USA > Vermont > Windsor County > Baltimore > The history of the town of Baltimore, Vermont > Part 14
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Their Children-all born in Baltimore
Helen J. Preston b. May 31, 1847 d. 1927 unmarried; Emma A. Preston b. Nov. 12, 1849 m. Dr. Nathaniel Brooks Dec. 5, 1876; Francis Zebina Preston b. July 2, 1851 d. 1931; Abbie Preston b. 1853 d. 1891; Alice Preston b. 1856 d. 1939; Ida Preston b. Oct. 26, 1861 d. Aug. 20, 1864 from dysentery; Unnamed child-female-b. Nov. 10, 1865 d. Mar. 4, 1866.
It will be noted that girls predominated in the Thomas Preston family.
The Preston girls enjoyed unusual educational advantages for that period. Two oldest ones, Helen and Emma, attended the Wesleyan Seminary at Springfield, Vt., for two years, then attended the Kimball Union Academy at Meriden where they graduated. Emma taught school in Windsor and then in Charlestown, N. H., where she met Dr. Brooks and married him.
Helen Preston taught elementary schools to get money to go to school in Montreal to study French. She then taught in high schools and academies. She was preceptress at Burr and Burton Seminary in Manchester, Vt., and also filled the same position in Leland and Gray and Lebanon, N. H., High School under Mr. C. C. Boynton as principal. She taught Latin, French, Mathematics and English, and was very successful in her profession.
For a time she was principal of a girls school in Zanesville, Ohio, then went to California for her health. After its improvement she taught in Mr. C. C. Boynton's Training School for teachers for several years. That was before normal schools were established. In later life she engaged in real estate business in San Francisco.
The younger sisters, Abbie and Alice, also attended the Spring- field Seminary but did not graduate. Abbie taught school for a
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time in Springfield, then took nurse's training in a Providence, R. I., Hospital. She was practicing in that city when she passed away in her early thirties.
The writer has grateful memories of Abbie and the lady by whom she was employed for a time as a nurse-companion. Mrs. Arnold was a lady of wealth though possibly not so opulent as appeared to the writer at the time. A dam was built from one sand bank across to another in Mr. Preston's pasture, thereby forming a depression that made a suitable site for a small pond. A channel or ditch was dug that would convey the waste water from the school spring, also drain the nearby swamp into this hollow and lo! a pond was born sufficiently large to accommodate a rowboat provided by Mrs. Arnold which the pupils were allowed to use. Talk of recreational facilities! No school in these parts had any- thing to surpass ours. Of course, the pond froze over and furnished an excellent skating place in winter. The first Christmas-tree party the writer ever attended was promoted by Abbie Preston and her friend.
Alice Preston studied at Burr and Burton Seminary while her sister Helen taught there. She then went to New York City to study art and pursued her profession until her death in 1939.
The late Mrs. Fred G. Field characterized the Preston girls thus Helen was the scholarly one, Alice the pretty one, and Abbie the friendly one. Of course Emma was the married one: so her public career was thereby shortened.
Emma had three sons: Nathaniel who followed in the footsteps of his father and is a practicing physician in Groton-on-Hudson; Lyman lives in the old Brooks' homestead and is a grain dealer; Philip a graduate of Dartmouth College who also took a course in Harvard School of Forestry.
Francis, the only son, married Emma Bryant who was as capable as she was attractive; Feb. 24, 1877, he purchased from Rollin Sherwin and wife the farm now owned by Arthur Basso, paying $1206. 46 for it. Sherwin had purchased not only this farm but the Martin Boynton place as well. The house built by Jona. Wood- bury burned while owned by Sherwin but was rebuilt by him. He undertook a business of buying chickens and then dealing in dressed poultry, erecting the building at right angles with the woodshed as a storage place for them. Unfortunately, the attempt failed and Sherwin became bankrupt.
Francis like his father was most industrious. Both farms were cultivated rather intensively and kept a goodly number of cattle. With his big barn full of hay and other fodder, Francis made trips in the fall to eastern New York State and bought young cattle, dry cows or whatever he could feed through the winter at most profit. The Prestons had good apple orchards and plenty of small fruits for their own consumption. In 1898 Thomas owned 176 acres in Baltimore and Francis 160, over one-tenth of the total area of the town.
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Francis in company with his brother-in-law Wayland Bryant, who moved to the Willard Leland place, bought apples by the car- loads in all surrounding towns. In those days several carloads of them were produced in this immediate vicinity where now many of the farms do not produce apples enough for the use of the family.
Preston and Bryant bought the Graves place in 1902 and sold the wood and timber from it at great profit. They also bought the gristmill in North Springfield and did a thriving business there, which meant that Mr. Bryant left town in order to attend the business at the mill.
Francis Preston sold his farm here in Baltimore in 1899 to Abel Slayton, and Thomas and Adaline sold the same year to Clarence and Winnie Root. Both Preston families then moved to the E. J. Pierce farm on the Reservoir Road below North Springfield. Ada- line Piper Preston had lived in Baltimore all her long life of 79 years.
Francis and Emma had three children. Ernest became a machinist also a real estate dealer, now living in Detroit. Edith the youngest child was a teacher for some time, and now lives with her brother Ernest in Detroit. To the younger son Guy came the experience of making a trip around the world. He and his wife went to Russia during World War No. 1 as a representative of the Windsor Machine Co. While in Petrograd one and a half years they witnessed the Revolution there. They were fortunate enough to get the last train out of Russia via Siberia, which meant they went around the world. Later he was sent to Japan where he and his wife lived about a year.
Guy died in 1943, lamented by a large number of friends and associates.
As generally happens, the Prestons were not only diligent in their own business, they were always helpful and interested in the welfare of the town. Thomas began his official career in 1846 as fence- viewer and every year after that for fifty-one years he was elected to some office. For about ten years he served as overseer of the poor and there were plenty of poor on the town of Baltimore at that particular time. The sister of a well-to-do money-lender had to be supported by the town, a son was paid by the town for boarding and caring for his own father. It was said to be cheaper to support them all together than separately, as the son and family were leaning on the town.
Thomas was often chosen as a selectman, sometimes he was treasurer, and in 1880 he represented the town in the legislature. He was superintendent of schools several years.
It appears that Rollin Sherwin was town clerk when he sold to Francis Preston and that the office was not moved when Sherwin left as Francis took over the duties thereof. He held all the important town offices at various times and in 1890 was elected representative to the General Assembly.
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His experience gained in a small way in Baltimore no doubt fitted him for the larger responsibilities when, after moving to Springfield, he was elected selectman of that important town.
Early History of West District
There is much evidence that the so-called West District was the last part to be settled in what is now the town of Baltimore. In the first town meeting, 1794, they voted that there should be a road from Wm. Briant's field, which we conclude was near what we now call the Martin lots at the back of Arthur Basso's house. Only two highway surveyors were elected at that meeting; later there were always three.
In the first division of school districts, 1794, only Peter Robinson was mentioned from the west side as being included in the North District. In 1797 under a new division of the school districts mention was made of Asa Robinson farm, Ephraim Martin farm, Luke Harris farm, Jonathan Boynton farm, Daniel Smith farm. The Asa Robinson farm was a small place back of Arthur Basso's on the "road under the mountain." The other places mentioned above are the Litch place, Slayton Kendall place, Henry Allen farm, and Glenn Olney farm, respectively. It is known that there was a rapid increase in the population of Baltimore very soon after its organization.
All those farms west of Old Shincracker are on what was Lot No. 39, the original right of Levi Webster. The tract consisting of about 312 acres was divided into three rectangular strips of ap- proximately 100 acres each running east and west. The first one to be settled, also the most confusing one as to its ownership, was the northernmost one.
Dr. Aseph Fletcher of Cavendish appears to have been the owner's agent to sell and convey the land on Levi Webster's right. While Baltimore was still a part of Cavendish, or in 1792, Aseph sold this northern 100 acres to Joseph Atherton. Nov. 2, 1793, just after Baltimore was set off, Joseph sold this tract to Asa and Peter Robinson of Winchendon, Mass. On Nov. 9, just a week later Peter bought 50 acres on the right of John Noble, "beginning at a stake and stone on the North west corner of Levi Websters right"; so now he owned 150 acres in Baltimore, quite a land owner. But on Nov. 29, 1793, Peter Robinson sold Stephen Briant 3712 acres off the eastern end of the Levi Webster right. That parcel of land was to be divided and sub-divided, sold and resold, about as many times as any tract in Baltimore. Stephen owned it only a short time before selling it to Daniel Smith who in 1795 sold it to Luke Harris of Alstead, N. H. This land lay east of the road now leading by the Litch lots.
On Feb. 1, 1796, Dr. Aseph Fletcher deeded Luke Harris the 104 acres adjoining on the southerly side of land he had sold Joseph Atherton. On the same day Aseph sold Daniel Smith the one
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hundred acres on the southerly line of Luke Harris, which land extended to Chester line.
Luke Harris occupied the middle farm a number of years, the southern one afforded an abiding place for Daniel Smith a few years; he was there at the taking of the 1800 census, with five in his family. He soon sold to David Johnson who in 1803 sold to Joshua Leland. This family occupied the farm for a space of 63 years.
We will leave the Harris and Leland families to dwell in peace upon their acres while we follow the fortunes of the occupants of the northern section.
Jan. 18, 1795, Father Asa sold son Peter all his share in the land. Peter was living in Baltimore then. But on May 18, 1796, Asa bought back a wedge-shaped piece containing 13 acres, one side running 67 rods on the north line of the Levi Webster right.
Dec. 2, 1796, Peter and Jane Robinson now of Weathersfield sold Ephraim Martin 50 acres on the west end of the Levi Webster land, also the fifty acres cornering with it, on the right of John Noble, presumably. Peter and Jane must have had some sort of habita- tion to shelter their large family as they had six children upon their arrival and another son, Dean Tyler, was born to them in Balti- more June 4, 1794. Jane also signed the deed which would indicate that she was deeding away her homestead.
A genealogy on this Robinson family unexpectedly came into the writer's possession, which will be included herewith. This family with its nine children in all settled in the neighboring town of Weathersfield. It seems possible that some day some of their de- scendants might be interested to visit the homes of their ances- tors, or glad to obtain information along genealogical lines.
That same year, 1796, Ephraim's oldest child Sally married Jonathan Boynton and on Dec. 19, 1797, Ephraim sold young Boynton 50 acres off the western end of what he owned, a most irregular-shaped tract of land. This land included the site of the present buildings occupied by Henry Allen, as that place has long been known as the Boynton farm.
It seems likely that the house now standing was built by Jona- than and Sally Boynton. It bears evidence of being one of the oldest houses in town, extremely wide floor boards, corner posts, etc. It might have been built several years before the grand list of 1828 when it was appraised for $126.00. No increase was made in subsequent real estate valuation on the Boynton farm that would indicate that a new house had been erected thereon.
In 1798 Ephraim Martin sold Peter Cooper Robinson of Weathersfield the remaining 50 acres east of the Boynton tract. Robinson sold to Nahum Duncan of Weathersfield (the village of Perkinsville was formerly called Duncansville after said Duncan.) He in turn sold to Joel Crane of Weathersfield July 4, 1799, and Joel Crane to Benjamin Litch of Lunenburg, Mass., in 1800, 50 acres for $400. It seems safe to conclude that Benj. Litch erected
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the buildings on the Litch lots as neither Crane nor Duncan lived in Baltimore during their ownership.
We do not know where Ephraim Martin did live unless he and his large family lived with the young Boyntons. He sold the 50 acres to Robinson for only $222.98, which price would indicate that the buildings, if any, had little value. Ephraim Martin was still living in town; in 1801 he was elected highway surveyor, and was on the list of Freemen in 1803 as was Ephraim Martin Jr., evidently his son.
Asa Robinson did not leave Baltimore when his son Peter did. Jan. 25, 1796, Asa and Jona. Woodbury jointly bought 30 acres of land for 30 pounds of William Briant. Two years later Asa sold Jona. Woodbury all his right and title to said land for $16.75, but the deed was not recorded. It appears that Asa built a house on this land which was back of Arthur Basso's and that he died there. May 15, 1800, Peter Robinson, administrator of the estate of Asa Robinson, sold Benj. Litch the three-cornered piece of land containing 13 acres. He also sold John B. Curtis, "cordwiner," two pieces of land back of Basso's, but he had to pay Jona. Wood- bury $30 before selling it to clear the title. Curtis did not live here long, for in 1801 he sold these lots to Ephraim Martin for $133.30 with the following proviso: "Be it remembered and fore- ever understood that the said Margaret Robinson (widow of Asa) is to have and occupy the last mentioned piece of land set for her dower during her natural life." We doubt if Margaret actually lived there. The place was conveyed two or three times after Asa's death, as late as 1819 the proviso was incorporated into a deed. It is probable that Ephraim Martin lived there; to this day it is known to the older inhabitants as the Martin lot. In 1804 a deed mentions the road leading from Ephraim Martin's to Luke Harris'. In 1810 Ephraim sold the land with the house on it to Seth Houghton on what is now the James Shepard place, and it has always remained a part of that farm. The other parcel of land was purchased by Jona. Woodbury.
Benjamin Litch
The story has been handed down that Benj. Litch and his wife Jerusha made the trip to Baltimore from Lunenburg, Mass., on an ox sled, following a trail by marked trees. It must have been difficult to guide and direct a yoke of oxen through a wild country, but perhaps marked trees meant more to oxen than would the guide boards of today. Probably the trip was more tiresome than peri- lous.
Benjamin received the deed of his new home from Joel Crane on Apr. 4, 1800, 50 acres being conveyed to him. The next month Benjamin bought the wedge-shaped piece of 13 acres that Asa Robinson owned at the time of his death, on the north line of the original right of Levi Webster. In 1803 Lyman, their first and only child, was born. In 1808 he was obliged to mortgage the home
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place to Nahum Duncan but was able to have the mortgage dis- charged the next year.
In 1815 Benjamin bought ten acres on the east side of the high- way leading past his house. The northern boundary of it was only one rod and 6 links (about 48 inches) then south 67 rods, west 46 rods, then north 45 degrees east about 81 rods, the road forming the western boundary. In 1823 Benj. sold back to Reuben the northern tip of this tract containing 27 sq. rds. and Reuben deeded Benj. a strip on the east 59 rods by 1112 links or 27 sq. rds., an even swap. On the very same day Reuben sold Parkman Davis the northern end of what he had left, which gave Parkman that much disputed corner claimed at least by three different parties to the writer's knowledge.
September 3, 1817, Benjamin Litch, Esqr., "bought a certain track or parcel" of land from John and Sally Bigelow containing 55 acres for $700. This farm was what has been known for years as the Glynn Place. The very next day Benjamin and wife Jerusha deeded this farm to Joseph Atherton. Just why John and Sally did not deed directly to Joseph is a matter for conjecture. After all, it meant additional recording and extra pennies for the long- suffering poorly paid town clerk. Perhaps Benjamin reaped some satisfaction from being a seller of land as well as buyer, a realtor so to speak. .
Benj. Litch was the town clerk in 1823; so he could afford to swap pieces of land so far as the cost of recording was concerned. Late in the year 1831 Benjamin made his last land transaction. He and his wife Jerusha deeded all the land they owned in Baltimore, about 75 acres, to their son Lyman, also a large tract they owned in Cavendish, beginning-on Jonathan Woodbury's west line in Baltimore "at a beach saddle marked E A". Lyman gave a bond for $500 and a deed in which he agreed to support and maintain his parents through their natural lives. The provision and stipu- lations of the indenture were exactly the same as those made the following year between young Martin Boynton and his parents on the adjoining farm. Lyman was evidently now married to Prudence Chaplin of Baltimore as their oldest child was born Feb. 5, 1832.
Benjamin did not have long to live after deeding his property to his son. Possibly impaired health was one of his reasons for so doing. Late in 1833 they were settling his estate, and in April of the next year Martin Boynton bought the Litch farm. The place seems to have been heavily mortgaged.
Until 1841 Martin Boynton paid taxes on the Litch house, but thus far we have no information as to the final disposal of the buildings on the place. Practically all the homesteads in Baltimore occupied at the present day had the first buildings thereon replaced by what were probably more substantial and convenient ones. Probably those first buildings were what the first settler had the time and ability to erect, either a.log cabin or later a cheap frame house.
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Jerusha Litch's maiden name was Divol. She might have been related to Elizabeth Divol, who married Jona. Boynton 3rd. She lived to the ripe old age of 85 yrs. 9 mo. 10 days, spending her de- clining years in the home of her son Lyman Litch, on what is now the Hammond place. She died Feb. 1, 1862, of consumption, surviving her husband at least 29 years. She came into Baltimore as a young woman only 24 years old. It appears that Lyman was her only child, at least no other names of Litch appear on the records. He was born in Baltimore 1803, and it appears from the records that he lived here all his days except the years 1834-1835-1836 when he and Prudence lived in Bethel, Vt.
Benj. Litch was interested and helpful in town affairs. In 1803 he served his apprenticeship as hayward. Early in the game he was elected constable and collector and evidently proved his fitness for the duties of that office as he was re-elected to that capacity four times. But in 1809 Benj. was the constable who served the precepts on six families to depart said town of Baltimore, some of them being families who had lived in town several years. Either Benjamin was anxious to be relieved of such unpleasant duties or else his popularity dropped below the zero mark in 1810 because he was not elected to a single office. Time evidently healed all wounds as he became highway surveyor in 1811. In 1823 he was chosen to fill the important role of town clerk; in 1824 he was not only re-elected town clerk but was honored as the choice of the voters as selectman, highway surveyor, sealer of weights and measures. He continued as selectman until 1830 when he seems to have relin- quished public duty.
Lyman and his young wife continued to live in town until the old Litch homestead was sold to Martin Boynton. In those days, as at present, when a farmstead was sold to the owner of a contiguous farm, it usually meant the disintegration of the former place; the buildings were neglected or moved away and the ploughlands allowed to revert to pasturage and woodland.
Lyman might have remained on his father's place had it not become so heavily mortgaged. In Dec. 1839 we find he purchased from Jona. Woodbury the entire Jona. Woodbury farm for $1600, mortgaging the same to Hannah Ives of Baltimore for the entire purchase price, Jona Woodbury Jr. signing the note with him as security. Let us note in passing that in 1839 Lyman was elected town representative.
Mar. 30, 1846, Lyman sold the Woodbury farm to Jeremiah Wood and the Luke Harris family then occupied it. David Chap- lin, Prudence Litch's father, had died in 1842. Sooner or later, Prudence and Lyman moved to the Chaplin property "on the Governor's farm so called." In David's will he stipulated that his daughter Prudence should have the farm at the decease of her mother. In 1845 Lyman was elected highway surveyor of the West District at town meeting. In 1847 he was duly elected high- way surveyor of the South District, so we may reasonably conclude that it was between those dates that Lyman and Prudence moved
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down to live with Widow Lydia Chaplin, probably soon after selling the Woodbury farm.
Their children Betsey and Emily were born in Bethel, Vt. Lydia and Mary were born after their parents moved back to Baltimore.
Luke Harris Family (Slayton Kendall Place)
On the first page of Book 1 of the Baltimore Land Records we find a "true Coppy" of the original deed whereby Luke Harris was deeded "a pece of land containing thirty six acres and lyes on the east end of a Hundred acre lot No. thirty ninth." This land was east of what is now known as the Litch lots, and the deed was execu- ted Oct. 14, 1795.
Evidently Luke was well-pleased with his purchase as on Feb. 1st of the following year he bought the middle tract of 104 acres on Levi Webster's right, paying Dr. Aseph Fletcher forty-four pounds for the same.
We may rest assured that Luke had to clear his own land and erect his own buildings. Mr. Fletcher was the old-time busy "phy- sition" of Cavendish and acted solely as an agent in disposing of what was or had been the original right of Levi Webster. Luke and Daniel Smith on the farm to the south made their purchases the same day. Harris was to be a resident of Baltimore the remainder of his days.
Four years after his coming to Baltimore, or in 1800, the census was taken which shows that Luke had a family of three boys under ten; there was a girl between 10 and 16 in the family of whom we know nothing further. The boys were Levi, Luke Jr., and Daniel, the latter born in Baltimore.
As previously noted, this portion of Baltimore was all settled about the same time. Jona. Boynton came to town in 1797 and Benj. Litch in 1800. From that earliest grand list available, year 1828, we find the Luke Harris and the Benj. Litch houses appraised for $116.40 each, the Boynton house for $126.10 while the one Daniel Smith probably built was valued only $106.70. Ten dollars difference in the appraisal of anything in those days represented quite a difference in actual value.
In 1803 Luke sold Reuben Bemis on the Geo. Cook place a plot of land containing just one acre from his southeast corner. Subse- quent records state that this land contained a spring of water which Reuben desired for his pasture.
In 1804 Luke sold Reuben Bemis twenty-five acres off the north- ern end of what he had bought in 1795. In 1818 Luke Jr. was elected hayward at town meeting; so we know he had become of age. In 1819 his father deeded him eleven acres bordering on John Woodbury's land or what was left of that 36 acre tract. They must have discovered there still remained a little patch as in 1822 Luke Jr. bought from his father a little piece cornering with Jona-
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than Boynton's land, 4 rds. by 7 rds. by 4 rds. by 6 rds. or 26 sq. rds. How carefully they considered their metes and bounds in those days! Every little corner was taken into account.
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