USA > Vermont > Windsor County > Baltimore > The history of the town of Baltimore, Vermont > Part 12
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and into the plate while cutting it into mouthfuls. Buttons were scarce, and trousers and shirts usually held together with tow or linen strings.
My father told me that his and his uncle William's family did not join in a mutual feast on Thanksgiving Day, but on that evening the young folks would go to one house or the other on alternate years, and have a good time with popcorn, nuts, apples, new cider, and games.
The great holiday was the annual muster for training the militia. We possess my father's commission as captain of that brigade of militia, also his sword and long-barreled gun. I remember the gay, high, feather cockade he said he wore to indicate his rank, but that became disintegrated and fell to pieces years ago.
Ziba is a Bible name meaning "army, fight, strength," found in 2 Sam. 9:2, 10, 11, 12, also 16:4 and 19:29. Ziba, son of Willard Davis, was a Civil War soldier. I think he was either sick or wounded and sent home to die in 1863. I well remember the small photograph of him in the family album in his Union uniform. The summer of 1865 his widow Cynthia worked for my mother on the Andover farm, having with her little four-year-old Freddie, a bright curly-haired youngster packed full of mischief and fun.
This was the Fred Davis who later received his father Ziba's portion of the Harriet Robinson estate. About 1895, having a three-hour wait between trains in Claremont, N. H., I called upon Cynthia. At that time Fred had married and was living in some lumber town in Maine.
Aunt Irene married Albert Webster of Irasburg, Vt., a widower with two or three children. She was a good mother to them as also to the two or three born later. Ellery Webster was one of the stepchildren and enlisted in the Union Army. He was taken prisoner and confined for some months in Libby prison in Ander- sonville, and later wrote a series of articles which were published in an Orleans Co. weekly, and which were sent to us regularly as they were printed, the story of the terrible experiences there.
Aunt Harriet was of gentle disposition; as a child I loved the visits at her home with my parents, but she led a hard life . . . (her husband) accumulated quite a competence as a farmer She strained herself caring for him in his last sickness,-he died in March, was laid in the tomb-she died in May evidently of strangulated hernia, and they both were buried in one grave.
Aunt Irene told me how with the lack of things among the early settlers not every family possessed a darning needle, and of an afternoon a woman would go by the trail through the woods to a neighbor's "stocking mending" .I do know that Parkman Sr. supplied his women folk with a very good wooden darning needle, for we now have it, carefully preserved. She told of how one woman returning home from a "darning" discovered she had lost her needle on the way and retraced her steps nearly a mile carefully
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searching along the path until she found it. One can imagine her rejoicing equalled that of the woman in the Bible parable when she found her lost coin.
Neighbors would sometimes come with a covered utensil to borrow coals for their morning fire. The Davis family never needed to borrow, but often loaned. This was before the days of Lucifer matches.
Now for the story of Chauncey, Betsey and Lydia.
As a child I knew and liked Uncle Chauncey as he made visits to the Andover farm. He and my father were fond of each other. He was eccentric. One of his hobbies was an interest in mesmerism which a traveling man had lectured upon and demonstrated at gatherings through this section. Chauncey was one of whom it might be said "could work best when the sun was in the west." I suspect that even Aunt Betsey's sharp tongue could not stir him to action until he was ready nor ruffle his complacency. He was of peaceful disposition, medium height, rather thick through the middle; he had blue eyes, brown hair, full beard, fair complexion, rosy cheeks-could easily have been transformed into a lovely Santa Claus.
Betsey was no clinging vine nor oppressed individual. She was tall, large, rather coarse-featured, dominant, determined; was intelligent, a reader of whatever literature was accessible, the weekly newspaper, and some books. There was a tender streak in her heart which she usually chose to cover up with gruffness.
My mother once said that Lydia was the prettiest of the sisters. I judge she was of more refined make-up and with something of an artistic temperament as you may see by her signature in witnessing documents.
We possess a "hair book" which she made of large sheets of paper with a gray paper cover, containing locks of hair of various members of the family and some relatives and friends, each woven into a neat artistic design like a basket, flower or wreathe or rosette; and underneath in her careful handwriting, were the name and in case of some children the age. I do not know if the cause of her mental aberration was a love affair or a religious obsession, or some of each.
Father and Uncle Chauncey were fond of each other. He would come and visit at our house, and father would go there and visit with him (Uncle Chauncey loved to visit). Betsey would prepare their dinner, set it on the table, then go to the kitchen, closing the door, never speaking.
One time when father was going to Baltimore (I was in my early teens) mother said for me to go with him, it was blackberry season. I had a pleasant visit with her, went out and picked some lovely berries to take home. The next time father returned from going there she sent me by him a package containing a silk dress labeled "made in the fashion of 1838," a nice silk, sort of a taupe color with small woven figure, very pretty long shoulder, full sleeves, full
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skirt. Later I made it over and wore it, but now wish I had kept it as it was. I do not know whether it was her own, or if it belonged to one of the sisters.
The winter of 1915 and 1916 I spent in Oakland, Cal., with my cousin Ladora Gale (Willard Davis' daughter). Her father having died when she was young she was at the old home more or less, and with Aunt Betsey. She told me she thought that with all her gruffness Betsey was good to grandmother and used to save special tidbits for her eating-whom she remembered sitting in her chair by the window looking out toward Hawks Mt., and smoking her pipe after meals.
Sometimes little Dora felt so much hatred toward Aunt Betsey that she would go out in the yard and point her finger close to the peony buds, as she had heard that gesture would blast them, and Aunt Betsey loved her flowers.
Bags in which Aunt Betsey put away things were always care- fully labeled; she would say, "I like to have my things talk to me."
In those days, raisins were a luxury and came in clusters on stems. She would sometimes give little Dora some to pick over, telling her, "When you find one that is too large to cook, you may eat that," thus covering up any expression of tenderness toward the child.
John Woodbury Family (Walter Allen Pasture)
The writer had lived within the narrow confines of Baltimore probably fifty years before she knew of the existence of John Wood- bury and family in the fields between the farms now occupied by Frank Kendall and George Cook. John and his brother Jonathan married sisters, Betsey and Sally Davis. They were sisters to Parkman and William Davis who also were among the early settlers.
Jonathan and his bride Sally led the van, the other three families not coming until ten years later or 1803. John Woodbury and Parkman Davis bought the western half of the Joseph Webster right, John taking his 76 acres east of brother-in-law Parkman's.
John and Betsey's marriage intentions were read in Royalston in 1798; so Betsey did not come to Baltimore as a bride; they brought one baby to town with them at least.
For a time it seemed that this effort must depend upon town records solely for information as no contact seemed possible with anyone related to or acquainted with any descendants of this family which the records show to have been interesting and progressive. But "sometimes a light surprises" the writer as she delves. While sojourning in Montpelier, Vt., during the winter of 1941 that light came. The man of the house where she stayed was a candy sales- man. On his return from a trip one day he exclaimed, "There's an old, old gentleman up in Waitsfield who told me today that his grandmother was born and grew up in Baltimore." Waitsfield!
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the town to which many people from Weathersfield, Windsor and nearby towns followed in the wake of Captain Benj. Waite of Windsor, Vt .! The town was named for him and he was most prominent in its early history.
Needless to say this clue was eagerly followed. Promptly a letter of inquiry was forwarded to Mr. Walter Jones which touched a responsive chord. His letter in reply is here inserted as furnished by the old man in excellent handwriting. It was fortunate that the data was thus obtained as about six weeks later Mr. Jones passed away.
"Dear Mrs. Pollard-Your letter of the 26th. is just at hand and it is my wife (Mrs. Lena Bushnell Jones) whose grandmother was Mrs. Elmira Woodbury Bushnell. However, she is much busier than I am so it falls to me to reply.
"Mrs. Jones' father left a book in which he listed the following Woodbury records of his grandfather John Woodbury of Baltimore: Born in Royalston, Mass., Sept. 12, 1773-Descent, English-son of Joseph Woodbury-6 brothers and 2 sisters-Occupation, farmer-Politics, Federalist,-Religion, Congregational-Married Feb. 18, 1798-weight, 154 lbs .- Habits, average-complexion, dark-color of hair, dark-color of eyes, hazel-Health, good- Date of death Oct. 27, 1827-Killed by a fall from a ladder-Age, 54 yrs. Buried in Baltimore, Vermont.
"Of his wife Betsey Davis it is recorded that she was born in Win- chendon, Mass .- Feb. 17, 1776-Descent, English and Irish- Father's name, Alex P. Davis-Mother's name, Abigail Gregory-2 brothers and 6 sisters-Religion, Cong'l-color of hair, brown --- blue eyes, health, good-died Sept. 14, 1839, of a fever in Waitsfield and buried in Waitsfield, Vt.
"Mrs. Jones has her sampler made in 1797. Of the children of John and Betsey Davis the following is given-
Earle Woodbury Born Oct. 12, 1800, died June 17, 1880
Elvira Born Aug. 20, 1807
Eliza Born June 12, 1811, died Oct. 24, 1884
Maria Born July 17, died Oct. 21, 1878
John Woodbury Born Apr. 15, 1817, died Oct. 6, 1843
"A note says, 'The Woodburys emigrated to this country in the year 1642 and settled in the eastern part of Mass. Their names were John and William Woodbury.'
"Of the above children, Elmira married Pardon Bushnell 'at her home in Baltimore March 1, 1834, by Joshua Leland Esq.' and recites that she had 5 brothers and 4 sisters (probably the above lists only such as grew up).
"Eliza married Jennison Joslin of Waitsfield and a grandson Herbert F. Fisher and a granddaughter Mrs. Guy Bushnell live in Thompsonville, Conn. I'd advise you to write Mrs. Bushnell.
"Maria married Daniel Lewis but he was not of Waitsfield. His home was in New York (Antwerp, I think). I remember him as he
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came to visit 'Aunt' Elmira and 'Uncle' Pardon-as I lived next door. Died without issue as we understand it. Very cordially, Walter E. Jones"
From the History of the Town of Waitsfield we learn the names of Jennison and Eliza Joslin's children, m. Mar. 13, 1833. They were: Mary b. 1833 d. 1857; Theron Adelbert b. 1835 d. 1859; Maria Theresa b. 1839 d. 1840; Theresa Eliza b. 1841 d. 1868; Corintha Augusta b. 1843 d. 1892.
What a pitiful tale of early mortality!
The children of Pardon Bushnell and Elmira Woodbury were: Genathon Orlando d. young; George Henry, press manufacturer in Conn .; Fordis Orasmus, Co. B. Vt. Volunteers; Orlando died young; A daughter born and died same year; Milo Albert; Oscar Pardon, a press manufacturer in York, Pa.
On June 6, 1832, Betsey Davis Woodbury married Daniel Gris- wold of North Springfield. He was grandfather of Hon. Fred G. Field and reputed to be the wealthiest man in the village. He died Aug. 4, 1836.
A study of town meeting records shows that John Woodbury held almost no town offices; for years he was sealer of weights and measures. Probably he believed the old saying "The post of honor is the private station." But as far as attending to his own business went, he with his son Earle were among the most progressive farmers in town. Probably no one living today remembers when there were any buildings "on those old cellar holes in Allen's pasture". Until recently a building stood on the lower side of Frank Kendall's barnyard that was moved from there on wooden rollers, according to the late Sidney Bemis who helped during the operation.
According to the 1828 grand list and those of several succeeding years, the second-best house in town was that one occupied by John Woodbury and son Earle. It was appraised for $300, only the William Davis house exceeding it in valuation.
They were thrifty farmers, keeping as many head of cattle as did the majority of their neighbors though their home farm consisted of only 76 acres. They generally had 15 or 16 head besides sheep and horses. In 1836 Earle had 4 oxen and 4 horses listed. But John Woodbury's name figures often in Baltimore Land Records Book 1 as a landbuyer, some of it near the homestead which they probably cultivated.
Unlike his brother Jonathan, John Woodbury was in no sense a land speculator. He often bought but never sold. So when in 1825 he deeded his son Earle the undivided one-half of all his premises and the undivided one-half of all the appurtenances thereof, we get the whole story of all his land purchases in the record of that conveyance. They are listed as follows-the homestead farm of 76 acres, 63 acres purchased in 1812 now known as Spaulding lot, 21 acres purchased in 1821, 41 rods along easterly side of road on Shepard farm, 6 acres known as Martin lot bought in 1819 the M. Robinson dower, 5 acres and 77 rods from Harris lot so-called of
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Reuben Bemis. And one-half of all these lands was deeded to son Earle free and clear of all incumbrances in twenty-two years after John and Betsey came to town. And the second-best house in town built by their own efforts was standing on it.
It was a tragic incident when John Woodbury fell from the building to his death in 1827 when he was only fifty-four years old. His lonely grave can be seen in the Baltimore cemetery where he and his young nephew, also named John Woodbury, are the only Woodburys buried in town.
Father John's half of the real estate was appraised for $1096.50 out of which Widow Betsey had her thirds. This included "the Pew in the Brick Meeting house in west part of Springfield" which was the church then in the field opposite Charlie Rumrill's house overlooking Pine Grove Cemetery. Betsey was set off almost 21 acres on the east side of farm, also 3 acres on the western boundary next to Parkman Davis. She was to have two rods square in the garden, use of 41 apple trees, west part of house as far as new part goes, privilege through the entry out of doors and to the woodhouse . . a privilege to take the water out of the spring and carry it to the barn-some privilege.
The father's half of the personal property was valued at $1098.10 or more than his half of the real estate. But this amount included six notes against Earle Woodbury for $339.00 and two other notes for $78.19. The various articles listed would make the hearts of antique hunters today fill with ecstasy, 2 diaper tablecloths $2.67, 2 diaper towels $1, brass kettle $6, pewter plates and platters, etc.
Three of John's children were minors and had guardians appointed for them. After Earle was allowed his half that he bought and Widow Betsey her thirds from the other half, the residue was to be divided among the five children which would include Earle. But "the committee were clearly of the opinion that said lands cannot be divided without great prejudice to or spoiling the whole"; so it was decided Earle should pay to Elmira, Eliza, Maria and John $136.40 each.
Unlike his father, Earle Woodbury did take some interest in town affairs. He had taken the Freeman's Oath and is listed as among those present at the Freemen's meeting in 1824 when Baltimore elected its first town representative. Father John remained at home. Earle served as lister several times, was on the committee to settle with treasurer, but his chief honor and duty was that of constable and collector for the six years preceding his removal from town in 1837.
We wonder why he chose to emigrate from Baltimore into Weathersfield? Here he was able to begin where his father left off and the latter was certainly successful. Perhaps if one reads the section devoted to highways in this effort the reason will be clear. It was probably disappointing to Earle Woodbury that the road from Benj. Litch's to Springfield was begun and then not completed. Twice an attempt was made to open a road from John Woodbury's
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directly to the road above Volney Foster's. The motion was turned down each time, and it appeared to be definitely decided that when Earle Woodbury drove to town he must travel for some distance in exactly the opposite direction. An impartial observer at this late day opines that the road by the Parkman Davis and John Woodbury farms as proposed would have been less hilly and easier to maintain. Often, however, the terrain conditions were not so definite a factor in determining the location of highways as was the personal in- fluence of certain individuals. Perhaps the Jonathan Woodbury's prominence in town affairs had telling effect in the decision to build the road where Jona. could move down to meet it, which he did.
We know Earle Woodbury moved from Baltimore to Weathersfield late in 1837. A study of the school records of the last-named town for 1844 reveals that Earle Woodbury had seven children entitled to attend school between four and eighteen-George E., Ellen C., Ryland P., Henry D., Charles H., Mary J., Josephine M.
The writer has been informed that Earle soon moved his large family to the territory of Wisconsin. Probably the fact that all the girls went to Waitsfield when young, that Earle went west to settle and young John lived to be only 26 explains why this family is utterly unknown to anybody now living in these parts.
Some patient reader of this sketch may ask, "What became of the building, especially that second-best house in Baltimore?" We shall have to resort to the prosaic cold-blooded records. It appears from the records that Levi Harris hired the farm until 1840 when it was sold to Reuel R. Bowman of Weathersfield for $1500.
Bowman sold to Elisha Shelley of Baltimore for $1300. In 1844 Elisha put on two mortgages for $300 each. In 1845 Elisha sold to Clarinda Lincoln, wife of the man then living on farm. In 1847 Clarinda and spouse quit-claimed all rights back to Reuel Bowman for $100. Now Reuel began all over. In July 1848 he sold to Daniel Simonds of Mt. Holly for $1100 and took a mortgage from Daniel for the $1100. Courage and faith must have waxed strong in Reuel. Dec. 25, 1848, Daniel sold to Leonard Messer of Mt. Holly the premises free from every incumbrance, but Daniel did not intend to make a Christmas present of the farm to Messer,-wait for the sequel.
Leonard was to pay a note for $100 in Oct. 1850 and he was to carry on the farm during the lives of Daniel and Alice his wife- stock the farm with cows, furnish Daniel and wife with horse harness and carriage, or if inconvenient to furnish a horse, then hire one from a neighbor and pay for use of same, give Daniel the use of old part of the house, render and pay Daniel one half of all the butter, cheese, pork and all other produce of said farm during their lives; the half hasn't yet been told of what Daniel and Alice were to have and enjoy. But alas! the 27th day of Jan., 1849, Alice Simonds widow of said Daniel was selling all her rights for ten dollars ($10) to Daniel Woodward Jr. Admr. of the estate of Daniel Simonds except her right of dower. Leonard Messers quit all claims to the Admr.
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for $192.53. Apr. 27, 1849, Daniel Woodward sold the easterly part of the homestead farm about forty-five acres to Abner Field of No. Springfield for $525. 00, and to Joseph W. Leland (on Slayton Kendall's place) the remainder thereof for $500. It was a hard fate that befell the 76 acres cleared and cultivated so profitably by John Woodbury and son.
What became of the second-best house in town, do you ask? After further inquiry we are forced to believe that the building moved down to the Kendall farm was the main part of that good house. It is deductible from the records that Abner Field was the person who sold it into disgrace.
Evidently it was some time before 1855 that one building with its rows of good windows made its ignominious trip on rollers down the lane and to the lower part of the barnyard. For a time it was used as a storage for farm tools, but as years passed, sheep, pigs and poultry wandered through its portals at will. Such desecration!
In 1855 a new type of grand list book was provided by the state in which the buildings were enumerated and valued. On Abner Field's farm the buildings listed were only a "farm house and one barn valued together at only $75." We learn from the various deeds after Earle Woodbury's time that there was a new part, also an old part to the house. Probably just the old part remained.
Abner sold the place in August 1862 to Dennis Allen, but it was stipulated in the deed that Abner was "reserving the possession, use and enjoyment of said premises until April 1, 1863." Probably Abner had rented the farm until that date as there were often tran- sient families in town in those days who had personal property listed. No doubt some of these hired or carried on Abner's farm.
The Allens owned this land for 70 years, and it still bears the reputation of being the best pasture in town.
The Houghton Family (The James Shepard Place)
The first record to be made in the new sheepskin-covered book of land records for the new town of Baltimore was the deed wherein Jewett Boynton of Weathersfield conveyed 100 acres of land on the Sam'l Evans rights, now the Shepard place, to Elijah Houghton of Cavendish in Sept. 1794.
Elijah and his wife Mary came to Baltimore to live, but Oct. 27, 1795, they deeded the farm to their son Seth for 150 pounds of "Lawful mony." Seth and his large family came from Ashby in the county of Middlesex, Mass.
It will be recalled from the school history that in 1796 a center of the town for a schoolhouse was located on Mr. Houghton's land, a committee appointed to take security of Mr. Houghton, and to lay out the land and divide it into three shares for chopping. This project failed, but it brought Mr. Houghton's name into the town records.
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In 1797 Seth was voted selectman, also "Seler of wates and masures." In 1798 he was surveyor of highways and sealer of "Waits and Masures." Seth must have served his town well, for in 1800 he was voted selectman and town treasurer, also sealer of leather. Evidently the voters in 1800 believed they could trust the town's treasury with a selectman. He was usually "voted selectman" and often served as a lister. In 1807 he was voted selectman, lister, surveyor of highways and "Sealer of Lather" (leather). Seth was first elected "sealor of Lather" in 1800; they never changed the incumbent of that office or the spelling of it until 1811 when the office was discontinued.
Seth Houghton was not only a good useful townsman but also an exemplary church man. He was the first clerk of the Weathers- field, Springfield, Baltimore church as will be learned from the section devoted to church history.
Mention has been made of Seth's large family. In the census of 1800 the Houghton's family, numbering twelve, was the largest family in town; at least one child was born after that date. We are indebted to Miss Bertha Field for this list of Seth and Sally Hough- ton's children. The one clue to the Houghton family comes from a package of letters yellowed with age which were written to Mr. Field by Mrs. Purmont of Chicago, who was tracing her genealogy. Their children: First child's name unknown b. 1782; Seth, Jr. b. 1783; Sally b. 1784 m. Jonah Bruce; Ebenezer; Lemuel; Joseph; Polly; Rebekkah b. 1795 m. Joseph Bruce; Mehitable; Elijah; Calvin E .; Aaron L. b. 1803.
Probably the last four children were born in Baltimore, Rebekkah was the baby born Mar. 12, 1795; her parents bought the farm in Oct. 1795.
A careful survey of the records brings no indication to light that any family had occupied this farm previous to the Houghtons. It is safe then to assume that they erected the first buildings thereon and cleared the land. What a strenuous life those early settlers led! The duties Seth took upon himself as a public-spirited citizen added to his burdens as well as to his usefulness.
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