The history of Washington county, in the Vermont historical gazetteer:, Part 106

Author: Hemenway, Abby Maria, 1828-1890, [from old catalog] ed
Publication date: 1882
Publisher: Montpelier, Vt., Vermont watchman and state journal press
Number of Pages: 1066

USA > Vermont > Washington County > The history of Washington county, in the Vermont historical gazetteer: > Part 106

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strength and influence, so that it was thought advisable to hold public services every Sabbath, a school-house in the Depot village was occupied. Shut out of this house by vote of the district, a large room in Gov. Paine's woolen factory was used. During the winter of 1835, a subscription paper was started to raise funds to build a church, but Gov. Paine forestalled the necessity by building a house and inviting the church to worship in it, and it was dedicated to " The Father, Son and Holy Ghost," Dec. 1, 1836, Rev. J. K. Converse of Burlington, preaching the sermon, and offering the dedicatory prayer. This house was occupied for about 6 years, when the church decided to build a house at the Center for itself, of which it would have the entire control.

The edifice was erected and dedicated Aug. 3, 1843 ; thus when 21 years old the church had a habitation of its own as well as a name. The church continued to worship in this house, till the railroad having been built and business so centered in the Depot village it seemed desirable the church should be there, and Dec. 1854, it was decided to change back from the Center, and the house built by Gov. Paine formerly used, was bought of the heirs, enlarged, repaired, and has been the home of the church since.

The first 10 years the church could not hold meetings regularly on the Sabbath, but the last years "reading meetings " were held, which Dea. Cady usually con- ducted, Gov. Paine frequently reading the sermon.

In Sept. 1833, Mr. James Ferguson, a young man, commenced laboring with the church. He was called to be its pastor, but died the very day he was to have been ordained and installed.

On the last Sabbath in May, 1834, Rev. Calvin Granger preached for the church, and arrangements were made with him for " stated supply." June 4, 1836, the church voted to give Rev. Calvin Granger a call to become the pastor, with a salary from the church and society of $200, the re- mainder of the salary to be supplied by the Home Missionary Society.

Dec. 1, 1836, Mr. Granger was installed, and was pastor till Dec. 1842, when he was dismissed by advice of a council.

After this I find no record of any action of the church in regard to ministers until Sept. 12, 1843, when Rev. Thos. S. Hub- bard was invited to become pastor, who declined, and Nov. 25th, after, the church voted to hire Rev. Wm. Claggett one year, whose services were retained till the end of 1845.

Again, no record of action in regard to a minister till Sept. 19, 1846; the church voted to employ Rev. J. H. Benton one year. March 24, 1847, he was installed, and was pastor till Sept. 7, 1849, when dismissed by advice of a council. The rea- sons given were, "inadequate support, a call received from a church in Michigan, and circumstances growing out of that call."

In Jan. 1850, Mr. Ambrose Smith was acting pastor ; July 9, 1850, ordained ; dis- missed Apr. 24, 1853, and soon after Rev. C. B. Tracy became acting pastor. He received a unanimous call to become pas- tor. There is no record of the acceptance of this call, but he remained acting pastor till the close of 1855.

Dec. 27, 1855, Rev. L. H. Stone was voted a call to become pastor. His labors commenced the first of April, but there is no record of the acceptance of this call, and Mr. Stone was not installed, but con- tinued acting pastor till the first of Apr. 1863, when Mr. C. W. Thompson supplied till the first of Sept. after, when the min- istry of the present pastor, Rev. Wm. S. Hazen, commenced, who was ordained pastor Oct. 12, 1864.

The first deacon was Virgil Washburn, who held the office from the day of organ- ization till Apr. 1, 1832, when at his own request he was dismissed, and recommend- ed to the fellowship of the church in Ran- dolph. Aug. 11, 1832, Caleb Winch and Calvin Cady were chosen deacons, and continued in office until their death; the first, Apr. 27, 1843; the last, Apr. 12, 1864. There is no record of the election of Chas. C. Closson and Samuel Denny, but it must have been during 1843. They served till their dismission by letter ; the

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one in 1848, to the church in Worcester, in which he held the same office a number of years, and died in 1872; the other to the church in Thetford. Dea. Denny, after his return to this church in Aug. 1850, served for some time. Wm. Winch was chosen July, 1848, and is now the senior deacon of the church. There is no record of the election of Leonard Harring- ton, who served several years previous to his removal to the church in Waitsfield. Lorenzo Belknap was elected Aug. 8, 1864, and Daniel Chandler, at present one of the acting deacons, July, 1880.

Clerks of the Church .- Samuel Whitney, Chas. C. Closson, John L. Buck, Calvin Granger, John L. Buck, J. H. Benton, Truman S. Kellogg, Ambrose Smith, Sam- uel Denny, Wm. S. Hazen, M. McClearn, .J. H. Orcutt.

The church has enjoyed only two ex- tensive revivals; one during the winter of 1835-36, which resulted in more than doubling the membership, the other in the winters of 1841, '2. The total mem- bership is 372 ; present membership, 126.

Though there had been something of a Sabbath-school, or better, perhaps, Bible classes, connected with the church for sev- eral years, the school was not regularly organized until Dec. 1836, when Samuel Denny was chosen superintendent, since which the school has been well sustained, but never was more flourishing than now, when it numbers 156; and at least three who here first professed their faith in Christ, have become ministers of the Gos- pel : Rev. Daniel Parker [see page 644], Rev. C. M. Winch, who is now pastor of the church at Hartland, and Rev. Geo. W. Winch, pastor of the Congregational church in Enfield, Conn., and two others who united with this church by letter, have become clergymen, and are laboring in the West. This church was formerly aided by the Vt. D. M. S., the last record of such aid being in Nov. 1855.

This review may at first present some- thing of discouragement ; to some it may seem as though Christian effort here has been useless, or at least very inefficient ;

that after 60 years of labor there is so small a church numerically to show. It must be remembered that the fruits of any moral or religious undertaking are never all to be seen. " One soweth and another reap- eth." Aside from the influence on this community in sustaining a Christian church 60 years, the full value of which eternity alone will reveal, the church has been continually exerting a wider influence in sending forth to other parts of the land those nurtured in its bosom. Who will attempt to estimate the good it has thus been continually doing? Such country churches as this, gaining slowly if at all, yet constantly holding on, are like those mountain springs which are continually sending forth their sparkling streams to irrigate and fertilize the valleys below, thus making, what would otherwise be a barren waste, a fruitful garden. No cause of discouragement here, then, but rather of devout gratitude that this church is as strong as it is to-day, while it has done what it has for others.

THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH.

BY REV. FRANKLIN W. BARTLETT.

The Parish of St. Mary's was first or- ganized in 1851, under the auspices of the Rev. Dr. Josiah Perry, who died after four or five months of faithful service. We ascertain from the records that an associa- tion was created April 10, 1851, to form a parish in Northfield, for the purpose of supporting the gospel ministry and main- taining public worship, in conformity with the constitution and canons of the Prot- estant Episcopal Church in the Diocese of Vermont. The name adopted was St. Mary's Parish, Northfield. The Articles of Association were signed by Samuel W. Thayer, Jr., Edward H. Williams, H. H. Camp, James C. B. Thayer, F. E. Smith, E. G. Babcock, W. H. Cornwell, Perley Belknap, James Moore, H. L. Briggs, Isaiah Shaw, J. H. Glennie, Benj. Crid- land, J. N. Mack, Riverius Camp, Jr., Ozro Foster, O. H. Finley, Peyton Booth, John Pollock and D. P. Burns. Nearly all of these have since removed, or are deceased.

The first service was conducted in a pri-

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vate school-house, at present occupied as and have never since rented them. On Judge Carpenter's office. The parish or- Sept. 25, 1862, the Governor appointed Mr. Hopkins chaplain in the army. The Vestry passed resolutions of congratula- tion, and consented to part with him for a time, but asked him to continue their rector. It was so arranged. The Rev. J. Isham Bliss (now professor in the Uni- versity of Vermont and officiating in mis- sion stations,) conducted services for the next 6 months. Meantime, the Rector wrote from Pensacola, Fla,, under date of Feb. 27, 1863, resigning the rectorship, but the Vestry declined to accept the resig- nation. The Rev. Gemont Graves (now of Burlington) became minister-in-charge in May, 1863, and continued such one year. Charles Fay, D. D. (now of Chica- go, then of St. Albans,) officiated on Sun- days in the following summer, and ser- vices were thereafter conducted by Dan- forth H. Brown, as lay reader. The res- ignation of Mr. Hopkins as rector was ac- cepted Nov. 27, 1864, with expressions of great regret. He had been an active and laborious pastor, and was greatly beloved. During his absence from his charge he had continued to manifest his interest by sending gifts of money for the church from himself and his regiment, the 7th of Vt. Vols. The Presbyter John B. Pitman, formerly of Fishkill, N. Y., (now of Ma- lone, N. Y.,) became rector in the spring of 1865. His resignation was accepted Nov. 13, 1866. The able and learned Edward Bourns, LL. D., the President of Norwich University, was engaged to conduct services until a rector could be procured. He was made minister-in-charge Easter, 1867, and continued his official re- lations until Roger S. Howard, D. D., pre- viously of St. James, Woodstock, became rector, in the summer of 1869. Dr. How- ard was at the same time President of the University. ganization was maintained ; but after Dr. Perry's death no services were held until the winter of 1856-7, when clergymen from different parts of the State officiated, and worship was conducted at the Center vil- lage. There were then but four commu- nicants. The summer following a change was made to the Depot village, and to the edifice ever since occupied. It had for- merly belonged to the Congregationalists, but was purchased for its present purpose and removed from the Center village to its present eligible site at the corner of Main and Elm streets. After its removal, it was opened for divine service on Christmas day, 1857, by the Rt. Rev. John Henry Hopkins, D. D., LL. D., assisted by the Rector of Montpelier, who came accom- panied with his choir and about 30 of his congregation. On the following day, (Saturday) the house was solemnly conse- crated. The Rev. Messrs. F. W. Shel- ton, Josiah Swett, Gemont Graves, and Wm. C. Hopkins participated in the ser- vice. Toward the parish Mr. Swett had 'evinced great interest and zeal, and had raised money for it in other parts of the diocese. The Vestry subsequently passed a resolution acknowledging their obliga- tions to him. From this time the church was served by the 4 clergymen just named and by the Rev. Messrs. C. R. Bachelder, A. Oliver, M. A. Herrick, and T. L. Ran- dolph. A Sunday School was organized by the last named, in Jan. 1858. The Church had been hitherto under the gener- al supervision of the Clerical Convocation of Vermont, but on Feb. 17, 1858, a call was extended by the Vestry to the Rev. Wm. C. Hopkins, a deacon, the youngest son of the Bishop. The latter, as his eccle- siastical superior, having given his consent, Mr. H. entered on his duties, Easter day, Apr. 5. 1858. The free seat system was During this period a chancel was added to the church at considerable cost, in fulfil- ment of assurances made Dr. H. before his acceptance. A very handsome stained glass window was placed over the altar by Mr. J. C. B. Thayer as a memorial to his advocated by him, and on May 23, the Vestry passed a resolution declaring it de- sirable, but it was not then made the rule. Mr. Hopkins was ordained a priest Sept. 30, 1858. On New Year's day, 1862, the Vestry made the pews unconditionally free, [ deceased wife. Dr. Howard resigned the

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rectorship, May, 1872. The Rev. Amos by Rev. F. Clavier, and dedicated in Oct. 1870, under the patronage of St. John the Baptist. This church was burned by light- D. McCoy, a clergyman of fine talents and a remarkably good reader, officiated for a short time, but his state of health did not ning-entirely consumed, July, 1876: the admit of protracted mental exertion. He loss, however, mostly covered by insur- retired, and a vacancy followed. Dr. ance. Father Clavier also purchased, Malcolm Douglass, who had succeeded Dr. immediately after his appointment as pastor Howard, as President of the University, of Northfield Catholic parish, a fine resi- frequently officiated at St. Mary's. The dence, on which, in 1875, he built a large Rev. G. C. V. Eastman was next elected |chapel adjoining his own house for week rector, and entered upon his duties, Jan. day services. It is used now on Sundays 30, 1873. He resigned Apr. 5, 1875. Dr. as a temporary church till the new church P. D. Bradford and Dr. George Nichols can be erected. Rev. Z. DRUON. conducted the services, as lay readers until Aug. 21, 1876. the appointment of the Rev. Wm. Lloyd The Bishop of Burlington writes : "The present pastor of Northfield, Rev. John Galligan, came to reside in that village Oct. 1876, and the present handsome church edifice which he erected was blessed on Oct. 24, 1877." Himes, deacon, in the spring of 1876, who resigned the parish to take effect Easter 1877, having meantime been advanced to the sacred order of priests. There fol- lowed an interval of several months lay- reading. The present Rector, Franklin Weston Bartlett, formerly of the diocese of Pennsylvania, entered upon the charge Christmas day, 1877, just 20 years since the church was opened by Bishop Hopkins. The interior of the church has been re- cently improved, and some gifts have been made for the chancel by individuals. Among these is an altar cross to the mem- ory of the late Gen. Alonzo Jackman, who was a faithful and devout Christian, and for several years senior warden of St. Mary's.

The newspaper record of the time : " The Catholic church, of wood, 513 x 125; a 125-foot spire ; which will seat about 600; cost about $10,000 ; upon Vine street ; was blessed according to the Roman ritual ; high mass by Father Casey, of St. Albans. Te Deum by choir, and sermon by Rev. Father Cunningham, of Middlebury, his text being from Psalms : 'I love the house of God and the place where his glory dwelleth.' A collection of $300 was then taken. A large number of prominent clergymen were present from various parts of the State. The church numbers from 600 to 700 communicants, and is in charge of the Rev. John Gallagher, for 10 years priest of the parish at Waterbury.

CATHOLIC CHURCH IN NORTHFIELD). BY REV. Z. DRUON, V. G.

This place received occasional visits from the Rev. Fathers O'Callaghan, Daly, Drolet, Maloney and Coopman, O. M. I., before any permanent mission was estab- JUDGE ELIJAH AND GOV. CHARLES PAINE, who were not Northfield men by birth, and one not even by residence, but who did more for the town in its early settle- ment and aftergrowth than any other cit- izens. Judge Elijah Paine, the leading spirit among all the settlers in this vi- cinity, did not live in our town, but on our very borders, just over in Williams- town, which town has already the honor of having his biography-written up by the Paine family, recorded upon her page of history in this work, vol. II, p. 1150-but lished. Father R. J. Maloney purchased an old meeting-house in 1855-the old Yellow Union Meeting-house-which was the first meeting-house built in the town. See page 649. He had it removed to a lot which had been given by the late Gov. Paine for the benefit of the Catholics, and which has been and still is used as a burying-ground. Rev. Z. Druon, then of Montpelier, attended this parish every other Sunday from 1856 till 1864. Father Druon commenced remodeling extensively the old church in 1863, which was finished | it is our privilege, and a very pleasant

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duty, to record his interests, and his heart was always largely with Northfield. He built the first grist and saw-mill and factory in this town. Full of energy and enterprise, just the man to clear up a new country, he had much to do with the be- ginnings of Northfield, and induced many others, sturdy and responsible settlers, to come into this town. His factory, says Mr. Gregory, which he built in Northfield when a wilderness, 180x42 feet, with 6 sets of woolen machinery, cost $50,000 : employed from 175 to 200 workmen, and indirectly several hundred more.

The proprietors of Northfield, at a meet- ing held at Burch's Inn, in Hartford, Vt., 2d Tues. of Nov. 1784, voted he should have the privilege of pitching 200 or 400 Hon. Daniel Baldwin lived in Ber- lin, on Dog river, when a lad, and went to mill on horseback in the "Mill woods," when but few buildings had been erected on the route. When he had become a merchant in Montpelier, Judge Paine call- ed upon him for the loan of $1,000 for a few days. He said that amount was due him at Washington for his services as United States Judge, and he had expected it every acres of land in Northfield at his option, on condition he would build a good saw- mill in said Northfield within 18 months, and a grist-mill in a year. He built the mills, in what is now called the mill woods on the road to Williamstown, and the re- mains are lying in the water near the bridge that crosses over to the poor farm. The ravine is one of the wildest and most romantic places we know of, and the very ! day for some time, and would return it as last place (with our abundance of water- soon as he could get it from the govern- ment. Baldwin told him he would loan it to him if he could be sure and have it at a given time, as he should then want it to buy goods with in Boston. The Judge promised that he should have it, and re- ceived it, but not hearing anything from him up to the day previous, Baldwin made power), that would be selected at the present day for that purpose. For many years this place was the only one in town where milling was done. Customers who came quite a distance frequently brought their grists upon their backs, or on horse- back. Vehicles were few in those days. Occasionally a "one-horse shay " was seen, | arrangements to go after his goods, think- and the early settlers did not think it be- neath their dignity to go to mill or meeting in an ox-cart.

Judge Paine cleared the first land in Northfield, near his mills, which was sub- sequently owned and occupied many years by John Averill, and then by D. T. Av- erill.

The Judge had rare executive ability, and could manage a gang of men with success, making everything count to his advantage and profit. He kept from 1400 to 1500 sheep, and worked his wool into flannel and broadcloths. In the haying season it was no uncommon thing to see

30 or 40 men in the field, all steady at work, for the owner was around with his eyes open, seeing that they earned their wages. Many clever anecdotes are told of him. His punctuality was proverbial. On a time when the inmates of his house had all retired, he remembered he had not paid a note due Mr. Ainsworth, of Wil- liamstown, on that day, and going to the chamber door he cried out, " John, John, get up and harness my horse." Before twelve at midnight the note was paid. Upon Mr. Ainsworth's saying, " You need not have taken the trouble to come to-night, to-morrow would have answered," the Judge replied, in his quick, nervous style, " Did I not promise to pay it to-day ?"

ing he would call on the Judge on his way, and get his money. But as he was about taking the stage. he looked out of his store, and saw the Judge hurrying along. to be "on time." He had the money, and made explanation : He had waited for it until the day before, but not receiving it, as expected, he went to Woodstock some 40 miles and obtained it. He paid Baldwin according to agree- ment by going without sleep, riding all night, traveling not far from 80 miles in order to keep his word good, so punctual was he in his business transactions.

Men are now living in Northfield who

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can well remember the time when a log cabin was put on wheels, improvised by Gov. Paine, and drawn to Burlington, July 12, 1840, in the days of " Tippecanoe and Tyler too." It was a unique affair, and attracted immense attention by its novelty, and one of our most esteemed cit- izens remembers tapping a barrel of cider and dispensing it to the distinguished crowd who rode inside of this rustic ve- hicle. We take an extract from an article written by De Witt C. Clark, editor of the Burlington Times, giving a graphic de- scription of the celebration. He says :

But what attracted most our attention, next to the imposing display of numbers, was a beautiful log cabin from Northfield, mounted on wheels and drawn by 12 su- perb grays, decorated with flags and fes- toons. This team, we are told, belongs to an honest yeoman in Brookfield, and is ordinarily engaged in transporting produce to Boston ; but, said the patriotic owner, this is the proudest load that ever my team was attached to, and to the country the most profitable. Without rein or check, these noble steeds promptly responded to the "Gee up!" "Whoa, Dobbin !" of the brave mountaineer who directed them, and when we saw them proudly treading our streets and doubling the shortest cor- ners, with a rural tenement large enough for a country school-house, we could not help exclaiming, in the language of the old song :

I've often thought, if I were asked Whose lot I envied most, What one I thought most lightly tasked, Of man's unnumbered host, I'd say I'd be a mountain boy, And drive a noble team, wo-hoy ! Wo-hoy ! I'd cry. Now by yon sky

I'd sooner drive those steeds Than win renown, Or wear a crown, Won by victorious deeds.

The cabin itself was a very fine one, constructed of peeled logs, 20 x 10 feet, covered with bark. fitted up with paper curtains, a rough door, and a leather string, which hung out. The antlers of a noble stag graced one peak, while the outer covering of some unlucky coon stretched upon the gable bespoke the fate of sub-treasurers and cornfield poachers. This tenement, too, was well filled with the early tenants of log cabins, and bore this significant motto : "The people are coming !" Exclamations were heard from every rank by the surrounding thousands.

with three times three for old Washington, Paine and the Northfield cabin.

GOV. CHARLES PAINE.

[For his early life see Williamstown, in vol. II.]

[From Mr. Gregory's History of Northfield.]

" To Hon. Charles Paine we are in- debted, first, for our beautiful Depot vil- lage, which was the center of the first rail- road projection in our Green Mountain State. This being the headquarters for the " Vermont Central," the shops were here located by his influence, and had Provi- dence lengthened his life to this day, we can imagine what great prosperity would have blessed our town. Well may North- field consider Charles Paine her great ben- efactor. No other man in Vermont could have interested, like him, Peter C. Brooks, Harrison Gray Otis, and others, men of great wealth, to favor the project of build- ing a railroad in this Mountain State at that time. Having been the Chief Magis- trate of Vermont, and becoming aequaint- ed with these leading minds, while in col- lege, he carried an influence that but few, if any, could, and which brought him di- rectly into intimate relations with the best men in New England, and the road was built.

Many citizens of Northfield will remem- ber with what rejoicing ground was broken near the depot by Gov. Paine, for the Vt. Central Railroad, the spade he used being still preserved by the railroad officials. This was Jan. 8, 1847, and the first train came into Northfield depot, Oct. 11, 1848. at 20 minutes past 9 o'clock, P. M., con- ducted by Charles Paine Kimball.

[Nov. 4, 1848. The Governor made the first excursion on his new railroad, which is thus described in a letter to his wife the next day by Gen. D. W. C. Clarke :

An hour ago I returned from Northfield, from the excursion on the Central Railroad, yesterday. We left Montpelier-the Gov- ernor, and about 200 members of the Legislature, Secretary of State, and other dignitaries- a few minutes after 7 o'clock, yesterday morning, and at half-past nine left Northfield, in a special train for Leba- non, 53 miles-the whole length of the Central road now opened. In two hours,

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The history of Washington county, in the Vermont historical gazetteer:, Part 106

Author: Hemenway, Abby Maria, 1828-1890, [from old catalog] ed Publication date: 1882 Publisher: Montpelier, Vt., Vermont watchman and state journal press Number of Pages: 1066

Author: Hemenway, Abby Maria, 1828-1890, [from old catalog] ed
Publication date: 1882
Publisher: Montpelier, Vt., Vermont watchman and state journal press
Number of Pages: 1066