USA > Vermont > Windsor County > Woodstock > The valley of the Kedron; the story of the South parish, Woodstock, Vermont > Part 2
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The Valley of the Kedron
Timothy was, at the last, buried in an unmarked grave in the Cushing graveyard by some of his neighbors. The whispering pines sing his requiem.
Another thing that did not happen even though a vote was taken to do it, was this :- "The town meeting in March 1779 voted to build a meeting house on the road that goes from Samuel Pratt's to the other road west of Oliver Farnsworth's." Another town meeting was held the fol- lowing July, when a motion was made to reconsider the vote taken in March about building a meeting house. This was carried and then they voted not to build any meeting house, and none was ever erected, but for some strange reason, the name Meeting house hill has stuck all these years to the elevation by that road. And there have been folks who claimed they had seen the logs which were used to build the church. They may have seen logs but they were not church logs for that Meeting house never did happen.
At the town meeting of July 1779 it was voted to divide the town into two Parishes by a center line through the town east and west, parallel with the town line and the people living near this line should go with the parish they preferred. At the March meeting of 1781, "it was voted to alter the Line of division and it should begin in the east line of the town where the bound now stands and run from thence Northerly on the east Line of the town, half a mile, thence Westerly on a strate half mile northerly of the line before Rim until it Strikes Quechee River to west line of the town." This is not a very clear description of this division of the town into two Parishes. I do not know what "bound" means in this connection.
17
It Did Not Happen
The town was never two political units. The Freemen have always met in one town meeting. At this same meet- ing there was an article asking for the building of a bridge above Jabez Cottle's Mills. That did not happen to strike the town fathers favorably and a vote was taken to the effect that each Parish should build its own bridges. An article in the warning of 1790 read :- "to see if the town will give leave to set up innoculation for the small pox under such regulation as the law giveth." It did not happen to be set up. When one wants the facts read the records, if one does not care for facts, then accept the traditions with all of their inaccuracies. Each one to his own taste.
CHAPTER III
Creation of Woodstock
DEEDS AND TAXES
EAST AND WEST, North and South as one enters Woodstock are markers saying the town was chartered in 1761. All that appears most simple but there are heaps of historical activities preceding that date as there were following it in the struggle for the independence of this little State, marked by riots and massacres.
It seems important that just a little of the early history should be noted; its details can be found in many books. King Charles the Second in 1664 says, "By the grace of God King of England france and Ireland Defender of the ffaith &c to All to whome these presents shall come Greet- ing Know Yee that wee for divers good Causes and Con- siderations there unto moveing us Have of our especiall certaine Knowledge meere mocon given and Granted And by these presents for us our heires and successors doe give and Grant unto our dearest Brother James Duke York his heires and Assigns." I quote no further from this mar- velous document, but by it the King gave all the lands of New England from the St. Croix River to the Hudson and the land west of the Connecticut to the east side of
18
19
Creation of Woodstock 1
Delaware Bay. Martha's Vineyard is included also "to the river Canada" on the North. Our Vermont was a part of this magnificent grant.
Royal Governors appear who also have the Grace of God made manifest at least to them in their appointments. Benning Wentworth gets control of a generous portion in July 1741, through the instrumentality of the Most High as vested in his representative George the Second. Wentworth, fat and gouty, is to rule "from the Atlantic ocean to a place called Pautucket Falls and Straight west till it meets other Governments." Very soon he begins his settlements and Bennington, named to honor him, comes into existence. His zeal extends to include the lands west of the Connecticut and we have the Hampshire grants with reservations of five hundred acres in the several townships to the glory of the Governor. All this land also had been given by Royal Grant of Charles the 2nd to the Province of New York. Wentworth chartered sixty towns. New York chartered them also. This Windsor County was Cum- berland County, Province of New York and many early deeds in Woodstock have their location so described. The earliest deeds recorded in the office of our town clerk are dated 1779. Earlier deeds are on file in Concord, New Hampshire, and Albany, New York, for settlers began coming in the late 1760's. The records of these first deeds should be copied and placed on file in Woodstock, so that all of these first transactions will be available for historical research and general information.
The thirst for land and speculation in its values ap- proached a mania with multitudes of the Colonial settlers. Woodstock lands were bought by non-residents, men who
20
The Valley of the Kedron
never intended to make homes here but who expected financial rewards from the sales of their large tracts. All of these towns of the Hampshire grants had some reserva- tions, first the Governor's lot of 500 acres which was in the Northeast part of Woodstock and the Public Rights lands located in the Curtis Hollow region. These consisted of four small tracts-the one to the south, containing 300 acres, was set aside for the propagation of the Gospel in foreign parts under the supervision of the Anglican Church; the next, one containing the same number of acres, was for the benefit of a clergyman of that faith; the third one also with 300 acres was for the benefit of the first resident minister in Woodstock. Probably the Rev. George Damon got that. The lot to the north had 200 acres in it and was for the schools.
It was somewhat startling to find that two of these sequestered tracts, known as leased lands, still function. They are rented or leased and rents are paid for their use. The land for the propagation of the Gospel in foreign parts is claimed by the Episcopal Church of Vermont and the rent money goes into the treasury of the State Diocese and is used for the Episcopal Church here and not in for- eign parts. What Anglican clergyman got the Glebe is unknown to me. Once upon a time back in the 1830's, Woodstock tried to recover these lands by legal means but failed. Just north of these leased lands and extending east from the Bridgewater line was the tract owned by Boudi- not, containing 3000 acres. I quote him :- "I Elias Boudinot of the Elizabeth Town State of New Jersey, Doctor of Laws do by these presents make ordain constitute and appoint Charles Marsh of Woodstock in the State of Ver-
A Kedron Valley Landscape
row . . . .. Au - vent
E
22
The Valley of the Kedron
mont, Esq my true and Lawful Attorney." East of this tract lay that of "Jonathan Grout of Petersham in the Province of Massachusetts Bay." It contained 3000 acres and extended to the East line of the town. Directly north of the Grout tract was the 1200 acres belonging to John Church who lived for a time in Charlestown, N. H., and later in New York City. This land was nearly in the center of the town. The tract in the northwest portion of the town was bought by John Spencer of Trenton, N. J., though one item gives another address. It reads "Nehe- miah Kemp of Woodstock sold this land to John L. Spen- cer of Philadelphia, Attorney and Counsellor-at-law." There were 1050 acres in this tract. Part of this land now lies in the town of Pomfret. The land east of the Spencer tract and including Mount Tom belonged to John Rogers of New York City. There is still standing on the mountain a stone post bearing the words "Rogers Tract." He wrote "I John Rogers a doctor of Divinity, of the City and State of New York." Mrs. Kate Howland Carbino of Woodstock owns a letter written by him to her ancestor, Nathan How- land, a Mayflower descendant and a Woodstock pioneer.
Charles Apthorp of New York City owned the southern part of the town. He made his purchase of David Page who was the leader of the group to whom Governor Went- worth made his grant of the town in 1766. When Oliver Willard bought the town in 1772, by some method Ap- thorp made a deal with Willard by which he retained his tracts of 7000 acres. These tracts were laid off in four ranges and lots of 100 acres each. There were ten series of these lots, numbered from east to west, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10.
23
Creation of Woodstock
When the Revolution was in progress and Vermont had set itself up as an independent State in 1777, without rec- ognition from the general government, it was impossible to receive financial aid for the armed forces raised within the new State. The Legislature of 1779 passed the articles of Confiscation which meant the sale of all lands held by men sympathizing with New York and England. The York- ers were considered a menace and their expulsion a neces- sity. Charles Apthorp gave his allegiance to New York and to England, so he was an enemy of Vermont and all his holdings in Woodstock were confiscated and Ebenezer Curtis of Windsor was appointed to sell these lands in Woodstock and three other towns, which he did with great success.
"Record of the Confiscation Court. Whereas-the Gen- eral Assembly of the representatives of the Freemen of the state of Vermont, did order the confiscation and sale of the estates both Real and personal of the enemies of this and the United States, lying within this State, who have dis- tinguished themselves by repairing to the enemy or other treasonable conduct, and did appoint the Governor of the State and the members of the Council to be a Court to confiscate and make sale of such estates. To Ebenezer Curtis-Gentleman-you being by said Court appointed a Commissioner to sell said lands &c-you are hereby author- ized and fully empowered to sell at public vendue, or at private sale, all or any such lands, improvements, poses- sions, homes or other buildings, or such part thereof as you can sell to the advantage of the State lying in the towns of Windsor, Hertford, Woodstock, and Reading, and formerly belonging to the persons whos names are in
24
The Valley of the Kedron
the list to this affixed, and by this court confiscated to the use of this State. You will give deeds in the name and behalf of the Representatives of the Freemen of this State if the title was derived from the government of New Hamp- shire-you will warrant the purchaser the said New Hamp- shire title-and if the forfeitor had only the New York title, where there is a New Hampshire Grant on said land -you will sell posession and improvements only-you will not sell on any other terms than for cash down, without liberty in writing from the court-you will take care to sell to persons who are known friends to this and the United States and who are disposed to settle and improve the lands soon. Such of said lands as are under incumberance by being let out by any of the Commissioners of seques- tration you will sell under such incumberance, making such reserves as will be necessary to keep good the bargain or lease of such Commissioners of Seq-, You will take all proper means to make known that you have such lands for sale-You will take the advise of the Selectmen of the town where you sell lands &c-You will take care to ascer- tain the bounds and quantity of the lands you sell, and the exact sum you receive for such lands &c in the deeds you give-you will take care to obtain all the papers and writings that did belong to the persons, whose names are in the annexed list in order to ascertain the proper title to the lands, as also the debts and credits of such persons- you will take a certificate on oath from the persons to whom you sell such lands &c, certifying the exact sum or sums of money they pay unto you for any of the aforesaid lands &c, also ascertaining the bounds and quantity in what town, in what part of the town, and who was the
30
the Count hunding his
Luft dimethy, Soweit of betong hem
Manuel latin-
Upthop "They and each of them have Joined the
this & the listed that they Do therefore adimage that their letto both Beats person
ling & bing in this a tale be 4 they are the
oder that the Lonifuimurs for tale of Confient Bohater in the defpe
lie thpt. were formerly
June 3rd 1779 in re the Act of Confiscation
25
Creation of Woodstock
forfeiter-which certificate you will transmit to this court for record-You will lodge the monies arising from such sales together with such moneys as you may collect being due by bond, note, or otherwise to said persons with the Treasurer of this State, which debts you are hereby au- thorized to collect-You will keep account of the time you spend in performing the business herein joined on you in order for settlement GIVEN under my hand at Arlington THOS CHITTENDEN Gov.
July 16, 1779 Attest M Lyon Clerk"
In the year 1794 Apthorp endeavored to recover this land. Charles Marsh of Woodstock was his lawyer. The case was carried to the Supreme Court where it failed because of various technicalities. After the death of Ap- thorp, his heirs made a futile attempt to regain the land. Abraham Kendall appears to have been the only person who paid any attention to them. He secured a quit-claim deed to his property. He owned two lots in range three, No. 2.
The oldest deed which I have seen is dated 1774. It was in six pieces, having been folded many years and broken in the folds. Dartmouth College Library mended it and made a photostatic copy which appears in this chapter. The Farnsworth mentioned was the ancestor of the late John Blake. His first name was Jonathan. Three Farns- worth brothers came to the South Parish. This deed of his was written by Crean Brush, a citizen of New York, an ardent supporter of the New York claims in this region. He was born in Ireland and after settling in the Colonies,
26
The Valley of the Kedron
became a large land speculator. He was the step-father of the fascinating Fanny Buchanan, the young widow, who became the second wife of Ethan Allen.
Many of the early deeds in the town clerk's office tell in which tract the land was located. South Woodstock deeds mention Grout, Church and Apthorp, absentee proprie- tors of that section. I have read all of the deeds of Wood- stock recorded before 1800. One would think that these early settlers coming here through the wilderness from Massachusetts and Connecticut, laboring under great diffi- culties, would all have made permanent homes. Instead, numbers of them went to the far West of those early days, the Genesee Valley, the Bristol Valley and the Holland Purchase, all in the State of New York. The Vermont papers in the 1790's were carrying advertisements of the fertile, level farming lands in those sections. The dwellers of these rugged hill farms found these notices attractive and quite a large number followed the gleam of level lands, as did their descendants in later years. Central New York is dotted over with people whose ancestors went from this State.
The ones who remained bought and sold among them- selves to such an extent that the impression is made that nothing was so permanent in their lives as that of change. Very few names of the settlers of the South Parish are known to us in this present day. Kendall, Wood, Fuller- ton, Ransom, Perkins, Houghton, Slayton, Thomas, Page, Sherwin, Hoadley, Perry, McClay, Kingsley, Fletcher, Mack,-these names are still scattered about the town, though only a few of them remain in the South Parish. Cottle, Hammond, Lord, Ellis, Edson, Benjamin, Crooker,
in the Gos yof an
..
City of New york Esquire Do ... this Day on the past and herald of thesaid Chavales torna a appears to selling former Fornewerth of the Town in the Province of New house on the Quantity of two Fried and forty deres of dans actuale Lyrics Obeing in the ans hin of the stock in the you County i amb for fever vastly if two hundred and forty ie
twenty aires, For Dead to 32 bliveres unto find maty-1
+
-
.
-
Deed to Jonathan Farnsworth land written by Crean Brush, Sept. 2, 1774
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Creation of Woodstock
Bridge, Sterling, Parker, Standish, and many others, are unknown. Visits to the old graveyards show the graves of some of them. There are descendants of the Brewsters, Peltons, Ralphs, Farnsworths, Burks, Randalls, Dunhams, Holts and a few other families living here but the sur- names have disappeared.
The following article on District 18 was written about 1900:
"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 acres 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 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 center of the district. He subse- quently bought about seventy-five acres more. 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.
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The Valley of the Kedron
"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 shoe- maker by trade, and had a tannery north of Wm. C. Cady's near the spring by the road. I have seen the remains 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 ex- posure 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 but with 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.
"In 1788 Dan Niles deeded the south half of his one hundred acres to David Mack. I think that the Nileses and Macks came from Lyme, Connecticut. Mr. Mack and his wife were very industrious people, and I suppose she wore short dresses, as she managed everything in doors and out, in an excellent manner; thereby they got along nicely, adding more acres to their homestead, and bringing up and schooling their children in a very creditable manner for those times. They had three sons and one daughter,
29
Creation of Woodstock
David, Daniel (father of the regimental chaplain, D. Mack), Samuel and Eliza. Mr. Mack and his wife lived to a good old age, he losing his mind somewhat prematurely, and Ezekiel Persons was appointed to manage his busi- ness. He was a revolutionary soldier, and drew a pension many years. During the latter part of their lives their son David lived with them at the old homestead.
"Joseph Darling, jr., deeded to Nathaniel Randall fifty acres in Dec. 1791, upon which he lived many years, rear- ing a large family of children. He married, and had by his first wife Lydia, Nathan and one that married John Wood, and by his second wife, Nathan Stetson's sister, he had Gaius, Priscilla, Stetson, Elias, Deborah and John. I think he buried one child named Thomas. Mr. Randall was eccentric, nervous, generous to a fault, especially to himself, given to much prophesying on the weather, his own death, etc., yet I believe he was well calculated to make the most of his means on hand, and that he was something of a poet, as the incident I relate will show. Being out of a team he broke a nice large heifer and bull to the yoke together and drew his winter's wood. Writing to his friends extolling the country and its advantages, he said:
The snow is deep, the trees are tall, My bull and heifer draw it all.
"After their daughter, Deborah Burnham, died, their son, Gaius, came from Bristol, New York, and took his parents home with him, where they died at a good old age. William Barnes settled on the place now owned by Levi Blossom and son, about 1782, and lived there many
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The Valley of the Kedron
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 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, Aaron, Benjamin, Susan, Asenath and Abigail.
"Zebedee Hackett bought fifty-five acres of Mannasseh Wood in 1791, now called the Gates place. He married Mannasseh Wood's sister, and by her had seven children, Darius, Sally, Bethany, Polly, Philo, Mannasseh and Hul- dah. His second wife was the widow of Aurunah Fullerton, by whom he had one, 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, Par- meli, Orrin (died young), Samuel, Stephen, Abigail, Rosa- mond and Ira. A part of his children were born in Pem-
31
Creation of Woodstock
broke, 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 Elna- than, 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 always out, and their table quickly replenished to every hungry caller. Sally, Polly, Mitchell, Cynthia, Andrew, Mr. Pope, Luther and Ruth died at the old homestead, or at a neighbor'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. Reu- ben, I think, died in Greensborough, Vt. Soon after El- nathan came and took his 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 procured in this wise :- In Reading they had an established church and taxed the people for the support of the minister-I believe the Rev. Mr. Hutchinson. This tax, if paid by a certain time, could be paid in wheat. Availing
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The Valley of the Kedron
himself of this privilege, as money was hard to get, and the time about to expire, he took five pecks of wheat on his shoulder and started across the hills for Reading Center. It stormed gently, but soon increased to a rapid fall of snow which, he said, when he got to the Reverend's house, at about 2 p. m., was nearly knee deep. When he entered, the family were about to sit down to what appeared to him an excellent boiled dish for dinner. The Reverend gentle- man sat down to the table, craved a blessing from the Author of all good, but did not ask Mr. Pope to partake with them. Mr. Pope's shoes (his leggins not being pre- pared) were full of snow, and sat down by the fire and dried them and his stockings as best he could. After dinner the Reverend arose from the table, measured the wheat and receipted the tax. This so irritated Mr. Pope, that he declared he would never pay another minister tax, if he had to move his house on to C. Tilden's land in Wood- stock. Finding the Friends were exempt from the tax, he and many others availed themselves of the fact and joined them, and his house staid in Reading. None of his de- scendants are known to live in Vermont. Mr. Pope was a cripple, and lost his mind some years before he died.
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