The history with genealogical sketches of Londonderry, Part 13

Author: Cudworth, Addison E. (Addison Edward), 1852-1933
Publication date: 1936
Publisher: Montpelier, Vt., Vermont Historical Society
Number of Pages: 240


USA > Vermont > Windham County > Londonderry > The history with genealogical sketches of Londonderry > Part 13


Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).


Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23


Elbert W. married Sarah V. Shattuck, of Weston, Vt., who died childless. His second wife was Mary T. R. Curtis, and by this second marriage he had four children; Burtell, who died in his second year, Luther, Alice W., who died in infancy, and Auther.


Children of DAVID ARNOLD


George }. married Anna Elizabeth Bullard. He was a physician and prac- ticed in Boston, Mass. He died at Old Orchard Beach, Oct. 3, 1883, from a wound received while cleaning a revolver from which one cartridge had not been removed. He had seven children, two of whom died in childhood. Charles E. never married. He was a lawyer, at one time in office of H. E. Stoughton, Bellows Falls, Vt., and later resided in New York City, where he died, Mar. 8, 1890.


Lydia Ann Frances married Charles A. Starbuck, to whom she bore two sons and three daughters.


Samuel D. married Elnora A. Tenney and had one daughter, Julia Bessie, who married Edward Collins. Samuel D. was a member of Co. D, 16th Vt. Vols. and spent most of his life after the close of the war in business in St. Louis, Mo., where he died.


David Pratt died Dec. 8, 1847.


Lucy Caroline (Carrie L.) married J. Washburn Melendy, of Londonderry, where she spent her whole life, and had one son, Emery Arnold.


Helen W. died in 1850.


Mary E. married George C. Robinson, of Londonderry, had a son, Curtis, and a daughter, May. She died in Londonderry June 21, 1905.


The children of Dr. George J. and Anna E. (Bullard) Arnold were:


Harold David, George Wheeler, Harriet Bullard, John Bullard, Josephine H., Anna C. and Elizabeth Dudley. Of these, Harold David married Ida Persis Lane and has four sons: George E., Warren D., David B. and Hor- ace L. John Bullard married Ruth Hill. Josephine H. married John Peck; Anna C. married Frank T. Robinson, and Elizabeth Dudley married Robert Bruce.


William Arnold, a younger brother of Samuel, or "Squire" Arnold, re- sided in this town from 1796 to 1807 and his farm was in the northwest part of the town. He married Betsey Cobb, of Taunton, Mass., by whom he had


I27


Genealogical Sketches


four children: Betsey, William, Jr., Mary and Emeline. His second wife was Margaret W. Sargent, of Westmoreland, N. H., who bore him one son, James Washburn. William sold his farm to Benjamin Hoar in January, 1809, after he had moved to Westmoreland. He was a tanner by trade and carried on that business in Westmoreland for several years.


Under him Nathan Buxton, who built and operated the first tannery in Londonderry, learned his trade. On leaving Westmoreland, William re- moved to Central New York where he died, Feb. 28, 1853.


Babbitt


Prior to the division of our ancient Londonderry into two towns, Daniel Babbitt and his brother Ira purchased land in that part of the town which was set off as Windham in 1795.


The real estate records show that other brothers of Daniel held interests in land in this town, but there seems to be no evidence of any of them hav- ing lived here. Daniel and Ira were residents of Windham until their deaths.


They traced descent from Edward Bobet, the founder of the family in New England, who first appears, in 1643, in a list of those between 16 and 60 years of age in Plymouth Colony "able to bear arms." His residence was at Taunton, Mass. in 1652, in which year he first made purchase of land. In 1675, during King Philip's War, he left his home and joined other settlers of the neighborhood assembling for greater security from the savages. He was killed by the Indians in June of that year. Desiring some article that had been left at his home in the hurried removal, he set out to procure it, taking his dog with him in belief that the presence of any lurking savages might be more quickly discovered by the animal than by himself. This pre- caution proved his undoing for, upon observing the approach of Indians, he concealed himself in a tree only to be readily found because of the conduct of the dog.


His descendants spelled the family name in various ways until the fifth generation when the present form was adopted, at least by the most of them. David Babbitt, son of Daniel, traced his line of ancestry through Daniel, Nathaniel, Seth, and Edward to Edward Bobet of Taunton. He came from Windham to Londonderry about 1817 and settled in the extreme southerly part of the town upon a tract of land then covered by virgin forest which he cut away, converting the wooded acres into a productive farm which he occupied until 1864, when he conveyed it to his youngest son, Byron C. He was an expert in the work of cutting up meat and was accustomed each fall to walk to Boston and there work until spring in one of the market stalls. He followed this work for twenty-two consecutive winters and, during his absence, his wife, at first by her own labor and later with the help her children were able to afford her as they grew up, cared for


I28


The History of Londonderry


the stock through those long winter months and looked after all the affairs on the farm.


For a long time no road led to their house, a mere "bridle path" sufficing for use in its stead. The old lady in her later days took delight in recounting some of the toilsome experiences of that earlier time; one of them being of a trip taken by her to the neighboring town of Winhall to procure a young pig which her husband had bargained for and was to fatten on the farm. She made the trip on horseback, taking one of her younger children with her, and returned safely, herself, the child and the pig, the latter stowed in a bag, all borne home on the back of the faithful horse.


DAVID BABBITT was born in Windham, Vt., Feb. 10, 1797, and died at Londonderry, June 23, 1872. His wife was Polly Gates, a native of Acworth, N. H., and their children were: Winslow W., born May 10, 1816; Mary A., Feb. 16, 1818; David, Jr., Jan. 12, 1820; Samuel, Sept. 25, 1821; Cyrus, Oct. 12, 1823; Lucina, Apr. 10, 1825; Alonzo, Apr. 21, 1827; Electa, Oct. 16, 1830; George, Apr. 19, 1833; Byron C., Apr. 23, 1836, and Lucinda, Oct. 7, 1838.


All these, save the last named, lived to maturity and most of them to what might well be termed ripe old age, and seven of them died in London- derry.


Winslow W. married Laura Ann Farr, of Windham, and had two sons and two daughters: Addie L., who married Thomas A. Eames; Etta, who did not marry; Frank, also unmarried, and Eugene, who married Mary A. Gorham and had four sons. Winslow W. was an expert brick-maker and made his home for many years in Medford, Mass. working at that trade. Mary A. married Alfonzo E. Cole, of Londonderry, by whom she had one son and one daughter. (See Cole Family Sketch.)


David, fr. married Deborah Cheney, by whom he had two daughters: Etta, who died at the age of four years, and Mary, who married Chandler D. Rawson and died leaving no child. For his second wife he married Abbie J. Richardson who survived him. He had no child of this second marriage. Samuel married Althine Jane Mason and their children were:


Romanzo P., Aug. 10, 1842; Ellen J., Oct. 4, 1846; Lizzie S., June 19, 1848; Addie E., June 18, 1854; Lysander W., June 8, 1851; Charles W., Nov. 20, 1859; Frank G., June 1, 1857; Alma A., June 1, 1861; Hiland, Oct. 23, 1863, and Elwin J., Dec. 13, 1865.


Romanzo married Ida Hill, but left no child at the time of his death which occurred in July, 1885.


Ellen f. married Eldon Eldred and resides in Michigan. She has two sons and one daughter.


I29


Genealogical Sketches


Lizzie S. married Frank Hayward and resides in Winhall, Vt. She has one daughter, Ellen, who married Lee S. Haven and resides in town.


Lysander W. married Artimesia Haskins whom he survived. He died in Londonderry in 1921 leaving no issue.


Addie E. married Chester Hulett and the fruit of their union was a son, John P., and a daughter, Lizzie, who married John C. McAllister and lives in town, as does her brother.


Frank G. died, unmarried, Sept. 28, 1883.


Charlie W. married Alberta Vail, and died, Jan. 29, 1899, leaving two daugh- ters; Bernice, who married Frank H. Tyler and lives in town; Grace who married Emil M. Mattson, and one son, Merle, who married Florence Stowe and has two daughters.


Alma A. died in her fourteenth year.


Hiland never married and is now deceased.


Elwin }. married Eliza Woodard and had a son, Carl, who, upon the separa- tion of his parents, took the name Carl Woodard. Elwin later removed to Petoskey, Mich., where he resides and has remarried.


Cyrus married Laura B. Farnum and lived in town until his decease. His children were: Luella A., July 3, 1849; Zina L., Feb. 2, 1856; Zeno B., Apr., 1861; Lueza A., Nov. 12, 1866, and Hoit A., Oct. 28, 1869.


Luella A. married Josiah A. Goddard by whom she had two children, Milon and Hallie A. (See Goddard Family Sketch.) Later she married Anson S. Hayward, whom she survives. There was no child by the second mar- riage.


Zina L. married Virginia L. Spence, had one son, Spence, and lost his life in Boston Harbor, being drowned when his pleasure boat capsized, June 19, 1898.


Zeno B. was twice married; first to Susie E. Chase, by whom he had a daughter, Florence, who married Leslie Goldthwaite and had a son and a daughter; and his second wife was Mrs. Annie Parks.


Lueza A. married Charles Brasor and resides in Brattleboro, Vt.


Hoit A. married May M. Corey and lives on his father's old homestead. No child has been born to him.


Lucina married Henry W. Goddard and had two sons, Martin H. and Ira. (See GODDARD FAMILY SKETCH.) She separated from her husband and, later, married one Derby, but had no child of this second marriage.


Alonzo married Ferona Mason, sister of his brother Samuel's wife, and four children; Ellery, Emma Lilla, Sabrina and Elsie, besides twins who died in infancy, un-named. He moved to Ohio not long after his marriage and did not revisit Vermont thereafter. He died at Adams Ridge, Ohio.


130


The History of Londonderry


Electa was twice married; first to Francis Baldwin, by whom she had a daughter who died in childhood. She later married William Bogle and died in Londonderry without children.


George married Sarah Jane (Pike) French who bore him two sons who lived to maturity, Fred D. and George H., and two daughters who died young. Fred D. married Hattie May who soon died leaving a daughter who be- came the wife of Austin Davis, and he then married Myrtle Burbee by whom he had a son, Clifford, and later he married, as his third wife, Mattie Graves.


George H. married Mary Matilda Warner and had three daughters: Gra- tia, Flossie and Lydia, the first of whom died in early youth.


Byron C. married Cynthia Landman and lived on his father's old homestead for many years but later moved to the South Village where he died. He had three daughters: Etta, Lilla and Jenevia.


Etta married Martin C. Huntley and had one son, Harold, and lived in town until her decease.


Lilla marred Osro Hewes, of Winhall and has since lived in that town She had no child who survived infancy.


fenevia married Jerome Nido and lives in town, as she has all her life. She has no children.


Lucinda died in early childhood.


Buxton


The earlier record of this family is taken from a manuscript genealogical sketch compiled by William F. Buxton, of the eighth generation of the family in America.


From that sketch it appears that the founder of the family on these shores was Anthony Buxton, who was born in England in 1601 and emi- grated to New England in 1637, settling in Salem, Mass.


Seven children were born to him and his wife, Elizabeth, and from him Jonathan Buxton (1774-1866), who was the first of the name in London- derry, Vt., traces his descent, through Joseph (1663-1745), Samuel (1691- 1753), Benjamin (1715-1781), and James (1745-1817).


In the case of practically all those named large families of children were the rule but, locally, the interest centers in this Jonathan and his descend- ants. He was born in Smithfield, R. I., to which place an earlier generation had removed seeking a home where greater toleration of belief prevailed


I3I


Genealogical Sketches


than in Massachusetts, the family being members of the Society of Friends, commonly termed Quakers. Jonathan was, himself, of that persuasion.


He married Salome Esten (1777-1869), a descendant of one of the pioneer families of Rhode Island. As husband and wife they lived together over seventy years and both died at Smithfield, to which earlier home they re- turned from Londonderry when well stricken in years.


The circumstances attending his coming to this town are most interest- ing and are, doubtless, fairly typical, in many details, of those connected with the majority of our pioneers. He moved here in 1798, having on an earlier visit, in 1796, secured a tract of about two hundred acres of land, upon which he had begun a clearing and erected a log house.


This house stood at the foot of Glebe Mountain some distance southerly from the present main highway leading through Thompsonburg, and upon the southerly part of the farm later known as the Capt. James place.


To this new home he journeyed from Rhode Island with his family, then consisting of wife and two children, Nathan and Benjamin, the younger about one year old. The journey was made in winter, the household goods and older child on a sled drawn by oxen and the wife, with younger child in arms, riding a horse. Seven days were required to make the journey and the family tradition says that a brother who came up with him at once re- turned to Rhode Island with the ox team which drew his meagre household equipment to this pioneer home, where the family lived for several succeed- ing years and where three more children were born.


Additional lands, adjoining the original homestead, were purchased by Mr. Buxton during these years and a more comfortable house was built on one of the later acquired tracts, nearer the present highway, and here his other children were born.


The children of Jonathan and Salome Buxton were Nathan (Mar. 12, 1796), Benjamin (Sept. 28, 1797), Jason (Dec. 21, 1799), Philena (Nov. I, 1801), Hannah (Oct. 30, 1803), John (Nov. 12, 1809), Daniel (May 1, 18II), Lucy (Mar. 17, 1814), Cyrus (Mar. 12, 1816) and Selah (Mar. 13, 1819).


Nathan the oldest son, when eighteen years old went to Westmoreland and spent three years, at a shilling per day, learning the trade of a tanner. Then, after about two years spent in "York State," he returned to his for- mer employer in Westmoreland and, after working less than a year, suc- ceeded to the business, buying the personal property and renting the plant for the succeeding four years. At this time he had married Elizabeth Gris- wold and one child had been born to them.


He then came, with his family, to Londonderry, Vt., purchased a plot of land upon which he cut off the timber and erected a tannery, the first in town, at Thompsonburg. This was destroyed by fire very soon after he began business in it and before any leather had been tanned. By the ready aid of neighbors and townspeople it was replaced by a building in which


I32


The History of Londonderry


the lower floor was fitted for tanning and the upper portion for a dwelling or home for his family. Here he lived for the next eleven years, and then purchased a small farm with dwelling adjoining the tannery. When he began tanning at this place he had no means of grinding bark but had it ground in Andover from whence he drew it to Londonderry.


He conducted the tanning business and managed the little farm until he lost his sight, when he sold out and came to live near the village of South Londonderry. He was totally blind for many years before his death. His married life extended over a period which permitted the celebration of his golden wedding. His children were: Mary, Stephen A., Martha, Adaline, Charles, Albert, Horace and Martin, the last of whom died in early child- hood.


Mary married N. B. Harrington, of Keene, N. H., and lived in that city until her decease.


Stephen A. married Laura S. Haynes and resided in town for many years, the latter part of that time upon the farm on the main road over Huntley mountain. The family then removed to one of the western states where he died. His children were: Loren Haynes, William Albert and Charles Stan- ton, the last of whom died when seven years of age.


Martha never married, and the place and date of her death does not ap- pear on the registration records of this town.


Adaline married Silas W. Stewart, of Windham, Vt. and died in Wind- ham, leaving children.


Charles married Sophia W. Frost, by whom he had one child who died on the same day as her mother, exactly one month from the date her father was killed. At the outbreak of the civil war he was residing at Bellows Falls, where he enlisted in Co. G, 1Ith Vt. Vols., of which he was commissioned Captain; later he was promoted to Major but died before the last commis- sion reached him. He was killed in action at Opequan, Sept. 19, 1864, and his body buried here in his native town. About two years after the close of the war, a letter, signed "C. Buxton" was sent to the Governor of Vermont from Lynchburg, Va., in which the writer claimed to be Major, or Captain, Charles Buxton, setting forth in much detail alleged facts as to his having been seriously wounded in battle, being bereft of reason by his wound, and relating his subsequent wanderings on recovery of reason, and requesting aid to enable him to return home to his family in Vermont. The facts de- tailed gave such degree of plausibility to the tale as to lead many to believe that it was true, though many who knew him in service and before enlist- ment declared that they knew he was killed and his body sent home. The letter was turned over to the Adjt. General of Vermont and a thorough in- vestigation made of the whole matter, which resulted in proving the story a fabrication, the work of one who had learned something about Captain


I33


Genealogical Sketches


Buxton from a member of his Company, who was in some way related to the writer.


Albert married Harriet Rice, but had no child. He, too, was a soldier of the civil war, enlisting from this town in Co. H, 2nd U. S. Sharpshooters, being commissioned as First Lieut. and later promoted to Captain of the Company, in which capacity he served until killed in action at the Battle of the Wilderness, May 6, 1864. His body found burial here at his former home.


Horace never married. He was the third son of Nathan to enlist in the service of his country, being a member of Co. G, IIth Vt. Vols. He was mustered as Corporal and died, of disease, in military hospital, April 3, 1863. Three sons of this blind old man, Nathan, each paid the last, full measure of loyalty and devotion to his country.


Benjamin, second son of Jonathan, married Mary B. Temple, of London- derry, and, after his parents returned to Rhode Island, had the old home- stead here. Eleven children, all born in this ancestral home, were the fruit of the marriage, viz: George, Henry, William F., Mark R., Myron, Harriet, Susan, Aurilla, and Parker J., all of whom lived to mature years, and Re- becca and Mary E., both of whom died in early childhood.


George, born Mar. 7, 1832, died in Londonderry, at the age of twenty-five years, unmarried.


Henry, May 5, 1833, Benjamin's second son, married Elizabeth Prime and made his home in Somerville, Mass. He had two sons, Charles H. and Ernest S.


William F., the third son, married Irena C. Carr, who died in 1882, hav- ing borne him four children, of whom but one, William M., lived to ma- turity. In 1889 he married Ann M. Wilson, of Lawrence, Mass., which city was then his home. He was a soldier of the civil war, serving as a member of Co. A, 2nd Mass. Vols., and was so seriously wounded at the battle of Cedar Mountain, Va. as to result in his discharge from service for disability.


Mark R., Aug. 9, 1836, fourth son of Benjamin, married Sarah R. Parker, of Reading, Mass., and had his home for many years preceding his death, on March 23, 1910, in Nashua, N. H. He had two sons, George E. and Fred T.


Myron, Dec. 7, 1837, Benjamin's fifth son, married Sarah E. Smith, of Princeton, Mass. She died in 1876 and, in 1883, he took for his second wife Myra Osgood, also of Princeton. He had no children, and died in 1907, leav- ing, by the terms of his will, one thousand dollars to the Town of London- derry the income of which was to be annually distributed to the "deserving widows and orphans" of the town.


Harriet, Sept. 25, 1839, oldest daughter and sixth child of Benjamin, mar- ried Henry L. Campbell, to whom she bore a daughter, Ann F.


Susan, Feb. 17, 1841, the second daughter, married Henry H. Bliss, and they had one son, Arthur H., and one daughter, Grace G.


I34


The History of Londonderry


Aurilla, Aug. 27, 1842, the youngest of Benjamin's daughters who sur- vived childhood, married Owen M. Barbour, of Cumberland, R. I., and had a son, Albert L., and a daughter, Jessie M.


Parker J., June 30, 1845, Benjamin's youngest son, made his home in Woonsocket, R. I., where he married Elizabeth Byrnes of that city. Their children were: Mary, George, Frank, Elizabeth and Grace.


The other children of Benjamin were two daughters, both of whom died in early childhood: Rebecca, Aug. 27, 1847,-Feb. 21, 1852, and Mary E. July 22, 1849,-Feb. 9, 1850.


Jason, the first of Jonathan's children born in Londonderry, married Eveline Pierce and two daughters were the fruit of that union; Sylvia, who married Milton Rockwell and had one daughter, Ida R., who died in infancy; and Emily, who married William M. Rockwell (brother of Milton, her sister's husband) and died, childless, in Woonsocket, R. I. in 1888.


Philena, Jonathan's oldest daughter, married Nathaniel Thompson, grandson of Samuel Thompson, one of the town's early settlers, and spent her long life in this town.


Hannah, the second daughter, married Benjamin Reed, of Londonderry and lived here until her decease, dying childless.


John, fourth son of Jonathan, married Polly Field and settled in Chester- field, N. H., where he died May 4, 1897.


His children were; Ira P., Fannie J., Jane, Ona, Maria and George F. Of these, Ira P. married Mrs. Eliza Buzzell; Fannie J. married Merrick E. Chandler; Jane died at the age of eight years; Ona married Mary E. Ingell; Maria died, unmarried, in 1888, and George F. died in infancy.


Daniel, Jonathan's fifth son, was twice married; first to Rosella Taft, who was the mother of all his children, and, after her death, to Harriet Holbrook. His children were: Willard D., Jason, Richard, Lauretta, who died young, a son who died in infancy, Bradford, Caroline A. and Mary Angeline.


Willard D. married Viola Kingsbury, now deceased, and resided in town on land which adjoins a part of the farm once owned by his grandfather, Jonathan, until a short time before his death. He had no child.


He enlisted as a recruit in Co. I, 2nd Vt. Vols. and received honorable discharge at the close of the war.


Jason, Daniel's second son, married --- , made his home in Leomin- ster, Mass., and had two daughters, Flora M. and Rosilla P.


Richard was not married, and spent the greater part of his mature life away from Londonderry but returned in his later years and died on the farm at Thompsonburg once a part of his grandfather's homestead.


Bradford, youngest son of Daniel, married Marietta (Wheeler) Gibson, by whom he had one daughter who died in infancy.


I35


Genealogical Sketches


Caroline A. married Justin V. Albee and had two children, who died very young, and for her second husband married - Demond to whom she bore one son, Harold.


Mary Angeline, Daniel's youngest child, was twice married; first to Bennett by whom she had two daughters, Grace A. and Cora L. Her second husband was --- White.


Lucy, Jonathan's youngest daughter and eighth child, married Albert Waterman, and died in Blackstone, Mass. leaving one daughter, Emeline M., who married Levi Ballou, in Hopedale, Mass.


Cyrus, with his younger brother, Selah, it is said, removed with their parents to Rhode Island when they left Londonderry, and, on attaining his majority, went to Michigan, where he took up a tract of 160 acres of Gov- ernment land and was one of the earliest pioneers in that immediate vicinity. Having begun the erection of his house, or cabin, he married Har- riet Willard Gates, who had moved to that section, with her parents, from Brandon, Vt. Following his wedding, he returned alone to his partially con- structed house to further prepare it for occupancy, having first occupied a small log cabin which had been built by an Indian.


At the end of two weeks, he went for his bride and they made their wedding trip thither by ox team. Their life was that of pioneers, in the strictest sense, and rigid economy was practiced for years, but he eventually became wealthy and a man of influence in his community.


His wife died in 1865, leaving a family of six children, and he survived until 1905. Their children were; Alfred B., Olive B., Darius, Julia, Willard and May.


Alfred married Miranda Austin and had one child, Gail.


Olive married Eugene Cook and had a daughter and a son, Ada and Edward.




Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.