USA > Vermont > Windsor County > Baltimore > The history of the town of Baltimore, Vermont > Part 8
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And blossoms in prodigal plenty Rewarded all care and all pain.
Years passed and this family with them, The flowers were neglected and prone; One came and another to live there Or the farm was deserted and lone.
Passersby pulled out roots from this garden And ruthlessly carried them far, What once had been beauty and sweetness Was left ugly and rough like a scar.
Long after there came to the homestead A couple, young, sturdy, and strong, Who sought life as well as a living, With beauty around them and song.
One day at the call of the housewife The goodman turned turf with his spade, The sod was made softer and mellow And plans for a garden were made.
Again days sped by with their sunshine, Dame Nature brought gifts as of yore, Flowers once more brightened the homestead And gladdened the eyes as before.
"Here are flowers I never have planted!" Exclaimed the good wife in surprise, "Nor e'er had their like in my garden Nor in basket or box 'fore my eyes!"
Petunias! Old fashioned, gay-colored- A growth from the days long gone by, From seeds resting deep in their earth beds Drawn up toward the light of the sky.
So loveliness lingers among us, What is buried responds to the day, Dormant faith and oft-lost perfections Will revive and thus gladden life's way.
-By Bertha I. Field.
(The garden referred to in the poem above was the one originally planted by Mrs. George Davis, A. M. P.)
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Francis Burnam
Francis Burnam was living in Baltimore previous to its organiza- tion in 1794 as a separate town. He was present and voting at that first town meeting Mar. 12, 1794, and was honored by election to the office of highway surveyor and lister and re-elected to the same offices in 1795.
A reference to the diagram of the Governor's farm will show that Francis Burnam purchased 100 acres from Samuel Davis Jan. 29, 1795, paying 50 pounds legal money for the same. It may well be inferred that he held no legal title to the property he had occupied before that date, else why should he feel compelled to repurchase it? This parcel of land lay on both sides of the old road extending from the highway past the Sundgren place to the top of the hill beyond the bridge on the old road.
The story of this Burnam homestead and later the one north of it is one which seems doomed to penury rather than prosperity; they both appear to have been ill-fated, as it were. The perusal of the land transactions of those first families may prove monotonous to the readers, but let it be said that we have no better gauge of the pros- perity of those early settlers than that afforded by the land records. If and when a man bought additional tracts of land, we can rest assured that fortune was smiling on his efforts. Banks were un- known in those days, in fact, after their establishment among those hard-working people, many of them believed land to be a much safer investment. Some of the doubters were known, and many were reputed to have hidden their carefully hoarded savings under marked stones in preference to lending them to any bank or in- dividual.
From the 1800 census we learn that Francis had a large family, five children under 16 years of age, besides three adults between 26 and 45 including himself. Not once is it recorded that he bought any land of any description, but before he had held a title to his farm many years, he made two sales, one to Levi Davis, a wedge- shaped piece on his eastern boundary, presumably to give Levi a chance for a barway opening as it now does on to the highway. The next month Nov. 3, 1796, Francis sold Daniel Farr the northern half of his farm about 52 acres for $100. Cheap enough. That money lasted for some time, for not until Jan. 19, 1802, did he sell Elijah Hildreth the two acres, now an orchard and pasture on the Sundgren farm bordering the highway; $28 was realized on this sale.
Nov. 15 of that same year he sold David Chaplin Jr. the 18 acres, 143 rods bounded west and south by the highway and now owned by Henry Hammond. On the same day Nov. 15, 1802, he sold Deliverance Burnam 3212 acres lying on both sides of the old road north of the tracts already sold to David Chaplin and Elijah Hil- dreth and Samuel Lockwood. Oct. 31, 1803, he sold Samuel Lock- wood the 1112 acres, the corner bounded east and south by the highway.
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When Francis sold the corner lot to David Chaplin Jr., he was very careful to reserve the barn. In Dec. 9, 1803, he finally sold this barn to David Chaplin Jr., which was the last real estate he owned in town.
It is not clear what the relationship was between the Widow Deliverance Burnam and Francis unless perchance she was his brother's widow. On Christmas Day in 1801 she and her seven children had been ordered out of town by the selectmen. Probably the financial prospects were not improved greatly when Francis sold out to Wd. Deliverance.
In 1814 Wd. Deliverance sold two acres east of the highway to David Chaplin Jr.
On Feb. 6, 1817, Deliverance Burnam by her cross signed away her 14 acres 11 sq. rds. west of the road to Amasa Gregory, thereby deeding away her homestead. On Feb. 15 she sold her remaining land on the east side of the road 16 acres to David Chaplin Jr. This was the last of the Burnam holdings on the old road. As for the unfortunate poor of this family, we had them with us for years to come.
Deliverance was wholly uneducated as shown by her inability to write her own name. To be left a widow ignorant and penniless with seven small children as she was by 1801 presents a dire picture for contemplation.
Manasseh Boynton (Field Pasture)
If we refer to the map of the Governor's farm, we find that Francis Burnam in 1795 bought the middle strip of 100 acres extending from the highway northerly on both sides of the old road through the hollow and to the top of the hill beyond.
Nov. 2, 1796, he sold Daniel Farr of Baltimore the northern part of this tract of about 52 acres for an even $100. This little farm in- cluded what was known for many years as the Field pasture and the Bibens pasture.
Daniel Farr lived on the farm about three and one-half years, was elected highway surveyor in 1799 and sold out to Lemuel Hatch of Springfield in May 1800 for $300. This price would indicate that Daniel had erected some buildings on the place and probably cleared more land.
There is nothing on record to prove that Lemuel Hatch ever oc- cupied the farm. The following October Lemuel sold it to Joel Wilder of Shoreham, Vt., for $300, taking a mortgage back for $230 partly payable "in good salable neet stock." Joel and Lydia's stay was short as we find they sold to Manasseh Boynton of Baltimore Oct. 28, 1803, the 52 acres for $380. William and Parkman Davis, Caleb Leland, also John Woodbury, bought farms in town in 1803.
Manasseh Boynton was the brother of Jonathan Boynton who settled on the farm now occupied by Henry Allen, also a brother of
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Susannah Boynton Martin who married "Story" Martin and lived on the Davidson place.
It happened too that he married Sally Butterfield of Andover, Vt., who was sister of John Piper's wife Polly. The first record in which Manasseh figures was when he bought the lower end of the Upham lot 50 acres for $373.33, a rather exorbitant figure it would seem. Perhaps he was attracted to that particular parcel of land because it joined brother-in-law John's on the north.
All efforts to locate the exact site of Manasseh's house have been futile thus far. Durant J. Boynton told the writer several years ago that his uncle Manasseh once lived on the old road down near the bridge where the roses are. The roses still bloom year after year, the old-time variety, set out by loving busy hands, maybe as many as fourteen decades ago. All signs of the habitation which they beautified have fallen into decay, but perhaps the roses as positively and much more attractively mark the spot of Manasseh's and Sally's dwelling as would the crumbling walls of an ugly yawning cellar hole.
Unlike his brother Jonathan, Manasseh did not seem to thrive on his 40 acres. Nov. 3, 1806, he seems to have sold the farm out- right to Joseph Atherton for $200, buying it back in Feb. 1808 for the same price. The next year he sold Rufus Burnam a strip of land 8 acres next to Widow Burnam's, 19 rods along the west side of the road. Maybe this accounts for that cellar hole just over the wall and about halfway down the steep hill. Rufus might have built for himself a humble short-lived dwelling place; otherwise that cellar hole must still remain shrouded in mystery. Five years later Rufus deeded this land back to Manasseh for exactly the same price $98.04.
We surmise that Manasseh gave these warranty deeds from time to time to relieve his financial straits. Later he adopted the mort- gage plan, borrowing money from his neighbors James Martin, Jona. Woodbury, et al. Finally, Nov. 21st, 1827, he sold his 52 acres of land for $500 to David Bixby of Springfield. Manasseh engaged to warrant and defend the same against all lawful claims whatso- ever except two mortgages, one to William Baldwin dated Nov. 3, 1812, and one to James Martin dated Feb. 16, 1824, "which the said David Bixby is to get discharged at his own resque and expence." Manasseh made money, at least on his final deal.
Bixby owned it a little over a year. Mar. 12, 1829, he deeded it to Joseph Atherton Jr. and Levi Piper, the 52 acres clear from all incumberance. In 1831 Levi and Joseph Jr. divided the land between them, Levi having all the land east of the road. Joseph had the remaining larger part west of the road. He soon sold it to Matthew Chaplin, who in turn sold to Levi Piper. Here were 52 acres which added to the Eaton lot gave Levi a farm of 141 acres.
The house on this property was valued at $77.60 in 1828, but there were several houses in town appraised at less than that figure. David Bixby continued to live in it at least a year after it was sold to
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Atherton and Piper, who were each taxed for one-half of house until 1831 when Piper was taxed for two houses, this one and the new one in which he lived. No more was the house on Manasseh Boynton's taxed, the inevitable in such cases had happened-the buildings were probably taken down and the better portions removed to make larger or more convenient the buildings on Levi's home farm.
We regret that Manasseh was not more prosperous. However, his acres were "hard to carry on" it would appear. Not much of his land was level and the soil was inclined to be light or sandy. For- tune then as now did not always smile on the honest efforts of de- serving individuals. He had some interest in town affairs, was one of the freemen who voted in 1820 and as clerk kept the records of the South School District at different times.
From the far off Pacific Coast came the following genealogical data of Manasseh's family:
Manasseh, born January 7, 1776, son of Jonathan who was born in Rowley, Mass., Feb. 11, 1744, and married Elizabeth Divol.
Manasseh married Sally Butterfield: children were Lucinda and Freeman, three others-names unknown. Freeman was born in Baltimore, Vt. His son Mirville Hardy b. at Bethel, Vt., married Josephine Montgomery.
Amasa Gregory
Kinship has always played an important role in determining the destination of pioneers. Jonathan Woodbury brought his bride Sally Davis to Baltimore in 1793. In 1803 Jonathan's brother John had married Betsy, Sally's sister, and likewise came to Balti- more to buy land, clear a farm, build a log cabin and rear a family. The Davis girls' brother Parkman also came to Baltimore that same year and for the same purposes. Brother William came in 1803, but he bought land that had been previously occupied. William Davis married Phebe Sanders daughter of Solomon and Lydia Sanders in Jan. 1807.
That same year Amasa Gregory and his wife, who was Lydia Sanders, sister to Phebe, came to Baltimore from Royalston, Mass. But Lydia did not come to Baltimore as a bride. Otis, who was probably her first child, was born in Royalston, Mass., in 1799.
The farm to which the Gregorys moved, now the Sundgren place, had had at least two families on it before the arrival of Amasa. That was the farm where the Samuel Davis lived who was elected to the office of constable at the first town meeting. Samuel Davis, by the way, was no relation to William and Parkman. It was a part of the Governor's farm, so-called, and originally extended as far west as the Volney Foster farm. About 40 acres of the east side of what is now Geo. Cook's farm and the 55 acres in the farm ad- joining now the Walter Pollard place were all at first included in the Samuel Davis property. It is believed this Samuel was son of the Samuel Davis who bought the entire Governor's farm for forty shillings in 1795 at a vendue (500 acres).
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We read in the Land Records that on Jan. 29, 1795, Samuel Davis "of Windham alias Londonderry Gentleman for and in consideration of the sum of one hundred and fifty pounds .... . paid before the delivery hereof by Samuel Davis of Baltimore. . . . yeoman," the last word indicating that Samuel second was inferior to Samuel first. That portion of this 150 acre tract, now part of the Pollard farm, was sold in 1797 to an Ezra Davis and later to an Amos Lock- wood. Soon it was that the Davises in Baltimore began to give way to the Lockwoods, already becoming so numerous in Spring- field. March 31, 1801, Samuel Davis of Windham sold Jacob Lockwood who already owned 800 acres in Springfield, the 110 acres left in the southwest corner of the Governor's farm. Jacob, in turn, sold out to his son Samuel in 1805 who was already living on the place. Evidently Samuel, like his father, was a land-getter as in 1803 he bought a strip containing 1114 acres on the north side of the highway leading from Henry Hammond's to the Sundgren place which abutted his east line.
So when Amasa Gregory came to town in 1807, unlike the Wood- bury boys and Parkman Davis, he had some cleared land and some sort of habitation, maybe a log cabin. And he seems to have been happy and contented with his land holdings for at least ten years. In 1817 he bought of the Wd. Deliverance Burnam the land she owned north of the 1112 acre strip Samuel Lockwood had bought in 1803 and west of what is now called the old road, 14 acres, 11 square rods and deeded "to the middle of the rode."
No more does the name of Amasa Gregory appear in Book No. 1 of Baltimore Land Records. But wait until 1841!
The first school meeting in Baltimore of which we have any record was held at the house of Amasa Gregory, April 4, 1809. Amasa was elected "Destrict Clark" and served in that capacity for three years. So we have preserved for us specimens of Amasa's hand- writing. He bid off the teacher's board once at 49 cents per week, and again "2 weaks at 51 cents a weak." In 1832 he bid off mistress' board at 40 cents per week, also bid off 2 cords of wood to be fur- nished for 44 cents a cord. Certainly Amasa was not avaricious in these respects. When Walbridge A. Field taught school in Balti- more, he boarded at Amasa Gregory's 12 weeks at $1.20 a week. When Walbridge finally graduated from Dartmouth College with a perfect scholastic record, entered the legal profession and was finally advanced to a seat in Congress from Massachusetts, then it was that the family of Baltimore Gregorys were, probably, duly puffed up. "He lived with us all one winter"; can you not hear them so saying?
As a town official Amasa seemed to have served mostly in a law- enforcing capacity. He was elected constable eight years in suc- cession beginning with the year 1811. It will be remembered that he it was who served notice on Luther Graves and several others to depart said town. He put "a trew attested copy of this precept" into the hands of his wife. Her little son, who was just about a year old on that fateful day, grew up and married Emily Gregory, Amasa's
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daughter. We wonder in later years whether the two families made a joke of this incident or did they cherish a feeling of resent- ment?
Amasa also served as selectman 1821 to 1824 and 1825. His heart did not melt with compassion toward the poor if they were lazy. This trait was noticeable later in Mrs. Emily Graves, also in Otis and Ella. Amasa strongly advocated in 1825 a "House of Correction or Work House" so the town could put its poor to work. The main offender lived almost 50 years longer, was in his prime in 1825, about 28 years old with a wife and two children. He deserved a berth in some place like a workhouse.
One gathers from the records that Amasa and wife were both energetic and thrifty. We find that their house was appraised in 1828 for $174.60 at which valuation with only slight fluctuations it remained as long as the Gregorys owned it. It seems reasonable to conclude that Amasa built the present house before 1828. When anyone in town erected a new house, the listers promptly and justly increased the appraisal thereof. This did not happen to the Gregory house at least after 1828.
When Amasa bought the land of Wd. Deliverance Burnam, he moved the house on it to his own house attaching it to the ell part. Subsequent owners have used it as a shed, but it still bears the chair rail, fireplace mantel and the stairway that poor old Widow Deliver- ance and her numerous progeny often climbed. This is a part at least of one of the oldest buildings in town. It has been said that two families lived separately in this Gregory house for some time and well they might-there was certainly sufficient room. This may account for the partial preservation of the shed's interior until the present time.
The Gregorys did not keep as many farm animals as many of their neighbors. Sometimes they had two yoke of oxen. In 1831 Amasa was listed as having two oxen, nine cows, four two-year-olds, two horses, one colt and twenty sheep; evidently swine were not listed in those years. Let us ponder on the possibilities of what was derived from the live stock above-all the meat the family required (and it came not sliced and boned and cubed for them either). The oxen provided the power necessary to pull stumps, haul stones for walls and plough the fields. They were finally killed and used to provide the family not only with meat, but with tallow for candles and hides which were converted into leather from which an itinerant cobbler often made shoes for the whole family. The cows fur- nished, besides meat, milk, butter, cheese, veal, rennet. The writer remembers seeing Emily Graves, Amasa's daughter, using home-grown rennet in making cheese and Emily's candles were in daily use in the Graves home as late as 1901.
Amasa seemed to like horses as he kept a larger number than most of his neighbors; evidently he kept a brood mare as he always had colts listed. Thus did he provide himself with a means of transportation which may have been the envy of his neighbors.
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At least he was not dependent upon a gas station nor worried as to the outcome of a rationing of tires by the government as in January 1942.
The few sheep Amasa kept could not have brought him much money from the sales of wool or mutton. But he and Lydia raised a family of eight children to adulthood, and it must have meant busy hours for Mother Lydia and her girls to keep abreast of the mittens, stockings and garments which must be made from home- spun.
What puzzles the writer most is that Amasa generally had some money to be taxed, in 1829 $300, then in 1835 $100, then in 1838 $400. Now where did he get it? Of course he boarded the school mistress at "49 cents per weak" and sold wood delivered at 44 cents per cord, but the money gained from those efforts would not pile up very fast. It is easy to understand that those families did not have to spend much for food, clothing, joy rides or cosmetics, but how they could "lay by" any money is beyond the writer's com- prehension. Suffice to say, they did have the money on hand or they would never, never have paid taxes on it.
Much effort has been made to make the Amasa Gregory genealogy as complete as possible out of respect to Emily Gregory Graves who spent her entire life in Baltimore and to her daughter Ella E. Graves who was the town's most generous benefactress. The vital statistics rooms at Montpelier and North Springfield cemetery were faithfully visited and the Director of the Library of University of Wisconsin, Gilbert Doane, was approached before the incomplete records of all eight children were obtained.
The first source of desired information was Amasa's will which is recorded at length in Book 2 of the Baltimore Land Records. We wonder at Amasa's making his last will and testament a matter of public town record. Then as now people were generally secretive about their money matters, and to find information curious folk or would be historians have to journey to probate offices. A copy of the will follows, after the usual preliminaries as to his having "a sound and disposing mind and memory" and the payment of his just debts, he disposed of his estate as follows:
1. I give to my beloved wife Lydia Gregory one third of all my real and personal estate to be conducted and managed as she shall think best.
2. I give and devise to the heirs of my son Otis Gregory deceased fifty dollars to be equally divided between them.
3. I give and devise to the heirs of my daughter Lydia Warren deceased fifty dollars to be equally divided between them.
4. I give and devise to my daughter Harriet Warren one hundred dollars to be paid to her or her heirs in one year after my decease if she shall out live me. Said legacy to be on interest after my decease.
5. I give and devise to my daughter Emily Graves one hundred dollars to be paid to her or her heirs in two years if she shall outlive me .
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6. I give and devise to my son Amasa Newton Gregory four hundred dollars and interest to be paid to him or his heirs in three years after my decease if he shall outlive me.
It is my will also that all the remainder of my property whether real or personal . .to be equally divided between my two sons Isaac Gregory and Amasa N. Gregory or their heirs if they shall outlive me, to be divided as soon as possible after the last legacy shall have been paid.
Father Amasa constituted and appointed son Isaac to be his sole executor of his last will and testament. This will was drawn up June 7, 1849. Thus does the will establish the identity of six of Amasa's children, only two missing.
Amasa Gregory b. 1775 d. Baltimore Dec. 12, 1849, age 74 yr. 10 mos.
Lydia Sanders b. Billerica, Mass. d. Baltimore Dec. 6, 1858, age 81 yrs. 6 mos. 20 d.
Dau. of Lydia & Solomon Sanders
Children of Amasa and Lydia Gregory
1. Otis b. in Royalston, Mass., 1799, buried in North Springfield. 2 children.
2. Lydia b. in Mass. m. John H. Warren. Lived and died in Wallingford, 2 children. Died Aug. 10, 1847, age 44 yrs. 9 mos.
3. Harriet b. in Mass. m. John H. Warren, her sister's husband, in Baltimore, May 14, 1849, by Frederick Page, Minister of Gospel. It will be seen that Harriet married late in her life. The grand list of Baltimore for 1848 shows Harriet was taxed, also in 1849. It has been said that Harriet died in Wisconsin.
4. Franklin b. in Mass. d. April 6, 1838, age 33 years. It was interesting to note in the Grand List Book for 1838 that Franklin Gregory was listed as having $1500 in money, a gold watch set in the balance of $4 and a carriage valued at $50. Evidently poor Franklin came home to die as he was not taxed in any of the ten previous years.
5. Isaac b. in Baltimore, Vt. 1814 m. Lodema G. Woodward. (2 children H. M. b. 1844, H. W. b. 1846). Moved to Stoughton, Dunkirk Township, Wisconsin. In 1860 census of that town Issac Gregory is listed as a farmer having real estate valued $30,000, personal estate valued at $7,850. His wife Lodema had real estate valued at $11.00. It would appear that Isaac amassed quite a fortune in a short time.
6. Emily b. in Baltimore. She appears in the Graves Family Sketch.
7. Betsey d. in Wallingford, Vt., May 1, 1835, age 19 yrs. 8 mos. Buried in Green Hill Cemetery, Wallingford. She probably died at her sister Lydia's home. Why she was not buried in North Springfield is unknown.
8. Amasa Newton b. Baltimore 1823 m. Joanna Angel in Baltimore Oct. 26, 1848, by Moses Kidder. In 1860 was a harness
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maker in Stoughton, Wis., had 2 children, Ida age 5, Elbert age 2 both born in Vt. Real Estate $5,000. Personal $700. In 1870 census Newton had died, as Joanna, age 40, house- keeper, is listed as head of family. She has one more child Alice 9 years old. No property except real estate $800.
By 1841 Amasa, born in 1775, was growing old. That may be the reason why he sold son Isaac the 41/2 acre mowing in the corner north of the road for $60. He also demised, granted and farmlet to Isaac all the land he owned in Baltimore for the term of five years beginning April 1, 1841. Accordingly in 1842 all the livestock was set to Isaac, who had personal property of $1191.50 listed for taxes; next year it dropped to $861.50; and the next year neither Isaac nor his father had any personal property over and above debts owing. This would indicate that financial reverses had overtaken them or Isaac may have ventured forth in new business enterprises; at any rate he was no longer listed in Baltimore for a poll tax. He was residing in North Springfield in 1844 when he sold the 41/2 acre mowing to his brother Newton who may have been living at home with the old folks.
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