USA > Vermont > Windsor County > Woodstock > The valley of the Kedron; the story of the South parish, Woodstock, Vermont > Part 18
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to the Prophets, the Savior and the Apostles, waxing warmer and stronger till he finally pilotted the whole crowd and the rest of mankind, all safely over Jordan's rolling Flood and deposited them all in excellent quarters in Canaan's happy shore where there is no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, nor any pain where at the times of the restitution of all things of which God hath spoken by the mouth of his holy prophets since the world began, God shall be all in all." Three good cheers for our friend Benjamin.
Nehemiah Mack came from Lyme, Conn., in 1782. On a farm in the "Gov't tract," he built himself a good house. His six children settled also in South Woodstock. His son Benjamin came from Haddam, Conn., and settled on that hill road north of the so-called meeting house hill. Other children of Nehemiah were David, Hezekiah, John Silas and Betty. All of these children married and replenished the earth and repeated the first names in each family and some of them married their cousins. The repetitions and inter-relations make the family tree look like what we used to call a crazy quilt. Mr. Wm. Mack of West Wood- stock carries the name onto another generation.
Joseph and Sylvanus Cottle of Martha's Vineyard were the first of this family to come to our town. They were in the South Parish in 1779. Jabez, Warren and John Arnold followed the first ones. They were energetic, enterprising men. While owning farms, they built mills and started stores. They took an active part in all the early town meetings and held all sorts of offices. Sylvanus and Joseph settled in the Fletcher region and the Cottles so multiplied there, that it was called Cottletown. Jabez and Warren set-
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tled where the village grew up. I would like to know something of the women, but alas, they were much sub- merged. Though Nabby Cottle and Nabby Hammond, living on adjoining farms, were friends and their names appear together on the Ransom Store day books and one gets the impression that they were lively lasses.
Wm. McClay was born in the parish of Kippen, County of Sterling, Scotland in 1743. When twenty-seven years old he came to America and settled in Charlestown, N. H., where he came to know the Farnsworths. For his second wife he married their sister Polly and with them settled in the South Parish. His farm was located at the foot of Fletcher hill. He died in 1829, at the age of eighty-six. He had at least three daughters, Eunice, Polly and Betsey, and he gave a farm to each one. Once upon a time two of these girls mounted their horses and he gave each one $25.00 and told them to buy at the store what they wanted. There were sons, William and Stephen, and grand- sons, Stephen and Gustavus.
Samuel Slayton was born at Brookfield, Mass., Septem- ber 24, 1751. In the year 1780, he settled in South Wood- stock on a hill which became known as Slayton hill. He received his first deed from Ebenezer Curtis, September 13, 1781. This land was in the confiscated Apthorp tract. Samuel married Hannah Stowe of Walpole, N. H., in July 1781. He died August 10, 1830, and she died April 2, 1813. For many years he made regular trips to Boston with a team, taking down his cheese, butter, poultry and other products of his farm and bringing back salt, groceries and things needed by his family. The records tell us that he was peaceable, industrious and independent. Ten chil-
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dren were born to him and his wife. It was a musical family. They played the fife, clarinet, drum and violin, and they were leaders in all the social activities of the region. Joshua Slayton settled near Samuel in 1782 but died four years later. His wife Desire carried on the farm for a long period. David Slayton came in 1773 and settled in the same region. These Slaytons have been the progenitors of long lines of descendants and the name still exists in the town.
Daniel Ralph came from Woodstock, Conn., in 1775 and settled on Slayton hill. He carried his grain to Charles- town, N. H., to be ground. In the summer time he toted the bag on his back. In the winter he drew it on a small sled. He once shot a moose on Mt. Tom. That sounds decidedly apocryphal but all sorts of things could happen that long ago. He raised great quantities of wheat on that hill and during a scarcity of it in 1817, people came to him for wheat as far as one hundred miles away. His son Amos succeeded him on his farm. The farm is still owned by descendants, Mr. and Mrs. Ralph Jaquith. This thrifty farmer Daniel and his notable wife Priscilla who feared neither man nor beast, were friends to all who needed assistance.
Feb. 20, 1793, Chauncey Richardson was born in Wood- stock, the grandson of Capt. Israd Richardson. His father settled in the Kedron Valley when Chauncey was seven years old. He married Rebecca Carey of Hartland. He died December 22, 1888. He was then Woodstock's oldest citizen. He always took a deep interest in all educational affairs and identified himself with every undertaking of that neighborhood. He wrote for the local papers many articles of historical value concerning the early days of
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the town. In his early days he made spinning wheels but later he devoted himself to his farm.
Dr. Samuel M. Murdock came from Scotland following the Pilgrim Fathers closely and settled in Plymouth County, Mass. A grandson James, who was the father of twenty-three children came to Woodstock in 1790 and settled in the third range of lots of Number one, Apthorp tract. His son Lemuel succeeded him here. The old cellar hole remains and lovely pink roses grow in abundance about it. Later Lemuel moved off that hill and settled on the hill road south of the Phinehas Thomas farm. Russell Murdock a descendant had a jewelry store at the Green but this name like so many more has disappeared. I own a blanket chest which belonged to Lemuel. The Murdock who was in the Revolution carved on a powder horn wild beasts, birds of the air and fish of the sea, during his moments of leisure. He gave this horn to Elisha Gallup, none of the present family know anything about it.
Deacon Eleazer Parker came from Mansfield, Conn., in 1780 and settled near the Hartland line in the Pisgah hill section. George Rood later lived on the site of the first Parker home. The first cabin was built of logs with a bark roof. Later he built the present Monroe Perkins house. His son Captain Isaac Parker, when he left the farm bought the little brick house opposite the old mill as one approaches the South Village, and in this house Captain Isaac and his wife Lucia Wood Parker celebrated their sixtieth wedding anniversary. Their son Isaac Augustus went to Galesburg, Ill., and taught for years in Lombard College. He became one of the best known educators in Illinois. He was a graduate of Dartmouth from which he
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received his Master's degree in 1855. He taught at Glover, Vt., before going to Galesburg where he taught Latin and Greek for fifty years. While teaching these so-called dead languages, he always kept before his students, all the living issues for advancement and progress. It is interesting that two South Woodstock men went to Galesburg, Ill., to teach in Lombard College and spent their entire lives there and always were identified with civic and cultural affairs in their adopted state. The Galesburg, Ill., Register dated June 22, 1889, "reports the death of Mrs. Parker. She was the daughter of William and Parthena Larabee of Weath- ersfield, Vt. The Captain had decided opinions on religion, Morals and politics and expressed himself freely. In 1807 Charles Mckenzie of Hartland married Miss Elizabeth Parker, daughter of Deacon Eleazer Parker of South Wood- stock."
William Benjamin and two sons were in the Revolu- tion, enlisting at Ashburnham, Mass. They settled in Woodstock directly after the War. Jonathan, William's son, bought his farm in 1784. Both farms were in the Ap- thorp tract. These Benjamins were of the fourth and fifth generations. The eighth generation flourished in the South Village and they were all singers. When they and the Farnsworths, the Briggs, the Lakes gathered in the balcony of the Chapel to sing, everybody was thrilled. The father, William Benjamin, married Annis Holt. These Benjamins intermarried with the Standish family, the Ellis, the Lakes, the Farnsworths, the Perkins and through them most of the South Woodstock folks became related.
Arunah Fullerton after his service in the Revolution came from his home in Middleboro, Mass., and settled in
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the Apthorp tract. A grandson of Arunah whose name was Amasa branched out and went to Cincinnati where he built boats, loaded them with pork and various products and then took the boat down to New Orleans where he sold both the boat and the load, and by some method got back to Cincinnati, built another boat, got another load and repeated the process. He then went to Sycamore, Ill., and built the first Universalist church there. This was before 1862. After this wandering, he came back to Ver- mont and finished his life as a farmer, working with his brother Isaiah. The Fullerton name still lives in our midst.
Abraham Kendall came from Dunstable, Mass., in 1779, cleared a piece of land and then went back for his family. He lived on this farm sixty years. They had seven chil- dren. Jason continued on the home farm, served in the State Legislature and carried on many enterprises. Caleb became a jeweler, Benjamin Franklin a printer, and was an Editor for a time in Woodstock. Charles was a printer. He entered Alden Spooner's Printing Shop in 1800 and his first job was to set up John Adams' address to Congress. In 1804 he became a journeyman printer, working for a time in Randolph, Vt., and later in both Montreal and Kingston, Canada. In those early years he had to ink the forms with raw sheep skin balls and do the printing on a hand press. It was possible to print about fifty sheets in an hour. After returning from Canada, he worked on the Washingtonian at Windsor and then at Walpole, N. H., where he set the type of a bible, read all the proofs and made up the forms. This is supposed to be the last pub- lication by Isaiah Thomas, a distinguished early printer. Kendall was in New Haven and New York. In 1815 he was
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foreman on the Enquirer at Richmond, Va., where he stayed eight years. Becoming ill he went to Saratoga to drink the water there and stayed to print until 1864. It is said that he looked like General Jackson.
The father Abraham was badly wounded at the battle of White Plains. He cruised on a Privateer trying to re- cover his health. When he brought his wife to Woodstock most of the road was marked only by blazed trees. They were warmly welcomed by the few settlers.
Israel Taylor Houghton settled on Biscuit hill before 1793, but he was a mover. He finally found himself on Dunham hill. He had at least two sons, Plutarch and Cyrenus. "Married on the evening of the grd of December, 1795, Mr. Plutarch Houghton to Miss Jedida Fletcher." Cyrenus married a Dunham girl and stayed on that hill. Plutarch after owning much property sold out and an- swered the call to the far West.
Asahel Hoisington, a brother of Joab the first settler in the present Woodstock Green, settled in the South Par- ish before the first town meeting in 1772, for he was elected one of the highway commissioners at that meeting. His land covers the site of the farm where the Bagleys live in the Fletcher district. He bought this land of his brother Joab in 1771 but some difficulty arose about the deed. The land lay in the upper range of lot 6 of the Apthorp tract. He finally secured a quit claim deed from Oliver Willard, in 1773. He lived there until February 5, 1803, when he sold out to Salmon Hoisington and moved to Ellisburg, N. Y. These Hoisingtons came from Connecticut. Asahel's wife was Hannah Lampshere. Their daughter Elizabeth was born January 5, 1773 and son Grant, June 5, 1780.
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Asahel's father was John Hoisington grd. His mother was Sarah Templar Hoisington. For this information I am indebted to Mrs. Marie Hoisington Fayant of Fort Plain, N. Y. She is a lineal descendant of Joab of the Green. A gravestone in the Morgan yard has the following :- Sacred to the memory of Abigail, consort of Salmon Hoisington who died A. D. 1803 aged 49 years. This Salmon built the brick house still standing on that farm.
James Fletcher came from Mass. to Woodstock about 1780 and settled in the neighborhood which still bears that family name. There were nine children. They settled on various farms in the South Parish. Miss Alice Fletcher is the only one left who bears the name. When we came to Woodstock in 1912, several Fletcher families were alive.
Nathaniel Randall, the first, came from Job's Landing, Pembroke, Mass. He was a shipbuilder. He settled near the Reading line in 1788. Farming and building were his work. He later moved to Bristol, N. Y., where he has some descendants still living. His son, Nathaniel, and some of his other children stayed here. A large brick house was built on the East hill road between the villages and this became the Randall home. There was a third Nathaniel Randall in our midst, who was the father of George who was killed in the battle of the Wilderness in the Civil War, and for whom the G. A. R. Post in Woodstock was named. He had a daughter, Eloise, who studied with James Murdock, the actor, in Philadelphia, and she gave read- ings in many places. She was in Woodstock in 1879 for a recital. Mr. Hiram King and Mrs. Lucy McKenzie both sang on this occasion. The old original Nathaniel, when nearly 90, made three or four little boats and set them on
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poles in his yard so the wind could move them about and he in imagination could get a whiff of the sea once more.
Silas Perry settled near Benjamin Mack in 1793 and his nine children lived all around South Woodstock. Only one descendant bearing that name is left in the town, Hollis S. Perry of West Woodstock.
Dunham hill gets its name from Simeon Dunham, who came here from Middleboro, Mass., with his wife Lydia Shaw in 1788. He received the deed to this land on July 24, 1789, but never had it recorded till July 14, 1791. His son Simeon and grandson Simeon succeeded him on this farm. The late Mrs. Eva Chandler was born here. No one bearing the name Dunham lives in our midst, though there are descendants with other names.
The Perkins family on coming to America settled in Ipswich, Mass. William, a descendant, married Lydia Ster- ling in Lyme, Conn., February 20, 1766. Their six chil- dren were all born in Lyme. Captain William moved to Hartland in 1793, and in 1801 to South Woodstock with three sons, Elisha, Gaius and Benjamin, and his second wife who was Irene Ransom, the widow of Stephen Smith. Captain Perkins was a tanner and shoe maker. His sons continued the business which is described in another chapter. The red brick house north of the Academy was built by Gaius Perkins. It is owned by his great grand- daughter, Miss Alice Fletcher.
One of the movable planets in the shape of a man was Levi Washburn, born in Brookfield, Mass., in 1777. He died in Woodstock at the age of 97. His father brought him, as an infant, to Vermont. He lived all around the map, but stayed long enough in South Woodstock to help
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build the Methodist Church in 1807, then he was off again. In 1816 he bought the Cottle sawmill and built himself a house on the site of the present Shove house. He loved to travel about with horse and buggy and did so almost to his last days.
Deacon Phinehas Thomas, better known as Captain Thomas, came to Woodstock in 1780, from Middleboro, Mass. He owned mills, he built mills, he held many public offices in the town, he went to the Legislature. While still in the milling business he bought a farm not far from the Pelton school house. A daughter, Deborah, married Binney Thomas and they had a son Elliot who had a son Gilman E. Thomas who still lives in the South Village. That neighborhood where he settled had many Thomases in it and the Randall graveyard is the resting place of large numbers of them.
It is most amazing how all knowledge of families passes away. Here were the Crookers on Long hill beyond the Townsend Corners. They quite flourished for years. But the chief information to be found about them now is on their tomb stones. Noah Crooker came from Pembroke, Mass., in April 1795. The next year he signed up with Jabez Hammond to send two children to Hammond's pri- vate school, and Jonathan Crooker also signed for two. Jonathan Crooker in 1807 was one of the men who bought the land for the Methodist Church. One Crooker taught school. There was a Noah Jr. and one named Barker. I quote a notice concerning a later man. I was especially interested in it because the Rev. Asa Saxe was a well known Universalist Minister and was the brother of the poet, John G. Saxe whom all the people of an earlier gen-
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eration knew and quoted from the poem, "Six Wise Men of Indostan."
"On October 17, 1877, the Rev. Asa Saxe in the city of New York, married Alice Paul to S. S. Crooker of South Woodstock, Vermont." Noah probably built his house in 1805 and he had many pieces of beautiful furniture made for it.
The Wood family of the Long hill section was fathered by Nathaniel who came from old Middleboro, Mass., in 1779 and bought over four hundred acres in the Apthorp tract. This land lay chiefly in No. 7. He came back the next year to live. His father William came also. His son Noah married Ruth Tilden, a daughter of Caleb and Joanna Tilden who had settled in the same neighborhood. Ruth corresponded with friends and relatives back in Massachusetts. Some of these letters she pasted into a home- made scrap book. The outside being adorned with a weep- ing willow and a mourning woman. This was a memorial to the passing of her father and mother. Sarah Fuller, a sister, writes some of the letters. Priscilla B. Ford of Pem- broke, Mass., writes on October 5, 1805. Ezra Fuller, a nephew, sends her a letter written on the Brig Traveler of Boston. It is dated November 25th, 1815. He tells her that he is bound for Cadiz in Spain and back to Boston which will be in April, he thinks. He also tells his Aunt that she can sell his horse for whatever she thinks it is worth. Some of the letters deal entirely with their worries over what they call religion, salvation and all the horrors in which they had been brought up. They were too introspective. This Noah and Ruth had a son Otis and he had a son Noah and that Noah was the father of Alonso and grandfather of his
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children. There were other children along the line but they are scattered over the land as is the way with families.
Mrs. Amelia Pope Sutherland of Tremont, Wis., a descendant of the Popes and Hammonds who settled on the hill near the Reading line wrote to Mr. A. E. Wood in September, 1937, asking him to have a marker placed in the graveyard on their old farm. She has the names of the eight children buried there with the dates of their deaths, all of which will be cut on the stone. The spot is almost inaccessible, but her wish will be fulfilled.
The following article on District 18 was written about 1900. Noah Wood was the author of the sketch and all his life he had known the whole region. Since that time many more changes have occurred.
"School District No. 18 in Woodstock is situated mostly on the easterly slope of Long Hill, north of the dividing ridge between Woodstock and Reading, and West of the road leading from South Woodstock to Felchville, and con- tains about two thousand acres. The first land purchase by an actual settler was made by Captain Nathaniel Wood. His deeds for two hundred and fifty and one hundred acres of land bear the dates of September 20, 1779, and March 31, 1780. From this time it was settled very fast, and soon contained some thirty or more families, about many of which very little is known to the writer of this, except their names and the places upon which their houses were built. At the present time there are twenty-five vacant house lots in the district, and two vacant houses, only one of which will probably again be occupied by a family, and seven now occupied. In 1781 Feb. 20, John Darling bought fifty acres of land and settled in what was then called the
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center of the district. He came from Middleborough, Mass., with his wife, Mary Wood, and one child. He was a steady industrious, careful and calculating man, never thinking the battle was to the strong, or the race to the swift, but like the tortoise in the fable, ever kept the even tenor of his way.
In 1786 Warren Cottle deeded to Dan Niles one hun- dred acres of land, which is now owned by William Cady and Sanford Wilder and wife, and soon moved on with his father, mother and wife. Mr. Niles was a tanner and shoemaker by trade, and had a tannery north of Wm. C. Cady's near the spring in the road. I have seen the re- mains of the old vats and spent bark. Some of the vats were made of plank, some being dug out of butternut logs. Mr. Niles must have been a hard working man, as he cleared a large part of his land and built two smallish frame houses close together, one for himself and one for his father and mother, who lived, as I then thought, to be very old people. Mr. Niles never had any children. By over-work and exposure he contracted rheumatism, which settled in his hip and he went with crutches-how long I do not know. In his testament I saw this record, 'If I remember right, when I was fifty-five years old I could walk with but one crutch.' He was very zealous in matters of religion, and attempted to organize a church, with Mr. Cowdrey as pastor. Hence he was called Deacon Niles. After he was too infirm to manage his place, it was conveyed to Hiram Benson.
[Other Family Portraits may be found under the creation of Woodstock on pages 29-30-31-32-33-34-35-36-37-38.]
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William Barnes settled on the place now owned by Levi Blossom and son, about 1782, and lived there many years. Their children, that I knew were Joseph, Gideon, Zerah, Honas, Lucinda, Assenath and Amos. Mr. Barnes died in middle age. Mrs. Barnes lived to be eighty or ninety, and retained her faculties well.
Nathan and Eunice Cook bought each fifty acres of land, now owned by Sanford Wilder, in 1782. Joel was their only child whom I ever knew, and whatever became of him and his father I have forgotten. Mrs. Cook had all her effects, except what she had on, burned in the Stephen Farnsworth house. After that I think she never kept house. She lived to be quite old.
Joseph Powers bought of Oliver Davis fifty acres in 1798, the Woodstock part of the Charles Washburn farm, and lived there many years, and I think both died there, and a son named Aaron. Their children were Joseph, Benjamin, Susan, Arsenith and Abigail.
Zebedee Hackett bought fifty-five acres of Manasseh Wood in 1791, now called the Gates place. He married Manasseh Wood's sister, and by her had seven children, Darius, Sally, Bethany, Polly, Philo, Manasseh and Huldah. His second wife was the widow of Aurunah Fullerton, by whom he had one child Betsey. When he and his wife got to be old and infirm they conveyed their substance to Lemuel Benjamin for their support, and died at his home.
Joseph Darling deeded to Hadley Standish, in Nov., 1796, fifty acres of land, now owned by N. E. Wood. His wife was a Glover. Their children were Thomas and Sally (twins), John W. (father of B. F. and Professor J. V. N. of Galesburg, Ill.) and Mrs. Sanford Wilder, Sabrina,
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Parmeli, Orrin (died young,) Samuel, Stephen, Abigail, Rosamund and Ira. A part of his children were born in Pembroke, Mass. Mr. Standish's large family required a larger farm, so he sold to Abiah Rice and went to New York not far from the year 1810, except John W., who settled on the place now owned by Sanford Wilder.
Mitchell Pope and Ruth Hammond were married at the mature ages of nineteen and seventeen, and came and took a deed of Faunce Hammond, Jan. 1, 1789, of fifty acres, now owned by Chas. M. White. Subsequently he bought about fifty acres more. Their children were: Elnathan, Nathaniel, Polly, Sally, Jabez, Reuben, Mitchell, Ruth, Cynthia, Luther, Thomas, Lutina and Andrew. Mr. and Mrs. Pope were good livers, and their latch string was al- ways out, and their table replenished to every hungry caller. Sally, Polly, Mitchell, Cynthia, Andrew, Mr. Pope, Luther and Ruth died at the old homestead, or at a neigh- bor's house in sight, and were buried on the old farm, their graves being unmarked and known only by a few of us who are left. Elnathan, Nathaniel and Jabez settled in Wisconsin. Some twenty or more years after, Thomas sold the old homestead, and with his family, mother (over 80) and Lutina, followed to Wisconsin. Reuben, I think, died in Greensborough, Vt. Soon after, Elnathan came and took Reuben's widow and son to Wisconsin. Mr. Pope, in the discipline of his family, held the reins rather lax, yet grasped with a firm hand, and his children always knew how far and fast it would do to go. He held a certificate of membership with the Friends or Quakers, which he procurred in this wise: In Reading they had an estab- lished church and taxed the people for the support of the
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