Mr. Filmore executed a deed of the acre to the town. We give the description from Mr. Filmore's deed, as it lo- cates the " old school-house," the first one built in town :
" Beginning at the corner of the road, four rods west of the school-house in the centre of the town at a stake and stones, thence run- ning west sixteen rods, thence south ten rods to a stake and stones, thence sixteen rods to a stake and stones, thence ten rods to first mentioned bounds.'
In less than seventy years, that acre, was almost entirely occupied with the graves of those men and of their descendants. Gen- eral Jonas Clark saw the necessity of enlarg- ing the ground, and Oct. 15, 1853, about 3 months before his death, conveyed to the town a piece of land of an acre, or there- abouts, adjoining the old burial- ground on the west. He was so feeble he could not then write his name and was obliged to make his mark when he executed the deed. It was a gift to the town, with a condition that the town should keep it fenced.
In 1791, when the first census was taken, the population of Middletown was 699- nearly as many inhabitants as there are in the town now-there were but 711 by the census of 1860. Rapid progress had been made, not only in clearing up lands and put- ting up buildings, but two churches had be- come firmly established and prosperous ; schools had been organized, I think, in every district ; roads had been made and by the united effort of a hardy, intelligent and in- dustrious population, they were moving along harmoniously.
Another grist and saw-mill had been erected by Nathan Record, near where the road which runs to the " Barber place," crosses the race- way that now carries the water to Gray's mills, on land now owned by Mrs Hannah Clark. A blacksmith's shop, and one or
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two other shops had been built in the village. Mr. Filmore had begun to keep a tavern, and John Burnham, who had moved sometime during the season of 1785, at about this time (1791) commenced building mills and dwell- ing-houses at the place, since known as " Bur- nam's hollow." Mr. Burnam removed from Shaftsbury to Middletown, and first purchas- ed largely of real estate in the south part of the town. He first put up a log-house in what is now called the " upper orchard" on Mr. Southworth s farm, the road then ran in that vicinity. The next year, (1786,) he put up a frame-house, the same now occupied by Mr. Southworth. In the year 1791, (if we are not mistaken as to the time,) Mr. Bur- nam again made large purchases of real es- tate in the west part of the town. He com- menced at once putting up a dwelling-house, afterwards known as the "Sam. Willard house," After that house was completed, he left his son Jacob on his premises, in the south part of the town, and moved into the Willard house. He then went extensively into building mills, also in farming, and built several dwelling-houses. He built a forge, foundry, grist and saw-mills, an oil- mill, carding-machine and clothiers works, and a distillery. All of these he put into successful and active operation and carried on here an extensive business until 1811, when his mills were all swept away by the treshet of that year. He afterwards rebuilt his forge andsaw-mill, but did not do a large amount of business after the disaster of 1811.
Juan BURNAM the first lawyer that settled in town, was a man of uncommon ability. For the success of the religious interests in town, perhaps not much was due to him, al- though he paid something for such purposes and was in the habit of attending meetings on the Sabbath, but did. not believe in the immortality of the soul ; yet it must be con- ceded for the success of business euterprises at that early day, the town was much in- debted to hi!n.
FROM WILLIAMS' STATISTICS OF THE RUTLAND COUNTY BAR.
" John Barnam was born in Old Ipswich, Mass., in 1712, and came to Bennington the first year of its settlement, 1761, this being our oldest town. He was one of the first set- ters of the State. He was at the time but 19 years old, previous to which tune his ed- ucation had been wholly neglected, baving DeVer, ou account of indigence of his parents,
received ' but a few weeks schooling.' For his subsequent attainments, he was wholly in- debted to his exertions put forth after this time. In 1765, he removed to Shaftsbury, and located himself near Squire Munroe, a Yorker,' who had received the appointment of Justice of the Peace from New York, and who, by his exertions in behalf of that gov- ernment, was a source of trouble, and b came very obnoxious to the New Hampshire grant- ees. Some dispute ari-ing between this Squire Munroe and Mr. B., the former prevailed in consequence of his presumed legal knowl- edge, when Mr. B. determined to intorm him- self on the subject of law, so as at least to know and understand his rights. There were at this time no attornies in the terri- tory, comprising the State of Vermont, or nearer to it than the new city, (now Lan- singburgh, N. Y.) Thither Mr. B. went and procurel Blackstone's Commentaries, and one or two volumes of the N. Y. Colony Laws. These he so attentively studied dur- ing his leisure time, that he soon became familiarly acquainted with them. and began to put his knowledge in practice, and soon became quite . a pettifogger for his times and a new country ' He removed to Bennington in 1771, and engaged in the mercantile bus- iness and continued in it until 1779, when he returned to Shaftsbury where he resided un- til 1785. During this time he was a member of the conventions of 1776 and '77. which declared our independence of New York, formed our State constitution, &c. He was one of the committee who draughted the dec- laration of our independence, and existence as a separate State. Ile also represented Bennington, then our largest town. in the first General assembly, or Legislature of the State. During the Revolutionary War, he was commissary of the northern army, and commissioner for the sale of confiscated es- tate4.
His connection with the execution of Red- ding was perhaps the most notorious event of his life. Redding had been convicted of ' criminal conduct' by a jury of sic persons, and was sentenced to be executed on the 14th of June, 1778. Upon the appointed day, and after a vast multitude had assembled to witness the execution, Mr. B. disclosed to the council that, by the common law of England, no man could be sentenced but upon convic- tion by twelve of his peers, whereupon a re- prieve was granted. This was the cause of great disappointment to the people who had assembled to witness the execution, to ap- pease whom Ethan Allen mounted a stump and exclaimed . Attention the whole' and informed them that ' on a certain future day some one should be hung, and if Redding was not, he would be himself.' Reiding was again tried, convicted and execute.l."
Mr. Burnam seems to have been engaged as counsel in many of the first casus tried in the County court, in Bennington county, and " being successful," was induced by Stephen
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R. Bradley and Nathaniel Chipman to take the attorney's oath. Dr. Graham, in his " Letters upon Vermont," published in 1797, thus speaks of him : " Mr. Burnam, of Mid- dletown, possesses large iron foundries and forges. This gentleman was one of the practicing lawyers of the State, but of late years has wholly declined the profession. He is a man of real abilities and great sci- entific knowledge."
We should add here that Mr. B. represent- ed the town of Middletown 6 years, the first time in 1788. He died in Middletown, Aug. 1, 1829, aged 87. His father died in Mid- dletown, in 1811, agel 97.
John Burnam left 4 sons and 2 daughters, none of whom are now living. Nathan, the oldest son, removed from here at an early day. He left a family, as we are informed, who had a good standing and influence. Jacob, the second son, remained on the old homestead until a short time before he died. Jacob has 2 children now living ; Jacob, jr., and Eveline, the widow of Johnson Cook, both of whom now reside in Sturges, Mich., and Harry, who is an attorney and judge of probate, and resides in Indiana. Of the other two sons of John Burnam, were John the third, as he was called, who died about 1835, and Sylvester, who died about 1860- both died poor; of the two daughters, one married Jeremiah Leffingwell, and the other Samuel Willard. They had the reputation of being worthy women, and were active members of the Methodist denomination. Mr. Leffingwell was a man of considerable notoriety in his time, and was engaged in a good deal of business. One of his daughters married the late Nathan Allen of Pawlet, who has left a family strongly marked with the energy and business tact of their mater- nal ancestors.
At the census of 1800, the population of the town was 1066, a gain of 367 in 9 years. A village had sprung up with about as many inhabitants, and probably more business than it now has. John Burnamn had a village of his own in " Burnamn Hollow," and the Mi- ners were doing quite a business in the east part of the town ; every part of the town was settled and the farins were cleared up and un- der cultivation.
About 1800, occurred the " Wood scrape," a term not expressive perhaps of what is meant, but a name which has always been given by the people to a strange affair in
which the Wood families, then living here, were the leading actors. It was a religious delusion, and, at the time, the cause of great excitement here, and of a good deal of noto- riety in this part of the State. That there were other denouements besides delusion in the affair is true, but it had its origin, I have no doubt, in a false religion of which Nathaniel Wood was the author, and was sus- tained and enabled to become what it did by delusion.
Before 1860, I had conversed with more than 30 old men and women who were living here in 1800, and then supposed I had obtain- ed all the information that could be had on that subject, the substance of which was that the Woods dug for money in various parts of the town, and were engaged in this for nearly a year ; that they used hazel-rods which they pretended would lead them to places where money had been buried, and that they finally predicted that there would be an earthquake on a future day by them named, and that when that day arrived there was great excite- ment and commotion among the people, such as was never known here before nor since.
About the year 1862, some facts new to me, came into my possession, since which time I have made use of all the means in my power to collect all the information connected with that matter which could possibly be obtained. On this investigation, which has taken much of my time, I have become convinced that the narrations given me by the old people were correct, so far as they went, and they went so far as to include nearly all the open trans- actions of the Woods but the origin of that affair and the results are, in my judgment, important, and the facts bearing upon these I have obtained, for the most part, since 1862. The Woods were among the early settlers of the town. They came here from Benn.ng- ton and had not been there long ; they came to this State from Norwich, Ct. ; some of them were here as early as 1782. In 1800, they had become more numerous than any family or families of the same or of one name in the town. There were here at this time Nathan- iel Wood, Nathaniel Wood, jr., Ephraim, Ja- cob, Ebenezer, Ebenezer jr., John, John jr., Philemon, Lewis, David, and Moseley Wood. Nathaniel Wood, "the old man of all," as he was called, was the father of Nathaniel jr , and of Jacob and Ephraim. Nathaniel Wood was a preacher. After the Congregational
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church was organized, he offered himself to them as their minister, but Deacon Jonathan Brewster, having known him in Connecticut, opposed it. Wood persisted for a considera- ble length of time in his efforts to become their pastor, but Dea. Brewster determinedly opposed it and succeeded in carrying the church with him; but either to gratify some of Mr. Wood's friends in the church, or to ap- pease him, they passed a vote in which they recognized him " as a leader" in the church. He was a member of the church, as would ap- pear from the records, although he never sign- ed the articles, as did others of that time, The records of that church show that for 4 or 5 years, commencing in 1784, there was an al- most uninterrupted controversy going on be- tween Mr. Wood and the church, or between him and some one or more of its members. In 1789, the church passed the following .
" That Joseph Spaulding, Lewis Wood and Increase Rudd, be a committee to confer with Mr. Nathaniel Wood, and tell him his fat lt, viz., of saying one thing an i doing contrary, and persisting in contention, and saying in convention that he wished for a council and when the church, by their committee, pro- posed to have a council to settle the whole matter, he utterly refused." -
He seemed to have treated this action of the church with contempt, and in October, 1789, the church excommunicated him. It does not appear from the records of the church, that there was any controversy between him and them upon doctrines, but the disputes arose mostly from his charges against mem- bers, and against the church. in which he claimed that injustice had been done to him in their action, on several occasions. He was a very ambitious man, fond of contention, and had an indomitable will that could not endure defeat ; a inan of great mental power, and allowing me to judge from intormation I have obtained, was as dishonest and unseru- pulous in matters of religion as any modern politician has been in politics. When he found he could not rule the Congregational church, he seemed determined to ruin it. He was a formidable antagonist; but with such men as Jonathan Brewster, Joseph Spaulding and Gideon Miner in that church, he could make but little progress in that direction.
After Mr. Wood was excluded from the church, he set up meetings of his own, and preached to those who came to hear him, and succeeded, after awhile, in getting quite a con gregation, consisting of his own family and
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family connections, and some others. He held his meetings mostly at the dwelling- houses of his sons. 'His religious doctrines, whatever they might have been while in the Congregational church, appeared to be far from orthodox after his independent organiza- tion, if organization it was. He professed to believe in supernatural agencies, and dwelt very much in his preaching on the judgments of God, which he claimed would visit the peo- ple by the special acts of Providence, as did the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah and the plagues of Egypt. The judgments of God were his favorite themes. At first his own family did not appear to adopt his new doc- trines ; but such was his tenacity and perse- verance, that by the year 1800, he had drawn them all in, with many others outside of his family and family connections, so that he had at this time a number nearly equal to either of the other denominations in town. His pe- culiar religious doctrines will appear as we proceed. Suffice it to say, for the present, that he regarded himself and his followers as modern Israelites or Jews, under the special care of Providence; that the Almighty would not only specially interpose in their behalf, but would visit their enemies, the Gentiles (all outsiders), with his wrath and vengeance.
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