USA > Vermont > Windsor County > Baltimore > The history of the town of Baltimore, Vermont > Part 4
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In June 1800 another survey was made of a road "beginning at the turn of the road a little west of the House lately occupied by Samuel Davis" (now L. T. Sundgren's) 78 rods (?) to Amos Bemis' northeast corner, now known as the Horton lot.
Another road was surveyed beginning at Levi Davis' southeast corner (near Dan Davis') then running on said Davis south line one hundred rods to the road leading to Springfield, then the same
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The History of
course 164 rods to the crotch of the road running to Reuben Bemis then north 82 rods to Joseph Hildreth's shed (Volney Foster's).
The main road under the mountain was again surveyed. Begin- ning at Weathersfield line east of Col. Martin's the "trew coppy" of the survey shows the road to have changed its direction at least fifteen times in its length of about 810 rods, or two and one half miles, ending at Luke Harris's. This road ran straight by the Upham place. For some unknown reason, in 1821 they changed this road and made the two abrupt turns in it at the end of the woods.
Another survey was made for a road from Chester line below Walter Pollard's place to the road by Waldo Cheney's, a distance of 552 rods "over the old road."
A road was surveyed from Weathersfield line then north 60 rods to Benj. Page's house (in Leland's pasture next place below Elroy Olney's), thence 158 rods to the road "by the corner of the Burying vard." This road evidently led directly by the Roy Olney house. The wide cow lane tends to verify this.
And, lastly. a road was laid out three rods wide "beginning, at an old Bass wood stump on the road leading from James Chittenden's to Francis Burnam's, thence running 72 rods nearly to Levi Davis' dwelling house, thence northerly 94 rods to the road near the house occupied by Daniel Farr." This road would have extended up the valley from the Dan Chittenden farm to the bridge on the old road. This survey was not made until Oct. 1800, and the next March they voted to "except" the road from Levi Davis' to Mr. Farr's as is surveyed. Probably this last road was never built as no traces of it are visible and the habitations of Levi Davis and Daniel Farr were not of long standing. No cellar hole for either one has been located as yet.
At each town meeting they voted for three surveyors, one each for the North. South and West "destrects". In 1804 they voted "to work out the highway Rates at Eight Cents per Our for a man and fifty cents per Day for Oxen." This amount was voted for sev- eral years; finally the price was raised to 75 cents a day for cattle and an ox shovel was purchased for eight dollars.
A booklet to be greatly cherished is one in the town clerk's posses- sion in which the selectmen in 1799 made out the highway rates. The booklet now deeply tinged with yellow was homemade, two sheets of paper 612" by 712" sewed together through the middle. The purpose of the booklet is well stated on the first page as follows: "To Mr. Stephen Robinson Sevaor for the North Destrect you are hear by Directed to See that the tax assessed in your Rate Bill is worcked ought on the Roads in your Destrect Worcking on the Road from Mr. Chaneys by Mr. Burnam to the School House and on the Road by Mr. Noah Pipers to said Pipers south Loine Allowin 66c per Day for a man and 33c per day for Oxen and 17c per Day for Cart and 17c per Day for a Plow.
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Baltimore, Vermont
Jonathan Woodbury
Seth Houghton
Sellectmen of Baltimore"
We will copy a few of the names as they appear in the account. The "D" at the top stands for dollars the "C" for cents.
To W. Stephen Robinson Servaor
C
Joshua Martain
June the 3rd 4
2
Joshua Martain
2
89
Waldo Cheney
5 80
Noah Piper
4
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In 1806 a road was surveyed from John Woodbury's barn norther- ly 127 rods to the road leading by Seth Houghton's. This was probably connecting with the road that was surveyed to meet the road under the mountain ...
In 1807 the town voted "to discontinue the road leading from the James Chittenden west line to the road leading from Springfield to David Chaplin Junr's During the pleasure of the town."
A new road was surveyed in Jan. 1817 beginning two rods east of John Woodbury's dwelling house and running northeasterly 110 rods to the road from Lemuel Houghton's house (James Shepard's) to Edmund Batchelder's. This John Woodbury was brother to Jona- than Sr. and built the dwelling house on the farm between Frank Kendall's and Geo. Cook's; the second survey mentioned above would give him a shorter route to the road leading to Springfield.
The next month, Feb. 1817, a meeting was called for March, and an article appeared in the warning "5thly to see if the town will accept of an alteration and survey of a road from John Woodbury's by Parkman Davis's (Frank Kendall place)." It was voted to accept, "if agreeable to survey bill, that piece of road laid from John Woodbury by Parkman Davis's and the piece of road surveyed in 1806 be discontinued from John Woodbury's to Lemuel Houghton." It would appear that it was a matter of controversy as to whether the highway should extend through the valley by Parkman Davis' and John Woodbury's or by what is now the Arthur Basso place. In 1823 the selectmen were Stephen Robinson, Amasa Gregory and Ephraim Martin. They surveyed and laid out a road beginning three rods and four links from the southeast corner of Benj. Litch's dwelling house, on the Litch lots so-called. This road was to run easterly all the way 170 rods to the center of the road leading from John Woodbury's house to barn. Evidences still remain that they started to build this road at the western end; however, fate was against it. In May 1829 a special meeting was held to see if the town will direct the selectmen to lay out or alter the road leading from Benj. Litch's to Springfield, also to see if the town will direct the selectmen to open the road laid out from Benj. Litch's to Earle Woodbury's, and to see if the town will lay out a road from Earle
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The History of
Woodbury's to Obed Thurston's or Amasa Gregory's. This meeting would determine whether Earle Woodbury's place would be on the line of through traffic or not, and which farms would be at the end of the road. They met, voted to direct the selectmen not to alter the road leading from Benj. Litch's to Springfield, also not to open the road leading from Benj. Litch's to Earle Woodbury's, and to pass over all the other articles in the warrant. The fates were un- kind to the John Woodbury place, that day as well as later.
Excitement has always been rife, so far as the town's highways have been concerned. As late as 1929 ballots were cast fourteen different times for road commissioner. The town was divided into two factions and evidently not a single voter yielded to the other's candidate. After fourteen ballots it was decided to let the select- men appoint that worthy official. It would spice up this narrative considerably if the discussion taking place in times of excitement over roads had also been recorded.
That year of 1829 was filled with agitation over the road problem. In November the five road commissioners of Windsor County met in Baltimore on the petition of Jonathan Boynton and others to lay a road in said Baltimore from Benj. Litch's east of the now traveled road (the one that led up back of Arthur Basso's) to intersect a road near Widow Mary Preston's (now James Shepard's) "the Petition being read the premises examined and all parties heard, the com- missioners are of the opinion the Prayer of said Petition ought to be granted." This road began at the stone bridge northwest of Mary Preston's and ran westerly 142 rods to the old road about 30 rods northeasterly from Benj. Litch's house. Parkman Davis was given damages of $73.40 and Jonathan Woodbury $45.77 which Earle Woodbury, on top of all his disappointment, had to help pay.
It also cost $21.67 to pay the County Road Commissioners who ordered the town to pay all these bills and to make complete and open said road within two years. The town did not hurry to carry out these orders, for in March 1831 they began to consider the matter. They voted $300 to be laid out in money or labor, also voted the three selectmen and the three highway surveyors be con- stituted a board to divide the road laid out by the commissioners into three parts according to their grand list and each highway dis- trict build the lot that falls to his share. It was voted that the selectmen should say how wide and how good it should be made and that the $300 be laid out between Sept. 1 and Nov. 27 when the two years expired. The road was formally opened in April 1832.
It will be remembered that these were the years when meetings were held most frequently to see if the two school districts would unite; so excitement was not lacking for the residents of Baltimore in those days.
The road leading from the south end of this new road northerly to the cider mill owned by Earle and Jonathan Woodbury was dis- continued also in 1832.
In 1834 the road was laid from the center of the old road leading from J. Atherton's to J. Woodbury's (near James Shepard's sugar
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Baltimore, Vermont
house) to what is now the corner near James Shepard's (to the old road between Mary Preston's and Jonathan Woodbury's.)
By 1836 Jonathan Woodbury must have built his house down on the new road where Arthur Basso now lives because the road "beginning at the place where Jonathan Woodbury's buildings for- merly stood to where the new road crosses Mary Preston's" was discontinued.
By 1838 the selectmen finished laying out the road from the corner of the Horton lot to within one rod of the northeast corner of the dwelling house of Lewis Bemis. They voted to raise four cents on a dollar "in addition to what is raised by the state to build this road."
Probably no road was ever built to the Hastings' farm in the hollow below the Sherwin Place. In 1829 the town voted that Samuel Hastings be exempt from "highway taxes" as long as "he lives where he now does and does not request a road." Sluices and bar ways seem to indicate that the family might have had a way out through what is called the Eaton lot to the old road. No one today recalls any buildings on the place. Perhaps then as now good roads leading to or by a place added much to its value, at- tractiveness, and duration as a homestead.
There seemed to be much difficulty in getting a road from what was the Luke Harris place (now Slayton Kendall's) to the Chester line. That first road laid out in 1799 began near the Luke Harris dwelling house, then ran south 7 degrees east 74 rods, then straight south 10 rods, then south 5 degrees east 53 rods, then south 33 de- grees west 21 rods to Chester line near Joel Hildreth's house, a total distance of 158 rods. It will be noted that this road ran east of south until near the Chester line when it made a bend toward the west of 38 degrees which made quite a distinct turn. The Joel Hildreth house was just over the line in Chester.
This was the road travelled for 22 years and possibly ran near the foot of the sand bank on the left. In 1821 there was another survey made. Beginning at Luke Harris' south line (not his house) at a stake a little east of the center of the travelled road and running 16 degrees 30 min. west, 30 rods 13 links to a stake, then south 17 degrees west (a very slight turn), 54 rods and 17 links until it strikes Chester line. This is probably the present road which runs west of south according to the National Survey Map.
In 1823 another road was surveyed beginning at a stake and stones standing south nine degrees east, five rods and ten links, from an apple tree in the southeast corner of the Luke Harris' south orchard so-called.
In the warning for the next town meeting an article appeared, "To see if the town will assist the west district in making a new road leading from Luke Harris to Chester line," and they voted to pass over the article. They also elected a new board of selectmen who discontinued and ordered to be shut the road as was surveyed from the Luke Harris' apple tree. Not very generous in spirit, were they?
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A pent road had previously been laid out leading from the road from Luke Harris' to Caleb Leland's and ran westerly over to the Phebe Gates farm (now Eugene Dean's Spaulding lot). This pent road was also discontinued and ordered to be shut on this same day.
And another new road was surveyed that day to the Chester line, beginning 28 rods north of Luke Harris' south line at the center of the now travelled road, then south 7 degrees east 28 rods to Harris' south line. This road was much the same as the second one sur- veyed except that it had one more crook in it.
The road agitation now seems to have given way to the poor problem which was becoming very exciting and the question of uniting the school districts was renewed in 1827. Certainly those early inhabitants of Baltimore did not need to leave town for excitement.
In 1841 it was voted to raise twelve cents on a dollar of the grand list to be laid out on the road, almost as much as is raised now by the town.
In 1851 a road was surveyed from the east side of the town to the county road in Weathersfield. The nearest way then for those people to get to Springfield was down the road past Roy Olney's to the residence of Benj. Page, thence across the town line to Simeon Rumrill's. Then the road must have made a distinct turn as it passed directly by the Harris' and the Stevens' homes and came out on the road above Angeline Rumrill's, a very winding strip of highway. They petitioned for the county surveyors to come again. The road as surveyed began 14 rods northerly from John Piper's (now O. J. Converse's house) and the stake was on Phinehas Robinson's land. The survey ran south from 31 degrees east to 28 degrees east to 3312 degrees east to a stake in the line between the towns of Baltimore and Weathersfield on the north bank of the brook (?) a distance of 153 rods. The commissioners allowed Phinehas Robin- son $18 damage, Rodney L. Piper $28, while Jacob and Luther Per- kins then owning the land below received $190 together. This road cut off a three-cornered piece from the Roy Olney farm, a three-cornered piece from John Piper's farm, and what is now the Bates and Emerson Leland pastures were severed in twain by the new road. Luther Graves paid $5 for the expenses of the new road from his own pocket as did Levi Piper while John Piper and son Rodney paid $15. This new road was continued to the county road by the town of Weathersfield. The road that turned above Angeline Rumrill's and passed by the Stevens' place to the Per- kins' place was soon discontinued.
The last road survey was made in 1872 when the much-surveyed road leading from Slayton Kendall's farm past Glenn Olney's was altered so to meet the new road leading by the Chas. Chandler place (now Leon Downing's), said highway beginning in range of the southwesterly end of Putnam Thompson's barn fourteen links northeasterly of the westerly corner of said barn. Figure that out! This road extended 24 rods 11 links to Chester line, the end of the other road to Chester line being discontinued that same day.
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Baltimore, Vermont
It is interesting to note the location of the old road leading through the Chandler district. It turned to the right near Glenn Olney's barn and through the Hial Lockwood and Blake pastures to what is now called Rocky Ridge, thence to the road which formerly extended from the old mill to Will Stewart's farm, in- tersecting this road at right angles opposite Dan Perry's building. The road then passed above Will Stewart's house, then down the land, still plainly walled in, to the Race place, then down the steep hill to the Chandler schoolhouse. It will be seen that the John Chandler and Leon Downing places were not on the main road and the road ended at Leon Downing's, on what is now the back side of the house.
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The History of
V. THE "DOIN'S" AT TOWN MEETING
We read an entry in the town-meeting record book that they paid $4.50 once "for a book to keep a record of the doins at town meeting in." It is interesting and revealing to examine those records of long ago from which we can form some idea of what it really meant for so few men to formulate a full-fledged and in- dependent town government.
There were probably good and sufficient reasons why the people this side of the mountain desired to be in a town by themselves. This must have been a sadly neglected corner of the earth. Caven- dish began to be settled in 1772. But there is no record of any school being maintained this side of the mountain when it was part of Cavendish. Evidently there were no laid-out roads as that was one of the very first items of business considered at the town meeting of that first year in Baltimore 1794. Mountains form very effectual barriers.
Noah Piper, Waldo Cheney and possibly Amos Bemis and Joseph Atherton were living here in the late 1780's. It is interesting to find that in 1792 Noah Piper, Joseph Atherton, Jonathan Woodbury and Levi Davis took the Freeman's Oath in Cavendish.
If we refer to the record of that first town meeting we shall find that they elected a moderator, town clerk, three selectmen, a treasurer, a constable, three listers, two highway surveyors, a collector, sealer of weights and measures and a grand "juryman" and just exactly seven different men were elected to hold all those offices. There were at least nineteen men in town but possibly the other twelve were absent and not voting.
The number of men holding office the next year was increased to eleven, and it was found necessary to "vote" two hog-reeves. It was their official duty to shut up stray hogs if their owners failed to keep them at home. By this time they had the town divided into two school districts, so they elected three school committee men for each "destrect." Fence-viewers were also found to be necessary; so two of them were elected. In 1796, when the town was but two years old they decided to have a pound and a pound- keeper. It is evident that it took much time and hard labor to enclose all the clearings with stone walls. Ever so many of those line walls are still in use; some were 150 rods and at least one was 192 rods in length. A strand of barbed wire on top of the wall helps to make the barrier more formidable, and the 1940 cattle and horses have great respect for electric fencing.
We, too, are wandering far astray. Let us return to 1796 when one great problem to be settled at town meeting was to keep the other man's livestock from going astray and doing actual damage.
We find they also had a tiding man or tithing man, Jonathan Woodbury. Possibly he collected a tenth part of the increase of the land for religious purposes, but we are more inclined to think
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A
A
Baltimore, Vermont
it was his duty to see that the Sabbath was properly observed, so that people might be under some restraint as well as the sheep and cattle.
In 1796 they also elected two haywards. They had to look after hedges and fences to keep cattle from going astray. With two pound-keepers, two fence-viewers and two haywards, stray cattle should have been unknown.
In 1799 the "4ly" article in the warning was "to see if the town will agree sum sarting day for Holding March Meeting for the futer," and they voted that the annual meeting shall be on the first Monday of March. This was wash day, but we may be sure no woman of that day ventured near town meeting; so their in- terests were not affected. They decided to have another town officer, "Inspector of Leather." They also voted that the select- men should "bye one pare of stelyargs to way four Hundred and steel bemes and brase Warts from pounds to one ounce and draw the money out of the Town Treasurer to purchis the same." Poor treasurer! He must have had that drawn look. They also voted that all rams should be confined between certain dates or "forfit the criturs."
In 1800 they voted a new town clerk who always attested to "a trew coppy."
Possibly the hog-reeves didn't perform the duties of their office with dignity and dispatch, for by 1804 they were in the discard and it was voted that all swine should be confined from the first of April to the middle of October. There might be some benefit resulting by some such ruling in this day and age.
An article "3ly" was to see if the town would vote to raise any sum of money to defray town charges for the year ensuing. They "voted to purce over the third artical in the warrant." They did the same thing in 1811. Imagine doing that in these days!
Some years they had two pound-keepers and designated what building should be the pound. Often it was the pound-keeper's leanter or lynter, or lentar, or linter, or leantar, or lentor. After much mental concentration on that word the puzzle was solved at last: it was a lean-to! 1148185
By 1825 the town was electing three highway surveyors, three fence-viewers and three haywards each year. They had also begun the practice of voting the payment of the bills brought in by town officials, and then they were obliged to raise money to defray town charges.
The number of town officers continued to increase. In 1828 they had a committee of three men to settle with treasurer, another committee of three men to settle with overseer of the poor, and still another committee to superintend the schools. The next year if they didn't elect six petit jurors and three grand jurors, thirty-seven officers in all being elected! In 1839 forty different town officers were elected. Such incompatibility of town officers did not bring special legislation though. By this time it was sure proof that if a
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8
The History of
man's name did not figure anywhere in the records, he was non compos mentis or else he just did not live in Baltimore at all.
For some years they voted in town meeting to pay bills due in- dividuals. In the records for 1833 we read "voted to raise not ex- ceeding twenty five dollars to pay town charges." Following this entry are the items:
Voted to allow Jona Boynton $1 . 50 for his services as lister Voted to allow Stephen Robinson $1.50 his do ----- do Voted to allow Earle Woodbury $1.50 his do ----- do
Voted to allow Joshua Leland his account $0. 42 Voted to allow Luke Harris $1. 10 his account
Voted to allow J. M. Boynton his account $0.50. It is very evident that the people of those days kept track of their pennies.
The only town officials to be well paid one hundred years ago were the listers. In the year 1848 Zenas Graves and Levi Piper were allowed $3 each for services as lister while Wm. Davis re- ceived $7. He probably made out the grand list book. Probably the voters thought $3 was just a wilful grab on the town treasury. The next year they were careful to stipulate that the listers should receive $6.25 for their services. They actually beat them down to $6 with the result that they had to elect a new board of listers the next year. "No profiteering" among town officials was evidently the watchword. Three auditors used to be elected to settle with the overseer of poor and three others to settle with the town treasur- er. They made out their reports which were read at town meeting; according to the town clerks' records they were generally "axcepted." John Piper, also son Rodney when town clerk, recorded these reports. They were very short and simple compared with modern town reports and we will insert one here for comparison.
Baltimore, March 2, 1863
The auditors having duly settled with the Overseer of the Poor would report as follows:
We find he has paid out as follows:
For support of George Page's family $44.83
For support of Almena Hastings 44.35
For wearing apparel for Isaac Burnham 17.55
For interest on money borrowed and postage . 1.76
For Overseers services 6.00
$114.49
We find he has received as follows:
On settlement last year $14.85
Of town treasurer . 63.64
Of Isaac Burnham wages 36.00
$114.49
Having duly settled with town treasurer we find his account as follows: Received on last year's settlement . 3.63
Reveived of Phineas Robinson, collector of taxes 202.00
Of trustee to loan surplus money 15.87
Whole amount $221.50
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Baltimore, Vermont
We find he has paid out By order of Selectmen
$73.04
By order of the Overseer of the Poor 63.04
Whole amount $136.68
Balance in the treasury .
$ 84.82
All important highway commissioners' reports of that day were not a matter for auditing as each of the three highway surveyors made out a highway tax bill against each taxpayer in his district specifying his share in money that he must work out on the road at so much per hour; once the price was as low as 8 cents per hour per man and 50 cents a day for an ox team. The school or schools also transacted their business wholly separate from the town; so the actual town report was not so very comprehensive.
The practice of recording the town reports was relinquished in 1866. Until 1912 it was the custom for the officials to read their reports in town meeting. It was not until 1912 that a town report found its way into every voter's home in Baltimore previous to town meeting. In response to a suggestion, the treasurer's wife wrote out a report of all money received and expended by the various officials. This report was copied in long hand by her, assisted by Mr. Chas. Dean, a selectman. This procedure continued for five years, the copies soon being typewritten, all for the modest expendi- ture of $2 per year. By 1919 there were three auditors on the job, and 25 typewritten reports were prepared for distribution, costing $11. In 1939 the first printed town report of Baltimore appeared, necessitating an outlay of $35.40. So much for the evolution of town reports for Baltimore.
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