USA > Vermont > Rutland County > The history of Rutland county, Vermont; civil, ecclesiastical, biographical and military, pt 2 > Part 69
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* See history of rod-men and money-digging in his- tory of Middletown, this volume .- Ed.
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name of Kilborn, and lived to the age of 93, | children were Rufus, Joseph, Elijah, Polly, and of whom the story is told that, in her Eunice, Lucy, Sally and Charlotte. He mar- ried, 2d, the widow of Simeon Pond and died in 1826, aged 76. His daughter, Charlotte, and her husband both died the same day and were buried in one grave. younger days she treed a bear, with a child in her arms, hallooed till she raised a neigh- bor, and kept her post until he came and killed the bear.
JOSHUA HOWE,
from Walingaford, settled, in 1783, on the farm now owned by his grandson, Joshua. He built the first grist-mill in town. He was remarkable most for a temper never known to be quickened under any circumstances. When he raised his grist-mill, it is told, he. stood holding a post which, as it entered the mortise, the beam came down upon his toes, smashing them flat; but, with unruffled countenance, he turned to his son, remarking in his ordinary, deliberate and mild tones, "Joseph, I wish you would get the crow-bar and raise up this post. I should like to get my toes out from under it." He married a Blakely, of his native town. Their children were David, Asa, Samuel, Joseph, Joshua, Ruth and Eunice. He died in 1800.
SAMUEL, his son, married and settled on the old homestead, and, we think, lived and died there. He possessed the same calm and even disposition with his father. On one occasion, after having filled his barn with hay and grain, it took fire in the night. The family had retired, and did not discover it; but the neighbors came rushing to the spot, and soon aroused them. The old man got out of bed, gave one look towards the fire, then, walking moderately to the chamber- door, called his son : "Joshua, I guess you had better get up and go down to the barn ; it's a-fire. I'll light my pipe and come down and see about it." He did light his pipe and smoked as quietly as a Dutch skipper, while the fruit of his summer's toil was being con- sumed.
His wife outlived him and died at the age of 98. Their children were Samuel, jr .; Charles and Chauncy, twins; Joshua, Abi- gail and Avis.
Samuel went into the war of 1812, and never came back. Joshua resides on the old homestead.
MATTHIAS AND JOSEPH BUTTON,
father and son, settled in 1785. Mr. M. But- ton afterwards married the widow of Joshua Howe. He was born in 1732; died in 1811. Joseph's wife was Sarah Glass.
RUFUS GLASS
and wife (Hannah Fuller) emigrated from Connecticut. Their children were Rufus, William, Polly, Arunah, Alice, Susannah, Lucinda and Roxana. Mr. and Mrs. Glass both died of the epidemic of 1813. Mr. Glass had a brother Samuel, who settled the same year that he did in Wells, on an adjoining farm. He had a family of 8 children.
GERSHOM GIFFORD
came from Bennington to Wells, in 1776. His father's house, in Bennington, stood on the ground where the battle was fought, and the family sought shelter in the cellar from the bullets. The house took fire in the height of the battle, and they were obliged to leave. Fortunately, no one was injured. Mr. Gifford died in 1795; and his wife, who was again married, in 1837, aged 85. Their children were John, Samuel, David, Sally and Polly.
JAMES PAUL,
from Dighton, Mass., in 1786, was one of the earliest settlers in the eastern part of Wells. He died in 1805, aged 80, and his wife, Abi gail, in 1813, aged 85. They had a nume- rous family, among whom were Edward, James, jr., David, Kiles, Daniel, Abigail, Ruth, Jonathan, Joshua, and Stephen, who lives on the old homestead, and is rising SO years of age. ELIAKIM, son of Stephen, is a physician ; has been town representative 5 years and held other town offices. He mar- ried Anna Coleman, by whom he had chil- dren, Emmet and Sabra deceased, Nelson, and Daniel W., a graduate of Harvard, now a lawyer in St. Louis.
HILAND E. PAUL,
son of Nelson, was born Dec. 31, 1836. He has held the office of town superintendent of schools 4 years, and represented the town in the State Legislature 2 years.
PETER STEVENS
came from Connecticut, in 1786. He died in 1821; his wife, Lois, in 1820. Of their sons, Samuel married Ruth Howe; was in the war of 1812, and died from wounds received Their | at the battle of Chippeway. Joshua was
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drowned in Tinmouth ; and James H., who is a Methodist clergyman, and resides in town.
THE PARKS FAMILY.
Elijah Parks came from Canterbury, Ct., in 1787. He was a Revolutionary soldier ; was in the battle of Saratoga, and present at the surrender of Burgoyne. He taught win- ter school here about 20 years, and was town clerk 9 years. He removed to Granville, N. Y., in 1811, where he died in 1813, aged 63 years. Mr. Parks was first married to Anna Smith,-children: Joseph, Elijah, jr., Nancy and Elethea; 2d, married Margaret Walker, of Granville, N. Y.,-children : John, Loren, Simeon deceased ; Simeon, Almon, Sally Polly and Eunice.
Joseph, jr., held the office of selectman in town longer than any other man ever has ; was representative 3 years ; overseer several years, and the only surveyor in the town. He married first Betsy Wilcox, of Pawlet, by whom he had children : Cordelia and Darius. Mrs. Betsy Parks died in 1848, and he mar- ried, 2d, Phebe, her sister. Mr. Parks died at the age of 84.
ROBERT, son of Elijah, jr., has taught school 29 winters, and never inflicted corpo- ral punishment in the discipline of the school-room ; but he has been ingenious in selecting other modes of correction, probably quite as effectual. He has written a bio- graphical history of the inhabitants of his native town, which has been published in connection with the history of Wells, by Hiland E. Paul .*
ROBERT H., son of Robert and Lucy ( Brookins ) Parks, enlisted at Fairhaven, Sept. 10, 1861 ; transferred to Harris' Light Cavalry, N. Y., Co. F .: died in camp aged 25, Dec. 19, 1861. The husbands of two daughters of Robert Parks were also in the late war-the husband of Octavia, from Va.,
* He was first engaged as the historian of Wells for this work, but after he had gathered his material. prefering to publish in a separate and independent book, so did, with the assistance of Mr. Parks who fur- nished the biographical sketches. Their joint book is 12 mo. 154 pp. of which Mr. Paul furnished the first 57 pp .; Mr. Parks the balance. We depended on Mr. Panl alone for the history, a number of years; but as we secured a substitute in another native of Wells, when papers were refused, to say the least equally satisfac. tory, we forgive Mr. Paul, and select from lus and Mr. Parks' History of Wells, istted by "Tuttle & Co .. Rutland, 1869," whatever we estimate to be even of town interest, not to say of general interest, not in- cluded in the papers of Mt . Hopson. Ed.
and of Florence, who married Franklin Cook of Wells. Cook was in the 123d Reg. N. Y. Vols., with Ger. Sherman in his march through Georgia, and saw nearly three years service.
ISAAC GOODSELL
came with his family from Washington, Ct. at a very early date. He purchased land and settled upon it intending to make that his future home but on the breaking out of the Revolution returned with his family to his former residence.
DANIEL GOODSELL,
son of Isaac, who purchased land in Wells, and brought on his family and a very ugly dog but returned with his family to Ct. on the breaking out of the war, came in the year 1787 to take possession of his father's land upon which he remained 17 years. One evening soon after he came here as he was making his way from the village to his home through a road dark and narrow and dense- ly wooded, a bear suddenly accosted him and soon another pressed threatenly behind him, but knowing all depended on his courage he kept up talking and scolding at them until finally, when they had become so bold they almost touched him, he managed to reach a bunch of shingles by the roadside, and draw- ing two from the pack made them snap like a pistol whereupon the bears, frightened, ran up Pond Mountain leaving Mr. Goodsell and shingles master of the field. On one occas- ion, during the "cold summer " or year of famine, Mr. Goodsell brought a bushel of wheat from Shaftsbury to Wells on his shoulders, a distance of about 30 miles. Many of the inhabitants nearly starved before the harvest came. The settler that had a bushel of grain, no matter at what cost or labor he had obtained it, was considered a rich man. Mr. Goodsell removed to Honeoye, N. Y., in 1804, where he died.
WILLIAM COWDRY
came from Connecticut in 1787 and lived here 12 years and then removed to Middle- town. His family consisted of 6 sons and 2 daughters. There is nothing of their history worth recording except the part taken by
OLIVER COWDRY,
the sixth and youngest son, in giving to the world the famous revelations of Joe Smith, the founder of Mormonism. Smith being too
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illiterate to write himself, employed this Oli- ver Cowdry, it appears, as a scribe (see the same in Middletown, this vol., ED.) and he it was who in company with two others, David Whitmore and Martin Harris, gave to the world 538 pages of the most wretched hum bug that ever disgraced a nation. We would like to pelt those detestable Mormons for ever having dared to originate on our pure Green Mountain soil; but the multitude seeking out so many strange paths, all diverging so widely from the old path, arrests our hand.
ANDREW CLARK
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and his wife Mary ( Robinson) removed, with their family, from Cheshire, Ct., to this town, in 1790. Mr. Clark was a man of considera. ble note among his townsmen. He was se- lectman 14 years. He died in 1819, aged 64, and Mrs. Clark in 1841, aged 87. They raised 10 children. Freelove, one of the daughters, is still living in Poultney, over 90 years of age. Another daughter married for her second husband a man named Benja- min hider,-chiefly remarkable for his love of cider. It was an undisputed fact among his acquaintances, that he could, in a given length of time, throw himself outside of a larger quantity of his favorite beverage than any other living man. At a dinner one day, in which Rider and several other old cronies participated, the host, for sport, neglected to produce the cider. The wit of the village, a sort of rustic poet, noticing the lugubrious countenance of poor Ben, as he sat down toj the table, and saw that his favorite extract was not there, meekly folded his hands, and, with a most inimitable air of pious supplica- tion, asked the following impromptu blessing:
"Oh, Lord of love, look from above, And bless Ben Rider, Whose heart of oak with grief is broke: Do, Lord, send him some cider."
Mr. Rider died in 1824.
ISAAC ANDREW'S
and family-wife, Mabel (Messenger,) chil- dren, Isaac, jr., Elisha, Mary and Mabel- were among the earliest settlers in town Mr. Andrews was town clerk several years prior to 1790. There is no further record of this family.
TIMOTHY FULLER
himself, too often became the victim of a joke by his less honest, but more shrewd, neigh- bors. Once, with two others, he took turns to watch a cornfield infested by bears. His night, on taking his station upon a high staging, that had been erected in the centre of the field, one of his comrades, a Mr. Coy, handed him the gun ready charged, with di- rections, if he heard a crackling among the brush, he must fire, even if he did not see the bear The gun had been charged heavily with powder, without lead. After a little while, Mr. Coy crept to the edge of the field and commenced breaking dry twigs. The crackling noise soon attracted the attention of the lonely watcher. Listening a moment, feeling sure it was a bear, and remembering the directions that he had received, he raised the gun to his shoulder, and blazed away. Kicked off the staging, several feet down the hill, he picked himself up with astonishment; and several rognes, in the secret, came rush- ing up to inquire if he had killed the bear. "I am not sure," replied the poor man, "I am not sure, but think he was at the wrong end of the gun."
JOSIAH GOODSPEED, SENIOR,
and wife, Jemima Blossom, emigrated from Barnstable, Mass., to Wells, in the year 1794. Their children were Ansel, Josiah, jr., Alvin, Sylvia and Hannah. He and his wife lived together almost 60 years. Both died in the spring of 1826, both aged 79.
ANSEL GOODSPEED
and wife, Lydia (Marston,) settled in 1794. Mr. Goodspeed was town representative 2 years, and justice of the peace many years. He will ever be remembered for his honesty of character and kindness of heart. He died in 1847. His wife in 1850, aged 80 Their children were Eunice, Sophia, Oliver, Clar- rissa, Pierce, Sally, Lydia (living in town), Peter, Amanda, Paulina, Socrates H., and Ansel.
WINSLOW GOODSPEED
came from Barnstable, Mass., in 1794. Ha was twice married. His second wife was Vinsa Swift. They raised a family of 10 children. three of whom are still living in town. Mr. Goodspeed died in 1842; his wife in 1868, aged 90 years.
DR. SOCRATES HOTCHKISS
came in here from Barnstable, Mass., and settled in 1794. He was a quiet, innocent was from Cheshire, Ct. He came in 1,95, man, and, supposing others to be as clever as land commenced practising, as a physician,
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soon after his arrival. He married Bethiah, daughter of Samuel Lathrop, Esq., by whom he had two daughters, Laura and Sally. His wife dying in 1803, he married, 2d, Mary A. Doolittle, and by her had two daughters, Bethiah and Mary A. The Doctor was es- teemed as a physician, but died when but 36 years of age.
ROBERT HOTCHKISS,
a soldier in the French and English war, and who was with Montgomery at the taking of St. Johns, and who also served in the Revo- lutionary war, settled here in 1796. He married, 1st, Hannah Hotchkiss, by whom he had children, Raymond, Oliver and Ma- linda. He married, 2d, Mrs. Lucy Matthews, Wuose first husband died in the war of the Revolution. By her he had one daughter, Hannah D. Mrs. Hotchkiss, 2d, died in 1821, aged 73, and Mr. H. married, 3d, wid- ow Sarah Francis, who died in 1834, aged 76. Raymond, ol est son, married Viana Good- rich, first, who died at 24 years, and, 2d, Polly Tyler, who survived him. He was a captain in the war of 1812; was justice of the peace here a number of years, and filled va- rious town offices, but removed from town in 1830. He went to Pawlet; from there, in 1837, to Granville, N. Y., where he died at the age of 76.
JOHN C. HOPSOY, SEN.,
came from Wallingford, Ct., in 1795. He was twice married. His first wife was Persis Swift, by whom he had 7 children : Almon and Almira (twins), Persis, John C., jr, Oli- ver, Raymond H., and Almira. His first wife died, Nov. 27, 1811, aged 41 years. He next married widow Bethiah Lewis, Sept. 9, 1813, by whom he had two children, Orrin L. and Bethiah.
heat, cold and fatigue. He was a inan of the strictest honesty, and, in all his dealings with others, was never known to swerve a hair's breadth from the line of truth and in- tegrity ; possessed, like his Puritan ancestors, of the most indefatigable perseverance and indomitable will, he commanded the re- spect of all who knew him. He died March 2, 1856, aged 87 years.
ALMON HOPSON
still lives upon the old homestead. He first married Clarissa Chandler, by whom he had three children, Persis C., Caroline L., and Almon C. She died in the year 1827. He next married Esther, sister of his former wife, by whom he had four children-Heber, a daughter who died while an infant, Ellen E. and Edward F. Mr. Hopson is a man of a sound mind and of more than ordinary intel- ligence, has held several official stations in town, has taught school for several success- ive years and more than 20 winters. He is proverbial for his honesty and trusting dis- position. One anecdote we can relate will illustrate the former trait in his character.
Several years ago, when cattle were very cheap, he had a tolerably fat cow, which he proposed to sell for beef. One day the butcher (George Potter) called for the purpose of buying the cow. After examining her thoroughly, he offered 18 dollars. The owner hesitated, took another look at the old cow, and finally said, "Well, George, I really don't think she's worth more than 16 dollars. It's all I should be willing to give, and it's as much as I'm willing to take," and so old Mooly went for 16 dollars, because his strict sense of honesty would not permit him to take more, although it was offered volunta- rily. May Heaven's blessing rest upon thee. my dear kind father! We would not ex- change your honest heart for the wealth of Crœsus, nor will we lose our faith in hu- manity while there is yet one honest man in this vast Sodom of iniquity ; and, although this little sketch is perhaps already too long, still, we must be pardoned if we add yet another item.
The farm upon which he settled, and which is still owned by two of his sons, Almon and John C., jr., was then an unbroken wilder- ness, and many a sturdy blow had to be struck. many a year of toil and privation ex- perienced, ere the forest gave place to fields of waving grain, or the rude log.hut of the settler to the more imposing and commodious frame dwelling of the farmer. But all this It is of our present and only mother of whom we would speak. Nearly forty years ago, when but 19 years of age, she gave her young hand in marriage to our father, and consented to be a mother to her dead sister's has been long since accomplished. Well do we remember the subject of this sketch (for he was our grandfather), short in stature, but with great strength and a constitution of iron. His frame seemed to bid defiance alike tol children. Far from her own dear home, she
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entered upon the duties of wife and step- mother, and bravely has she borne her bur- den. In sickness and in health, through sorrow, adversity, and in prosperity, she has ever been to us a kind and tender mother. May Heaven bless, too, her declining years, and may her life of patient toil be rewarded by an eternity of rest among the people of God.
JOHN C. HOPSON, JR.,
still owns a part of the old homestead farm, but resides in the village. He has three chil- dren,-Caroline, Warren and Henry. He has been town representative 2 years, select- man 4 years, besides holding various other town offices.
AARON IVES, from Wallingsford, Ct., set- tled near Harvard Pond in 1785 ; He died in 1801, aged 53. His only son, Aaron, jr., was killed in Middletown, in 1831, by the falling of a tree.
JOSEPH LAMB, from Norwich, Ct., and his wife Betty, settled on a hill in Wells, hence called Lamb Hill, in 1778. Their children were Shubael, Levi, Jarius, William, Betty and Sarah. Mr. Lamb died in 1809, aged 73; his wife in 1852, aged 95.
PHINEAS LAMB, a revolutionary soldier, who was taken prisoner by the British, under Burgoyne, settled here in 1801. He married Anna Garfield, who died in 1834, aged 72. Their children were, Dolly, Betsy, Susan, George, Nancy, Wm., Polly, Harriet, Lucy, Samuel, Clark, Betsy and Hannah. SAMUEL married Harriet Potter, enlisted in 1831 to fight the Indians under Gen. Dodge, and never returned. CLARK married a Miss Hyde of Poultney and died in service in the late war.
CAPT. WILLIAM, son of Phineas, " vener- able in years, stil! resides with us." He was Captain of the militia several years and has been selectman, justice of the peace and town clerk 17 years.
SAMUEL LATHROP, an early justice of the peace in town till his death, died in 1801, aged 64. He left one daughter and several sons. One son, Zachariah, married Charlotte, daughter of Joseph Button, Esq., and he and his wife died upon the same day and were buried in the same grave.
DAVID LEWIS, EPISCOPALEAN-Justice of peace in town several years ; settled on West St., died in 1$15 aged 83; his wife in 1831,
aged 76. Children, Aaron, David B., and Phebe.
LEVI LEWIS, a tanner, lived a short dis- tance north of the village. His children were Artemas, Levi, Orlin, Norman and Theodore. Theodore was a physician and died many years since. The account which follows oc- curred in Mr. Lewis' family and was pub- lished in the "Mental Report," (1807,) a pe- riodical printed by Hartwell, at Bennington.
"One Mr. Lewis a tanner, was engaged in the concerns of his calling, his horse at the same time being in his mill grinding bark. The wheel drawn by the horse was very wide, proportionably high and above a ton in weight. It was made of wood and filled with long and hard cogs or trunnions for the breaking of the bark. His child, a boy of two or three years of age, had followed him out and, unobservedly, got within the circle of the wheel near the stake. Soon after, the child in attempting to get out to his father, was knocked down by the shaft and the ponderous wheel run over his head and crusned it in a dreadful manner. Two skillful physicians were immediately sent for and soon arrived ; the child lay apparently almost lifeless.
His breathing was scarcely perceptible. On examination, the skull was found to be much fractured behind by one of the cogs, and over one eye by another ; from the frac- ture behind several pieces of loose bone were taken out, and nearly a spoonful of the brain removed from the wound. The opinion of the surgeons was, death must inevitably and spedily ensue, and therefore, to attempt to trepan the skull would be but to give pain without the most distant prospect of reaping any advantage. The wounds were, therefore, only cleansed in the most tender manner ; and without hope the afflicted parents and sympathetic neighbors attended, expecting every moment the child would breathe its last. Its breathing, however, becoming more and more perceptible ; at length he opened his eyes and asked his mother for something to eat. He accordingly received food ana was apparently refreshed thereby. Nature the handmaid of Heaven, wrought a surpris- ing work in his favor, and he is now appar- ently healthy, active and sensible as the chil- dren in general in the neighborhood of his residence."
The child referred to above, (says the writ- er in 1869) is Mr. Levi Lewis now living in this town, upwards of 64 years of age.
THEODORE and EDWIN Lewis sons of Ar- temas Lewis who has been justice of peace upwards of 20 years in town-enlisted in the naval service during the late war and were both in a number of engagements with the enemy.
FRANKLIN D. YOUNGS married Adelia S.,
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daughter of Lorenzo D. Lewis, of this town. They had two children, Ida and Willie. Mr. Youngs enlisted in the 14th, Reg. Vt. Vols., and died in Brattleboro camp in 1863, on his way home.
NATHANIEL LEWIS, an early settler had four sons, Nath. C., jr., Reuben, Enos and John. Reuben married, was a physician and went West. Enos, who remained in town until 1832, when he removed to Harmony, N. Y., had one son, Bradley, who went to the Florida War and never returned, another son, John, had a son Abner, born also in this town, who has been a county judge of Cha- tauque County, N. Y., and member of Con- gress two years from the western district of New York.
JAIRUS LEWIS, son of Ethelbert and Pan- lina Lewis, married and settled in Poultney. He was in the Union service during the late war, and well performed his part.
NATHAN M. LOUNSBERRY, revolutionary soldier, resided here for a time. He removed to Rutland, in 1828 and died in Clarendon at the age of 100 years.
AARON MOSHER, Esq., son of Daniel Mos- her of Tinmouth, married Ruth Richardson, of Coventry, Ct ; they had 9 children. Mr. Mosher was justice of the peace many years, representative two, and at length removed to Erie N. Y .. where he died aged 90. His widow married in 1869. AUSTIN, son of Aaron Mosher, became a clergyman. He married a Miss Earls of Ft. Ann.
DR. JAMES MOSHER married Betsy Tyler ; practised in town a few years when his life was cut short. He died in the midst of his usefulness in 1816. He left one son, who went to Rochester, N. Y., and died in 1863, aged 21.
JAMES MOODY, married Abigail Atwater : their children were, Charles, John and Wil- liam. Mr. Moody died many years since but his widow still lives (1869) with her 4th hus- band, Ransom Bateman, of Poultney. Wil- liam served in the 14th Vt. Reg. In 1868, a little boy of his was in a carriage with him one day when a runaway team came in collision with the carriage, the boy was thrown out and bally mutilated. When his father came to him he said, " Pa, I have got to die ;" he lingered in great agony till the next day, when he expired.
NATHAN MITCHELL, son of Ichabod and
Joanna ( Root) Mitchell, married Polly Mal- loy and left at his death one son, Sanfor 1. Dr. Mitchell died in 1823, aged 33. His widow married a Mr. Witheral of Moriah, N. Y.
FRANKLIN MC ARTHUR, son of Samuel and Louisa (Simms) Mc Arthur, enlisted in the 7th Vt. Reg., and died in service soon after.
DR. CHARLES C. NICHOLS from Castleton in 1856, has since practised in town. He mar- ried a Spaulding and has hal two children.
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