USA > Vermont > Windsor County > Woodstock > The valley of the Kedron; the story of the South parish, Woodstock, Vermont > Part 5
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did her grandson, John Blake. The place has since early in the 1770's been in the family of Jonathan Farnsworth and his descendants. A photostatic copy of his deed to this land appears in this book. It is dated 1774 and was made out under the laws of the Province of New York, and the land described is in the County of Cumberland, New York Province. There was no Windsor County at that time. Farnsworth built his first log cabin on the hillside above this house. His second cabin stood where the present corn barn stands. A short distance to the east Ann Farnsworth built a small house in 1861. It is gone and so is she, for she is buried in a small lot back of the Blake Barn. The house on what was the town farm for nearly a hundred years and recently sold, was the home of Stephen Farns- worth, the first settler on that spot. It was built in 1809. The house where Leroy Mounce lives was built by Nathan- iel Hammond in 1806. Reuben Slayton lived here many years. He was the father of Madison Slayton, also the father of Hannah who married Hiram Holt. She lived to be over one hundred years old. She was a regular attendant at our church services when Dr. H. L. Canfield was the minister and was always a most attentive and sympathetic listener. She was the mother of Julia Holt who married Noah Wood, Jr. The house owned by Mr. and Mrs. Giles was built by Warren Cottle in 1796. Oliver Bailey owned it later and made a number of changes in it. Hollis Stow and Lucian Morgan both owned it. It has many fine archi- tectural points, especially the front door.
Arthur Wood's house was built by Hiram Holt in 1855. Professor J. J. Lewis lived here a part of the time when teaching at the Academy. His son Leo who was born in
Built by Jabez Cottle. North of the Academy
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VIUVES
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South Woodstock has been the head of the Music Depart- ment at Tufts College for many years. Marshall Worcester lived in this house also. The house north of the Wood place was built by Benjamin Cottle in 1808. Galo B. Ralph lived in it. He married Marcia Perkins, a daughter of Gaius Perkins. A son of this marriage, Edward by name, went West and became wealthy. After his death his father went out to bring back some of his possessions. He shipped two big trunks east; one contained a lot of diamonds, but these trunks were lost with all their contents. A sad ending to great expectations. The Rood house was built in 1852 by Wm. H. H. Slayton. Daniel Johnson and Dr. Ezra McCul- lom lived here. Dr. McCullom pulled teeth as well as gave medicine. Mrs. Eliab Bridge whose first name was Sandace, was another owner of this house. She was a milli- ner and dressmaker and lived for a time in one of the brick houses further along the street. It is said that she was quite a handsome woman, but finally lost her mind. Her brother-in-law, Oliver Bridge, lived here. He was still sing- ing in the Universalist Church choir after he was eighty years old. We remember him perfectly. The next house where the Bartels live, in 1860 was filled with students from the Academy. Galen Pearson kept a hotel in this house. Later Hiram Holt lived in it, and he and Mrs. Holt boarded Academy students. Mr. and Mrs. Noah Wood made their home in this house for a good many years. The Clarence Walker house was built by Jefferson Slayton in 1854. His son, Edwin, left his wife there when he went to the Civil War and in that house was born their son, Horace, whom all the present generation in Woodstock knew. The widow of Dunham Perkins also lived in this house.
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The first brick house north of the Slayton place was built by Ezekial Pearson in 1826. Moses Kelly who mar- ried Isaac Kendall's sister lived here, so did Isaac Kendall. D. A. Gifford once owned it but traded it for the second brick house but he again lived in this one. Mr. and Mrs. Lucian Morgan owned it for a time and then Mrs. Maria Perry and son Clarence. The brick house to the north was the home of Frank B. Standish. The old timers about the village still call it the Standish house. He sold it to Candace Bridge. She sold it to D. A. Gifford. When he moved to the Kedron Tavern he traded it for the other brick house. Wm. Fisher bought this house for $300. It became the property of Mrs. Rutherford. At the present time both of these brick houses are owned by Owen Moon. The little frame house just south of the Universalist Church, was the home of Dr. Bowman. He had a little study north of the church and Oliver Bridge had a cob- bler's shop there. This building was torn down after the Doctor's death. J. S. Lee when Principal of the Academy lived here for a time. Mrs. Kingsley retains vivid memories of Dr. Lee. He preached part of the time at Bridgewater in the Universalist Church which burned years ago. Her family lived in Curtis Hollow and attended his services. Her first appearance in Sunday School was an occasion of joy and pride. She had her first pair of kid shoes, and the loveliest little straw bonnet of open work, all trimmed with pink ribbons. She wore over her shoulders a silk shawl folded cross-wise. Her grandfather called her his little Peacock. The Rev. Warren Skinner, one of the found- ers of the Academy, also lived in this house. The Charles Colstons owned it later.
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The house north of the church was built by Dr. Stephen Drew in 1798. After his death his son Henry continued to live here. Henry had a son Francis who was smart in streaks. He knew how to survey and Mrs. Kingsley still has a plan of her place, all neatly drafted which he did. Francis inherited this gift for surveying from his Williams forebears. He was a lineal descendant of Phineas Williams. Andrew Smith and family left their hill top farm and dwelt in this Drew house. His daughter Mary married a son of the Rev. Eli Ballou who was the pastor of the South Parish Universalist Church. Later Edward Atwood sold his farm and bought this house. He and his wife both died in it. It has a very beautiful Colonial front door. The old Benjamin house stood north of the Drew house. The widow Caroline, independent and free spoken, continued to live here after the death of her husband Fred in 1883. She lived till 1905. The house was then taken down and all of her belongings sold. The timbers of the house were used to build a barn back of Mrs. Maria Perry's house. Grandpa Averill had a blacksmith shop north of the Ben- jamin house. The brick building just beyond the open space was put up by the Ransoms for a store in 1822. It was called the National Store. The date of erection is cut in one of the foundation stones. Richard Mather Ransom did the cutting, his brother Daniel watched him do it. Richard M. and Daniel were sons of Richard, Jr. Son Rich- ard supervised the building of the store. Oliver Willard and his men did the brick work. Silas Brannock carried the brick and mortar. When the building was nearly com- pleted, Richard M. invited all the singers of the region and they had a big sing as a sort of dedication. This was
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the third store built by the Ransoms in the South Parish. The clerks in those early years were Richard Mather Ran- som, Ezra Wood, Joshua Snow, O. A. Bryant and Daniel Ransom. When Richard Ransom, Jr., died in July 1836, this store building became the property of his son Daniel who made O. A. Bryant his partner, and the store ran under the management of Ransom and Bryant for two years when Daniel bought Bryant's share. Then Charles F. Pearsons was his partner for two years, then Daniel went it alone. Loyal M. Wood took it over in 1842, then Daniel had it once more. In 1848 he failed and the Ran- soms ceased to do business in the South Parish.
"In the spring of 1828, Richard Ransom, Jr., and son Richard Mather decided to build a brick house on the site where Esq. Ellis had had a house, tavern and store, part of the old buildings were taken down and some moved back for the shed of the new house and some was moved by Hosea Perry up to the north road beyond Fran- cis Perkins place and there made into a dwelling house. The cellar for the brick house was dug in the summer of 1828. The next year 1829 the house was built, with a front of 47 feet and running back 64 feet. It was two stories high. It was not occupied till the autumn of 1830." Mr. Ransom's family lived here and also kept a hotel. Later, a Mr. Fay did the same and several other people. Just when it was called the National Hotel there is no way of learn- ing but it certainly was in the 1840's. The hall which ex- tended from the hotel to the store was built in 1848 and was called the National Hall. The upstairs contained a large auditorium where dances, concerts, parties, and pub- lic exercises by the Academy students were held. It was
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used with much frequency. Below this hall were open spaces where horses and carriages could find shelter. Each open space was arched, the whole effect was pleasing and when it was torn down, a chorus of lamentation ascended. When Melvin Holt became the owner of this hotel prop- erty he called it the Kedron Tavern. When he sold it, a rechristening took place and it became the Colonial Inn. In 1939 it became once more the Kedron Tavern, and was managed by Mr. and Mrs. Charles Ballard.
We must return to the south end of this main street and give our attention to the houses on the right hand side. The delightful story and half brick house owned by Miss Lucy Davis was built probably by Madison Slayton who lived in it many years. Mrs. Larnard Kendall moved there after selling her farm. Where the Knitting Mill is . located there used to be a blacksmith shop where both horses and oxen were shod. E. C. Billings owned it. Back in the earlier days it was owned by Daniel Ransom. The old shop was built of brick which Mr. Billings took down and put up the frame one. When Daniel Ransom owned it, it had a wing which was moved to Mrs. Kingsley's house for the kitchen. One pane of glass has the name D. Ran- som cut on it twice. Galen Pearsons lived in the house north of the Knitting Mill. It was built by Richard Ster- ling in 1805 and was a cabinet shop. Sterling moved it to the west side of the road and then to the east side but on a different site. On the original spot, he erected a brick house which later became the property of James Slayton, who conducted a tavern. He was succeeded by a Mr. Fay. The house finally burned. The cabinet shop was made into a dwelling house. John Mackenzie had this for his home
The Kedron Tavern with the National Hall and the Brick Store
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mning
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several years. Mrs. Kingsley's house was built by John Arnold Cottle in 1811. A large hall was on the second floor. The walls of this room curve at the upper part, the curves becoming a part of the ceiling. At each corner of the room, fan shaped decorations are on the ceiling. A fireplace furnished heat when needed. The musicians had an elevated seat. An invitation to a dance in this hall has been preserved by Mrs. Kingsley. It was for the lass who became her mother-in-law. It reads, "Wish you a Happy New Year, Miss Cinthia Hayes
Come if you please, ye gentle youth Attend a Dance and be all mirth
Virtue unfolds to every heart That Attend and Take a part.
J. A. Cottle's hall Dec. 29. At Three o'clock P. M. South Woodstock 1831. Managers D. Ransom, W. H. H. Slayton, C. D. Perkins, G. Bailey." D. Ransom sent her this invitation. A charming painting of Cynthia in her red dress when she was five years old, is in this interesting house which has walls nearly two feet thick. It has a fine stairway, a very beautiful mantel and choice cornice.
On March 4th 1869, the following item appeared in the Woodstock paper :- "For Sale in the beautiful village of South Woodstock and within thirty rods of the Green Mountain Liberal Institute, the place was known as Capt. Bailey's Stand. Consisting of a Brick dwelling house and store house and shed. About 4 acres of land. Also a general assortment of Dry Goods and Groceries and hardware. Terms Easy. Amos Washburn." Oliver Bailey owned this house which had both store and post office in it for many years. He died in 1857. Gustavus Lake bought it of the
Before the connecting dance hall was removed
Kedron Tavern
.... ..** ****
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estate. Later Amos Washburn bought it of the widow Hul- dah Lake, and in 1878 R. H. Kingsley became the owner. In May 1900, Melvin Holt bought the contents of the store and he took over the post office. Both of these were moved down to the old Union Store.
The first house to the north was owned by Richard Hayes' widow. She was Susan Drew Lovell, the widow of Samuel Lovell when she married Richard Hayes as his second wife. She lived upstairs and Benjamin Bigelow who was part owner, lived down stairs. He had a black- smith shop across the road. A unique house in the South Village, among the many which are excellent architec- turally, is the house just south of the old brick school-house now used as the Grange Hall. It was put up in 1810 by Otis Peck who bought a strip of land along the brook which extended to the millpond. The millpond reached at that time to the dam by Mrs. Kingsley's bridge and all of the meadow where her barn stands was under water. Where did Otis Peck come from? The inside of this house has been changed so often that all good points are de- stroyed. Peck's deed to this land was recorded in 1811. George Fletcher lived here many years and died in this house in December 1902. His widow continued to abide here until she went to Cornish Flats to live with her daugh- ter who had married a Wardner of Reading. Tom Barker and family also lived here.
Where the Academy stands and the two brick houses, was once the land of Jabez Cottle. He had a large farm in this location. The brick house just north of the Acad- emy was built by J. Cottle in 1812. He had built an earlier house on this hill in 1785. This was taken down about
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1903, having been used for its original purpose and then as a sort of shed. When in a partial state of dissolution it was painted by J. Gladding, an artist who spent two or three years in the South Village. A picture of it appears in this chapter. Alice Fletcher's house was built by her great-grandfather, Gaius Perkins, in 1831. Her grandparents Mr. and Mrs. Charles Perkins lived here, also her father and mother, Mr. and Mrs. Friend Fletcher.
On August 19, 1869, the announcement was made "That Joel Slack has sold his farm in South Woodstock containing about 80 acres to Fred P. Kendall, Larned C. Kendall, Henry Walker, and others by whom it is reserved for Mr. Drew the father of Edward A. Drew, principal of the Institute. Mr. Drew intends to make it his permanent residence. The purchase is in interest of the School, price paid $5,000." Joel Slack's home was used as a students' home. When J. J. Lewis came to the Institute and brought his bride, they lived for a time in the two upper rooms in the south end of this house. Mr. Lewis was the first person to make moving pictures of the Passion Play at Oberammergau and to travel about the United States showing them. He did this in Woodstock in 1903 and was our guest. We took him to this brick house, then occupied by Mr. and Mrs. Henry Walker. He visited those rooms and sat in silent meditation there.
Just north of the Kedron Tavern was a house occupied by Carleton Morgan, a most eccentric person, wholly a law unto himself. He was a horse lover and always had a few excellent animals which he fed many times in the twenty-four hours of each day, a handful of oats and a dab of hay, and so the process went on. He did not raise
Built by Jabez Cottle. Now gone
ـل مـ
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The Valley of the Kedron
enough hay for them, but that did not trouble him so long as his neighbors had hay. He never undressed at night but he lay on an old wreck of a sofa, with his lantern lighted at his side. When the village was asleep, Uncle Carleton with a bag on his back, strolled about to the barns and generously helped himself to the hay he needed. He also went on to Long hill and cut whatever hay he wanted. He owned quite a famous stallion, Kentucky Pilot. Pilot de- veloped some temper. When the late Edmund Page as a boy was working at the Kedron Tavern, he was awakened by piercing screams from old Carleton's barn. The investi- gation showed the old man under Pilot's manger where he had crawled to escape the fury of the horse. He had entered the stall on one of his night feeds when the attack was made. Strenuous measures were used to rescue him from this dangerous place. After Carleton's death, Ken- tucky Pilot was sold and had the ignominious job of haul- ing a tin pedlar's wagon about the country side. Morgan owned a beautiful dapple gray mare which was never broken to a harness. She had a long mane and a tail that swept the ground. He loved this animal and kept her as a source of delight.
This house was built by Billy Brown in 1831. When Morgan had finished his earthly career, the house was about finished. The process was completed by some enter- prising youths of the South Village. The next house to the north was built in 1806 by Daniel Perkins. The Thad Fletchers lived in it many years. Hattie Cady, their daugh- ter, sold it a few years ago to A. F. Wood whose son Ben occupies it. Going straight up the hill, the first house on the left which Edwin Slayton owned for years, was built by
Uncle Carleton Morgan carrying to his barn his neighbor's hay
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Kendall Emerson in 1802. He sold it to Ephraim Allen, and Emerson moved to Ohio. Beyond this farm on the right side of the road Frank Perry lived. His father Daniel built the house in 1795. When the Woodstock map of 1832 was made, people by the name of Wood lived in these two houses. Lemuel Shaw lived near this hill road. Continuing on this road we reach the Murdock home where Lemuel, a son of James the 1st, settled. In front of the Murdock place a road goes west and enters the Fletcher hill road. This is the road on which the J. Howlands lived. Ichabod Perry settled on the north side of the road and his descendants for three or four generations lived there. Magnificent lilacs bloom on the old place. Benjamin Mack lived beyond him. Then a Taft family. On the south side of the road beyond the Howlands, lived Stephen McClay, his son Stephen and Gustavus. Judah Mack owned the next place. The views on this road of the mountains are most beautiful. Returning to the Murdock place and going north, the house on the left was built by the Slocums. It is Mrs. Temple's home. On the right, lived Deacon Phin- eas Thomas, a prominent citizen in his day. The Bishops owned the next place of which there is no sign, then the Lovells and across the road the Peltons. The whole district was called for the Peltons whose house stood near the succession of school buildings erected here. These Peltons were the ancestors of Wm. Mack of West Woodstock, his mother was Maria Pelton who married Alonzo Mack, a member of that early Woodstock family. Maria's father was Jonathan. The house standing now and occupied by Herman Reed, was built by Wm. Pelton, a brother of Maria, on or near the site of the earlier house. Across the
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road the Lovells lived and to the north of these houses were the Lothrops, which is sometimes spelt Lathrop. February 22, 1797, John and Betsy Lathrop signed a deed by which they sold some of their land to Beal Farnsworth. Beal was a son of Oliver Farnsworth who had settled in this section and owned over 400 acres of land. His deed was recorded in June 1773. He became a town official in 1774. Several town meetings were held in his house as it was centrally located at that time. He died in November 1785 and his widow married the Rev. Elijah Norton and they lived on her share of Oliver's property.
An old road crossed to the east from the Pelton School to the other hill road. At the point where it entered this road, Jonathan Kingsley built his plastered house in which he and many of his descendants lived. He came from Woodstock, Conn., with his son Jonathan as surveyors for the Church tract and he settled here in 1773, building a log cabin on the land south of the old road just men- tioned. I have seen his family Bible in which is recorded the births of his children. He died January 1835 and his wife Elizabeth Gray died in December of that same year. His plastered house was long since clap-boarded. Mrs. R. H. Kingsley and husband began their married life in this house. Jonathan's brother Ebenezer settled on land just south of him and brother Nehemiah south of Ebenezer. A chair with Nehemiah's initials cut on the back has been presented to me. Joseph Wood bought the Ebenezer Kings- ley land in 1785 and settled on that road. His son Samuel succeeded him there. This son was an important man in the town. There were other sons who became scattered about the country side.
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The Randalls, led by Nathaniel the first, came from Pem- broke, Mass., where he was a ship builder. He settled near the Reading line beyond Abiah Rice. In 1825 he with some of his family moved to Bristol Valley, N. Y., where descendants still live. Nathaniel the second lived just be- low the Wood place. His big brick house burned a few years ago. He married Betsey Brown in 1801 and one of the nine children was Nathaniel the third, who was the grandfather of Donald Richberg of this present time. The charming stone house on the cross road which is now partly closed, was occupied in 1832 by Dea. Andrew Smith. He bought that land of Phineas Sanderson. Billy Brown built the stone house which stands south of the Randall farm. Where did Thomas Brown, Wm. Wyllys, Micah Holmes, Nathaniel Pool, and Mr. Stetson live? The region was thickly settled. This Holmes family must have belonged to the Oliver Wendell Holmes line for the same first names are found in each family. Our questions about these many families go into the Silence and no answer returns.
Going back to the Pelton School and climbing the hill to the west, on different levels are found the sites of two houses and many old apple trees. Tom Perry lived at one of these places. Going up the long abandoned road, the cellar hole of Jonathan Mack's home is passed. The old road went through a glacier cut and joined the road which still comes out at the reservoir. The south end of this road is impassable. On Sunday afternoon August 29th, 1937, we tramped this abandoned road and when the pinnacle was reached, we looked out on the mountains to the west, south to Ascutney and east to beautiful hills. We gathered catnip and penny royal, the only time I have found it in
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Vermont. The bogs were covered with the bloom of lady's tresses, harebells and the flower of Parnassus.
On the hill road ending at the reservoir, in 1832 lived four families. The farm to the south was owned by a Mr. Mower, the next one by a Cox family, the next by Levi Blossom, and the last one by S. Thomas. Levi Blossom's deed is dated 1804. His son Charles later lived where Mr. Thomas lived and there his daughter Mrs. Laura Blossom Townsend was born in 1853. Samuel Washburn lived there for a number of years, as did Grace Gilbert Holt and her husband. The Blossom place was sold to Calvin Sher- win who left his home on Long Hill. Calvin was the father of Orlando, who became a well known and much loved Doctor in Woodstock. The Blossom place is owned by Mr. Edward G. Bailey.
Near the site of the present schoolhouse in the South Village Seth Sterling in 1788 had a blacksmith shop. Later he moved down the Kedron and continued his black- smithing near his house in the valley. Thomas Christie, Sr., lived on this common in a house built by Elisha Perkins in 1802. Foster Taylor must have occupied the same house, which he converted into a tavern. He hung out his Tavern Sign in 1818. Dr. Buckman lived here as did the Royls- tons. This was quite a fine house. It was torn down to make way for the school. The chimneys were standing when we came in 1902. They were huge affairs with many fireplaces both upstairs and down. A glimpse of this house is seen in the picture which shows the Kedron Tavern with horses and sleigh in the front.
The Paul Kendall house was built in 1800 by Richard Ransom, Jr., at a cost of $800. George Lake was the master
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builder. The cellar under this house is fourteen feet deep and so carefully was the wall laid up that not one stone has ever had to be replaced. This house and farm were sold in 1841 to Oliver Kendall whose descendants still live there. Across the road from this house, was built the sec- ond Ransom store in the South Parish in the year 1794. This is quite a remarkable structure. It has an overhang along the whole length towards the west which is plastered and for 136 years this plaster required no repairs. A large stone standing at the front end of the building was used as a mounting stone. In some sections of the country, they are called upping stones; one stepped onto this stone and then onto the horse. After the third Ransom store was built in 1822, this building was painted green and made into a vestry. It went by the name of the Green Vestry. In it were held religious services and other public meetings for some years, then it was made into a dwelling house and here lived Mr. and Mrs. Simeon Clark. They wove rag carpets. She was most expert in making good designs and people came from long distances to get their rags made up into carpets. Mrs. Clark knew all the family histories in the South Parish but she was kindly and discreet and her knowledge led to no difficulties. Her daughter married a son of Dr. Buckman.
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