The history of Washington county, in the Vermont historical gazetteer:, Part 123

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 123

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Now we know not what is before us ; we frequently hear of people being found dead, and as you all, my dear children, are away from me, the thought came to me that I might never see any of you again. Oh, what a feeling came over me! I felt that I could not go to bed without writing a few words of entreaty that you would not let the busy scenes and cares of this life hinder you from preparing for the life to come. Oh, do think of the life that never, never ends! Think what folly it is to make overmuch provision for the flesh only to be enjoyed a few days! It is the height of folly for people to live as most do, and for professors of religion to live as all the world do, laying up treasures on earth. What I wrote on the other page (of this diary), was after I was ready to go to bed, but after these thoughts came to me, I made another fire and sat down and wrote this, hoping you might find it, and hoping it might have some influence on your lives. It may be your loving father's last request."

It was his last request to his children, for he never beheld their faces again, his death on the next Friday night being so. unexpected, they were not sent for until all was over.

767

ROXBURY.

BETSEY CHASE,

who lived on Waitsfield Mountain, mother of Mrs. Riley Mansfield, of Fayston (see previous, page -), used to tell many tales of almost incredible hardships and priva- tions. Her husband. Thomas Chase, served in the Revolutionary War, and she cared for her little family as best she could, as they were very poor, in the springtime subsisting upon milk and leeks (wild onions), and such small game as she could get, being an adept in the use of a rifle or shot-gun. At one time, when the army was in desperate need of recruits, and they were pressed into the service with but very little ceremony. When it was known offi- cers were in town for that purpose, many poor fellows, who much preferred to re- main by their own firesides to enduring the perils of war, would hide until the en- listing officers had left town. They, learn- ing this, devised a plan to catch them by letting loose their cattle in the night, and concealing themselves to watch for the men to come out and care for them. Sev- eral times one night Mrs. Chase heard the tinkling of her old cow-bell in her corn- field, and each time marched resolutely out and drove old "Crumpie" into the yard, making all fast, and returned to the house, to have the same repeated, until the re- cruiting officer and men with him wearied out (at last,) made themselves and their errand known, and when told her husband was already in the service, were somewhat chop-fallen, but declared she was a brave woman, fit to be a soldier's wife. She was a strong, robust woman, and never seemed to know the meaning of the word fear. She often said she would as soon meet the devil in the dark as a man. Whether this was a bit of sarcasm on the " sterner sex" she never explained. Some of her superstitious neighbors called her a "witch," for her prophecies often came true, and they feared nothing so much as her displeasure, "lest some evil should come upon them." This rather pleased her than otherwise, as in this way she kept some disorderly neighbors very submissive. She died in Waitsfield, April, 1852, aged over 90 years.

The account of Riley Mansfield and Thomas and Betsey Chase belong to the towns of Fayston and Waitsfield, but hav- ing been overlooked at home, we include them with this near neighboring town, and the more easily, as Mrs. Mansfield has most cordially and permanently connected herself here as the historian of the town, though the family have now all removed from Roxbury and reside at Fairhaven.

MR. BURNHAM'S REMINISCENCES. .

Deer .- Mr. E. P. Burnham, merchant at the village, told us he can remember some 50 years ago, when the deer used to herd together in spruce thickets on these mountains in the winter, and when the snow melted in the March days, and froze at night, making a crust, the hunters would be out the next morning for the deer. He says he has been on these mountains many times when the deer were so thick you could not count their tracks- the tracks were like a thousand sheep in the snow. The hunters frequently shot and brought in several deer at a time. He distinctly remembers when they brought in five at one time.

He was graphic in his remembrances of Crandall, of whom Mrs. Mansfield has some anecdotes on the foregoing pages.

" Some 50 years ago," says Mr. B., " there lived in this town a man by the name of John B. Crandall, but who was named and called by all his townsmen Judge Crandall, a drinking, miserable being, but a man with natural talent. He would get into debt and get sued, and defend himself in the courts. He managed his own case and plead his own cause before the jury, and usually with success. Judge Weston brought a suit for debt against him one time, however, in Randolph, when Cran- dall thought he would have some help, and engaged one of Judge Weston's stu- dents to help defend him. When the cause came on, the student arose to argue Crandall's case, but, awed by the presence of his master, began to hesitate. Crandall stood it for a moment. He had an invet- erate habit of spitting when excited. For a moment he sat spitting, when, arising,

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drawing his ragged, slightly liquorfied form up to its full height, he spit once, twice, thrice. Said he, 'Sit down! sit down! You are afraid of the d-d cuss ; let me try him!' He did try him, and won his case out and out with the jury, to the great amusement of all who heard the defense. He had a family. His own boys took after him in drinking, but had none of his power of wit and argument. I think they were more like their mother, who was a famous talker, but not well balanced. Some neighbors in of an evening, the old lady would sit and tell over her wise things ; the old man, under the influence of liquor, in his chair sit and doze, and when she had chatted away and told her long yarns till late, arouse himself up and say, 'A dumb fool always knows the most.""

The poor old man, of marked ability, but a wreck from his bad habit, died at last, and his curious old wife and his un- educated sons following in his steps, that never were any benefit to the community ; but in the third generation, under the in- fluence of a better education, the ability of the grandfather again cropped markedly out. His grandsons have the strong nat- ural ability without the dissipation of their grandfather or fathers, and make fine men.

THE 90TH BIRTHDAY PARTY of Mrs. Betsey C. Spalding, of which Mrs. Mansfield has briefly spoken, was, indeed, a very unique and pleasant gather- ing, and as the oldest birthday party ever celebrated in Roxbury, should perhaps have a little more notice. Her five chil- dren, all living, were present : Erastus N., Billings, Mrs. Brackett, Mrs. P. Wiley, Mrs. A. N. Thompson, her daughter-in- law and her sons-in-law, and the grand- children in part: Mrs. L. P. Thompson, from Clarence, Ia. ; Mrs. Arthur Bradley, of Malden, Mass. ; William Wiley, of White River Junction ; Charles, of St. Albans ; Edwin and Delia Wiley, Clinton Brackett, George Tilden, with their husbands and wives and four great-grandchildren, " un- cles, cousins and aunts." Over the front door was " Welcome!" in cedar; within, the mammoth cake on the table, "a pyr-

amid of snowy whiteness, crowned with an exquisite white rose with silver leaves," a rose-pyramid rising beside, the gift of the great-grandchildren, of ninety rosebuds, rare specimens, just bursting into beauty, that filled the room with their delicious perfume ; over the wall above, " 1791 and 18g1 ;" another table-an elegant bouquet of hot-house flowers from St. Albans friends, a mound of asters, artistically ar- ranged, very handsome, from Mrs. E. P. Burnham, with letters of regret from friends who could not come, on the table. The photographer was there, and views taken of the family gathered about the aged mother in front of her house. Then there was the bountiful supper in the town-hall, five long tables, the central one laid with the mother's old-fashioned mulberry ware and silver of " ye olden" solidity and style ; and after, the birthday address by Rev. Eli Ballou, of Bethel, who referred to Mrs. Spalding's coming to Roxbury when the town was but a wilderness, being one of the first settlers. He spoke feelingly of the kind, loving mother she had been, how deserving of all their love and respect ; this occasion would remain a bright spot in their memories. Mrs. S. was born in Strafford, Ct., married John Spalding at 20, and came to Roxbury.

NORA, BLOSSOM OF THE MAY.

BY A. WEBSTER.

Where departed kindred sleep, And the living come and weep, Laid we, on a vernal day, Nora, blossom of the May.

Seven summers' suns and flowers,

Seven autumns' russet bowers, Eight sweet springtimes, fair and gay, Saw onr blossom of the May.

Mild was she, and sweetly fair, Azure eyes and nut-brown hair; Voice that rivaled warblers' lay, Had our blossom of the May.

Earth is sad now she is gone,

Heaven another charm has won; Where to weet, we hope and pray, Nora, blossom of the May.

Rest, sweet blossom, rest in peace,

Where all pains and sorrows eease ; In our hearts shall ne'er decay, Nora, blossom of the May.

Nora, blossom of the May,

Pride of her parental spray, Sweetly bloomed and passed away, Nora, blossom of the May.

769

WAITSFIELD.

BY REV. P. B. FISK.

[NOTE .- The writer desires at the outset, to ac- knowledge gratefully the assistance he has received from several of his fellow-townsmen, and especially to give the credit due to the late Jennison Jones, Esq., for his MS., in which most of the facts and dates prior to IS50, were faithfully recorded.]

The township owes its name to Gen. Benjamin Wait-the first settler and lead- ing proprietor of the town. It is situated in the south-western part of Washington Co., bounded by Moretown, Northfield, Warren, and Fayston. Its post-office is 20 miles (more or less) from the capital of the State, and lies snugly embedded just in the "Fork of the Y" of the Green Mountain range. The valley of the Mad river, running from south-west to north- east intersects it, the serpentine course of the stream both beautifying the scenery, and enriching and devouring by turns the meadows through which it winds its way. At the bottom of the deeply cut channel of the river may be seen the trunks of old trees, partly washed out, projecting from the banks, which must have been a hun- dred years old before they were overthrown. They are buried at a depth of about 10 feet in pebbles, gravel, and surface soil. Moreover, 60 years ago there was a heavy growth of timber standing on this soil. Probably this original forest was over- thrown by the river, and the soil after- wards deposited, for the channel of the stream is by no means permanent. Since the remembrance of the writer it has worn to the east or west as many as 15 rods. The uplands are under cultivation as well as the interval land, and though broken are strong ; for the most part, they make ample returns to the dairyman and the shepherd. In spite of all these drawbacks the land is so productive that real estate brings a high price ; and it was well said by Mr. Jones in his sketch, that the town- ship was capable of supporting a much larger population than it has ever seen. No better crops are produced than by these farmers of Waitsfield, who take proper pains with their work. The forests which remain are a mixture of hard and soft wood, maple and spruce predominating.

The landscape is set off finely with a scal- loped border, by the line of green hills, which completely inclose it as far as the eye can see ; leaving, apparently, no outlet even for the river ; and a few points, like those of " Bald " mountains and " Old Scrag," on the east and south ; Lincoln, with its slides, and Camel's Hump on the west, and Mansfield far in the north.

On either side of this valley several fair sized brooks flow down from the hillsides, turning, or capable of turning, many busy wheels as they go. Of these the largest are Mill and Shepard's brooks on the west, and Pine brook on the east side of the river. White cottages are to be seen on either side the valley, and about there plenty of the evidences of thrift and com- fort-often of taste and refinement; and the roads at all seasons are remarkably good through this whole valley. The landscape is pronounced, even by strangers, to be picturesque and charming beyond many others in Vermont, none of which are wanting in rural attractions.

Mad river received its name doubtless from the fact that-the mountain slopes being so near and steep-the surplus water is almost immediately thrown off into the brooks, and by them poured out into the river, which of course rises like sudden anger overflowing its banks, and devouring them at will.

Waitsfield is almost precisely at the geographical center of the State of Ver- mont, and tradition has it that the commis- sioners to locate the State Capital " stuck their stake" almost precisely where the village now stands. But Gen. Wait de- clared " he wouldn't have his meadow cut up," and so he saved the town from that honor.

INCORPORATION.

The charter is dated Feb. 25, 1782, or 5 years after Vermont declared herself a free and independent State, signed by the ven- erable Thomas Chittenden, governor at the time. It was then a part of Chittenden County until 1811, when embraced in the new county called Jefferson, formed after- wards, called Washington. The township was supposed to include a tract of 23,030

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acres. In 1788, it was found to contain 13,850 acres, or plus 840 acres. The de- scription in the charter runs :

6 miles, 126 chains on the northerly side ; 5 miles, 27 chains on the easterly side ; 6 miles on the southerly side ; 6 miles, 67 chains on the westerly side.

PROPRIETORS AND THEIR DOINGS.

The grant of the township was made " to Benjamin Wait, Roger Enos, and their associates, to the number of seventy." It was designed to have been divided into 75 equal shares (five of which were to be set apart for public use), containing 318 acres each-two lots of 150 acres each in the Ist division, and one lot of 18 acres in the 2d division. The survey of the Ist division, viz. : of that part lying west of the mountain, was made in 1788, and this survey and plot was accepted by the pro- prietors. But as the lots began to be taken up and cleared, it was found the survey was very inaccurate. The 2d range of lots from the Moretown line are actually 180 rods wide ; the 5th range only about 120 rods wide; the 6th range 180 rods, again ; also measuring the other way, there is a discrepancy, so that, for example, lot No. 107, first occupied by Mr. Salma Rider, contains 200 acres; lot No. 127, first occupied by Mr. John Burdick, only 115 acres.

This inaccuracy in the Ist division made trouble in the survey of the 2d division, which was to consist of 70 lots, of 18 acres each. This survey was made by Stephen - Maine in 1795, and the work-as far as he was really responsible for it-was done well; but the gore proved to be about twice as wide as Mr. Strong had put it down. Mr. Maine relied implicitly on the field-book and plot of Mr. Strong, and made out his plot of the small lots before he entered upon the survey, and actually surveyed and marked the bounds of nearly half the lots before he discovered the mistake.

errors of Mr. Strong's survey were at the time charged against his chain-men ; but Mr. Jonathan Marshal, late of Bethel, one of the party, relates that "they kept their big jug near Mad river, and carried a small jug with them on their routes. In sur- veying the 4th range, the small jug gave out, and they, having run back 20 rods to avoid an impassable ledge, forgot to make allowance for it in their haste to get back again." So, probably "strong water " was the cause of the discrepancy.

Five shares were granted for public pur- poses ; one each to the University of Ver- mont, the County Grammar School, the town schools, the support of preaching, and the first settled minister.

SUBTRACTIONS .- In 1822, " four tier of lots, including the small lots of the 2d di- vision, on the easterly side of the town," were set off to Northfield by the Legisla- ture. The tract lay on the Northfield side of the mountain, and in all business mat- ters, except town business, the inhabitants naturally gravitated toward that village. In 1846, 6 lots more, aggregating 2,400 acres, making in all 8,310 acres taken from the original grant, were added to North- field, leaving a trifle more than two-thirds of the original 36 square miles to Waits- field. The line between the two towns is now placed as near the top of the mountain as it could be without dividing lots.

The first proprietors' meeting was held in Windsor, June 30, 1788, adjourned to meet at Timothy Lull's, in Hartland, Nov. 4, 1788. It is probable that the adjourned meeting was held, but the record does not decide it so. The next date upon the records is "Woodstock, June 2, 1789," when a tax was voted to defray the ex- penses of obtaining the charter and making the survey. The names of those who voted the tax are given, together with the number of "rights" which each repre- sented :

Zebulon Lee, 17 rights ; Benjamin Wait, 5 ; Joel Matthews, 3; John Marsh, 5 ; Ezra Jones, 3 ; Wm. Sweetzer, 3 ; Anthony Morss, I; Reuben Skinner, 3; or eight men representing 40 shares out of the 70.

Gen. Wait, one of the commissioners, was then consulted, and he was ordered to proceed with his work as he had begun, which he accordingly did, and the lots contain about 36 acres instead of 18. The The remaining 30 shares were sold Sept.

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23, 1789, for taxes, at auction, bringing "£1, 10s. per lot." The most of them were bid off by Gen. Wait, who seems to have become from that time the " major- ity" of the proprietors. The records of the proprietors are exceedingly meagre, and most likely inaccurate, perhaps owing to the custom of "adjourning 15 minutes to meet at this place," just after organiza- tion, the interval being long enough to allow the clerk (to say nothing of the rest of the assembly), time to muddle his brains with toddy.

In 1790, a petition was presented to the Legislature " for a tax of 2 d. per acre," to be expended in building roads, bridges and mills in the town. This being grant- ed, it was equally divided between the mills on the one hand, and the roads and bridges on the other. In consequence, a saw-mill and grist-mill were speedily put in running order at the south-west corner of the town, by John Heaton, known as "Green's Mills," or the "Mill Village," and later as " Irasville." Before this the people had a large birch stump which they used for a mortar to pound hominy in, and were obliged to carry their wheat as far as Hancock to reach a regular grist- mill.

THE FIRST ACTUAL SETTLEMENT was made by Gen. Wait and family, in 1789. His house was erected on the meadow near the spot where his remains are buried. At that time, there was no other dwelling within 10 or 12 miles in any direction. Northfield already had a small settlement. Roxbury was occupied the same year, and Moretown the next. Fays- ton was an unbroken wilderness for more than 7 years after Gen. Wait came to Waitsfield. The town was not formally organized until 5 years afterward, or in 1794.

In 1795, the first representative was elected, there being then 27 legal voters in town. This representative was naturally GEN. BENJAMIN WAIT,

of whom personally a few words ought to be spoken at this point. He was a native of Sudbury, Mass., being born Feb. 13, 1736. In the language of "Thompson's

Vermont" (p. 178) : "He possessed a firm and vigorous constitution, and early manifested a disposition and talent for military enterprise. At the age of 18, he entered the service of his country under the brave Gen. Amherst. In 1756, he was taken by the French, carried to Quebec, and from thence sent as a prisoner to France. On the coast of France, he was retaken by the British, and carried to Eng- land. In the spring of 1757, he returned to America, and in 1758, assisted in the capture of Louisburgh. During the two succeeding years, he aided in the reduction of Canada. After the submission of Can- ada, he was sent, by the commandant of Detroit, to Illinois to bring in the French garrisons included in the capitulation. He performed this difficult service with singu- lar perseverance and success. At 25 years of age, he had been engaged in 40 battles and skirmishes, and his clothes were sev- eral times perforated with musket balls, but he never received a wound. In 1767, he removed to Windsor, in this State, and constituted the third family in the town- ship. He acted a decided and conspicu- ous part in favor of Vermont in the contro- versy with New York. In 1776, he en- tered the service of the United States as captain, and fought under the banners of Washington till the close of the war, during which time he had been raised to the rank of colonel. After this he was made a brigadier general of militia, and was for 7 years high sheriff of the county of Wind- sor.

After he came to Waitsfield, he made profession of religion, and lived an exem- plary life to the last.

He is said to have been of more than medium height, stout, of very light com- plexion, and until the day of his death, singularly erect, whether sitting, standing or riding. One incident will illustrate something of his usual manner. His son, at that time a man of middle age, having been bitten by a rabid dog, was urged in vain by his friends to go at once to a com- petent physician. His delay was occa- sioned by the pressure of his work, and the distance which he must put between

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himself and home. At that time there was no reliable physician nearer than Woodstock. The father becoming very anxious about his son, appeared on horse- back, and with another horse saddled, at his son's house, without previous notice, and said, " Young man! mount this horse and go to Woodstock with me! There is a man to take care of your farm," pointing to a man who came with him. The son obeyed without argument, and was res- cued, though not without plain symptoms of hydrophobia, and a tedious summer of practical imprisonment, from which he once broke away, but was persuaded and carried back by his resolute father, who did not leave him alone much of the time.

Gen. Wait lived to the age of 86 years. His death occurred suddenly and unex- pectedly, at the house of a friend, June 28, 1822. He started out that morning, say- ing that he had business to do, which would take him to the Center and around by the lower bridge. That after doing this, he intended to call at John Burdick's, and that after this journey was finished he should be ready to go. Arriving at the latter place, he complained of feeling un- well, and expired before his family could be notified. His remains were deposited in the grave-yard on the meadow just back of the village school-house. A marble monument marks the spot, which was paid for by subscription of the citizens, but which never satisfied them and ought never to have been accepted. Of his descend- ants, only a grand-daughter, Mrs. Harriet Carpenter, and some of her children and grandchildren remain in town.

In 1797, the number of legal voters had increased from 27 to 61. The check list of that year having been preserved, we are able to state that only three of these were living in 1850, while the number of inhabi- tants had increased to 1048, the remainder after a large district had been set off to Northfield. The vote for governor that year amounted to 182. The grand list was $2691.68. In 1869, there were 1005 in- habitants ; the vote for governor was 186; the grand list is $3536.63 ; but the basis of the grand list having been materially modi-

fied, these figures do not properly indicate the growth of the town. Previous to 1842, land was listed at 6 per cent. ; buildings at 4 per cent., and stock at rates according to age and value. Now the whole prop- erty is listed at one per cent. Only 10 of the family names mentioned in the voting list of 1797 are now to be found in town ; five of these in the north district. In 1850, there were living 21 men and several women, whose ages ranged from 78 to 88 years. Of these only 11 family names re- main. The names which for many years predominated were Joslin and Jones, the former from Weathersfield, the latter from Claremont, N. H., with a liberal seasoning also of Smiths, Stoddards and Barnards, natives of Shelburne and Deerfield, Mass. At the present time (1869,) the Vt. Reg- ister represents Waitsfield as having I attorney, '4 physicians, 2 clergymen, 8 merchants, 1 hotel-keeper, I artist, 9 man- ufacturers of all crafts.

The chief business of the townspeople is farming. The chief products or ex- ports are butter and cheese, maple sugar, (100,800 lbs. of sugar were made in 1868,) wood, good horses, and cattle. There are two villages in the town, one of which monopolizes about all the mercantile busi- ness, being so situated as to make itself the natural center, not only of Waitsfield but of Fayston, and to a considerable ex- tent of Warren. They have a daily mail from Middlesex, and several teams are running continually to and from the rail- road, carrying lumber and bringing mer- chandise.

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The history of Washington county, in the Vermont historical gazetteer:, Part 123

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