USA > Vermont > Windham County > Londonderry > The history with genealogical sketches of Londonderry > Part 8
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There was also a brick yard at Thompsonburg where were made the brick for constructing the house on the hill, owned by Mrs. Mansfield, which was built by David Thompson, owner of the yard, and also the house on the farm next east of the Captain James place. Later, and in quite recent years, Alphonzo E. Cole had a small brick yard on his farm near the south line of the town and made one or two kilns before he abandoned the business.
Post Offices, Post Roads, &c.
THE first Post office in town was established March 25, 1823, at London- derry (North Village), with Samuel P. Arnold as postmaster.
The first duly established mail route supplying this office seems, from the Department records, to have been No. 285, from Manchester, by Winhall, Peru, Londonderry, Chester (South Village), Chester and Springfield to Charlestown, N. H., 44 miles, once a week from July 1, 1825 to Dec. 31, 1828.
From what point or in what way mails were brought to the office prior to the establishing of this post route cannot be ascertained.
No information on this point, nor as to the name of the contractor on this route No. 285, is obtainable owing to the fact that the records of the De- partment covering this period were partially destroyed by fire in 1836.
January 1, 1829, and for some time thereafter this Post Office was sup- plied by route No. 459, from Manchester, by Factory Point, Winhall, Peru, Landgrove, Londonderry, Simonsville, Chester and Springfield to Charles- town (N. H.), 44 miles, six times a week, in stages; W. B. Leland, of Spring- field, Vt., contractor. The earliest record of any mail route in this vicinity to be found in the Department records is in an advertisement issued for bids for service on several routes, including one from Chester (South Village), by Andover, Weston, Landgrove and Peru to Manchester, once a week, from Nov. 1, 1815 to Dec. 31, 1817, but there is no record showing whether a con- tract was ever awarded for this service.
The mail for residents of the "South Village" for many years, and until the establishment of an office at South Londonderry, all came to the North Village and was brought over by the people "taking turns" in going for such as belonged in this neighborhood.
The office at South Londonderry was established September 20, 1852, with Hiram L. Porter as postmaster. August 28, 1861 the post office at "North Windham," within the town of Londonderry, was established, with George W. Davis as postmaster. This office was discontinued a few years since.
Late in 1904 a rural free delivery route served from the South London- derry office was established, extending through the northwesterly corner of Jamaica and a part of Winhall, about 23 miles.
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The History of Londonderry
About a year later a second route, from the same office, was created which passed through the northwesterly part of this town and through Land- grove, about 21 miles.
A third route from this office was set up in 1909, extending into Wind- ham, and 2372 miles in length.
These routes naturally increased the business at the South Londonderry office and resulted in raising it to the third class, or a "Presidential," office, January 14, 1916.
The matter of building a railroad up the West River valley was agitated for many years before anything more substantial than agitation resulted. Early in the days of railroad building in Vermont a preliminary survey was made, extending up through Londonderry and Weston, but nothing was done more than this slight preliminary work.
The project of constructing a road in this valley slumbered on for many years, from time to time talked over at the chance gatherings of those hop- ing for the eventual coming of such a road, until the session of the Legisla- ture in 1867 when a charter was granted to "The West River Railroad Com- pany," granting authority to build a railroad from Brattleboro to Jamaica. Several later sessions brought amendments and additions to the original act of incorporation and by the amendment of 1876 the corporate name was changed to "The Brattleboro and Whitehall Railroad Company," with au- thority given for extending the line through Londonderry and other towns to the State line at Whitehall, N. Y.
Following this, "Railroad Meetings" were held in the various towns along the proposed route and several towns, including Londonderry, voted, under authority of the statutes, to aid in constructing the line from Brattleboro to South Londonderry. The shortening of the road became necessary from the failure of the more westerly and northerly towns to grant aid.
Through 1877 and the spring of 1878 the subject of town aid to the pro- jected road was given no time to slumber or rest.
Londonderry voted to give its assistance to the full limit allowed by law, eight times the amount of the Grand List; to subscribe this to the capital stock, and to issue bonds to raise the required funds.
Commissioners were chosen to perform the acts necessary to make effec- tive this vote of aid. This being done by the Commissioners, James L. Mar- tin, J. Washburn Melendy and Josiah Pierce, proper records attesting such acts were made April 11, 1878 and in due course 232 shares of the capital stock were issued to the town.
Other towns down the valley voted like aid and many private subscrip- tions to the stock were made in this and other interested towns.
All this was done without expectation of the stock having then or later value, but practically as a gratuity or gift to insure the construction of the
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Post Offices, Post Roads
road. The work of surveying and grading was taken up and went slowly on until, in the fall of 1880, the rails were laid and on November 18, 1880 trains began to run on regular schedule, and continued from that date forward, though the actual running of the trains often proved exasperatingly irregu- lar, until the "Flood of November, 1927," when all service on the line was suspended.
When the grading was begun the proposed gauge was two feet but this was changed to three feet and as such the road was equipped and operated for nearly twenty-five years.
In connection with the completing and equipping the line it had been found necessary to issue bonds secured by mortgage of the road and, upon foreclosure proceedings being instituted by the bond holders, a compromise was effected whereby a decree was agreed upon which contained provisions for continuing the existence of The Brattleboro and Whitehall Railroad Company; for changing from the narrow to the standard gauge, and for the future operation of the line. Under this decree and the provisions of statute a reorganization was effected by the bondholders and a new company there- by came into existence which assumed the name of "The West River Rail- road Company," thus reviving and perpetuating the name given in the orig- inal charter. In July, 1905, the change from narrow to standard gauge was made in a single day.
Closely following the advent of the railroad the Western Union Tele- graph Line was extended to South Londonderry from Brattleboro and operated for many years, though later discontinued.
A little earlier than this, in the spring and summer of 1880 a telegraph line was constructed from Sunderland via Manchester and Peru to the two villages in this town, in each of which an office was established.
This line was a private venture and was soon extended through Windham and Grafton to Bellows Falls. After several years use it was equipped with telephone instruments, later passed into other hands and was consolidated with local lines later established.
The earliest telephone service was, however, by a branch of the "New England" lines extending from Ludlow via Weston to South Londonderry with an office at each village. Contributions in way of poles and labor were made by various parties along the line to induce the building of this branch but the service continued over only a comparatively short period. The people became dissatisfied with what they considered the greed of the cor- poration and the result was that the wires were taken down in 1887 after a service of about four years.
Later, in the fall of 1900, Melendy Brothers, of South Londonderry, en- tered the telephone field getting their first line, which extended to Bondville, into commission February 1, 1901. From time to time thereafter they es- ta blished new lines, purchased some local short lines in nearby territory,
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The History of Londonderry
built various branches and extensions and effected connections with the "New England" lines, by means of which a satisfactory service has been since maintained. In December, 1921, this Meledny line was sold to Martin H. Gleason, of Wardsboro, and continued in operation under his manage- ment until a newly organized corporation "The Windham County Tele- phone Company," purchased the line and now operates the same.
In 1883, George T. Shanks, who had been for some time a resident of the town and had built up a small business in job printing, conceived the idea of starting a newspaper at South Londonderry.
The outlook was not glowing with promise for its success but the matter was pushed forward persistently by Mr. Shanks until The Londonderry Sif- ter was launched as a weekly newspaper, Mr. Shanks being editor and pro- prietor.
The first issue appeared December 7, 1883, and the paper continued under his management and editorial care until December, 1904, when advancing age compelled him to give up the work. In the early years of its existence various troubles beset the sheet and menaced its life.
Nothing but the dogged persistency of its founder saved it from being smothered and compelled to suspend.
He made it live and it grew and thrived, both in influence and circulation, beyond the expectation of any who knew its field and early prospects.
Subsequent to the sale by Mr. Shanks the plant and paper passed through various hands but never showing as much vitality as in its earlier years.
It, at last, ceased to appear at all, dying from lack of proper nourishment.
Cemeteries
THE earliest interments in town, after its settlement, were made in pri- vate ground, but how many such there were is and ever must be uncertain.
The earliest record of any movement toward establishing a public ceme- tery is found in a warning for town-meeting bearing date August 15, 1796, which contains an article "To See what the town Will do about providing a Bureing place."
On the 27th of the same month the meeting was held and it was "voted there Be a Committee of three to look & provide a Bureing Place, Viz. David Cochran & Joseph Oterson & Ebenezer Cobb."
No further reference to this subject appears until, at a town-meeting, held Sept. 27, 1798, it was voted "to Except a Present of one acre of Land from Jonathan Aiken for a Burying place, where the Ground has Been Broke for that purpose,-to Clear and fence Said acre of land Deasently and Seed it to Grass."
While no more definite description of the plot exists, it is more than prob- able that it was the site of the cemetery near the shore of Lowell Lake, which is, so far as known, the oldest of our public burial grounds.
Many of the graves there are unmarked while others are to be located only by rough, unlettered stones and a few, only fifteen in number, are marked by inscribed stones.
The stone bearing the earliest date stands at the grave of Daniel Aiken, "Son of Esq. Edward Aiken & Margie, his wife," who died April 12, 1785, and the latest inscription records the death of Sarah, wife of Wm. Cox, as Feb. 9, 1837.
The whole of the lot until recently, was so overgrown by trees and bushes that it was impossible to definitely trace its boundaries or determine the number of graves it contained.
In fact, were the gravestones removed, there would have remained prac- tically nothing to distinguish the plot from any other part of the wild wood- lot which surrounds and covers its entire extent.
At the annual town-meeting in March, 1803 it was voted "to allow Luther Osgood six Dollars for one acre and half of Land for a Bureing yard where the ground is now Maid use of for that purpose, uppon condition that he shall authenticate a good deed of said Land to the town."
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The History of Londonderry
Although it appears this land had already been made use of to some extent for burial purposes it would seem that the condition as to conveyance by Osgood was not complied with for, in the warning for the next town-meeting an article was inserted to see what the town would do relative to a burying place, but in the record of proceedings at that meeting no reference is made to this article.
Luther Osgood then lived upon what was later known as the Calef place, on the hill southeasterly from the North village and the premises were then under a mortgage, which fact may explain his inability to give the town good title.
Prior to Nov. 20, 1805 Osgood had sold the premises to Hosea Chubbuck, and on that date the latter conveyed the farm with reservation in the deed of one-half acre "which is improved as a burying ground." How long it had been so used, and by whom, none can tell. In 1832, Chubbuck, by warranty deed, conveyed this land so reserved "a burying ground, containing one- half acre of land, reserving to myself all that part of said half-acre which now contains the graves and remains of my deceased friends."
Though not a public cemetery in fact, it is said to have really been used as such and the last interment there was made about 1850. At this time there is no way of fixing the boundaries of this cemetery or locating any of the graves therein.
Not many years since, many gravestones, some bearing inscriptions and others being merely uncut, natural slabs, stood on the lot, which was on the easterly side of the "Hill Road," just south of the house built by William F. Sutton, but they have all mysteriously disappeared and the place is now part of a cultivated field.
The Middle-of-the-town cemetery, so called, dates from Sept. 28, 1804, on which date Stephen Chaffee conveyed to the Selectmen, for the use of the town as a burial place, a tract bounded on one side by the south line of his farm, and Arrington Gibson likewise conveyed a small plot adjoining on which was erected a "hearse-house," later moved away and used for a time as a dwelling. Just when the first grave was opened in this lot cannot be de- termined as many of the graves are not marked by inscribed stones. The plot is well filled and no burial has been there made for many years.
The first cemetery at Thompsonburg was located some rods easterly from the present site of the school-house, a place selected and set apart by Samuel Thompson, the then owner of the land. This plot was used until November, 1825 seven bodies, all children, having been buried there.
Eliza, daughter of Isaac Gale, died Nov. 27, 1825 and was the first to be buried in the present Thompsonburg cemetery now called "Rest Haven." In the following month the seven bodies lying in the lot east of the school- house were removed to this cemetery.
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Cemeteries
Rogers Thompson then owned the land and upon conveying his farm, in the spring of 1828, made reservation of the plot which, under date July 26, 1856, for the expressed consideration of five dollars, he quit-claimed to the town. There has been enclosed with the original lot a small plot on the eas- terly side, set apart by private individuals for their own family burial plots.
The cemetery at the "North Village," now known as "Riverside," was originally a small plot about six rods square conveyed to the town by Joseph Johnson in 1832 for "a burying ground." In 1859 this was enlarged by the town's purchase of a small adjoining parcel; and, as all this space had be- come filled, in 1886, a considerable addition was made on the west and north of the original plot. No records can be found whereby to fix the date or man- ner of acquiring the "Yearly Cemetery," in recent years named "Glebe View," in the south part of the town. The plot was carved out of a farm once owned by George Hoskins, conveyed to him in 1825 by warranty deed without any reservation. Hoskins conveyed the farm March 30, 1840, but with a reservation of three-fourths of an acre then used as a burial ground. In 1891 an addition of about the same size as the original lot was made by the town on the northerly side and a later addition has been made on the west.
In addition to these there are several family, or private, burial grounds, all small plots, one of which, near the former homestead of Washington Brooks just off the hill road between the two villages, was formally con- veyed to the town in 1897.
Others are the Perry plot on the farm formerly occupied by Elijah Carle- ton; the Eaton lot, on the farm formerly of David Aldrich, containing. among others, the grave of a soldier of the Revolution; the Daniel Harring- ton lot, on the farm of Archie W. Bemis; the Stevens plot northerly from Lowell Lake, from which some of the bodies have been removed to public cemeteries, and the Collins-Whitman lot on the farm formerly of Arthur H. Holden at the Middle-of-the-town.
Several former family lots have been, in recent years, abandoned, the re- mains and stones removed to public cemeteries; one on the old Daniel Bux- ton farm near the South village; the Whitman lot on the farm of Curtis Shattuck; the Rugg lot at the southwest corner of the town on the farm for- merly owned by William Rugg; one beside the road just above the residence of J. Chandler Gale north of the South village; the old Hobart lot at the extreme north part of the town; the Dodge lot on the main road to Weston, opposite the dwelling of Anna M. Wait; the Barton lot, on land formerly of Henry M. Bemis, at North Windham, so-called, and the Arnold lot at the top of the hill, on the old homestead of Samuel Arnold. There are said to be, and doubtless are, several other places where private interments have been made in the earlier years, which cannot be now definitely located.
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The History of Londonderry
In 1917, the town elected a Board of Cemetery Commissioners and then placed the public cemeteries in its charge. By public appropriations and pri- vate donations, made by individuals whose friends and relatives have found final resting place in these plots, funds have been afforded to improve the several cemeteries and good use has been made of the same by the Com- missioners, most noticeably so in the old "Lowell Lake Cemetery" which has been cleared of brush growth and enclosed by suitable fence.
While the number of former residents of the town whose bodies now rest in her soil can never be definitely determined, it cannot be doubted that they outnumber those still living within her borders.
Military Record
THE town of Kent may, in a certain sense, be said to have had its origin in military service and this branch of its history thus antedates its existence under the original grant.
There seems little or no ground for doubting that, through his services in the French and Indian War, as an officer in the celebrated "Rangers," who took their name from his brother Robert, Colonel James Rogers gained the acquaintance and acquired the influence which enabled him to secure the grant of the township when, at the close of that contest, the Colonial au- thorities of New York were parcelling out tracts to favorites and to officers of his majesty's service. It is at least equally probable, as local tradition as- serts the fact to be, that others of the early settlers also participated in that war and possible that his and their first knowledge of this territory, then ungranted, may have been gained by passing through this section on the way from their New Hampshire homes to the vicinity of Lake George and the upper Hudson, the scene of much of the service of Rogers' Rangers.
No full and concise statement, or one at all satisfactory, of the record of the town in relation to the War of the Revolution is possible. During that period the original town was undivided, embracing both Londonderry and Windham, so that the record, whatever it was, is the joint heritage of the two towns as they now exist.
On the one side it is certain that Colonel Rogers entered the King's ser- vice and actively participated in the military operations of the British forces from 1777 to the close of the war, but he was the only one known or believed to have entered such service from Kent.
Meagre and most unsatisfactory is the evidence as to the aid this town rendered the American cause. From the fragmentary town records of those days still preserved it appears that in April, 1778, the town voted a bounty of thirty pounds each for two soldiers for the term of seven months, but whether such soldiers were secured or enlisted and, if so, who they were can- not be learned. In March, 1782, at a meeting duly warned to take action relative to raising the town's "quota of men for the ensuing campaign," bounty and monthly wages for two soldiers were voted, and Samuel Eayres, John McCormick and John Mack were excused from paying any part of such bounty because of their own previous service.
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The History of Londonderry
At the same time it was voted to hire Jonathan Aiken and James Mack to go into service to fill this quota. As to their actual entry into the service doubt is raised by the fact that, in March of the next year, vote was passed to pay one soldier "for his service in the last Campaign, viz. From the time of his Entry into Service until the time he was discharged." The bounty voted the preceding year was 7 pounds Ios, to each, and the wages fixed at two pounds per month, "to be paid in Cleaning of Land att 2 Pounds Pr. acre and to be made fit for the Seed by the first of September 1783." The soldier to whom payment was voted in 1783 was not named.
This comprises all the information afforded on this subject by the town records. The exemption of Eayres, McCormick, and Mack from payment of the bounty has led to the assertion that they served from this town or to its credit. Investigation leads to the conclusion that such assertion is without foundation, and that their service was to the credit of another locality and prior to their coming to Kent to reside.
This is true of Eayres (sometimes written Ayers) and Mack, both of whom entered the "three years service" from Londonderry, N. H. and came here after completing their term of service. Eayres was a member of Captain George Reid's Company of Londonderry, N. H. men who marched to Med- ford, Mass. upon news of the battle of Lexington and it is said, apparently upon good authority, that others who later became residents of Kent were in the same company. Detachments of General Stark's forces who fought the battle of Bennington, August 16, 1777, passed through this town on their way thither; one party, at least, following up the "Middle Branch" of Williams River from Chester, and another, if not more than one, up the "South Branch" of the same river. The former passed over the hill from near Simonsville to Lowell Lake, and the other coming up to the farm of Deacon Edward Aiken, where they camped for at least one night, over the route now known as the "Popple Dungeon" road. A roadway was construct- ed by the troops across the marsh at the Lake, or "Great Pond," and some of the logs used to "corduroy" the same remained to show its location until, a few years since, the raising of the water level by a dam across the outlet made it impossible to trace its course. Near by this old road there were found within a comparatively few years, two cannon balls, ancient and rust- eaten, buried in the dirt and mud. It is said, and very likely with truth, that several residents of Kent joined these New Hampshire troops and partici- pated in the battle. A list of such was long held in tradition and numbered eleven names. The fact that the same tradition asserts that they then served under Captain George Reid in his Company leads to grave doubts as to the reliability of the tradition. Captain Reid, who commanded the Londonderry, N. H. contingent that marched to Medford, had been promoted before this gathering of Stark's forces and was at that time on service in a distant
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Military Record
locality; and the Londonderry, N. H. Company at the battle of Bennington was commanded by Captain Daniel Reynolds.
The extreme difficulty, and in not a few instances impossibility, of veri- fying some claims to the honor of military service in the War of the Revolu- tion put forth by descendants of the alleged soldiers is found greatly in- creased in this State from the peculiar conditions then existing in Vermont. Bounded on three sides by Provinces making claims to some or all of her territory and especially harassed by New York's claim to jurisdiction and dominion throughout her borders; owning allegiance and yielding obedience to none, she asserted and maintained that her lands and people were "Inde- pendent of all, save the mercies of God."
The Congress refused to recognize that there was really a Vermont and hence there were no Vermont regiments, as such, in the Federal Army. Ver- monters, however, were not wanting in the patriot army. Many entered or- ganizations of adjacent Colonies and her independent military forces by their willing and effective service attested Vermont's loyalty and devotion to the general cause, and, as stated by Professor J. E. Goodrich: "Rangers and Minute men and Scouts were active or waiting for orders all over the Grants." With knowledge of the antecedents of some of the settlers of Kent, veterans of the French and Indian War, it is hard to believe that they were wholly wanting in this later conflict and without representation in some of the bodies mentioned by Professor Goodrich, though we lack absolute proofs of their service.
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