The history of Washington county, in the Vermont historical gazetteer:, Part 96

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 96

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] of trout from Onion river. Aunt Judith H. died in Aug. 1876, aged more than 95 years. In those early days the settlers went to Burlington to mill. in canoes, carrying the canoe and grist around the falls in Bolton. Sometimes they would make " plumping mills," by making a hole in a large stump to hold the grain, and bending a sapling over, fasten to it a chunk of wood to pound the corn with. Of this no one need be ashamed, for one of our presidents ground corn in the same way. Bears and wolves disturbed the people to some extent, frequently coming out in the daytime. Three wolves came one night and put their paws on the yard fence of Abner Child, on Moretown Common, but went back to the mountains and howled. The next day, about 2 P. M., a deer came and jumped into the same yard, being driven in by the wolves, it was thought. The deer soon left, and wolves' tracks were afterward seen in connection with its tracks toward the river.

A young lady was riding on horseback from the Common toward the Hollow, and met a bear. She turned back, told her story, and some men rallied, pursued and killed the bear. It was distributed be- tween persons, many wanting a piece. The head was taken by one man, and the next day or two the jaw of the bear was put on the table whole, the teeth all in.

A few years since, as Rev. Mr. Powers was returning from Northfield to this town, he met a bear, which he treed and watched while his boy went to the village and rallied some men, who came and killed the bear. It was voted to give Mr. P. the bear. The bears have not all left town, but the most of those remaining are biped.

Mar. 9, 1792, Joseph Haseltine, Seth Munson, David Parcher and Ebenezer Haseltine petitioned Richard Holden, a justice of the peace of Waterbury, to call a town meeting of inhabitants of Moretown, to meet at Jos. Haseltine's, Mar. 22, 1792, to elect town officers.

Met agreeable to warning and chose Daniel Parcher, moderator; and chose Seth Munson, town clerk ; chose as select- men, Joseph Haseltine, Daniel Parcher and John Heaton ; chose Philip Bartlett,

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treasurer ; chose Joseph Haseltine, con- stable ; chose John Heaton and Ebenezer Haseltine, listers : chose Joseph Haseltine, collector of town rates ; and Joseph Parcher, highway surveyor. Voted to dissolve the meeting. Attest,

SETH MUNSON, Town Clerk.

Up to 1832, the town meetings were held on Moretown Common. At that date an article in the " warning " for town meet- ing called the voters together under great excitement. Much confusion prevailed, until it was ordered to call every voter into the house, and appoint a talisman to notice each man and record " yes " or "no" as he should pass out, voting on the article.

The article was to see if the legal voters would remove the town meeting from the Common to the Hollow. The majority voted " yes." Since that date the town meetings have been held at the Ilollow. The present town house was then started by subscription .- Written in 1876.

[Among the papers of the late Henry Stevens, Antiquarian of Vermont, we copied the following heads of papers in his collections : " Surveys in Moretown," " A vendue pitch for Nathaniel Chipman," con- taining 360 acres, No. 83, signed Wm. Sawyer. In the office of Robert Temple, Rutland County Court, "Copies of Ira Allen's sales in Moretown " ; complete, 1 think. "Copy of Smith's deed of land in Moretown "; "Copy of Sawyer's deed to Lovell"; "Ira Allen and Fiske's agreement selecting lands in Moretown"; "Agree- ment concerning land in Moretown be- tween Ira Allen, and James Mowry, of Corinth "; " Ira Allen and Thomas Mead's land in Moretown "; "Colchester, June 25, 1790, Deed to Col. Ira Allen of 500 acres of land in Moretown, by Samuel Allen."]

By searching the old records, it is found proprietor's meetings were held for some years after the town was organized.

Among the prominent men of the pres- ent century may be named Abner Child, who was one of the earlier settlers, Har- vey W. Carpenter, Alpheus C. Noble, Hon. Joseph Sawyer, Rufus Clapp and Calvin Kingsley, M. D., town clerk for 44 years, or since 1832. He is now partially

retired to enjoy a competency gained in his profession. The others have nearly, if not all, died, and some of them were of the principal men from 1830 to 1850.

The Dr. has also represented the town several times in the State Legislature.

Judge Sawyer has a widow and 2 sons residing in town. One of those sons has a "bull's eye" watch which the Judge used to carry, and which had not been cleaned and run for 40 years until recently ; it is said to be 150 years old. The same son has a clock 100 years old.

A very serious calamity occurred in 1830 -the greatest freshet ever known in Mad River Valley. It raised the river until nearly all the street was covered. Miss Harriet Taylor, of Waitsfield, (now Mrs. Hon. Roderick Richardson, of Boston, Mass.,) was teaching school in our village at the time of the freshet. She boarded with a family living where Mr. Freeman now resides. The water drove them, in the night, to the chamber of the house, and they could, in the darkness, hear the splashing of the water and the thumping of floating chairs and tables against the chamber floor-to which the water had risen. To add to their distress the cries of a sick child were constantly calling their attention. Toward morning the cellar wall under a part of the house, fell in with a splash, causing new fright which led the inmates of the chamber to pray to God, the Father of Him who once said to the winds and waves, " Be still." The next morning the family and teacher were floated away to safety on a barn door. The sick child died in a few hours after the rescue. Henry Carpenter, residing further down the river, started with his wife and boy, the boy walking between them, with hands in theirs, to go to a neighbor's. They in- tended to keep the road, wading through the water; but coming to deeper water Mrs. Carpenter let go the boy's hand and probably became strangled. Mr. C. called in the darkness but no voice replied. The boy swam back to the house. The father in sadness rallied some neighbors, and the next day the mother and wife was found on the meadow below, cold in death.

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One family fled to the hills and stayed out all night in the rain, holding a little babe in their arms. Who the little babe was let grandmother tell.

This newspaper record sent to us, we think, by Rev. Seldon B. Currier, we will- interrupt here to give.

THE BURSTING OF A CLOUD OVER JONES'S BROOK IN MORETOWN. BY HION. D P. THOMPSON.

I have used the term, bursting of a cloud, as the caption of this article, because it is expressive of a popular notion, and not be- cause it is either philosophical or correct. It has long been a prevalent belief, that in cases of extraordinary falls of water over particular localities, clouds, like old leath- er bottles, suddenly burst and let the wa- ter they contain fall to the earth almost in a body, like rivers falling over precipices in cataracts ; whereas nothing could be more unscientific or farther from the truth. No collected body of water, not even to the amount of a quart, could remain suspended in a cloud a single second, but would in- stantly fall to the earth from the force of the universal law of gravitation. great deluging torrents of rain that occa- sionally occur, simply proceed from unusual thickness, or upward extent of the cloud. This will be more readily understood, per- haps, when we consider, that if a cloud half a mile thick discharges from its gath- ering mists a heavy rain, one of a mile thick would produce a rain doubly heavy, and so on, in the same proportion, with every additional thickness of cloud, till that thickness, as has been known some- times to be the case, extends upwards to the distance of 5 or 6 miles, when from the whole mass the water reaches the earth less in the form of rain, indeed, than the pouring of a cataract.

The most remarkable instance of these great falls of water, which was ever known in this region, occurred about 30 years ago, round the sources of Jones's Brook, a small mill stream that rises in Moretown mountains and empties into the Winooski river 3 miles below Montpelier. The mountains round the source of this stream rise to the hight of about 2000 feet, with unusual abruptness, and, at the same time, so curve round as to leave the intermedi- ate space in the form of a deep, half-basin, down the precipitous sides of which a sud- den shower descends almost as rapidly as water strolling down the steepest roof of a house, and collecting at the bottom, pours, in a raging river, down the valley to the outlet of the stream. It was over this mountain-rimmed basin that burst the ex-

traordinary thunder-storm which I have undertaken to describe, and which passed among the inhabitants under the name of the bursting of a cloud.

On the day and hour this storm occurred, I chanced to be on a high hill, east of Montpelier village, which afforded a plain view of the whole range of the Moretown mountains. It was a still, sultry, mid- summer day, when my attention being at- tracted by the sudden obscuration of the sun, I looked toward the west, and saw the unusual spectacle of two heavy clouds rap- idly rolling toward each other, in the line of the range just named, from diametrically opposite directions, the point where the collision must occur being evidently at the natural basin already particularized, or on the high mountain above it. These strangely moving clouds I watched with in- tense interest. On, on they rolled toward each other, with their long, streaming col- umns and menacing fronts, like two op- posing, hostile lines of cavalry rushing to- gether for deadly conflict. As anticipated, the collision occurred directly over the ba- sin and on the sides of the adjoining mountains, and there, the opposing cur- The |rents being of equal strength, the inter- mingling clouds came to a dead stand. Presently, however, the colliding masses began to rise upward and double over and over till they had swelled into a huge, dome-like figure, shooting up miles into the darkened heavens, and here commenced a startling display of the electric phenome- non. With the short, sharp and quickly repeating peals of thunder, the fierce streams of lightning were seen bursting in rapid succession from every part of the sur- charged cloud, like some hotly worked battery of artillery from a smoke-enveloped field of battle. But soon the expanding cloud shut out the basin and valley from sight ; and, being unable to see more, I returned home, and, with much interest, waited to hear the result of the fearful ele- mental exhibition I had been witnessing.

The news of the remarkable, and in one instance, fatal effects of that storm, in the disastrous flooding of Jones's Brook, at length reached us. The inhabitants of the basin, when the storm burst upon them so suddenly and unexpectedly, were struck with astonishment and alarm at the un- wonted quantities of water that descended upon them from the seemingly flooded heavens. A settler who lived nearest the foot of the mountain described the rain as " coming down in bucketsful." I was in a field a short distance from my house when it struck, and was so astonished at first I knew not what to do. But the rain, if it could be called rain, coming thicker and

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faster, I ran with all my might for the house, but was almost drowned before I got there, and then it was only to find the water gushing into the house on all sides till it was nearly knee-deep on the floor." And so with all the inhabitants of the ba- sin. No place afforded them any protec- tion ; rivers were in all their houses within, and rivers, rising into seas, were all around them without; and they looked on with mute consternation at that tremendous out- pouring of the clouds. But they were the first to be relieved. The rain, after the brief duration of less than half an hour, ceased as suddenly as it came ; and the in- habitants ran out of their drenched houses just in time to behold the numerous uniting streams, that had come pouring down from the encircling mountain, gathering into a mighty river that swept away shanties, fences, old trees, logs, lumber and every- thing in its path, and bearing them in wild confusion on its surface, went foam- ing, tumbling and roaring, like a cataract, with amazing force, down the valley to- ward the outlet, three or four miles below.

But the principal scene arising from the destructive and fatal progress occurred at a saw-mill, owned by Mr. Oren Clark, and situated about a mile from the mouth of was again plunged into the flood. But, the stream. When the storm was spending its force on the sides of the mountain and the basin beneath, Mr. Clark was at work in a field near the mill with his hired man, Ebenezer Eastman. And being apprised by the great volume and blackness of the clouds hanging over the mountain at the west, that an unusual shower was falling round the sources of the stream, they pro- ceeded at once to the mill and commenced such temporary repairs of the dam and flume as would, they believed, secure them against the rush of water, which, in greater or less quantities, they knew would soon be down upon them. While deeply en- grossed in hurrying forward the contem- plated repairs, they were aroused by a deafening roar that burst suddenly upon their ears from the stream but a short dis- The remains of Eastman were found the next day washed up near the mouth of the stream on the meadow of Samuel Jones, who was injured in the loss of crops, the covering of his lands by flood-wood and washing away the soil, to the amount of $300. Whether Eastman was drowned, or killed by being crushed among the logs, was never known. Either cause was suf- ficient to have produced his death. tance above the mill; when looking up they beheld to their astonishment and alarm, a wild, tumultuous sea of comming- ling flood-wood and turbid waters, with a wall-like front ten feet high, tumbling and rolling down upon them with furious up- roar, and with the speed of the wind. Knowing that the mill could not stand before such an avalanche of water, and beginning to be specially alarmed for their Such were the leading events attending the memorable thunder-storm on Jones's Brook. personal safety, they attempted to secure a retreat over the log-way which cxtended from the mill to the high grounds five or six rods distant. Over this they made The Mad river affords some of the best water privileges found in the State, and their way with all possible speed. But

such was the velocity of the on-rushing torrent that they had not proceeded half way before the mill building came down with a crash behind them, the log-way was swept from beneath their feet, and the next moment they were struggling for their lives in a, flood a dozen feet deep, foaming, boiling, and so filled with trees, timber and all sorts of ruins, that it did not seem pos- sible for a human being to be borne along in the frightfully whirling mass and live a single minute.

" I saw Eastman once," said Mr. Clark in describing to me this, the most terrible scene of his life. "It was when I rose to the surface after the first plunge. He was struggling desperately to get his head above the flood-wood. But I saw him no more; for the next moment, I was borne down beneath the surface by a raft of logs that swept over me. From that time I was whirled onward with my head some- times below, and sometimes above the wa- ter, till I found myself nearing the wooded bank on the opposite side of the stream, when I soon came within reach of a small tree, which I grasped and held on to, till I began to count myself saved. But the tree quickly came up by the roots and I

though now nearly in despair, I struggled on, and soon was fortunate enough to grasp another sapling by means of which I at length drew myself ashore and fell down half drowned and half dead from bruises and exhaustion. It was now nearly dark. After rallying my strength a little, I com- menced crawling and stumbling through the tangled thickets along up the stream till, after a struggle of seeming hours, I at last reached a point opposite my house, where, by loud hallooing, I rallied my fam- ily, who believed me lost, and informed them I would proceed on to the next house, on that side, stay all night and cross the next morning. This I did, and the next morning reached home, where I was re- ceived as one risen from the dead."

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should the inhabitants of Moretown induce some moneyed firm to put in a large man- ufacturing house here, thus utilizing more of the water power, and urge the building of a contemplated railroad, which has al- ready been surveyed through the town, it would greatly develop the resources of and build up our town.

Moretown is considerably broken in surface, but is romantic, and affords much to please and profit the student of nature. Camel's Hump is seen from various points, and is only a few miles distant from More- town. Mineral springs are found here, which by puffing and patronizing, would be quite equal to many, no better, but cel- ebrated ones.

It is quite a dairy town, some farmers having 20 or more cows, and many others 10 to 20.

There are now 3 stores, 3 blacksmith shops, two saw-mills, 2 clapboard, 2 shingle and 2 planing-machines in the village ; also i hotel, I harness-shop, employing several workmen, 2 carriage and sleigh- shops, 1 grist-mill, I sash, door and blind- shop, near by a dressmaker, 2 milliners, I goldsmith and I tinman.

We have also a very excellent high school, taught by Miss Folsom.

Polly Phemia Munson was probably the first child born in Moretown, and Paul Knapp the first person who died in town. He was killed by the fall of a tree.

[Thus far the paper we credit to Rev. Seldon B. Currier. The following is from a lady of Moretown, contributed 10 or 12 years since] :

The first school-house in this town was within the limits of the present village of Moretown. In the first settlement of the town there were three lots set off for the first minister. Rev. Mr. Brown, Univer- salist, the first minister settled, deeded the land to the town for the benefit of schools. There are 14 school districts in town now, and we had three schools in the village last winter (1869), and for sev- eral years we have had a select school every spring and fall. Our population in 1860 was a little over 1400. There has

not been any state prison candidate from this place to this date-1870.

Our first representative of the town, Luther Moseley, was chosen by 7 voters.

The first store was opened here by Winship & Thornton, 1815. The first load of goods was bought in Burlington, and brought into town by Cephas Car- penter. Winship was a butcher from that place.

In 1822, Mr. Stevens commenced trade here. He built a distillery to make whisky, and died about 2 years after. His death was a great loss to the town. A starch factory was built in 1833, by Martin L. Lovell and Francis Liscomb, and run about 5 years, after which it was bought by Jesse Johnson, and used for a tannery from 3 to 5 years, when it was burned.

The first and only hotel to the present, was built and kept by Joseph Sawyer, in 1835. There are some stores of the olden time here.

Nearly 50 years since, Nathan Wheeler (I think his name was Nathan), 5 years old, son of Ira Wheeler, was lost on his way home from school. The news spread. The farmers left their hay down, and came from Waterbury, Northfield, Duxbury, Waitsfield, nearly 1500 men, and joined in the search for the lost boy. After a three days' diligent hunt the boy was found in Duxbury. It rained very hard when he was found, and the little fellow was trudg- ing on ; he said he was going home. Capt. Barnard said if the boy should work hard all of his life and be prospered, he never could pay all for their trouble in finding him ; but when we realize the sympathy and good feelings manifested, he felt that they were all well paid. The boy grew to be a man, became a good soldier and died for his country, and so, well paid.

COL. EZEKIEL CLAPP,

a farmer and prominent citizen of More- town, was a whole-souled man, much es- teemed by his neighbors. About the time he was appointed Colonel, Capt. Rufus Barnard, Capt. Orson Skinner, Maj. Elias Taylor and Col. Clapp attended a military meeting at Waterbury one evening, and after the meeting, it being 10 o'clock P. M.,

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it was agreed they would all go to Major

been in practice here now over 40 years. Taylor's, in Waitsfield, to see a large cat- He has many friends, and is now (1870), amount that had been killed on the East the town clerk. Dr. Calderwood came to Mountain. The company filled 2 sleighs. assist Dr. K. in his practice in May of It was very cold, but they reached Waits- field, and actually saw a large dead cat- amount. The company did not get back to Moretown till the next morning.

Many years before this, Mr. Clapp was carrying an iron kettle he had borrowed of a neighbor, home on his head. He lived at this time on Mad river, about a mile above Moretown village. Being tired, he sat down to rest, and soon saw a bear seated a little distant, suspiciously regard- ing him and his kettle. Clapp sprang forward, and cast his kettle at the bear. The bear not liking the sound of the kettle as it fell, rushed away, and Clapp picking Mr. Clapp died about 2 years since (1868).

up the kettle, made his best way home. ing music.

There are three merchants in town : The record of him is, " a man truthful and C. Lovejoy, James Evans, Nathan Spauld- upright in all his dealings."

Samuel Pierce, who settled here from Berlin many years since, tells of several deer having been killed in Moretown soon after he came. They were shot when they came down from the mountain to drink. He and Burr Freeman killed one, and he had the skin tanned and made into gloves, and for a long time after boasted of having a pair of Vermont deer-skin gloves. Mr. Pierce is now (1870), about 70 years of age.

DR. STEPHEN PIERCE,

from Massachusetts, was the first physician that settled in town. He lived on the farm now occupied by Mr. Bisbee. He was a good doctor, upright in all his prac- tice, and made himself honored and useful in his chosen field of labor. He died in Barnard about 1864. Soon after he came to Moretown, one man remarked that the Doctor had a very good theory of physic, but he lacked the practice. Soon after this Mr. A. March had a sick child. He went to the Doctor and wanted to get some theory of physic for his child. The Doctor gave him some, and often spoke of the joke to his friends.

DR. LESTER KINGSLEY

came to this town in Feb. 1827, and has

this year. [Dr. Kingsley was town clerk from March 1832 to March 1880, annually elected, holding the office 48 years, and about 10 months to the time of his death. He was postmaster from 1837 to '62-25 years, and represented Moretown in the Legislature in 1841, '42, and was actively engaged in his profession here 52 years, till within 2 years of his death, Jan. 4, 1881, aged 76.]

DR. HAYLETT,

homœopathist, has been here 2 years, from 1868. He, too, has been successful and won many friends, and his wife has also made herself welcome among us, by teach-

ing. Mr. Evans commenced trade May, 1862 [removed to Boston since]. Mr. Spaulding commenced about 1858, and has charge of the post-office [gone to Burling- ton]. His father, now deceased, was a highly esteemed Methodist minister. He was buried here.

There is one grist-mill in town [two now], owned by a Mr. Robinson ; I sash and blind factory, owned by Geo. Bulkley and Geo. Thornton, [which is now Mr. Fassett's grist and saw-mill, tub factory and planing-machine matcher,] four saw- mills, three owned by David T. Jeff. Beld- and ing, one on the river by Lorenzo Wells's ; 3 blacksmith's shops, carried on by Curt. Carpenter & Co., Calvin Foster, and M. Taylor; Calvin Foster's carriage shop, where he has done a good business a great many years; Towle & Lovejoy's wheel- wright shop, where a good business has been done ; [given up and turned into the blacksmith shop of Wallings & Spauld- ing] : Collins built another shop and con- tinued business as before ; William Saw- yer's harness shop employs several men, [has removed into a larger shop, with his son, partner] ; Mr. Towle's harness shop [he has left town, and the shop is now closed] ; and we have also 2 shoemakers.

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[Written by Mrs. Smith in 1870, correct- ed by Mr. Aaron Goss, of Moretown, in the fall of 1881.]

CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH.

[FROM MRS. SMITH.]

The original members of the First Con- gregational Church in Moretown were- Reuben Hastings, John Stockwell, Sam- uel Eaton, Mrs. Eleazer Wells, and Mrs. Stockwell. The meeting for the organi- zation was in the first log school-house.

Mrs. Smith gives from the records the following account of the second organ- ization :

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The history of Washington county, in the Vermont historical gazetteer:, Part 96

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