USA > Vermont > Caledonia County > St Johnsbury > The town of St. Johnsbury, Vt. ; a review of one hundred twenty-five years to the anniversary pageant 1912 > Part 7
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LOCALITIES AND EVENTS
future. It occured to some one that it might be well to "enquire of the said Edson for the liberty and use of his house?" A com- mittee was appointed to wait on said Edson. The committee re- ported that the said Nathaniel Edson gives consent that the town shall hold a meeting at his house on March next, but not there- after. It seems probable that considerable use was made of the house however, for $70 was voted to Nathaniel Edson at a later date "for the use and trouble of his house."
SMITH GETS NEWSPAPER
This place came to be known as Edson's Tavern, tho not generally advertised as such. Here the post riders on their circuit left mail matter, for there were no post offices then. Among the men who "rode post" was one Fuller. He distributed Spooner's Vermont Journal published weekly at Windsor. Edson subscribed for this paper at halves with a farmer living two miles out on a back road whose name we will call Smith. The papers were to to be left at Edson's Tavern. Some weeks passed and quite a number of them had accumulated. Meeting Smith on the road one day Edson notified him of this and suggested his calling to get them. "Never mind about that," said Smith, "you just keep the whole lot till the end of the year and then we'll divide 'em equally."
Awhile later Smith seems to have undergone a radical change of mind. He concluded to take the papers as an individual sub- scriber. Presently the post rider called on him for the subscrip- tion money which was duly paid. It happened that the very next issue of the Journal carried at the head of its columns the words in capital letters "pay the printer." Smith considered that an af- front to himself personally and hastened down to the tavern to un- bottle his indignation. "What does this mean?" said he, "only last week I paid for my paper and here they are calling on me to pay again." Edson explained that that call was not meant for those who had paid, but for delinquents. "Not meant for me," exclaimed the mystified Smith, "then what d' they put 't into my paper for?"
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TOWN OF ST. JOHNSBURY
ON THREE WHEELS
Edson's Tavern had the distinction of housing the first clock brought into town. It was an eight day brass clock eight feet in height, surmounted with brass balls and displaying the circuit of the changing moon. This clock cost Edson $75.00 in Danville ; in 1809 he sold it to Amaziah D. Barber, he in turn sold it to John Clark in whose family it remained till after 1880, when it came to Charles S. Hastings, its present owner.
Nathaniel Edson was town clerk ten years, 1799-1808 ; shortly after the latter date he decided to go out west, i. e. to Ohio. In making his exit from town the time schedule was not strictly ad- hered to. The emigrant wagon was loaded with household goods, the horses had an extra feed, and the time was set for an early start in the morning. During the night some fairy visitor slipped off a wheel from the wagon. The three wheeled vehicle took a two days' resting spell till the missing wheel turned up in a thicket of thistles half a mile yonder. By this time Edson's wheel was town talk, and when it finally made a start for Ohio throngs of people gathered on the Plain to cheer the rolling along of so distinguished a wagon wheel.
STALLED IN THE PULPIT
The above incident recalls the story of another migration to Ohio of later date.
The Methodist meeting house of East Village as originally built in Waterford had a high and spacious old fashioned pulpit. The sexton one day exercised authority over Plin Page, a somewhat rougish boy, by ejecting him from the building. The Page family soon after migrated to Ohio. Plin took occasion on the night be- fore they started to lay hands on the sexton's horse and bring him to the meeting house. He managed to get him up into the pulpit where he left him tied securely. This balanced the account. The next morning it appeared that the sexton's horse had been stolen. There was great excitement. Not till Plin was well on his way to Ohio was the horse discovered stalled in the high pulpit. The ex- citement then subsided into amusement at the original method
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adopted for settling outstanding accounts before leaving the town. An East Village man came forward and volunteered to meet all damage done to the meeting house, and the migration to Ohio went serenely on.
THE FOUR CORNERS
"Where the green hills look around so very pleasant in the sunshine, with houses nestling among them like dimples in a smiling face."
Joel Roberts, Gardner Wheeler, Martin Wheeler, Eleazar Sanger in 1788 each purchased a hundred-acre lot some two miles northwest of the Plain. These lots formed a square of four hundred acres. They struck their axes in at the center of the square, this being the common corner of the four lots, from which their clearings radiated. Hence the settlement came to be known as the Four Corner Clearing, a name which has persisted and still designates the neighborhood known as School District Number Four. The first school in that district was kept in Gardner Wheeler's new house, built sometime before 1800. Near by may still be seen the depression which marks the cellar of the log hut he put up in 1788. On the height of land overlooking this place from the south is the interesting house of Colonial style erected in 1798 by William C. Arnold. The tract called Four Corners, held until within recent years by descendants of the original settlers, has always attracted attention for its beautiful outspread of well-cul- tivated farms and landscape views. Much interesting and varied scenery is included in the drive past Mount Pleasant to the Four Corners and Goss Hollow, returning down the Sleeper's River to the Fisheries Station and Fairbanks Village.
FINISHING THE JOB
Great crops of hay used to be raised on these pleasant fields. On one occasion after the mowers had cut their swaths and the hay was dry, there came a sudden halt in the work. This was under the old regime and one important item had been overlooked. Charlotte Lovell was just then busy at her spinning wheel in the farm house. She was quickly called, mounted on a horse and sent
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TOWN OF ST. JOHNSBURY
with all speed down to Clark's store on the Plain for a quart of rum without which the waiting hay could not be gotten into the barns.
A similar inability to finish the job occurred on Dr. Lord's place at the south end of the Plain in 1799. Nat Brown of the Four Corners with a hired man was ploughing where the lawn of Brantview now is. Dr. Lord thought they were not making very great progress. They intimated that a little rum would help mat- ters. He agreed to that and while the man was going up street to get it, Nat nailed some cleats on to the wooden plow share to make it turn the turf easier. After that, one man and a jug of rum put the plowing job thro in workmanlike fashion.
GOSS HOLLOW
"It is a quiet glen, as you may see, Shut in from all intrusion."
On the upper waters of Sleeper's River, David Goss began his clearings in 1791. In Oct. 1860, being then 90 years old, he gave these items to the writer, on the spot where he had pitched his camp nearly seventy years before.
"I came up here from Winchester, N. H. When I got to St. Johnsbury, the Plain was cleared for a street from the Arnold . House to the Bend, and then down to Dr. Lord's at the lower end. Tree trunks and charred stumps were on each side of the street, and woods beyond. There were these two houses on the Plain, also a hut at the Bend, and two huts on the Adams meadow ; one of them belonged to Jona. Adams and the other to Moses Hill. I had the deed of my land from Jonas Fay of Bennington ; he had one of the proprietor's rights. I cleared off a piece and built a log hut. Four of us put the logs together for my hut in one day. I closed up the sides the next day. I covered one corner with hem- lock bark and moved in. I lived there all summer without any roof or floor. My salt pork I kept in a barrel buried for safe keeping. The rabbits found where it was and used to dig down and lick the salt off from the barrel head. I took the Freeman's oath down at the Plain, Sept. 2, 1794. It was Zibe Tute who stood on his head on the ridge pole when the meeting house was
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raised. Bill Trescott who killed the bear used to sew leather heels on to the tough skin of his feet."
A LITTLE ROMANCE OF GOSS HOLLOW
Jeriah Hawkins, a minute man of the Revolution, brought his family to St. Johnsbury, from Winchester, N. H., in 1794. As the ox wagon was coming over hog back mountain seven miles south of here, his boy Stephen fell from the load and rolled down the steep hill side. The resoluteness with which he picked himself up and regained his place attracted notice ; the lad will make his way sure enough, they said. He rode into town on the top of the load, and soon after was busy with a boy's work on the Hawkins pitch which was made over in Goss Hollow.
Two or three years later Abel Shorey came up from Rhode Island, prospecting. After some while he negotiated for a tract of land across the Branch from the Hawkins place. While the papers were being made out, he said to the boy who was on hand watch- ing the proceedings. "Stephen, if you'll run over and get Mrs. Brown to come and witness this trade, I'll give you my oldest girl." Stephen called it a bargain in earnest, and promptly execut- ed his part of it by bringing in the desired witness.
Shorey returned to Rhode Island and in the spring brought his family up here into the wilderness. There were two daughters, Nabbie and Bethiah ; they were housed and cared for at Mrs. Brown's while the log house was being put together.
Stephen, now ten years old, and of adventurous bent, had a mind to take a view of his promised possession, and lost no time in making his way over to the Brown's in Four Corners, to see what he might see. Stepping resolutely up to the house he caught sight thro the door or window, of the two girls at their work in the kitchen. One had gold ear-rings ; "I hope she is the one," he said to himself. It proved to be according to his wish and they soon became fast friends, growing up together, experts in all farm doings and in the sports of the day. Nabbie rode a spirited little Morgan mare ; other young men who were willing to win her favor essayed to keep up with her, but Stephen was the only one who could do it. Sometimes when they came to a fence,
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TOWN OF ST. JOHNSBURY
Nabbie would wheel about to face it, settle herself in the saddle, and that was the signal that he must vault it neck and neck with her. It used to frighten me, he said, in after years, to see her start off that way, but she would do it, and of course I couldn't be outdone by a girl on a horse.
In his fifteenth year Stephen wrapped up his belongings in a handkerchief and trudged over to Peacham to attend the Academy. In the course of time he became a successful teacher in the district schools of this town and of Danville; then came back to the old home farm, married Nabbie and became a prosperous man of affairs with a growing family of ten children.
Among other valuables Nabbie came into possession of some fine old mahogany, also a silver mounted chaise and harness which quite fitted the quality of her Morgan colts. This chaise was hired by Thaddeus Fairbanks in the early days of his busi- ness for a trip to Portland. Tradition does not indicate whether his arrival in Portland a day earlier than others who started with him, was attributable to the superior style of the chaise or to the Sabbath day rest that he gave it on the way.
STEPHEN HAWKINS was a man of note in his day. He had strong individuality and a forceful presence. As a youthful school master he demanded the respect of his pupils and he got . it. At the Bristol Bill trial he was the one man of the twelve on the jury who from the first stood immovably for conviction. After the assault on Bliss N. Davis, the jurors who had stoutly opposed him, as strongly applauded him. He joined the militia as soon as his age permitted, rose rapidly to the rank of Colonel, and in due time was Major General of the Infantry of the State. His discipline was rigorous ; he was not a large man but determina- tion and command were instantly recognized in his pose, his stride, his firmly cut features. "At the June trainings his word of com- mand could be heard a mile away." When the third regiment in 1861 was under review on the Fair Ground before Gov. Erastus Fairbanks, the lack of soldierly decorum among the raw recruits distressed his military sensibility. "I am ashamed, Sir," he said, "that suitable deference has not been shown to you as Com- mander in Chief."
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During the Revolutionary war, Jeriah Hawkins, the father of Stephen was at one time commissioned to carry important dis- patches to General Washington. He called for the fleetest horse that could be found, mounted her and dashed thro a rain of the enemies' bullets ; delivered the papers and returned in safety. His son-in-law, John Ripley, of St. Johnsbury, on a similar adventure in 1814, was not so successful. He was sent with dispatches to Plattsburg, fell into the hands of the British and was never heard from again.
NEW BOSTON
"Even a gentleman from London would almost think himself at home in Boston."
About 1799, Ebenezer Aldrich came to town and settled on what is now known as the New Boston road. At that date this was said to be the most densely populated tract in the town, there being nine log houses within a distance of a mile and a half. Finding himself in the midst of such a populous community Eben- ezer bestowed on it the name of New Boston. While the citizens of New Boston were undoubtedly pleased to have arrived at such distinction, it may not have occurred to them that this would remain the permanent designation; so entered on town and county maps, and in the current vocabulary of the twentieth century. That local pride continued Bostonian as to some article of superiority whether culture, beans or highways, appears as recently as 1872, when "the best piece of road in this town, made so by the men who live there and took pains to have it the best, was on the New Boston road." Here lived the Abels : Abel Shorey, Abel Pierce, Abel Willey, on nearly contiguous farms. The New Boston road running north from the Center Village and its mate the Billowy Road running south to Paddock Village, are spoken of as back roads, being on the east side of the Passumpsic River. The pleasant turns and landscapes of the former, the curiously rounded slopes of the latter make them both favorite roads for pleasure driving.
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TOWN OF ST. JOHNSBURY
LITTLE YORK
-a very fine place, Situated under Rabbit Hill- With a tavern, a store and a clover mill."
It may have been the metropolitan name imposed on the New Boston road that inspired the small community at Sanger's Mills to adopt the name of Little York; a common designation of the Center Village as late as 1830.
"Russell had been to Little York for job at Hiram's mill.
Then to the Plain to get the mail and down the long Sand Hill."
This name has not survived on the maps or in the local speech of today, and few people now living at the Center Village ever heard that their quiet street once carried so distinguished a name.
SANGER'S MILLS
About 1792 Eleazar Sanger came over from the Four Corners and purchased some two hundred acres, including most of what is now the Center Village. Here he built saw and grist mills ; San- ger's Mills, and erected on the east plateau overlooking the street, his large, square hopper-roofed house, still standing on its orig- inal foundations. This, tho not advertised as a tavern, became a favorite stopping place for teamsters, and for men who brought their wives in to the village on town meeting days, when great suppers were served. The house was large enough to be rented to five families after Mr. Sanger's death in 1823. His son Ezra, one of twelve children born in St. Johnsbury, kept the first store in this village. Reuben Spaulding from Cavendish bought the mill privilege and built new mills.
THE SPAULDING NEIGHBORHOOD
Settled by Reuben Spaulding, 1794, is on the high ground "equi-distant by road from the Center Village, East Village and Plain Village." His first house was of rough logs with mother
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earth for a floor. His next house was also built of logs, but floored and cased with boards brought on the backs of men from Arnold's Mills, making their way by blazed trees thro the forest. In the course of years quite a population centered here. When Judge Edwards of Newport taught school in this district he had over forty pupils. In 1900 there was only one school child in the district and the town paid a dollar a day for transportation of this one to the Summerville School.
CHESTERFIELD
The northeast district of the town took its name from families who had migrated to this place from Chesterfield, N. H. James Harris was one of them ; he in later years owned Harris Hill and most of the land on which Summerville now stands. Nineveh was on the hill East from Chesterfield.
COLEGATE HILL
In 1788, Simeon Cole, one of the grantees of the town, had a conspicuous gate swinging on the south 'line of his tract by the highway. The place was at the foot of the steep ledge a little south of the railroad crossing and the bridge on the road from the Plain to the Center Village. From the first, this bluff was known as Colegate Hill, and it still stands so written on the road survey of 1873, and so called in local reference today.
COLE CORNER
The northwest corner of the town, originally Hawkins' Cor- ner, is now called Cole Corner. It lies beyond Rabbit Plain. Which Cole gave the name is not known. It may have been from this corner that "a hunter named Cole from St. Johnsbury" went over into the Walden woods and discovered Cole Pond.
THE EAST VILLAGE
"The never-failing brook, the busy mill,
The decent church that topped the neighboring hill."
About the year 1793, Royal Gage bought 300 acres of Capt. Bellows, of Bellows Falls, which land included the Works' farm
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TOWN OF ST. JOHNSBURY
on the Waterford line and a good part of the ground now held in the East Village. Gage had two wives and 21 children.
Capt. John Stiles of Keene, in 1797 bought at the outlet of Stiles Pond, where he put up a saw mill. Capt. Stiles was an ex- perienced builder. He had constructed the first dam that was thrown across the Connecticut river at Bellows Falls. Tradition has it that he built the first bridge across the Passumpsic at Arnold's Falls; this is doubtful, unless he came up here for that job six years prior to his real estate purchase. He was however contractor and builder of the Old Meeeting House on the Hill ; a copy of the contract will be found on another page.
Cheney's mills were built on the Moose River privilege at the East Village. Fowler was the first miller ; he had a log hut near by, furnished with logs on the ground for seats. In later years successive millers at the grist mill were Chase, Gilchrist, Harvey, Nelson, Potter, Bedell, Gates. Gilchrist set up an oatmeal plant ; the ruins of his oat kiln could be seen as late as 1828.
NOTICE
"Agreeable to request of seven or more Freeholders, Inhabitants of the Village hereafter named-we, the undersigned, Selectmen of St. Johnsbury, have thought proper to lay out and establish a Village in said St. Johnsbury, by the name of St. Johnsbury East Village, in said town; bounded and de- scribed as follows, to wit: including all of Right 71; parts of Right C. 36; part of Right B. 27; and Right A. Nichol's Pitch."
Given under our hand this 24th day of Jan. A. D. 1837.
ABEL BUTLER, JONAS FLINT, Selectmen.
During the twenties and thirties the East Village was a brisk and thriving section of the town. Erastus Fairbanks was in busi- ness here in 1818 and 1819, and there was considerable talk of removing the Fairbanks iron works to this Moose River water power, which was much heavier than in recent years. Moses Kittredge made large profits in his East Village store, 1820-1829, before his removal to the Plain, at which time he was accounted the richest man in town. In 1830 there were at the East Village two taverns, three stores, two blacksmiths, two shoemakers, a harness shop, a tin shop, a grist mill, fulling mill, tannery, card-
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ing mill, one or two doctors and a lawyer, all doing a brisk business; more in amount than was done at that time on the Plain.
APPLES
A firm that we will call Jarvis and Jay were dealers in dry goods in this village. Jay was young and fond of adventure. One night he led a party in a raid upon a farmer's orchard. Hearing the owner coming they took to their heels. Suddenly Jay exclaimed, "Say boys, Mrs. Jarvis' name is on that pillow case." He darted back and cut off the name, leaving the case half full of apples. The next day who should come into the store but the farmer, who said, "Mr. Jay, I found a glove with your name on it." "You did?" said Jay. "Well now, I'll tell you a secret. I am considered the dressiest young fellow in town ; when a box of gloves comes, I pick out the poor ones and write my name in them; they are quickly sold. I don't see that that glove being in your orchard signifies anything in particular."
VIII
AMONGST THE RECORD BOOKS
1800-CALEDONIA COUNTY-CAOILL-DAOIN-TOWN OFFICERS 1800 -TEN HOUSES-VITAL STATISTICS 1788-1800-EXTRACTS FROM EARLY TOWN RECORDS-GRAIN ORDERS-THE OLD BURIAL GROUND-SIXTY YEARS AFTER-QUIT CLAIM TO VILLAGE TRUSTEES
EIGHTEEN HUNDRED
Arriving at the year 1800, St. Johnsbury had a population of 663, an increase of 520 only during the census decade. There were ten "frame houses." Allowing an average of six persons to each family occupying a frame house, there would be about 600 who were quartered in log houses or temporary shacks. These structures were not entered as assessed for taxation. The grand list was $8,628.25, figured from the table herewith given :
Polls, 124
Assessment
$2,480.00
Acres of improved land, 1059
1,853.25
Number of houses 10
61.00
Other property to value of
5,754.00
$10,148.25
Deduct 76 Militia Polls, assessed at
1,520.00
Horses of Cavalry, none
Balance, or true list for State Taxes
$8,628.25
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AMONGST THE RECORD BOOKS
The comparative increase of property in the town may be traced on the following table of grand lists quoted from the date of organization to the census year of 1800.
1790
$ 408.10
1794
$1200.00
1798
$7286.50
1791
590.00
1795
1500.00
1799
7261.75
1792
863.15
1796
1415.10
1800
8628.25
1793
1033.15
1797
6295.25
In the year 1796 St. Johnsbury was set off from old Orange County, and with eighteen other towns was incorporated into the new County of Caledonia. The next year we note an increase of nearly $5000, over preceding years in the grand list.
CALEDONIA COUNTY
The first General Assembly of Vermont divided the State into two counties : Bennington on the West and Cumberland on the East of the Green Mountains. In 1781 the North East part of the State was set off as Orange County with Newbury as shire town. Nov. 5, 1792, all north of the present Orange County was incorporated as CALEDONIA, the old Roman name of Scotland, the birthplace of many of the settlers. Danville was made the shire from Nov. 8, 1796. In 1798 Orleans and Essex were taken off from Caledonia and in 1811 four towns, later two more, were annexed from Caledonia to Washington, leaving the seventeen towns that now constitute Caledonia County, of which St. Johns- bury became the shire in 1856.
The inhabitants of Britain at the time of the Roman invasion called the Picts and Scots CAOILL-DAOIN, people of the forest ; hence in the course of time the name now familiar and dear to our ears-CALEDONIA.
SWEET CALEDON
"Sweet Caledon, on thy high verdant hills Teeming with dark forests and tumbling rills,
In thy cool meadows and thy neighboring dales, With dingles and dells and beautiful vales,
Happiness and Peace their legends re-tell,
And Virtue and Love together here dwell."
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TOWN OF ST. JOHNSBURY
TOWN OFFICERS YEAR 1800
"And for apointing & nameing & styleing of all Officers both superior and inferior needful for ye Plantation, and their severall Duties, powers and Lymytts."
Moderator, S. B. Goodhue ; Clerk, Nath'1. Edson ; Treas., Joel Roberts; Selectmen, Samuel Barker, Simeon Cobb, Joel Hastings, also Listers ; Con - stable and Collector Presbury West for which he is paid $10.00 ; Highway Sur- veyors and Fence Viewers, Samuel Barker, Hopkin Rowland, Israel Prince, Ariel Aldrich, Asa Lee, David Goss, Ezekiel Colby, Peneas Gardner, Thomas Pierce, Eleazar Sangar, Jeriah Whipple, Moses Melvin ; Grand Juror, John Ladd ; Pound Keeper, Samuel Packard ; Scaler of Leather, John Ladd ; Of Weights and Measures, Thomas Pierce ; Tythingman, John Higgins; Hey- ward, Joseph Lord; Hog Constables, Reuben Alexander, Thomas Peck, Israel Prince, Samuel Wheeler, Benj. Minot, James Ayer, John Gardner ; Auditors, Joseph Lord, Israel Prince, Nathaniel Edson.
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