A HISTORY OF f kdfofd, CONTAINING SOME ACCOUNT OF THE PLACE OF ITS FIRST SETTLEMENT IN 1765, AND THE PRINCIPAL IMPROVE MENTS MADE, AND EVENTS WHICH HAVE OCCURRED DOWN TO 1874 A PERIOD OF ONE HUNDRED AXD NINE YEARS. WITH VARIOUS GENEALOGICAL RECORDS, AND BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES OF FAMILIES AND INDIVIDUALS, SOME DECEASED, AND OTHERS STILL LIVING. By Rev. SILAS MeKEEN, D. D. \\ WRITTEN BY REQUEST OF SAID TOWN. MONTPELTER, VT. : J. D. CLARK & SON, PUBLISHERS. 1875. DEDICATION. To the present Inhabitants of BRADFORD, VERMONT, And Their Posterity ; Not forgetting Relatives and Friends abroad, This History, prepared by request of the Town, and con taining some account of many families and individuals who have here lived, and of the principal Transactions and Events which have here occurred during somewhat over a hundred years past, is RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED, by Their Friend, THE AUTHOR. BRADFORD, VT., October i, 1874. NOTE. Reminiscences of various other Families and Individuals would gladly have been included, had the requisite information been furnished ; as was reasonably and respectfully solicited by the writer. Printed at Argus and Patriot Office, Montpelier, Vt HISTORY OF BRADFORD, VERMONT. CONTENTS. CHAPTER I. Location Partial Survey, by order of the Governor of New Hampshire Charter by King George III Deed of 30,000 acres from William Smith, in behalf of the Proprietors, to quiet the Early Settlers Change of name, from Moretown to Bradford, by the Legislature of Vermont, and their grant of the township, in trust, to Smith, Harvey and Whitelaw, on certain conditions Disposal of the Hazen Appropriation Topography of the Township; W right s Mountain, Wait s River, &c Incidental notice of the first settlers. Page 9. CHAPTER II. Transactions of early Town Meetings A list of Town Clerks and Rep resentatives, from the first Roads surveyed, and distances from place to place Bridges built Freshets Army of Worms. Page 40. CHAPTER III, Ecclesiastical affairs Meeting-houses Churches; Congregational, Rev. J. K. Williams, Rev. L. H. Elliott; Methodist, with list of pastors; Bap tist Cemeteries Present population of the town. Page 54. CHAPTER IV. Educational matters District schools Funds for their support Acad emy Scientific society Newspapers Home for the Destitute Town Hall Manufactures Photography Banks Various business of the place, with biographical sketches of individuals engaged in it Fair grounds. Page 79. CHAPTER V. x The patriotism and soldiery of Bradford Captain Corliss, a veteran of the Revolution Charles May killed in a duel Bradford Brass Band. Page 97. 6 CHAPTER VI. Andrew B. Peters, Esq., and family, with biographical sketches of his father, Colonel John Peters, and others of historic distinction. Page 126. CHAPTER VII. The Baldwins; with their connections The Pecketts Chases and the Stricklands. Page 141. CHAPTER VIII. Dea. Reuben Martin and family Dea. Joseph Clark and family Rev. Dr. Martin Ruter The Fifield boy, that was lost and found. Page 158. CHAPTER IX. Dr. Bildad Andross Colonel John Barren General Micah Barron Captain William Trotter Their families. Page 172. CHAPTER X. The Hunkins, Underwood, Bliss, and Wright families. Page 201. CHAPTER XI. The McDuffees James Wilson, the Globe Maker David Wilson, Esq. Their families. Page 234. CHAPTER XII. The Tabors, Putnams, Pearsons, and Sawyers. Page 260. CHAPTER XIII. The Kimball, Simpson, Colby, Greenleaf, and Corliss families. Page 277. CHAPTER XIV. John B. Peckett, Esq., and family The Johnsons Willards Worth- leys Armstrongs and Nelsons. Page 292. CHAPTER XV. The Aldrich, Hardy, and Shaw families, Page 310. 7 CHAPTER XVI. The Prichards, Lows, and Ormsbys. Page 339. CHAPTER XVII. Dea. George L. Butler James I). Clark Captain Charles Rogers John Flanders David Manson Their families. Page 359- CHAPTER XVIII. Hon. J. W. Batchelder Roswell Farnham, Esq., Adams Preston Wil liam B. Stevens C. P. Clark B. Hay A. Osborn J. K. Davis Dea. Israel Cummings Their families. Page 374. CHAPTER XIX. Physicians Aubery, Andross, Stebbins, Whiting, Whipple, Putnam, Colby, Poole, Martin, Carter, Cushiug, Carpenter, Doty, Warden, and others. Page 392. CHAPTER XX. Rev. S. McKeen and family. Page 411. CHAPTER XXI. Specimens of Bradford poetry, by Thomas Ormsby, Thomas Tabor, Miss Lydia White, Emily R. Page Catharine McKeen and Rev. S. McKeen. Page 438. VALEDICTION. Page 459. OF 1 BRADFORD, VERMONT. CHAPTER I. Location Partial Survey, by Order of the Governor of New Hamp shire Charter by Kino- George III Deed of 30,000 Acres From Win. Smith, in Behalf of the Proprietors, to Quiet the Early Settlers Change of the Name, From Mooretown to Bradford, by the Legislature of Vermont: and Their Grant of the Township in Trust, to Smith, "Harvey and Whitelaw, on Certain Conditions Disposal of the Ha/en Appropriation Topography of the Township: Wright s Mountain, Wait s River, &<. Incidental Notices of the first Settlers. Bradford, in Orange County, lying on the west side of Connecticut river, opposite .to Piermont in Xe\v Hamp shire, is bounded S. by Fairlee and West Fairlee, W. by Corinth, and X. by Newhury: and occupies a position about midway between the South and North limits of the State ; lat. 44 N., long. 4 , 46 , E. In the year 1760, as stated in the introductory chapter to Orange County,* the Governor of Ne\v Hampshire com missioned Joseph Blanchard, of Dunstable in that State, to make a survey of Connecticut river northward from No. 4, as Charlestown, N. H. was then called, and -at the end of every six miles, on a straight line, to mark a tree, or set a boundary on each side of the river, for a town ship. This survey, made mainly on the ice, was comple ted in the month of March, of that year, and extended up the river to what is now the X. E. corner of Newbury. The tract of country now embraced in Orange Countv was then an unbroken wilderness, claimed both by Xe\v * See Vermont Historical Magazine. 10 Hampshire and New York, unsurveyed, and no part of it granted either to individuals or corporations. In his sur vey northward Blanchard made his seventh six miles boundary on the west side of the river, where the N. E. corner of Fairlee and the S. E. corner of Bradford now are ; thence proceeding six miles up the river he made another corner mark on a tree which stood about one rod S. W. from the 8. VV. corner of Bedel s bridge, subse- quently built, where the bridge* across the Connecticut, between South Newbury and Haverhill now is ; as was testified under oath, by said Blanchard and Thomas Cham berlain,, his assistant, when taken to the spot in 1808 for the express purpose of determining this point. From that bound, Blanchard proceeded northward till he came to the upper end of the great meadows, a distance of seven miles from the bound last mentioned, and near there, on a little island opposite to the mouth of the Great Ammon- oosuc, made another bound, which still marks the N. E. corner of Newbury ; thus giving to that township, on its north side, an extra tract of land, a mile in width, and at least six miles in length. Here lie finished his survey, and returned to headquarters, to make the requisite re port. The next year a survey of the same sort was made under the same authority, by Hughbastis Neel, from where Blanchard left off to the north end of the great meadows, called the upper Coos. From these surveys a plan was made, and three tiers of towns on each side of the river projected, and several of them chartered without any further actual survey on the ground. In that year, 1701, there were applicants for about every township on the river, so far as then surveyed. . In 17G3, March 18, Capt. Jacob Bailey obtained, in be half of himself and Qthers, a charter of Newbury, from New Hampshire, in accordance with Blanchard s survey and plan on paper, making the S. E. corner on the river, seven miles from the N. E., as before stated. 11 About the same time, John Hazen took out a corres ponding charter of Haverhill ; and in June of that year, 1763, the proprietors of Haverhill and Newbury had a meeting, with a view to the actual survey and allotment of the respective townships ; and chose Caleb Willard as their chief surveyor, who employed Benjamin Whiting as his assistant. Willard began his survey from the N. E. boundary of Newbury, as made by his predecessor, and proceeded down the river to his, Blanchard s, next bound ary, which he found to be a little over seven miles distant ; but without stopping there, he continued directly on one mile and seventeen- chains further, into the unchar- tered tract, now Bradford, where he made a new 8. E. corner of Newbury ; leaving the distance thence to the N. E. corner of Fairlee but four miles and sixty-three chains, instead of six miles, as in justice it should have been. Thus Waits River Town, as they called it, being unchartered, and having no one to stand up for its rights, was deprived of a strip of land one mile and sixtv-eight rods in width, and extending across its northern limit from E. to W. That this was done by the connivance and direction of the proprietors above named, there can be no rational doubt, as Willard, having stt that bound, went di rectly across the river and performed the same service for Haverhill, at the expense of Fiermont, then unchartered, and Whiting, pursuing the survey of Newbury, ran from the new boundary N. fifty-nine degrees, W. eight miles for its southern line or side ; whereas according to its charter it should have been but six and one-fourth miles, thus making a great addition on the west, as well as on the south, and giving the proprietors of that town over 40,000 acres, when entitled to but 27,000, according to their grant from New Hampshire. This grasp, however, on the west was subsequently abandoned. In 1772, Newbury, having resigned her New Hampshire charter to New York, took out from that government, by 12 royal authority, a new one, dated March 19 of that year, which coincided with their original charter from New Hampshire and with the royal charter of Mooretown granted two years before ; paying no regard whatever to the Willard and Whiting survey, which had so enormously and unjustifiably increased the area^ of that township. This encouraged the inhabitants of Mooretown to insist more strenuously on their right to the tract on their northern border in dispute, and the settlers on the same for some time attended town meetings, voted, and paid taxes, in that new township. This state of things contin ued till 1778, when Vermont having declared itself inde pendent and consequently free from the jurisdiction both of New Hampshire and New York, Newbury again in sisted on its claim, and has ever since held it; though not without occasional remonstrances from their dissatisfied, but well-disposed neighbor*. Here we see how it came to pass that Bradford is, in area, so much smaller than Newbury so much less than the average of other towns in Orange County. For these historical facts we are in debted to a manuscript, prepared evidently with great care, by John McDuffee, Esq., a distinguished surveyor, now deceased, but formerly of Bradford. The first inhabitants of Waits River town, or Waits- town, its the tract now known as Bradford was originally called, came as adventurers, and took up for themselves land by what was styled pitches, without license or au thority, from any source whatever; and continued along in this way from the first settlement by John Osmer or Hosmer, on the North side of Waits river, at its confluence with the Connecticut, in 1765, to the year 1770; when, the number of land-holders amounting to thirty, it -was deemed by them to be high time to obtain, if possible, some valid title to their lands, and to have the tract between Newbury and Fairlee constituted a township. For this purpose., they jointly commissioned 13 Samuel Sleeper, one of their number, to go to New York T and agree, if practicable, with one William Smith, Esq., an influential m in of that city, to obtain for them a royal charter, with a distinct understanding between them and him that on his procuring the desired charter he should give them a good title to the lands they had begun to cultivate, one hundred acres to each, and that he and such proprietors as lie should engage with him, should hold as their own all the rest of the township. The mission of Sleeper was attended with the desired success, as we shall see by the authentic documents here following. The substance of the charter might be given in a few sentences, but as a matter of curiosity, and example of how matters of this sort were then transacted, it may be more satisfactory to see a copy of the said charter pre cisely as originally expressed by royal authority. " Charter of Hboretown, subsequently called Bradford, by King George the Third, May 3d, 1770. " GEORGE the Third, by the grace of God, of Great Britain, France and Ireland king, defender of the faith and so forth : To all to whom these presents shall come, Greeting. WHEREAS our loving subject William Smith of our city of New York, Esquire, by his humble petition in behalf of his associates presented unto our trusty and well beloved Cadwallder Golden Esquire, our Lieutenant Governor and Commander in Chief of our Province of New York and the territories depending thereon in America, and read in our Council for our said province, on the twenty-eighth day of March, now last past, did set forth that on the Seventh day of November which was in the year of our Lord One Thousand seven hundred and severi ty-six, a petition was preferred to our late trusty and well beloved Sir Henry Moore, Baronet, then our Captain General and Governor in Chief of our said province, in the name of John French and his associates, praying a grant of certain lands on the west side of Connecticut 14 river That onr said late Captain General and Governor in Chief was advised by our Council to grant the pi-ay er of the said petition, and that a Warrant issued the same day to the Surveyor General for a Survey thereof That the said John French is since deceased, and that the pe titioner and his associates are the persons intended to be chiefly benefitted by that application That the tract that they desire to take up contains, as it is supposed, about Thirty Thousand Acres, to the Southward of a tract of land commonly called or known by the name of Newberry, and adjoining the same, and w;is granted under the prov ince of New Hampshire That there are diverse persons settled within the limits of the said tract of land, amount ing in all to Thirty families, to whom the petitioner and his associates intend to convey, after a Patent is issued, Three Thousand Acres, to wit, to the head of each family One Hundred Acres, in such a manner as to secure to them the parts they have respectively cultivated and there fore the petitioner did humbly pray that the lands afore said might be granted to him and his associates as tenants in common in fee, agreeable to the directions 1 and upon the terms of our Royal Instructions Which petition having been referred to a Committee of cur Council for our said province, our said Council did afterward on the same Twenty-eighth day of March, in pursuance of the report of the said Committee humbly advise and consent that our said Lieutenant Governor and Ccmmander in Chief as aforesaid, should, by our Letters Patent, grant to the said William Smith and his asspciates and their heirs, the lands described in the said petition according to tie prayer thereof, under the quit rent pr<,viV< es, limitati< us and restrictions, presented by our Royal Instructions, and that the said lands should by the said Letters Patent be erected into a Township, by the name of MOOEE Towx, with the privileges usually granted to other Townships within our saiol Province. In pursuance whereof anol in 15 obedience to our said Royal Instructions, our Commission ers appointed lor setting out all lands to be granted with in our said province have set out for the said petitioner William Smith and his associates, to wit: James Robert son, Richard Maitland, William Shereff, Goldsbrow Ban- yar, Andrew Andersen, Jonathan Mallet, Peter Van Brugh Livingston, Charles McEvers, Hugh Gaine, Francis Stev ens. William Bruce, Thos. William Moore, Samuel Yer Planck, Richard Yates, Abraham Mortier, Abraham Lyii- sen, Abraham Lott, Hamilton Young, Garret Noel, Eben- ezer Hazzard, John Aslop, Thomas James 7 Thomas Smith, and Samuel Smith, All that certain Tract or Parcel of Land Iving and being on the west side of Connecticut River in the Count} of Gloucester within our province of New York, Beginning on the west bank of said river at a white pine tree blazed and marked for the Northeast cor ner of a tract of land known by the name of Fairlee, and runs thence north, sixty-one degrees west, five hundred and ninety chains, ; then north thirty-two degrees east, five hundred and twenty chains : then south fifty-nine degrees east, five hundred chains to the said river; then down said river, as it winds and turns, to the place where this tract began ; containing Twenty-five Thousand Acres of Land and the usual allowance for highways. And in setting out the said tract of twenty-five thousand acres of land, our said Commissioners have had regard to the profitable and unprofitable acres, and have taken care that the length thereof doth not extend along the banks of any river otherwise than is conformable to our said Royal In structions, as by a Certificate thereof under their hands, bearing date the Seventh day of April now last past, and entered, on record in c.uv Secretary s Office for our said province may mere fully ay/pear; which said tract of land, set out as aft resaid according to cur Royal Instructions, we being willing to grant to said petitioner and his asso ciates, their heirs and assigns forever, with the several 16 privileges and powers hereinafter mentioned KNOW YE, That of our special grace, certain knowledge, and mere motion, we have given, granted, ratified and confirmed, and by these presents, for us, our heirs and successors, give, grant, ratify and confirm unto them, the said William Smith, James Robertson, Richard Maitland, William Shrr- eff, Goldsbrow Banyar, Andrew Anderson, Jonathan Mal let, Peter Van Brugh Livingston, Charles McEvers, Hugh Gaine, Francis Stephens, William Bruce, Thos. William Moore, Samuel Ver Planck, Richard Yates, Abraham Mnr- tier, Abraham Lynseri, Abraham Lott, Hamilton Young, Garret Noel, Ebenezer Ha/zard, John Alsop, Thomas James, Thomas Smith, and Samuel Smith, their heirs and assigns forever, All that, the tract or parcel of bind afore said ; set out, abutted, bounded and described, in manner and form as above mentioned, together with all and sin gular the tenements, hereditaments, emoluments and ap purtenances thereunto belonging or appertaining, and also all our estate, right, title, interest, possession, claim and demand whatsoever of, in, and to the same lands and premises, and every part and parcel thereof, and the re version and reversions, remainder and remainders, rents, issues, and profits thereof; Except, and always reserved out of this our present Grant, unto us our heirs and suc cessors for ever, all mines of Gold and Silver, and also all white and other sorts of Pine Trees .fit for Masts, of the growth of twenty-four inches diameter and upwards at twelve inches from the earth, for Masts of the Royal XHVV of us, our heirs and successors. To HAVE A?vr> TO HOLD, one full and equal twenty-fifth part (the whole into twen ty-five equal parts to be divided) of the said tract or par cel of land, tenements, hereditaments and premises, by these presents granted, ratified and confirmed, and every part and parcel thereof with their, and ever^y of their ap purtenances, (except as is herein before excepted) unto each of them our grantees above mentioned, their heirs 17 and assigns respectively, to their only proper and sepa rate use and behoof, respectively and forever, as tenants in common and not as joint tenants, to be holden of us, our heirs and successors, in free and common socage, as of our Manor of East Greenwich in our county of Kent ?> within our kingdom of Great Britain, yielding, rendering and paying therefor yearly, and every year forever, unto us, our heirs and successors, at our Custom House in our citv of New York, unto our or their Collector or Receiver General there, for the time being, on the feast of the An nunciation of the blessed Virgin Mary, commonly called Lady Day, the yearly rent of two shillings and sixpence sterling, for each and every hundred acres of the above granted lands, and so in proportion for any less quantity thereof, saving and except for such part of the said lauds allowed for highways as above mentioned, in lieu and stead of all other rents, services, dues, duties and de mand whatever, for the hereby granted lands and premises, or any part thereof. And we do also, of our special grace, certain knowledge and mere motion, create, erect, and constitute, the tract or parcel of land herein granted, and every part and parcel thereof, a Township, forever here after to continue and remain, and by the name of MOOKE TOWN forever hereafter to be called and known : ;md for the better and more easily carrying on and managing the publick affairs of said Township our Royal will and pleas ure is, and we do hereby for us, our heirs and successors give and grant to the said Township, all the powers and authorities, privileges and advantages heretofore granted to. or legally enjoyed by, all, any, or either our other Townships within our said province. And we also ordain and establish that, there shall be forever hereafter, in the said Township, two Assessors, one Treasurer, two Over seers of the high ways, two Overseers of the pdor, one Collector, and four Constables, elected and chosen out of the inhabitants of the said Township yearly, and every U8 year, on the first Tuesday in May, at the most publick place in the said Township by the majority of the free holders thereof, then and there met and assembled for that purpose ; Hereby declaring- that wheresoever the first Election in the said Township shall be held, the future Elections shall forever thereafter be held, in the same place, as near as may be, and giving and granting to the said officers so chosen, power and authority to exercise their said several and respective offices, during one whole year from such Election, arid until others are legally chosen and elected in their room and stead, as fully and amply as any like officers have, or leg-illy may use or exercise their offices in our said province; and in case any or either of the said officers shall die, or remove from the said Town ship, before the time of their annual service shall be ex pired, or refuse to act in the offices for which they shall be respectively chosen, then our Royal will and pleasure further is, and we do hereby direct, ordain, and require the freeholders of the said Township to meet at the place where the annual election shall be held tor the said Town ship and clmsc other, or others of the inhabitants of the said township in the place and stead of him or them so dying, removing, or refusing to act, within forty day s after such contingency. And to prevent any undue Elec tion in this case, we do hereby ordain and require that upon every vacancy in the office of Assessors, the Treas urer, and in either of the other offices, the Assessors of the said township, shall, within ten days next after any such vacancy first happens, appoint the day for such Elec tion arid give public notice thereof in writing Minder his or their hands, by affixing the notice on the Church door or other most publick place in the said Township, at the least ten days before the day appointed for such Election; And in default thereof, we do hereby require the officer or officers of the said Township, or the e-urvivor of them, who in the order thev are hereinheforementioried shall 19 succeed him or them so making default, within ten days next after such default, to appoint the day for such Elec tion, and give notice thereof as aforesaid, hereby giving and granting that such person or persons as shall be chosen by the majority of such of the freeholders of the said township as shall meet in manner hereby directed, shall have, hold, exercise and enjoy the office or offices to which he or they shall be so elected and chosen, from the time of such election until the first Tuesday in May, then next folio wing, and until other or others be legally chosen in his or their place and ste-id, as fully as the person or persons in whose place he or they shall be chosen might or could have done by virtue of these presents. And we do hereby will and direct that this method shall forever after be used for the filling up all vacancies that shall hap pen in any or either of said offices between the annual Elections above directed. PROVIDED ALWAYS, .and upon condition, nevertheless. That if our said grantees, their heirs or assigns, or some, or one of them, shall not within three years next after the date of this our present Grant, settle on the said tract of land hereby granted, so many families as shall amount to one family for every thousand acres of the same tract, or if they our said grantees, or one of them, their, or one of their, heirs or assigns, shall not also within three years, to be computed as aforesaid, plant and effectually culti vate, at least three acres for every fifty acres of such of the hereby granted lands as are capable of cultivation: or if they our said grantees, or any of them, or any of their heirs or assigns, or any other person or persons by their, or any of their privity, censent, or procurement shall fell, cut down, or otherwise destroy any of the Pine Trees by these presents reserved to us, cur heirs and suc cessors, or hereby intended so to be, without the Royal License of us, our heirs, or successors, for so doing first had and obtained, that then, and in any of these cases. 20 this our present Grant and everything therein contained shall cease, and be absolutely void ; and the lands and premises hereby granted shall revert to, and vest in us, our heirs and successors, as if this our present Grant had not been made ; any thing herein before contained to the contrary in any-wise, notwithstanding. Provided further, and upon condition, also, neverthe less, and we do hereby for us, our heirs and successors, direct and appoint that this our present Grant shall be registered and entered on record within six month there of, in our vSecretary s office in our city of New York, in our said province, in one of the books of Patents there remaining, and that a Poquet thereof shall also be entered in our Auditor s Office there, for our said Province : and that in default thereof, this our present Grant shall be void, and of none offect ; any thing before in these pres ents contained to the contrary thereof, in any-wise, not withstanding. And we do, moreover, of our special grace, certain knowledge, and mere motion, consent and agree that, this our present Grant, being registered, recorded, and a Doquet thereof made, as before directed and ap pointed, shall be good and effectual in the law, to all in tents, constructions and purposes whatever, against us, our heirs and successors, notwithstanding any misreciting, misbounding, misnaming or other imperfection or omis sion of, in, or in any-wise concerning, the above granted, or hereby mentioned or intended to be granted, lands, tenements, hereditaments and premises, or any part thereof. IN TESTIMONY WHEREOF, We have caused our Letters to be made Patent, and the Great Seal of our said rre- vince to be thereunto affixed. WITNESS our said trusty and well beloved Cacwallf er Golden Esquire, our said Lieutenant Governor and Ccm- mander in Chief of our said province of New York and the territories depending thereon, in America, at our Fort in the city of New York the Third dav of May, in the 21 year of our Lord One Thousand Seven Hundred and Sev enty : and of our reign the Tenth. State of New York ( Secretaries Office j I hereby Certify the preceeding to be a true copy ol Letters Patent, as of record in this Office. July 8th, 1807. Ben. Ford Dep. Sec." By a deed from the aforesaid William Smith, of New York, to Samuel Sleeper, of Mooretown, dated August 14, 1770, and recorded in the office of the Clerk of the county of Gloucester, subsequently Orange, December 31, 1770, it appears that the twenty-four grantees who wore asso ciated with the said William Smith, whose names are given in the above recited Royal Grant, or Charter, did, on the 30th arid 31st day of May in the same year, by a certain Indenture of Lease and Release, convey and con firm to him, the said Smith, all their rights and titles to the lands, and everything pertaining thereto in the said Mooretown and that, in accordance with a request from, and agreement with, the settlers on the said tract, or par- cjl of land, made in writing, before the Royal Charter was obtained, and with a view to secure to them their respec tive rights, the said Smith did, August 14, 1770, by an i4 Indenture of Lease and Release/ convey arid confirm to Samuel ^leeper all his right and title to certain tracts or sections of land, which are particularly described, ly ing along on Connecticut River, eight in number, not ad joining each other, but in alternate sections, and reaching back from said river about one mile and a half, on an av erage, the same to contain, in the whole, three thousand acres, more or less. The settlers were then sparsely located, along near the river, most of them ; and this deed, in ac cordance with, their agreement with Sleeper, one of their number, was given to secure to them their claims to the 22 lands on which they had, without any authority, made settlements. It is obvious that in the transaction Smith kept a sharp look-out to his personal interest, in the way of lands, and especially water privileges. By the way, this is the traet of three thousand acres lying in Moore- town, on Connecticut River, which Thompson s Vermont Gazzetteer erroneously tells us was granted by the State of New York to Sir Harry Moore, and by him con veyed to thirty settlers. It does not appear that Sir Harry Moore ever had any interest in the matter. The following is a certified copy of the Deed, or as it was called, " Indenture of Lease and Release," from Wil liam Smith to .Samuel Sleeper, with a view to quiet the thirty first settlers in their possessions. As it Avas at the time a very important document, and somewhat curious in its specifications, we give it entire. 11 DEED FROM WILLIAM SMITH, ESQ., TO SAMUEL SLEEPER, ESQ. 3,000 ACRES. " This Indenture, made the Fourteenth day of August, in the year of our Lord, One. Thousand Seven Hundred and and Seventy, Between the Honorable William Smith, Esq., of the city of New York, Party of the first part, and Samuel Sleeper, Esq., of Mooretown, County of Glou cester, Party of the second part ; Whereas our Sovereign Lord, King George the Third, by his Letters Patent, dated at Fort George, in the city of New Y r ork, on the Third day of May, in the said year of our Lord, One Thousand Seven Hundred and Seventy, did grant unto the said William Smith and Twenty-lour other persons, therein named, all that certain tract or parcel of land, in the Provincee of New Y^ork, situate, lying and being on the west side of Connecticut River in the said county of Gloucester. Beginning on the west side of the river at a White Pine Tree, blazed and marked for the Northeast corner of a Tract of land known by the name of Fairlee, and runs thence, North sixty-one degrees West, Five Hundred and ninety chains ; then North, Thirty-two de grees East, Five Hundred and Twenty Chains ; then South, Fifty-nine degrees East, Five Hundred Chains, to the river, then down the river, as it winds and turns, to the place where the Tract first began ; containing Twen ty-five thousand acres of land, and the usual allowances for highways To Have and to Hold one equal Twenty - fifth part thereof; the whole, in Twenty-five parts to be divided unto each of the said Grantees, their heirs and assigns, as Termants in common ; and to hold the same of our said Lord, the King, his heirs and successors, in free and common Socage, and upon the terms mentioned in the said Letters Patent, as by the same, reference thereto be ing had, may more fully appear; and whereas by Indent ures of Lease and Release, dated repectively the Thirtieth and Thirty-first day of May, in the same year of our Lord One Thousand Seven Hundred and Seventy, the several Twenty-four other Grantees, in the same Patent named, did convey their several parts, shares, and proprieties, to the said William Smith, to hold the same, to his heirs and assigns forever, in fee, as by the said Indenture of Lease and Release, reference thereto being had, may more fully appear, by virtue of which Letters Patent and Indenture, he the said party of the first part is now seized in fee of all that Tract of Land by the same Letters Patent granted, and hereinbefore described, Now, Therefore, This Indent ure Witnesseth, That, the said William Smith, for diverse good causes and considerations, him thereunto moving, and in full completion of an agreement made previous to the issuing of the same Letters Patent, for the benefit of the settlers on the said Tract, and at their request, signi fied in writing, under their hands, and for the sum of Ten Shillings, lawful money, to him in hand paid by the said Samuel Sleeper, as is hereby acknowledged, hath granted, 24 bargained and sold, aliened, released and confirmed, and hereby doth clearly and absolutely grant, bargain and sell, alien, release and confirm unto him, the said Samuel (in his actual possession, by virtue of a bargain and sale for one year, to him thereof, made by Indenture, dated yes terday, according to the terms of the statute, for the trans ferring of uses into possession,) his heirs and assigns for ever, all those several lots, pieces or parcels of land here inafter more fully described, being part of the land above mentioned, and said lots in one certain map thereof made and hereunto affixed, and known and distinguished by Lots, number One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, and Eight, and respectively butted and bounded as fol lows, To- wit : Lot 1st, 510 acres, " The first of the said lots, or Num ber One, begins at a marked White Pine Tree standing on the West bank of Connecticut River, about forty-nine chains and an half distant, on a straight line from the mouth of Hall s Brook, which empties into the said River; thence North, fifty-nine degrees West, one hundred and forty-eight chains ; thence, South, thirty-one degrees West, thirty chains ; thence South, fifty-nine degrees East, one hundred and sixty-three chains, to the West bank of the said River, as it winds and turns, to the place of beginning ; and contains five hundred and ten acres." Lot 2d, 299 acres, " The second of the said lots, or Number Two, begins, ten chains distant from the South west corner of lot number one, on a course South, thirty- one degrees West, and runs thence South, thirty-one de grees West, twenty-five chains and fifty links; thence South fifty-nine degrees East, one hundred and seventeen chains, to the said West bank of Connecticut River ; thence along the same as it winds and turns, to the in tersection of a line South fifty -nine- degrees East, from the place of beginning on the south side of HalPs Brook, thence North fifty-nine degrees West, one hundred and 25 twenty chains, to the place of beginning ; and contains two hundred and ninety-nine acres." Lot 3d, 389 acres, " The third of said lots, or Number Three, begins twelve chains distant from the Southwest corner of lot number two, on a course South, thirty-one degrees West, and runs thence, in the same course, twen ty-nine chains, thence South fifty-nine degrees East, one hundred and seven chains, to the said bank of Connecti cut .River ; then along the same as it winds arid turns, to the intersection of a line South, fifty -nine degrees East, from the place of beginning ; thence North fifty-nine de grees West, to the place of beginning; and containing three hundred arid eighty-nine acres of land." Lot 4th, 842 acres, " The fourth of the said lots, or Number Four, begins twenty-four chains distant from the Southwest corner of lot number three, on a course South, thirty-one degrees West ; and runs thence on the same course seventy-four chains; thence South fifty-nine de grees East, one hundred chains, to the said bank of the Connecticut River ; thence along the same as it winds and turns, to the intersection of a line South, fifty-nine degrees East, from the place of beginning ; thence North fifty-nine degrees West, one hundred and nine chains, to the place of beginning ; and contains eight hundred and forty-two acres." Lot 5th, 73 acres, "The fifth lot, or Number Five, be gins twenty-three chains distant from the Southwest cor ner of lot number four, on a course South thirty-one de grees West, and runs thence on the same course fourteen chains and fifty links ; thence South fifty-nine degrees East, sixty chains to the West bank of Wait s River ; thence down along the northerly side of the same, as it winds and turns, to the intersection of a line South, and fifty-nine degrees East, from the place of beginning ; con taining seventy-three acres." Lot 6th, 329 acres, " The sixth of said lots, or Number 26 Six, begins eleven chains and fifty links from the South west corner of lot number five, on a course South, thirty - one degrees West, and runs thence on the same course twenty-six chains ; thence South fifty-nine degrees East, one hundred and thirty chains, to the said west bank of Connecticut River ; thence along the said river, as it winds and turns, to the intersection of a line South fifty- nine degrees West, one hundred and twenty-five chains from the place of beginning ; thence North fifty-nine de grees West, one hundred and twenty-five chains to the place of beginning and contains three hundred and twenty-nine acres." Lot 7th, 280 acres, " The seventh of said lots, or Num ber Seven, begins fifteen chains and fifty links distant from the Southwest corner of lot number six, on a course South, thirty-one degrees West, and runs thence on the same course twenty chains ; thence South, fifty-nine de grees East, one hundred and forty-two chains, to the said West bank of Connecticut River ; thence along the same as it winds and turns, to the intersection of a line South, fifty-nine degrees East, from the place of beginning ; thence North, fifty-nine degrees West, one hundred and thirty-seven chains and fifty links, to the place of begin ning ; and contains two hundred and eighty acres." Lot 8th, 303 acres, " The eighth of the said lots, or Number Eight, begins twenty-seven chains distant from the Southwest corner of lot number seven, on a course South, thirty-one degrees West, and runs thence on the same course fifteen chains ; thence South fifty-nine de grees East, four hundred and six chains arid fifty links, to the said West bank of the said Connecticut River ; thence along the same, as it winds and turns, to the intersection of a line South fifty-nine degrees East, from the place of beginning; thence North fifty-nine degrees West, two hundred and forty-eight chains to the place of beginning; and contains three hundred and three acres. 27 And also, All that one equal and individual moiety, or half part of land to be laid out in a square on both sides of the said Wait s River, the middle Easterly side where of is to be eight rods below that fall in the said river which is nearest to the mouth thereof; and also all those spots of ground upon which a Grist-mill and Saw-mill now are, or may be, or are intended to be erected, nearest to the foot of the said fall ; And also, all that spot of ground in the said Wait s River necessarily used, or to be used in the construction of one dam, across the said river for the use of the said mills, and all houses, buildings, orch ards, gardens, land-meadows, commons, pasture-feedings, trees, woods, underwoods, ways, paths, waters, water courses, enjoyments, profits, accommodations, advantages, emoluments and hereditaments whatsoever, to the several lots and parcels of land above granted, belonging, or any wise appertaining, or which now are, or formerly have been, accepted, reputed, taken, known, used, occupied, or enjoyed, to, or with, the same, or as part or parcel or num ber thereof, or of any part thereof; and the reversions and remissions, remainder and remainders, rents, issues, and services thereof, and of every part thereof, with the appurtenances saving and accepting to the said William Smith, his heirs and assigns forever, out of this grant and conveyance, such part of the fall on Wait s River afore said [as is or shall be] " fit for one Grist-mill and one Saw mill, to be erected by the said William Smith, his heirs and assigns, other than the spot above granted to the said Samuel Sleeper for one Grist-mill and one Saw-mill, situ ate, or to be situated, as aforesaid ; and saving and ex cepting also, so much of the ground on the said Wait s River necessarily to be used in the construction of a dam across the said river, for the use of the said Grist mill, as to be located at the election of the said William Smith, his heirs and assigns, with free liberty of passing and re -passing to the same, by the said William Smith, 28 his heirs and assigns, and all other persons whatsoever ; To have and to hold all and singular the premises hereby granted, or intended to be granted, with the appurtenan ces, excepting as before is excepted, unto the said Samuel Sleeper, his heirs and assigns forever ; provided always, and these presents are upon this express condition, that the said Grist-mill and Saw-mill and dam, hereby granted, are erected and situated, or shall when erected be situa ted as aforesaid ; nearest to the foot of the said fall ; and provided also, if there be not room and convenience on the said fall for the erection of one or more other Grist mills and Saw-mills and dams, than the said Grist-mill and Saw-mill and darn, hereby granted, then so much of this present indenture as grants and conveys to the said Sam uel Sleeper, his heirs and assigns, places and spots for one Grist-mill and Saw-mill and one dam, shall be absolutely null and void, any thing in the presents contained, to the contrary notwithstanding. 7 " In witness whereof the parties to these presents have hereunto interchangeably set their hands and seals, on the day and year first above written. WM. SMITH, j Witness, Gov. MORRIS, STEPHEN LUSK, SAMUEL WELLS. " Province of New York, SS. f Be it remembered that, on the Fif teenth day of August, One Thousand Seven Hundred and Seventy, personally came and appeared before me, John Watts, Esquire, one of His Majesty s council for the Pro vince of New York, Samuel Wells, one of the subscribing witnesses to the written deed, who being by me duly sworn, did depose and say that he saw the written Grant or, the Honorable William Smith, Enquire, seal and deliver 29 the written indenture of release, as his voluntary act and deed ; for the use therein mentioned ; and that this de ponent and the other witnesses, Governor Morris and Ste phen Lusk, signed their names thereunto ; and I have in spected the same, and finding no material erasures or in terlineations save those that are noted to have been made before the signing and sealing thereof, I do allow the same to be recorded. JOHN WATTS, Gloucester County, ) ^ Province of New York, f k December 31, One Thousand Seven Hundred and Seventy, the above was ordered, by me, JOHN PETERS, Clerk." The early settlers, twenty-two in number, being thus virtually made safe in their possessions, entered, March 18, 1771, into a covenant with Ebenezer Martin, Jesse McFarland, and Hezekiah Silloway, all of the said town, in the County of Gloucester and Province of New York, that the said committee should make to the said settlers such distribution of the three thousand acres of land which they in common drained, as, in the opinion of the committee, should be just and equitable ; and the settlers, on their part, jointly and severally bound themselves, their heirs, executors, administrators, attorney or attor neys, to the said Martin and his associates, under a pen alty of ten thousand pounds, lawful currency, to abide by the decision in each case. This bond was signed by the names following : David Thompson, John Martin, James Aikin, Benjamin Jenkins, William Thompson, Samuel Mc- Dutfee, Samuel Gault, Ephraim Collins, Matthew Miller, Nathaniel Martin, Amos Davis, Obadiah Saunders, Jona than Martin, William Bell, Ephriam Martin, Samuel Thomp son, David Kennedy, David Davis, Samuel Miller, John Sawyer, Hannah Sleeper, and Hugh Miller. Such was the Royal Charter of, and some of the earli est official transactions in regard to Mooretown ; or, as 30 both its inhabitants and the General Assembly of Ver mont subsequently, but erroneously insisted on calling it, Moretown. The original name was, beyond doubt, given it in honor of Sir Henry Moore, Baronet, and from 1765 to 1769, Captain General and Governor in Chief, in and over the Province of New York. But in accordance with the request of its inhabitants to the General Assembly of Vermont, then in session at Manchester, its name was changed, October 23, 1788, as follows : " It is hereby enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Vermont, That the name of the township of Moretown, in the County of Orange, be forever hereafter known by the name of Bradford : And that it is hereby provided that, whenever an advertisement respecting said Township shall be published, within three years from the passing of this act, it shall be called l Bradford, heretofore known by the name of Mooretown, in Orange County. " See M. S. Laws of Vermont, 1787, to 1792; Vol. ii, p 260. Probably the name Bradford was suggested by the fact that in the near vicinity of Newbury and Haverhill, Mass., there was, and still is, a highly respectable town, named Bradford. For apparently a similar reason this township was, for a while, called Salem, as appears from a deed given, and a road survey made and recorded in 1786. The first name of all was "Wait s River Town," or " Waitstown ;" at which place a petition, signed by Samuel Hale, John Peters, and others, was dated May 21, 1770. A grant of the Township of Bradford to Israel Smith and others, by the Legislature of Vermont. An act making a grant of the Township of Bradford, alias Moretown, to Israel Smith, Alexander Harvey, and James Whitelaw, Esquires, as a committee intrust, for the purposes in said act specified, passed Jan. 25, 1791, at Bennington 7 is as follows : 31 " It is hereby enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Vermont, " That there be, and hereby is, granted to Israel Smith, Esq., of Thetford, Alexander Harvey, Esq., of Barnet, and James Whitelaw, Esq., of Ryegate, all in the County of Orange and State of Vermont, all that tract or parcel of land known and distinguished by the name of Bradford, bounded, South on Fairlee, West on Corinth, North on Newbury, arid East on Connecticut River ; to be held by the said Israel, Alexander and James, in trust, for the pur pose hereafter mentioned. And It is hereby further enacted by the authority aforesaid that, the said Israel Smith, Alexander Harvey, and James Whitelaw be, and they are hereby made, a Committee of Trust, and also constituted a Board to hear, and according to equity and good conscience to try and determine the several claims of the settlers, inhabitants, and claimants in and to said township, and that it be the duty of said committee, in their discretion, to appoint a time or times, and place or places, for the hearing of the said several claims to said land ; and to give public notice thereof to the said claimants to, and settlers on, said land ; and, on any person or persons, claimants to and settlers on said land, making it appear to said committee that he or they have an equitable claim to said lands, or any part there of, in exclusion of all others, it shall be the duty of said committee, on such person or persons making out his or their claim, as aforesaid, and paying into the hands of said committee, for the use of the State, Nine Pence, lawful money, in silver or gold, per acre, for each acre he shall vindicate his claim to, as aforesaid, thereupon to eke unto such person or persons, a Quitclaim Deed of conveyance to such lands : always giving preference to the actual settlers on such lands. Provided, nevertheless, that said committee shall reserve Four Thousand Acres of said land, on the westerly side of said Town, as laid out by 32 General Moses Hazen ; three hundred acres of which, be ing part of said four thousand acres, shall be reserved for the use and benefit of a school, in said town : and three hundred acres more, being part of the said four thousand acres, for the benefit of a minister, or ministers, to be set tled in said town ; which shall be laid out by said commit tee or their order, in such part of said four thousand as they shall judge most equitable and just ; and shall be by the said committee ; deeded to said Town for the afore said purposes, free of expense or pay for said land. And three thousand, four hundred acres, being the remaining part of said four thousand acres, shall be reserved for the said General Moses Hazen ; and on his paying, or causing to be paid, into the hands of the said committee, for the use of this State, the sum of Two shillings, lawful money, in silver or gold, for each of the said three thousand four hundred acres, remaining as aforesaid, it shall be the duty of the said committee to deed the same to the said Hazen by quit-claim, as aforesaid ; and to no other person or per sons, or on any other terms whatsoever. Provided also, That in case the said Moses Hazen shall not pay or cause to be paid into the hands of the said com mittee said sum of two shillings, lawful money, in silver or gold, for each acre of the three thousand four hundred acres named as aforesaid, by the rising of the Assembly of this State in October next, or in case any o-r all of the settlers, or claimants to said lands, exclusive of said four thousand acres, shall not pay into the hands of said com mittee, by the First day of April, A. IX 1792, the said sum of nine pence per acre, for each acre they -claim, as aforesaid, it shall be the duty of said committee to pro ceed to advertise said lands for sale ; or any part thereof that shall so remain unpaid for, in the Vermont Journal ; and shall thereupon proceed to sell, at public vendue, to the highest bidder, all, or any part of said lands, so re maining unpaid for : and shall be accountable to the Treas- 33 urer of this State for all the monies they receive for said lands. And it is further enacted that said committee, be fore they proceed on the business of their appointment, enter into a bond of Two Thousand Pounds to the Treas urer of this State, for the faithful discharge of their trust. See M. S. Laws of Vermont, Vol. ii, p 363. Roads at public expense. In the years 1784 and 1786, as John McDuffee, Esq., states in his manuscript already mentioned, by act of the Legislature, and at the expense of the State, a road was cut out, under the direction of General Allen, from the falls in Wait s River, where Brad ford village is now located, by the most feasible route to Onion or Winooski River; and thence to Burlington: which is one of the most direct and eligible highways from Connecticut River to Lake Champlain : and which was for many years occupied as a stage route. The course was almost the same as that now in use as the most direct stage route from Bradford to Montpelier, and is thence taken by the Central Vermont Railroad, to Bur lington. By an act of the General Assembly, at Manchester, Oc tober 26, 1789, a tax of one penny on every acre of land in Bradford, (public rights excepted) was assessed, for the purpose of building highways and bridges in said town. The grant of this Township, made in trust, to Smith, Harvey and Whitelaw, having failed to settle all matters of difficulty among the inhabitants, especially among those on the Hazen tract, further legislation was demanded, and an act, entitled, An act for the purpose of quieting the settlers on a certain tract of land in the western part of Bradford, was passed by the General Assembly, at Rut land, November 6, 1792, as follows : " Whereas the Legislature of this State, at their session in Bennington, in the year of our Lord One TJiousand Seven Hundred and ninety-one, passed an act granting the Township of Bradford to Israel Smith, Alexander 34 Harvey, and James Whitelaw, Esquires, upon certain con ditions, and restrictions, therein expressed ; and. Where as, a tract of land of three thousand four hundred acres of land lying in the western part of said Township was by said grant reserved for General Moses Hazen, with the following condition, viz : that the said Moses Hazen should pay into the hands of the before named grantees, as a committee for that purpose, for the use of this State, the sum of two shillings for each acre of land contained in said tract, and that the same should be paid by the ris ing of the General Assembly in October next ; and that if the said Moses should not make part payment, that then the before named committee should proceed to sell the said tract of land, at public vendue And, Whereas the said Moses has failed to fulfill the condition of said grant, arid the said tract of land is now advertised for sale, agreeably to the direction of the said act; and it being now made to appear to this Asssembly that there are a number of settlers who have made considerable improve ment on the said tract of land, who will be greatly injured by the sale thereof; " Therefore, it is hereby enacted by the General As sembly of the State of Vermont, that the said Israel Smith, Alexander Harvey, and James Whitelaw be, and they are hereby, directed to notify to the said settlers living on said tract of land, by setting up one advertisement, and one other advertisement on the Sign Post in the said town, at least one fortnight before the time of their meeting, notifying the said settlers to appear and state their claims to said committee ; and the said committee shall then proceed to deed to such persons as appear actually to be settled and making improvements on said tract of land, the land on which they live, not exceeding one hundred acres to each settler ; upon their paying into the hand of such committee, for the use of this State, the sum of two shillings for each acre of land 35 so deeded ; and their proportion of the necessary ex pense of said committee. " And it is further enacted by the authority aforesaid, that all the remainder and residue of said tract of three thousand four hundred acres which shall not be deeded to the settlers as aforesaid, shall, by the said committee, be deeded to JOHN BARRON, of said Bradford, upon his pay ing into the hands of said committee, for the use of this State, the sum of two shillings for each acre of land so deeded to him, and his proportion of the necessary ex pense of said committee ; " Provided, always, that no deed shall be made of this land in pursuance of this act, unless all the money, for the whole of the aforesaid tract, shall be paid into the hands of the aforesaid committee, before the first day of June next," See M. S. Laws of Vermont, 1787 to 1.792 ; vol. ii, p. 453. In accordance with this legislative enactment, the anx ious settlers on lands to which they before had no legal claims, were quieted ; valid titles to lots unoccupied given to those who were wishing to possess them ; and the gen eral settlement of the Township accomplished. How the three hundred acres appropriated to the first settled min ister or ministers, and the like amount for the support of schools, were finally disposed of, we shall see when we come to look into the state of ecclesiastical and educa tional matters. The physical topography of this township is, in the main, like that of most others in the Connecticut valley. The climate in the course of each year varying from the piercing cold of Winter, to the intense heat of Summer, with all degrees of intermediate alternations ; the rich in tervales, with their annual inundations ; the high lands, easily cultivated, and good alike for grass or grain; the tracts of forests, charminglv variegated with birch, beech, elm, maple, and evergreen trees, now too rapidly disap- 36 pearing ; the various productions which richly reward the cultivator s toil ; the argillaceous ledges here and there cropping out, and offering abundant material for cellar walls and the underpinning of houses ; the inexhaustible stores of clay and sand of the best quality for the making of brick, to be used in the erection of buildings ; and the unfailing water- privileges with which the town is blessed ; all combine to give animation, courage, and energy, to its enterprising population. From some of the high places in this town the prospect on all sides, but especially as one looks away to the East on the mountains of New Hampshire, throwing back in a flood of glory the beams of the declining sun, is not only surpassingly beautiful, but truly sublime. An admired American author, who had then recently returned from a tour in Europe, while sit ting in his carriage and contemplating this scenery, re marked that he had never seen anything of this nature either in England or France, which seemed to him so charming. A well informed resident of the town, more than twen ty-five years ago remarked that there were not more than two one hundred acre lots within its limits which were not cultivated, and that these were on Wright s Mountain; and further, that even on that mountain there were not more than twenty or thirty acres which might not be im proved as pasturage or woodland. The small mountain just mentioned, occupies the north western corner of Bradford, and its summit, according to Horace G. McDuffee s measurement, is about seventeen hundred feet above Connecticut River, some three or four miles distant, towards the East, and two thousand one hundred above tide water. The sides of the mountain, West and South, are precipitous, consisting of almost per pendicular ledges of argillaceous slate, from which, espec ially on the South side, where there is a deep ravine, huge fragments of rock in ages past have fallen down, one on 37 another, forming various cavities, the largest of which has been called " Devil s Den/ but most inappropriately, since that evil personage, there can be no doubt, greatly pre fers the society of kindred spirits congregated in cities, and even coiintrv villages, above any such solitary cave or den among wild beasts. Be that as it may, it is said that a singular transaction once occurred in that- cave, which attached to the mountain the name which it still bears. The story is, in substance, this One of the ear liest settlers on the tract now called Bradford, was a re ligious fanatic by the name of Benoni Wright, who con ceived it to be his privilege and duty to prepare himself for the distinguished honor and service pertaining to a prophet of the Lord, by letting his beard grow to a great length, and by keeping a strict fast of forty days and nights in the wilderness, devoting the time to meditation and fervent prayer. When about to retire he prepared himself with a leathern girdle, with a buckle on one end and forty-two progressive holes in the Dther, designing to gird himself, day by day, one degree closer, as his size should diminish. For this purpose it is said he took up his abode in the cave above mentioned. This process went on till the imperious demands of appetite became too strong for his resolution, and in the darkness of night he was detected far away from his place of concealment in quest of food to satisfy his hunger, for if he stayed where he had intended to remain, he was convinced he must die ; and so his sanctimonious attempt proved a ri diculous failure. Still he immortalized himself, as his name has been permanently attached to the mountain which witnessed his effort so painful to become a distin guished prophet of the Most High. Let the place of his retirement be also called by his name Wright s Cave* * A carriage road, not a very good one, was once made to the top of the mountain, and two celebrations of the 4th of July have been held there. The prospect from that elevation is truly magnificent; and if to be obtained in some parts of the country, less affluent in beautiful scenery, would be highly appre ciated by crowds of visitors. The township is well watered, not only by innumerable springs and rivulets richly refreshing the hill sides, but by larger streams. On its eastern border flows the Con necticut ; through its northeastern corner, Hall s Brook, from Newbury, passes quietly along ; then as you go South, Roaring Brook, over its rocky precipices comes dashing down, to mingle with the other at its confluence with the Connecticut ; and from the Southwest, RowelPs Brook makes haste to reach the principal stream, which from West to East runs though the town, and is dignified by the name of Wait s River. The two main branches of this stream soon after entering Bradford unite, and con stitute a respectable river, which at Bradford Center af fords a fine privilege for mills, and, on pas-sing through a rocky channel about a half, a mile above its entrance into the Connecticut, its course becomes so swift and forcible that three dams, at a moderate distance from each other, have been built across it, affording rare advantages for grinding, sawing, paper-making, and various other kinds of business requiring water-power. These tails have con tributed largely to the prosperity of the enterprising and flourishing village which has grown up around them. The incidents which gave name to this river, as by tra dition received, are too interesting and affecting to be silently omitted. In the course of the old French war a military force of New England men, under command of Major Robert Rogers, in the year 1759, was sent to chas tise and subdue the St. Francis tribe of Indians in Cana da, who had for a half a century been in the practice of perpetrating acts of violence and barbarity on the colo nists. These men of war, stvled Roger s Rangers, on the 5th of October, of that year, struck the fatal blow ; but were forced to commence a speedy retreat which proved disastrous to many, on account of the manifold hardships to which they were reduced while traversing the vast wilderness between Memphremagog lake, on the border 3!) of Canada, and No. 4, in New Hampshire. Several, we know not how many of them, are said to have perished by absolute starvation. They had hoped to find supplies on reaching the Lower Coos, but were disappointed. The men, in their great distress, were there disbanded, and directed to seek sustenance for themselves, by hunting, or in whatever way they could. Captain Waite, with a small squad, pushed on down the river, and within the dis tance of some ten or twelve miles Avas so fortunate as to kill a deer, which gave good refreshment to himself and In s famishing men ; and having reserved a small portion for themselves, he hung up the remainder conspicuously on a tree, or trees, for the relief of their suffering associ ates, who were expected soon to be passing that way. That there might be no misunderstanding, he cut his name, Waite, on the bark of a tree from which he had suspend ed a portion of his life-saving venison ; and as this tree stood on the bank of a small river, just above its union with the Connecticut, the grateful men, in remembrance of their kind benefactor, called it Wait s River, by which name it has ever since been known. 40 CHAPTER II. Transactions of Early Town Meetings A list of Town Clerks and Representatives from the First Roads Surveyed, with Distances from Place to Place Bridges Built Freshets Army of Worms. The first town meeting of which any record has been preserved, was held at the house of Samuel McDuffee, in the year 1773, probably in the Spring of that year; when the requisite officers were chosen, and the machinery of a regular township was put in working order. The list of officials was as follows : John Peters, Moderator ; Stev ens McConnell, Cleric ; Benjamin Jenkins, Supervisor Hugh Miller and Noah White, Overseers of the Poor Ben jamin Jenkins, Treasurer ; Jesse McFarland, Lieut. Jacob Fowler, and Hezekiah Silloway, Surveyor of Highways ; Hezekiah Silloway, Constable; Amos Davis, Collector ; Samuel Gault, and Amos Davis, Tythinymen. The Samuel McDuffee, at whose house this first town meeting was held, was unfortunately drowned in Connect icut river in 1781. He was an uncle of Samuel and John McDuffee, Esqrs., of later dates. The first deed recorded in this town, dated August 13, 1773, thus begins : "Know all men by these presents, that I, Benoni Wright, of Moorstown, so-called, in the County of Gloucester and Province of New York." This deed was made to Stevens McConnell, of Newbury, in the same County. The next annual town meeting was held May 1, 1775, at the house of Stevens McConnell ; when, in addition to the choice of officers, it was voted to expend $300 worth of labor on the highways ; allowing each man 4s. 6d. per day for his own labor, and 3s. per day for a yoke of oxen. Business of a warlike nature . was also transacted. The battle of Lexington, Mass., which decisively opened the momentous drama of the Revolutionary war, had been 41 fought but a few days before ; and the state of the try had become alarming. Therefore, Voted, To raise a Town stock, to be kept in the Treas- urv, of one pound of powder, three pounds of leac\, and a dozen flints, to each man in said town of Mooretown, from sixteen years to eighty. Chose Benjamin Jenkins and Haines Johnson, a commit tee to look out, and procure a stock of powder, lead, and flints as the above vote directs. Voted, to raise three dollars in cash, as present expense, to the Committee for raising said stock ; and the assessors shall, or may, lay an assessment on each man, as they shall judge right ; and the Collector of said town of Moore- town shall, and is hereby empowered to, collect each man s proportion, as so assigned. Voted to pay in wheat, at the price the Committee shall engage, for the town stock. May 7, 1776. Voted to meet on the 14th inst. to choose military officers. Adjourned. At a later date. Voted to raise 10 pounds, lawful money, for the purchase of powder and lead. May 29, 1777. Voted to send Bildad Andross and Ben jamin Baldwin to the Convention at Windsor to take measures for the organization of a new State. These acts of the town indicate the state of feeling prevalent among its earliest inhabitants, in regard to the public affairs. A deed, bearing date Feb. 1, 1781, purports to be from Joseph Thurber, of Mooretown, County of Cumberland, and State of Vermont, to Robert Hurikiris, of the same County and State. Another deed, dated Jan. 24, 1782, from Obededom Sanders, of Mooretown, County of Orange, and State of Vermont, is given to John Simons, of Piermont, in the same County and State, and the acknowledgment is made be fore Thomas Russell, Justice of the Peace in Piermont, 4 42 Orange County, Vt. Here we see how unsettled for some time were the names and civil relations of this town, towards some others in its vicinity. Piermont, at one time, claimed to be in Vermont. That domestic police regulations, for the restraint of misbehaving boys, men, and other animals, were not neg lected, appears from the appointment of tything men to keep order in religious assemblies, a nd such other votes as these: " 1786, June 12th. Voted to build a Pound, at the town cost, by order of the Selectmen ; also Stocks and a Sign- Post." This Sign-Post seems to have answered the double pur pose of holding forth advertisements and warnings regard ing public matters, and of serving as a Whipping Post for the castigation of criminals. These instruments of ter ror to evil-doers, the Stocks and Sign Post, stood on the East side of the highway, near where you now turn to go down to the stone paper mill ; and in a few instances were employed in the punishment of notorious transgressors. " March 31, 1794. Voted that swine may run in the highway, having a yoke on the neck, of the following di mensions : the depth of the neck above, and half of the depth below ; and the thickness of the neck on each side ; with a sufficient ring in the nose." Stray cattle and horses were to be impounded ; and thus due order be preserved. TOWN CLERKS, WITH THE PERIODS OF THEIR SERVICES. *773 Stevens McConnell, 1774 No record, 1 775 Jacob Fowler, 1776 Stevens McConnell, 1777 i78o, No record, 1781 Stevens McConnell, 1782 Benjamin Baldwin, 1783 1785, No record, 1786 Stevens McConnell, 1787 1788, No record, 1789 Benjamin Baldwin, 1790 1793, John Underwood, 17941797, 1798 1815, 18161820, 18211837, 1838 18391845, 1846-1853, 1854-1855, 18561862, 1863 18641869, 18701874, Moses Chamberlain, Andrew B. Peters, John H. Cotton, Andrew B. Peters, Horace Strickland, A. B. Peters, Geo. P. Baldwin. Geo. L. Butler, Adams Preston, Charles H. Harding, Edward Prichard. John B. W. Prichard, REPRESENTATIVES FROM BRADFORD, TO THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY, WITH THE PERIODS OF THEIR ELECTION. 1788 1790 1791 1792 17931794, 17951797, 17981799, 1800 1801 1802 18031804, 1805 18061813, 18141818, 18191821, 1822 1823 18241826, 1827 1828 1829 1830 John Barren, Asher Chamberlain, and Col. John Barron to assist him in ob taining a Charter. John Barron, Nathaniel White and M. Barron. John Barron, Micah Barron, Andrew B. Peters, William Simpson, A. B. Peters, Daniel Kimball, A. B. Peters, Arad Stebbins, Daniel Kimball John H. Cotton, John Peckett, Geo. W. Prichard, John Peckett, Jesse Merrill, 2d, George W. Prichard, Jesse Merrill, 2d, Joseph Clark, Jesse Merrill, 2d, 1831 18321833 18341836, 1837 1838 1839 1840 18411842, 18431844, 1845 1846 1847 18481850, 1851- -1853, 1854 1855 18561857, 18581859, 18601861, 18621865, 18661867, 1868 1869 18701873, 18741875, John B. Peckett, Jesse Merrill, 2d, Arad Stebbins, jr., J.D.Parker, Arad 1 Stebbins, jr., J. W. D. Parker, Adams Preston, Alvin Taylor, Geo. P. Baldwin, No choice, Arad Stebbins, jr., Geo. P. Baldwin, Hubbard Wright, No choice, Richard R. Aldrich, Hubbard Wright, Horace Strickland, George Prichard, George L. Butler, Hubbard Wright, Barron Hay, Hubbard Wright, Asa M. Dickey, Henry C. McDuffee, Joseph W. Bliss. 44 ROADS SURVEYED. It may be a matter of curiosity and satisfaction, to Bradford people, to know the distances from place to place along several of the roads which they are accustomed to travel ; as stated in authentic surveys, in times past. Ac cordingly, I will give a condensed statement, taken from an old volume of the Town Records, several years ago ; which since seems to have strangely disappeared. I. RIVER ROAD, from North to South ; survey by Caleb Willard, in 1795. Distance from the North line of Bradford to Roaring brook, 188 rods, that is> one-half mile and 28 rods ; thence to Daniel Collins house, Sawyer place ? one mile and 18 rods; thence to Meeting house, near the Peters place, one mile ; thence to Wait s River bridge, one mile, lacking 20 rods ; thence to the Peckett house, Har vey Nourse place ? one mile and 24 rods ; thence to John Barren s, or Waterman place, one-fourth of a mile ; thence to Fairlee, North line, 52 rods ; making the distance through the town, on this road, five miles, three quarters, and 16 rods. II. THE SOUTH ROAD Surveyed by Aaron Shepherd, 1786. From Peckett s blacksmith shop, near the corner where the road to Goshen turns off, in the central part of the village, to the Hazen land, which begins at the brook a little East of Ira Low s house, four miles and 50 rods ; thence through the Hazen land to the East line of Cor inth, one-half of a mile and 74 rods ; making the whole distance from the village to the West line of Bradford on that road, four miles and three quarters, and 44 rods, or five miles, lacking 36 rods. III. GOSHEN ROAD Surveyed by Aaron Shepherd, in 1788. Beginning at the School house in the village, near the falls on Wait s River, by the Tabor place to the junc tion with the Goshen North road, three miles and 19 rods. IV. ROAD UP THE BROOK FROM ROWELL S CORNER 45 Surveyed by Benjamin P. Baldwin, in November, 1837. From the guide-board in said corner, to the crossing of the Brushwood road, called the Four Corners, one mile and a quarter, lacking one rod ; thence to the John Un derwood place, one -half of a mile and 36 rods; in the whole, from Ro well s Corner s to the Underwood house, one mile, three-quarters and 35 rods. V. WAIT S RIVER ROAD Surveyed by Benjamin P. Baldwin, October, 1821, under the direction of a commit tee appointed by the State Legislature. This is the East ern section of the stage road, and great thoroughfare from Bradford village, through East Corinth, Topsham, Orange and Barre, to Montpelier, and so on to Burlington; also by the South Branch of Wait s River, through Cor inth and Vershire, to Chelsea. The old roads had been over the high hills, and to this road decided opposition was made, at first, by a majority in Bradford, on account of the expense of making it ; but owing to a strong pres sure from within, and a stronger from without, it was put through, greatly to public convenience. SUMMARY. From Farnham s Corner (near Mr. Cyrus Stearns ,) on the River Road, across the Saddle Bank to the West end of the Baldwin bridge, one mile and 34 rods ; thence to John Moore s house, now Russ , three- quarters of a mile and 11 rods. From the Baldwin bridge to Cass bridge, at Bradford Center, two miles and one- half and 9 rods. From Baldwin bridge to Colby bridge, the next above Bradford Center, four miles and 25 rods ; thence to the Northwest line of the town, as you go to wards Corinth, East Village, one mile and 62 rods, making the whole distance from Baldwin s bridge to that point, five miles, one-quarter and 7 rods ; and from the great river road, at the place of beginning, six miles, one-quar ter, and 41 rods. From Connecticut River, at Piermont bridge, through the town of Bradford, in this direction, is six miles, three-quarters and 35 rods ; and thence to Wat- 46 son s Mills in Barre, on the Chelsea turnpike, it is sixteen miles further, lacking 54 rods. FROM COLBY BRIDGE, a few miles below the confluence of the North and South principal branches of Wait s River, up the latter to the East line of Corinth, is about one mile and a half. These several places are at the same distance from the central part of Bradford village as from Farnham s Corner, lacking about one-fourth of a mile. VI. SURVEY THROUGH BRADFORD VILLAGE, by Benjamin P. Baldwin, Esq., August 12, 1841. From the southeast corner of Deacon Hardy s lot, near the North end of the village, to the Alfred Corliss house, now George Jenkins , 56 rods ; thence to Prichard s store, 58 rods fur ther; thence to the Town House, 114 rods; thence to the corner of Pleasant street, 24 rods ; thence to the brow of the hill West of John B. Peckett s house, now Col. J. Stearns , 56 rods ; making the Avhole distance through the village in this direction, one mile, lacking 12 rods, from the place of beginning. According to a more recent survey by J. Stratton, Esq., the distance from the Trotter House, in the central part of the village, to the railroad station, Northeast, is three- fourths of a mile and 41 rods ; and from the same house to the station, South, at the Piermont crossing, is one mile and 44 rods. From said hotel to the West end of Bald win bridge, on the stage road to East Corinth, seven- eights of a mile. BRIDGES. Owing to the rapid current of Wait s River, and its sud den and great overflowings, sometimes sweeping away with resistless force vast quantities of ice, the Town has been subjected to no small amount of labor and pe cuniary expense to build and maintain the requisite num ber of some six or seven bridges over it. Still there has been a praiseworthy effort to do so. As early as 1802 it 47 was voted to build a bridge across this river, near Peter Severance s, not far from the Corinth line ; also one op posite to the Southeast end of Wright s Mountain ; also another further down, near Captain Baldwin s. These early bridges were built as cheaply as possible ; supported in the middle by framed work below, and of course very liable to disaster. While the builders were engaged in erecting one across the river, near where the brick grist mill now stands, the structure fell, in 1803, and killed Mr. John Bliss, one of the workmen. And subsequently either the same bridge, when finished, or another in the same place, its underwork being damaged by a freshet, fell, al most entire, into the roaring current, and was swept away. The bridge at Bradford Center, in 1832, through its own weakness, when no such disaster was anticipated, went down with a sudden crash ! when no one was on it ; though it had, up to that time, been in constant use. In March, 1830, it was voted that the Selectmen be author ized to purchase a patent right for a bridge, or bridges, as they shall think best for the interest of the town. Bridges built in accordance with this plan, with strong support above, and leaving below a sufficiently spacious and free passage for the river, even when greatly swol len, and sweeping proudly along, are found to be alto gether the strongest and best. Accidents by reason of the unsafe condition of roads and bridges have occasionally befallen travelers ; whose claims for damages seem, not much to the credit of the town, to have been very generally resisted. Take, for in stance, this, though we have not now all the facts before us : 1814, September 6. " Voted not to pay for the horse of Jesse Woodward," which seems to have been killed in consequence of the bad state of a bridge. But the case of an unfortunate woman was, at the same time, treated with a little more favor : " Voted that Mary Me- Killips be allowed Eight Dollars, and her reasonable sur- 48 geon s bill, for setting and dressing her arm, that was bro ken by the fall of her horse through the bridge by Peter Severance s " ! FRESHETS. Both Wait s River and the Connecticut, annually, and occasionally more than once in a year, by reason of heavy rains, aided, especially in Spring time, by dissolving snow, rise astonishingly, and extensively overflow the low lands through which they pass ; sometimes to a great depth. The general effect, like the periodical overflowings of the Nile, is to enrich the soil, arid render it the more produc tive. But, on various occasions, bridges and mill dams, great quantities of valuable lumber, and the rich produc tions of the grass and grain and corn fields, to the bitter disappointment of their owners, have been swept away ; and even the courses of the streams essentially chaifged, by cutting off the soil from one side, and leaving it some where below, on the other. Events of unique and thril ling description have occasionally been experienced, or witnessed, on some of these occasions. The Rev. Grant Powers, in his history of the Coos country, says he had the following account from a Mr. Wallace, of Thetford, who, at the time the great freshet of 1771 occurred, was in Bradford, and personally con cerned in the adventure related. This freshet was re markably destructive. " Wallace went to the relief of a family in Bradford, who lived on the place noAv owned by Mr. Hunkins. It was- the family of Hugh Miller. His wife was the sister of the far famed Robert Rogers, the hero of St. Francois. When Wallace reached this habi tation " which stood in the meadow " he rowed his ca noe into the house, as far as the width of the house would receive it, took the family from the bed whereon they stood, and bore them to a place of safety. But Mrs. Mil ler, the next day, seeing their sheep standing on a small 49 eminence in the meadow, surrounded by water, her hus band being absent, resolved on Rescuing them from their perilous situation. She pressed into her service a young man by the name of George Binfield " probably Banfidd " and they took a canoe and set sail for the sheep. They reached the place, caught the sheep, tied their legs, placed them on board, and set out on their return voyage for the high lands ; but when they came into a strong current, they were carried down stream, until the canoe struck a pine stub, and was capsized ! All were precipitated into the water, of the depth of ten feet. When our heroine arose, and her companion in adventure, they caught hold of a stub, standing about five feet out of the water, and main tained their grasp until another boat was obtained and they were liberated from their perilous situation; but the wrecked canoe and sheep were never heard from more. From this time the people sought more elevated situations for their habitations." The above named author proceeds to say : " Jonathan Tyler, of Piermont, related an extraordinary fact which occurred in this same great freshet. He said a horse was tied to a log in a stock-yard, upon the great Ox Bow, in Newbury, and when the water arose it took away the horse, and the log to which he was made fast ; and the horse was taken out of the river alive, at Hanover,"- some thirty miles below " but soon died, upon reaching the shore. He would, doubtless, have perished soon after breaking from his moorings in Newbury, had not the log to which he was tied kept his head above the water, and thus prolonged his life many hours." Another incident : " Colonel Howard told me that, in this same freshet, some swine were taken away by the water, in the North part of Haverhill, and were carried down to the Ox Bow," the distance of a mile, or two " where they made good their standing upon the top of a hay-stack, where they remained, capering about ! until the 50 waters subsided ; and the owners procured their property again." Rather scanty accommodations, one would think, for much capering about. In the latter part of the winter of 1866 occurred a remarkable freshet in Wait s River, Avhich tore up and swept away the thick ice in a frightful manner ; a great mass of which, having lodged against Baldwin s bridge, so obstructed the current of the river as to cause the water above to rise rapidly to an astonishing height, and to sweep over the interval between the West end of the bridge and the adjacent hill- side with great impetuosity. The four or five houses there were inundated, and in great peril. At about one o clock p. M. Mr. Samuel Merrill and wife thought it high time for them to escape ; which they did in such haste as to leave all their household ef fects behind. By half-past seven, the same day, the water had become so deep around and within their habitation that it was raised from its foundations, and sailed away like a ship at sea. The bridge, directly after, gave way ; the jam of ice went with it ; the accumulated waters went too, with a mighty rush ; and the floating house went over the river bank only in season to be left, partly capsized, in the old channel ; some forty, or perhaps fifty, rods be low its old position. It was finally raised, by the aid of machinery, in pretty good condition, and removed to a more desirable location than its first, where it still stands, making a pleasant hom.e for another family. By the same freshet serious damage was done to the dam, and other works connected with Mr. Low s paper mill, on the same river, some half or three-quarters of a mile below the place from which the bridge above mentioned was swept away. AN EXTRAORDINARY VISITATION. In his History of the Coos Country, the Rev. Grant Powers gives an account of an astonishing multitude of 51 worms, of uncommon size and destructiveness, which passed through this section of the Connecticut River val ley in the summer of 1770, overspreading to a great breadth the whole surface of the ground ; destroying the luxuriant fields of wheat and corn, and leaving desolation behind them. He says he had his information from Rev. Dr. Burton, of Thetford, who was an eye witness of the scene. No better testimony could be desired ; for, from the biography of Dr. Burton, it appears that he was at that time about eighteen years of age, living in Norwich, and laboriously engaged with his father in agricultural business. That was the year in which the charter of this town was obtained. There were then in this place about thirty land holders, mainly located in the valley ; who must, with their neighbors of other towns, have seriously suffered by the loathsome and distressing calamity. I will give the account substantially as I find it, though considerably abbreviated. The army of worms seem to have commenced as far North as Lancaster, N. H., and ex tended their ravages as far down as Northfield, Mass., on both sides of the river. They began to appear the latter part of July, and continued their ravages until Septem ber. The inhabitants styled them the Northern Army. They were multitudinous almost beyond imagination. Dr. Burton said he had seen whole pastures so covered that he could not put down his finger in a single spot without touching a worm ! He said he had seen more than ten bushels in a heap. They were unlike anything the present generation has ever seen. They were of dif ferent sizes, but in their maturity were as long as a man s finger, and proportionally large in circumference. There was a stripe along the back like black velvet ; on each side a yellow stripe, from end to end ; and the rest of the body was brown. They appeared to be iji great haste, ex cept when they halted to devour their food. In their right-onward march they would go up the side of a house, 52 and over it, in such a complete column that nothing of boards or shingles could be seen! or if any door or win dow, on the side which they approached, happened to be open, they would enter and fill the houses of the inhabi tants, as did the frogs of Egypt. They did riot take hold of the pumpkin vines, peas, potatoes, or flax ; but wheat and corn they devoured with the utmost greediness. In the wheat fields their principal aim was to secure the bending heads, filled with juicy kernels. To prevent this, men would " draw the rope," as they termed it ; that is, two men would take a rope, one at each end, and, pulling from each other till it was nearly straightened, they would pass along their wheat fields, and brush off the worms from the stalks, and by often so doing retarded some what the work of the destroyers ; but found the effort of no ultimate importance. There were fields of corn on the meadows in Haverhill and Newbury, standing so thick, large, and tall, that in some instances it was difficult to see a man standing in the field at the distance of one rod; but in ten days from the first appearance of the Northern Army, of that corn nothing remained but the naked stalks ! Men dug ditches around their fields, some foot and a half deep, hoping this might prove a defence ; but the worms soon filled the ditches, and the millions that were in the rear went over on the backs of their fellows in the trenches, and took possession of the interdicted food. Every expedient was resorted to by the inhabi tants to crush, or in some way destroy, their detestable invaders ; but all in vain. The fields of wheat and corn were almost entirely destroyed. But of potatoes, and es pecially pumpkins, great crops were gathered ; and the inhabitants, somehow, contrived to live. About the first of September the worms suddenly dis appeared ; but where, or how, is unknown, lor not the car cass of a worm was to be seen. In just eleven years af terward, in 1781, the same kind of worms appeared again, 53 and the fears of the people were much excited ; but they were comparatively few in number ; and have had, in the course of now one hundred and three years, no suc cessors. 54 CHAPTER III. Ecclesiastical Affairs Meeting Houses Churches ; Coiigregation- al, Rev. J. K. Williams, Rev. L. H. Elliott; Methodist, with List of Pastors ; Baptist Cemeteries Present Population of the Town. ECCLESIASTICAL AFFAIRS. The first settlers of this town, while few and poor, man ifested a commendable desire to secure for themselves and families such religious priviliges as they had left in the various older places from .which they had severally emigrated ; and, at an early date, put forth the corres ponding endeavors. The majority were in favor of Con gregational preaching, and, in accordance with the laws and usages of that day, when they began to act as a regularly organized township took in hand, by town au thority, the business of not only employing and paying ministers of that persuasion, but of building a meeting house for their occupancy. Those only who h led with the Town Clerk an authentic testimonial that they belonged to another denomination, and protested against being- taxed for the support of this, were legally exempt from such taxation. In 1782 the town voted to raise 20, to pay town charges for preaching, &c. Chose Doctor Aridross, Cap tain Robert Hunkins, and Noah Ford, to procure preach ing, to be paid for out of the funds above mentioned. April 2. Voted to hire Mr. Steward or Mr. Store to preach with us two or three months this Summer. These were worthy ministers of the Congregational order, and were employed to preach at Bradford and Fairlee alter nately. In May, 1783, at a town meeting, called for that pur pose, at the house of Widow Grault, it was voted to pay Colonel Morey, of Fairlee, nine pounds, for boarding min isters ; and the ministers the, same amount for their ser vices the past year. 55 1785. Sept. 15. Voted to hire a minister to preach on probation for settlement, and that ,10 be added to the 30 voted for that purpose last Spring the said tax to be paid in wheat, at six shillings a bushel. Esq. Bliss, Jo seph Clark and Capt. McConnell were appointed a com mittee to carry out the above resolutions. 1788: Nov. 22, the town voted to send a letter to Mr. Store, desiring him to come and preach and settle with us as a minister, if we can agree not without. It would seem that the lack of such agreement prevented the min ister s coming. ACTION OF THE TOWN IN REGARD TO BUILDING THEIR FIRST MEETING-HOUSE. 1788. Sept. 2, at the freemen s meeting, the town ap pointed a committee to " drive a stake where to set a meeting -house" and report at the next town meeting. October 18, it was decided by the town that the meet ing house should be set on the flat, near Esquire Peters barn, and that it should be fifty feet long, forty feet Avide, and twenty- three feet posts. Then arose the serious questions : who should build said house who be responsible for the expense, and in what way the means of payment should be obtained? Town meeting after town meeting was held, extending through the lapse of four years and a half, in which a va riety of plans and methods were earnestly advocated and opposed some of them at times adopted, and again re jected until, on the 19th day of March, 1793, it was de cided that the town committee appointed for that pur pose should go forward, and see the work accomplished. This committee, having entered into a definite contract with certain builders, to make the thing sure, after so much delay and altercation, required and received from them the following bond : 56 " Know all men by these presents, that we, Joseph Clark, of Bradford, in the County of Orange, and State of Vermont, and Edward Clark, of Haverhill, in the County of Grafton, and State of New Hampshire, gentlemen, stand firmly bound unto John Barron, Nathaniel White, Robert Hunkins, and Thomas May, all of said Bradford, in the County and State aforesaid, Esq rs, in the sum of two thousand pounds, L. M. we bind ourselves, our heirs, ex ecutors and administrators which payment to be made by the 1st day of July, 1795. The condition of the above obligation is such, that if the aforesaid Joseph and Edward Clark shall build arid complete a meeting-house in said Bradford, on the rising- ground between Edmon Brown s and Andrew B. Peters 7 , of said Bradford, fifty feet by forty feet, with a porch at one- end, and a porch and steeple at the other end, like a plan that hath been shown to the above said John Barron and others, aforesaid said house to be well finished, well glassed, well underpinned with hard stone, with good hard door-stones said house with a steeple with a good weather- cock the workmanship in every part to be com pleted equal to Newbury, or to the acceptance of an in different committee that shall be chosen by the parties said house to be completed by the first day of July, 1795 When completed, the above obligation to be void and of none effect otherwise to be in full force and virtue." " Dated at Bradford, this 23d day of April, Anno Dom ini 1793. EDWARD CLARK, L. S. JOSEPH CLARK, L. S. " Signed, sealed and delivered in the presence of us, John Underwood, (_ Levi Collins." j The builders fulfilled their contract, and the house was ready for the ordination of the elected pastor on Septem ber 2d, following. 57 By vote of the town the pews had been sold in advance, at public auction, before the above contract with the builders was made, so that the means of defraying the expense were furnished without resort to general taxa tion. The pews below sold from 32< to 4^ 11s each: and those in the gallery from 8 to 6 C>s. That was the first meeting-house the writer of this article ever saw, and the one in which he was some twelve or fourteen years after ordained as pastor. We have now a meeting-house ; let us go back a little, and see how the first pastor was obtained. 1793. October 1 2, at a town-meeting called for that purpose : " Voted to hire some preaching this fall, if some candi date should chance to come this way" It seems that Mr. Gardner Kellogg chanced to come along, and was employed. 1794." March 31. Voted to raise !(>< lawful currency to pay for preaching. July 3d. Voted to hire Mr. Kellogg three months longer. Sept. 24, 1794. Voted to give Mr. Kellogg a call to set tle here in the ministry. Nov. 10. Voted to give Mr. Kellogg 20() in labor and .materials for a house part to be paid in a year : part in two years ; and the remainder in three years. Also, to give him 50 for the first year, and to increase by the addition of 5<, till it amounts to 75 or 8375, which shall be the regular salary. One quarter to be paid in money the remainder in wheat, at 5s. a bushel: or neat stock equivalent to said wheat. 1795. Jan. 13. Voted to give Mr. Kellogg, in addi tion to the above, twenty cords of wood yearly, if need ed. Also, to give him 200 settlement, in land., This offer, considering the times and circumstances, was very liberal. 4 58 . March 21, 1795, Mr. Kellogg returned an affirmative answer to the call which had been given hmi) and at a town-meeting held June 6, 1795, it was decided that the ordination of Mr. Kellogg "should be on Wednesday, the 2d day of September next ; and that the ministers called to unite in the ordaining council should be Rev. Nathaniel Lambert, of Nevvbury ; Stephen Fuller, of Vershire, Asa Burton, of Thetford; and Lyman Potter, of Norwich, Vt.; Rev. Joseph Willard, of Lancaster ; Ethan Smith, of Hav- erhill ; John Richards, of Piermont ; John Sawyer, of Or- ford ; William Conant, of Lyme ; Isaiah Potter, of Leba non, and Seth Payson, of Rindge, N. EL; Joseph Lyman, of Hatfield Samuel Hopkins, of Hadley, and Kel logg, of Framingham, Mass. The council was entertained at the public house of Col. John Barren, and the ordination services were performed according to appointment. In all these transactions ev erything seems to have been done by town authority ; not the least reference being made to even the existence of a church. There was, however, such a church, under the ministry of Mr. Kellogg ; but when it was formed, of how many members it consisted, or what it did, cannot now be stated, as no record has been preserved ; and within a few years after that pastor s dismission, that church voted to dissolve, arid a new one, consisting partly of members from the old one arid partly of new converts, Avas formed in June, 1810, and still exists. MINISTERIAL LANDS. In the grant of this township, made in trust to Smith, Harvey and Whitelaw, there was a reservation of three hundred acres of land, the same being a part of the four thousand called the Hazen lands, to be deeded to the town and reserved for the benefit of a. minister or ministers to be settled in said town. It was from this reservation that land to the estimated value of 200X was promised to Mr. 59 Kellogg as his settlement, as it was called. As he was the first minister settled by the town, it was for a time maintained that the whole of this land in justice belonged to him. But as a Calvinistic Baptist church had been formed about the same time, and built a meeting-house, and were supporting a minister entirely at their own ex pense, they claimed that a due proportion of the ministe rial lands ought to be granted to them. After much dis cussion, deciding, and reconsidering what should be done, the town finally came to the conclusion to deed two hun dred acres to Rev. Gardner Kellogg, his heirs and assigns forever, and one hundred acres to a committee appointed for that purpose by the said Baptist Society, for their use and benefit. Both deeds were made by the Selectmen the same day, August 4, 1796. The consideration on the part of Mr. Kellogg, as specified, is 141X 15s.; and on the part of the Baptist Society, one penny, lawful money, duly paid. This Society, in the course of a few years became extinct, their meeting-house, which stood in close prox imity to the cemetery on the upper plain, on the north side of the same, was, after standing for a long while des olate, taken down ; and the land which had been appro priated to them, or rather the consideration for which it was sold, is now possessed by another society, calling themselves Christian Baptists or Christians, in quite a dif ferent part of the town, and used for the support of their ministry. This method of supporting a minister by town taxation was attended with many difficulties, and finally proved a failure. In view of his settlement, and during its contin uance, those who were unwilling to pay for his support were prompt to give the requisite notice that they be longed to some other denomination, and did not consent to be taxed by the town for the support of their minister. And so the matter grew more and more embarrassing, both to the minister and his adherents, (still p called the 60 town) until the town, at their March meeting, 1809, ap pointed a committee to request Mr. Kellogg to ask for a dismission. To this application he replied that he would be ready to join in a Council for his dismission, when the town should pay up what they were owing him. April G, 1809, it was voted that the Selectmen be author ized to make up a tax of $483, to be paid by those not exempt by law, to settle up with Mr. Kellogg. By the payment of this balance due, the town seem to have con sidered the connection between them arid their first, and in tact only, minister dissolved. There is no record of the calling of a council, or of any ecclesiastical action in the case. And thus after a lapse of nearly fourteen years from its commencement, the ministry of this good man in Bradford was terminated. The Rev. Gardner Kellogg was a man of fair, ordinary ability, well educated, mild, moderate, and conciliating in his spirit and manners, evangelical in his sentiments, and without reproach in his Christian and ministerial charac ter. Not long after his removal from this place he was constituted pastor of the Congregational church in Wind- ham, Maine ; where he finished the work on earth which his Lord had given him to do, and passed away to his final rest ; leaving an exceedingly amiable family, rich, not in this world s goods, but in faith and good works. THE PRESENT CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH in Bradford was organized June 24, 1810, by the counsel and assistance of Rev. Stephen Fuller, pastor of the church in Vershire. The new church at first consisted of but seven members, two men and five women. For over five years they were without a regular pastor ; though not without preaching, for much of that time. Rev. Silas Mc- Keen, their first pastor, commenced his ministry here Ju ly 25, 1814, on the second Sabbath after having received license to preach; and October 28, 1815, received ordin- 61 ation, and was duly constituted pastor. After the lapse of twelve years of various success and discouragement, for want of competent support, he asked for a release from his pastoral charge ; and by act of council, October 29, 1827, received a regular dismission. While preparing his farewell sermon he was unexpectedly invited to an other field of ministerial labor. He had but fairly com menced his ministerial work there before he received a pressing call from his Bradford people to return to them, as thev had found themselves better able and more strong ly united than they were previously aware of, and in the meantime had made what they hoped would be satisfac tory arrangements in regard to his permanent support. To this truly warm-hearted invitation he gave a cordial reception, and January 17, 1828, was again regularly con stituted their pastor, after an absence of a feAv weeks ; and a season of precious refreshing* from the Divine Presence immediately ensued ; and the church was most happily increased in numbers and strength. In the Autumn of 1832 Mr. McKeen, without the least previous consultation or notice, having been called to the pastorate of the First Congregational church in Belfast, Maine, by consent of the church in Bradford the matter was referred to the consideration of an Ecclesiastical Council, who advised that he should accept the call, which having been once declined, had been urgently renewed ; and accordingly he was again released from his pastoral charge, December 31, 1832. Rev. George W. Campbell, subsequently pastor of the Congregational church in Newbury, then preached here as a stated supply, and was highly esteemed. Rev. John Suddard was the next preacher. He was an Englishmen, had been a minister in the Episcopal church, though at this time a Congregationalist. After leaving here, it is understood he returned again to his first love. 62 During the last year of Mr. Suddard s ministry here, in 1836, the first meeting-house of this society, which stood on the upper plain, near the Peters place, and had been occupied for forty years, was taken down ; and the frame, new modeled, was used in building the present Congre gational meeting-house, which stands in a very pleasant part of the village. This house was dedicated to the ser vice of God in January, 1837. The sermon on the occa sion was by Rev. Sherman Kellogg, an Evangelist, of Montpelier ; who, in connection with that service, held a Protracted Meeting of some thirteen or fourteen days con tinuance, which resulted in the addition to the church of aboui forty new members. The next minister was the Rev. Cephas H. Kent, a graduate of Middlebury College, who had received his theological education at Andover, and had for a time been pastor of the Congregational church in Freeport, Maine. He was installed December 27, 1837, and continued pas tor till December 15, 1841 ; when, on account of some dif ficulties which had arisen, he received, by his own re quest, a regular dismission ; being recommended by the Council as an able and faithful minister of the Gospel. He has been for some twelve or thirteen years officiating as pastor in Ripton, Vt., where, at this writing, he still re sides, enjoying the esteem of his people, and much blessed in his own pious Avife and children. The church and people at Bradford being thus left in a somewhat distracted and trying condition, with great unanimity extended to their first pastor a call to return to them again, which he accepted. He re- commenced his ministry here on the first Sabbath in March, 1842, and on the 25th of May following, was re -installed pastor sermon on the occasion by Rev. Dr. Lord, ol Dartmouth College ; and in connection with a well united church and people, amid many evidences -of the divine favor, so continued for a little over twenty-four years more : when, having, 63 from his own impression of expediency, asked for a final release from his pastoral labors, with the kindest feelings on both sides still existing, he preached his farewell ser mon July 29, 1866 ; though his regular dismission, by act of Council, did not occur till the 21st day of November following. His whole period of active ministry here was forty-two years and about eight months, during which time three hundred and forty-two members^ were add ed to the church, which consisted of eleven when it first came under his pastoral care. After the close of Rev. Mr. McKeen s ministry in Brad ford, several of his friends, in remembrance of the past, and still wishing him to reside among them, presented him and his wife with a life lease, free from rent, of a pleas ant homestead, near the Congregational church, at an ex pense of about $2,600. An example truly worthy of the imitation of other people, in like circumstances. This house, though newly worked over, both within and with out, is the same which he first occupied in Bradford, and in which all his children were born, and the wife of his youth died. The next pastor of this church was Mr. John K. Wil liams, then recently from the Theological Seminary at An- dover. In him, the first and only candidate in- this in stance, the church and people were immediately united, and with the prospect of a comfortable support, and a fail- field of usefulness, he was ordained to the pastoral service here, November 22, 1866. Rev. Mr. Williams salary was $1,000 a year, including the use of the parsonage, which was reckoned as paying $150 of that sum. The people, in addition to this, were very kind to him and his family. During the first year of his ministry an interesting revival of religion was enjoyed, and peace and ordinary prosperity continued up to the time of his resignation, after a ministry here of six years. He was regularly dismissed, by act of Council, with cor- 64 dial recommendation, October 22, 1872, when he removed directly to West Rutland, Vt. The whole number of members who have ever belonged to this church from its first organization, June 24, 1810, to July 6, 1874, has been five hundred and thirty, seven of whom the second time, to be deducted, leaving five hundred and twenty-three different members. It may perhaps as well be mentioned here as elsewhere, that several valuable donations have from time been made to this church and society by friends resident in the place. Captain William Trotter presented the church with a Communion Service, the plates of Britannia, but the tank ard and goblets of solid silver. Mr. Timothy Aver bequeathed money sufficient to pur chase a desirable parsonage, and a bell for the meeting house. Mr. Johnson A. Hardy gave a valuable church clock. Mr. Nicholas W. Aver bequeathed in his last will, one thousand dollars to the society ; the interest to be appro priated to the support of preaching. Mrs. Betsey 8. Aver, his widow, gave, in like manner to the church five hundred dollars, the interest to be ap propriated in the same way. The Rev. L. H. Elliot immediately succeeded Rev. Mr. Williams, and without installation, has continued, to the time of the present writing, to minister here to the gen eral satisfaction of his people. For some further informa tion concerning the two ministers last mentioned, see the appended biographical sketches of them and their families: REV. JOHN K. WILLIAMS AND FAMILY. Rev. J. K. Williams was a native of Charlotte, Vt., born February 2, 1835 ; a son of Mr. William R. and Mrs.. Alice (Adams) Williams, worthy inhabitants of that place, His minority was chiefly spent with his father, in agricul tural occupations ; but having a strong desire to obtain a 65 liberal education he so managed that he was enabled to .enter college in the twenty-second year of his age. Af ter graduation, he taught lor one year in Castleton Sem inary, and then complied with a request to engage as a tutor in Middlebury College, where lie had graduated, and there officiated in that capacity for two years. He then, with strong desire to become prepared for the gospel ministry, entered the Theological Seminary at Auburn, N. Y., where he remained for one year, and then went in to the like institution at Andover, Mass., where he finished his preparatory studies. On leaving that institution he preached for a few Sabbaths in Townshend, Mass., and re ceived a call from the Congregational church and society there to become their pastor. While that was under con sideration Mr. Williams, by request, visited Bradford, Vt., where he was very cordially received, and Avithiii a short time unanimously invited to the pastoral charge of the church and society ; then destitute by reason of the re cent resignation of Rev. Dr. McKeen, their former pas tor. This call Mr. Williams concluded to accept; and the formal dismission of the retiring pastor and the ordination of his successor were performed by the same mutual Council, November 21 and 22, 1866. In this position Mr. Williams remained for six years, enjoying in a high de gree the esteem and love of his people ; during which time eighty-nine members were added to the church. Towards the close of that period, his health having in some measure failed, he requested a permanent release from his pastoral labors, to which his people reluctantlv consented ; and by an Ecclesiastical Council, called for that purpose, he was, November , 1872, regularly dis missed, and highly recommended to the churches, and the public, as a minister who had been tried and found faith ful. He directly received an invitation from the Congre gational church in West Rutland, then destitute, to come to them and officiate in the ministry as he should be able 66 where, with improving health, arid much to the satisfac tion of that people, he has been actively employed for now more than a year and a half since his commencement there. Mrs. Williams, a very estimable Christian lady, was a na tive of Castleton, Vt., born December 28, 1841 Her maiden name was Ann Eliza Denison, a daughter of Ed ward H. and Sarah A. Denison, his wife, worthy citizens of that place. She received her education mainly at Cas tleton Seminary ; taught in Middlebury Seminary for La dies two years ; also on Long Island, and in Pennsylvania, for different periods ; and was married to Rev. J. K. Wil liams, September 25, 18(56, a short time before his settle ment in the parsonage at Bradford. They have been blessed with four bright and promising children ; the first three born at Bradford, and their youngest child at West Rutland, namely : Charles Adams Williams was born - - May 28, 1867. Edward Denison Williams was born - Sept. 15, 1868. Alice Elizabeth Williams was born - - Dec. 27, 1870. Sarah McKeen Williams was born - - Nov. 25, 1873. REV. L. H. ELLIOTT. Lester Hall Elliott, son of Dea, Ezra and Eliza (Hall) Elliott, was born in Croyden, N. H., August 1, 1835. In the winter of 1840-41, his parents removed to Jericho, Vt., where he spent his youth upon the farm. Being- anxious to obtain a good education, he fitted for college, in part, at Essex, under the tuition of the late Rev. A. T. Deming, and finished his preparation at Johnson, under Rev. M. T. Parmalee, subsequently a missionary in East ern Turkey. In jthe summer of 1857, he entered the Uni versity of Vermont, at Burlington, where he was graduat ed in August, 1861. Having been led to consecrate him self to the Redeemer s service, on leaving college he commenced his theological studies, within a few weeks, 67 at the Union Seminary, New York City, where he com pleted the regular course, in June, 1864. He had been licensed to preach, on the 6th of April, of the same year, by the Brooklyn Congregational Association. For one year from the following September, he officiated as acting pastor of the Congregational church at Colchester, Vt. In October, 1865, he commenced his ministerial work at Winooski, where he was ordained, and installed pastor, May 2, 1866. On the 2d of October, of the same year, he married Lois M. Tolman, of Greensboro, Vt., who died February 6, 1871. Worn out by anxious watchings, and weighed down by sorrow at the loss not only of his wife, but two children, his health had so failed that rest seemed abso lutely demanded, and, at his request, he was by act of Council, with due recommendation, released from his pas toral charge at Winooski, January 30,1872. He spent the subsequent summer at his old home, and at the sea shore, in Massachusetts ; occasionally supplying destitute churches. On the 15th day of December, 1872, Rev. Mr. Elliott, by invitation, preached for the first time in Bradford ; the pulpit having been recently left vacant by the resig nation, and regular dismissal, of the late beloved pastor, Rev. J. K. Williams, on account of a partial failure of his health. The Congregational church and society became directly so much interested in the services of Mr. Elliott, that he was engaged as acting pastor for one year from January 1, 1873 ; and, at the expiration of that period, the engagement was renewed for another year, now in progress. With the beginning of this year, a series of Union Prayer Meetings, of the Congregational and Methodist ministers and people, was commenced and held with great interest, evening after evening, for some eight or ten weeks, and attended by manifest evidences of the gracious presence 68 and special blessings of the prayer-hearing God. The churches have been refreshed, and numbers brought, through grace, to rejoice in- the great salvation. During Rev. Mr. Elliott s ministry, from June 1, 1874, to July 6, 1874, six members have been added to the church by letter, and twenty by profession. THE METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH IN BRAD FORD. For whatever information 1 may be able to give in re gard to the early history of the Methodist church and its ministry here, I am chiefly indebted to communications, received several years ago, from Rev. N. W. Aspinwall, then stationed at Lyndon, and Rev. Labaii Clark, at that time of Middletown, Conn., both Methodist ministers of distinction, both, also, long residents of Bradford, and well acquainted with the rise and early progress of their de nomination here. These worthy men have both deceased within a few years past. Mr. Clark s letter was, I think, obtained by Mr. Aspinwall, expressly for my use, and by him forwarded to me. It was dated March 23, 1860. Mr. Clark wrote : " I am not only the oldest living mem ber of the first class formed in Bradford, but was intimate ly associated with the introduction of Methodism in the Vermont and New Hampshire Conferences. " Your first inquiry relates to the Peckett family. Mr. Giles Peckett and Bryant Kay, with their families, emi grated from England, and landed at Portsmouth, N. H., about 1774, and settled at North Haverhill, N. H. From thence they removed to Bradford, Vt., then called More- town, in 1779 or 1780. Mr. Peckett had two children by a former wife, namely : James and Edward ; arid four by his last : John, Margaret, William A. and Ellen all but Ellen born in England. Messrs. Peckett and Kay, and their wives, were members of a Methodist society in En gland ; and Mrs. Peckett, before her marriage, was for 69 three years Mr. Wesley s housekeeper, and hand-mate with Mary Bosenquet. Her maiden name was Margaret Appleton." Mr. C. wrqte Mary, but the Peckett de scendants have it as above. "The country being new, Mr. Peckett opened his house for religious meetings of any Christians, ministers or people, that loved the Savior, regardless of their denomination. But he remained stead fast in the doctrine as taught by Mr. Wesley, arid died triumphantly in the faith, though he did not live to see a Methodist preacher in America. Mrs. Giles Peckett was a woman of superior talent, a well-informed, lively Chris tian. I loved her from my boyhood. Their dwelling was on what has since been called the Low^er Plain. " In 1796, Nicholas Sneathen, at the solicitation of John Langdon, of Vershire, was appointed to form a Circuit in Vermont, and came to Bradford, in July, 179 7, and preach ed once, at Mrs. Peckett s, which Avas the first Methodist sermon ever preached in that town. Rev. Ralph Willis- ton was his successor on the Vershire circuit, and in the summer of 1798 preached once in Bradford. I was away from home, and, hearing of his appointment, started for home, with intention of hearing his sermon, which he closed just as I arrived at the place ! but I heard him sing a hymn, and pray, and my mind was favorably impressed. I afterwards went to Vershire, fifteen miles, on a Sab bath morning, to hear him ; where I received my first deep conviction of sin, and resolved on seeking my soul s salvation. With an anxious, troubled heart, I tried to feel my way, amidst gross darkness, but could see no light. The November following, Joseph Crawford came to Mrs. Peckett s, and preached, on l Come, for all things are now ready ; and while he showed that the provision of the gospel made for our salvation is full and free, and that we must come by faith, as helpless sinners, without waiting till we are any better, a Hood of light broke in upon my darkness, and I then first saw how a sinner 70 could be saved by grace. Brother Crawford continued his appointments^ once in two weeks, through the winter, with success ; and formed the first class in Bradford, con sisting of five members, namely : Margaret Peckett, Wm. A. Peckett, Laban Clark, Joseph Clark, and Elizabeth Warren. A few weeks later, Samuel Aspinwall, Mrs. Jo seph Olmstead, and her two daughters, Sophia and Sarep- ta, joined the class ; also, Bryant Kay and wife, although living at the distance of twelve miles, had their names attached to our class. " In 1779, Joseph Crawford was returned to our cir cuit, with Elijah Chichester. Brother Crawford formed the first Methodist society in Bradford, which gradually increased, so that before he left, in 1800, we had about thirty members. All of Mother Peckett s children be came members, and she lived to see them all rejoicing in a free salvation, and in the hope of eternal life. It may not be amiss to remark, here, that Bryant Kay s daughter married Stephen Morse, of North Haverhill, who was fa ther of the late Bryant Morse, a Methodist minister ; and I think other members of his family became Methodists. " Mrs. Margaret Appleton Peckett died in Bradford, in the spring of 1802, strong in faith, giving glory to God, and leaving our little society united in heart and mind, enjoying communion with God, and fellowship with each other." Thus pleasantly ends the narrative of Rev. La- ban Clark. For some fifteen or twenty years longer, the public worship of this denomination was chiefly at the school house, near where the Pecketts had lived. In those days, probably, 110 other man did so much to promote the cause as Joseph Clark, a local preacher, of very limited educa tion, but of an excellent spirit, His first wife, whose maiden name was Fanny Aspinwall, and his second, Su san Bond, were both excellent Christian women, and heartilv devoted to the Redeemer s service. The little 71 Church gradually increased in numbers and influence, un* til a plain, but comfortable, meeting house, in 1832, was built, in the same locality, but considerably nearer the village. This house was occupied for public worship for about sixteen or seventeen years, when, the society hav ing considerably increased, objection was made, by not a few, to its location, and then it was owned in part by the Universalists, who had helped to build it, and had a stip ulated right to occupy it with preaching of their own sort a certain portion of the time. After due consideration, it was determined to sell that house, by no means an old one, and to build a new and more commodious one in the village. The new house was built in the year 1849, in a desirable location, nearly opposite to the Congregational house, on the East side of Main street. Their first house of worship was sold, and, in the spring of 1851, taken down and rebuilt in the village, where it has since been occupied for mechanical purposes of different sorts. In the course of a few years, the new meeting house was proved to be too small ; and in the autumn of 1849, while Rev. H. P. Gushing was pastor, it was sawn asunder, the section most remote from the street moved back several feet, and the vacancy filled by about twenty new slips ; since which it seems to have been sufficiently capacious. The next year the General Conference of Vermont was held in it. The growth of this church, like that of the Congrega- tionalists, has been slow, but healthy. Both have been, the present year, 1874, blessed with a season of refresh ing from the presence of the Lord, and increased by the addition of several new members. The continued and best efforts, and combined influence, of both these church es are needed in this community. The present number of members in this church is understood to be about nine ty, with a class of twenty-five awaiting admission. According to Rev. N. W. Aspinwall s letter, above men- 72 tioned, the preachers who supplied the society in Brad ford until 1834 were appointed to what was called the Vershire or Newbury circuit, and no one confined his labors exclusively to this society : though occasionally there was alternate preaching, by two of the itinerants, the same year. B. R. Hoyt, in 1834, was the first, he says, who confined his Sabbath labors to Bradford. Rev. Mr. Aspinwall gives a list of the ministers who supplied this society, from its origin to the year 1839, which is as follows : 1796 1797 1798 1799 1800 1801 1802 1803 1804 1805 1806 1807 1808 1809 1810 1811 1812 18131814, 1815 1816 1817 18181819. 1820 18211822, 1823 1824 1825 1826 18271828, 1829 1830 Nicholas Sneathen, Ralph Williston, Joseph Crawford, J. Crawford and E. Chichester, Timothy Dewey, Truman Bishop and Thomas Branch, Solomon Langdonand Paul Dustm, Samuel Draper and Oliver Beat, John Roberts and Da vid Goodspeed, Oliver Beal, Elijah Hedding, Benjamin F. Lambert Eleazer Wells, Joseph Steele, N. W. Stearns, Warren Bannister, Erastus Otis, Benjamin R. Hoyt, Amasa Taylor, Jonathan Worthen, Lewis Bates, Salmon AVinchester, Eleazer Wells and Win. McCoy, Joel Steele, J. W. McKee, John Lord, Isaac Barker, Paul Richmond, A. H. Houghton, C. W. Levings, S. Chamberlain, 1831 1832 1833 18341835, 18361837, 18381889, 1840 1841 1842 1843 1844 18451846, 1847 18481849, 18501851, 18521853, 1854 1855 18561857, 1858 1859- -1860, 18611862, 18631864, 1865 1866 18671868, 1869 1870 1871 18721873, 1874 Win. D. Cass, C. Cowen, R. Newell, B. R. Hoyt, R. Bedford, E. Adams, E. B. Fletcher and A. T. Gibson, E. B. Fletcher and Win. Mann, W r m. Mann, E. Brown, Haynes Johnson and H. T. Jones, Moses Spencer, A. T. Billiard, P. Mason, W. J.Kidder, C. R. Harding, A. J. Copeland, C. W. Kellogg, A. Hitchcock, Isaac Me Ann, H. P Cashing, H K. Cobb, A L. Pratt, J. Fassett, J . Le Barron , H F. Forest. R. W. Harlow, C. Tabor, H T. Jones, Supplied by Silas C. and J. M Cully Ful. ton, J. M C. Fulton. The two last named were brothers, and preachers of ability, from Nova Scotia. J. McC. Fulton, the elder 73 brother, was a graduate of the Allison Wesleyan College there. He spent the first three years of his ministerial life in the Bermuda Islands ; the four next years in Noya Scotia; one year at Prince Edward Island, and from thence came to Bradford, to take the place of his brother, who was about removing to the State of Pennsylvania. Thus we see that in the course of seventy-eight years from its commencement this church and society have been favored with the pastoral care and labors of sixty -eight different ministers of the Gospel. The society, at this date have a pleasant parsonage, near their commodious meeting house, and are in a united and prosperous condition ; having lately shared with their sis ter church, of the Congregational order, in a season of re freshing from the presence of the Lord. For the list of members, from 1834 to 1874, 1 have been indebted to Mr. Asa Howard, of Bradford, arid Rev. H. Eastman, of Jacksonville, Vt. THE METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH AT WEST BRADFORD. This second Methodist Church in Bradford have a meet ing-house, and for many years have maintained regular worship in the Southwest part of the town. For the fol lowing historical facts I have been indebted to Benjamin L. Worthley, an intelligent msmber of that church. He says, " The first class at this place Avas formed in connec tion with the church at the village, in the year 1831 or 1832, by Rev. William I). Cass; and remained connected with that church until, in 1841, set off by Conference in a separate charge, and Elliott B. Fletcher was appointed pastor. That year a small house of worship was built " located on the South road, about four miles West from the village " and a few years afterward a parsonage." The people in that quarter are so situated that the mainten- 6 74 ance of public worship among themselves is at once for their own, and the public benefit. At the time this church and society became a separate charge there was a mem bership of sixty. The same year a Sabbath School was organized, which has been in successful operation ever since. The present number of church members is sup posed to be about . Mr. Worthley has furnished the following list of their successive pastors, with the dates of their services : 1841 Elliott B. Fletcher, i 1856 Elliott B. Fletcher, 1842 Zadoc S. Haynes, j 18571858, George I. Bailey, 1843 Freeman Q.Burrews, 1859 S. W. VVestgace, 18441845, Homer T. Jones, 1846 L. B. Pettengill, 1847 A. T. Bullard, 18481849 1850 Otis D unbar, 1851 Joseph House, 18521853, Wm. B. Howard, 1854 Haynes Johnson, 1855 Smith Aldrich, 18601861, Ardyn Hay ward, 18621863, Philo H. Carpenter, 18641865, Selden B. Currier, 18661867 1868 George F. Wells, 18691870, M. R. Chase, 1871 D. F. Palmer, 1872 Aaron Ball, 1874 Caleb Fales. THE CHRISTIAN BAPTIST CHURCH. There is still another religious society, in the north-west ern quarter .of the town, and adjacent district called Gosh- en, which has a meeting house, and has, for many years, during most of the time maintained separate public wor ship. Their house of worship is about three miles north west from the village, very near the south line of New-- bury. This church was organized in or near the year 1810. Not wishing to be considered sectarians, they adopted no creed but the Holy Scriptures, as each one for himself understood them, and chose, at first, to be called Christians ; and under the influence of a new or ganization, and of zealous preachers, among whom the celebrated Elias Smith was prominent, were, for some time, quite flourishing. In the grant of this township, made in trust to Smith, Harvey and Whitelaw, there was a reservation of 300 acres of land for the benefit of a min- 75 ister, or ministers, who should be settled in said town. By agreement, it was arranged that 100 acres of this land, or the avails of the same, should go to the benefit of the Baptist (Calvinistic) society, then in a prosperous condi tion in this town, which, however, in the course of years became entirely extinct ; when the Christian church, as suming the name of Christian Baptist Church, came into peaceable possession of the above named little appropria tion. The two hundred acres appropriated to the Con- gregationalists were deeded, as has elsewhere been said, to their first minister, the Rev. Win. Kellogg. Though it would seem convenient for several families, enough to constitute a respectable congregation, to assemble for worship here, yet, owing to a decline in ability, if not of interest, and the nearness of the church in West New- bury, where public service is regularly maintained, this society for some years past has been less flourishing than formerly, arid have stated preaching for only a part of the time. There are also in this town a considerable number of Universalists, who have had occasional preaching at the Town Hall, but have never yet had a meeting house of their own. In the midst of all these religious privileges, it is a la mentable consideration that there are individuals, not a few, who seldom appear in any worshiping assembly, ex cept on special occasions, virtually saying, " What is the Almighty, that we should serve Him ? " Still, by perse vering Christian endeavors, a great and good work has been accomplished, and the cause of truth and righteous ness is destined here and universally to prevail and tri umph. 76 CEMETERIES IN BRADFORD. "Our dear old town ! How grand The views of mountain land Which here we meet ! We love these verdant hills, These vales our fathers tilled, These woods the wild birds filled With carols sweet. Our native town ! How dear Each purling brook so clear, Each dale and steep But there s a dearer spot Than rock, or rill, or cot, Which ne er can be forgot Where loved ones sleep." The principal Cemetery in Bradford is pleasantly situ ated about a mile North of the village, East side of the highway, and near the Western bank of Connecticut River. It is handsomely enclosed, and contains many, and various kinds of, monuments of the dead there de posited. The first burial there was that of a little boy by the name of Andrew McFarland, July 25, 1770, who had been, by some unfortunate accident, drowned in Wait s Riv er, near its confluence with the Connecticut. His humble grave among the pines for a while was solitary ; but in the course of one hundred and four years the occupants of that quiet resting place of the dead have become more numerous than are, at present, the living inhabitants of the entire township. There was formerly a Baptist meet ing-house in the immediate vicinity of this grave yard, which more than half a century since, being past use, was taken down and removed. The ground, for a long time was not laid out in any regular order, and every family buried their dead as best suited themselves ; but within comparatively a few years past the Cemetery has been greatly enlarged, particularly on the West and South, and the grounds laid out as they should be, into lots, with proper drive-ways and walks between them, and a receiving 77 tomb, to accommodate the deposits of the dead in the season of Winter, has been duly prepared. A great im provement has been made. But there ought to be some definite arrangement made for keeping the grounds, and graves, and everything pertaining to them, in due and permanent order, at the expense of the town, from profits arising from the sale of the new lots, or under the direc tion of a company formed for that express purpose. An account of the number of interments in this Cemetery, each year, from January 1, 1802, to July 1, 1874, a period of seventy-two years and six months, has been kept chief ly by Captain James McDuffee, for a long while sexton, but now deceased, from which the following statement is an abstract : YEAR. 1802, 1803, 1804, 1805, 1806, 1807, 1808, 1809, 1810, 1811, 1812, 1813, 1814, 1815, 1816, 1817, 1818, 1819, 1820, 1821, 1822, 1823, 1824, 1825, 1826, 1827, 1828, 1829, 1830, 1831, 1832, 1833, 1834, .URIALS. YEAR. 10. 1839, 12. 1840, 12. 1841, 12. 1842, 5. 1843, 6. 1844, 3. 1845, 9. 1846, 14. 1847, 13. 1848, 15. 1849, 21. 185D, 15. 1851, 12. 1852, 13. 1853, 11. 1854, 11. 1855, 13. 1856, 15. 1857, 11. 1858, 12. 1859, 18. 1860, 15. 1861, 5. 1862, 23. 1863, 14. 1864, 16. 1865, 15. 1866, 12. 1867, 16. 1868, 19. 1869, 23. 1870, 18. 1871, No. OF BURIALS. 29. 11. 18. 42. 29. 27. 17. 13. 31. 20. 30. 30. 26. 29. 31. 34. 37. 17. 23. 22. 22. 29. 33. 22. 49. 46. 33. 25. 24. 29. 27. 78 YEAR. No. OF BURIALS, 1835, 22. 1836, 15. 1837, 14. 1838, 26. YEAR. No. OF BURIALS. 1872, 46. 1873, 21. 1874, To July 25, 19. Thus we see that the number buried in that Cemetery from January 1, 1802, to July 25, 1874, was one thousand five hundred and nine. But, as the place was occupied for burial from July 25, 1770, a period of thirty-one years and a half, very nearly, before the above correct account begins, we are left in uncertainty in regard to the whole number there interred. If we allow on an average, even so small a number as five, each year, during that uncer tain period, and it was probably over that, the whole amount, from the beginning, or during the first period of one hundred and four years, is fully one thousand six hun dred and sixty-six dead bodies, there awaiting the voice of the Son of God to call them forth, in the glorious morning of the final resurrection.- There are three other burial places in the town, in which there have been, we know not how many burials one near the Methodist meeting-house, on the South road ; one about half a mile South of Groshen meeting-house, on or near the Greenleaf place, and another on the West side of Wright s Mountain, which is said to have been in use for nearly one hundred years, and in which about one hundred of the dead have been buried. Their retired resting places are generally indicated by headstones though not all. " Their names, their years, spelt by th unlettered muse, The place of fame and elegy supply, And many a holy text around she strews To teach the rustic moralist to die." The population of the town, at this date, 1874, is esti mated at about one thousand five hundred. In some past years it has been over seventeen hundred. While the in habitants and business of the village have increased, on the farms there has been a decline. Families, and conse quently schools, are decidedly smaller now than formerly. 79 CHAPTER IV. Educational Matters District Schools Funds for their Support Academy Scientific Society Newspapers Home for the Desti tute *Town Hall Manufactures Photography Banks Vari ous Business of the Place, with Biographical Sketches of Indi viduals engaged in it Fair Grounds. In the grant of the Township of Bradford, alias More- town, by the General Assembly of Vermont, January 25, 1791, to Israel Smith, Alexander Harvey, and James Whitelaw, in trust, for the purposes therein specified, an appropriation of 300 acres of land, in the western part of the town, was made, and set apart for the support of a school in said town. This was, subsequently, understood to mean not one school, merely, but the district schools of the township, collectively and individually. From an early period of the settlement, considerable attention was given to the instruction of the children, in schools, sup ported for a few months each year by subscription or taxation. When the town became so far settled as to render it expedient, it was divided into six districts, and for a long time the sum of about $300 was raised annual ly for the support of schools in these several districts. In March, 1812, the town entered into a contract with Jonathan Austin, one of its inhabitants, to lease the above- mentioned 300 acres of school land to him, his heirs and assigns, as long as wood should grow or water run, for the consideration of the interest, at six per cent, per an num, paid on the sum of $1666.67, amounting to $100 yearly, at the same time allowing the said Austin, his heirs and assigns, the privilege of paying the above- named principal, in three equal instalments, at his or their option. These instalments were in the course of a few years paid, and the claim of the town to said lands finally alienated. The amount thus received has since 80 been kept on interest, and the avails used in accordance with the original design of the appropriation. In 1826, the sum of $4355.99 was received from the estate of Capt. William Trotter, deceased, to be held as a permanent fund, the annual interest of which wa.s to be, and must ever be, appropriated to the several district schools in said town constituting, at six per cent, inter est, an addition yearly of $261.35 to the annual income of $100 from the other source, above mentioned. For the circumstances and manner in which the toAvri became possessed of this property, the reader is referred to a sketch of the life of Capt. William Trotter, in the biograph ical section of this history of Bradford and its inhabit ants. From the Treasurer of this State, in the year 1837, this town received, in three equal instalments, the sum of $3,597.51, as its portion of the surplus revenue in the Treasury of the United States, and voted to appropriate perpetually the annual interest on this sum to the support of the common schools. The principal was, and contin ues to be, distributed, in the way of loans, to various in dividuals, on satisfactory security given. From this source there is a yearly income of $215.85. The whole amount of school funds is $9620.27, and the annual in come therefrom, for the support of schools, $577.21, which is equitably distributed among them, and the large defi ciency requisite to sustain them is supplied by district taxation. According to the report of Dr. J. H. Jones, Superintendent for the year ending March 31, 1874, the number of school districts was ten, and of fractional dis tricts three ; and of scholars who have attended any part of the year, three hundred and twenty-five. The whole number in town, between five years and twenty years of age, 343. The amount of money raised on the grand list by the school districts, $3100. The two school districts in Bradford village have uni- 81 ted, and, in conjunction with Bradford Academy, entered into the graded school system, consisting, in this instance, of two equal primary departments, an intermediate, and an academic department ; to all of which scholars belong ing to the Union district are admitted without personal charge. Academic students from beyond the limits of the above dfstrict, having the same advantages as at other like institutions, pay accordingly. The number of resident pupils, for the year above men tioned, was 60. It is due to the Rev. Joshua Britton, a minister of the Universalist denomination, who came here from Lyndon, in 1859, and remained for about ten years, to say that, whuVhere, he took much interest in the schools, and was by the town chosen Superintendent in 1861, and for the next five years ; and each year prepared, with much pains taking, a report, which by the town was printed and duly circulated. He removed in 1869 to Fort Dodge, Wiscon sin, and from there writes, August 28,1874: "During those years there was a gradual improvement in the con dition of the schools, and in the cause of education gen erally." "My intercourse with the teachers, scholars, and their parents and guardians, and citizens of the town, was uniformly of a pleasant, agreeable character." BRADFORD ACADEMY, Was incorporated and the present buildings for its ac commodation erected in the year 1820 ; in the spring of 1821, went into successful operation, and during almost half a century has been of great advantage to the young- people of both sexes in its vicinity. The institution re ceives assistance from the Orange County Grammar- School lands, to the amount of about $100, annually ; and has other resources yielding about $213 more, indepen dent of the avails of tuition. The invested fund belong- 82 ing to the institution is about $3,550. Of this sum, $450 were received from a Royal Arch Chapter of Free Ma sons in Bradford ; $1000 bequeathed by Mr. Nicholas W. Aver; and about $2100 bequeathed by Mrs. Eliza C. Mer rill. The interest of the sum last named is to be appro priated, exclusively, to the purchase of books and appa ratus for the benefit of the institution. Valuable collec tions in both departments have been made, and are regu larly increasing. In addition to the means furnished by the trustees, the Union district assumes the responsibility of sustaining the school, and has hitherto given the prin cipal and his assistants a liberal support. The school at present under the care and instruction of Mr. Thomas Martin, a graduate of Dartmouth College, is in a prosper ous condition, especially as the high school of this village. Since its commencement, academic institutions have been started in several of the neighboring towns, which have, of course, withdrawn from us a considerable sfcare of pub lic patronage, though none of them, at this time, are in a flourishing state. The first Principal of this Academy was George W. Nesmith, then lately from College, and since well known as the Hon. Judge Nesmith, of Franklin, N. H. In the course of fifty-three years there have been a succession of principals, with their assistants, generally well qualified, who have done good service in the cause of education in this community. BRADFORD SCIENTIFIC ASSOCIATION. This association, originated by Levi W. Bliss, Roswell Farnham, Jr., Silas McKeen, George Prichard, and Robert McKingsley Ormsby, was incorporated by an act of the General Assembly of Vermont, November 4, 1857, under the name of the Vermont Geographical Association and Society of Natural History ; but by request of the cor porators, their title was changed and established by the 83 same authority, November 24, 1860, as above given. The fee for admission to the association -was, for some years, $10 ; but Avas subsequently reduced to $5 ; and the num ber of the members has been gradually increasing. From its origin the members have been in the habit of occasion ally meeting, and during the Winter months generally once in two weeks, to attend to the reading of articles previously assigned, on some one or more of the innum erable topics included within the circle of useful knowl edge, or interesting speculation ; and in the lack of such original articles, to discuss any matter of interest which, from reading or observation, may, at the time, be intro duced. Occasionally public lectures have been read or procured. A cabinet of minerals, specimens of natural history, and various artificial curiosities have been com menced ; and a good beginning of a valuable library made. The Association has been favored by the Smithsonian Institute with the donation of valuable books ; also by members of Congress, and various geological and literary friends in different parts of the country, in like manner. Recently five large volumes, comprising the results of the Geological Survey of the State of Illinois, have been re ceived as a donation from the conductor of that great un dertaking, Amos H. Worthen, a native of Bradford, and an honorary member of this Association. The Association has also lately been increased in num bers and influence by receiving into its corporation the several members of the Bradford Agricultural Society, with their library, consisting of about one hundred and forty-five volumes, in addition to their previous collection of books. The officers of the Association for 1874, are, John B. Ormsby, M. D., President. Roswell Farnham, Esq., A. M., Vice President. Gregory B. Durgan, Secretary. 84 K. Farnham, Esq., Librarian. Charles H. Harding, Treasurer. W. T. Dunmore, Esq., A. B., \ Wm. H. Carter, M. D., [-Executive Com. R. Farnham, Esq., ) It is worthy of remark here, that the first artificial globes, terrestrial and celestial, known to have been man ufactured in America, were made in Bradford, Vt., by James Wilson, Esq., about the year 1813 or 1814; who also subsequently established, in company with his sons, a factory of the same in Albany, N. Y., and for years did a somewhat extensive business there. Wilson s globes are of an excellent quality, and in point of correctness and finish suffered nothing in comparison with the best European. Mr. Wilson died at Bradford, March 26, 1855, in the ninety-third year of his age. See the biographical sketch of him -in this volume. NEWSPAPERS IN BRADFORD. The first newspaper published in this town was styled The American Protector; Whig in politics, commenced in 1843, by A. B. F. Hildreth, its proprietor and editor. In the course of four or five years this paper became rather neutral in politics, and its name was changed to the Vermont Family Gazette. This was continued to about the first of October, 1852, when it was again changed to- the White River Advertiser, and removed to White River Junction. While Mr. Hildreth was publishing his paper in Brad ford, he made up from its miscellaneous matter a semi monthly magazine, called The Green Mountain Gem, which had a considerable circulation in this vicinity, but ceased its existence with that of the Family Gazette. In 1851, The Northern Inquirer was commenced: Dr. L. W. Bliss, publisher, and R. McK. Ormsby, editor. The 85 press was purchased by Ormsby, who was a Whig of the Webster and Clay school, for the purpose of advocating the nomination of Mr. Webster for the Presidency. On the failure of Mr, Webster to receive the nomination at the Baltimore Convention, the control of the Inquirer was resigned for a while, to other hands. From October, 1852, till March, 1853, it was published by Messrs. Brown & Grow, A. C. Brown editor, and was an advocate of Gen eral Scott s election to the Presidency, after which Mr. Ormsby again took charge of it, until about the first of December, 1854. The Inquirer was strongly opposed to the formation of the Republican party in this State, and soon after the dis solution of the old Whig party was sold by Mr. Ormsby to 0. A. Bowe, and the name changed to the Bradford Inquirer. Mr. Bowe published but a few numbers, when, early in the year 1855, he conveyed his interest in the publication to L. J. Mclndoe, who continued it under the name of the Orange County Journal. This journal was Republican in politics, and advocated the election of John C. Fremont to the Presidency. In November, 1857, Mr. Mclndoe again changed the name of the paper to thd Aurora of the Valley, and having purchased the Windsor Journal, united the two papers in one, but under differ ent names, to accommodate the two different sections ol its patrons. The Aurora was only nominally published at Bradford, the editorial and local matters for this town being furnished by R. Farnham, Esq., associate editor. The politics of the Aurora were decidedly Republican. This paper was published at Windsor, and most of its sec ular matter the same as contemporaneously appeared not only in the Windsor Journal, but also in the Vermont Chronicle. The National Telegraph was commenced at Bradford in 1856, by Rev. Wm. M. Mann, a worthy Methodist min ister, and its publication continued by him till his decease, 86 in 1858. The publication was then suspended for some time, when the press was bought by Dr. Lucius C. Butler, and a Democratic paper, styled the Telegraph, was pub lished by him, advocating the policy of that party, and aiming to support the administration of President Bu chanan ; but was not of long duration. A semi-monthly sheet, called The Green Mountain Farmer, devoted to Agriculture, was commenced in March, 1852, by L. R. Morris, Esq., but within the year was discontinued for want of adequate support. In June, 1866, A. A. Earle issued here the first num ber of his National Opinion, a very decidedly Republican paper, and in about six months sold out to D. W. Cobb, who had been connected with Earle in the publication, who subsequently continued it for over seven years longer. This paper strongly advocated the election, once and again, of U. S. Grant to the Presidency, and the policy of the Republican party generally. In the Spring of 1874 Mr. Cobb transferred his interest in this paper to the Orange County Publishing Associa tion, when, under their patronage, Mr. Benjamin F. Stan- ton, a gentleman of experience in such business, succeed ed as publisher and editor ; the general character of the paper remaining the same, but its name being again changed, this time to Bradford Opinion. HOME FOR THE DESTITUTE. In the Spring of 1853 a farm, with convenient build ings on the same, Avas purchased by the Town for the ac commodation of its poor, at the expense of $1,700. Pay ment was made by an appropriation to that amount from the school fund the interest being still paid and applied, as before, to the support of schools. This farm, originally owned by Elisha Newhall, lies about one mile South of. the Town House, in a rather retired location, and is very 87 well adapted to its intended use. Some man, with his wife, is from year" to year, under the direction of the Overseer of the Poor, employed to take charge of the es tablishment, and due care of the beneficiaries, who have never been numerous. This method of providing for the poor is altogether preferable to the old way of setting them up yearly at public auction, to be distributed in de tail to the lowest bidders. This experiment, after the lapse of some twenty years, is considered in a good de gree satisfactory. The estimated value of this property, as reported to the Town-meeting, in March, 1874, was: Real Estate, $2,050 ; Household furniture, $450,21 ; other personal property, $550; the amount, Three Thousand, Four Hundred and Fifty-eight Dollars and Twenty-one Cents. THE TOWN HALL. The ground on which this building stands, near the South-west end of the village, was given for this purpose by Charles C. P. Baldwin, for some years High Sheriff of Orange County, and United States Marshal for the dis trict of Vermont. The site was very near to that of his own residence. The building a commodious two story edifice, with a cupola was erected in the year 1857, at the cost of $2,681.21, obtained by direct taxation. This Town House, or Town Hall, as it is now commonly called, is used, not only for town meetings, but for public lectures, occasional preaching, school exhibitions shows, levees, courts, and all such like purposes. MANUFACTURES AND TRADES. Though we have not much of this sort to boast of, yet the fine water privileges afforded by Wait s River, as it passes through the village, have been and are of great advantage, and have contributed to make it quite a busy place, for one of its size. 88 The first grist-mill in this town was built by Col. John Peters, father of our well-remembered Andrew B. Peters, Esq., on the lowest fall in Wait s River, near where the direct, road from Newbury to Fairlee still crosses said river, and there a succession of mills of the same sort, greatly to the public accommodation, has since been main tained, for over a hundred years. There have been, of course, a succession of proprietors ; and as new mills have succeeded the old, new improvements and facilities for increased business have been introduced. The present valuable brick grist-mill on that site, was erected by Mr. Asa Low, about the year 1848, and is now owned by Messrs. J. B. Peckett, Esq., of this place, and White, of Nashua, N. H., and is doing a profitable business. There has also been from the early settlement of the place a succession of saw-mills, in close proximity, immediately below the grist-mills, supplied with their motive power from the same source, in which a large amount of timber, boards, and other lumber, has been sawed. On the op posite side of the same waterfall, there has long been a factory for preparing scythe stones that is, stones for sharpening scythes ; the quarry from which the material is taken being in Piermont, N. H.; also a planing mill ; and factory of mackerel kits, for transportation ; and of late the manufacture of butter boxes has been commenc ed by Henry D. Brown & Co., with fair prospects. For some notice of the cotton factory, erected on the same site by Capt. Trotter, see his memorial. At the next waterfall, some eight or ten rods above this, there is another dam, and a large stone building for the manufacture of paper, of various sorts and qualities, but, of late, especially of wrapping paper, in which a great amount of business has been done. The manufac ture of paper was commenced here between sixty and seventy years ago, and, with the exception of occasional interruptions by floods and other disasters, has been stead- 89 ily carried on to the present time. This stone building was erected some thirty years since, by Mr. Asa Low, who was long the owner and manager of the establish ment, which has recently, July, 1874, passed into the hands of Mr. John Anderson, of Boston. About twenty rods still further up the river is another fail, on which a dam was long since erected, and where mills and machinery of various sorts have long been in successful operation. There a saw-mill, greatly to the benefit of the early settlers, was built by Benjamin Bald win, the father of the Baldwin race in this town, in the year 1774; which was succeeded by another, built and managed by his son, Capt. Benj. P. Baldwin, and while timber was plenty a large business in the way of its man ufacture was there carried on tor about ninety years. Im mediately below the saw-mill in this locality, a grist-mill was long since erected by B. P. Baldwin, Esq., and, by succession, under the management of different owners, a mill of this sort has there been in successful operation to the present time. The valuable mill now doing busi ness there is owned by Mr. A. A. Bowen, lately of Pier- mont, N. H. On or immediately above the site of the old saw-mill, which has passed away, Mr. R. R. Aldrich has a factory for the making of mackerel kits, on a large scale, for trans portation ; also of pails, including all the requisite appa ratus for doing such business with facility. The timber extensively used for this purpose has been chiefly pine, of the second growth, so called, which is fast disappear ing from the surrounding country. The next factory, above the last named, is that of W. H. Leavitt & Son, for making doors, sash and blinds, sawing, planing, and get ting out house finish generally, special attention being- paid to getting out stair rails, of all styles. Within a few rods, further up the river, we come to the iron foundry. Mr. Horace Strickland, the owner of this 7 90 foundry, came to this town from Western New York in 1824, and commenced the furnace business about 1834, by assisting a man by the name of Sexton, who had previ ously started the business, furnishing him with iron, etc., for a while, but finally, by agreement, taking the whole concern into his own hands. From time to time he has added to his facilities for doing work, until now, in 1874, he has in addition to his foundry a blacksmith shop, a wood-shop, a large lot of patterns, and machinery, suffi cient for making all kinds of mill work, together with farming tools, of various kinds. For several years a some what extensive business has been done, especially in the manufacture of ploughs, of different sorts. In marble work, a somewhat extensive business has been carried on for several years by Mr. George Jen kins, and a few words in regard to him arid his family will not in this place be inappropriate. He was born in this town, a son of Mr. Elijah Jenkins, then living here, but now in Piermont, N. H. Mr. George Jenkins married Miss Sarah A. Crook, of Piermont, April 17, 1850. They have had three sons, two of whom died in childhood. The third, Charles E., now in infancy, is healthful and promis ing. They have also an adopted son, Franklin, some two or three years of age ; also a daughter, Ella, their eldest child now living. The family have a pleasant residence, in the central part of the village. Mr. Jenkins commenced working in marble here in 1857, and has gone on successfully for about seventeen years. The marble is obtained, mainly, from West Rut land, Yt., though a considerable part is imported from It aly. It is a singular fact that the imported differs very little in price from from the domestic of about the same quality. Both are said to be nearly twice as dear as they were twenty years ago. Mr. Jenkins sales of work done in Bradford are understood to be, on an average, about $7000 dollars worth annually. He has another establish- 91 ment of the same sort, at St. Johnsbury, where more than twice that amount of work is annually performed and sold. Mr. H. M. Griffin, designer and engraver, who wrought in marble for Mr. Jenkins about thirteen years, has re- , cently commenced a like business on his own account, in this village, and advertised himself as ready to do all kinds of cemetery work. There may be sufficient em ployment for both. The manufacture and sale of household furniture, and of coffins, is carried on by George L. Butler ; and, also, by A. P. Shaw. Carriage making and repairing is done by George Brown ; and work in tin, sheet-iron and zinc by B. T. Pillsbury, who also deals in wooden ware, tin and iron ware, lead pipe, and stoves of various sorts. Shoe making and mending is done by Charles Swan. A plentiful supply of boots and shoes, manufactured abroad, is kept for sale in several stores. Of tailors shops, we have two. Mr. L. D. Livingstone, a good tailor and worthy man, lately come here, carries on his business in connection with Bailey & Co. s cloth ing store. Mr. Crowell Hatch established himself as a tailor here May 21, 1833 ; and, after the lapse of forty years, is still diligently occupied in furnishing the needy with desira ble garments. He was a native of Portland, Maine ; born there August 13, 1810. He first married Miss Sophronia Stearns, March 31, 1836, who died September 25, 1865. He married Mrs. Jane Freeman, his present wife, July 11, 1869. Mr. Hatch has long been a useful member of this community. The millinery business, with stores of goods annexed? is carried on by Mrs. C. H. Curtis, Mrs. George Andross, Mrs. C. S. Stevens, and Mrs. A. T. Shaw ^ and dress-mak ing by several ladies. 92 Of clock, watch and jewellers establishments there are three. One belongs to J. A. Hardy, and was the first opened in this place ; one to J. M. Warden, telegrapher ; and the other to C. H. Harding, postmaster ; all skillful and trustworthy in their business. The harness makers 7 business is carried on by Mills 0. Barber, Esq., and H. B. Kennedy. For blacksmiths, we have S. E. & M. A. Davis, S. B. Kennedy, and E. G. Ho- bert. Carpenters, E. R. Aldrich, Geo. W. Fair, and An drew Sargent. Masons, Geo. F. Morris, and Wm. East man. Painters, Wm. S. Nelson, and E. T. Clark. Manu facturer and dealer in patent medicines, C. C. Doty. Ma chinists and millwrights, H. Gray & Co. The Gray Union water wheel is recommended by those who have tried it as one of rare excellence. At Bradford Center, on Wait s River, there is a saw mill, and the business of carding wool and of cloth dress ing has been carried on for many years. At this water privilege, the manufacture of wooden bowls, from suitable native timber, is the only establishment of the sort in this vicinity. They are turned out with great facility. There is still another sawmill, near the northern line of the township, on Roaring Brook ; the structure of its dam being, apparently, copied from remnants of dams constructed long ago by the beavers. PHOTOGRAPHY. Mr. E. H. Allen, our highly esteemed Photographer, was a native of Rindge, N. H., born September 28th, 1831. He came to Bradford in July, 1858, and fitted up for his business a gallery in J. A. Hardy s building, where he has since exercised his ,art to the satisfaction of his many patrons, and to his own advantage. He married first, Miss Arvilla Blake, of Rindge, No vember 1, 1853; to whom was born, October 8, 1856, a 93 - daughter, Idella M., who died September 10, 1864, in the eighth year of her age. Mrs. Allen, a very amiable lady, after a long illness, patiently endured, died at Bradford, March .30, 1870, at the age of thirty-seven years. Mr. Allen married for his second wife Miss Maria E. Blake, also of Rindge, N. H., with whom, at this date, he is hap pily living. BANKS. The first Bank in Bradford was chartered by the Legis lature at its session in 1853. The stock-holders held their first meeting for the election of directors February 17, 1854, when the following named gentlemen were chosen : George W. Prichard, George P. Baldwin, Hubbard Wright, Henry Keyes, Stephen Thomas, Abijah Howard, Jr., and Reuben Page. The Directors, at their first meeting, made choice of George W. Prichard as President, and Benjamin T. Blodg- ett as Cashier. Colonel Prichard continued President during the existence of the Bank, and Mr. Blodgett Cashier till his decease, in 1863, when George W. N. May, January 6, 1864, was elected Cashier, and continued till his resignation, December 31, 1864, when John W. Batch- elder, Esq., was elected to that office. The affairs of the Bank, in issuing and redeeming its bills, and transacting the various business of such an institution, went on with ordinary prosperity until the new banking laws of the General Government were producing a change in the management of such matters, when, at a general meeting of the stockholders, October 22, 1864, over two-thirds voted that it was " expedient to close up the affairs of said Bank, and to surrender the charter of the same at an early day." The charter was for twenty years, and the Bank had then been doing business but a few months over one half of that time. The complete redemption of the 94 currency, and settlement of all the affairs of the Bank, to general satisfaction, and without loss to any, required three or four years longer, and was duly effected. The present " Bradford Savings Bank and Trust Com pany," chartered by act of the Legislature, November 14, 1870, was duly organized March 11, 1871, by electing Albert Bailey, L. F. Hale, Joseph W. Bliss, A. P. Gould, and Charles G. Smith a Board of Trustees. At the first meeting of this Board, March 15, 1871, Al bert Bailey was elected President, and L. F. Hale, Treas urer, of said corporation. The capital stock of this corporation is Fifty Thousand Dollars ; which amount has been paid in, and its affairs have been conducted with success, and to general satis faction, with one lamentable exception, owing exclusively to the rascality of a clerk, of previously fair reputation, whom the trustees had the misfortune to employ. It would be a sad story to tell ; suffice it to say, that on the night of March 24, 1874, this young man absconded, tak ing with him, according to a subsequently published state ment, $2,900 in Government Bonds, $200 in gold, and $1,135 in currency belonging to the Bank, and more than $500 from the private box of the Treasurer. He was pur sued, arrested, and brought back, when the principal part of the above amount was recovered ; but when, also, it- appeared that he had previously long been engaged in peculation, in the course of which he had abstracted from the Bank many small sums, amounting in the whole to $2,250 more, then gone beyond recovery, the young man was by due authority sent to the county jail, but af ter a few weeks liberated under bonds to appear at the time and place appointed for his trial. The session of the court before which he is bound to appear has not yet, August, 1874, occurred. Let his deplorable example be a warning to others in like circumstances of temptation. The Bank, notwithstanding these losses, and a narrow es- 95 cape from fire at the time of their principal occurrence, is at present considered in a sound and prosperous con dition. THE BRADFORD FAIR GROUNDS. This locality, near the North end of the village, is ad mirably adapted to the use to which it has for several years been appropriated. The grounds, which are suffi ciently spacious, and enclosed by a high and close board fence, the boards set perpendicularly, consist of three sec tions. First, the lower level, of hard soil, provided with a carefully prepared circular track of precisely half a mile in circumference, for trying the speed of horses, and various equestrian exercises ; with a high standby its side, next the hill, for the accommodation of the judges and public speak ers, and musicians. The interior of this circle is adapted to the exhibition of cattle of various sorts, and especially teams of oxen. From that ground a few years ago, on one of these occasions, a balloon arose with its aeronauts and sailed safely away over the high hills of New Hamp shire, and lighted near the Southern border of Maine. The second division, East side of the first, and elevated about fifty feet above it, affords not only a full view of the lower, but of the village, the neighboring valley of the Connecticut River, and of the mountains of New Hamp shire beyond it. This beautiful plateau is encircled with stalls for the various classes of animals on exhibition, and contains a spacious Floral Hall, with ample accommoda tions within and around it for the display of the choicest productions of the farms, gardens, orchards, and dairies, with domestic manufactures of all sorts awaiting hoped- for premiums. There are also tents for the use of those who have brought articles for sale, and all needful con veniences for furnishing refreshments to those desiring them. 96 The third division is the belt of steep hill-side between these two plains, which, furnished with convenient seats, affords pleasant accommodation to those wishing to hear the public speakers, or to see what is going on below. The Fair tor the present year, which has commenced this day, October 6, 1874, is published as the twenty- third which has been held, and it is said that about two thousand dollars have been expended in the new improve ments of the grounds and buildings, for this, and future oc casions. Under due police regulations, no sale or use of intoxi cating liquors is allowed, and these gatherings of the people have hitherto been characterized by the peaceful and good behaviour of the multitudes assembled. This Fair is under the conduct of the Orange County Agricultural Society, including Oroton and Ryegate, Vt., and Haverhill, Piermont, Orford, and Lyme, N. H. Mr. Joseph H. Peters is owner of the grounds, but has leased them to the above named society for ten years longer. 97 CHAPTER V. The Patriotism and Soldiery of Bradford Capt. Corliss, a Veteran of the Revolution- Charles May Killed in a Duel Bradford Brass Band. THE PATRIOTISM OF BRADFORD AND HER SOLDIERY. We are indebted to Col. R. Farnham for the following - list, prepared first for the Vermont Historical Gazetteer, of the men who served for Bradford in the Union Army, during the Great Rebellion, with the age, rank, regiment, company, dates of muster and discharge, of each, and such other facts of interest as could be briefly stated. Those in italics were not residents of this town, but were enlist ed for and counted on the quota of the soldiers required of the town, and are justly entitled to a place in this list. There may be other Bradford men who served in regi ments out of the State, but we are not able to add any such names to this list. The whole number furnished by Bradford appears to be 258 men, of whom 188 were resi dents of the town, and 70 non-residents. Of these men but four appear to have been killed in battle ; seventeen died in the service, and four survived the wounds they had received. The first company sent forth were "The Bradford Guards," under the command of Dudley K. Andross, as Captain. On Sabbath afternoon, April 28, 1861, they ap peared in a body, but without arms, in the Congregation al church of this village, attended by a great gathering of sympathizing friends from this and other towns, and lis tened to an appropriate discourse, by Rev. S. McKeen, the pastor, from 2d Samuel, X: 12 Be of good courage, and let us play the men for our people, and for the cities 98 of our G-od ; and the Lord do that which seemeth Him good. This discourse the company had printed, and the same was afterwards published in the Vermont Historical Ga zetteer. An extract or two, as a memorial of the deeply affecting occasion, it is hoped will not be thought inap propriate here. The company left for the scenes of active warfare on the subsequent Thursday, May 2, 1861. " The true soldier is not influenced mainly by any con siderations of personal advantage ; he is not a pirate, ready to kill in order to plunder ; a savage, regardless of all the restraints of reason and humanity, thirsting for slaughter and revenge : but he acts from a high sense of duty, and repels force by force, as the only means of sav ing his country from the hands of her enemies ; of re establishing peace on the foundation of justice, and of se curing to its people, both present and prospective, the enjoyment of their inalienable rights. The soldier should be a man of uncorruptible patriotism ; a man of sterling integrity and honor, in whom the highest style of bravery -is tempered with humanity and the fear of God. In the army, no countenance should be given to profanity, Sab bath breaking, gambling, drinking, lewdness, or any of those vile practices which degrade humanity and provoke the wrath of Heaven. The soldier, going forth to battle, surely has reason to be thoughtful, and prayerful, to be truly religious, and ever ready to die the death of the righteous. God grant that our citizen soldiers, here ready to march, it may be to the scenes of deadly conflict, may all first present themselves as living sacrifices unto Him in whose hand is the temporal and eternal destiny of every human being, and heartily enlist in the service of the glorious Captain of Salvation. Then their highest inter ests will be secure ; for their lives will be hid with Christ in God." 99 " Having faithfully performed our duty, it becomes us all to say, with the old warrior, Joab : " AND THE LORD DO THAT WHICH SEEMETH HIM GOOD." He who guides the planets in their revolutions, and causes the seasons to suc ceed each other in their order, who does His will in the armies of Heaven above, also controls the affairs of na tions, and raises them to power and distinction, or pasts them down and destroys them at His pleasure. To us His counsels, save as by His word or providence reveal ed, are inscrutable. Often His way is in the sea, and .His footsteps not known. Whether He will cause the thunder clouds which hang over our nation to explode with blast ing and most destructive effect, or to discharge their light ning harmlessly and give place to the returning sunshine of prosperity, whether he will suffer the rebels to pro ceed to more outrageous acts, or will bless the strenuous efforts now making to suppress the insurrection and to support the Government, whether our national banner is destined to be trailed in the dust, and be succeeded by that of the palmetto and rattlesnake, or is still to be borne aloft and respected as aforetime, not only at home, but on the remotest seas and in all foreign lands, whether we are to sink amid the tumultuous waves of revolution to rise no more, or are still to maintain a high and honorable standing among the nations, and what will be the result on the seceding States, whether slavery, as they intend, shall be firmly established and more widely extended than ever before, or its utter extinction by this insane move ment shall be precipitated, and, sooner than the most hope ful have dared to expect, liberty shall be proclaimed through all the land to all the inhabitants thereof, are questions which it is impossible for the wisest, the most far-seeing among men, with any well-grounded confidence, to answer. But we may rest assured that Jehovah will reign, and do all His pleasure. l The Lord on high is mightier than the noise of many waters,, yea, than the 100 mighty waves of the sea. l He will cause the wrath of man to praise Him, and all things to work together for good to them that love Him. He will execute His holy purposes respecting both individuals and nations, and fill the whole earth with the most illustrious displays both of His justice and mercy. Let us, then, whether at home or abroad, whether occupied in peaceful pursuits, or called to the field of battle, aim to perform our whole duty, courageously and manfully, and submit the result entirely to His infinite wisdom and goodness. Blessed, forever blessed, are all they who put their trust in Him. While we feel deeply for our country, and pray and labor ear nestly for its peace and prosperity, let us not fail to con fess that it is both right and desirable that the Lord should do that which seemeth Him good. Let us not fail to lift up our united voices, with that of the enraptured Psalmist, saying, Be thou exalted, God, above the heavens, and thy glory above all the earth. 101 bl _5 i is 1 g n3 eg T5 S M ^ .- 1 5 03 J3 ^ s s 1 S3 1 << ARNH. 1 1 4* fl 03 | fe b "bJC M s S f Q a I O t-g S <v o t^H g a -^ * ^""^ 8 - ^ S P s ^ ci o o c~ c S 1 4 1 hi O f o; | | o g so ^*) K g ! S JS i 13 b^ ^ ^ QJ O 8 S-s S-J S I 102 fl 4j 0) u> "d o S | *SB ^ S I ^ .a ft -> I 6 ^ $8 I Ja 13 a 3 9 w g 5 : : CM 5 :p g > g ,> I T3 5 T Tr S ^ S T-H ,j.y i! . J != til* ill, ..-SB IStfa ^S rj -S^-^l sSis : M-X-X-KH" i -q^ 00 , ^ <S Q ^ 3o X hJ"^ . i pqpQ H gj J ~ . -g .s! ~J p., .Q B g pq __ JH -te HH Q S hM . - C J 1 ? Q _ _ 36 I I S 53 .SQQ poS S .- 5^ M 66-6 00^ ^66b e S^^S ,OQO So 43 .JOO ^ OtSS^C Or-H^O;^ ii * i*ili iiiri ?ii 52;^ g.fcf^S ,Pg-glC6& | 6* s S 2^Sg 5lSl ||5 I" ::::: s|i : t * 111 ^=1 -g^-rf 22^c S^c TS-G^S -e^^^ >.S r3^-e ^o 5?SS?;2? 103 -fj a i d OJ o 1 3 2 1 a : : 3 : 2 bi; Sc F^J . 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" Sergeant. ied Octob 0> *3 jsi 1- g f S C 2P I > : &* 5 fi C: mes elch N mas Welch s. W. Woo eph Mansur eph Prue, 109 t^ 01 co CN (M (M W; i * * T10 i 5 to gs (I* Rank. Corporal Private. rH CM (N CC i-l -H r-i <M (M (M CC C ^-i (M ,-H 3 . |||- (fi ^ Ill "be jg.S s ? * 3j *S o^ - :| " ^ ^ oT * S ^ * > 93 -^ OD * s s *-% , ^ S ^ ^ ^^ Died July 3, 64. l^ s . ipl ^"1 -SrC.2 S^| ^ ^^ ; ||S | r | I g? ils S5S C ^ Sr GO" a 3 1 S 49 d . j Substitute. ^ g 1C <p H "^GO ^ ^ ^ u o ~ . S DB -; 9 ^ fcc> ^ 5 g <; >. a p 5^ ^ ^ Q ht H ^ 2 h ro TH CM r-l <M ^J ^5 ppiPS S r^ P <1 ^ 5 o" ci" co oT >o cT s g- H H o >* < T J 1 H C^l T~^ ^* T~^ ^ ^ | s^ -flfj S)2| &*<*>* S fe ^U d o3 6 ^ 1 3 S cL si 3 1 2 || !- 5 - : ce >> I frill" & 00 CO S CO CQQs 112 CAPTAIN EMERSON CORLISS. A VETERAN IN THE WAR OP THE REVOLUTION. This old revolutionary hero, as he was sometimes call ed, was born in Haverhill, Mass., March, 1758. At the age of seventeen, he went with his father to engage in the war of the Revolution, arid, the same week, found himself in the fierce and bloody battle of Bunker Hill. His heart, as might be expected, when moving forward with others like himself, unaccustomed to such perils, to meet the flashing swords, threatening bayonets, rattling musketry, and roaring cannon of disciplined hosts, at first trembled with fear. An officer, aiming to inspire himself and men with courage and resolution, was boasting that there was never a ball yet cast to kill him, when instant ly he was cut in sunder, and the bloody fragments of his body scattered among his men ! Still, there was no way but to press resolutely on, and fight manfully, be the con sequences as they might. With the increasing peril, his courage and that of his comrades increased, and nerved them with an inspiration and energy unknown before. The Americans fought bravely ; and through subsequent life Captain Corliss was proud to tell of his youthful ex perience at Bunker Hill. The same year he, with others, was sent to" the aid of Montgomery, in Canada, and was wounded in a skirmish with the Indians, near Fort Lachine, though probably not severely, as he still continued in the army, and we next see him, at Christmas, 1776, under command of General Sullivan, in the very heat of the battle at Trenton, in which between forty and fifty of the surprised Hessians were slain or fatally wounded, and more than a thousand, with arms, ammunition and stores, made prisoners, and spoils of victory. Washington, with his prisoners and booty, recrossed the Delaware on the evening of the same day. 113 Shortly alter this, January 3, 1777, our hero was in the army of Washington, in the battle at Princeton. When Sullivan s division were yet three miles from the town they were loudly assured, by the roar of the cannon, that the battle had already fiercely commenced. Sullivan called upon them to rush on, with utmost speed, and they arrived at the very crisis to turn the scale of battle in fa vor of the American arms. But the brave General Mer cer was found among our slain. His horse had been shot under him ; he was on foot, pressing forward his men to victory, when a British soldier, with clubbed musket, felled him to the earth. Many other beloved officers were < lost on that snowy battle-field. The entire British loss was about three hundred men. The Americans, though victorious, were obliged immediately to withdraw from the place. On the 16th of August, in that same year, 1777, Corliss was under the command of General Stark in the decisive battle of Bennington, in which he had seven balls shot through his coat and one through his hat, without being wounded. In one rail of a fence immediately before his platoon he said ninety-seven of the enemy s musket balls were lodged. He was present, also, in the battles of Still- water and Saratoga, in October of the same year, which issued in the capture of Burgoyne, with all his forces and military stores. Though in the first engagement wound ed in the leg, when there was a call for volunteers to move with artillery to a post of special danger, to cut off the retreat of the British, Corliss promptly offered to be one of the party, provided he might ride on a cannon, being unable to walk/ and was permitted to do so. His hardships and perils during the war were many and ter rible, but all bravely met and endured, to secure the in dependence and permanent prosperity of his and our coun try. Near the commencement of the second, and it is hoped 114 our last, war with England, a large meeting of the patri otic citizens of Bradford, Newbury, Topsham and Corinth was held atr the house of Gideon Tewksbury, on the South border of Newbury, to consider the state of public affairs, and was earnestly addressed by John McDuffee, Esq., and others. This led to another meeting of men who, by reason of age, were exempt from military service, held in Bradford, Sept. 28, 1812, at which time thirty-nine of these men solemnly agreed with each other to form a mil itary company, with such others as might join them, and offer themselves as volunteers, in the military of Vermont, ready for any service, however perilous, to which they might be called. By act of the Legislature, the subse quent autumn, the organization of such companies was duly authorized and encouraged. This company, through the influence especially of John McDuffee, who had been commissioned by Governor Galusha as orderly sergeant, was soon filled up with the requisite number of men, and then duly officered, the old warrior, Emerson Corliss, then fifty-five years of age, being constituted Captain. The company held themselves in readiness for any emergency, but were not called out during the war, and in 1815 were disbanded. Captain Corliss died in the quietude ol his own home, in Bradford, where he had long resided, December, 1843, and his remains were laid down to their long repose in the principal cemetery there, the grave being designated by rough stones, with no inscription whatever stones which he had himself seasonably selected for that pur pose. The principal facts above stated were gathered from an old memorandum, put into the hands of the writer to aid in preparing an appropriate discourse at the funeral of the deceased. 115 CHARLES MAY. KILLED IN A DUEL. In the early part of this century there lived for many years in this town a respectable family by the name of May; Thomas and Mary (Mills) May, and their family of three sons and two daughters Mills, William, Charles, Mary and Sarah. Mr. May owned and occupied the farm and house ^now (1873) possessed by Mr. Kinney Cum- mings, on the Upper Plain, and for some time, I know not how long, kept tavern there. After his decease Mrs. May became the wife of Mr. Daniel Chase, of Cornish, N. H., and in 1825 took up her final residence there. The children, having become men and women, had previously gone, with perhaps the exception of the youngest daugh ter, to new homes, and from about that time the old home stead passed entirely into the hands of other occupants. Charles May, the youngest son, having, through the in fluence of the Hon. Mr. Mills, of Northampton, Mass., hi& mother s brother, received an appointment to a Cadetship in the Military Academy at West Point, accordingly en tered that institution, and honorably graduated there, in the Summer of 1829, and in the capacity of an under offi cer joined the army of his country. In the course of a few months, that is, in the following March, I was called, by his mother and other friends, to the deeply affecting ser vice of delivering, in this his~ native place, a discourse giv ing an account of his deplorably tragical death. Some ex tracts from that discourse I propose here to give, not only in memory of the interesting young man, but in hope of making some salutary impression on the minds of others in regard to the barbarous, absurd, and desperately wicked, practice of dueling. The discourse was founded on the passage, " So ye shall not pollute the land wherein ye are, for blood it defileth the land, and the land cannot be cleansed of the blood 116 that is shed therein, but by the blood of him that shed it." Numbers 35 : 33. After due introduction, I proceed to say : Our own land has recently been defiled by the blood of one of its citi zens, by the blood of one of our fellow townsmen, of one who in his youthful days was accustomed to meet regu larly with us in this house of worship. The blood of that interesting young man, Charles May, has been wantonly and cruelly shed in a duel, arid is now crying from the ground for expiation. On finishing his education at the Military Academy at West Point last Summer, Charles was promoted to a Lieu- tenantcy in the United States Army. He was assigned to the Sixth Regiment of Infantry, stationed at Jefferson Barracks, near St. Louis, Missouri. The commanding of ficer, in the letter which conveyed to Charles mother the first intelligence of his deplorable death, says : " No young gentleman ever came to this post who, in the same length of time, acquired more respect, or gained more friends. His deportment, both as an officeer and a gen tleman, was entirely satisfactory to all who knew him." Late one evening, after May was in bed, one Hamilton, a clerk in the Quarter Master s department, and son of a high officer in the army, entered his room in a state of partial intoxication, and in a humorous way commenced a scuffle with him. May requested him repeatedly to de sist ; but he would not. At length, tired out with the in truder s rudeness, he rose from his bed, and by force put him out of his room. The consequence was a challenge from Hamilton to May, to meet him in deadly conflict. His honor, he felt, had received a stain which nothing but the blood of the man who had so treated him, or his own, would wash away. How absurd ! This challenge May was wholly disinclined to accept. He had not been brought up in a part of the country where this barbarous way of settling difficulties was com- 117 mon. Mutual concessions^ a reference to a board of honor, and other fair means of reconciliation were proposed by him, and by his adversary rejected. Nothing but blood would satisfy him. In this emergency it was natural for so young a man May was then only in his twenty-first year to resort to his companions for advice. The na ture of the advice which they gave appears from a letter by one of them to Mrs. Chase, soon after the death of her son. Says he, " A course was to be adopted. It was a momentous step, and required deep reflection. By re fusing the meeting, his reputation with the army would have been ruined. His society would have been avoided, and his life rendered miserable. The vindictive voice of public opinion forced him to stand in the face of death and bid it welcome." These rash and desperate fellows advised and urged him to fight. They made him believe that he must fight or be forever disgraced. No doubt the associates of Ham ilton had applied a similar stimulus to him. But how false and cruel their representations were, in the view of judicious men, even in the army, appears from the declaration of the commanding officer of that division, that had he known anything of the intended meeting he certainly should have prevented it: yet false and fatal as these arguments were, they prevailed on our young friend to accept the challenge. And yet, on deep er consideration, his conscience arid his heart recoiled. Shortly before engaging in the deadly encounter, he wrote to his mother, " I shudder when I tell you I am going out in an hour to fight a duel ! My friends, and I have many, have done all they could to settle this unjust quarrel, but to no purpose. As I pray God to forgive me, so do vou also, dear mother, forgive me. That all my friends may forgive me, is the last request of your erring son." The fatal encounter took place on the 18th of January, 1830. The advocate for dueling from whose letter an ex- 118 tract has been already given, says " He repaired to the field with a calm and meditative courage, supported by an invincible feeling of right. No rancorous malice pervaded his bosom." They fought with pistols, ten paces from each other. May fell at the first fire. A ball entered his body at the hip and passed through him. He survived about fifteen hours only. The coroner of the county was called to view the body, and gave appropriate judgment in the case ; but the principal witnesses were not to be found, and Hamilton had fled. Whether any serious effort was made to pre vent his flight, or to pursue and bring him to justice, we have yet to learn. A letter from an officer who attended Charles in his dying hours, shows that he had at least one by his side who felt deeply concerned for spiritual wel fare, and sought to direct his failing vision to the Al mighty and most merciful Saviour. Writing to the mother of the deceased, he says: "- Finding him perfectly cool, collected, and altogether himself, I asked him if he felt reconciled to die, and drew his attention to the future on which he was entering. He said, l 0, no ! I am not prepared to die. 7 And added that for him there was no hope ; that a death-bed was too late for repentance. I combatted that idea as well as I could, and dwelt on the Gospel scheme, with its rich and merciful promises to all who, with a due sense of their entire unworthiness, seek an interest in them. * * . * I left him for half an hour, during which he seemed to be in communion with him self. On resuming the subject he seemed to understand his situation, and the terms on which the Divine forgive ness might be obtained. I prayed with him, and he seemed more and more interested. He declared his forgiveness of his enemy, and his hope that the Al mighty would forgive him, also. He expressed to Lieu tenant Warfield, in my absence, his deep regret that he had been concerned m a duel, and cautioned him to avoid 119 the same error. About two o clock the next morning he expressed a desire that I would not leave him. On my bending over him he took my hand, and requested that I would again pray for him. Having complied, I asked him if he had followed me. He answered " Yes, and may the Lord forgive me. My mother ! my mother !" The effort almost overpowered him. I said, How unspeakably would this blow be lessened to her by knowing that you did not die without hope. The idea seemed to inspire him with new life, and he said with animation : 4 Will she believe it ? May we meet in Heaven. It is difficult, continues this officer, l to convey the impression which conduct so noble, in such circumstances, left upon us. There was nothing of petulance, nothing of vindictive thought. It seemed as if his better nature and principles had resisted his call to the field, and having gone there, because he thought he could no longer stay away, he still had no angry feelings toward his enemy. Not a word but of forgiveness and blessing escaped his lips. His mind was calm throughout, and he seemed to contemplate etern ity with hope, sustained by a feeling that his prayers had been answered. He ceased to breathe on the morning of January 19, the day after the deadly encounter." Thus ends the sad narration. We turn away from the death bed of this interesting young man with a feeling of gratitude to a merciful God, that he was not instantly killed ; that he was preserved in the exercise of his reas on long enough to be awakened to a deep conviction of his guilt and peril ; long enough to warn those about him to shun the fatal snare in which he had been taken ; and that he spent his dying "breath in imploring the Divine forgiveness. Whether the hope which mitigated his dy ing agony was well founded and sure, or otherwise, it is not our province to decide. In the final day it will be seen. Unfortunate young man ! But a few weeks before his 120 decease his well proportioned frame was full of life and vigor, his eyes beaming with intelligence ; mildness and beauty illumined his countenance ; arid his mind was filled with high resolves and fond hopes in regard to his future course in the service of his country, and sharing with other military men in the emoluments and honors which she delights to bestow on her heroic and meritorious sons. His excellent mother and other relatives, as often as he visited them, received him with delight, and in his absence spoke of him with pride. But now those limbs are mo tionless and cold ; that countenance pale and ghostly, the lustre of those eyes has disappeared, and all those pleas ing anticipations of patriotic services, and subsequent hon ors, have been suddenly extinguished by the stroke of death of death, not in the ordinary course of Divine Providence, but by the wanton and hateful practice of dueling ! No wonder that he, anticipating the distress which the intelligence of his melancholy death must give to the heart of her who had given him existence, who had ever cared for him so tenderly, who had early dedicated him to God, and taught him to pray I say no wonder that he, in his dying agony, should groan out, " My moth er ! my mother !" No wonder that this cry of distress should pierce her heart like a sharp sword, open every fountain of grief, and extort from her lips the piteous re sponse, " my son Charles ! my son, my son Charles ! would to God I had died for thee, oh, Charles, my son, my son !" May this first instance of any Bradford man being en gaged in a duel be also the last. The remembrance of this tragical affair may, and should, make a salutary im pression on the minds of our people generally, and es pecially on the minds of our young men. It is to be lamented that this young man was ever sent to learn the art of war. I believe he had at first no par ticular taste for it, and would very willingly have been 121 excused. The martial spirit , the false notions of honor, the pride in military tactics and trappings, which he there imbibed, and the general influence to which he was ex posed, were all of dangerous tendency. May the day be hastened when all nations and individuals shall own the Prince of Peace as their supreme commander, and learn the art of war no more. The writer of this remembers that, in the days of his youth, when some young man in -this Congressional District was to be recommended for this preferment, he, not knowing of any other available way to obtain a liberal education, thought seriously of offering himself as a candidate, but was deterred by his venerable instructor in the Latin and Greek languages, the Rev. Wm. Peckles, saying to me, most impressively, " Silas, I charge you, if you do not mean to go straight to destruction, not to do any such thing." Again we have, in the disastrous tragedy which we are reviewing, a loud warning to abstain wholly from the or dinary use of intoxicating liquors. Hamilton, though young, was intemperate. Had he remained sober, it is not to be supposed that he would have intruded on May s retirement at that late hour and treated him so rudely. This was the immediate cause of the entire trouble which followed. 0, that our young men would, one and all, take a decided stand against this most pernicious habit. If the aged and infirm might be supposed to need some such unnatural stimulus, it would still be a shame that young men, glorying in their strength, cannot feel sufficiently animated to enjoy life without resort to the same misera ble expedient. The habit is not only degrading and con temptible, but leads to manifold evils, both natural and moral, temporal and eternal. It debases the intellectual faculties, stirs up the worst appetites and passions of hu man nature, and incites men to commit the most foolish actions, the most shameful and cruel deeds conceivable, and often plunges them suddenly into remediless perdi- 9 122 tion. " Who hath woe ? who hath sorrows ? who hath contentions ? who hath wounds without cause ? " The lover of strong drink. Had it not been for this, the quar rel which brought May to an untimely grave, and made Hamilton a fugitive and blood-stained vagabond in the earth, would not have occurred. Well might Solomon say, " At the last it biteth like a serpent and stingeth like an adder." How astonishing to see men, especially young men, so fascinated by this serpent as to suffer it to glide do\yn their throats and eat out their manhood, leaving them but miserable vestiges of what they once were, and might otherwise have continued to be. Thank God, it is riot so with all, but that among our young men are many of the excellent of the earth. In the next place, we see here what a sad misfortune it is for a young man to be intimately associated with un wise and wicked companions. The challenge which May received could have done him no essential injury, had he manfully acted according to his own convictions of propriety and duty. He was naturally of a mild disposition, had been religiously edu cated, and was not at all inclined to meet his challenger in deadly conflict. But the young officers, and other pro fessed friends around him, urged him on. They repre sented to him that if he refused to tight he would be stig- matixed as a coward, his company be avoided by honora ble men, and his future life be made wretched ; that it was better to meet deatli as a hero, to fall, if that should be his lotj covered with glory, than seek to live by refus ing to tight. They urged him to do what he said, but an hpur before he went to the field, he shuddered to think of; what he knew was not only exposing him to death, but to the divine displeasure. Alas! that such incon siderate and reckless associates should be honored with the name of friends. The most inveterate enemies could not have acted a more treacherous and cruel part. It 123 was you, ye pretended patriots, who deprived his country forever of his services ; it was you, ye hypocritical friends, who led him to the slaughter, and sent him reeking with blood by his own consent criminally shed to the tribunal of God. It was you, ye men of boasted honor, who have wantonly destroyed the quietude and happiness of a lov ing family, and pierced a sister s and a mother s heart with anguish inexpressible ! Is this the nature, are these the appropriate fruits, of your style of friendship, honor and patriotism ? How true the proverb, " He that walk- eth with wise men shall be wise; but a companion of fools shall be destroyed." Multitudes of young men, and of young women, too, are yearly misled and ruined through the influence of fawning and corrupt associ ates. Of such, my young friends, beware ! beware ! Say of them, " 0, my soul, come not thou unto their se cret ; arid unto their assembly, mine honor, be not thou united." " If sinners entice thee to sin, consent thou not." The tragical fate of our young townsman should inspire us with due detestation of the barbarous practice of duel ing, and lead us to consider well the means divinely ap pointed for its utter termination. After all that can be said in justification of dueling, as an ancient and honorable custom, abundantly sanctioned by the example of men of higli distinction, many of whom, having come off safe and victorious, have been promoted by their admiring countrymen to still higher honors ; or of its innocence on account of the mutual consent of the combatants to thus expose their lives ; or on the ground, in many cases, of their apparent freedom from any invete rate malice towards each other ; yet, when stripped of all disguise, it must be seen to be a truly murderous trans action. It is always the result of a design, and always involves efforts to destroy, and that unlawfully, human life. The weapons employed in it are always the appro- 124 priate instruments of death, and they are used with the utmost skill which the parties possess, for the direct pur pose of producing this fatal catastrophe. Duelists aim with deliberate predetermination, and take the utmost pains to prepare themselves to kill each other. Their implied agreement to do so is wholly unjustifiable. The plea that they have no anger or malice towards each other, is no better than the highwayman or pirate may urge in his own defence. What anger or malice have they towards entire strangers who have never done them the least harm ? Their only object is plunder, and its subsequent enjoyment, regardless of the rights and lives of their victims. And the laws by which their nefarious business is conducted are esteemed among their respect ive cliques quite as justifiable as the so-called laws of honor so highly respected by duelists and their advocates. The duelist unlawfully and wickedly sheds the blood of his fellow man. Why, then, should not his own, by judi cial authority, be shed? In this case, surely, " the land cannot be cleansed from the blood shed therein, but by the blood of him that shed it." The State of Vermont has expressly declared " Every person who shall, within this state, fight a duel, and there by kill any person, shall suffer the punishment of death." In several other states the legal penalty is the same. Now let those just enactments be universally, invariably, and inflexibly executed, and this barbarous and abominable practice must and will cease. But while such murderers and their accessories are not only suffered to go unpun ished, but are raised to still higher stations of honorable distinction, the baleful influence of their evil examples will be extensively felt, and the earth continue to be de filed with the blood of many, we know not how many, of our promising young men, immolated, like our Charles May, on this accursed altar of barbarism, nor how many loving families will, year after year, be filled in con- 125 sequence, with anguish inexpressible. A sickly senti- mentalism in regard to the impartial execution of justice on murderers, whether in cases of dueling or of secret assassination, has so pervaded this nation that mur ders of every sort have become fearfully common/ My country, I tremble for thee ! For thus saith the Lord God: ." Since thou hast not hated blood, even blood shall pursue thee. I will make thee perpetual desolations. And ye shall know that I am the Lord." Many other great and mighty nations have sunk under the weight of their guilt, and of the Divine displeasure, to rise no more. May timely repentance, through reformation, and the uni versal prevalence of that righteousness which exalteth a nation, avert our merited doom ! and secure, not only for ourselves, but for all who may succeed us, the approv al of Him whose favor is life, and whose loving kindness is better than life. 126 CHAPTER VI. Andrew B. Peters, Esq., and Family; with Biographical Sketch of his Father, Colonel. John Peters, and Others of Historic Distinction. From a long personal acquaintance with this gentle man, and from the history of his ancestry, by Rev. Dr. Samuel Peters, and moreover a package ol interesting manuscript, put into my hand by Mrs. A. B. Peters, sev eral years after her husband s decease, I have gathered the following facts respecting him and the Peters family. "William, Thomas, and Hugh Peters, who were brothers, emigrated from England to Boston, Mass., about the year 1634. One of these brothers, the Rev. Thomas Peters, soon after their coming to this country was settled in the min istry at Saybrook, Conn., where he patronized an academy, which, as Yale College, Avas, in 1716, removed to New Haven, an institution which has been increasing in use fulness and honor from its origin to the present day. Rev. Hugh Peters, a brother of the last named, was settled for about five years at Salem, Mass., then returned to England in 1640, or 1641, where he warmly espoused the cause of Cromwell and the Parliament, in opposition to Charles I, became a man of distinction and influence, and was forward among those who approved of the exe cution of that ill-fated king. On this account after the elevation of Charles II, son of Charles I, to the throne, the Rev. Hugh Peters, being still in England, was, by royal authority, arrested, tried on charge of high treason, and beheaded, October 16, 1660. Through his trial, and at his execution, he demeaned himself with distinguished composure and dignity, and laid down his life without ap parent regret that he had so zealously advocated a cause which he still esteemed just, though unsuccessful. His 127 widow and daughter returned to their friends in this country. William Peters, Esq., of Boston, brother of the two cler gymen above named, had six sons and four daughters. He lived to a great age, and died at Andover, Mass, much beloved and respected for his charities, piety, and bear ing. From him the race bearing the name of Peters, in New England, have mainly descended. His sons were John, Andrew, Thomas, William, Samuel, and Joseph. William, last named, the fourth son of the emigrant, had six sons, Bernslee, Samuel, John, William, Andrew, Joseph, and two daughters. This William, the third of the name, and a grandson of the emigrant, was killed in a battle with the Indians in Andover, leaving his widow, Mary Russell, with an infant son, named John, then but eleven days of age. This was in October, 1696. This John Peters, when of age, removed, in 1717, from Boston to Hebron, in Connecticut, at that time quite a new settlement, and by his wife Mary, a grand daughter of the martyr, General Thomas Harrison, had a large family of sons and daughters. Distinguished among these was the Rev. Samuel Andrew Peters, LL. D. 7 an Episcopal clergyman. He sometimes wrote his name with the middle A, and perhaps more commonly without it.- He was a graduate of Yale, in the class of 1757, a classmate with Rev. Dr. Burroughs, afterwards minister of Hanover, N. H. He was a man of ability, quite an interesting letter writer, as his manuscripts show, and during the war of the Revolution a decided loyalist. On this last account he awakened against himself so much displeasure that he found it expedient to leave his native State somewhat in haste, and take a voyage to England, where he remained for several years, and occasionally in dulged his feelings and amused the public by writing for the papers ridiculous caricatures of the laws and customs 128 of the Puritans, especially those of Connecticut. He wrote also, while there or afterwards, a biographical account of his relative, Rev. Hugh Peters, who, as we have seen, was executed in England on account of his advocacy of the cause of Cromwell and his Parliament. After the war of the American Revolution was over, Rev. Dr. Peters returned to this country, and claimed to be, not only in title but in fact, " Bishop of Verdmont," as this new State was by him not inappropriately denominated. From some of his manuscript letters it would seem that, notwithstanding the course he had taken, he re mained on friendly terms with such distinguished men as Judge Niles and General Morey, of Fairlee, the Rev. Dr. Burroughs, of Hanover, and others in this vicinity. Margaret Peters, a sister of the Rev. Dr. Samuel, mar ried John Mann, a farmer in Hebron, whose eldest son, John Mann, Esq., married Lydia Porter, of Hebron. The marriage ceremony was performed in the Episcopal church there, by his uncle, Rev. Dr. Peters, then its Rector, Feb ruary 17, 1765. On the 16th of the following October the enterprising young couple set out on their journey through the wilderness, to Orford, N. H., and arrived on the 24th of the same month. They were persons of hon orable distinction among the early settlers of that town, and raised up a highly respectable family of sons and daughters, among whom were Major John Mann, long time a merchant there, and Cyrus and Joel Mann, gradu ates of Dartmouth, and able ministers of the Gospel of the Congregational denomination. John Peters, Jr., who was born at Hebron in 1718, was the eldest brother of Samuel and Margaret, above men tioned. His wife, Lydia Phelps, was a direct descendant from John Phelps, Secretary to Oliver Cromwell. They had a family of seven daughters and six sons. Lydia, one of these daughters, married Benjamin Bald win, Esq., subsequently one of the influential settlers of 129 Mooretown, now Bradford, Vt. They here raised up a large and respectable family, of whom, more hereafter. Mary Peters, a sister of Mrs Baldwin, married Joseph Hosford, Esq., of Thetford. Another sister, Susanna, mar ried Colonel John House, of Norwich. General Absalom Peters, a brother of the ladies just mentioned, was born at Hebron, Conn., in 1754. He was graduated at Dartmouth College in 1780. He married Mary Rogers, a sister of Mrs. Col. John Barren, of Brad ford, and had a family of children of decided ability and moral worth. Among the sons was Rev. Dr. Absalom Peters, of New York, long time Secretary of the Ameri can Home Missionary Society, a graduate of Dartmouth in 1816. General Peters and family, for many years, re sided on a farm in Wentworth, N. H., where he took an active part in public affairs, remaining as he was during the war of the Revolution, decidedly patriotic. After the decease of his first wife, Mary Rogers, he, at the age of sixty-six, married another highly respectable lady, with whom he had been pleasantly acquainted in youth, the widow of Rev. John Gurley, of Lebanon, Conn., with whom he lived happily nearly twenty years. He died in the city of New York, April, 1840, aged eighty-six years. He was buried at Hebron, Conn., his native place, being borne to his grave by aged men, companions of his child hood and youth. We come now to Col. John Peters, a brother of Gen. Absalom, and the eldest son of John Peters, Jr., of He bron. He was born there in 1740. He married Ann Bar- net, and by her had one daughter and eight sons. He emigrated from Connecticut, in the year 1765, to Thet ford, Vermont, and from that place to Mooretown, now Bradford, in or about the year 1771. The first grist-mill in this town was built by him, in 1772. In the troubles which soon after occurred between this country and Eng land, and during the war of the Revolution, his sympa- 130 thies were, like those of his uncle, Dr. Samuel Peters, de cidedly with the British Government. His brother Ab salom and some or all of the sisters were decidedly in favor of the independence of the Colonies. This set the two brothers in strong" opposition to each other, and caused an unpleasant division in the family. In conse quence of this state of feeling, near the commencement of the war Mr. John Peters, with his family, emigrated to Nova Scotia ; and, on account of his /eal and energy as a loyalist, he received a commission as Colonel of a regi ment styled the Queen s Rangers, whence his military title ; but how much service he rendered as an officer in the British army does not appear. After the war was over, leaving his family at Cape Breton, he went to Eng land, to prosecute his claims on the government, and died there, at Paddington, near London, January 11, 1788, in the 48th year of his age. His uncle, Rev. Dr. Peters, was there to assist him, but the result of their appeal does not seem to have been very satisfactory. A letter from this eccentric old clergyman to Mrs. Col. John Peters, in forming her of his death, is so interesting that I cannot forbear to insert it here. k (jrROVENER PLACE, London, | February 16, 1788. f " MY DEAR ANNA : I now commence a correspondence with you, as heretofore I have had with your husband. Col. Peters has often written to you of the bad state of his health, and of the delays "of administration, and that he was impatient of these delays and fair promises, as he was anxious of returning to you and his dear, young and tender family. His great concern was about you, and his daily prayers and last Avish were for you and your children. This attention to you and your family has, no doubt, secured your love and esteem, and his happiness will, of course, be yuur greatest worldly comfort. 131 " I am now the informer of his glorious situation ; and you, that have known that death is and will be swallowed up of life, will not complain ..that the great Eternal has seen lit to bestow one Beatitude on your husband which he has as yet withheld from you ; and if you are just to yourself, and children, and friends, and submissive to the good pleasure of God, you will not complain that the pref erence is given to your husband, for what he first enjoys you shall enjoy, in God s good time. News from a far country is pleasant and truly entertaining ; and to comfort you and your children with such news I write this letter. " St. Paul told his friends and hearers, You shall see my face no more. This grieved them; but they were consoled when they remembered that here we have no continuing city, but are seeking one to come, where the blessed dead shall meet and separate no more shall see God and one another, face to face, and live forever hap py, where time, tears, sorrow and want are never known. " To that bright world set off Col. John Peters, your fond and tender husband, on January 11, 1788, at seven o clock in the morning, prepared for his journey, and ar rived before the throne of God in the twinkling of an eye ! You may wish to go to him, but he cannot wish to return to you. Consider this, my dear and lovely woman, and you will keep silence before the Judge of all, who gave, and has taken away, him whom thy soul loved. During your husband s last illness, which was the gout arid rheu matism in his breast and head, and so continued for a month, everything was done for him which physicians of knowledge could find out, but all proved in vain. His body has been decently interred in the new burying ground belonging to St. George, Hanover Square, and 1 have paid the expense, and all his debts in this country that I have heard of. 11 1 have sent every article belonging to him, in two trunks, by ship, to the care of Joseph Peters, postmaster 132 at Halifax. I wish it was in my power to take care of you and your children. I will do all for you that I can. I am sorry for your distressed situation, and that of your family; but who in this world is free from troubles? The King, Nobles, Bishops, and Merchants, have less happi ness than I, and the beggars of a half a crown a week. I suppose the Rebels will rejoice at the death of Colonel Peters, because they will never see him again ; but I re joice that he is dead in the Lord, and because I shall see him again. His .picture, a good likeness of him in life, and in his coffin, was taken before his illness. I cut off a lock of his hair, which I intend to have put into a ring, or locket, for you and your daughter, as you shall direct. I have written to Governor Fanning to take your son Fan ning, and bring him up as his God-son, and advise you to consent, if the Governor will do it." Mrs. Peters, the widow, to whom the above letter was addressed, lived a good many years after her husband s decease, and died at the advanced age of eighty-seven. Col. John Peters and wife had eight sons and one daugh ter. John, born at Hebron, Conn., lived and died in Canada West. Andrew B. was the next. William, born at Thetford, Vt., December 21, 1766, was killed by a falling tree, in Mooretown, March 19, 1773. The following simple epitaph on his little gravestone is quite touching: " Death took me hence, just as I did begin ; Thanks be to God ! before I grew in sin." Samuel was born and died in Thetford. Henry Moore was born at Piermont, N. H. Edmund Fanning, born at Mooretown, was named for the Governor of Nova Scotia. William Barnet, the seventh son, born at Mooretown, June 10, 1775, became a physician, practiced in Portland, 133 Maine, and died there in the sixty-seventh year of his age. Ann, their sister, was born in Quebec, January 18, 1782 ; married a Watson, and lived for many years in Nova Scotia. Probably died there. Joseph Peters was born at Montreal, November 11, 1779. He subsequently resided for some years with the rest of his mother s family at Cape Breton. When of age he enlisted into the British army ; was sent with the forces under Wellington into Spain ; was engaged in va rious battles, and shared with, others in the honor of the expulsion of King Joseph Bonaparte and the French from that country. He married in England, and after a long absence returned, with his family, to America. He came to Bradford and lived for a few years near his brother, Andrew B., engaged in agricultural pursuits, hav ing willingly exchanged the weapons of war for the im plements of husbandry. But his English wife longed for her native land ; and so, taking their children and mova bles with them, in or near the year 1843 they went back to London, where the old warrior is understood to have died, not long after. On this, their last voyage, an incident occurred which, for the benefit of young ladies who may happen to fall into like peril, I will here relate. Mr. Peters and wife had with them a good-looking daughter, in the bloom of womanhood, whose name was Mary Ann. A young man on board the ship became her warm admirer, and earnestly solicited her hand in mar riage. He represented himself to be a farmer, in good circumstances ; and promised, in case of marriage, that directly on their arrival in port he would take her to a pleasant home. Having obtained the consent both of the girl and her parents, he insisted that the marriage should take place immediately, and that the ceremony might as well be performed by the captain, as by a magistrate or 134 minister on shore. The captain consented, the marriage took place, and during the remainder of the voyage things went on to the satisfaction of all concerned. But on their arrival in England the villain, for- such, to her bitter disappointment and the deep mortification of her parents, he proved himself to be, absconded, leaving poor Mary Ann to take care of herself as she could ; his pretensions of love, and promises of fidelity and a pleasant home, all having been false and wicked. Beware of such men ! ANDREW B. PETERS, ESQ. We come now to a more full Account of our honored fellow townsman, Andrew B. Peters. He was the second son of Colonel John Peters, born at Hebron, Conn., Janu ary 29, 17G4, and when with his parents he first came to this town, he was about seven years of age. In prospect of the revolutionary struggle, his father, being a loyalist, removed his family from this place to the province of Nova Scotia, and there, as we have said, was commission ed a colonel in the British army. In consequence of the course pursued by his father, Andrew B. became a sub ject of the royal government during the whole seven years of war which followed, and was surrounded by in fluences suited to enlist his youthful ambition and ener gies on the side which his father, and his father s distin guished uncle, then in London, had so heartily espoused. It is no wonder then that he should have, early in life, enlisted in the same cause. From his seventeenth to his twentieth year he seems to have been engaged in the king s service, particularly in the naval inland depart ment. Under date of September 16, 1783, near the close of the war, " Commodore r Shank, then at Quebec, gave him an honorable discharge, saying that from the 27th of June, 1780, he had served for a time in his majesty s ship the Wolf, also aboard of his majesty s armed schooner 135 Mercury, and in the year 1781 was ordered upon Lake Champlain, where he served on board of different vessels, and frequently commanded them, until the 16th of Sep tember, 1783. Mr. Peters was then not quite twenty years of age, but the commander speaks highly of his conduct, as an officer and a gentleman, and recommends him to further consideration in his majesty s naval ser vice. Within a very few years after the permanent restora tion of peace, Mr. Peters, having no encouraging prospect of promotion in the British navy, or urgent call for fur ther services under the royal government, concluded to return to Bradford, where his father s family had formerly resided, and here permanently settled down as a loyal and good citizen. His great uncle, the Rev. Dr. Samuel Pet ers, was still in London, and had all along taken a deep interest in behalf of his promising young relative arid correspondent. A few extracts from one or two of his letters will here be appropriate and interesting. In a letter to Andrew B. Peters, dated at London, March 24, 1795, he writes: " My dear nephew, years have passed since I saw you in your mother s arms. I am on the wings of Time, bearing up to God, in whose presence is life, light, and joy. Here we have no continuing city. General Cogswell, of Castleton, near Rutland, will have the goodness to deliver or convey this to you, and will pay you thirty pounds sterling, on your receipt. The above I send you, not knowing how soon I may be with you, or that you might not want it before my arrival. 1 hear you have a wife and children. Heaven prosper you and yours. * * The reasons of your residing in \ r erd- mont, I doubt not, are the same which will induce all peo ple in the old world to go there !" In another letter, dated at London, April 20, 1797, the doctor writes : " I am glad you received the thirty pounds sterling from that good man, General Cogswell. 136 * * You must not mind the conduct of Absalom and John, for they persecuted your father, me, and the proph ets, before you." He here, evidently, refers to Andrew s patriotic uncle, General Absalom Peters, but to what John does not so clearly now appear. " Do good to them that despitefully treat you, and love them that hate you. While we were enemies to God, Christ died for us. Ver- bum sat." In the same letter he refers to " Commodore, 77 as he styles him, Shank, " with whom," he continues, il you served in the Navy, and I tried to have you made a Lieutenant in the Navy but did not succed, because you were born in America. The Admiralty treated all Ameri can born midshipmen in like manner after the Independ ence of America. Perhaps it is for the best. * * * Would it suit you to be a Justice of the Peace, or to be a military officer? General Allen will be able to assist you with the Governor." Of Mr. Peters second wife he pleasantly says : " If I remember well, Mr. Ellis Bliss had a beautiful daughter, whose mother was dead. If she is as good as she looked, or so good as her father and mother, you have great rea son to be thankful, and must be happy." In the year 1798 Andrew B. Peters was chosen Town Clerk of Bradford, and was continued in that office for forty out of the ensuing forty- six years, there being but two interruptions, the first of five, and the other of one year. The early records of the town, while they exist, will be a memorial of his ability and correctness. It is well that the books were kept so long by one faithful man, instead of being bandied about from one place to another. The same year in which Mr. Peters was first chosen Town Clerk he was also elected Representative to the State Legislature, arid served the town in that capac ity for five years, though not continuously. He also offi ciated as a Justice of the Peace for many years. For 137 half a century he was occupied in various public services, and in every department gave general satisfaction. Esquire Peters was strictly temperate in his habits, both of eating and drinking. He was accustomed to rise, and also to retire, at early hours. He was in his temper, quick and decisive ; in his pursuits, active and persever ing. And never having broken down his physical consti tution by excessive labor, or other abuses, his sight, hearing, memory, and poAvers generally, both of body arid mind, held out admirably. In his old age he stood erect, arid walked with a quick arid firm step. But a few weeks before his decease, he, with his wife, took a journey to Boston and vicinity, to visit their children there. If men would abstain wholly from the ordinary use of intoxicat ing liquor, tobacco, opium, and otherwise observe as they should the laws of health, instead of becoming old and broken down at the age of forty-five or fifty, instances of sprightliness and energy at the age of seventy-five or eighty would not be at all uncommon. In early life Mr. Peters united with the Episcopal church, and, though he seldom had opportunity to enjoy its forms of worship, he retained his membership to the last. He was strict in his observance of the Sabbath, and exemplary in his attendance on public worship, with the Congregational denomination, whose house of worship \vas long quite near his residence. He was detained at home only for two Sabbaths, during his last illness. Though fully aware that the time appointed for his de parture was close at hand, his mind remained peaceful. He did not seem to depend on his morality at all, but on Christ, and him alone, for salvation. On Sabbath morning, August 10, 1851, the venerable old man passed quietly away at the age of eighty-seven years, six months and twelve days. On the following Monday, his funeral was numerously attended by the inhabitants of the town which he had in 10 138 various capacities so long and faithfully served, the relig ious services being performed by his Congregational pastor, assisted by the Methodist brother then officiating in Bradford. His remains rest, with those of his three wives, in the pleasant cemetery near their former resi dence. The first wife of Esquire Peters was Anna White, of Newbury. They were married January 18, 1787, about three years after the close of the Revolutionary war, which shows that he was then resident here. This good lady, in a little over one year after her marriage, died of consumption, at Bradford, in the twenty-fourth year of her age. December 16, 1790, Mr. A. B. Peters married for his second wife Miss Lydia Bliss, then of Bradford, but a na tive of Hebron, Conn., a daughter of Mr. Ellis Bliss. They lived happily together for nearly twenty-seven years, when she died at Bradford, March 5, 1816, in the fiftieth year of her age, leaving a large family. The children of Mr. Peters and his second wife were, 1. John Peters, born May 6, 1792. He married Dol ly Howe, and settled in Jay, Vt. Died October 19, 1858. No children. 2. Anna, born November 2, 1793 ; married Eleazer Smith ; settled in Haverhill,. N. H.; died in Charlestown, Mass., June 20, 1848, leaving two sons : Charles Gk, who married Ruth Morse and settled in Haverhill ; and Wil liam P., who was killed in Sharon, Vt., while driving a stage team of -four horses, which went over the bank into White River. 3. Samuel Peters, born April 16, 1797 ; married Mar garet Nelson, of Ryegate, Vt., where he settled, and had two sons and six daughters, the most of whom married and settled in different parts of the country. 4. Daniel C. Peters, born April 4th, 1799 ; married Sally White of Bradford, and settled in Peoria, Illinois. 139 They had five daughters, two of whom are at this date married in that State, and one son, who died young. 5. Hannah, daughter of A. B. Peters, born April 18, 1801, died May 3, 1853. 6. William Peters, born December 14, 1803 ; married Mary, daughter of Capt. Haynes Johnson, of Bradford, September 2, 1830. She died in Charlestown, Mass., Feb ruary 7, 1844, in the forty-first year of her age. They had two sons and one daughter. William Francis, at this date residing in Salmon City, Idaho ; Charles Edward married Lucinda E. Hodgdon, of Piermont, N. H., and is a livery stable keeper in Bradford village. They have one son, Charles Henry, and one daughter, Lillie May. Mary Jane, daughter of Win. Peters, married Thomas H. Moore, and resides with her husband at Cambridgeport, Mass. Mr. William Peters, Jan. 19, 1845, married for his sec ond wife Hannah Johnson, a sister of his first wife, and settled in Boston, Mass. Both she and her sister Mary were members of the Congregational church in this their native town. Mrs. Hannah J. Peters died in Boston, Feb ruary 5, 1872, in her fifty -ninth year. Mr. Peters had by this marriage one son, Alvah Henry Peters, who married Miss Etta Damrell, and settled in Boston ; and one daugh ter, Martha Nellie Peters, who died April 22, 1869, in her eighteenth year. 7. Andrew Bliss Peters, born March 14, 1812, mar ried Susan Jones, of Durham, N. H., and settled in Charles- town, Mass.; had one son and a daughter, and died March 9, 1857, aged forty-five years, lacking three days. Mrs. Lydia Bliss Peters, the mother of this large family, died March, 1816 ; and on the 15th of September, of the same year, Esquire Peters married, for his third wife, Ke- ziah Howard, a good lady ol Tamworth, N. H., born at Bridge water, Mass., November 25, 1783. On her marri age with Esquire Peters, she moved directly to her Brad ford home, where she lived very nearly fifty-six years, 140 and died September 2, 1872, at the age of eighty-eight years, nine months and eight days. She had long been a worthy member of the Congregational church here. Andrew B. Peters had by his third marriage two sons. 1. Joseph Howard Peters, born October 7, 1717, mar ried Clarissa Culver Washburn, of Lyme, N. H., Nov. 25, 1841, and settled on the old home farm, where, at this writing, he still resides. Mr. Peters, though mainly de voted to agricultural pursuits, has been called repeatedly to serve his native town in different official capacities ; in 1868-9 as lister, and in 1870-1-2 as chairman of the board of selectmen. The children of Mr. and Mrs. J. H. Peters are as follows, namely : Andrew Barnet Peters, born March 10, 1843, married Jennie S. Kessler, May 14, 1872, and settled in Fitchburg, Mass. Mary Ann, born June 23, 1845, died August 20, 1846. Mary Ellen, born March 30, 1847, married Charles A. Leavitt, December 25, 1871, and is settled in this village. Clara Emma, born June 15, 1848, married Andrew G. Tarleton, December 20, 1870, and settled in Woburn, Mass. Arthur W., born July 31, 1851, married Velma L. Jen kins, of this town, November 14, 1871, and remains on the old homestead, with his father. Minnie S., born June 4, 1855, married Job Clement, of Bradford, March 17, 1872, and remains in her native town. 2. Edmund Fanning, the youngest son of Andrew B. Peters and his third wife, born September 5, 1822, mar ried Mary Ann Slack, of Wilmington, Mass., has had a son and a daughter, and resides in Charlestown, near Boston. Mr. and Mrs. Joseph H. Peters, and their daughters, M i-s. Leavitt and Mrs. Clement, were all members of the Congregational church in Bradford. 141 CHAPTER VII. The Baldwin Family, with Their Connections, The Pecketts, Chases and Strickland s. Benjamin Baldwin, Esq., and his wife, Lydia Peters, were natives of Hebron, Conn. She was a daughter of John Peters, Jr., of that place, and a sister of General Absalom and Colonel John Peters, men of distinction in the genalogy of the Peters family. Mr. Baldwin and wife, not long after their marriage, emigrated from their native town in Connecticut, to this Coos country, then just beginning to be settled. They at first took up their abode in Thetfbrd, Vt. Among the first settlers there, were John Chamberlin, Benjamin Baldwin, and Joseph Hosford. The wives of Baldwin and Hosford were sis ters. They were there as early as 1765, if not a year sooner. They all came from Hebron, above mentioned. The Baldwins remained in Thetford not more than two or three years, when they removed to Orfbrd, N. H. Their third child, Benjamin P., was born there, April 23, 1767. John Mann, Jr., his relative, is said to be the first English child born in that town, May 21, 1766, and probably Ben jamin P. Baldwin was the second, as he was born but a few months later. In the year 1774 Benjamin Baldwin built a saw-mill in this, then Mooretown, Vt., on the falls in Wait s River, a half a mile or so above its confluence with the Connecticut. His wife s brother, Colonel John Peters, a year or two before, had erected a grist-mill on the same stream, a short distance below. The desirable site which Baldwin had selected for his saw-mill was for many subsequent years occupied in the same way. A grist-mill, a sash and blind factory, and a shop for the NOTE. The likeness in front of this chapter is that of Benjamin F. Baldwin, Esq., (son of Benjamin Baldwin, the immigrant), and is from the same engrav ing as were the likenesses of him which appeared on bills issued by Bradford Bank, years since. 142 manufacture of mackerel kits, etc., have superseded the old saw-mill, and are full of business, at this writing, in the same locality. The white two-story house on the Western bank of Wait s River, about a half a mile above the falls, and still in good condition, was built by Mr. Baldwin, and there he lived for many years, and finally died. In addition to lumber business, he owned and cul tivated a good farm, and was a good deal occupied in pub lic affairs. We have not the precise date of his settle ment here, but it must have been about the time of his building his saw-mill, in 1774. In the year 1778 he rep resented this town in the convention at Windsor " to take measures for the organization of a new State." He also officiated, at least in 1782 arid 1789, as Town Clerk. For how many years he performed the duties of a Justice of the Peace does not at present appear. Having raised up a large family, and long lived, comfortably and useful ly, enjoying the respect and good will of all around him, he quietly passed away, at the age of eighty-five years. His funeral services were performed by the writer of this, on Lord s day, February 22, 1818. Mrs. Lydia Peters Baldwin was a woman highly distin guished for her cheerfulness, resolution, and energy. Besides bringing up a large family of her own, and man aging her domestic affairs in an exemplary manner, she for many years was extensively, and with remarkable suc cess, in the practice of midwifery. Her business was not confined to Bradford, but extended into the neighbor ing towns, particularly of Corinth, Fairlee, Piermont, and Orford. When possible for her to go, whether by day or night, in sunshine or storm, she w as ready. A great part of her traveling was on her own side-saddle ; but much also on her pillion, behind the man on horseback who had come for her. How it was possible for a woman situated as she was, to perform such an amount of service in this 143 department of the medical profession, seems strange in deed. From an old memorandum of hers, still extant, the fol lowing summary has been gathered. In the course of fifty years and six months subsequent to August 18, 1768, when she must have been living in Orford, this remarka ble woman assisted in the introduction of nine hundred and twenty-six children into this state of probation ! Of this whole number four hundred and eighty were sons, and four hundred and forty-six were daughters. Of twins there were ten pairs, or nearly one pair in every one hun-j dred of children born. Five of these pairs consisted each of two daughters, one pair of sons, and four pairs of a son and daughter each. Of the nine hundred and twen ty-six children, twenty-six were still-born ; fifteen of these, including one pair of the twins, were females, and eleven were males, that is, less than three in every hundred. And of the whole number born, only seven were illegiti mate ; namely, five sons and two daughters. In all these cases of birth only one mother died in child-bed. In that case her infant, female, died with her. Previous to 1773 Mrs. Baldwin had officiated only on eight such occasions, and her last case was January 26, 1819. She died about seven years later September 3, 1825, at her old home, in the family of her son, Benjamin P. Baldwin, Esq., at the age of eighty-five years. She was, in the days which tried men s souls, decidedly patriotic, and so continued. She was, during its existence, a member of the Congre gational church in this place, under the pastoral care of Rev. Gardner Kellogg, and is understood to have retained her hope in Christ to the last. A woman who accom plished a work so great and good, deserves to be held in honorable and lasting remembrance. Benjamin Baldwin, Esq., and wife, were blessed with a family of four daughters and five sons, all of whom, with 144 the exception of one of the sons, lived to marry, and have families of their own. 1. Lydia, born November 26, 1762, married Andrew Crook, of Piermont, N. H. He was for many years a Deacon of the Congregational church there, and was justly esteemed one of the excellent of the earth. They had a family of three sons and four daughters. Lydia married Joseph Root ; Betsey, Daniel Hogaii : Cynthia, James Robinson, all of Piermont. John married Anna Dutton, of Orford, and had one son, Andrew, and one daughter, Sarah Anna, wife of George Jenkins, of Brad ford. These all had children. Sarah Crook arid her brothers, Andrew and Isaac, died unmarried. Of the above named children of Deacon Crook and wife, Mrs. Robenson, at this writing, is the only individual remain ing. 2. Elizabeth, born November 20, 1764, married John Moore, Esq., of Bradford. He built, and with his family long occupied, the large yellow house, still standing on a lofty eminence beside the South road, some two miles West of the village. The original occupants of that house are now all gone, some to their long home, and the rest, with their families, scattered widely abroad through our country. Not one of the descendants is now left in Bradford. Esquire Moore and wife were worthy mem bers of the Congregational church in Bradford, and peace fully departed to their final rest in good old age. They left four sons and four daughters. John, the old est son, married Mary Dyke, a good woman, whose intel lectual powers, after many years, failed, and she died at the asylum for the insane, at Brattleboro. Mr. Moore was an honest farmer in Bradford, and a humble Christian, whose end was peace. He died March 16, 1873, in the the eighty-fourth year of his age. He never had son or daughter. His sister Betsey married Timothy Under wood, of Bradford, and removed to Hard wick : Polly mar- 445 ried Nathaniel Waugh, of Bradford ; Anna married Jo- siah Moore, of West Fairlee, and removed with him into the Western country ; Lydia married Jonathan Austin, of Bradford, and went with him to Michigan ; Roswell married, and died at Ann Arbor, Michigan ; Benjamin married Mary, a daughter of Dr. Bliss, of Vershire ; he was a fine singer, and devoted Christian, arid died of chol era at Maumee, Irid. William spent some time as a sailor, returned home, married a Miss Wells, of Newbury, and removed West. The several members of this family are understood to have had children of their own, of whom no particular account can here be given. Most of the parents, if not all, were esteemed good Christian people. 3. Benjamin P. Baldwin. 01 him and his family, a separate account hereafter. 4. Theopolis, born August 25, 1769, married Hannah Mann, a sister of John Mann, Esq., of Orford, N. H. They lived for several years in Bradford, and thence moved to the township of Holland, Erie county, New York, where they died. They had at least four children, John, Han nah, Harriet, and William. 5. Cynthia, born May 9, 1772. Died young. 6. Lucy, born at Bradford, February 9, 1775, married William Kendall, of this town. They had one son, Lang- don, who became a resident of Barnet, Vt. At this date still living. 7. Absalom, born March 10, 1778, married Miss Lydia Bliss, of this place, and long resided on his farm in what is now called West Bradford, keeping entertainment for travelers. Mr. Baldwin died April 10, 1850, aged seven ty-two years and one month. Mrs. Baldwin, his wife, died February 4, 1860, in the seventy-seventh year of her age. These parents had four sons and four daugh ters. One of the sons died in childhood. Absalom, Jr., born October 2, 1808, died June 1, 1842. Lydia, born August 4, 1804, married William Clifford, had one or more children, arid died November 17, 1840. William, born July 25, 1807, married Judith Bur gin, had one son, went to California, where he remained for several years, and then resumed his residence in Bradford, where he died suddenly, September, 1874. Hannah, born April 11, 1815, married John Shumway, of Bradford. George, the youngest member of this family, born November 24, 1817, occupied the old homestead of his father, attending not merely to agricultural pursuits, but being somewhat extensively engaged for many years in the business of a drover, buying sheep and cattle in Vermont, and selling the same in the vicinity of Boston. He married Miss Han nah Merrill, of the same neighborhood with himself. She was born there February 13, 1822, and their marriage took place December 25, 1840. They were blessed with two sons and two daughters. Abbie W. Baldwin was born May 24, 1844; Jesse A., June 24, 1847; George W., born June 25, 1852; Ida H., born January 25, 1855. All still residents of Bradford ; Miss Ida pursuing a course of ed ucation at the Abbott Academy for young ladies, at An- dover, Mass. 8. William, the fourth son of Benjamin Baldwin, Esq., and wife, was born September 23, 1782. He had a liking for the sea, and for some years pursued the business of a sailor ; but finally settled down in his native place. He married Miss Hannah Webster, of Massachusetts, by whom he had one son, Emery, and a daughter, Lydia, who mar ried Washington Merrill, of Methuen, in that state, arid died there. Mr. Baldwin, as life was declining, became melancholy, partially insane, and terminated his mortal existence by an act of suicide. And this suggests the remark that there have been, within the recollection of the writer, eight instances of that lamentable crime in Bradford six men and two women. Of the men, one drowned himself in a small brook, three hanged themselves, one shot himself, arid one took 147 poison. Of the two women, one hanged herself, and the other cut her own throat. Three or four other women have i-n different ways attempted the fatal act, and failed. In most, or all, of these cases, the individuals were re^ spectable people, in comfortable circumstances ; but who, under the various trials incident to the present life, had fallen into a state of Melancholy so criminal that, regard less of consequences, they committed the fatal act, prob ably, in most cases, under the false impression that it was less criminal to take their own lives than it would be to take the life of any other parson. Let these sad cases be a loud warning to survivors, to guard against all gloomi ness of mind, against every thought tending toward self- destruction. Bear the trials of life with Christian sub mission, wait quietly on God, humbly and faithfully aiming to do his pleasure, and all with you will soon be well. 9. John Dennie, the youngest member of the family of Benjamin Baldwin and wife, was born June 8, 1785. He married Abigail, daughter of Joshua Barron, of Brad ford. In- the course of his life he, like many other men, became deplorably intemperate, in the use both of whis key and tobacco ; and is said to have been thoroughly re formed, in a sudden and very remarkable manner. The story, as told me by a near relative, is, substantially, this : Mr. Baldwin, in the silence of night, is roused from his slumbers by a loud knocking at his bedroom door. He listens and hears, or thinks he hears, an unearthly voice saying, with authority, " John ! leave off drinking whis key." With consternation, but firmness, he replies, "I will, if you will take away my appetite for it." A solemn pause then, "John ! quit, entirely, the use of tobacco." His reply the same as before. Then he is left in solemn silence to reflect, with fear and trembling, on what he had heard, and the critical circumstances in which he found himself. And, marvellous to tell, his appetite, both for intoxicating liquor and for tobacco also, from that time 148 ceased ! and John became in both respects a thorough going temperance man. My informant was inclined to think that there might not have been anything super natural in the case. Be that as it may, the effect seems to have been most happy. Mr. Baldwin and wife were then residing in the Western country, and had previous ly embraced the religion of the Mormons. While making arrangements to go and unite with them, at Nauvoo, they both died, at Racine, Wisconsin, leaving one son, John, and two daughters. Julia and Lydia. 3. Benjamin Peters Baldwin, the eldest son in this first family of the name of Baldwin, in Bradford, was born at Orford, N. H., April 23, 1767. At the age of eight years he came with his parents to reside in this town, then almost a wilderness, the year in which the memo rable battle at Bunker Hill was fought ; and here contin ued to witness, and take an active part in, the various endeavors here made for the improvement of society, dur ing the seventy-eight subsequent years ol his life. His principal occupation was that of a farmer, on the same place which had been cultivated by his father, though he had oc casion to attend to various other kinds of useful business. His advantages for acquiring a thorough education were, in the days of his youth, necessarily very limited ; yet he so managed as to become a successful teacher of common schools, a business in which, while a young man, lie took great interest, and gave good satisfaction. He also made himself well acquainted with the art of surveying ; and for many years, indeed during his subsequent life, had many calls for his services in that business, not only in this but other places. He also owned a saw-mill, at which an extensive business was for many years carried on. In town affairs, parish and educational matters, and as Jus tice of the Peace, his advice and services were deemed almost indispensible. He was an active man, and always had his mind and hands full of business. 149 Esquire Baldwin was a happy man ; more happy at least than most men are ; he was accustomed to meet us with a smiling countenance : the pressure of his warm hand was peculiarly cordial, and his words ever affection ate and kind. He shed sunshine about him, Avherever he went. He was a man of truth, of strict integrity and up rightness in all his transactions. You might have com mitted to him any amount of money, untold, with perfect safety. He was prudent and charitable in speaking of others ; a peacemaker in society, cheerfully doing good to all, as he had opportunity. He honored the Sabbath, and was strict in his attendance on public worship; and forward to do his part, not only for the support of the gospel at home, but for its universal promulgation. He felt a lively interest in the right training of the rising- generation, and watched over their progress in useful knowledge and virtuous ways, with parental solicitude and satisfaction. He was, indeed, an honor and blessing to this community, and especially to his own family, and somewhat numerous relatives. At the age of twenty-nine, November 17, 1796, Mr. Baldwin married Miss Mehitable Gordon, of Windham, X. JELj who continued his faithful companion during the remaining fifty-seven years of his life. In the course of the year 1828, Capt. Baldwin and wife, under a deep con viction of duty, and from love to Christ and his cause, as they trusted, made a public profession of religion, and were received into communion with the Congregational church, with which they had long been accustomed to unite in public worship. Their path, during the remnant of their days, was as the shining light : and they both finally departed this life sustained and comforted by the consolations which the gospel affords to all the truly pious. Mr. Baldwin died November 6, 1853, in the eighty- seventh year of his age ; and Mrs. Baldwin, his wife, Jan uary 14, 1857, at the age of eighty-three years. 150 This worthy couple, at their decease, left an interesting family of four sons and four daughters, of whom a brief account will now be given. One daughter and two sons had previously died in childhood. 1. Cynthia, born December 3, 1797, married Giles Peckett, by occupation a blacksmith, who lived in Brad ford, and died there, leaving a family of four sons and five daughters. Their eldest daughter, Cynthia Peckett, married Lewis Brown, of St. Johnsbury ; Mary, Thomas Brickett, of Boston; Frank pursued the life o fa mariner, was promoted to the office of Captain, and was on board of t he Glasgow, which sailed from Liverpool for Philadel phia, and was lost at sea, leaving not a solitary individual to tell by what sad disaster. Ellen married Charles Browning ; and Maria, Edwin Plympton, both of Boston ; Edwin married Mary Ann Worthen, of Bradford, but removed to Boston ; James also married and became a resident of the same city ; the gentlemen all being pros perously engaged in various commercial sorts of business ; John Wesley married and established himself in business at Brooklyn, N. Y. Louisa married Dana Patten, a liter ary gentleman and teacher in Winchester, Mass. These various families take great pleasure in making their good mother Peckett as happy as possible. Mr. Patten has since removed to Portland, Maine, engaged in his chosen profession. 2. Louisa, the second daughter of B. P. Baldwin, born September 1, 1800, married Epapras B. Chase, eldest son of Moses Chase, Esq., of Bradford. Her husband, General Chase, as he was afterwards styled, took up his residence in Lyndon, Vt., and was there for many .years engaged in commercial, agricultural, railroad, and banking- business, and was quite successful in his various pursuits. Both he and his wife were much respected, and both died giving highly satisfactory evidence of being prepared for a better world. They left at their decease two sons, 151 Henry and Charles, with families of their own ; and five daughters, namely, Charlotte, wife of Dr. Cahoon, since deceased, Emily, Adaline, Mary and Martha ; all, both sons and daughters, well educated and highly estimable young- people, living near each other in Lyndon. -3. Susan Baldwin, born August 15, 1802, married Hor ace Strickland, of Bradford, a gentleman for a long time engaged in the foundry business here ; Town Clerk of Bradford for one year, Representative for two years, and Side Judge of Orange County for two years. They had two daughters. Miss Charlotte spent, not only in Canada but in France and Switzerland, both time and mone} T in the diligent study of the French language and literature, and turned her acquisitions to good account, while offici ating as a highly esteemed teacher in the Abbott Acade my for Ladies, at Andover, Mass. Her sister, Lucy Ann, married Charles B. Botsford, a pious man, and merchant, in Boston, and took up her residence there. Both Mrs, Strickland and her daughters were beloved members ol the same church in Bradford to which her parents had belonged. Mrs. S. died at Bradford, October-4, 1874, aged seventy-two years. 4. Benjamin Gordon Baldwin was born May 13, 1806. When about eight years of age he met with a sad disas ter. One winter day, when going to the village, he joined a lumberman s team, moving in the same direction, and, full of boyish animation to catch a ride, mounted a heavy timber, the hind end of which was dragging on the ground. By some mishap one of his feet was caught between the log and frozen ground, and became horribly crushed. It was supposed at first that amputation must be the result, but the conclusion of the surgeons was to make an effort to save it, which proved successful, though the youthful sufferer ever after carried with him an effectual memento of the disaster. This event, it is believed, contributed an influence to change his whole course of subsequent life 152 and to make him a more distinguished and useful man than he otherwise might have been. Gordon, in due season, determined to acquire, if possi ble, a liberal education, and prepare for the business" of professional life. He fitted for College under the instruc tion of his pastor and friend, Rev. 8. McKeen, and gradu ated at Dartmouth in the class of 1827. Among his class mates were John K. Converse, Alpheus Crosby, Sewell Tenney, and others of like stamp. Mr. Baldwin studied the profession of law, and became established in honor able and successful business at Pottsdam, N. Y. He there continued, enjoying the high esteem of his fellow citizens, to the day of his death, which occurred January, 1873, in the sixty-seventh year of his age. Among other pleasant things said of him, in the sermon of Rev. Mr. Furbish, at his funeral, are the following : " Benjamin G. Baldwin united with the Congregational church in Potts- dam July 5, 1835. He realized that he was not his own, but had been bought with a price, and consecrated freely his unusual powers, of mind, heart and Avill to the Redeem er s service." " From this consecration resulted his rare example of Christian benevolence. He did not save his wealth for the purpose of giving it away in the hour of death ; but extraordinary benevolence, directed by great wisdom, characterized his entire life. " Another fruit of his Christian life was his conscien tiousness. In whatever position of life he moved, he im pressed all about him that he was determined, at all events, to do right. This stern, unflinching rectitude he exhibit ed in a marked degree Avhile practicing law, and while he held offices of trust from his fellow citizens. " He loved the House of God, and all its ordinances and here renewed his strength. His place was regularly filled in the Bible class, and he was a pillar in the church. He was a diligent man, and felt that he had work to per- 153 form while God continued him here ; work, not only for himself, but others ; and up to the hour of his last sick ness he willingly spent, and spared not himself. May his piety, his rectitude, his patience and well-doing, be emu lated by us all, and our town shall never cease to bless him." TJie memory of such a man is indeed precious. Mr. Baldwin married Miss Emeline Lamphear, of New Hampshire, an estimable and pious lady, who survived him. They had no children. 5. George Peters Baldwin, born January 22, 1.808. Spent the years of his minority with his parents, engaged chiefly in agricultural and educational pursuits. When in his twenty-fourth year, he determined to leave home and make trial of the business and fortunes of a sailor. In the Summer of 1832 he engaged with Captain Briggs, of the whaleship Frances, and went on a voyage around the Cape of Good Hope, into the Indian Ocean. Tin s voyage was so satisfactory that he went on a second, on board the same ship, and to the same ocean, in search of whales. These voyages occupied about two years. He tlien shipped aboard the Franklin, Captain Davis, for a voyage around Cape Horn, into the Pacific, in pursuit of sperm whales ; visited the Friendly, the Navigator s, the Galapagos, and the Sandwich Islands, the latter group three times, then went to the Northwest Coast, to Colum bia River, and thence along the Coast at Cape Horn again, and reached home after an absence of three years and five months. He next went out as Mate, aboard the America, for a cruise in the North Atlantic, especially around the Azores, and off the coast of Guinea. This vovage occupied one year ; and the four voyages about six years and a half. On their Pacific cruise they took fifty-three sperm whales, affording two thousand and two hundred barrels of oil. Having had satisfactory experience of the whaler s life, he returned to Bradford, and settled down again among 11 154 his kindred and old friends. He married Miss Lydia Strickland, and, in due course of time, was blessed with an interesting family of children, of whom further mention will be made presently. Mr. Baldwin was called by his fellow citizens, not only of Bradford, but of Orange County, to fill various official po sitions of public trust and importance. He was Town Clerk of Bradford from 1846 to 1855, inclusive; Representative in the State Legislature during the sessions of 1843, 1844, and 1847; State Senator in 1851 and 1852; Assistant Judge of Orange County Court for the years 1847 and 1848, and County Commissioner for Orange County under the law regulating the sale of spirituous liquors, during the years 1860, 1861, and 1862. After a release from these various public services, Mr. Baldwin sold his real estate in Bradford and bought a homestead in Concord, Mass., but in the course of a few years, his children all being settled in new homes, he returned in rather broken health, to spend with his beloved wife the evening of their days in the place of his nativity, amid old friends and fa miliar prospects of peculiar variety and beauty. At this writing, June, 1873, Judge Baldwin and wite have one son and three daughters, all happily married, and pleasantly situated, and what is still better, all, as well as their mother, professedly and hopefully pious. May pa rents and children, the entire family, reach at last the haven of eternal rest. Children of Mr. George P. Baldwin and wife. Lucy Emeline, born July 24, 1840 ; married Septembers, 1861, Edward V. R. Evans, attorney at law, then of Piermont, X. H., recently of Chelsea, Mass. Lydia Angeline, born September 30, 1841 ; married Thomas Stanton Brownell, of Colchester, Vt., by occupation a farmer. Benjamin George Baldwin, born February 17, 1847, married Miss Ella Nutt, and is a merchant in Hartford, Conn. 155 Julia Isabelle, born June 11, 1848, married August 22, 1869, Amos H. Brown, and resides at Fitchburg, Mass. Two sons and two daughters, whose names are not here given, died in childhood. 6. James Whitelaw Baldwin, the next son of Benja min P. Baldwin, and probably named for his father s friend, James Whitelaw, the Surveyor General of Ver mont, was born September 12, 1810. His youthful days were spent at home, in Bradford. He married Miss Han nah C. Bean, of Piermont, N. H., November 18, 1835. He has been long and successfully engaged in the mark eting business of Boston, and owns and occupies a beau tiful residence in North Cambridge. He was an original director in the Bank of Commerce, also for several years President of the Fanieul Hall Bank, both in Boston. Mr. and Mrs. Baldwin had a family of ten children. Of these, one daughter and two sons died in their childhood. Helen Maria, born November 18, 1837, married J.Hen ry Nason, of Cambridge, and died in the thirty-fourth vear ol her age. Benjamin Gordon, born February 29, 1840, was at this writing in Colorado, engaged in mining business. Annie Warren, born October 16, 1846; married Henry W. K. Cutter, of Cambridge, subsequently of Chicago. Edward Everett, born August 7, 1848, is of the firm of C. Wright & Co., lard refiners and oil manufacturers, Bos ton. He married Caroline M. Prichard, of Bradford, Vt., September 1, 1874. Eugene, born December 2, 1850, is with C. <fe D. Cox, wholesale shoe dealers, Boston. James W., born August l r 1853, is with H. Mayo & Co., fish dealers, Boston. And Miss Hattie Parks, the young est member of the family, born January 4, 1856, was, at the same time, 1873, pursuing her course of education at Abbott Female Academy, Andover, Mass. 7. Charles Cotesworth Pinkney, the next son of 156 Benjamin P. Baldwin, was born December 28, 1812. He married Miss Sarah Ann Woodward, of Haverhill, N. H. They long resided in Bradford village, where she died, January 8, 1867, in the fifty-fifth year of her age. They had a family of seven daughters and three sons. Of these, one son and one daughter died in their childhood, at Brad ford. In the autumn of 1867 Mr. Baldwin removed, with liis family, to Jessup, in the State of Iowa, where he con tinues to reside. Of his family, it may be remarked that at this time, June, 1873, Sarah Mehitabel, born July 8, 1837, is there, living with her married sister, Mrs. Gates; Lucy Adelaide, born September 1, 1839. is teaching in NYw Jersey; Mary Elizabeth, born September 11, 1841, married Theodore White, and lives at Spencer, Iowa; Jane Hitta, born March 31, 1844, teaching near home; Helen Caroline, born- - 17, 1846, married Willis H. Grates, of Sibley, Iowa; James Whitelaw, born April 3, 1850, is married and living with his father; Susan, the youngest daughter, who is also a teacher, and Charles, the youngest son, remain with their father, who has a second wife. % Mr. C. C. P. Baldwin, Avhile resident in his native State, was for several years High Sheriff of Orange County, and also for a time United States Marshal for the District of Vermont. 8. Lucy, the youngest daughter of Benjamin P. Bald win, born January 30, 1815, having a decided taste for literature, acquired a fine education, and devoted several of the best years of her life to the giving of instruction to young ladies, in different Seminaries of high respecta bility. She was for some time Principal of the female department of the Academy, at Meriden, N. H., and sub set (iiently teacher of French, Geometry, and Botany, in the Ohio Female College, near Cincinnati. November 10, 1842, Miss Baldwin married Mr. Alphonso Wood, a gradu ate of Dartmouth College, a licensed preacher of the Con- 157 gregational order, arid at that time a teacher in the Acad emy, at Meriden, N. H. Mr. Wood subsequently pre pared and published a valuable work on Botany, and was for some years Professor of natural history and ancient languages, in the Female College of Ohio, and finally President of the same. To advance the cause of useful learning and evangelical religion, and thus do good to all, as they bid opportunity, appears to have been the perse vering endeavor of both Mr. and Mrs. Wood, in the vari ous stations which they were called to occupy. Mrs. Wood died at West Farms, near New York, where he, again married, has continued to reside. She left with her husband one son and one daughter. The son, Frank Wood, a graduate of the University of the city of New York, is a missionary under the patronage of the Presby terian Board in Syria, and the daughter, Lilia, a Christian young lady, and teacher of music, remains with her father at West Farms, N. Y. Mrs. Lucy B. Wood died June 6, 1868, in the fifty-fourth year of her age, and her remains repose with those of her kindred dead, in Brad ford, Vt. 9. William Edwin, the fifth son of Benjamin P. Bald- *"win, born March 1, 1817, died at the early age of eight years. One other son and a daughter died in their infancy. Here we take our leave of this large family of the Baldwins, with emotions both of joy and sadness; of gratitude and cordial good will, in remembrance both of the living and the deceased. 158 CHAPTER VIII. Deacon Reuben Martin and Family Deacon Joseph Clark and Family Rev. Dr. Martin Ruter The Fifield Boy who was Lost- ami Found. DEACON REUBEN MARTIN AND FAMILY. Reuben Martin must have taken up his residence in this town within twenty years after its first settlement. The precise date has not been ascertained by the writer. He came, while a young man, from New Hampshire, it is believed from Weare, or some town in its immediate vi cinity. He made for himself a farm on the highest ele vation over which the old South road from Bradford Vil lage to Corinth Center now passes ; where he long lived, and finally died. His brother Samuel, father of Rev. Solon Martin, now of West Fairlee, occupied a tarm a little further West. Reuben Martin was for several years a Deacon of the first and only Calvinistic Baptist church in Bradford, wjiose meeting house stood at the North end of the Upper Plain, nearly opposite to where Mre. James McDufFee now lives. Both the church and their house of worship had disappeared long before his decease ; but he held fast his integrity, and honorably sustained his eccle siastical title to the day oi his death. The wife of Deacon Reuben Martin was Sarah White, a daughter of Hon. Noah White, for some time one of the Judges of Orange County Court. Her parents emigrated from Haverhill, Mass., in 1763. They passed through the then trackless wilderness between Concord, N. H., and Newbury, Vt., bringing their infant Sarah in their arms, and camping out at night on the ground, with no roof over their heads but the star spangled canopy of the heavens. The family remained at Newbury for a few years only, when they removed to Bradford, where this daughter sub- 159 sequently united with the Baptist church, married Dea. Reuben Martin, and became the mother of four sons and seven daughters ; all of whom lived to years of maturity, and nearly all married and had respectable families of their own. This mother in Israel having lived in Brad ford a little over seventy-two years, on 7th of June, 1840, at the age of seventy-nine years and nine months, passed away, sustained and cheered by the hope of a glorious immortality. The early settlers with large families were sometimes reduced to what we should now think rather straightened circumstances. On one occasion, as we are told, Deacon Martin, to obtain bread for his family, traveled to Weare, N. H., a distance of one hundred miles or over, and brought home, on his horse s back, one bushel of rye and two bushels of corn. Dea. Reuben Martin died at his old home, in Bradford, May 23, 1841, aged eighty-six years, one month and four days. The children of these parents were, 1. William Martin, born December 5, 1782, a man of excellent moral character, and a highly esteemed physi cian, who for several years practiced in this town. His residence was on the South road, some half or three- quarters of a mile East of his father s. He married Hul- dah Kidder, of West Fairlee ; and died October 22, 1841, in the fifty-ninth year of his age, leaving her with four children. Both the Doctor and hfs wife were members of the Congregational church in this place. 2. Daniel Martin, born November 6, 1784 ; he remain ed through life a worthy citizen of Bradford, and died March 7, 1870, in the eighty-sixth year of his age. I give here some extracts from an obituary notice, which I prepared for publication soon after his decease. Daniel Martin, Esq., married Sophia Tyler, a worthy woman of Randolph, Vt. ; with whom he lived happily for 160 a little over fifty-six years, and who bore to him three sons and three daughters, and departed from this life Jan uary 17, 1870, only eight Aveeks before his own decease. These parents, thus united in life and in death, left but one surviving child, their daughter Britana, now Mrs. Samuel T. Shaw ; and one grand-daughter, by an older sister of Mrs. ShaAv, who married Micah Norcross, Esq. This grand- daughter is now the wife of Mr. Frescott Davis. To these two ladies Esquire Martin is understood to have bequeathed his property, to their entire satisfac tion. He was a man of correct habits, who wished to have all matters of business rightly transacted and settled. On this account, and in view of his well-known integ rity and capability, he was called by his fellow-townsmen to the performance of various official trusts and duties. For some years he officiated as one of the town listers, overseer of the poor, arid justice of the peace, if not in other offices. As justice of the peace he is said to have been chosen for twenty-four years in regular succession, and then, after a short vacation, for several years more. Esquire Martin probably knew more, from personal ac quaintance, respecting the early inhabitants of this town, and of its by- gone events and transactions^ than any per son now living ; and it is to be lamented that he did not leave, as he had been earnestly requested, a written statement of his vivid and interesting recollections. One singular incident he once related to the writer of this notice. He said, on a certain occasion in the early settlement of this town, about forty horses were sent late in autumn from Haverhill, Mass., and turned loose into the meadows along on the Connecticut River to browse on the wild grass and on bushes through the winter, and take care of themselves as they would ; and that in the spring they were taken out in good condition ! Such a saving of hay and oats and care, on the part of horse keepers is not, however, likely to be again attempted. 161 Esquire Martin s farm joined on the East that of his fa ther ; where, devoted chiefly to agricultural pursuits, in the practice of industry, frugality and strict temperance, and in pleasant intercourse with his neighbors, he passed his somewhat protracted life in quietude and comfort. He did not seem to grow old as many do, but retained the various capacities and powers, both mental and cor poreal, of mature manhood remarkably. When over eighty years of age, he was in conversation still social and cheerful, and in his movements erect and sprightly. A neighbor relates that on a certain occasion he saw him. when thus advanced in years, catch his horse, which had strayed a little away, put on its bridle, and from the mid dle of the road spring on to its back and ride off, as if he had been in the vigor of youth. He never made any public profession of religion, but Avas strictly moral, and is understood to have expressed a hope that in early life he had found his Saviour to be pre cious; and when, in old age, stricken down by paralysis, but still blessed with the full exercise of mental po \vi-rs, he died peacefully, hoping for salvation through Him alone. Very few of our inhabitants of an age so great as was that of this venerable man are now left. All will soon be gone. May they, without exception, have their lamps trimmed and burning, ever ready for the coming of their Lord, however suddenly that momentous event may oc cur. " The fathers, where are they? What man is he that liveth and shall not see death ! " 3. Anna, eldest daughter of Dea. Reuben Martin, born October 23, 1786, died a worthy maiden. 4. Hannah, born February 15, 1789, became the sec ond wife of Jeremiah Corliss, of Bradford, had two daugh ters and one son, and died November, 1867, aged seventy- eight years and nine months. See the Corliss family. 162 5. Sarah, born December 11, 1791; married John Crandall, of Lancaster, N. N., and removed West. 6. Rebecca, born December 19,1793; married Wil liam Mitchell, of Walpole, N. H.,arid died there, leaving a large family. 7. Abigail, born August 1, 1795 ; married David Nor- cross, of Bradford. Had one son and two daughters. 8. Lydia, born December 4, 1796; married Samuel Merrill, of this town. Had two children. 9. Patience, born April 30, 1798 ; married Orrin Tyler, of Randolph. Had four children. 10. Moses Hazen, born March 16, 1800 : married Han nah Huntoon, of Hanover, X. H. 11. Reuben, born May 12, 1804. THE CLARK FAMILY. Joseph Clark and wile were among the early inhabi tants of Bradford, and raised up here a large and influen tial family. They lived on the Lower Plain, about one mile and a quarter South of the central part of the vil lage. The comfortable cottage which they long occupied, now one of the oldest houses in the town, is still there in a respectable condition : but the entire family of its origi nal occupants have passed forever away. For about a year and a half of my early ministry here having no home of my own, I boarded with this family; and my study was a little chamber in that cottage, the look-out from which was towards the polar star. There I spent many days, long evenings, and some whole nights, in laborious and prayerful efforts to prepare for my public services in the best manner F possibly could : and that under an op pressive sense of my insufficiency for those things. Par don this personal reminiscence :* the mention of the old cottage brought back so vividly that early experience, as a look up to those old windows when passing by always does. 163 Deacon Clark and wife were members both of the first Congregational church, under the pastoral care of Rev. Gardner Kellogg, and also of the present church of the same denomination, which after the dissolution of the first was duly organized on a more decidedly orthodox plat form, in the year 1810. He was generally styled Deacon, though never regularly so constituted, probably because he took an active part in religious matters, and for a time officiated at communion seasons. He died in December, 1835, aged eighty-four years. His wife, Sarah Mussey Clark, died March 18, 1833, aged seventy-four years. She was a sister of Esquire Mussey, of Corinth, who was father of the late Moses Mussey, of Bradford. Mr. and Mrs. Clark had six sons and three daughters. One of the sons died in childhood. Of those who lived to be men and women the following imperfect account is all that the writer is able at present to give, no individual being left of whom to inquire. 1. Moody Clark, born August 31, 1776 ; married Susan Richards, March 20, 1797. Mr. Clark was an honest, in dustrious man, and spent the remnant of his days at Brad ford. He died February 9, 1843, in the sixty-seventh year of his age. Mrs. Clark, his wife, died May 31, 1850, in her seventy -first year. They had seven sons and three daughters. Charles B. Clark, born November 26, 1798; a teacher of vocal music ; married Augusta Cady, ol Bradford, and died at Middletown, Conn. Orliri, born June 2, 1801 ; married Orill Cady, sister of Augusta, and died at Killingly, Conn. Wealthy, born June 24, 1803 : married Edwin Fuller, of Vershire, and died at Fairlee, April 30, 1854. Deacoii Fuller and wife had three sons and two daughters, name ly : Susan, Joseph, Dan, Albert and Hannah Maria. Franklin, born June 18, 1805 : married a Miss Bond, of Corinth. 164 Cynthia, born March 13, 1808 ; married Samuel Bern its, of Lyndon, Vt. Gardner, born August 21, 1812 ; became a preacher of the gospel, of the Methodist order. Thomas Russell, born April 8, 1816; died September 20, 1856. Joseph, bom November 19, 1819 ; died July 8, 1839. Thaddeus Fairbanks, born July 5, 1822. 2. Labaii Clark, second son of Deacon Joseph Clark, above mentioned, and brother of Moody, was born July 19, 1778, became a Methodist minister of high esteem; was stationed for a time in the city of New York, and at other times in different places of special importance, arid was for several of the last years of his life employed as financial agent of the Wesleyan University at Middletown, Conn., where he died in 1868, at about ninety years of age. 3. Joseph Clark, Jr., born September 6, 1780, was by occupation both a farmer and a mason, or brick layer. He was also a local preacher of the Methodist order, and a truly Christian man. He remained on the old farm, in a house a few rods South of his father s, and did much in the way of nourishing and cherishing the Methodist cl lurch here in the days of its infantile feebleness. He used to hold meetings with them, in the school house on the Lower Plain, where the members chiefly resided, and lived to see them with a good congregation worshiping in one and then another more commodious meeting-house of their own. He was called away to his final rest Feb ruary 22, 1849, in the sixty-ninth year of his age. He had been twice married. His first wife, Fanny Aspin- wall, died June 2, 1826, at the age of forty-four. His second wife, Susan Bond, of Corinth, died April 7, 1847, at the age of sixty years. Both truly good women. No children. They had adopted a Miss Bond, neice of the second wife. She married Rev. Mr. Fisk, a Methodist minister. 165 4. Edward Clark, born July 6, 1784 ; removed to the State of New York, married, and spent the remainder oi his days there. o. Hannah Clark, born February 6, 1787, was a worthy woman, a member of the same church with her parents, and when quite advanced in years became the -second wife of David Morrison, of Fairlee, whose first wife was her sister. (>. Sallv Clark, born July 9, 1789, married David Mor rison, of Fairlee. They lived near the North end of Fair- lee Pond. She was an estimable woman, and died leav ing three sons. 7. Samuel Clark, born July 30, 1791. Lived at Brad ford a while, then removed to the interior of the State of New York, and died there. Xo account of his family. Ho was twice married. S. Betsey Clark, born April 10, 1794; when mature in years was still, in person and intellect and lack of speech, but a child of large size, but very quiet; and al ways treated by the family with distinguished kindness. She died in the quietude of home. 9. Gardner Kellogg Clark, born February 28, 1796, was a young man of fine personal appearance and good talents. He had a taste for learning, made strenuous ef forts to obtain a liberal education, and graduated at Union College, Schenectady, N. Y. Having iii the meanwhile become hopefully pious, he studied for the gospel minis try, and was ordained and installed pastor of a Presbyte rian church at Preble, in the State of New York. He was an able and faithful worker, and as such highly es teemed. He married and had a family ; but we are un able to give any definite information in regard to his children. He spent some of the last years of his life, we believe, in the service of the American Home Missionary Society ; and died at Saratoga, Minnesota, March 19, 1870, at the age of severity-four years and nineteen days. 166 REV. MARTIN RUTER, D. D. Of this gentleman, or even of his family name, the pres ent inhabitants of Bradford are supposed to know but little or nothing. Still there are good reasons why he should be remembered with honor among the most distin guished of our early inhabitants. The family name in the days of his father, was pronounced with the middle letter joined to the first syllable, giving the u its short sound, as if written Rutter ; but when Martin had become a man of distinction he is understood to have been styled the Rev. Dr. Ru-ter, thus giving the u its long sound, and joining the t to the last syllable. The writer of this article was accustomed, in early life, to hear the name pronounced only in the way first mentioned. But call it which way you will, Martin was an admirable man. Do you ask in what way was he related to Bradford ? According to information which I consider reliable, he was born in Sutton, Mass., in April, 1785, and in 1793, at the age of eight years, came with his parents to reside in Bradford. His father, Job Ruter, was an honest, hard working man, by occupation a blacksmith. He for a while resided in the South-east corner of the town, on a farm now owned by Elijah Smalley ; but subsequently re moved to the Western border of the town, and when I first knew him and his family he was there living, on the old South road, the last house in this town, next to Cor inth. My father had a grist-mill and saw-mill about a mile further on, in the Eastern border of Corinth. And the first religious meeting that I have any recollection of ever attending was at the house of this Mr. Ruter, and the preacher, I am pretty sure, was called " Brother Wil- liston," one of the first Methodist ministers who had preached in that neighborhood. Job Ruter and wife had been members of a Baptist church, but they had then be come very devoted Methodists, and opened their humble 167 dwelling to the cordial reception of the itinerant preach ers, and to the holding of religious meetings. Within a few years after this, the Ruter family removed to Corinth, and lived about one mile West of my father s place, and within the same school district : so that Martin, though some six years my senior, attended for a while the same schools with myself. T remember him and his brothers, John and Absalom, and sister Pallas, quite well. He was a youth full of life and agility, of tine personal appearance, very pleasant in his manners, and quite ambitious to be esteemed, as he was ? a good scholar. There were in those days many religious meetings held at his father s house, much interest was awakened, and numbers hope fully converted, among whom was this interesting young man. In the Summer of 1799, in the fifteenth year of his age, he was divinely moved to consecrate himself to the service of the blessed Redeemer, and from the first his desire was to become a faithful preacher of the Gospel. He at once engaged in religious exercises, praying, exhort ing, and striving to do good to all, as he had opportunity. His store of learning at that time was very small ; but his desire and ability to improve, his natural gift for public- speaking, his amiable character, and zeal in the good cause, were all so manifest that his Christian friends, and especially the ministers of his denomination who knew him, encouraged him to press on. It was arranged that, voung as he was, he should directly enter into the pre paratory work, by traveling as a student and assistant with one or more of the circuit preachers, and so continue un til prepared to take a more prominent position. He might then have been about seventeen or eighteen years of age. It was not long before he became as wise, or wiser, than his teachers, and had a charge of his own assigned him. One of his first locations was the city of Montreal, which afforded him a fine opportunity to make himself well ac quainted with the French language. On his return to 168 New England he went on, not only preaching, but avail ing himself of all opportunities and means of acquiring useful knowledge. In the course of a few years he went to Ohio, and by that time he had become so much of a linguist that in 1824 he published at Cincinnati a Hebrew Grammar, " compiled for the use and encouragement of learners, adapted to such as have not the aid of a teach er," arid dedicated to the Methodist Episcopal Church. In the introduction to this work he earnestly recommends to their preachers to make themselves acquainted with, not only the Greek of the New Testament, but especially with the Hebrew of the Old. " Every argument for the Greek original," he says, " cannot fail to apply forcibly in favor of the Hebrew also ; a language possessing a higher claim to antiquity than any other, arid so remarkable for its simplicity and excellence that no translation can do it justice." While writing this I have that little work on my table before me, which, if not very complete, is cer tainly very creditable to its author, considering the many and great disadvantages through which he had to make his way, in the acquisition of useful learning. From what college this distinguished minister and scholar received his Doctorate we are not informed ; but we are gratified to be able to say that his talents, attain ments, and excellent character were highly appreciated, not only by his own denomination, but by the public gen erally. In the report of the Vermont Methodist State Convention for 1870, it is noted that Rev. Dr. Martin Ru- ter was President of Augusta College, Kentucky, and of Alleghaiiy College, Pennsylvania, and that, having re signed this last position, he went as a missionary to Texas, where he died May 16, 1838. Thus ended a life of use ful, honorable, and extensive public labors, commenced here among ourselves. This brief memorial of one of our own Bradford boys, \vht) through life pursued a course so highly comrnenda- 169 ble, I have inserted here, with earnest desire and hope that other boys and young men might be incited to emulate his excellent example. 0, what a contrast between such a youth as he and the boy who has no decided love for useful learning ; no re spect for good morals or manners ; no fear of God, or care to secure His favor ; but who indulges in idleness, and rudeness, and pilfering, it may be ; in profane and vile expressions, sitting in the seat of the scornful ; besotting himself with the drunkard s drink ; or by the filthy prac tice of tobacco chewing and smoking, making himself, even in the days of his youth, a weak arid worthless stinkard ! Away ! away ! with all such vile practices. Determine to make the best possible use of your time and talents, and to set an example alike honorable to yourselves, and beneficial to others. If placed in humble and trying cir cumstances, be not disheartened. Like young Martin Ru- ter, early dedicate yourself to the service of the King of kings and Lord of lords : make it your persevering en deavor to accumulate useful knowledge, and do good to the extent of your ability ; then through the Divine bless ing, your course through life will be honorable and useful, like his ; and its termination in celestial blessedness most sure. FIFIELD BOY LOST AND FOUND. For several years there lived in the wilderness South of Wait s River, in the Western border of this town, a poor, hard-working man by the name of Daniel Fifield, with his family. On one Saturday of April, 1800, An drew Fifield, a little son belonging to this family, strayed away, and when night came, to the great consternation of his parents, was not to be found. He was at the time but thinly clad, having on only his little tow shirt, or frock, as it might perhaps better be called. Great fears were 12 170 entertained that he might perish, by the chilliness of the night, by falling into the river, or by ravenous beasts of prey. But all the efforts of the family, and of the few friends whom they could that night call to their aid, to find him, were unavailing. The next day, being the Sab bath, there was a general gathering of the people within a compass of several miles, anxiously engaged in the search. It was taken for granted that the lost boy must be on the South side of the river ; but by the most dilligent search he could nowhere in that section of the forest be found. He could not have waded through the rapid stream. Was it possible that he had passed over on a fallen tree which in one place was discovered lying across ? An extensive and thorough search was made through the desert on the North side of the river, the side opposite to Fifieid s residence. The day was becoming lar spent ; the hearts of the people were sinking in discouragement ; when, by some one, the little fellow was discovered among the bushes and rocks, alive and unharmed. Then the joy ful cry, Found ! Found ! All s well ! resounded through the wilderness, filling the hearts of the multitude, and especially of the distressed parents, with gladness and gratitude the most exquisite. The boy was found near the Western boundary "of /Bradford, not far from where Mr. John Sanborn and fami ly have now, 1873, long lived. He had strayed perhaps some mile and a half or two miles from his home. I was myself a boy then, but remember seeing a host of people passing by our family residence, on the Eastern border of Corinth, as they were returning from the search, and one man proudly bearing the little Andrew in his arms, or on his shoulder, not only in kindness to him, but in demon stration of their joyful success. They came around that way to pass over the bridge near my father s mills, and to return the boy to his home on the South side of the 171 river, a mile or two below. My impression is, that the weather was then comfortably warm, and the ground dry, though I have been told, by one who might well be sup posed to know, that it was in_the month of April, proba bly near its close. 1 refer to the late Nicholas W. Ayer. I have been informed by another worthy man, Daniel Martin, Esq., now deceased, that during the search one of the young fellows engaged in it, Benjamin Hinkson, picked up a stray lamb, which had fallen into the river, and was vainly struggling to get out, and gave the same to the boy for his own, in memory of the momentous occa sion. This lamb Andrew very fondly cared for, and highly prized, until grown up ; when, like himself, it strayed into the woods and met with a worse fate, being killed and devoured by an ugly bear ! This version of the story of the lost boy differs in va rious respects from that given of the same affair in the History of the Coos Country ; but is as correct as I have been able to give from my own recollection, and from in formation gathered from aged people, then young, and personally acquainted with the Pitields, and with the va rious and exciting transactions involved in the loss and restoration of their son. 172 CHAPTER IX. Doctor Bildad Andross Colonel John Barron General Micah Barren Captain William Trotter and their Families. THE ANDROSS FAMILY. Dr. Bildad Andross, one of the earliest practicing phy sicians in this place, was here as early as 1777, when, May 29th, the town voted to send him and Benjamin Baldwin to Windsor, to take measures for the organiza tion of a new State. His wife, Mary S., was an aunt of Dr. Arad Stebbins, who succeeded Andross in medical practice here. Dr. Andross and wife were members of the Congrega tional church, under the pastoral care of Rev. Gardner Kellogg, and held in high estimation. Their residence was on the Lower Plain, North of the road which now leads to Pierinont bridge, and near Connecticut River. They had four daughters and two sons, namely : 1. Naomi Andross, who married Edward Sawyer, of Piermont, N. H. Joseph Sawyer, Esq., a man of honor able distinction in that place, was one of their sons. 2. Lucy Andross married Colonel Webb, of Lunenburg, Vt., and settled there. 3. Cynthia Andross married Thomas Richards, of Pier mont, N. H. 4. Mary Andross married Seth Ford, also of Piermont. They removed to Fairfax, Vt., where he died in the course of a few years, when she returned, with her children, to Bradford, and passed the remainder of her days. She died March 15, 1813, of" spotted fever," a malignant dis ease fearfully prevalent and mortal in this town at that time. During the same month in which she died, and within a few days of each other, the following named per sons, near relatives to her, were swept away : Mrs. Abi- 173 gail Cheney, daughter of Colonel John Barron, died March the 9th, and her husband March the 10th, and were both buried in the same grave. Mrs. Ford, as has been said, on the 1 5th, a child of hers on the same day ; also, Colonel John Barron, and his son-in-law, Captain John Andross, within a few hours of each other. For the four last named there was one and the same funeral service, at the time of their burial. 5. Levi Stebbins Andross, eldest son of the Doctor, married Prudence SpafFord, of Fairfax, Vt. They remained in Bradford, and had three daughters and two sons, name- ly: Prudence S., their eldest daughter, married Clement Chase, of Cornish, N. H., a relative of Chief Justice Chase. They had one son and one daughter. Naomi, the next daughter, married William Barker, of Bradford, a harness -maker, and had three sons and one daughter. And Mary Andross married David Tilton, also of this town. Bradstreet Andross, son of Levi S., remained in Brad ford, and married Mary Kimball, of the same place. In his early manhood he was for several years, in the sum mer seasons, occupied in rafting lumber down the Con- necticut River. One day, towards evening, the company, having made fast their raft of lumber to the shore at Greenfield, Mass., had just left it to go to their accustomed house of entertainment for the night, when they heard a heavy splash in the water. " What is that ? " says one ; but all kept along. " I will see," says Andross ; and, run ning quickly back to the raft, he saw a boy helplessly sinking in the deep water. He instantly plunged in after him, arid, being a strong swimmer, seized him as he rose and rescued him from death. The parents of the boy and himself were deeply affected by this noble deed, and dur ing life never ceased to remember it with fervent grati- 174 tude. That boy, now a gentleman resident in New York, has repeatedly visited the family of Mr. Andross, even since his decease, in grateful remembrance of his saving him when in such peril ; arid on one of those occasions presented to Mrs. Andross a splendid goblet, of solid sil ver, lined with gold, bearing the inscription, " A tribute of gratitude from John Munn, rescued from drowning by Bradstreet Andross, A. D. 1816." Mr. B. Andross and wife had a family of five sons and three daughters, all natives of Bradford, namely : 1. Stebbins Andross, born October 1, 1813 ; married Keziah Libbey, of Maine. They had three sons, Leonard, Charles and William; and two daughters. Adaline, a very estimable and capable young lady, perished in the flames at the burning of Charlestown depot, near Boston, being unable to escape from an upper room where she had an office as book-keeper. Her sister Ellen married Rev. Mr. LeBarron, a Methodist minister, and went with him into the State of New York. Mr. B. Andross for several years had charge of the Railroad depot at Brad ford, but finally removed to New York. 2. Harriet K. Andross, born September 24, 1816; married John K. Horner, of Fairlee, and had two daugh ters, one of whom, Mary Helen, married Edgar Rowell, of Bradford. Her sister Harriet has long been a member of the family of Esq. Preston, of Bradford. The parents have both deceased. 3. Charles L. Andross, born August 4, 1818, married Harriet Clark, daughter of Samuel Clark, formerly of this town. He lost an arm by the accidental discharge of a cannon, while celebrating the 4th of July. 4. Mary S., born September 14, 1820 ; died at the age of twenty-two. 5. Dudley K. Andross, born September 12, 1823, gen erally styled Colonel Andross, having passed through many perils, is still at this writing a well-known resident 175 of Bradford. With permission, the following incidents of his life are given : He was the first man from this town to visit California, where he labored for two. years, in the gold mines, " with pretty good success." When, in April, 1861, our company of Bradford Guards volunteered for three months into the service of our Gov ernment, for the suppression of the Rebellion, D. K. An- dross was their chosen Captain. They were stationed for a short while at Newport News, Va., and took part in the battle of Big Bethel, June the 10th, in which the Union force was repulsed. At the expiration of their term of service this company were honorably discharged. Captain Andross enlisted again, this time into the 9th Vermont Regiment, under command of Colonel Stannard, in which he was raised to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. This regiment was stationed for a time at Washington ; then sent to Winchester, Va., and were occupied in build ing fortifications in the Shenandoah Valley, till ordered to fall back on Harper s Ferry, where they were engaged in the unfortunate battle of September 15, 1862, in which the Union forces were overpowered, and 11,500 men were taken prisoners. These prisoners were sent first to An napolis, Md., but finally, on parole, to Chicago, where, by Federal authority, they were set to guard 3,500 Rebel prisoners waiting there, like themselves, for an amicable exchange. While thus occupied at Chicago, our friend Andross was for his- soldierly conduct honored with the commission of Colonel, and so continued during his ser vice in the war. In April, 1863, he and his fellow prison ers were duly exchanged, and permitted to engage anew in active warfare ; when he was ordered again into Vir ginia, to exchange the Rebel prisoners then under his charge, which was, after considerable delay, effected, at City Point, below Richmond. At Suffolk, Va., Colonel Andross and his soldiers were besieged for twenty-three days, but were able to make 176 good their defence. After a patriotic and honorable ser vice, this time of about two years, he resigned and re turned home ; since which he has taken interest in town affairs, and served as one of the selectmen during the years 1867-8-9. 6. E. Porter Andross. a brother of the Colonel, born December 25, 1825, married Sarah Whitcomb. They re side in Piermont, N. H. Have several sons and daugh ters. Two of the sons have gone to California. Mr. E. P. Andross served in the 15th New Hampshire Regiment, for nine months of the late war, and was in the battle of Port Hudson. 7. Helen L. died in her infancy. 8. Moses C. Andross, the youngest member of this family, born January 26, 1836, went to California, and was for some time engaged there in the business of min ing. Being a man of ability, moral integrity, and in fluence, he has been much occupied in public affairs, hav ing served as United States Assistant Assessor in that State for six years, and as Senator in the State Legisla ture for four years. He married there a worthy Scotch lady, and has two sons. Mr. Bradstreet Andross died at Bradford, Nov. 27, 1838, in his fifty-fourth year. Mr. Bildad Andross, a brother of Bradstreet, and son of Levi S., married Lettice Glover, of Topsham, and set tled in Bradford. While turning over a large flat-bot tomed boat which he, with others, was building, it fell on him and killed him. He and his wife had a family of six sons and five daughters, of whom only five at this date (1874) are known to be living. William Glover Andross, the eldest son, by occupation a farmer, still remains in Bradford, with his good wife, whose maiden name was Salome Baker, in their nice brick cottage, pleasantly situated. Fond of reading, as well as of work, he has long been occupied in seeking from his 177 books and from his fields the appropriate fruits of both intellectual and manuel diligence a commendable course for any farmer or other laboring man to pursue, provided the one thing needful be -not neglected. The eldest sister, Martha, a pious maiden lady, has her home with this brother and his wife. Elbridge F. Andross, unmarried, also resides in Brad ford. Prudence married Jason Horner, and is settled in Fair- lee. George married Nancy Kennedy, and lives in Wiscon sin. Two sons died in childhood. Oramel died a young man. Susan died unmarried. Mary married a Mr. Scofield, of Rhode Island, and died there. She died leaving three sons. Caroline married Thomas Ladd, of Corinth, and there died, in 1873. Captain John Andross, the second son of Dr. Bildad Andross, first married Mary Russell, of Piermont. . They had one son, John. After the early decease of his first wife, Captain Andross married Rebecca, daughter of Col. John Barren, he being thirty and she fifteen years of age at the time of their marriage. Their home was on the Lower Plain. They had six sons and two daughters, namely : John Barron and DeForrest, who died young. 3. Thomas Russell, of whom more presently. 4. William, who married Susan Child, of Derby, sister of Daniel Child, Esq., the husband of Lydia Maria Child, the well-known authoress. 5. Mills married Eliza Peabody, a cousin of George Peabody, so distinguished for financial success and great liberality. He went to New Orleans, got involved in the troubles of Mexico, under the ^dominion of Santa Anna, 178 was taken prisoner, and with twenty-nine others was massacred there, far from home and friendsi His widow married Noah Newell, of this town. They removed to Janesville, Wisconsin, where they, reside, in pleasant cir cumstances, blessed with a highly respectable family. 6. Noble Andross, having done good service for his country in the late war, returned again to this his native place. 7. Mehitable, a worthy young woman, died unmar ried. 8. Mary R. married Mills O. Barber, then of Lowell, Mass., October 16, 1832, by occupation a harness maker, who has for more than forty years been a much respected citizen of Bradford, and has for several years officiate d as a Justice of the Peace. Mr. and Mrs. Barber have been for more than thirty years highly esteemed members of the Methodist Episcopal church in this place. They have had a family of two sons arid four daughters, of whom Mary B. and Charles Henry died in childhood, and Mills DeForrest at the age of nineteen years. Ellen Rebecca married Daniel W. Watson, of Boston ; Mary S. has re mained with her parents ; and Martha Jane married M. Schuyler Smith, of Hartford, Vt. 3. Captain Russell Andross, above named, married Martha Case, of Piermont, N. H. He had a good farm and pleasant home in Bradford, in the neighborhood where his parents had lived before him. Captain R. Andross and wife were worthy members of the Methodist Episco pal church, and citizens of good intluerice. Their family of three daughters and two sons having grown up and gone away to new homes, the parents disposed of their place in Bradford, and removed to Lawrence, Mass., where (in 1874) they are pleasantly settled. Of their children let the following brief notices suffice : The eldest daughter, Martha Jane, married D. W. C. Farrington. They have one son, Willis, now a. young 179 man ; and a very eligible home in Lowell, Mass. Mr. F. was for some time with General Butler at New Orleans, during the late war, in the capacity of auctioneer. Since his return he has become the first successful manufactur er of Bunting in this country, and has invented a pro cess, by which the stars and stripes of the American flag are produced in a single piece, without seams, being in wrought. He has now the pleasure of seeing his flags made in Lowell waving over our National Capitol, instead of those made in England, as was the case until recently. Sarah M. Andross married John H. Richards, a son of Rev. John Richards. He having been successful in busi ness, built a nice brick house directly opposite to the residence of her parents, in Bradford, where he for some time lived, but finally sold it to John B. Peckett, Esq., and removed to Lawrence, Mass. They have one son, Wm. R. Richards. Mary Andross married F. H. Marshall. They have three children. George R. Andross married Emeline Taplin, of Corinth Vt. He has a nice residence in this village ; is engaged in the mercantile business, and Mrs. Andross keeps a mil liner s establishment. John Barren, the youngest member of this family, has his residence in Boston, and his business in connection with a mercantile house there. Captain John Andross, the grandfather of these child ren of Captain T. R. Andross, died, as has already been said, in March, 1813. His widow, Rebecca (Barron) An dross, united with the Congregational church here in 1817, and lived thenceforth in accordance with her pro fession. In 1820 she was married with Amos Fisk, a worthy man, of Middlesex, Vt., who came and made his home with her, here. On the 22d of March, 1847, at the age of seventy, she came to the close of her useful course on earth, and peacefully passed away, by Divine grace 180 beautifully sustained and comforted. May her children emulate her virtues, and in due time meet her, as she hoped they would, where all are holy and happy. COLONEL JOHN BARRON AND FAMILY. Colonel John Barren, a native of Grafton, Mass., emi grated to Lyme, N. H., in the early settlement of that town. His first wile was Abigail Derb}^ of Orford, who died at Lyme, leaving an infant daughter. He married for his second wife Mehi table Rogers, of Haverhill, a sis ter of the wife of General Absalom Peters ; by whom he had a son and daughter who died in infancy, and five daughters who lived to have families of their own. Hav ing purchased at a very cheap rate a valuable tract of land in this town, he came and settled on the same, but at what time I have not ascertained. His purchase was in the South-east corner of the township, embracing the beautiful meadow in the bow of the Connecticut River, at that place ; also the adjacent island, and land West, extending far back among the hills. He was living on the meadow at the time our National Independence was -declared. He subsequently came up to the main road, if road it could then be called, and lived in a log house on the East side of the same, near the high bank of the river, on what is now called the Waterman place. Prospering in busi ness, in the course of a few years he built a house to be occupied as a tavern, on the opposite or West side of the road, where he lived and prosecuted the business of an inn-keeper for a long while. The house was two stories in front, one story back, and painted yellow. It has since been removed, and still stands (1868) in the near neighborhood, a little South of its old location, on the other side of the highway. For some years the Barron family, in common with their few neighbors, were much annoyed by fear of the Indi- 181 ans and Tories. At times they had to hide, as well as they could, not only their valuables; but themselves. Mrs. Barron, for safety, used to conceal her pewter dishes in some sly place in the sand bank of the river close by. Col. John, as he was afterward called, was then Captain of a scout, under command of General Bailey, of Newbury. An alarm on a certain occasion being given that the Indians and Tories were coming, he rallied his men, only six in number, and went forth, with others from the vicinity, as far as Wil- dersburg, now Barre, to meet the enemy ; and lay there in ambuscade, waiting for them for three days ; but they did not come. It was said Jacob Fowler, a hunter, gave them warning, so that instead of pursuing their object to burn Newbury, thev turned further North, and burned Lancas ter, N. H. On this or a similar occasion, a Mr. Young, of Pier- rnont, came and informed Mrs. Barron that the Indians were lurking around and she had better be on her guard. She advised him to go directly home, get his gun, and join the scout. This he seemed quite reluctant to do, when the heroic woman said, with decision, " Well, Mr. Young, bring your gun to me, and stay and take care of my children, and I will join the scout." Mrs. Whitelaw, a daughter of Colonel Barron, in addi tion to the above, related to me the following anecdotes. She said the first school she ever attended was in her father s barn, and taught by Mary Rogers, who subse quently married General Absalom Peters ; and that dur ing school hours one day an unruly heifer broke into the barn floor, among the scholars ; when their mistress, with great energy, seized the little ones and threw them over into the bay, so that no great harm was done. Her father, Mrs. Whitelaw said, had the first chaise ever owned in this place, and when she was seventeen years of age, which was in 1798, she used to ride in it to a little school which she was teaching in a corner of a 182 house which Deacon Hardy subsequent!} 7 long occupied, at the North end of Bradford village. That house, with a large addition to it, is still standing. She further said that she was the first female who rode in a chaise from Newbury Street to Ryegate ; that she was then in com pany with Mr. afterwards Judge Noble, of Tinmouth, and that their carriage attracted as much attention as would an elephant passing along. Mrs. Whitelaw informed me that her father innuenced- the Vermont Legislature to pass an act that the " Squat ters," as the first settlers on the Hazeri land, a tract ex tending through the West part of this town, were called, should be quieted in their possession, by paying to the proprietors two shillings on each acre that they claimed. But the proprietor, disliking the low price, refused to re ceive anything short of hard money in payment ; which he knew the poor people had not, and supposed they could not obtain. They applied in their trouble to Colonel Bar- ron, offering him one half of their land if he would save for them the remainder. Certain men who were expected to share with Barron in this speculation, in almost the last extremity failed him ; designing, as he suspected, to get the entire profit to themselves. This roused him to make a strenuous effort. He went to Colonel Freeman, of Hanover, N. H., and obtained from him letters of rec ommendation to men of means in Portsmouth ; and by riding day and night, he succeeded in getting back with his specie in season to accomplish his object. She said she remembered well that her father s saddle bags were so heavy with hard money that, though a grown girl, she could not lift them from the floor ; and that her father gave Colonel Freeman a lot of land for his kindness in the affair. This lot is understood to be the one on which Deacon Colby afterwards long lived. Another incident worthy of remembrance, is that while Colonel Barron was, on a certain occasion, returning, in 183 company with other soldiers across this State, during the Revolutionary war, one of the men, an Esquire Button, of Chelmsford, Mass., fell dangerously sick. There was no prospect that he would ever be able to go any further. Barron, moved with compassion, remained with him, act ing the part of a faithful friend, while the rest of their company went on. When the invalid had so far recover ed that he could with safety be left in the family of a well disposed farmer, his friend came away. The gentle man recovered ; and through life felt and expressed the deepest sensation of gratitude and friendship towards the benefactor who had been so kind to him in a time of peculiar distress. He remembered even the place, which was Cavendish, with so deep an interest that he pur chased there a farm, and made it his residence during the remnant of his days. When this town was first settled, there was a heavy growth of pine trees in the eastern part of it, and espe cially on what is now called the Lower Plain. Many of them grew on the tract of land owned by Col. Barron ; and I have been informed by some of the aged people that, after the close of the Revolutionary war, he and Gen. Morey entered into a contract with three French men, to deliver to them in the Connecticut river, oppo site to Barren s house, one hundred masts, with, no doubt, a due proportion of smaller timber for yards and booms, for the royal navy of France, to be floated down the river to Middletown, where they were to be put on board of ships, and transported to that country. Pine trees were then plenty and money scarce. Sticks of timber sixty feet long were estimated by their average diameter at the rate of twenty-five cents an inch. According to this rule a mast sixty feet long and thirty inches in diameter would come to but seven dollars and a half. One giant mast, one hundred and sixteen feet long and forty inches in diameter, was thus delivered. This huge pine trunk 184 at the above rate would be estimated at not quite twenty dollars. Surely the price of lumber has greatly changed since that day. These great trunks of trees were brought by numer ous men and strong teams to the high bank of the river near Barren s residence, and on set occasions, of which due notice was given, there would be a great gathering, not only of men, but ot women and children, to witness the log rolling. To see these heavy logs roll rapidly down the steep declivity and dash into the river throw ing it into a violent agitation, was riot a little exciting. But as times of high glee are apt to end in some disaster, so was it in this case with one of the lively French con tractors, who on returning home is said to have been hanged on the yard arm of his vessel, for some attempt to defraud the government, of which lie had been found guilty. Col. John Barron took a very active part in procuring a charter of the town of Bradford, and for four years rep resented it in the State Legislature. He was also a dele gate with Esquire Chamberlin to the Convention held at Bennington in December, 1790, to deliberate on the adoption of the proposed Constitution of the United States. He took a lively interest-in promoting the pros- perit^y of this town, and was generally regarded as a man of energy and influence. The Council, gathered from churches near and remote, for the ordination of the Rev. Gardner Kellogg, was convened and accommodated Sept. 1st and 2d, 1795, at his house. Col. Barron died at Bradford on the 14th of March, 1813, in the 69th year of his age. "Spotted Fever" was fearfully prevailing, and on the occasion of his funeral three other corpses were carried into the meeting-house with his. One was that of Capt. John Andross, who was a son-in-law of Barron, another the corpse of Mrs. Ford, a sister of Capt. Andross, the third a child of a Mr. Hoyt. 185 The sermon on this peculiarly sad occasion was preach ed by the Rsv. David Sutherland, of Bath, N. H. With regard to the family of Col. Barren, I would fur ther say that his wife, Mehitable Rogers, died Oct. 30, 1803, aged 49 years; and his daughters married respect able msn, as follows: Abigail married Eiias Cheeney. She died March 9, 1813, and he the next day, and both were buried at the same time in one grave. Rebecca married Capt. John Andross, and after his decease Amos Fisk; Mehitable married Robert Whitelaw, Esq., of Rye- gate; Mary, Timothy Farrar, of Lebanon, N. H. ; Relief, William Nilss, Esq., of West Fairlee ; and Hannah, Dr. Jacob Goodwin, of Colebrook, N. H. GENERAL MICAH BARRON AND FAMILY. Micah Barron was born in Tyngsborough, Mass., March 26, 1763. He was a nephew of Colonel John Barron, who was an early and distinguished inhabitant of this town, and was probably induced to come this way on his uncle s account. His wife s maiden name was Elizabeth Pearson, a discreet, good, and very estimable woman. They came here with a view to permanent settlement February 2, 1788. He had, for two years before, been engaged in lumbering on the Connecticut River, a business which he followed for some time after. Pine trees, all along on the banks of this river, in the Coos country and northward, were then large and abundant, and it was with the early settlers a great business to get their trunks into the river, to be floated down and sold for ship timber, or to be con verted into boards and shingles for building houses. The business of building flat-bottomed boats for the convey ance of prepared lumber to market, and to bring up salt, rum, molasses, iron, and other heavy articles of merchan dise in return, was early undertaken and continued for many years. To descend the river was comparatively 13 186 easy, but to return, forcing the boat along against the current with oars and pike-poles, was hard work. To go in this way from Bradford to Hartford, Conn., a distance, by the river, of some two hundred miles, was a labor of some four or five weeks. But " Colonel Mike," as he was afterwards familiarly called, was a man of too much spirit and ambition to wear out his life in such dull and labori ous navigation. Writing the above paragraph vividly recalls to mind an anecdote once related to me by Mr. Moody Clark, which I think deserving of a place in this connection. He said as he and a Mr. Kennedy were once going down the river on a boat or raft, I forget which, they fell into a discus sion of the difficult subject of predestination and free agency. The latter maintained that since the Almighty had pre-determined all things, no effort of man to secure any good, either in this life or that to come, can be of any real advantage ; that those who are to be saved will be, and those who are to be lost will be lost, let them do what they may. Admitting the fact of predestination, Clark was not willing to allow the necessity or justice of the above conclusion, but insisted that in the divine plan means and ends were as closely united as if all depended on man s free will and efforts. While thus arguing, as thousands have done before and since, they were driven to a very logical and just conclusion, as follows : K. " Well, we are coming near the falls." Clark pays no attention. K. " I say we are coming near the falls, and must pull hard to get into the canal." Clark, still apparently indifferent, replies, " If we are to be saved we shall be, and it is of no use to make any effort." K. " Why do you talk so like a fool ? Take up your oars, instantly, and pull hard, or we shall go over the falls as sure as fate 1 " 187 They both exerted themselves, brought their craft into the canal, and were let safely through the locks into the smooth water below. " That/ said Clark, " is the way. We were predestin ated to be saved, but you see we had to work hard to secure it, after all." We return from this digression. Micah Barron, leav ing the river, entered into mercantile business, and from an humble beginning carried it to a commanding extent. His first store was in Bradford village, a little North of the corner where you turn to the right to go up " Goshen road," on the eastern border of what is now Mr. Low s garden. The- side of the building next to the street was two stories high ; the West side was but one. The base ment and room directly above were for the store, and the remainder of the building for the accommodation of the family. He afterwards built the large and commodious house, a little further North, which has long been the res idence of Asa Low and family ; and so extended his busi ness that at one time he had not only a store in this vil lage, but one on the line between Bradford and Newbury, near the present site of Goshen meeting house, one in East Topsham, and one in East Corinth. The result seems not to have been very favorable, and in the decline of life his circumstances were rather straitened. Our friend was of a military turn, and rose from the rank of a subaltern to that of Colonel of a regiment, and then to that of Brigadier General. At general musters he was in his glory. In his rich uniform, mounted on his splendid horse, and full of animation, he presented a truly commanding appearance. He never had occasion, how ever, to engage in actual warfare. For twenty-three years Colonel Barron executed the office of a Sheriff in Orange County, the last four years of which he was High Sheriff. At that time, especially in the earlier part of his official career, there was much to 188 be done by that officer, not merely in the collection of debts, but in criminal prosecutions, and the punishment of offenders. Then disturbers of the peace were liable to be set in the stocks, a sort of frame to confine the feet between two pieces of timber ; and thieves, counterfeit ers, and such like characters, to be tied up to a whipping post, and receive a certain number of lashes laid on the bare shoulders with a cat-o -nine tails, " an instrument of punishment," says Webster, " consisting of nine pieces of line or cord, fastened to a piece of thick rope, and having each three knots at intervals ; used to flog offenders on board of ships." In some instances criminals were brand ed with some ignominious mark on the cheek, as with an R for rogue, or L for liar, or had the rim of an ear cut away. Even in this town were a set of stocks and a whipping-post. They stood on the East side of Main Street, near where you turn to go down to the paper mill. These punishments were more generally inflicted at Chelsea, near the jail, but even here Sheriff Barron occasionally exercised his authority by laying the lashes on the back of some luckless culprit tied to the whipping post. The names of two or three of these transgressors have been given me, but why should they be perpetuated with dishonor? It is a matter of rejoicing that such bar barous corporeal punishments are no longer in use among us. As " Colonel Mike " had become famous for arresting desperate offenders and bringing them to justice, he was, about the year 1800, induced to undertake the hazardous enterprise of going into Canada to arrest the notorious counterfeiter, Stephen Burroughs. This man, a son of Rev. Eden Burroughs, S. T. D., of Hanover, N. TL, pos sessed good talents and education, was kind, courteous and gentlemanly in his appearance and manners, but was destitute of moral principle, and a most shrewd and ac- complishecl villain not in the way of deeds of violence 189 and blood, but in diverting tricks of deception, in cheat ing, and especially in the business of manufacturing and issuing counterfeit currency, both in the shape of coin and bank bills. He had established himself at Shipton, in Lower Canada, and was deluging New England with his finely executed bank notes, greatly to the annoyance and damage of the community, and especially of the banks. In consequence of this, the officers of several of these es tablishments entered into an agreement to bear the ex pense of a strenuous effort to have the great counterfeiter arrested, and a stop put to his business. Looking about for a man of the right stamp to accomplish such an un dertaking, they could see no one so likely to answer their purpose as Sheriff Barron. They accordingly engaged him to make the attempt. The thing was not to be done in a day. He engaged two shrewd men, in whom he had confidence, to go to Burroughs with pretense of favor towards him and his business, and a desire to purchase and deal in his counterfeit currency. As they proved to be constant and profitable customers, they were gradual ly admitted into all the secrets of the establishment, knew everybody, how everything was transacted, where Bur-* roughs slept, at what time in the morning his guard of fifteen men were released from their night watching, where they placed their guns, and retired for repose. In the meantime Barron, furnished with all necessary testimonials, had been holding interviews with the Gov ernor General of the Canadas, and obtained from him a warrant for the arrest of the criminal j a commission ex traordinary, commanding His Majesty s subjects, especial ly all officers of the government, both civil and military, to give him support, protection and assistance to any ex tent he might require, in order to arrest and bring to trial the said Burroughs. Without having excited any alarm, Barron was one night, with twenty-two armed men, in the town of Shipton. He had received full in- 190 formation of everything from his spies. They were prob ably at that time with him. In the darkness of night he drew his company near to the house of Burroughs, and lay concealed till, in the dawn of the morning, his guard of fifteen men went in, set up their guns, as their custom was, in the hall, and retired into the attic for sleep. Then Barren with his company softly entered, and, having se cured the guns the guard had just before set down, he directly entered the sleeping apartment of Burroughs and seized him in his bed ! Burroughs snatched a pistol from under his pillow to shoot him, and called loudly for his guard, but the pistol was instantly struck from his hand, and the guard, hearing many voices and, much con fusion below, leaped, terror-stricken, from their attic window and fled away. Burroughs was overpowered and firmly bound with cords. When, in the clearer light of the morning, he saw in whose hands he was, for he had before known Sheriff Barrbm, he complimented his cour age, and, promising submission, entreated him to unbind his arms, as the cords had become very painful. " Colonel Mike," he says, " you are a gentleman, and so am I ; un bind my arms, and I give you my word of honor that I will be entirely subject to your orders." Barron trusted him, but came near losing his life by so doing, for shortly after, when standing at a little distance from his prisoner, and looking another way, Burroughs was seen stealthily pointing a pistol at him, when a sharp click was heard, but no report followed. It had missed fire! Barron, being told of his attempt, took the pistol from him, de manding what he meant by such conduct. The villain replied, " I meant to shoot you." The sheriff, pointing the same pistol to a green birch tree, fired it, when a bul let was discharged with such force as to sink deeply into the solid wood. The prisoner then being thoroughly searched, was subjected to the closest vigilance, assured that if he made any further attempt of that sort he would 191 be instantly shot down. He remained quiet, was taken to Montreal, and delivered to the authority of the Gov ernor for trial. Barren, both in Montreal and at home, was regarded as a hero, who had accomplished success fully a very hazardous undertaking. Burroughs, how ever, as is generally the case with accomplished villains, had many friends, and through their management, after a confinement of some duration, escaped through the mesh es of the law with impunity, and returned to his old busi ness of counterfeiting. I have been told that Barron was sent a second time to arrest him, when, coming suddenly upon him, Burroughs at once thrust his hand into his bosom to seize a deadly weapon, when Barron cried out, adapting his action to his word, " If you stir you are a dead man !" Burroughs, looking up into his determined countenance, replied, "Colonel Mike, I had as lief see the devil as see you," and without resistance submitted. He was again impris oned, but contrived to escape. In his old age he became a Roman Catholic, and is said to have been in the habit of giving good advice to young man, telling them not to do as he had dons, for he had found the way of the trans gressor to be hard. General Barron was in person rather a large man, erect and strongly built, his countenance open, and expressive at once of boldness and good nature. On one cheek was a singular spot, large as the print of ons s finger, and bright as a ripe English cherry. He wore his hair combed directly back from his forehead, and did not need a shaggy beard to give evidence in any company that he was a MAN. Hs possessed a good share of general intelli gence, and was in conversation social and interesting. After the close of active business he lived for some time in Boston, but spent his last days in Bradford, where he died November 6, 1839, aged seventy-six years and eight months. 192 Mrs. Barron died at Bradford, March 10, 1832, aged seventy-two years. She was a member of the Congrega tional church, and universally esteemed as an excellent woman. General Barron and wife had but two children. Their daughter Elizabeth married David Hartwell, a respectable man, then in business with her father. She died early in life, leaving no child. The son, Colonel William Barron, a gen tleman well known in this town and vicinity, was in early manhood occupied in mercantile business with his father, and for some years traded at Corinth, East Village. He first married Miss, Bailey, a daughter of Isaac Bailey, Esq., of Newbury, and by her had two daughters. After her de cease he returned to Bradford, and was for some years devoted to the business of a sheriff, and gave so good sat isfaction that he was promoted to be High Sheriff of Or ange County. He had also a liking for military affairs, and was promoted to the rank of a Colonel. He was a wide awake, very affable and polite sort of a man, fond of society, and spent more than the first half of his life in the ways of the world ; to the neglect of one thing need ful. After the decease of Captain William Trotter, in 1822, he married his widow, a pious lady, who possessed a considerable estate, which he seems to have managed for her interest as well as his own, judiciously. In the time of a powerful revival of religion, about the beginning of the year 1837, he became hopefully converted, and, with many others, united with the Congregational church here, to which his wife had for years belonged. From that time till the close of his life, some thirty-six years after, he remained a praying man. After the lapse of several years Colonel Barron and wife sold their real estate in Bradford, and purchased a pleasant homestead in Nor wich, Yt., where they lived for some time, but finally settled in Hartford, Conn., where, in very agreeable cir cumstances, they passed their few remaining years, and, 193 sustained by the promises and consolations of the Gospel, died about the same time ; Colonel Barren October 25, 1873, in the eighty-sixth year of his age, and Mrs. Bar- ron on the 28th of the same month, aged eighty-three. The remains of both were brought for burial to Norwich, Vt., and there laid down together to their final repose, where their daughter Isabelle had been laid before them. By his first marriage Colonel Barron had two daughters, namely, Elizabeth, who married Joseph M._ Bean, then of Lyme, N. H., and Mary, who became the wife of Silas Burbank, a merchant in Montpelier, Vt., both of whom were left in widowhood before the decease of their par ents. By his second marriage he had two sons and two daughters. The eldest son, William Trotter, graduated at Vermont University, studied law, became settled in business at Chicago about the year 1852, rose to distinc tion, was promoted to be a County Judge, accumulated considerable property, and was esteemed a capable, up right, and honorable man ; but by a terrible railroad dis aster was, at about the age of thirty-eight years, suddenly killed ; his head being actually severed from his body, and his person otherwise shockingly mangled. He had never married, and is understood to have seasonably made his will in regard to the disposition of his property. This sad event occurred near Chicago, in January, 1862. Everett Barron, brother of the Judge, has for years been a hotel keeper at Fairbault, Minnesota. Remains unmarried. His sister Charlotte married a Mr. Rogers, of Massachusetts, was a talented, pious lady, and died in widowhood at Hartford, Conn., not long after the decease of her parents ; leaving an only son, Willie. Isabelle died at Norwich, Vt., years before. Thus families rise, flourish for a little season, and pass away. 194 CAPTAIN WILLIAM TROTTER. Captain William Trotter was born in Broughton, Lan cashire, England, June 29, 1769, but his subsequent home, during his residence in his native land, was in Working- ton, Cumberland County. From this port, in the vicinity of coal mines, great quantities of coal have for a long time been yearly shipped to Ireland and the Isle of Man. At the age of nine }^ears he was bound to a ship-master, engaged in this trade, to be learned the business of a mariner. His first employment was that of a cabin boy. Finding his master, as he thought, unreasonably severe, and the business disagreeable, he made complaint to his step-father, Matheson, and desired him, if possible, to procure his release and obtain for him a situation under some other captain, who would treat him better, but was silenced by the following laconic and singular reply : "Bill, it is better for thee to remain in the power of a devil whose ways thou knowest, than to fall into the hands of another whose ways thou dost not know." In this busi ness he continued for about ten years, when, at the age of nineteen, he emigrated to this country, seeking employ ment. He soon found favor with Clark & Nightingale, of Providence, R. I., who were engaged in foreign commerce. From the rank of a boatswain he rose in a few years to that of captain, and b"y his ability, activity, and faithful ness in their service gained the high esteem and full con fidence of his employers. He made some distant voy ages, in one of which he visited the Sandwich Islands, long before the light and manifold blessings of Christian ity were imparted to them, and many were the anecdotes which he could tell respecting the manners and customs of the people. By his kind treatment of them, and the respect which he paid to their king, Tomahamaha the 1st, he became a favorite with the people. A spear made of very hard, heavy wood, curiously wrought, presented to 195 him by that proud savage monarch may probably still be seen at the house of Col. Barren, of Hartford, Ct. His" principal business, however, was to carry articles of com merce from this country to Europe, to exchange for other articles better adapted to the South American markets, and sell them there at high prices, taking pay not merely in hides, and other commodities of lawful traffic, but as far as possible in gold and silver, which at that time the Spanish colonists were not allowed to dispose of to the citizens of any foreign country but their own. It is said the first United States flag ever seen in the harbor of Buenos Ayres was raised by Capt. Trotter. The trade in which he was there engaged was hazard ous, and. could be conducted only with great caution. On this account his employers allowed him a liberal per cent- age on all the profits accruing from his management of their business. While trading with the South Americans, he formed intimate friendships with some of the officials and merchants, who for their own interests were ready to aid him in the prosecution .of his purposes. At times they would invite him, with his wife and some of the officers, to private entertainments at their houses, and then he would invite them to dine on board of his ship. These seasons were faithfully improved in carrying specie on board in a clandestine manner, generally in belts beneath their clothes. On one occasion Mrs. Trotter had got her pocket so heavily laden that, as she was about to go on board, her pocket string broke, and she instantly fell, ap pearing to have fainted away, when the Captain, with some of his men, who understood the case, immediately gath ered her up, taking care to keep her skirts closely wrap ped about her, and carried her on board without exciting suspicion. Had hoops then been in fashion, they might have proved a sad annoyance. In this contraband trade the Captain was so successful that in the course of a few years he accumulated the means of a handsome support 196 during the remnant of his days. Mr. Clark remained dur ing life his fast friend ; and, many years after these trans actions, died at his house in Bradford. Capt. Trotter on leaving the sea purchased a beautiful situation in Attleborough, Mass., where he -resided a few years, when, travelling through this part of the country, he was much pleased with the valley of the Connecticut river, and purchased for himself a situation in Bradford village, with a large farm adjoining. When he settled down here, February 2, 1804, he was worth about forty thousand dollars, which was at that time esteemed by the people a great fortune. He built a commodious house in the central part of the village, Avhich has been much en larged, and for years occupied as a hotel, styled the "Trotter House." He also built and put in operation a cotton factory, just above the lowest bridge for ordinary travel across Waits river, on the south side of the stream, where the scythe-stone and kit factories now stand. This business proving unprofitable, was in the course of a few years abandoned. He also set up an extensive distillery for converting grain into whiskey, and prosecuted that business for several years. The long row of buildings for this purpose stood a little south of his house, on the bor der of the meadow at the foot of the hill. This under taking proved in various respe.cts worse than the other, and for a long time the old, deserted and decaying build ings stood as a warning to every beholder. The Captain for some time had a store on the west side of the street, a little north of where "Prichard s store" now stands, and afterwards traded on the opposite side. But so far as his estate in Bradford was concerned, his principal income must have been derived from his farm and grist-mill. Probably from his coming into this town to the time of his decease, a period of eighteen years, his property was gradually diminishing. By the inhabitants of the town he was highly respected, and occasionally elected to offices 197 of trust and importance. For a time he officiated as one of the selectmen, and again had command as captain of a military company. Captain Trotter was a man of great natural kindness and liberality. Some few instances in proof of this I will mention. On a certain occasion an Irish boy came along, poorly clad, selling needles and pins, while diligently seeking for his father, whom he hoped to find in this part of the country. The Captain was pleased with the smartness of the boy, and on learning his condition and business, gen erously detained him for several days in his house. In the meantime he sent the little fellow with a good bundle of materials to a tailoress, who made for him a new suit of clothes, greatly to his delight. In a few days the fa ther came along inquiring for his boy, and was over whelmed with jay and gratitude, when he found how generously he had been cared for. The name of the boy was Francis Kelley. He and his father were from Ire land, seeking, I believe, a home in Canada. On another occasion a great fire in Newburyport, Mass., reduced many persons to distress for food and other nec essaries of life. Captain Trotter, on learning the fact, im mediately dispatched a two-horse team, heavily loaded with flour and meal, entirely at his own expense, for the re lief of the sufferers. Joseph Jenkins was the man he sent. A Mr. Ford, a poor man in Bradford, had the misfor tune to lose his only cow, and on the morning of a town meeting day came to Captain Trotter with his sorrowful story, asking if he would be so kind as to draw up a sub scription, and give it a start to help him buy another cow. The Captain, always ready for such an emergency, took his pencil and wrote : " Fellow Townsmen : Charity never knocked louder than now, A poor old couple have lost their cow, The cow belonged to Deacon Ford, Give to the poor, and lend to the Lord." 198 This he publicly read, to the great amusement of the men assembled, and signing his name, with a liberal sum annexed, handed round the paper, when to the great joy of the poor man enough was shortly subscribed to buy another cow, and hay to keep her through the Winter. Captain Trotter, though not a professor of religion, was ever ready to give liberally towards its support. His regular subscription towards his minister s salary was fifty dollars a year. He also gave the minister the use of a house, barn, and garden, and the privilege of having all grinding at the Captain s mill, toll free. He made many other presents besides. The first time the Association of ministers met in Bradford after my settlement, Captain Trot - ter and his lady furnished gratuitously the entertainment in a very handsome manner. Being at church one com munion day, and observing how poorly the table was pro vided with furniture, glass vessels being used, and one of them having got broken on the way, he immediately sent to Boston an order for silver furniture for the Lord s ta ble, which he presented to the Congregational church. It cost him about two hundred dollars. An inscription on the large tankard indicates that the donation was made as a testimonial of gratitude to God for his goodness in the preservation of the life of the giver in the four quar ters of the globe. May these precious articles of solid silver long remain a pleasing memorial of his liberality. He seemed to have a great respect for religion, and for those whom he esteemed truly pious people, but did not like to be very closely approached on the subject of per sonal piety. When his young pastor, at a certain time, tried to be faithful to him in that respect, he was evidently much disturbed, and in effect said, " What right have you to ask me such questions? " A storm seemed to be gath ering, when, taking my hat and silently bowing him good bye, I turned toward the door, to leave him alone to his re flections. Just as I reached the door, I felt some one gent- 199 ly pull the skirts of my coat. I turned to see what was wanted, when he said to me, with a smile, " Mr. McKeen, if at any time you should want any favor of me, be as sured I will esteem it a pleasure to oblige you." My obligations to him on the score of benefits received, dur ing the course of some eight years were many and great. Captain Trotter was in person tall and erect, of light complexion, blue eyes, and reddish hair, gentlemanly in his manners, and much given to hospitality, having an in tolerable dislike of all meanness. He was in the habit of reading extensively the current news, had been about the world a great deal, possessed much general intelligence, and delighted in conversation. He was in most respects an admirable man. " Large was his bounty and his soul sincere, No farther seek his merits to disclose, Or draw his frailties from their dread abode. (There they, alike, in trembling hope repose), The bosom of his Father acd his God." He died June 11, 1822, lacking but eighteen days of being fifty- three years of age. His remains repose by the side of those of his first wife, the lady who voyaged with him to foreign lands, and assisted him in the acquisition of his wealth. For some years before her decease she manifested a deep interest in religion, and died enjoying its consolations, November 9, 1813, aged forty-four years and ten months. The widow of Captain Trotter, whose maiden name was Hannah D. Brooks, a very estimable lady, married Colonel William Barren, of Bradford. They continued to reside here for several years, but finally disposed of their estate, and purchased a very eligible situation a little West of the University in Norwich, Vt., for their home. They finally removed to Hartford, Conn., where she died Octo ber 25, 1873, aged eighty-three years. See the account of the Barrons. At the time of Captain Trotter s decease there was a 200 statute in existence in Vermont to the effect that if a per son died intestate, leaving no heirs, or a man thus died leaving no heirs but his widow, his estate, alter the pay ment of all debts, should escheat to the town to which he belonged, for the support of schools, allowing in the latter case the widow the use of one-third of the property dur ing her life time. These conditions were all found to exist in the case of Captain Trotter, as he had left no will, no issue, and no relatives having legal right --to claim any portion of his estate. All was left in the hands of the widow. In this state of affairs the town of Bradford preferred a claim to what the law above named allowed them. The claim was resisted as unjust. A suit, involving serious expense on both sides, ensued, which was finally settled by compro mise ; the town of Bradford agreeing to take the sum of $4,355.99 as satisfactory. This sum was duly invested for the benefit of schools, and the interest is annually ap plied towards their support. The law was soon after re pealed, and this is said to be the only case decided under it. The town have caused the burial place of Captain Trotter and his first wife to be handsomely enclosed, and otherwise improved. 201 CHAPTER X. The Hunkins, Underwood, Bliss and Wright Families. CAPTAIN ROBERT HUNKINS, AND FAMILY. Captain Hunkins, one of the earliest settlers of this town, was universally esteemed an upright, kind hearted, and truly worthy man. His farm was on the Connecticut River, in the north-east part of the town. There he long lived, and on the 1st of April, 1818, died in the eightieth year of his age. The farm is now (1868) occupied by his grandson, Asher Emerson Hunkins. For most of the lacts constituting the following sketch, I have been in debted to Mrs. James Abbott, of Newbury, a grand-daugh ter of the Captain. Robert Hunkins was born in Haverhill, Mass., January 13, 1739. While he was quite young, his father, John Hunkins, moved with his family to Hampstead, N. H., where both he and his wife npt long alter died, leaving five children, of whom Robert was the oldest. He was taken to live with Captain afterwards General Hazen. When some sixteen or seventeen years of age, he went with Captain Hazen and his company into what is now called " the old French and Indian war, then fiercely raging between the French and Indians 011 one side and the English North Americans and British Government on the other. Hazen and his men were sent to strengthen the force at Fort William Henry, on the northern shore of Lake George. That fort, after a brave defence, was taken by the French commander, Montcalm, in 1757. The English who survived the slaughter were carried by the French and their savage allies into Canada as prisoners, and were there treated with great severity. Hunkins seeing two Indians dragging away his friend, Captain Hazen, ran up, 14 202 with a fellow soldier, behind them, and gave them so vio lent a push as to break their hold on Hazen, who escaped ; but the young men fell into the hands of the savages, and by them were carried off, instead of their Captain, into the enemy s country. But to what place in particular, or how long they were held as prisoners, is not now definitely known. The time, however, is believed to have been over six months. The Indians, Mr. Hunkins said, took away most of his clothes, and at night would tie his hands behind him, and require him to lie down between some two of .them, who were charged with his safe keeping. One night he suc ceeded in getting his hands loose, and was not long in untying the hands of his fellow prisoner. They softly crept away, ran down to the shore, got into a birch-bark ca noe, and pushed off to some other point, so as not to be tracked. On coming to land again, they broke a hole in the canoe and sank it, then hid in some hollow logs that happened to be near. They were, however, pursued, and the Indians several times the next day came to the very logs in which they were hid, but without discovering them. At night they started again, and got beyond the reach of their pursuers. Mr. Hunkins said when he es caped he had no hat or shoes, in fact no garment but his shirt, and that with one sleeve missing ! What they could find in the woods had to suffice for food until they reached a Dutch settlement, where a kind woman re freshed them with buttermilk, and gave him an old hat without a brim. Pressing on through difficulties and hu miliations, they finally reached in safety their friends at home, who had long been waiting anxiously for them. When Mr. Hunkins was twenty -one years of age, he went on to a farm which had been owned by his father, in Hampstead, and married Fhebe Emerson, of that town, as the wife of his youth. He remained there a few years, when he came to Newbury, Vt., then almost a wilder- 203 ness, and commenced labor on a river lot which subse quently became the fine farm of Colonel Moody Chamber- lin. He had been there but a short time when a man came after him with the sorrowful tidings that his wife was dangerously sick, when he took the messenger s horse and with all speed set out for home. For most of the distance there was but a bridle path, and that so full of obstructions that he left his horse by the way, and pur sued his journey on loot. When he reached home he found to his grief that his beloved wife was dead, and that the friends were just then returning from the burial. He returned to Newbury, having disposed of the first lot taken up, purchased another about a mile North of it, where the road now turns off to go to West Newbury and Topsham. In due season he married for his second wife Lydia Chamberlin, of Litchfield, Conn. She had previ ously come from her native State, with some friends, to visit her relatives in Newbury. Their journey was in the Winter, and most of it on the frozen river. She was glad to reach her uncle Chamberlin s, buf in that early stage of the settlement found everything so different from what she had been used to, that she hardly knew how to stay, even -for a night. She soon, however, began to like such a rustic manner of life much better than she expected ; and was employe d during the Summer in teaching a school, though she had never been to school but one half day in her life. By her own efforts she had made good progress in reading and writing, and was somewhat acquainted with arithmetic. Great things, in those days, were not expected of teachers in the new settlements. Her uncle Chamberlin kept a ferry between Newbury and Haver- hill, and, as there was no looking-glass in the house, when the school mistress and her lady cousins dressed for, meeting on pleasant Summer mornings, they were accus tomed to go down to the ferry, step into the flat-bottomed boat, and look over on the water to see that their toilets 204 were properly made. The smooth surface of the water furnished a splendid mirror, larger, too, than the rich, even now, can show in any of their parlors. When Mr. Hunkins and wife commenced house keeping in Newbury, the friendly Indians about there were very plenty, and almost every night several of them would come and sleep on the floor of their only room. Mr. Hunkins had also a lot of land in Bradford, then called Moretown, on which he had erected a temporary habitation. The house stood on the bank of the Connecticut, on the extreme margin of the bow now comprising Johnson s and Hunkins meadows, arid he lived there part of the time. The river has since so worn away the Vermont side that the foundation of his chimney may now, when the water is low, be seen near the New Hampshire shore. Several men of Newbury, and the vicinity, on account of their active exertions in the Revolutionary cause, had become so obnoxious to the royalists that bounties had been offered for their arrest and delivery to any of the British commanders, and strenuous efforts were made to seize them. Captain Hunkins was one who had been thus honored. On this account, for months he dared not sleep in his own house, but lodged in any shed or other out door place where he supposed he could with safety ; changing often from one place to another, to elude the vigilance of his enemies. Mrs. Hunkins said that many times the Tories would come in the evening and look in at the window, to see if her husband was at home, and that when she was going to bed with her children she would set the ax near her, resolved that if they meddled with her she would use it upon them to the extent of her power. The situation of the family in Moretown at length became so trying that they thought it best to re turn to their place in Newbury for a while, where there were more inhabitants in whom they could place confi dence. -205 But even there they were not long at ease. For some time, either before or after this, Capt. Hunkins was away in the Revolutionary army, and his wife and daughters had to work on the farm, as well as in the house, and take care of themselves as best they could. In the autumn of 1780, when the Captain was at home again, a scouting party came in saying that the Indians and Tories were coming in strong force to destroy the place, and would be there before morning. There was, of course, great alarm, and immediate efforts were made to get the women and children across the river to Haverhill. A foggy and dark evening was upon them. The men were resolved to stay and defend the place. Their only means at hand for taking their families across the river were dug out canoes, and but few of them. Capt. Hun- kins hastily constructed a raft of boards, and, while taking over his first load of passengers, his wife, with an infant son in her arms, was left with others, anxiously waiting for his return. At the second passage she with so many others had come on to the raft that it was overloaded, and before they could get over was found to be in the utmost danger. The Captain asked the man assisting him if he could alone bring the raft to shore, if it were lightened. He thought he could. "Then, Sister Eaton," said he, "you and I must take our chance in the river." She knew that he was a strong swimmer, and trusted in him for help. The case was urgent; no time for deliberation. He plunged into the water. She, like a brave woman as she was, quickly followed him. Their feet would touch no bottom. He, acting with great self-possession and ener gy, succeeded not only in keeping her head above the water, but in bringing her to the desired shore, where the whole party, to their unutterable joy, soon found them selves in safety. The women and children were so nu merous as to throng the houses of their Haverhill friends. Beds^ compared with the number of visitors, were few ; 206 but as the farmers had brought their corn into their hous es, to be husked by their fire-sides, fine accommodations were found among the husks on the floor. Mrs. Hunkins said she got a large pumpkin and sat on it, with her baby, for awhile, when one of the older children cried, and, while attending to that, some one of the sleepers acci dentally kicked her seat into the fire, so that she was obliged during the rest of the night either to stand or to take her lot among the rest in the husks. The enemy were really coming, as had been expected, but learning that the men of Newbury had been fore warned and were ready for them, went off in some other direction, to plunder, burn, seize captives, and commit other acts of violence upon the patriotic people where- ever they could. It was just about that time that Royal- ton was devastated by the Indians and tories, and numbers of the people murdered or carried into captivity. The day after the fright at Newbury, the women and chil dren were brought again to their homes, rejoicing in the happy deliverance which they and their brave protectors had experienced. Capt. Hunkins and wife returned to their farm in Bradford, and there long lived to enjoy peace and competency as the fruits of their early perils, hardships, and sufferings, and when satisfied with length of days quietly passed away, cheered by the hopes and consola tions of the gospel, leaving a very respectable posterity, who have ever cherished their memories with sincere re spect and fillial affection. Mrs. Hunkins, who was univer sally esteemed a pious, strong-minded, excellent woman, died Jan. 26, 1831, at the age -of 85 years. She was the "Mother in Israel" who related to her then youthful pas tor, the writer of this article, the interesting and true story subsequently published by the American Tract So ciety under the title "The Worth of a Dollar." The Dea con M. therein referred to, was Dea. Murray, of, I think, Orwell, Vt. 207 Capt. Robert Hunldns and his first wife, Phebe Emer son, had one son and two daughters, all natives of Hamp- stead, N. H., namely : 1. John, who married Mary Norris, of Newbury, and died at Fletcher, Franklin county, Vt., Feb., 1844. 2. Sarah, who married Nicholas Stevens, of Bradford, and died here in March, 1857. 3. Betsey, who married Samuel Miller, of this town, and died at Johnson, in Lamoille county, Vt., in 1839. Capt. Huiikins and his second wife, Lydia Chamberlin, had five sons and three daughters, most of them natives of Newbury ; the others of this town, namely : 1. Moses, born in Newbury, married Hannah Seagel, of that town ; removed to Harmon, St. Lawrence county, N. Y., where in 1870 he was still living. 2. Lydia, born in Newbury, married Nathan Atwell, and died at Johnson in this State, in January, 1846. 3. Robert H., born at Newbury, married Hannah Em erson, of Hampstead, N. H., and died at New Berlin, Wisconsin, in 1853. 4. Phebe, born in this town, died here in September, 1861, at the age of eighty-four years. She remained through life unmarried. 5. Asher, born in Newbury, Jan., 1780, married Jane Emerson, of Boscawen, N. H., in 1805. They lived on the old homestead in Bradford, where she died October 25, 1827, at the age of forty-six years. They had four child ren. Their eldest daughter, Phebe H., born February, 1807, was married with James Abbott, Esq., of Newbury, April 18, 1865, where she resided for a few years, and then, after her husband s decease, returned to her native place, and resides with her brother, Asher E., being interested with him in the ancestral estate. Lydia, her sister, born October 9, 1811, died December 14, 1838, at the age of twenty- seven years. The next child, a son, died in his infancy. Asher Emerson Hunkins, born January, 1823, 208 married Miss Sarah E. Rowe, of Bradford, and occupies the good old farm which was cultivated by his grandfath er, nearly one hundred years ago. Where the venerable old family residence of Captain Hunkins long stood, a commodious two-story dwelling, recently erected, and finished in modern style, now appears, and the natural scenery around has lost nothing of its early freshness and beauty by the lapse of years. Mr. Asher E. Hunkins and wife have, at this date, two sons, Thomas A., born October 31, 1862, and James Frank, born June, 1865. Their eldest son, James H., died in his infancy. I now go back to say that Mr. Asher Hunkins, in the year 1833 married for his second wife Miss Hannah Mar- tin, of Newbury, with whom he happily spent the evening of his life, and died in March, 1863, in the eighty-fourth year of his age. His worthy widow, in great feebleness, was most kindly cared for by Mr. Asher E. and his good wife till she died, August 30, 1872, at the age of eighty- three years. In the principal cemetery at Bradford, their remains, with those of many of their kindred, await the resurrection unto life. 6. Benjamin Hunkins, M. D., the next son of Captain Robert, was born at Newbury, in January, 1782. Having studied his profession, he married Miss Drusilla S. Everett, of Lancaster, N. H. Successfully practiced medicine there for many years, and in that place died December, 1868, in the eighty- seventh year of his age. 7. James Hunkins was born in Bradford, in June, 1784; he was an industrious farmer, an honest, kind- hearted man, who never married, but remained on the old home place in quietness and contentment until, by a shock of apoplexy, in November, 1855, his earthly course was suddenly terminated in the seventy-second year of his age. 8. Susan, the youngest member of this family, born in Bradford, August, 1787, married Samuel Chamberlin, of 209 Troy, Vt., and lived for a number of years at Stanstead, Canada East, where she died in July, 1870, in the eighty- third year of her age. It is understood that the several members of this large family of Captain Hunkins, who married, had families of their own ; but of their children, except in the case of Mr. Asher Hunkins, I have had no definite information ; and indeed, in most cases, no occasion to speak particu larly. So far as we have ever heard, they have been es timable citizens wherever their lot in life has been cast. And to the writer it is a very grateful realization that Captain Robert Hunkins and his second wife, and their daughter Phebe, and son Asher, with both of his wives, all now gone to their final rest, and Mrs. Abbott, still liv ing, were all beloved members of the church long under his pastoral care, and gave so satisfactory evidence of being true members of the household of Faith, and heirs of the Great Salvation. THE UNDERWOOD FAMILY. John Underwood, Esq., was born at Westford, Mass., October 28, 1755. His wife, Mary Fassett, was born in the same town, or vicinity, June 15, 1759. They, emi grated, with their three children, John, Benjamin and Silas, to Mooretown, Vt., now Bradford, in the year 1784. They, of course, were among the early settlers. There were then but two or three families where the flourishing village of Bradford now is, and, indeed, but few in the town. The Underwoods stopped, for a short while, on the top of what has long been called Sharp s Hill, and then took up their permanent abode on their own place, in the same school district, quite on the south border of the town, and adjacent to Fairlee. He had there built a log cabin, a little east of the pleasant house in which he and his wife subsequently lived and died. That house 210 still remains, in good condition, though all its former oc cupants have left it. Mr. Underwood was an industrious, hard working farmer, and, by the aid of his sons, when they became of suitable age, succeeded in converting his wilderness place into fruitful fields, and, assisted by his not less industrious wife, was enabled to bring up their large family of children in quiet competency. The writer of this article had his home for a while, as a boarder, in that good family, soon after the commencement of his ministry in Bradford. For how many years Esq. Under wood officiated as Justice of the Peace does not now ap pear, but during the years 1790-1-2-3 he sustained the office of Town Clerk. In his religious belief and charac ter he was remarkably decided. Both he and his wife were worthy members of the Congregational church in Bradford, and so continued unto death. She died October 21, 1821, in the sixty-third year of her age. In the course of the subsequent year, Esquire Underwood mar ried Miss Eupheme Moore, a member of the same church, and a sister of Deacon Daniel Moore and John Moore, Esq., his friends and near neighbors. With her he spent the remainder of his days. Both have long since passed away. He died November 19, 1837, in the eighty-third year of his age. John Underwood, Esq., and his wife, Mary Fassett, had nine sons and one daughter. The first three were born in Westford, Mass., and all the rest in this town. Their record is as follows. As to more remote posterity, the information regarding those who were never inhabitants of Bradford will be less specific than may be given of those who were born and have lived in this town. 1. John Underwood, Jr., born. July 10, 1779, died at Bradford, October 22, 1851, in the seventy-third year of his age. He was by occupation both a house carpenter and a farmer. He lived and died on the same farm with his father, but had a house of his own. His wife was 211 Anna Burt, of Chesterfield, N. H. She was a member of the Congregational church in Bradford, and died Decem ber 16, 1853, in the seventy-third year of her age. They had two daughters and one son. Annaritta married John B. Corliss, of Bradford, who had a son, John Corliss, Jr. Laura married Ira Howard, of Bradford. One son. John married Susannah McKillips, of this town. He was a farmer, on the old place occupied by his father and grandfather, but finally sold it and came to the village to live. He had, by his first marriage, two sons and two daughters. John Burt married Lydia Woodward, and built a nice house on High street, in Bradford village, doing most of the work himself, being by occupation a joiner. Amasa went into the Western country to live. Lucinda died at her father s house, unmarried. Laura married Andrew Stuart, of Wisconsin, and went with him to his home in that State. Mr. John Underwood, after the decease of his first wife, married Miss Sarah Brickett, and had by her one son, David, who married Augusta Woodbury, and remained in Bradford ; and one daughter, Lizzie, who continued to live for years with her father, after her excellent mother s decease. Mr John Under wood and his second wife were members of Baptist church at Post Mills, but worshipped with their Congregational friends in Bradford. She died February 6, 1871, at the age of forty-seven years. 2. Benjamin Underwood was born February 3, 1782, and died at Bradford August 25, 1863, in the eighty- second year of his age. He owned and occupied a farm adjoining that of his father, on the west side. His wife was Lucy Underwood, a remote relative. She died at Bradford, April 25, 1855, in the seventy-third year of her age. They we re members of the same church with his parents, and had six children. Benjamin, Jr., married Mary Ann Newell, of Bradford. 212 They had three children. One, a son, died in childhood. Wright married a Miss Waterbury, and lives in Wiscon sin. His sister, Lucy Ann, married Wm. R. Whitaker, attorney at law, and lives in New Orleans. Levi married Diantha Farr. Their children were Amos, Chester, Benjamin, who died for his country in the late war, Emma, Nancy, who married John Corliss, and Lydia. Mary married John Ruyter, of Holland, Vt. Lucy A. married first Joseph Southworth. They had a son, Willie, who died in early manhood. His father had died before him. Her second marriage was with Ezekiel Johnson, of Bradford, as his second wife. She lived but a few years longer. Miss Harriet, a dress maker, the last member of her father s family, was, at the time of this writing, remaining in this place of their nativity. Nicholas, the youngest son, married, and in a few years went off into the Western country. 3. Silas, the third son of John and Mary F. Under wood, was born December 7, 1783. He was by occupa tion a farmer, and for many years lived in Hardwick, Vt., where he died April 24, 1859, in the seventy-sixth year of his age. His wife was Lucy W. Leslie, a native of Londonderry, N. H. She died in her eighty -second year. They had a family of nine sons and one daughter. Their first two sons, William Trotter and George M., died in their childhood ; but Silas, Alexander L., George, James G., Levi, Lucy Ann, John H., and Flavius Josephus, lived to marry and have families of their own. Levi Under wood, of this family, studied the profession of law ; prac ticed successfully in Burlington ; was a man of extensive business and influence, and for a year or two was Lieu tenant Governor of Vermont. He married Cornelia V. N. Chamberlin, of Burlington, and had a family of two sons and four daughters. 213 4. Mary Underwood, the only daughter in this first family of the name in Bradford, was born here November 2, 1785 ; married Sans Niles, Jr., a nephew of Hon. Na thaniel Niles, of West Fairlee. He was by occupation a farmer, and there they lived, and died in good old age. They left one son, Benjamin, who occupies the place which his father left. He has been twice married. Has one daughter, Nancy. 5. Russell Underwood, born April 9, 1787, was by occupation a joiner. For many years he pursued his call ing in Lyman, N. H. ; then removed to Lyndon, Vt., and after that to St. Johnsbury, where he spent the remainder of his days. At an early age he became attached to the Methodist persuasion and people, and so continued stead fast through life. He died December 23, 1871, in the 85th year of his age. The name of his wife was Irena Berk ley, and they had a family of ten children, consisting of two sons and eight daughters. Four of the daughters died in childhood. The two sons, Russell and Edward F., and their sisters, Mary Jane, Laura N., Caroline, and Han nah M., lived to marry, and have families of their own. 6. Levi Underwood, born March 7, 1789, went to Jaf- frey, N. H., when quite young, and spent several years. He afterwards resided in Goshen, in that State, engaged in farming business ; has finally settled down in St. Johns- bury, Yt. He married a Miss Cutter, of Jaffrey, N. H. 7. Timothy Underwood, born May 21, 1791, was a clothier by trade. The business of fulling and dressing woolen cloth of domestic manufacture, was in his early manhood, one of great importance. He followed that trade first at Bradford, and afterwards at Colebrook, or Stewartstown, N. H. He removed finally to Hardwick, Vt., and spent the last years of his life in agricultural pursuits; and died there Dec. 25, 1870, in the 80th year of his age. The maiden name of his wife was Betsey Moore ; a daughter of John Moore, Esq., of Bradford, and 214 a member of the same church with her parents. She died at Hardwick, a little more than two years before the decease of her husband. They had a family of six sons, and two daughters, viz: Elizabeth, Cyrus, George, Edwin, Hazen, Hiram, Julia, and Roswell. Further than this, our information extends not. 8. Reuben Underwood, born May 24, 1793, came up an industrious, hard-working farmer, first at Bradford for several years ; and then at Craftsbury in the same State. Were it not for the laborious farmers, all other people would soon find themselves in a deplorable condition. Reuben married Betsey Litch, and had one daughter, who married a Mr. Wiley. 9. Joseph Underwood was born Oct. 2, 1796. He re mained at home engaged in agricultural pursuits till about eighteen years of age, when he went to Putney, Yt., as an apprentice to the jeweler s business. During a pow erful revival of religion there, in the winter of 1815-16, he was moved to consecrate himself heartily to the Sav iour, and to unite with a Congregational church in that place. In this mighty work of the spirit more than two- hundred were hopefully converted. At Putney his at tention was seriously turned to the Gospel ministry. His desire was to do, thenceforth, the best and most he could for the cause of Christ. In June, 1817, he entered the Academy at Meriden, N. H., where he studied for three years. After this he spent one year at the academy in Chesterfield, under the tuition of his old preceptor at Meriden. He had now nearly reached the age of 25 years, and being destitute of pecuniary means, relinquished the purpose of a collegiate course, and concluded to go di rectly, to the Theological Seminary at Bangor, where he finished his preparatory studies. On his way to Bangor he saw, for the first time, the ocean, and at Boston stepped on board of a sea-going ves sel early in the morning. The voyage was for a few 215 hours prosperous, but in a dense fog, at high tide, their craft ran, before noon, on rocks near the shore, and stuck fast, -and at low tide was there lying high out of the water, in a piteous condition. There they had to re main during the subsequent night, about eight miles from Portland. The next morning a train of wagons came out and took the shipwrecked company into the city. The Lord being merciful, none were lost or injured. The ocean that swallows up so many in like circumstances, spared them every one. Mr. Underwood finished his course at Bangor Semi nary on the first of August, 1824. His first settle ment in the ministry was at New Sharon, Franklin County, Maine. He was ordained and installed pastor of the Con gregational church there, April 8, 1826, and continued in that position for about six j^ears. There was during his ministry there one great revival of religion, extending all over the town, and reaching every denomination. It was a season of great refreshing from the presence of the Lord. Converts were counted by hundreds. It brought a large accession to the church under his care. To young ministers, or others who, in trying circum stances, are pressed by a conviction of the necessity of doing something effectual for the promotion of the Tem perance cause, the following brief account of Mr. Under wood s early endeavors and remarkable success in that direction will doubtless be not only acceptable, but very encouraging. When he went to New Sharon in 182J-, the inhabitants were very greatly addicted to the use of intoxicating liquors. One merchant retailed fifty hogsheads a year, and another perhaps not quite so large an amount. Al most everybody seemed to be addicted to the use of the drunkard s drink, in some or other of its various modifi cations. This state of things was alarming, yet nobody 216 appeared to be at all alarmed. Leading men in society were not going to deny themselves of the good things of this life, because other men made a bad use of them. Mr. Underwood for a while knew not with whom to consult, or what to do ; but while building a house for himself and family, in 1826, accidentally found among his workmen a thorough going temperance man ; a Freewill Baptist deacon, he was. With that man he gladly held consultations in regard to what could be done to stay the further progress of intemperance in that community. The Deacon feared that the evil had become so general, and so deeply rooted in the habits of the people, that very little, if anything, could be done in the way of reformation. The minister was more hopeful. He thought the case was urgent, and that they must make an effort. They finally agreed to adopt for themselves a total abstinence pledge, to take each of them a copy of it, and then use their best endeavors to induce, everybody they should meet to sign it. This effort, commenced in October, was attended with so much success that the next Spring, be fore the snow was gone, a meeting of the subscribers was held at a school house some two miles out of the village, a Temperance Society organized, and each member took a copy of the pledge to invite others, as he or she should have opportunity, to subscribe and give their aid to the good cause. By these means the society prospered wonderfully, and became exceedingly popular. Under its influence a Ju venile Temperance Society sprang up, embracing largely the children and youth of the town. Also a Mercantile Temperance Society was organized, embracing not only the liquor dealers of New Sharon, but all other liquor dealers within twenty miles of it. And the subsequent autumn the town, without a dissenting voice, voted not to license any one to sell intoxicating liquor within their limits. And the people held a grand jubilee over the 217 triumph of the Temperance cause. "Behold how great a matter a little fire kindleth ! " In regard to the family of Rev. Mr. Underwood, it may here be remarked that on the 17th of February, 1825, he married Miss Lucy Warner Tuel, of Chesterfield, N. H.> a lady entirely worthy of his choice, who now, in 1873, is still living, to share in the various trials and consolations of his declining age. They have four sons, all active business men, and prospering in the world. The oldest son, and three of the daughters-in-law, are members of the church, and the father expresses a strong hope that all will yet become heirs of salvation. Mr. Underwood resigned his pastoral charge at New Sharon, and, under the patronage of the Maine Missionary Society, engaged in the work of the ministry in the newer settlements. October 16, 1833, he was installed pastor of a little church in Williamsburgh, some forty miles north of Bangor. There was no meeting house in the place, and I remember preaching, on the occasion, in a new and commodious barn, belonging to Simon Green- leaf, Esq. His mother was a daughter of Rev. Jonathan Parsons, formerly of Newburyport, who, while we were at her son s house, entertained us with a deeply affecting account of the last day and night of the Rev. George Whitefield, who died at her father s house. She, then in her girlhood, was one of those who listened to the last public address he ever made, standing on the stairs, as he was retiring to his chamber to lay down his head on the pillow of death that night. Owing to the death of Mr. Underwood s principal sup porter, which occurred within a few months of his set tlement there, and the consequent failure of his expected salary, he felt obliged, sooner than he had anticipated, to ask for a dismission ; and, having obtained it, accepted of a call to go to Sebec, a neighboring village, on the bor ders of the great wilderness in that section of Maine. 15 218 In that new field he drew together a good congregation, and succeeded in gathering and organizing a church. He also preached as a missionary in the adjacent towns of Foxcroft, Dover, Atkinson, Milo and Bradford. After about two years of laborious and not unsuccessful mission ary service in that region, his first beloved people gave him so strong an invitation to return to them that, by advice of his ministerial brethren, he concluded to do so, thinking it not improbable that he might spend the re mainder of his life at New Sharon. But after about five years more of ministerial labor there, a severe visitation of chronic bronchitis compelled him to seek a change of climate and location, with a view to the improvement of his health; and so, in the spring of 1838, he left his be loved people of New Sharon, for the second and last time. At Veteran, in .the south-western part of the State of New York, he met with a kind reception, and accepted of an invitation to become, and was installed, pastor of the church there. He preached for some time in a shabby old school house, and in an old cloth- dressing mill ; but in the course of a year or two succeeded in persuading the people to build a respectable house for public wor ship. The humid atmosphere of that valley was found unfavorable to the minister s health, but he labored on for about five years, when a ruinous financial crash in the affairs of a firm largely responsible for his support occur red ; the new meeting-house was attached, shut up, and the church overwhelmed with discouragement. The pas tor, again dismissed, determined to try for a while the business of a farmer, and, having rented a farm for one year, in a high and salubrious locality, applied himself, with great physical improvement, to the cultivation of the earth, preaching, however, as he had opportunity, on the Sabbaths. The result was complete restoration to health, and new energy to engage in the work of the min istry. 219 In the meantime, God had prepared a good place for him, and in the autumn of 1844 he was invited to the pastorate of the Congregational church in Hardwick, Yt. He spent the subsequent winter there, and removed his family to that new home the next summer. It was over a year from the time of his coming before his regular in stallation was consummated. After about five years of ministerial labor, a blessed revival of religion occurred, and many precious souls were hopefully converted. The church was greatly strengthened and encouraged, and a good influence extended around on every side. In this good work the Rev. Mr. Gallaher, of Missouri, and the Rev. Joel Fisk, then of Irasburg, afforded important as sistance. In 1851 the society took down two old meet ing houses, and built a new one, in a different locality, which gave general satisfaction, and healed an old diffi culty of long standing. Thus pleasantly and prosperous ly the good minister labored on, for about thirteen years, in Hardwick, when, being in feeble health, he judged it expedient for him to resign, and give his people opportu nity to secure for themselves a new and more vigorous laborer. He had then numbered his three score years and ten, and his people, while still attached to him, could not refuse his request. This was in 1867. While at Hardwick, Rev. Mr. Underwood represented that town in the State Legislature of 1856, also in a special session of February, 1857, likewise in the ses sions of 1868 and 1869, which is proof of the general es teem in which he was held by his fellow townsmen. Alter closing his labors in Hardwick, he preached as a stated supply for longer or shorter terms in Walden, Craftsbury, Barnet, East St. Johnsbury, Walton, Barton, Guildhall, Waterford and Burke. In which last place he finished an engagement for two years, far advanced in life, and in poor health ; when he judged it to be not in consistent with duty to retire from his ministerial labors, 220 and spend the evening of his days at his own beloved home, among his tried friends, in East Hardwick, doing good in a more private way, as God should give him means and opportunity. There, now in the seventy- seventh year of his age, with the wife of his youth and faithful companion amid the various trials and consola tions through which they have been called to pass, they can testify that goodness and mercy have followed them all the days of their life, and confidently trust that in God s own house will be their home forever. For this somewhat particular account of our friend, the Rev. Joseph Underwood, I make no apology ; showing, as it does, that a man of good natural ability, though not highly educated, and though in many respects placed at disadvantages, if strong in evangelical faith, with a heart glowing with love to God and man, and zealous to save souls, may in the work of the ministry, though destined to labor in new and hard fields, with but slender pecuni ary support, accomplish an amount of good which eterni ty itself will never Ibe able to make fully known. " He that winneth souls is wise, and they that turn many to righteousness shall shine as the stars, forever and ever."" Abel Underwood, the youngest member of this family, was born April 8, 1799. The first seventeen years of his life were spent at the old homestead in Bradford. In 1817 he went to Royalton, Vt., and attended the academy there, under the tuition oi Preceptor Tracy, subsequently Rev. Joseph Tracy, D. D., of Salem, Mass., until the Spring of 1819, when he went to the academy in Thet- ford, Vt., and there, under the tuition of Preceptor Fitch, continued till August, 1820, when he entered Dartmouth College, in the Freshman class of that year, and graduat ed in August, 1824. In a poetic article written merely for his own private gratification, he characterizes in Hu- dibrastic style each of his twenty-seven classmates and himself, in a truly shrewd and amusing way. Take, for 221 instance, the case of Rev. Ephraim W. Clark, missionary to the Hawaiian Islands : "Clark, Ephraim "W., short-sighted, and with specs on. For College sins has nothing to reflect on ; Like old Marquett, he s gone to Honolulu, To teach the heathen : Ephraiin was a true blue." Immediately on leaving college Mr. Underwood entered the office of Gen. Isaac Fletcher, of Lyndon, Yt., as a stu- dent-at-law; and, in April, 1827, was, at Danville, where the Courts in Caledonia County were then held, admitted to the bar. He went directly into partnership with Gen. Fletcher, where he continued for one year, when they dissolved, and he removed to Wells River. While in practice at Lyndon, Mr. Underwood married, July 12, 1827, Miss Emily Rix, of Royalton, Vt., who con tinued to be the chief comfort of his life, till removed from him to her final rest, which occurred October 15, 1861. Mr. Underwood commenced business at Wells River, March, 1828, and there, after the lapse of forty-five years, was still abiding. His practice has mainly been in Or ange and Caledonia Counties. He was State s Attorney for Orange County, for the years 1839 to 1841, and Unit ed States District Attorney during the administrations of Presidents Taylor and Fillmore. He was elected Judge of the Circuit Court of Vermont, in 1854; and continued in that office until the autumn of 1857, when, by act of the Legislature, the Circuit system was abolished, and consequently the office of Circuit Judge ceased. During the construction of the Vermont Central Railroad, from 1846 to 1850, in company with Judge Adams, of Grand Isle, and Judge Curtiss, of Westfield, he was a commis sioner for the settlement of land damages attending that great enterprise. He was for several years President of the Bank at Wells River, and for the years 1861 and 1862 Representative of Newbury in the Legislature of Ver mont. 222 Through all these manifold trusts, responsibilities, and important business transactions, Judge Underwood has sustained the reputation of a capable, honest, and reliable man ; and in his old age, in the midst of competence, if not of affluence, enjoys the esteem and cordial friendship of his fellow citizens around him. May his end be peace, and his eternity blessed. Judge Underwood and wife had one son and four daughters. The son, George Eix, a promising young man, born April 15, 1832, went South, and engaged in commercial business. He died at Gainesville, Alabama, October 10, 1856, in the 27th year of his age. His re mains were brought home to Wells River, Vt., for inter ment. Elizabeth, born March 31, 1830, married Benjamin B. Clark, of St. Johnsbury. Their children were Carrie E., Emily L., Susan E., Alice, who died young, and George B. Emma R. E., died in childhood. Mary Ellen, born May 12, 1840, married Roscoe Deane ; had one daughter, who died in childhood. Her second husband was Dr. Hickok, of Wells River. Susan A., born September, 1842, married George B. Damon, who was an officer in the war for the suppression of the rebellion. They had two daughters, Emily Jose phine and Ellen. The home of the mother and her daughters is with her honored father, at Wells River. In October, 1847, the nine sons and the one daughter of John Underwood, Esq., and Mary Fassett, his wife, with their several consorts, constituting a group of twen ty persons, all in good health and spirits, had a family gathering in the old homestead, then possessed by the eldest brother. The parents had both deceased several years before. These brothers and their sister had not been all together in the home of their early days for about forty years till then. On this occasion they came not only with their wedded companions, but with many of their 223 children ; and the meeting was in several respects one of rare occurrence^. Few have ever seen so remarkable and delightful a gathering of this sort. Judge Underwood in referring to it, says, " After a separation of about forty years, there we were, at the old home, where was l the old arm chair, 7 and * the old oaken bucket, the iron-bound bucket, the moss covered bucket still hung in the well. We had a sumptuous dinner there, at the same old pine table where we sat in childhood and youth, and in the same order as then. We promenaded the fields and or chards together, and talked over the matters and incidents of olden times. The Rev. Silas McKeen, on whose min istry our parents constantly attended, and who once boarded for a while in their family, was present with us. The occasion was one of much interest and enjoyment. Then we separated to return to our several homes, with out expectation of ever meeting thus again on earth." At this writing more than half of that original number have already passed away. May the entire group, of the departed and the living, be so happy as to meet their pi ous parents at last in a home incomparably more desirable and blessed than they, or the most favored of mortals, ever on earth enjoyed. THE BLISS FAMILY. A G-enealogical Chart prepared by Neziah Bliss, Esq., of Missouri, traces the descent.of this family from Thomas Bliss, of England, who emigrated to America and settled at Hartford, Ct., about the year 1638-or-9; and who, of course, must have been one of its very early inhabitants, as its settlement was not commenced till 1635. He died there in 1640; leaving four sons and six daughters. Thomas Bliss, Jr., son of the last named, had two sons and six daughters, all natives of Saybrook, Ct., with the exception of the two youngest, who were "born at Nor wich, near by. 224 Samuel Bliss, son of Thomas, had three sons and one daughter. John Bliss, a son of Samuel, graduated at Yale College in 1710. He had but one classmate, Benjamin Colton. They both became ministers of the gospel. Rev. John Bliss was the first minister ordained in the town of Heb ron, Ct. This -was in October, 1717. He was then a Con- gregationalist. "He declared for Episcopacy in 1734, and having laid the foundation of a society, a house of wor ship was erected the next year, for that denomination ; and Mr. Bliss preached and read service for them for a number of years afterwards." (See History of Connecti cut.) He died in 1741, at the age of 51 years. Rev. John Bliss had been twice married and had a family of seven sons and four daughters, all of whom, but two, lived to marry. One of the sons, Constant, was shot in the Old French war, at Deerfield, Mass., Aug., 1746. Ellis Bliss, son of Rev. John Bliss, and his second wife, Hannah Post, was twice married and had eight sons and seven daughters. One of his sons, Flavel, was drowned 1778, off the ship Trumbull, at New London, while guard ing British prisoners there. Another son, John, was drowned at Bradford, Vt., while engaged in building a bridge across Waits River, in 1803. A daughter, Lydia, married Andrew B. Peters, of Bradford. The youngest son, John Flavel, born June 28, 1788, was a minister of the gospel in Western New York. The father of this large family remained and died at Hebron, Ct. Ellis Bliss, Jr., son of the Ellis last named, and his first wife, Tamar Dewey, was born at Hebron, April 9, 1761. He served for 9 months in the war of the Revolution ; married Abigail Taylor; emigrated to Bradford, Vt., and made, as a farmer, a permanent settlement here, in the south part of the town, somewhat back from the river. They had two daughters and six sons. Four of the sons died in childhood. Their eldest daughter, Abigail, born 225 at Hebron, Ct., June 7, 1787, married Dr. Lockhart Wright, of Bradford, Feb., 1798, and had two sons, Ne- ziah and Hubbard, and one daughter, Abigail. Mrs. Dr. Wright died at the house of her son, Hubbard Wright, in Bradford, July 3, 1855. Lydia Bliss, born at Bradford, August 31, 1783, married Absalom Baldwin, May 25, 1801, and died Feb. 4, 1860. See Baldwin Family. Fla- vel Bliss, born Dec. 11, 1791, married Hannah Corliss, Dec. 15, 1812; had several children, and died Dec. 7, 1864. Capt. Ellis Bliss, son of the above named Ellis Bliss, Jr., born July 25, 1787, married Mary Worthen, Dec. 4, 1807, owned and cultivated a good farm near Bradford village. Mr. and Mrs. Bliss had thirteen children, two of whom died in their infancy ; all the rest lived to be men and women, of activity and usefulness in the world. The father died May 8, 1851, in the 54th year of his age; and their mother March 2, 1873, at the age of 83 years. Of this family we give the following brief notices : 1. Ellis Bliss, born May 10, 1810, married Lucy Rich ards, ol Piermont, N. H., kept, for several years, a hotel in Bradford village ; was a man of activity ; engaged in various business ; and died Nov. 21, 1870, in the 61st year of his age. He left one daughter, Lucy, the wife of Charles H. Harding. 2. George, born Oct. 17, 1811. He studied for the medical profession with Dr. John Poole, of Bradford, and became established in business in Ohio, where he married, and at this date has two sons, Newton and Edmund, and two daughters, Priscilla and Lovie Jane. 3. Edmund P., born October 14, 1813, remained with his parents till their decease, and was left ~in possession of the old homestead. 4. Mary A., born August 6, 1817, married Jesse John son, of Bradford ; by occupation a farmer, who died at Fairlee. 226 They had six children. Two died in early childhood. Two daughters, Martha and Sarah, died when young la dies ; and Ellen and Mary, at this date, are the surviving comforts of their often and sorely bereaved mother. 5. Abigail, born August 16, 1819, married Manly Har- riman, then of this town. They had two sons, George and John, still living ; and two daughters, who died in early womanhood ; Abbie, and Mary, the wife of Chauncey Throop Blodgett. Mr. Harriman died October 14, 1840 ; and his wife May 13, 1857. 6. Susan, born December 23, 1821, married Ira Clark. They resided some time at Bradford, then at Orford,N. H., and finally removed to Illinois. They had two sons and two daughters. 7. Joseph W., born January 31, 1824; married Cyn thia Paterson, of Piermont, N. H., who died March 26, 1863, at the age of twenty- seven years. They had two daughters, Mary and Abbie, who still survive, greatly to their father s comfort. Mr. J. W. Bliss, owning a very pleasant homestead, next south of his brother Edmund s, has remained in Bradford, and been repeatedly called by his fellow townsmen to fill offices of public trust and importance. He represented the town in the State Legislature of 1874. 8. Neziah W., born January 31, 1826, graduated at the University of Vermont ; studied the profession of law ; removed to the State of Missouri, and has there been engaged not only in the business of his profession, but in superintending the affairs of an enterprising and success ful mining company. He has the reputation of a man of intelligence, energy, and moral integrity. He married Amanda Jessie Andrews, December 1, 1852. They have had seven sons and three daughters. Two of the daugh ters died young. The rest of their children at this date are still living. 9. Lucinda, born February 14, 1828, married Lewis 227 R. Morris, a very respectable attorney at law, who for a time edited a semi-monthly paper at Bradford, called the Green Mountain Farmer, but has since for several years been established in the business of his profession at West Lebanon, N. H. 10. Julia M., born May 14, 1830, married Robert Shum, manufacturer of jewelry, cutlery, etc., at Spring field, Mass. They have four daughters, Julia, Lucy, Nel lie, and Abbie. 11. Lauretta, born October 8, 1832, married Stephen Merrill, then of Bradford, but since settled in Illinois. The following memorial of Mrs. Bliss, the mother of this large family, which appeared in our village paper, the National Opinion, soon after her decease, is thought wor thy of insertion here. MRS. MARY W. BLISS. When one who has lived an exemplary and useful life, passes finally away, it seems fit that some more accessi ble and satisfactory mejnorial than the inscription on the grave stone of the deceased, should be preserved ; some, at least, brief obituary notice, which may contribute to keep the dear departed in perpetual and loving remem brance. The maiden name of Mrs. Bliss was Mary Worthen ; a daughter of Mr. Thomas and Mrs. Susanna Worthen. She was born April llth, 1790. Her parents were worthy members of the Congregational Church, in her native place, Bradford, Vt., who sought to train up their children in the way they should go. Mary, when about eighteen years of age, became the wife of Mr. Ellis Bliss, of the same neighborhood; then some three years older than herself. Surrounded by kin- dred and friends, they directly commenced housekeeping, and remained in the same habitation during their subse- 228 quent lives. Captain Bliss died May 8th, 1.851, in the fifty-fourth year of his age; but she continued nearly twenty-two years longer, thus occupying the same/ com fortable farm house, on the bank of Waits River, near its confluence with the Connecticut, for the long period of sixty-five years. Mr. and Mrs. Bliss had thirteen children, two of whom died in their infancy ; all the rest lived to marry and re move, one after another, to their several new homes, with the exception of one of the sons, who permanently re mained with his mother, and at her decease was left still at the old homestead, the last there belonging of all its former numerous and happy occupants. Mrs. Bliss left at her decease four sons and five daugh ters ; somewhat widely dispersed through this* country ; among others, Neziah, a graduate of Vermont University, an attorney at law, in Missouri, and George, a practicing physician, in Ohio. He, after an absence of thirty-six years, being informed of his mother s illness, directly tele graphed that he had set out for home ; but the news, which but a few days before would have thrilled his mother s heart with joy, came a few hours too late ! and when the Doctor, with his two daughters, arrived, her re mains had been for two da} 7 s resting in the silent tomb. A sad disappointment it was to the visitors ; but there were kind brothers and sisters, with other relatives and friends, to receive them most cordially, and mingle their tears of grief and gladness with theirs. It may not be amiss to say here that Mr. Amos Worth- en, State Geologist of Illinois, well and favorably known for his voluminous publications in that interesting depart ment of natural science, was a brother of the deceased, and a native of Bradford. Mrs. Bliss left thirty-two grandchildren and eight great grandchildren, a posterity of forty-nine persons, to rise up and call her blessed. Her own children, at least, know 229 with what patience, loving kindness, and perseverance she labored through all their lives for their comfort ; but the intense desire and consuming anxiety which she felt for their spiritual and everlasting good, they can never fully appreciate. She willingly wore out her life in minister ing to others ; in doing good to all, as she had opportuni ty. Solomon s description of the virtuous women, in the 31st chapter of Proverbs, must have been penned with some such specimen as she was distinctly in view. But she did not depend on any of these things for sal vation. During a season of special refreshing from the presence of the Lord, in the Summer of 1831, she was moved to consecrate herself heartily to the blessed Sav iour, and to trust in Him alone for pardon, sanctifi cation arid life everlasting. With more than thirty others, she that year made a public profession of her faith and de termination thenceforth to be the Lord s, and serve Him, united with the same church to which her parents belonged, and so continued to the last. She, while able to attend and hear, delighted in the public services of the Sabbath, and when deprived of these privileges found great satis faction in her Bible and hymn book. In her last sickness she was sweetly resigned to the Divine "will, beautifully sustained by the promises and consolations of the Gospel ; and at the close of her last Sabbath on earth, March 2, 1873, at the age of eighty- three years, lacking forty days, passed peacefully away to her final rest and blessedness in Heaven. On the subsequent Wednesday her funeral services were attended at the church where she had long been accustomed to worship, and her precious remains laid down to repose with their kindred dead until " all that are in the graves shall hear the voice of the Son of God and come forth." God grant that all those for whose sal vation she so long prayed and labored, may with her arise to glory, honor, and a blessed immortality. S. McK. 230 THE WRIGHTS. Mr. Hubbard Wright, though a native of Lyman, N. H., was a distinguished citizen of Bradford, Vt., and will long- be retained in kind and respectful remembrance by at least the present generation of its people. His father, Dr. Lockhart Wright, when a young man came, near the close of the last century, from Northfield, Mass., and stud ied medicine with Dr. Arad Stebbins, who was then the principal practicing physician in this place. Dr. Wright, when prepared to engage in the business of his profession, married Abigail, the daughter of Ellis Bliss and Abigail Taylor,- his wife. She was a sister of Captain Ellis Bliss, and also of Miss Lydia Bliss, who married Captain Absalom Baldwin. She was married in the seventeenth year ol her age, the Doctor being about ten years her senior. They directly removed to Lymari, N. H., where he practiced medicine for more than twenty years ; when the parents returned, with their son Hub- bard and only daughter, to this place, in the year 1824, and spent the remainder of their days. They lived for a short while a little out of the village. Mr. Wright after wards purchased the Dr. Stebbins place, at the north end of the village, and the family resided there, first in the old Stebbins mansion, which Mr. Wright rendered more spacious and commodious, to be used, as indeed it had before been, as a hotel. It was styled the Vermont House, and so continued till accidentally consumed by fire, in the summer of 1871. It had passed through the hands of several proprietors, and was then owned by R. W. Cham- berlin. In the year 1849, Mr. Hubbard Wright built a fine brick house, a little north of the hotel, and soon after took his parents there, where in the course of a few years they both died. Dr. Lockhart Wright died January 31, 1851, in the eightieth year of his age ; his wife died July 3, 1855, 231 at the age of seventy-four years and twenty-six days. Mr. Hubbard Wright had the supervision of his good farm, but was not much accustomed to hard work. He was for years one of the directors of the first Bradford bank, and there he used to spend a great deal of time. At the call of his fellow townsmen, he represented them in the State Legislature during its sessions of the years 1848, 49, 50, 55, 62, 63, 64, 65 and 68. He was also, from Bradford, a member of the State Convention for the amendment of the Constitution of Vermont in the year 1870. In the prosperity of the town generally he manifested an inter est. Though he had not been a regular attendant on public worship, when the subject of building a new meet ing house, a year or two previous to his decease, for the use of the Congregational church and society, was under discussion, he subscribed liberally in furtherance of the design, though he did not live to see anything effectual accomplished. Mr. Wright never married. He had in care, as friends and helpers, a young girl, Sarah, who remained until she married ; and a young man who had been brought up in his brother s family in New York, by the name of Philip Tally, who gradually became in fact, though not nominal ly, steward of his household, attending faithfully to its domestic affairs, and to the management of the farm. Mr. Wright was an honest and kind neighbor. A very quiet man, he was ; and, having a competency, he did not wish to be much disturbed by either the affairs of other people or his own. Feeling, probably, rather lonely when about home, and being able to do so, he had long been accustomed to walk, both forenoon and afternoon, six days in the week, to the central part of the village, and sit for a while, not in any saloon or bar-room, but in the bank or some store, to see and hear what was going on, and to have a little conver sation with any friends whom he should chance to meet. 232 The time at length came when he could go no more. He then remained quietly in his own pleasant dwelling. Appetite and strength, and all his physical energies were failing. He had become prematurely old. Doctors did the best they could for him, but his infirmities steadily progressed. His friend and helper, Philip, attended to his wants faithfully and tenderly, both day and night ; his sister from New York, and Mrs. Gaffield, (the same who formerly lived in his family,) of Northampton, Mass., with hearts full of loving kindness, came to sympathize with and minister unto him. On the 22d day of July, 1873, at the time appointed by infinite wisdom, he quietly passed away, at the age of sixty-four years, ten months and seven teen days. * Mr. Wright is understood to have possessed a consid erable estate, and to have just left it to the disposal of his surviving brother and sister, without expressing any wish in regard to it. His funeral was attended at his late residence, on Thursday, July 24th, by a large company of his relatives and neighbors, and the fellow townsmen whom he had so often represented in a legislative capacity, and otherwise served. The religious services were conducted by Rev. Dr. McKeen, who had long before attended the funerals of the parents of the deceased ; in this case assisted by Rev. Mr. Elliot, acting pastor of the Congregational church in the place ; when the remains, enclosed in a beautiful casket, were conveyed to the cemetery, and laid down with those of his parents, close by the well proportioned and substantial granite obelisk which he had, years be fore, caused to be erected, with his name and the date of his birth engraved upon it. Mr. Wright left one brother, about four years older than himself, in the city of New York, the celebrated en graver, and a prominent member of the American Bank Note Company, Neziah Wright ; a man well-known and 233 highly esteemed in financial and commercial circles ; who is said to possess a sufficiency of wealth, acquired by fair and honorable means. The amiable and excellent wife of Mr. N. Wright, deceased some years since, leaving no child but a virtually adopted daughter, Jane ; a worthy young lady, who married Mr. Phineas Lowndesbury, of Kidgefield, Ct., a gentleman worthy of such a wife. There was another brother, next to Neziah, Ellis by name, who went many years ago into the Western coun try, and was lost sight of. The only sister of these brothers, Miss Abigail Wright, born at Lyman, N. H., Sept. 6, 1813, a lady possessing a liberal share of good nature, cheerfulness, and energy, has remained single ; devoting her kindly attentions to her parents while living ; and subsequently to her broth ers, in their respective homes ; especially when so great ly needing her sisterly assiduities. Some years since she visited London, and other places of note in Europe ; but her home since the death of her parents has been with her brother in New York. She was present at the funeral of her brother at Bradford, and followed his remains to their final resting place. 16 234 CHAPTER XL The McDuffees James Wilson, the Globe Maker David Wilson, Esq. and Their Families. THE McDUFFEES. An interesting document giving the genealogy of the McDuffees has been kindly put into my hands, and duly examined. It is understood to have been prepared by John McDuffee, Esq., assisted by his son Charles, in whose elegant handwriting it appears. Both the father and the son deceased several years since. It does not consist with my present object to follow this genealogical account into all its various and remote ramifications ; but what I propose is to trace, very concisely, the direct lineage of the family who settled in Bradford, and then to speak somewhat more fully of some of its members or descend ants, as may seem expedient ; but especially of John Mc Duffee, above named. In regard to the origin and name of this respectable class of our citizens, I will quote a few paragraphs from the old manuscript which I have mentioned. " The McDuffee family are undoubtedly of Scotch de scent, and the first that we find of this name is in a book styled l Memoirs of Scotland. " It appears that a man by the name of Duff was a king or chief in Scotland a short time previous to the Chris tian Era. This was before Christian names were used, and from the fact that in Scotland the prefix Mac, abbre viated Me, was used to indicate son, or descendant, we infer that the children of Duff were called McDuff. In Irish names the prefix "0" and in English the termination. "son," are of the same import. . " We have but little further notice of the name till we come to the tragedy of McDuff and McBeth, which oc- 235 curred about A. D. 1050, and is particularly described in the Memoirs of Scotland, and which by Shakespeare is made the theme of his thrilling Macbeth. " McDuff was l Thane of Fife/ one of the noblemen of Scotland during the reign of King Duncan, who was assassinated, and for a short time superceded, by the treacherous McBeth. Under the leadership of the bold and loyal McDuff, the usurper was dethroned and slain, and Malcolm, son of Duncan, established on the throne ; who, in consideration of McDuff s great services, gave him a tract of land in the County of Fife, and added fee to his name, including a gift from the crown ; and thus McDuff became McDuffee. A further honor bestowed was a coat of arms, known in Scotch heraldry by the com bined representation of a lion, rampant with a sword in his paw, guarding the crown and kingdom of Scotland ; three hawks under the lion s feet, representing the three witches whose sorceries had incited McBeth to assassinate his sovereign; and a thorn bush, in memory of Birnam Woods, through which, and bearing green bunches from the same, McDuff and Malcolm, with their English allies, marched against the rebel in his stronghold at Dunsinane, who, in personal encounter with McDuff, was slain. " A picture of this coat of arms was -brought to this country before the old French war, by William McDuffee, and subsequently painted on the back of the sleigh in which Daniel McDuffee came from Londonderry to this town in February, 1796, and when the sleigh was worn out, the back, on which was the coat of arms, was for sev eral years preserved by his daughter Agnes, Mrs. James Wilson, .but finally disappeared, leaving no vestige be hind." Sic transit gloria mundi! So passes away the glory of the world. " The McDuffees were among the emigrants from Scot land who settled in the North of Ireland about the year 1612. John McDuffee and Martha, his wife, were in the 236 terrible seige of the city of Londonderry in 1869, where she acquired the name of the Matchless Martha, for hav ing carefully kept a quantity of meal, against a time of great distress lor food, and then freely distributing it among the starving people. This unexpected relief was received with gratitude and rejoicing long remembered. This John and Martha had several children, and among them a son Daniel. Daniel McDuffee, son of the above named, having served an apprenticeship at the business of a lockmaker, married Ruth Britton, of Colerain, and in 1720, with his wife and daughter Martha, then about two years old, em igrated to America ; his pastor, Rev. James McGregore, of whose church he was a member, with some sixteen fami lies of his parishioners, having gone a year or two before, to establish themselves there. Daniel, with his little family, arrived safely in Boston, and after a few months residence at Andover, in the Spring of 1721 settled down among their Scotch-Irish friends in Nutfield, subse quently Londonderry, N. H. These parents had six sons and three daughters. Five of the sons were in the army of their country in the war with France ; three of them in the decisive battle of Quebec, when that city with the French provinces in North America passed into the hands of the British. This early inhabitant of Londonderry died there in 1768, and his wife died there about two years after. Daniel McDuffee, Jr., a son of the above named, was born in Londonderry, in March, 1739. He was by occu pation a blacksmith, but owned and cultivated the farm in that town on which his parents had lived and died. He married Margaret, daughter of James Wilson, the first of the name in that place. She had a brother James, who was father of James, the globe maker. This Daniel Mc Duffee emigrated to Bradford, Vt, in the month of Feb ruary, 1796, and settled on a farm at the north end of 237 what is now called the Upper Plain, where several of his posterity are still living. His house was on the east side of the highway, near what was long known as McDuffee s Ferry, across the Connecticut River. The writer of this article remembers him well ; remembers once, at his re quest, preaching in his quiet cottage a discourse designed for his special benefit, when, by-reason of the infirmities of age, he was unable to attend public worship.- He died in Bradford, in the eighty-sixth year of his age, December 15, 1824, and his remains were laid in the cemetery close by. His wife had died several years before April 1, 1805. Mary McDuffee, a sister of Daniel, last named, was born in Londonderry, N. H., married Thomas Highlands, a farmer of that town, and lived there till his death, then came to Bradford and lived some fourteen years longer. She had an interesting family of eight or nine children, and died May 26, 1821, aged eighty-nine years. From her have descended our worthy citizens, the Highlands. Daniel and Margaret W. McDuffee, of whom we have been speaking, had a family of fifteen children, all natives of Londonderry. Some of these died in their infancy. Of those who lived to be men and women, and who were for some part of their lives inhabitants of Bradford, the following notices may be given : 1. John McDuffee was born June 16, 1766. Of him and his family more hereafter. 2. Jennet, born February 1, 1768, married David Bliss, went with her husband into the Western country, and died somewhere there. 3. Ruth, born November 5, 1769, married Samuel Drew, remained here a few years longer, then removed to Stanstead, Canada East, where she died. They had eight children. 4. Samuel, born September 7, 1773, married Jane Wilson. He owned and cultivated a good farm in Brad- 238 ford, at the north end of the Upper Plain, and died there July 20, 1850, in the seventy-seventh year of his age. He left one daughter, Annis, at this writing still possess ing the old homestead ; and one son, James, whose resi dence was quite near his sister s ; an industrious farmer and good man he was, who died, strong in Christian faith, March 22, 1873, in the seventy-third year of his age, leav ing the beloved wife, Mary P. Sawyer, with whom he had happily lived for over forty-four years, with one daughter and four sons, with their wives and children, all in close proximity, to love and sympathize with their mother and each other, while passing through the various trials and comforts of life. Their daughter Alice married Alexan der Young, who had died, leaving her in widowhood be fore her father s decease. The eldest son, Ellis, married Elizabeth Sawyer. Olivia, Louisa Annis, Edward Ever ett, and Sarah Sawyer, are the names of their four sur viving children. The second son of James McDuffee, Horace Everett, married Lucy McDuffee, a remote rela tive. Their children are Frank and Alice. The third son, Homer S., married Adelaide Robinson. The names of their children, Frank and Alice. The fourth son, James Lewis R., married Carrie Woodward, and they were living in the house with their father McDuffee at the time of his decease. 5. James McDuffee, son of Daniel, was born August 21, 1775. He married Susan Sweet, moved to Syracuse, N. Y., and died there, .leaving five children. 6. Mary, born August 27, 1777, by occupation a tailor- ess, when about fifty years of age married Peter Frye, of Windsor, Canada East; lived there several years, and after his decease returned to this town, and spent the rem nant of her days. She died in July, 1870, in the ninety- third year of her age. 7. Margaret, born March 20, 1779, married a Mr. Lee, 239 of Windsor, Canada East, and died there, leaving one daughter. 8. Daniel, born March 7, 1781, married Martha Bish op; after a while went off, forsaking his wife, and died, it is not known when nor where. She was familiarly styled, by not only relatives but neighbors generally, "Aunt Patty;" and died at Bradford, in April, 1852. She requested her pastor to preach at her funeral from the text, " Rivers of waters run down mine eyes, because they keep not thy law." 9. Agnes, born Februrary 28, 1783, married her cousin, James Wilson, the globe maker. In her ninety-second year, March, 1874, she was still living in Bradford. Of her family see further notice under the title Wilson. 10. Sarah, born March 7, 1786, married Manasseh Wil- lard, a brother of Captain Israel Willard, of Bradford. They had six children. She died in Massachusetts. 11. Annis, born April 22, 1790, married Samuel Chap man, of Newbury, Vt., April 19, 1821, and took up her residence there. Three sons and one daughter are now living. A more particular account of John McDuffee, a distin guished member of this family, will now be given, JOHN McDUFFEE, ESQ. He was a son of Daniel and Margaret (Wilson) McDuf fee, above named; their second child, the first, who was also a son, having died in infancy. He was born at Lon donderry, N. H., June 16th, 1766. When old enough to assist his father, till about fourteen years of age, he worked with him, alternately on the farm and in his blacksmith shop, as the season of the year and state of the weather guided them ; in his father s double occupation. For some weeks, or months, during each season of winter, he was allowed to attend such schools as they had. The teach- 240 ers were paid by the scholars attending, or their parents; and the books were few, and of a rather low order. Dil- lingsworth s Spelling Book was more used than any other book. Books of Arithmetic and Grammar were uncom mon. Young McDuffee, however, was so fortunate as to have a teacher who had a "Cyphering Book," containing various arithmetical rules and problems, and who was able to give lessons of instruction from the same. This was quite to the boy s taste ; for he had, as his subsequent life proved, a real genius and talent for the mathematics. His health, a great part of the time between fourteen and seventeen years of age, was poor ; he was too feeble to work much ; and so, as he would find opportunity, he studied the more. In his seventeenth year he had ac quired a thorough knowledge of Fisher s Arithmetic ; and had commenced the study of surveying, under the instruction of Master Clark, who had the reputation of being a good surveyor; and was then teaching in Lon donderry. In the Spring of 1784 he taught school for a few weeks, then attended the academy in Andover for a while, and so worked along as best he could; keeping the art of surveying continually in view, with the use of the instruments of which he had by this time become quite well acquainted. Before tracing his progress any further, I will go back, and lor the amusement, especially of my youthful read ers, relate an incident or two of a singular character, of which his manuscript makes mention, as occurring in his boyhood. One of them is this : "When I was a boy I was not at all timid, but one day, while passing through the lot, I thought I distinctly saw a lad, with whom I was well acquainted and had been very intimate, jump behind a log ahead of me, by which I was about to pass, for the purpose, as I supposed, of frightening me. I therefore quickened my steps, designing to get the start of the other boy, and running up to the log leaned over, crying 241 out, Boo ! but to my surprise there was no one there." For this he was never able to account, for he was sure if there had been a boy .there he could not possibly have got away. This, we too may as well throw into our heap of unaccountables. Another anecdote is that when he was quite young an Irishmen, directly from the old country, came to his fath er s house, and, being taken into employment on the farm, made himself very useful. He seemed for a while con tented and happy. But one day he was very sad, and said he must leave. On being asked what was the trouble, he could not be induced to tell. At last when John, for whom he had taken a special liking, was trying to get the secret out of him, the Irishman, after much hesitation, said : "Oh ! ye live so near the chimney of hell I dare not stay 1" On further inquiry it was found that this son of Erin, having been out on a low piece of ground near the house the evening before, had, for the first time in his life, seen lightning-bugs flying about, which he thought must be sparks from the infernal pit, and it was not with out much difficulty that he could be convinced to the con trary, even when John had caught one of the little flash ers, and given him occular demonstration of its appear ance and manner of operation. We will now resume the main thread of our narration. When JohriMcDuffee was between nineteen and twenty- one years of age he taught school for several terms in different towns in the then province of Maine, particular ly in Falmouth, Saco, and Brunswick. On his first jour ney into that part of the country, which was probably in his nineteenth year, he very narrowly escaped being kill ed by wolves, in Saco woods. He was making his jour ney on foot, and towards evening one day inquired at a house how far it was to Saco Falls, and on being told five miles pushed on, thinking there would be houses by the way, as there had been, where he could in case of neces- 242 sity stop during the night. He had not proceeded far before he found himself in a wilderness, and in the dark ness of night. While pursueing his solitary way he heard at a distance behind him a noise which he recognized as the bark of a wolf, which he was convinced must have scented his track, He quickened his steps, and, being young and spry, passed rapidly along. Soon the howl of the first wolf was answered by that of another. There seemed to be a pack of them in pursuit of him ! He com menced running, but, while exerting his powers to the utmost to escape, the wolves were evidently coming near er and yet nearer. His courage and strength were be ginning to fail, when he discovered a light ahead of him, and pressed on, closely pursued by the monsters, deter mined still to seize and devour him. He reached the house ; dashed open the door ; arid, completely exhausted, fell headlong and senseless upon the floor. A party of young people, the giris having had what they called a "wool breaking" in the afternoon, were there that eve ning engaged in dancing, and were greatly surprised to receive so dashing a visitant, from they knew not what quarter. But on going to the door they at once learned what was the trouble, for the wolves were still within a few rods of the house. On recovering, McDuffee was told that but a few days before a man had gone with his team into the same woods, and not returning when looked for, search was made for him, when he was found dead, with several dead wolves lying around him, in one of which his axe was sticking. The appearance was that while at his work getting wood, a pack of wolves had rushed upon him, when, turning his back to a tree with axe in hand, he bravely fought them, and had killed several. Then strik ing his axe between the shoulders of a stout and strong one, the helve had been jerked from his hands, leaving him defenceless, when the infuriated survivors of the pack quickly overpowered him ; killed him ; and drank 243 his blood. Having thus had a taste of human blood, they were the more eager and determined to have another feast of the same sort. It was of the Lord s mercies that the young man so narrowly escaped. Mr. McDuftee having finished his teaching in Maine, returned home, and came the ensuing summer to Ver mont, bringing his instruments of surveying and engin eering with him, not without use by the way. In June, 1788, he made his first visit to Moore town, which by act of Legislature the following autumn received its present ,name of Bradford. The direct .object of his visit was to assist, as he had been requested, in the settlement of the estate of his uncle, Samuel McDuffee, who had been drowned in Connecticut River, 1781. The widow, Eliza beth (Rogers), was still living on the desirable farm to which her deceased husband had become entitled as one of the first settlers. He was pleased with the farm, and purchased the same for himself. It was that which his father, Daniel McDuffee, and family, subsequently occu pied. He then returned to Londonderry, and there spent the winter. In the spring of 1789 he came back, and took up his residence on the place he had purchased, and thence forward, to the distant day of his death, became a distinguished citizen of Bradford. March 24, 1791, Mr. McDuiFee purchased of Uriah Stone, of Piermont, N. H., the ferry subsequently known as McDuffee s ferry, a noted crossing place over " the great river," till superseded by bridges, both above and below, many years afterwards. Soon after his coming to Bradford he built a small house near the ferry, a little north of the one his uncle had occupied, and for some time kept a small store of various articles wanted by the early settlers. For a few years his sister Ruth kept his house, after which he married Martha Dake, a native of London derry, but then a resident of Bradford ; left his farm near the river to his father, and moved to a new one, on the 244 eastern slope of Wright s mountain, near the line between Bradford and Newbury, where he raised up a large fami ly, and spent the remnant of his days. Of his family some further information will presently be given. The Legislature of Vermont, at its session in 1792, passed an act, as in another part of this history has been stated, constituting Israel Smith, Alexander Harvey, and James Whitelaw, a committee to make a survey of the Hazen tract, in the Western part of Bradford, dividing it into lots convenient for settlement, and, on certain easy conditions, securing to each man the due possession of the lot on which he had been making improvement, and the like advantage to others who might wish to purchase lots still unappropriated. The work of making this survey was, by the said Whitelaw, Surveyor General of Ver mont, committed to John McDuffee, who no doubt per formed it faithfully. He was for many years, in all this region accounted a distinguished master of his art, and was as such extensively employed. When the project of building a railroad from Concord, N. H., through Plymouth, Wentworth and Haverhill, to Wells River, Vt., began to be seriously discussed, and it was remembered that Mr. McDuffee had long before sur veyed through at least the most formidable part of that route, with a view to a canal, and found it quite feasible, his counsel and influence were earnestly sought for, and, proving highly beneficial, were, it is said, very handsome ly rewarded. He was quite a zealous politician, as well as a celebrated surveyor ; and when attending a railroad meeting at Concord, and called upon for a sentiment, or toast, as it was called, brought out the applause of the gathering, by the following impromptu : " The political compass of the United States, with the representative needle, equally balanced on the pivot of the Union, freely playing over the four cardinal points Freedom of speech, 245 freedom of the press, freedom in elections, and freedom in religion." The writer of this, when about sixteen years of age, enjoyed for a short time the instruction of Mr. McDufFee in his favorite department, not so much with a view to practice as to mental improvement and satisfaction, and from that and subsequent acquaintance became quite im pressed by a conviction of his mathematical genius and attainments. It is encouraging and delightful to see how some, indeed many, young men of decision and energy have, almost unassisted by relatives or pecuniary resour ces, pressed their way through manifold difficulties to honorable distinction in the various departments of scien tific and useful knowledge. John McDuffee, Esq., after a laborious and protracted life, died at his mountain home in Bradford, May 4, 1851, in the eighty-fifth year of his age. John McDufFee, Esq., as has been said, was a native of Londonderry, N. EL, born June 16, 1766. He married Martha Dake, of that town, some time in 1795. They had six sons and five daughters, all natives of Bradford, Yt. Of these five, namely, Jennet, Patty, Martha, James, and Andrew J., died in their childhood. Of the others, we have the following notices. 1. Margaret McDuffee, born December 26, 1796, mar ried Mosely Blake, of Bedford, Mass. She, at this date, (1874) is living in widowhood, with her sister, Mrs. Bronsden, at Milton, in that State. 2. John McDuffee, Jr., born July 31, 1798, lived for some time at Sing Sing, N. Y., taught schools for several years in New Jersey, and was last heard from at Akron, Ohio. 3. James McDuffee, born October 17, 1806, married and had three children ; settled at Eel River, Ind. 4. Samuel, born May 7, 1808, married Emily Way, of Lempster, N. H., and settled in Ackworth. They have 246 six children ; namely, Samuel V., a worthy minister of the Congregational order ; George W., Charles 0., Louisa E., and Lucy, wife of Horace Everett McDuffee, of Brad ford, Yt. Also Martha. 5. William McDuffee, born September 25, 1809, mar ried Laura J. Carter, of Newbury, January 14, 1836. They have had six children. Of these, two sons and two daughters died in their infancy. Their daughter Louisa married Clement Worthen, of Enfield, N. H. She, with her brother, George W., and sister, Etta L., at this date is still living. 6. Louisa McDuffee, born April 11, 1817, married Lewis Bronsdon, of Massachusetts, February 6, 1844. They have three children, Louisa, Lewis and Peleg. Mrs. Martha Dake, the first wife of John McDuffee, Esq., died at Bradford, May 14, 1822, at the age of forty- nine years and two days; a worthy woman of the Scotch Irish race. Esquire McDuffee married for his second wife, Novem ber 10, 1833, .Miss Dolly Greenleaf, of Bradford, who was born there, March 10, 1790. They had six children, all sons. Of these Daniel, the first, died in the eleventh year of his age, July 29, 1835; and Mansfield, the second, and Henry, the fourth, in early childhood. Charles McDuffee, the third son, born November 19, 1827, was an estimable young man, of ability and good scholarship ; a professional land surveyor, and trustworthy agent in the settlement of estates ; and died at the family home in Bradford, July 31, 1863, in the thirty-sixth year of his age. Henry Clay McDuffee, born October 3, 1831, married Miss Laura Waterman, of Lebanon, N. H., March 12, 1863, who died on the 15th of the subsequent September. He married for his second wife, June 8, 1869, Miss Rosie M. Bill, a daughter of Major R. M. Bill, of West Topsham, Vt. Their son Ernest B. 3vas born November 23, 1870. Mr. 247 H. C. McDuffee represented the town of Bradford in the State Legislature of 1870 and 1872, and has held several other offices of honor and trust. Was High Bailiff of Orange County in 1872 and 1873; one of the Selectmen of Bradford, etc., and has been much engaged in buying and selling lands in the Western and Southern States, as agent for parties in Boston and New York ; also in con nection with his brothers, Charles and Horace, in settling several large estates in New Hampshire and Massachu setts. Horace G-. McDuffee, the youngest member of this large family, born December 22, 1833, studied surveying and civil engineering in the scientific department of Dart mouth College, and graduated there, in the class of 1861. He has made his permanent home in Bradford, and been dilligently occupied in land surveying, the manufacture and sale of lumber, and as a real estate agent. In 1867 he married Mrs. Ellen P. Smith, widow of James C. Smith, of Cairo, Illinois. They have one child, a daughter, named Mabel ; and a pleasant home of their own in Bradford vil lage. I here very gratefully acknowledge the courtesy of Mr. H. G. McDuffee for scientifically ascertaining, at my request, the height of Wright s Mountain, as stated in another chapter of this History. John McDuffee, Esq., the father of this large family, died in Bradford, at his mountain home, May 4, 1851, in the eighty-fifth year of his age. His venerable widow, who had been spending her last years with her son, Hen ry C., and wife, at the village, having gone out to her old home on the mountain, where her sister, the Widow Cor liss, was still residing, was shortly after stricken down by apoplexy, arid died there May 7, 1874, at the age of eighty-four years and two months, lacking three days. Her remains repose beside those of her husband, in the cemetery near the village. 248 JAMES WILSON, THE GLOBE MAKER, AND FAMILY. James Wilson, who has the honor of being the maker of the first pair ot Terrestrial and Celestial Globes ever made in America, was a native of Londonderry, N. H. He was born 1763. He early felt a strong love of knowl edge, and gave proof of talents of the right stamp for ac quiring it ; but felt constrained by circumstances to de vote himself to the laborious occupation of a farmer. Up to the age of thirty-three he pursued that employment in the place of his nativity ; not, however, without reading, observation and reflection. His inclination and genius turned his thoughts and studies especially to Geography and Astronomy, with the means of their illustration. In the year 1796 he removed with his family to Bradford, in Vermont, and took up his permanent abode on a farm which he purchased there, on the Connecticut River, about one mile North of the village. When about thirty -six years of age Mr. Wilson had the pleasure of seeing and examining a pair of English globes, and resolved to imitate them. He commenced with balls turned from blocks of wood, which he nicely covered with paper, and scientifically finished off with all the lines and representations which belong to such apparatus, drawn upon them. This rude beginning was followed by a much better method. The solid balls were thickly covered with layers of paper firmly pasted together. This shell was then di vided into hemispheres, which being removed were again united, and finished with due regard to lightness, strength and smoothness. But how were these spheres to be cov ered with maps equal to those of the European artists ? Mr. Wilson procured copper plates of sufficient size for his thirteen inch globes, protracted his maps on them in sections, tapering as the degrees of longitude do from the equator to the poles, and engraved them with such ad- 249 mirable accuracy of design, that when cut apart and duly pasted on his spheres, the, edges with their lines, and even the different parts of the finest letters, would perfectly coincide and make one surface, truly representing the earth, or celestial constellations. Though in the use of the graver he was self-taught, and this species of design and engraving was incomparably more difficult than plain work, yet by his .ingenuity and incredible perseverance he succeeded admirably, and brought forth globes, duly mounted, and in all respects fitted to rival in the market any imported from foreign countries. In the. prosecution of his work and general studies, Mr. Wilson doubtless de rived important assistance from the Edinburgh Encyclo pedia, which constituted the principal part of his library. He published the first edition of his globes in 1814 ; and personally presented to the people of Boston the first American globes which were seen there. Quite a sensa tion was produced among the literati by such a novelty, and when earnest inquiry was made, " Who is this James Wilson ? where is he ? " he has been heard to say that he felt exceedingly mortified in consideration of his rus tic garb and manners, when obliged to come out and con fess himself. But the gentlemen in question knew how to prize his talents, and were proud of the honor which he had done to his country. They encouraged him to prose cute his undertaking, by the assurance that he should find there a ready market for all the globes he could fur nish. For a time he pursued his vocation on a small scale at Bradford, Vt., arid also at Londonderry, N. H., but finally, in company with his sons, who inherited a good share of their father s taste and ingenuity, he es tablished, about the year 1815, a large manufactory in Albany, N. Y., and in 1826 brought out from fresh en graving a still more perfect and splendid edition. These globes, consisting of three different sizes, so elegantly and scientifically constructed, are an honor not only to their 17 250 makerSj but to the American people. That manufactory at Albany was sustained for several years, though the young artists who commenced it went down to early graves, and their aged lather not long after wholly with drew himself from the business. Mr. Wilson, with a remnant of his once flourishing fam ily still with him, lived to old age, retaining his faculties remarkably. His love for geography, astronomy, and the mechanical arts connected with them, remaining unabat ed. When past eighty years of age he contrived, and with his own hands constructed, a machine which finely illustrates the daily and yearly revolutions of the earth ; the cause of the successive seasons ; and the sun s place, for every day of the year, in the ecliptic. These move ments are produced by turning a crank, which causes the earth to revolve about the sun in the plane of the ecliptic, always retaining its true relative position. The machine is also furnished with the means of causing the student to see and understand precisely what is meant by the Precession of the Equinoxes ; a difficult thing, without some such means of illustration. The large copper plate, on which are printed the months of the year, with their days, and the correspond ing signs of the zodiac with their degrees, was engraved by Mr. Wilson after he was eighty -three years of age ! Can a similar instance anywhere be found ? A specimen of this curious apparatus may be seen at Thetford Acade my, at Bradford Academy, or at Mr. Wilson s late resi dence, which last is an improvement on the others. Every academy ought to have something of the sort, and the aged and very ingenious maker deserved to realize some profit from so scientific and useful a contrivance. The machine, for the want of a more definite name, is called Wttson s Planetarium, the latter term being used in a re stricted sense. If this Planetarium should be thought clumsy, still it finely illustrates what it was intended to, 251 and it may yet be reduced to any degree of elegance. It would in any family be an appropriate accompaniment to Wilson s globes. Mr. Wilson died at his home on the Upper Plain, in Bradford, March 26, 1855, at the age of ninety-two years and twelve days. THE FAMILY OF JAMES WILSON, ESQ. James Wilson, when about twenty-one years of age, married Molly Highland, of his native place, Londonderry, N. H. They had one son, James Wilson, Jr., who became Cap tain of a merchant ship plying between this country and Europe. .On his third voyage, in 1812, which was for France, having run the British blockade at Norfolk, Va., his vessel, with himself and crew, was lost at sea. He left a widow and one child. The first wife of James Wilson, the globe maker, died young, when he, in due season, married Sarah Donalson, by whom he had ten children, of whom three died young. The rest lived to be men and women. Of these, though much more might be said, the following brief notices must suffice : Sally, the eldest daughter, married Stephen Tabor, of Bradford. She left at her decease a son, Dr. S. J. W. Tabor, now auditor in some department at Washington. Samuel married Jane McBride, and died in Albany, N. Y., where he had for years been engaged in the manu facture of globes. They had four children. Their son James W. was educated at West Point, and has for years been employed in the United States service as a Civil Engineer. John, who was considered by the family as particularly talented, married Rebecca Mandel; was occupied with two of his brothers in the globe business ; and died at Albany, leaving his widow with six children. Cyrus 254 DAVID WILSON, ESQ., AND FAMILY. David Wilson was of the Scotch-Irish stock, born in Londonderry, N. JEL, December 11, 1768. He was a broth er of James Wilson, the first American globe maker, who also lived to be over ninety years of age, and died in this town. In youth he enjoyed but very limited advantages for education ; but during his long life so well improved his fragments of time that he accumulated a good store of useful knowledge. On leaving the place of his nativ ity, he resided for a while in Eockingham, and then in Londonderry, Vt., from whence he removed to Bradford. He and his wife, Margaret Doak, with a child in her arms, came up the Connecticut River in company with a gang of lumbermen returning from market, whom they found to be rough and unpleasant associates. Their voyage, in an open boat, propelled by oars and pike-poles, was te dious and uncomfortable. When they came opposite to the South end of Fairlee Mountain they were overtaken by a tremenduous shower. The boatmen pushed their craft to the shore, and, without fastening it properly, sprang off, and ran away. Before Mr. Wilson could get his wife and child out, the boat drifted back into the channel, and was carried down the river some distance, to the peril of their lives. They arrived in Bradford some time in June, 1795, and settled down on a lot in the wilderness, near Wright s Mountain, a little to the North-west of the sum mit, where he resided for nearly sixty-eight years, till the time of his death. The first sheep he had he brought from Newbury, and it had become nearly dark before he got over the mountain with them. The wolves howled around him, and threatened to seize on his little flock. On reach ing home he rejoiced that his- sheep were safe. Not so safe, however, as he supposed. Before morning he heard an uproar which convinced him that the wolves were among his flock. They had leaped into the enclosure, and 255 were seizing and devouring their prey. He sprang up and went resolutely at them, when they fled, leaving three of his flock mangled and dead, to him at that time a seri ous misfortune. One year, a little before wheat harvest, he thought his neighbor s hogs must have been among his wheat, he found so much of it trampled down, and de termined to keep a sharp lookout for them. Not many days after, seeing the tops of the tall grain violently agitated he was convinced the swine were at their work, and ran to drive them out, when suddenly a bear sprang up before him ! then another ! then another ! three of those black monsters ready to seize on him as their prey. He instinctively sprang upon a stump, uttering a tremen- duous shout. The bears, unaccustomed to such a start ling outcry, terror stricken fled away, leaving the rightful owner in possession of his field. Mr. Wilson early turned his attention to fruit growing, and planted an orchard as soon as he could get land enough cleared for that purpose. He planted the largest orchard in this part of the -State, chiefly of grafted trees, from which he some years saw gathered from one hun dred to one hundred and seventy-five barrels of selected apples. He raised many trees for sale, and did much to promote fruit growing in this and the neighboring towns. With him originated the apple known in this vicinity as the " Wilson Russett." Mr. Wilson served the town of Bradford as one of the Selectmen, gratuitously, for six or seven years, and officiated as Justice of the Peace for some fifteen years, during which time he transacted a great amount of business. He was remarkable for his constant attendance on Freemen s meetings ; after the lapse of nearly sixty years he was still there, always vot ing on what is now called the Eepublican side. He was strongly opposed to slavery, and to the attempt of its supporters to overthrow the Federal Government. The fire of patriotism kindled in his youthful mind in the days 254 DAVID WILSON, ESQ., AND FAMILY. David Wilson was of the Scotch-Irish stock, born in Londonderry, N. H., December 11, 1768. He was a broth er of James Wilson, the first American globe maker, who also lived to be over ninety years of age, and died in this town. In youth he enjoyed but very limited advantages for education ; but during his long life so well improved his fragments of time that he accumulated a good store of useful knowledge. On leaving the place of his nativ ity, he resided for a while in Buckingham, and then in Londonderry, Vt., from whence he removed to Bradford. He and his wife, Margaret Doak, with a child in her arms, came up the Connecticut River in company with a gang of lumbermen returning from market, whom they found to be rough and unpleasant associates. Their voyage, in an open boat, propelled by oars and pike-poles, was te dious and uncomfortable. When they came opposite to the South end of Fairlee Mountain they were overtaken by a tremenduous shower. The boatmen pushed their craft to the shore, and, without fastening it properly, sprang off, and ran away. Before Mr. Wilson could get his wife and child out, the boat drifted back into the channel, and was carried down the river some distance, to the peril of their lives. They arrived in Bradford some time in June, 1795, and settled down on a lot in the wilderness, near Wright s Mountain, a little to the North-west of the sum mit, where he resided for nearly sixty-eight years, till the time of his death. The first sheep he had he brought from Newbury, and it had become nearly dark before he got over the mountain with them. The wolves howled around him, and threatened to seize on his little flock. On reach ing home he rejoiced that his- sheep were safe. Not so safe, however, as he supposed. Before morning he heard an uproar which convinced him that the wolves were among his flock. They had leaped into the enclosure, and 255 were seizing and devouring their prey. He sprang up and went resolutely at them, when they fled, leaving three of his flock mangled and dead, to him at that time a seri ous misfortune. One year, a little before wheat harvest, he thought his neighbor s hogs must have been among his wheat, he found so much of it trampled down, and de termined to keep a sharp lookout for them. Not many days after, seeing the tops of the tall grain violently agitated he was convinced the swine were at their work, and ran to drive them out, when suddenly a bear sprang up before him ! then another ! then another ! three of those black monsters ready to seize on him as their prey. He instinctively sprang upon a stump, uttering a tremen- duous shout. The bears, unaccustomed to such a start ling outcry, terror stricken fled away, leaving the rightful owner in possession of his field. Mr. Wilson early turned his attention to fruit growing, and planted an orchard as soon as he could get land enough cleared for that purpose. He planted the largest orchard in this part of the -State, chiefly of grafted trees, from which he some years saw gathered from one hun dred to one hundred and seventy-five barrels of selected apples. He raised many trees for sale, and did much to promote fruit growing in this and the neighboring towns. With him originated the apple known in this vicinity as the "Wilson Russett." Mr. Wilson served- the town of Bradford as one of the Selectmen, gratuitously, for six or seven years, and officiated as Justice of the Peace for some fifteen years, during which time he transacted a great amount of business. He was remarkable for his constant attendance on Freemen s meetings; after the lapse of nearly sixty years he was still there, always vot ing on what is now called the Republican side. He was strongly opposed to slavery, and to the attempt of its supporters to overthrow the Federal Government. The fire of patriotism kindled in his youthful mind in the days 256 of the Revolution continued to glow warmly there, through a long life, and amid all the infirmities of age. He was blessed with a strong mind in a strong and health ful body ; and his intellectual faculties held out remarka bly, to the time of his death ; when he departed peace fully, trusting in the mercy of his God and Saviour, in the ninety-fifth year of his age, February 23, 1863. Mr. Wilson was alike distinguished for his mildness and de cision ; for veracity and uprightness ; for his domestic virtues and love of country. He stood firmly for a while, but at length, like one of the sightly old forest trees of the mountain, he has fallen ; his time, as he said, having come. The above account of David Wilson, Esq., I prepared, from information, given me soon after his death, about eleven years ago, and now add some further notices of him, and especially regarding his family, lately received from his son, John Wilson, Esq., who still occupies the old homestead, in 1874. He says when his father took up that lot on which he settled in Bradford, of so little estimation had it been held that at one time it was sold at auction to obtain the payment of its charter fees, and was bid off for one bushel of wheat and a gallon of rum. When his parents settled there no carriage road had been opened across the moun tain, and their first habitation was a log cottage, the build ing of which had been commenced by one Caleb Page. And he had often heard his good mother tell, that when at one time she had set out to visit her sister, Mrs. Mc- Duffee, about one mile away, over the mountain, leading her little son James, and carrying David, the baby, on her other arm, she, when about half way along, confronted a huge bear ! sitting directly in her path, and not showing any disposition to stir ! It was probably at the time not hungry, and so suffered the good woman with her child ren to return quickly to her home in safety. Another 257 exploit of Mrs. Wilson was that on one occasion she rode on horseback with her son William, then about ten years old, behind her, from her home to Londonderry, N. !L, a distance of about one hundred and twenty miles, and, af ter a visit with her friends there of a few weeks, returned in the same way, safe and sound. And so much of a walker was Mr. Wilson that he used to go on foot to Lon donderry in two days, and having accomplished his busi ness, return home again in the same length of time. The price of salt in Bradford in those days is an item of some interest at this time. Mr. J. Wilson says when his father first came here to live he brought with him in the boat, up Connecticut River, a tierce of salt, and he has noticed in one of his father s old accounts a pharge to Peter Welton of " One bushel of salt, 4 dollars." The date of David Wilson death has already been given. Mrs. Wilson, his wife, died March 6, 1853, about ten years before his decease, at the age of eighty-three. Their children : 1. Robert, born August 12, 1794, died young. 2. William, born June 13, 1796. He married Anna Haseltine, who died soon after the death of their first child, a son. He afterwards married Ann Barker, and had five sons, all of whom married. His second wife has deceased, and he lives with his son Robert, at Craftsbury, Vermont. 3. James, born January 15, 1798, married Sophronia Closson, and had two daughters, both mother and daugh ters now deceased. He married for his second wife Bet sey Corliss, of Windham, N. H., and had five sons and four- daughters, all of whom, except one of the daughters, mar ried and have families, and live in Compton, Province of Quebec. 4. David, born January 1800, married Fanny Rogers, of Bradford, and had four sons and three daughters. He lived for some years in Westmore, Vt., and represented 258 that town in the State Legislature. His wife having de ceased, he went to live with one of his sons in Compton, above named. 5. Fanny, born in 1800, died young. 6. Samuel, born May 12, 1804; married first Emily Thompson, of Topsham. They had one son, who went West, and was never heard from. After the decease of his first wife, Mr. W. married Martha Godfrey. They had a son and a daughter. The second wife has deceased, and Mr. W. lives with his son-in-law at Lancaster, N. H. 7. John, born Aug. 11, 1806, married Nancy Cochran, June 29, 1834, by whom he had five children, namely : Mary W., Byron B., Persis A., John D., and Boyd H. Of these Persis A. jnarried Bailey Avery, of Newbury, and has three sons and two daughters. Her brother, John D., married Melvina Crafts, of Bradford, Jan. 1, 1865, and lives with his father and brother, Boyd H., on the old homestead. Mary W. also is still with her parents. Byron B. Wilson, above named, born Nov. 18, 1836, was a young man of talent, energy, and decided patriot ism, a young man of estimable character, and much be- ioved, not only at home, but among his acquaintances generally. Early in the war for the suppression of the rebellion, Sept. 5, 1861, he enlisted as a volunteer in the service of his country, for the period of three years ; or while the war should last. His regiment, the 4th Ver mont volunteers, pertained to the command of Brigadier Gen. Wm. Smith, of the army of the Potomac. He was in several bloody battles, and on one ocasion wrote : "No friend of mine shall blush to think that I feared, or ever failed, to meet the foe." Again : "There are many chan ces for me to lay down my life, before my term of service expires. One thing is certain, I shall try to do my duty, to meet all contingencies manfully, whatever may be my fate." Whatever it may be I am content, only that the Union be preserved." In the great battle of the wilder- 259 ness this beloved and brave young man was instantly killed, May 5, 1864, by a bullet sent through his head, and there, with many others, was buried. But they died not in vain. The Union has been preserved, and liberty proclaimed throughout the whole land, to all the inhabit ants thereof. John Wilson, Esq., has held the office of Justice of the Peace for several years, hence his title. 8. Persis, the youngest member of the family of Da vid Wilson, Esq., born Nov. 2, 1808, married Eliphalet Hunt, of Chelmsford, Mass., who died some years ago, leaving a son, David W., with whom she at this date was living at Moline, Illinois. 260 CHAPTER XII. The Tabors, Putnams, Pearsons, and Sawyers. THE TABOR FAMILY. The following information in regard to this large and respectable family was mainly obtained from Thomas Ta bor, since deceased, and from his son, Lorenzo Tabor, Esq., now living in Adrian, Mich. Stephen Tabor and his Avife, whose maiden name was Comfort Parker, emigrated to this town of Bradford in the autumn of 1798, bringing with them eleven children, to whom three more were added after their coming, all of the same mother, and what is very remarkable the whole four teen lived to be over thirty years of age. All, with their families, have now disappeared from this town, and only two sons and two daughters of the original family are now, June, 1874, supposed to be living. Mr. Stephen Ta bor removed his family from New Bedford, Mass., and set tled on a good farm, or rather on a lot which he and his sons converted into a good farm, on Goshen road, about one mile and a half from Bradlord village, the same farm which is now owned and occupied by Capt. Preston Cham- berlin. Mr. Tabor died there, Aug. 10, 1852, at the age of 80, and Mrs. Tabor, his wife, died Aug. 23, 1837, in her 79th year. Their children were : 1. Mary was born March 27, 1767, and died Jan. 10, 1847, in the 70th year of her age. 2. Ruby, born Sept. 7, 1778, married Ezekiel Sawyer, and died leaving a family (see the Sawyers) March 24, 1813, in her 35th year. 3. Rebecca, born Aug. 2, 1780 ; married Thomas Highlands, and died July 22, 1852, aged 72, nearly; left a family. 4. Jeremiah, born April 22, 1782 ; married Dorothy 261 Drew, settled on Indian stream, in the North-west part of New Hampshire, and died there March 31, 1843, aged 61, nearly. 5. Phebe, born Aug. 1784; married Thomas Whipple, and died Aug. 17, 1823, aged 39 years. Thomas Whipple was M. D., and also a Member of Congress. See fur ther account of him among the Physicians in Bradford. 6. Thomas Tabor, born May 13, 1786 ; married Abi gail Drew, of Corinth, who died Sept. 24, 1861, aged 69 years, 5 months and 4 days. Mr. Tabor died at Hudson, Michigan, Feb. 27, 1863, in the 77th year of his age. Of him and his family see further notice, hereafter. 7. Paul Tabor, born Aug. 12, 1788; married Waity Whipple, and is at this writing living in health and mental vigor near Adrian, Michigan, with his wife. 8. Sarah, born March 12, 1791 ; married Daniel Drew, of Corinth, and at this date is living still in health and activity, at Prairie Du Lac, Sauk county, Wisconsin. 9. Stephen Tabor, born March 11, 1793 ; married Sarah Wilson, daughter of James W., the globe maker, and died March 27, 1823, aged 30 years and 16 days. 10. Anna, born Feb. 11, 1795 ; married Lewis Mas- querier, lived with him at Green Point, King s Co., N. Y., and died Sept. 13, 1873, in her 78th year. 11. Mercy, born Dec. 16, 1796 ; married John H. Kim- ball, .of Bradford, and died Aug. 25, 1833, in her 37th year. See Kimball family. 12. Blisha P. Tabor, born Feb. 26, 1799 ; married Han nah Kent, and at this writing is living at Prairie Du Lac, Wisconsin. 13. Patience, born March, 1801 ; a successful teacher still living, single. 14. Isaac W. Tabor, born November 11, 1804; by profession an attorney -at-law ; married ; established him self in business at Houlton, Aroostook Co., Maine ; repre- 262 sented that town in the State Legislature, and died there Jan. 23, 1859, in his 55th year. Of the children of these numerous members of the orig inal Tabor family we have not been furnished with any account, except in the case of Thomas and his wife, Abi gail Drew, who had six sons and three daughters, all na tives of Bradford, namely : 1. Lorenzo Tabor, born February 23, 1815. His early education, pursued for some years in good district schools, was finished at Bradford Academy. He commenced the study of law with Seth Austin, Esq., of this town, and completed the requisite course in the office of Elijah Farr, attorney-at-law, at Wells River, Vt., and by Orange Coun ty Court was duly admitted to the bar in 1838. In May, 1839, he married Miss Maria, daughter of Thomas Orms- by, of this town, and with her set out to seek a home in the West. They seem to have been most happily united, and have lived for many years in prosperity at Adrian, Michigan. They have had three beautiful sons, all re moved from them by the stroke of death, in their boy hood. Esquire Tabor has been not only successful in his professional business, and accumulated a competency with which, unlike many others, he seems to be satisfied, and disposed to be liberal ; but has also gained the reputation of a capable, upright, and trustworthy man, and as such has been in various ways honored. On the late occasion of his resignation of the office of an Alderman of Adrian, the City Council passed resolutions highly applauding " the rare ability, honesty of purpose, and the strictest integrity," ever manifested by him in the discharge of his official duties, and their regret that, for reasons made pub lic by him, he should have seen fit to resign. 2. Philander Tabor, the next brother of the last named, born November 15, 1816, is at this date living in Independence, Iowa. 263 3. Ruby, born July 1, 1818, married Henry Ames, with whom she lives in Adrian. 4. Stephen, born January 22, 1820, died August 12, 1867. 5. Phebe Jane, born July 31, 1824, lives near her brother Lorenzo. 6. Lavalette, born September 24, 1826, is largely and successfully engaged in mercantile business at Prairie Du Lac, Wisconsin. 7. Mercy Helen, born November 22, 1828, married S. S. Wilkinson, a lawyer, and lives in Jefterson, Green County, Iowa, in good circumstances. 8. Thomas Byron, born September 29, 1830, died February 19, 1849, in his nineteenth year. 9. Another son, Walter W., born August 11, 1833, died in his fifth year. Thomas Tabor, Esq., had a love for the beautiful in nature, and by the way-sides, near their residence in Bradford, set out those rows of maples, now so large and flourishing and attractive to every passer by. He set them in the spring of 1830, so that they have now been growing there for forty-four years. He was a trustee of Bradford Academy for several years, and to him, mainly, is the institution indebted for the beautiful maples which adorn its grounds. He set them there in the spring of 1831. Mr. Tabor removed to Michigan in 1837 ; and in 1860 wrote to me, "Here are many trees growing, that may perpetuate a name that otherwise might become ex tinct." In the same letter he gave the following account of his experience in regard to the business of making whiskey : " Not far from the year 1810, my brother Jeremiah and I, the two oldest sons, both zealous members of the Freewill Baptist church, built a distillery on the Tabor farm, and N. B. When individuals are spoken of as now living, the meaning is now at the time of this writing, which in this case is June, 1874, 264 engaged largely in making whiskey from potatoes, which we followed for near fifteen years, raising from one thou sand to four thousand bushels of potatoes yearly, and buying as many more. This was the most successful es tablishment of the kind for many miles around, and no doubt did more real injury in the circle of its influence than the proprietors have been, or ever will be, able to atone for by a long life of humble repentance and earnest efforts to do good. This business finally fell into my hands, and I verily thought with myself 7 that I could make and sell whiskey, and at the same time please God, pray to Him acceptably and be a blessing to the world. In this state of mind I attended a temperance lecture at the village, the first I ever attended, not far from the year 1825. In this meeting the dreadful and inexcusable sin of making, selling, or drinking, alcoholic liquors as a beverage was so forcibly brought home to my conscience that I felt, with David, that I had sinned ; and was among the first to come forward and sign the pledge of total ab stinence, which I have faithfully kept for now thirty-five years, and intend to keep till I die. The distillery went to the bugs." It was probably in 1826 that Mr. Tabor s conversion oc curred ; as it was then that our earnest temperance effort was commenced. And, though the fact is not stated by him, it was said at the time that the horrible murder of a womanatHaverhill, N. H., by her drunken husband, under the maddening influence of some of Mr. Tabor s whiskey, was with him an urgent motive to break off at once, and forever, from the business in which he had been engaged. He was ever after an earnest advocate of total abstinance. Esqr. Tabor was a very sensible and kind-hearted man, and, withal, quite poetically inclined. Some specimens of his poetry may be seen, with other Bradford productions of that sort, in the last chapter of this book. 265 ADJUTANT JOHN PUTNAM AND FAMILY. For the following brief account of this patriotic man, and family, I am indebted to Mrs. Hannah Pearsons, of Lynn, Mass., his daughter, and give it mainly in her own words : "My father, John Putnam, was born in Lyndeborough, N. H., in 1760. He served for seven years in the war of the Revolution, and was for some time one of the life guards of Gen. Washington. He, in common with many others, at times suffered severely from cold and hunger, and manifold hardships. I have heard him say that at one time they were so destitute that he and his comrades ate horse s liver, and he thought it the sweetest mouthfuls he had ever tasted. In battle his right and left hand men had been shot down by his side, while he was preserved. At the close of the war they were paid off in worthless currency. In his old age he received from the govern ment a pension of ninety- six dollars annually, which was very acceptable. He married Olive Barren, of Lynde borough, a sister of General Micah Barren, subsequently of Bradford, Vt., and removed to that place in 1787. The inhabitants were then but few, and subject to the various trials of early settlers. Soon after the coming of my par ents there was a scarcity of provisions. Articles of living- were very dear, and money to buy with hard to be ob tained. I have heard my mother tell that one evening when father came home, weary and hungry, she wa& obliged to confess that they had absolutely nothing to eat. Almost disheartened, he lay down, and soon dropt to sleep. She put on her cloak, and went down to Mr. Ich- abod Ormsby s. The good old lady, with whom she had never spoken before, met her at the door, with the excla mation, " You dear woman ! come in." Mother told her why she had come ; and Mrs. Ormsby promptly gave her bread and butter and meal, with which she joyfully re- 18 266 turned and furnished her table, and then awoke her hus band. When he found what she had done, the strong man wept. They were both not only glad for the kindness of their neighbor, but very thankful. My father for several years was much occupied in building bridges and mill- dams, and in rafting lumber down Connecticut River. When the last war with England broke out, in 1812, my father, with his two sons, John and Ephraim, in the spirit of heroic patriotism, shouldered their muskets and knapsacks, and went promptly into the service of their country. In this war he acted both as Lieutenant and regimental Adjutant. He was a military man, not from love of dress parade in time of peace, but to render his best services to . his country in her times of perilous ne cessity. My parents had five sons and six daughters, all natives of Bradford, of whom I give you the following brief notices : 1. Olive Putnam married Moses Collins, of Bradford, by occupation a carpenter. They had fifteen children, and lived to see some of their posterity of the fourth gen eration. They removed to Michigan, and died there. 2. Sarah Putnam married Eber Jones Chapin, a cloth ier by trade, at South Newbury, Yt., where he died. They had nine children, among whom were John P. and Eber J. Chapin, successful merchants in Chicago. Mrs. Chapin, after the death of her husband, lived with her daughter, Sarah Cummins, in Wisconsin, and died there. 3. Jonathan Putnam married Mary Stockwell. They had eight children. He was a hard-working man, of kind disposition ; kind to the widow and fatherless, and others in need of his help. He and his wife remained and died in Bradford. 4. Rebeccah Putnam married Isaac Stockwell. They had nine children. Two of the sons are successful mer- 267 chants in Danville, Canada East. These parents both died there. 5. John Putnam married Mary Peckett, of Bradford. They removed to Wisconsin, where he became a wealthy farmer, and was killed in a reaping machine. They had four children, all now deceased. Their mother was left the last surviving member of her former family. 6. Micah Barren Putnam died in childhood, at the age of two years. 7. Hannah Putnam married John Pearsons, of Brad ford. They had nine children. Of this family further notice hereafter. 8. Ephraim Putnam married Rachel Stoddard. They had six children. He died in Bradford, where she, in 1874, is still living. 9. Elizabeth Putnam married Israel Prescott, and had one son. She died at East Boston. Mr. Prescott married again, and lives in Bradford. 10. Lucy Putnam married Phelps Bliss, of Fairlee. They migrated to Iowa. Both died there, leaving nine children, all settled in that State. 11. William ^Barren Putnam married Esther Brown. They went to Wisconsin, and with their nine children re main there. At our last intelligence this brother was there successfully engaged in preaching the gospel. Adjutant John Putnam, the father of this large family, died in Hydepark, Vt., November 5, 1837, at the age of about seventy-seven years. His remains were brought to Bradford for burial. Mrs. Pearsons adds, " My mother, having lived with me at Hartford, Vt., for sixteen years, died there, in 1858, at the good old age of ninety-three years and three months. I conveyed her remains to Bradford for burial beside those of my father, in the principal cemetery there. She had been a member of the Congregational church in Brad ford for more than forty years, and loved both the church 268 and its pastor. She retained her reason to the last, and died divinely supported and comforted. JOHN PEARSONS AND FAMILY. John Pearsons was born in Lyndeborough, N. H., Au gust 29, 1792. He came to Bradford to live in his twelfth year. When the war with England broke out, in 1812, he, then about twenty years of age, volunteered as a soldier, and remained in the service till, at the end of the war, honorably discharged. In 1817 he was married with Miss Hannah Putnam, mentioned in the account of the Putnam family. For about seventeen years he was engaged in the lumber business near and on the Connecticut River, at the proper seasons taking timber, boards, shingles, etc., down the river as far as Hartford, Conn., and sometimes to its confluence with the ocean. He also kept tavern on the Lower Plain for sixteen years, in the same house which had been occupied for the like purpose by Colonel John Barron and family in former years. That old yellow house, two stories in front and one in the rear, is still standing, but moved to the east side of the highway. On its original site Mr. Pearsons built, in 1842, a new and more commodious hotel, designed to be more comfortable and enduring, the walls being of sawn timber, laid as solid as brick walls, and then finished outside and within in the ordinary style. That house is now owned by a Mr. Golding, and occupied as a private dwelling. Mr. Pearsons sold his place in Bradford in 1844, and removed to Hartford, Vt., where he had bought a good farm on White River, and for the remainder of his life devoted himself to its cultivation, and, with his pleasant family, the enjoyment of the fruits of his labor. Mr. and Mrs. Pearsons had seven sons and two daugh ters, all natives of Bradford. Of these, three died in their childhood ; namely, William Chapin, the third child, Lucy, the fifth, and Lucius, the sixth. 269 Charles Pearsons, the youngest son, lived to be a prom ising young man and fine scholar, but died at Hartford, August 9, 1858, in the twentieth year of his age. Of the four sons and one daughter now living (March, 1874) the following gratifying notices may be given. 1. John Alonzo Pearsons was born September 8, 1818. He was married with Hannah Stevens Bailey, of New- bury, Yt., October 25, 1842. They had four children. He moved to Evanston, Illinois, and is now engaged in the lumber business there. He was one of the first set- lers of that beautiful place, and has contributed in* vari ous ways to its prosperity. His son, Henry A. Pearsons, served in the late war as a Lieutenant in the Eighth Regi ment of Illinois Cavalry, and is now engaged in real estate agency in Chicago. Isabella, the eldest daughter of Mr. John A. Pearsons, is the wife of Rev. William Mappin, of Larimie, Wyoming Territory. 2. Daniel Kimball Pearsons was born April 14, 1820. He taught school for five Winters, studied medicine, graduated as M. D. in 1843, practiced for ten years in Chicopee, Mass., married Miss Marietta Chapin, August 17, 1847, and traveled in Europe. On his return he went to Chicago and pursued the business of his profession for some while, and then engaged in real estate business, dealing largely in farming lands, selling for private indi viduals and railroad companies, investing money to a great amount yearly for Eastern capitalists, on real estate security ; and having secured a high reputation for strict integrity and successful management, has in the course of a few years accumulated, and that, it is believed, by honest means, an ample fortune, which he seems disposed to .use with discretion and commendable liberality, assist ing the needy, and promoting good objects generally ; in all well doing being heartily encouraged and aided by his benevolent and magnanimous wife. 3. William Barren Chapin Pearsons was born Decem- 270 ber 19, 1824. He taught school for a number of Winters, studied law, graduated at Cambridge, Mass., Law School, and opened an office at Holyoke, in that State, where he has remained in successful practice for twenty-five years. He married, February 25, 1857, Sarah Elizabeth Taylor, of Westfield, Mass. They have three children. He has been a member, both of the House and Senate, of the General Court of Massachusetts, and served in the late war as Paymaster. He has been very successful in busi ness, and is one of the leading men of Holyoke. 4. George Reed Pearsons was born August 7, 1830. He lived for several years in Hartford, making it his busi ness to teach in the Winter seasons ; but was by occupa tion a farmer. In 1856, October the 8th, he married Miss Welthea Porter, of Hartford, Vt., and finally moved to Fort Dodge, Iowa, where he still resides, successfully en gaged in the real estate and loan business. He is at this date Mayor of the city, and highly esteemed for his moral integrity and decided ability as a man of business. He has three sons and one daughter. 5. Hannah Elizabeth Pearsons, born April 25, 1836, resided in Bradford till eight years of age, when she went with her parents to live in Hartford, In the twenty-first year of her age, February 14, 1860, she was married to Alvin Matthew Gushing, M. D., a practicing physician in Bradford, of whom more full account may be seen in the chapter of doctors who have resided and practiced here. The worthy doctor and his not less worthy wife now re side in Lynn, Mass., where he is doing a large business in the line of his profession. Mr. John Pearsons, the father of this family, an indus trious, kind-hearted, and strictly honest man, died at Hart ford, Vt., October 30, 1857, at the age of sixty-five years, and a marble obelisk erected to his memory in the princi pal cemetery of Bradford shows the place of his burial. To Mrs. Pearsons, his widow, now resident with her child- 271 ren, Dr. Gushing and wife, at Lynn, Mass., I have been indebted for the dates, names, and principal facts given in the above account. It would not be at all strange if the good mother should feel somewhat proud of such a family as the God of all grace and consolation has given her. THE SAWYERS. Captain Ezekiel Sawyer, born May 9, 1743, came to this town from Rowley, Mass., about the year 1795, and purchased the farm on Connecticut River next south of Rowell s ledge, the same which is now owned and occu pied by his grandson, Deacon John H . Sawyer, to whom we are indebted for this and the following information. Captain Sawyer there remained, an industrious farmer and worthy citizen, the rest of his days. He died Jan uary 13, 1817, in the seventy-fourth year of his age. Mrs. Mary (Pay son) Sawyer, his wife, died July 6, 1819. The venerable old two-story house which they occupied was succeeded some years since by a nice cottage in modern style. Captain Sawyer arid wife on their coming into this town for settlement brought with them a family of four sons and seven daughters, who lived to be men and women, and all, with the exception of one daughter, to marry and have children of their own. 1. Elliott- Sawyer, born about 1766, married Lucy Young, and settled in Stanstead, Canada East. They had but one son, Elliott, Jr., who lived to manhood. -He married Lydia Abbott, who died in Bradford village. They had several sons and. daughters, namely : Samuel, who was drowned at the age of fourteen, while the fami ly were living in Canada. Homer died in New Orleans." Emily married Ormand Jenney ; they live in Methuen, Mass. Elzina married George Peters, of Bradford ; they have one son, Harry Malcom, and one daughter, Anna 272 Gertrude. Silas Sawyer lives in New Orleans. Maria married John Bicknell, and settled in Methuen. John lives in Boston, engaged in livery business. James mar ried Ellen Cummings, of Bradford. She died in this place in 1874, leaving one daughter, Carrie. Several of the members of this family were distinguished singers of sacred music. Mr. Sawyer, the father, is at this date liv ing in Methuen. His parents had several daughters, of whom one gave these brief notices. Narcissa married a Mr. Bangs, and died here. Mary married James McDuf- fee. See account of the McDufFee family. Betsey mar ried Albert Woodworth, had several children and died. Mr. W., her husband, was subsequently killed or died in the service of his country, during the late war. Lucy died here in maidenhood, having long been unable to walk. Maria married Ogden Fox, had five children, and died. 2. Ezekiel Sawyer, the second son of the first of that name in Bradford, born January 13, 1768, married Ruby Tabor, of this town ; had two sons, who died in childhood, and six daughters, who lived to womanhood, namely : Ru by, Almira, Mary Ann, Hannah, Jane and Harriet. Han nah became the wife of a Mr. Carr. Captain Benjamin Celley, a prosperous farmer and highly esteemed citizen of Fairlee, married Jane Sawyer, and they had a son Wil liam, and a daughter Mary. William married Jane Moore, daughter of Jasper Moore, of West Fairlee, and had a daughter Emma Jane, and Greorgi E. The daughter Mary married Marshall Rugg, and they have one son. Captain Celley with his children and their companions live in close and happy proximity, being all partakers of the same precious faith. After the death of his first wife he married her sister Mary Ann ; and after her decease, so happy had been his connection with these two good wives that he married for his third wife their no less worthy sister Harriet, with whom at this date he is still 273 living in prosperity and happiness. He attends worship with the Methodist church in Bradford, as his son and wife also do. Mr. and Mrs. Rugg worship at Fairlee. 3. Mary Sawyer, of the original family here, born No vember 30, 1770, married John Gage, of Hopkinton, N. H., and had two sons and one daughter. The parents both died there. 4. Mehitable Sawyer, born March 31, 1773, died in maidenhood, January 22, 1862, in the eighty-ninth year of her age. She and her sisters, Elizabeth, Jane, Mercy and Anne, were all members of the Congregational church in Bradford. 5. Elizabeth Sawyer, born February 13, 1775, married Jesse Johnson, of this town, and had four sons and two daughters. She died May 23, 1855, at the age of eighty years. 6. Joseph Sawyer, born March 28, 1777, married Azu- bah Chamberlin, and had four sons and four daughters. He settled in Newbury, but died here in 1818. 7. Hannah Sawyer, born March 26, 1779, married Jonathan Johnson, and lived and died in South Newbury. They had an only son, Haynes Johnson, who was gradu ated at Dartmouth College in the class of 1822, became a worthy minister of the gospel of the Methodist order, and died in 1856, at the age of fifty-five years, leaving two sons. 8. Jane Sawyer, born December 29, 1781 ; married Haynes Johnson, of this town, where they remained and died. They had a family of ten children. And here we see that three Sawyer sisters, Elizabeth, Hannah and Jane, married three Johnson brothers, Jesse, Jonathan, and Haynes, and all spent the remainder of their days in the same neighborhood. For further notices of the families of Elizabeth and Jane, see the Johnsons. 9. Mercy Sawyer, born August 1, 1784 ; married Isaiah Stone and had a family of ten children. They lived for some 274 time on the farm in Bradford now owned by Thomas Johnson, but finally removed to the State of Ohio, and died there. 11. Anne Sawyer, born April 8, 1784; married Har vey Smith, of Bradford, where they subsequently lived and died. They had four sons and one daughter. Their eldest son, Charles P., was graduated at Dartmouth, in the class of 1854 ; went South, and became a professional teacher ; now residing in Nebraska. 10. John Sawyer, a brother between the two sisters last named ; born October 27 1786 ; married LydiaW. Dike, of Bradford, March 19,1816. They spent the remainder of their days on the old homestead, in the house next South of his father s. They had a family of four sons and four daughters. 1. Mary Dike Sawyer, born February 27, 1817; mar ried George Burroughs, of Newbury, now a worthy dea con in the Congregational church there. Have, three sons and three daughters. 2. John Hiram Sawyer, born November 22, 1818 ; mar ried Sarah Hibbard, of Piermont, N. H. Both members ot the Congrgational church in Bradford. November 10, 1871, Mr. Sawyer was elected a Deacon in the same, and in that capacity has since officiated, to the entire satisfac tion of the church. 3. Emily Paysori Sawyer, born January, 1822 ; mar ried Charles P. Blanchard, of Concord, N. H., September 3, 1862, and went there to live. 4. Henry Ezekiel Sawyer, born February 2, 1824 ; married Amanda Chamberlin. They live in Chicago, and have one son. 5. Lydia Sawyer, born June 13, 1826, has lived for several years in the vicinity of Boston. 6. Joseph Sawyer, born April 24, 1829 ; married Su san Sawyer, of Newbury, February 14, 1865 ; went into the livery business at Chicago, where Mrs. Sawyer died, 275 leaving one daughter and a son. The little daughter died at the house of her uncle, Deacon Burroughs, of New- bury, January 9, 1874. The son, Frank E., remains with his father. 7. Elizabeth Sawyer, born September 14, 1831 ; mar ried Ellis McDufFee of this town. They had one son and three daughters. See McDuffee family. 8. Edward Sawyer, born February 20, 1837, lives in Chicago, engaged in Express business. 9. Jane Sawyer, born February 20, 1837 ; married Edward Kobie, of Bradford. They have had three child ren, one son and a daughter still living. Deacon Sawyer having communicated the above intel ligence, I said I should like to add some ^appropriate inci dent or anecdote of interest, if he had anything of that sort to give me. He thought a moment, and then replied substantially as follows : "Well, I shall never forget that when I was a young man I was, on a certain occasion , driving a team of nine horses attached to a large wagon with a tre mendously heavy load of merchant s goods on it, around IngalPs Hill, in Newbury, on my way to Wells River. The road was narrow, and lay on the very brink of a precipice, steeply descending into the Connecticut river. To my amazement, I had perceived my wheels next to the river to be sinking deeper, and yet deeper, into the ground, and my wagon, with its load, in utmost danger of going over and dragging the horses with it into the fiver ! The load had indeed swayed heavily over, and was resting against a tree, which was every moment in danger of being up rooted. There I was in deep trouble, with no one to help me, when I saw you coming around the hill on horseback, on your way towards home. You instantly sprang from your horse, threw off your coat, and promptly afforded me all the assistance in your power. We got the horses free, then mounted the load, and persevered in throwing off ar ticle after article, till all were cleared away, with the ex- 276 ception of two heavy looking barrels at one end of the wagon, which had been placed at the bottom of the load. When you said John, what have you in these barrels ? I replied l something exhilerating, I suppose. Then let them go into the river ! said you, thinking, no doubt, it was better the drunkard s drink should go there rather than down men s throats. I was, however, as a teamster, anxious to save my whole load, and having again hitched on my strong team of horses they drew out the wagon, and so, through your assistance, all was saved, much to my gratification, and that of the owner of the goods." 277 CHAPTER XIII. The Kimball, Simpson, Colby, Greenleaf and Corliss families. DANIEL KIMBALL, ESQ., AND FAMILY. Daniel Kimball, Esq., was a native of Bradford, Mass., born A. D., 1766. He removed to Pembroke, N. H., while young, and there lived for several years. He mar ried Miss Huldah Prescott, November 15, 1792, and in 1796 bought a farm in Bradford, Vt., about two miles back from the river and near the line of Newbury, and there, with his wife and two eldest children, settled about that time. The farm was the same which is now (1874) own ed by Mr. John Holmes. In 1814 Esq. Kimball purchased and moved on to the farm next South of that, the one now owned by his son, H. W. Kimball, where he spent the re mainder of his days. He was a man highly esteemed by his fellow townsmen, and by them often called to fill va rious offices. For how many years he officiated as one of the Selectmen, or as a Justice of the Peace, we have no exact account, but he represented this town in the State Legislature in the year 1802, and again in 1806, and thence onward, without intermission, for some years more, and fi nally in 1815, making nine years in the whole. Esquire Kimball and his first wife had a family of nine children, who lived to be men and women, namely : 1. Eliza C., born November 13, 1794 ; married Doctor Thomas Colby, of this town, October 29,1815; the first couple thus united by the writer, but not the last, by sev eral hundreds. They had two sons and two daughters, of whom no one is now living, unless it should be one of the sons, who is supposed to be dead, not having been heard of for about forty years. Dr. Colby died here in 1829, at the age of forty-one years. His widow married John 278 L. Corliss, of Corinth, and died January 10, 1837, in her forty-third year. .2. James Kimball, born March 26, 1796; went into the State of New York; married Sophia Maltby, March 14, 1819 ; had four sons and seven daughters; resided in Western New York for many years, when he removed to Florida, and died there in 1871. 3. John W. Kimball, born August 16, 1796; married Mercy Tabor, of this town, April 8, 1822. He kept the principal hotel in the village for a while ; exercised the office of a sheriff; was a stirring, energetic sort of a man ; moved to Adrian, Mich., some time prior to 1840, and died there in the winter of 1873 or 4. He had a family of four children, all natives of Bradford. Charles died in Wiscon sin. Caroline married Stephen Tabor, of this town, and at this date was living in widowhood in Wisconsin. Anne Eliza married in Maine, and died there. Emily married, and lives in Washington, D. C. 4. Sally Kimball, born August 14, 1801, married Dr. David Huntoon, of Washington, Vt., October 16,1820; has six sons and four daughters, and was at this writing living with her children in Lowell, Mass., being a widow. 5. Hannah Kimball, born February 19, 1804, married Asa Kimball, of GHlead, Maine, January 19, 1824, and had two sons and two daughters. She died in 1838. 6. Phebe Kimball, born March 12, 1806, married Dea. Samuel Dearborn, of Corinth, Vt., March 22, 1837, where she still resides, a widow ; no children. 7. Waity W. Kimball, born April 13, 1808. At the age of twenty, on profession of her faith, she became a beloved member of the Congregational church in this place. In 1839, April 13, she married T. J. Chapman, of Bethel, Maine, and died there in 1862. No children. 8. Adeline Kimball, born February 22, 1811, died in 1855, unmarried. 9. Julia A. Kimball, born March 28, 1814. 279 Mrs. Huldah Prescott Kimball, the mother of this inter esting family of nine children, died at Bradford, Novem ber 7, 1815, nine days after the marriage of her eldest daughter, and at the age of forty-five years. Daniel Kimball, Esq., married for his second wife, March 3, 1816, Miss Susan Huntoon, of Corinth, who was born April 8, 1790. They had one daughter, Huldah M.; who died in her infancy, and four sons, namely : 1. Daniel C. Kimball, born February 23, 1819,married Mary J. Smith, of Northumberland, N. H. They settled in Maidston, Yt., and had three sons and two daughters. Mr. Kimball was called while there to fill various offices of trust and importance, as Constable, Town Clerk, and Representative of the town for two years in the State Legislature. He resided in that town some ten or twelve years, and in 1854 removed to Haverhill, Mass., where he died in April, 1873, in the fifty-fifth year of his age. 2. Hyram W. Kimball, born July 12, 1822, married, April 21, 1845, Lydia S. Burnham, of Chelsea, Vt. They had one daughter and one son, at this date still living, namely, Abbie L., a member of the Congregational church in Bradford, and wife of D. S. Johnson, of Fairlee ; and Frank H., still with his father in Bradford. Mrs. Kimball died in March, 1864. Mr. Kimball married, June 1, 1867, Mrs. Mary J. Brock, of Burlington, Wisconsin, whose maiden name was Mary J. Chamberlin, formerly of New- bury, Vt. They have one daughter, Alice E., and still occupy the paternal homestead. Mr. Kimball has had occasion to be efficient in town affairs, as his father was before him. 3. Edward L. Kimball, born October 21, 1824, married a lady in Maine, and resides in Portland. 4. Denison S. Kimball, born July 3, 1834, married Eu nice Kendall, of West Townsend, Mass. He went to re side in that State. They had one son and two daughters. He enlisted in a Massachusetts regiment during the late 280 war, and was killed in the battle of Port Hudson, Louisi ana, June 13, 1863. Daniel Kimball, Esq., the honored father of these four teen children died at Bradford, November 6, 1851, at the age of eighty-five years. His widow has since been passing the peaceful after noon of her useful and somewhat protracted life at her old home in Bradford, with her beloved son, Hiram W. Kimball, and his kind family. THE SIMPSONS. Alexander Simpson and wife, whose maiden name was Mary Bryant, were both natives of Windham, N. H., and moved to this town, with their family of four children, in the month of March, 1797. They started from Windham with a yoke of oxen and sled, the only team to convey the family and goods to Vermont. They also had with them a cow and heifer. One of the oxen met with a sad accident, and died by the way. What was then to be done ? Mr. Simpson yoked his cow and heifer together, hitched them to the sled, with the surviving ox forward, to strongly guide them, and so proceeded on his journey. They crossed Connecticut River at about nine o clock in the evening, on the ice, and stopped with Samuel Mc- Duffee, on the Upper Plain, during the night. The next morning they took up their abode in a log house near by, until arrangements could be made to move to a lot which he had secured on the west side of Wright s Mountain, where he and his wife spent the remainder of their days. THEIR CHILDREN. 1. Henry married Abigail Page, and settled in New- bury. They had three sons and three daughters. Matil da married Isaiah Woodward, of Haverhill, N. H., and af ter his decease, G-eorge Whipple. Daniel married Louisa Baldwin, of Newbury, and settled in Corinth. They had six children, Abbie, Charles, Francena, George, Hylas and Lula. Mr. Simpson, their father, died May 17, 1874. Jemima, daughter of Henry, married Newall Tabor, set tled in Haverhill, and had one daughter and four sons. Orrin 7 her brother, married Martha Caswell, of Fairlee, settled in Haverhill, and had a family of thirteen children. Of Henry F., his brother, we have no account. 2. William Simpson, second son of Alexander, mar ried Polly Page, a sister of his brother Henry s wife, and settled in Bradford, near his father, and had twelve chil dren, namely : Thaddeus, Cornelius, Cordelia, Albert, Avarissa, Samantha, Adaline, William, Reuben, Alonzo, and George. Of these it may be remarked that the eld est son has remained unmarried, with his parents, who at this date (June, 1874) are still living. Harriet married John Platt, and settled in Haverhill. Cornelius married his cousin, Susan Simpson,, of Topsham, and has one child. Cordelia married Amos Flanders, and settled in Manches ter, N. H. Reuben married Etta Prince, settled in Brad ford, and has three children. George married Lucia Hutchins, settled in Newbury, and has one child. Wil liam Simpson represented tl}is town in the State Legisla ture of 1800. 3 and 4. Nancy and Jane were twin daughters of Alexander Simpson and wife. Jane died in maidenhood. Her sister Nancy married Daniel Page, settled in Haver hill, and had two sons and four daughters. 5. John Simpson, the next in this original family, mar ried Lydia Crook, settled in Topsham, and had two sons and two daughters. 6. Betsey Simpson married Samuel Page, settled in Corinth, and had a large family. 7. Mary Simpson, the youngest daughter of Alexander and wife, died unmarried. A singular incident, related to the writer by Mr. Thad- deus Simpson, seems worth repeating here. He said it 19 282 once occurred that a horse belonging to his father, having been turned out to graze, was missing. Diligent search was made for it, not only on the premises and through the neighborhood, but more extensively, without success. After more than a week of search, not the slightest intel ligence could be obtained of its whereabouts, or of its having been seen. It was, therefore, but natural to sup pose that it must have been stolen in the night, and taken to some remote place. But one day when he, Thaddeus, was out on the farm, he heard a sound which seemed like the faint neighing of a horse, under the ground. He listened, and with anxiety approached the spot from which the sound seemed to come. To his astonishment, he per ceived the head of a living horse, raised just a little above the, surface of the earth ! And there, in a deep potato- hole, he found the lost horse, still alive, though for some twelve days it had been without any nourishment what ever, beyond the merest pittance of grass which it had been able to reach without changing its position. The earth Avas speedily dug away, so as to give a path of es cape, the horse was brought safely out, and lived to do still good service, and, wiser than some released prison ers, was cautious ever after not to be so venturesome as to tall again into the same or any similar^. He said there could be no doubt in regard to the time when the horse fell into the hole, as they had been using it the very day before it disappeared. DEACON JACOB COLBY AND FAMILY. Jacob Colby was a native of Newtown, Rockingham County, N. H., born February 15, 1772. He was married to Polly Huntington, of Lebanon, N. H., in February, 1796. They lived in Hanover till March, 1802, when they removed to this town, and took up their abode on a pecul iarity retired, uncultivated lot on the South bank of Wait s 283 River, in the western part of Bradford. Their first habi tation was constructed of logs, the roof covered with elm bark, and the floor laid with planks which had been washed from a bridge in the east part of Corinth, and swept as drift-wood down the stream. In this humble tenement they lived for about six years, when they en tered their new and more commodious house^ now (in 1874), still standing, in which they spent the remainder of their days. In the course of time a well traveled high way from Bradford village to Corinth, leading on to Chel sea, was opened along Wait s River and its Southern Branch, which, passing through the Colby homestead, made it quite a noted place. Mr. Colby was by occupa tion a mason, as well as a farmer, and in that capacity very helpful to the new settlers engaged in building for themselves better houses. He had invariably sustained the reputation of a sensible, honest man, and on becoming hopefully pious, and a member of the Christian church, so called, in the north-western section of Bradford, was con stituted a Deacon in the same, and thenceforth bore that honorable title. Mrs. Colby, his good wife, died in this town, December, 1850, at the age of eighty years. The Deacon died in 1858, at the age of eighty-six. They were the parents of three sons and three daughters, viz : 1. Jacob Curtis, born November 27 1796, 2. Enoch, born December 5, 1798. 3. Lucia, born September 18, 1801. 4. Lorena, born January 4, 1804. 5. Moody, born May 6, 1806. 6. Lavina, born May 26, 1807. Of the various fortunes of this family we are able to give only the following brief notices. Enoch Colby be came a mariner, and died at sea, in the year 1823. The sisters Lorena and Lavina Colby lived to be young ladies, but died unmarried. 2S4 Moody Colby married Elizabeth Taylor, of Jaffrey, N. H. He was for some years Post Master at Bradford, and owned a house near the north end of the village, where his widow still resides. Mr. Colby died there July, 1862, at the age of fifty-six years. They had three children, two of whom died in infancy. The surviving son, Henry B., left this place years since, for the life of a mariner ; but at this date, 1874, is understood to be settled on a desirable plantation in California. Lucia married Allen W. Colby, of Plainfield, N. H. They had three children. The husband and children have all deceased. She has a grandson, Edward H. Doten, re siding at St. Johnsbury. The widow is still living in this village, near the residence of her eldest brother. Jacob Curtis Colby, the eldest son of Deacon Colby, has for several years resided in this village, and has spent not the whole, but fifty-two years, of his life in this town. His first wife was Sarah D. Johnson, of Meriden, N. H., who died in 1850. By her he had four daughters. The eldest, Mary H., married Rufus F. Ormsby, of this town. For further notice see the Ormsby family. Sarah J. mar ried Charles Page, of East Corinth. Lorena and Helen L., both married, are living in the State of New York. Mr. J. C. Colby was again married January, 1853, to Mrs. A. H. Corliss, of Lyme, N. H. They have one daughter, Zoe E., who as a teacher has rendered impor tant service to the public. Mr. J. C. Colby, her father, was also a well known teacher of common schools. He taught for thirty consec utive Winter terms ; seven of them in the same school at Bradford Center He also worked there for fifteen Sum mer seasons at the business of carding and cloth dressing, thus ministering to the physical as well as intellectual wants of the families around him, and has served the town in the capacity of a Selectman for the years 1848, 285 1849, and 1850, and as a Lister for two or three years. Honor to whom honor is due. THE GREENLEAF FAMILY, Samuel Greenleaf came from Nottingham, N. H., about the year 1791, and bought a farm here, which is still well known as the Greenleaf place, about a half-mile south of what is now called " Goshen meeting house." He built there a substantial farm house, which was long occupied by himself and family. His wife s maiden name was Hannah Rowe. She was a sister of Captain Elijah Rowe, of the same neighborhood. They had a healthy, enter prising family of three sons and six daughters, of whom we are able to give only the following brief notices : 1. Dolly Greenleaf married,- as second wife, John Mc- Duffee, Esq., and had two sons, well and honorably known in Bradford. See the McDuffees. 2. Polly Greenleaf died at the age of fifteen years. 3. Lowell Greenleaf married Betsey Davis, of this town, by whom he had two daughters. Julia married, and settled in the State of Maine. Her sister Melissa married Sargeant T. George, a merchant in this village, whose daughter Orissa J. married John B. W. Prichard, a merchant here, and her sister Orinda A. married John E. Shaw, of Summerville, Mass. Mr. Lowell Greenleaf s second wife was Anne Wyman. They had two daugh ters, Betsey Anne and Emily ette, and a son, Lowell Green- leaf, Jr. Mr. G. married a third wife, whose name is not given. 4. Hannah Greenleaf married Jacob Corliss, of Brad ford, a son of Captain Emerson Corliss. They had one son and one daughter. 5. Phillips Greenleaf married Sally Stevens, of the same neighborhood, and had a son and daughter. He married for his second wife Eliza Burnet, of Newbury. 286 They had two children, both, with their father, now de ceased. 6. Silver Greenleaf was by occupation a tanner and currier. He migrated to the State of Maine, and estab lished himself in business in the town of Freedom, Waldo County. He married Miss Rhoda Freeman. They had three children. Of these, Mary H. died at the age of fourteen years, and Charles Henry, aged ten years both died of diptheria, the same day. Mr. Greenleaf returned to Bradford in September, 1868, where his only surviv ing daughter, an interesting and good girl, Olive, died in June, 1871, at the age of twenty-three years. Mr. Green- leaf s eyesight, which had . for years been growing dim, entirely failed in the summer of 1865, since which he has remained in physical, but not in intellectual or moral, darkness, habitually manifesting that meek and quiet spirit which is in the sight of God of great price. To him it has been a great blessing that ha has had so good a wife, to lead him to the houses of his friends, and es pecially to the places of religious worship, where he has loved to go, and to take in every way such tender and faithful care of him, under this dark and trying dispensa tion. 7. Sally Greenleaf married Reuben Kent, of Piermont, N. H. Mr. Kent subsequently bought the farm formerly owned by Captain Russell Andross, on the Lower Plain, in this town, where they now live. 8. La vina Greenleaf married John Celley, of Corinth, a worthy man and prosperous farmer there. They have one daughter, the wife of Nelson Worthley, of that town. 9. Melissa Greenleaf married Amos" White, a pious man and industrious farmer, in Topsham, where he lived and died. They had two daughters and two sons. Miss Lydia E. White has been a successful assistant teacher in Bradford Academy, for several years. Her sister Han nah married James Woodward, a merchant in Chicago, 287 formerly of this place. They have two children. Carlos White, a graduate of Dartmouth College, author of a val uable book on the rights of women, lives in California, is married, and has two children. His brother, Byron N. White, entered Dartmouth College, but on the death of hig father found it necessary to leave before graduation. He has for some time been engaged in teaching, in Iowa. Mrs. White, the mother, is expected to take up her per manent residence in this village. Mr. Samuel Greenleaf, the father of this somewhat large family bearing his name, died in Washington, Vt., and his wife in Bradford, both in honored old age. Their son Silver Greenleaf, and five daughters, namely : Mrs. McDufFee, Corliss, Kent, Celley and White, have survived them, and all at this date, March, 1874, remain estimable citizens of Bradford. THE CORLISS FAMILIES. The remotest ancestor bearing this name, of whom the present generation of his posterity have any knowledge, was George Corliss, of England, born in the year 1617. He emigrated to Massachusetts in 1639, and married, in 1645, Joanna Davis, who was also from England. He was by occupation a farmer, and commenced operations on a lot which he purchased of the Indians, within the sub sequent limits of Haverhill, a year before the first settlers secured their corporate right to a tract sufficient for a township. That town was incorporated in 1645. On that same farm George Corliss and wife continued to live, during the remainder of their days ; and by successive heirs, bearing the same family name, it has since been owned and occupied for six or seven generations. That original couple had one son, and seven daughters. This son, whose name was John ; born in 1647, married Mary Milford in 1684 ; and had four sons ; John, Thomas, Timo- 288 thy and Jonathan, whose posterity became so numerous that so long ago as in the year 1819 it was ascertained that the number of males of this descent then living in the United States and Canada, was about five hundred. The genealogy of the three Corliss brothers who emi- grated to this town, and settled on farms in the western part of the same, is reckoned as follows, in a direct line of descent from father to son: 1. George Corliss, the emigrant from England; 2. John Corliss, above men tioned ; 3. Timothy Corliss, son of John, born at Haver- hill, Mass., in 1793 ; married Sarah Hutchins, and removed to Weare, N. H. 4. Jeremiah Corliss, his son, born in 1734, at Weare, probably. 5. Jeremiah, Peletiah, and David, three sons of Jere miah above named, emigrated to Bradford in the year 1800, and of each of them, with his family, such informa tion will now be given as we have been able to obtain. The eldest of these three brothers, Jeremiah, born at Weare, N. H., July 2d, 1763, married Polly Philbrick. They had seven children, who lived to marry and have families of their own, as follows : 1. Hannah, married Edward Austin, of Bradford, and died, leaving a large family, in Illinois. 2. Isaac, married Abigail Newell, of Bradford, and died in Wisconsin. They had one son, who was drowned. 3. David, married Dolly Blake, of Andover, N. H. They live in Wisconsin. Have several children. 4. Evan, married Polly Blake, of Andover. One son. 5. Jeremiah, Jr., married and died in Wisconsin. 6. Lydia, married David McKillips, of this town. They removed to Indiana. 7. Eebecca went to Indiana ; married there, and re moved to Kansas. They have a large family. After the death of the mother of the above named chil dren, Mr. Jeremiah Corliss married Hannah Martin, a 289 daughter of Deacon Reuben Martin, of this town, and had two daughters and one son, namely : 8. Mary, married George W. Welton, of Bradford Center, and had a family. 9. Anna M., married William Aldrich, of this town, May 28, 1862 ; and her good mother spent the evening of her days at their pleasant home, near the village, and died there, November, 1867. 10. Edwin F., married Ellen M. Stone, of Cabot, Vt., and migrated to Wisconsin. Jeremiah Corliss, the father of this large family, died at his home in Bradford, December, 1841, in his seventy- ninth year. Peletiah Corliss, the next younger brother of Jeremiah, was born at Weare, N. H., in 1770, January the 29th. He married Sarah Sanborn, and removed to this town in 1800. He purchased and for many years occupied a farm on the South road, the same now owned by Jesse Wor- then ; but afterwards bought the Severance place, in the north-western corner of the town, where he kept a hotel, as there was then, as well as now, a good deal of travel on the stage road between Bradford and Montpelier. Mr. Corliss died there, March 26, 1828, in the fifty-ninth year of his age. Mrs. Corliss, his wife, died August 18, 1844, at the age of seventy-three. They had a family of six sons and five daughters, namely : 1. Susan, born December 10, 1790, married Winthrop Green, of Corinth, and died in July, 1862. 2. Hannah, born June 30, 1792, married Flavel Bliss, of this town, and died December 3, 1859. 3. Mary, born February 22, 1794, married Michael Stevens, of Corinth ; died, January, 1827 ; left two chil dren. 5. Mehitabel, born January 7, 1798, married Goulds- bourne Taplin, of Corinth. They have several children. 6. John B., born September 24, 1799, married, first, 290 Hepzibah Taplin, of Corinth ; and for his second wife, Annaritta Underwood, of this town. His homestead was at the South side of Wright s Mountain, near Wait s River. He died October 5, 1850. His widow, at this date (1874), was still living. 7. Daniel, born December 16, 1802. He married a Miss Caroline Taplin, of Corinth, a sister of G-ouldsbourne T., above mentioned; became a practicing physician in Montpelier, and died there, October 17, 1850. 8. William P., born August 24, 1804, died March 27, 1827. 9. George W., born September 10, 1806, died Sep tember 21, 1825. 10. David Sanborn, born September 25, 1809, married Emily, daughter of Rufus F. Ormsby, of this town. They removed to Missouri, where he died April 21, 1863. 11. Sarah Ann, born August 25, 1814, married Jonas Clark, and died April 5, 1858. 4. Of Peletiah, Jr., the eldest son in this family, let the following notice, which appeared in our village paper, soon after his decease, suffice. He was born February 14, 1796. DIED. In Bradford, Yt., April 9, 1874, Mr. Peletiah Corliss, in the 79th year of his age. - He was a native of Andover, N. H., and, at the age of four years, came here with his father, Peletiah Corliss, and family, and thence remained till his decease, a period of seventy-four years. He was in active life a farmer and inn-keeper, in the north-western corner of the town, on the stage road leading to Montpelier ; but for several years has lived in the village, in delicate health, taking life, with its infirmities and cares, as quietly as possible. He was, for the mildness of his disposition, his pleasant conversation, strict honesty, and exemplary morality, justly esteemed as a good neighbor and worthy citizen. 291 His last sickness, which was severe and somewhat pro tracted, was borne with signal patience and resignation to the divine will, and its end was peace. The wife of Mr. Corliss, whose maiden name was Mary Jackman, of Corinth, died in February, 1853. He left at his decease one son, Charles P. Corliss, a watchmaker and jeweller, at Memphis, Tenn., and three daughters, namely : Sabra T., wife of Rodney Richardson, of Corinth ; Susan J., wife of Samuel H. Grow, of Bradford ; and Miss Mary Ann, the eldest, who had long taken the most kind and faithful care of her father, and in his last sickness, day and night, ministered to him with admirable assiduity and tenderness. His funeral was attended at the house of Dr. Doty, where he died ; and his remains laid to their long repose, by those of his wife, in Bradford cemetery kept in re membrance there by the handsome marble obelisk which he had seasonably erected. S. M. K. David Corliss, the youngest of the three brothers who emigrated from New Hampshire to this town, in 1800, was born in 1774. He married Abigail Taplin, of Cor inth, had by her five children, removed to Topsham, and died there. 292 CHAPTER XIV. John B. Peckett and family the Johnsons, Willards, Worthleys, Armstrongs, and Nelsons. JOHN B. PECKETT, ESQ., AND FAMILY. Mr. Peckett was of English descent. His grandfather, Giles Peckett, in the year 1774, with his wife and four children, emigrated from the county of Yorkshire, Eng land, to Portsmouth, N. H. Having remained there a few months, he removed to North Haverhill, N. H., and in 1779 or 80 came to Bradford, Yt., then called Moretown, to find a home for himself and family. Edward Peckett, a son of these worthy parents, was fif teen years of age when he came with them to this coun try. In course of time he married Deborah Barron, of Haverhill, N. H., and settled in Newbury, Yt,, where he died, leaving a widow, with six small children, with slen der means of support. One of these children was John B., the subject of this notice. He was born at Newbury, November 29, 1789. John B. Peckett, after his father s death, at the early age of two years, was taken into the family of his grand parents, the Barrons, where he remained until he was nine years of age, when he came to Bradford, to live with Mr. Cheney, on the farm now (1874) occupied by Mr. Cy rus Stearns, and while but a little boy was taught the les son of earning his bread by the sweat of his brow. It might be an advantage to many idle boys of these later days to be subjected to the same Spartan discipline, per haps somewhat modified. Mrs. Cheney, a daughter of Col. John Barron, of Bradford, was his mother s cousin, and with them John B. no doubt found a pleasant home. During his minority the means of education were ex tremely limited, but he, having a strong mind, retentive 293 memory, and a liberal share of resolution and persever ance, obtained an amount of learning which enabled him to teach a common school with success, and proved high ly beneficial in after life. When about twenty-one years of age, Mr. Peckett com menced the business of rafting on Connecticut river, and followed it as his principal occupation during the appro priate seasons of the twenty-seven years next ensuing. The rafts were chiefly of pine timber, to be sawed or hewn, and used for house and ship building, the same be ing not unfrequently piled with boards and shingles, and dignified with a hut for the accommodation of the rafts men. Having sold his lumber, generally at Hartford, Ct., it was no uncommon thing for him to return on foot, and, still full of energy, engage directly in preparing for an other voyage. It is said that when getting his raft to gether at Haverhill, he would often board at home, on the lower plain in Bradford, going and returning on foot, a distance of some half a dozen miles, at least, and be on hand in the morning before the men on the spot were ready to begin their labors for the day. Though not of a large and apparently strong body, he was exceedingly muscular, tough and energetic. Hard work was his habit arid pleasure. When at an age when most men feel used up, he would take his axe, in cold winter weather, and be off early in the morning into the forest, to take the lead in the business of logging, and to show the young men how to work. He also took great satisfaction in the va rious operations of farming. When almost seventy-nine years of age, only a few weeks before his decease, he one day held his plow, drawn by horses, till he had turned over three acres of soil. While through life mainly devoted to such laborious pursuits, he found time to do a great many other things. At the call of his townsmen he filled various offices of honor and trust, to their satisfaction. He was overseer of 294 the poor for thirty years, and represented his town in the State Legislature for the year 1831 ; was elected Select man and town agent for several years ; was appointed several times special agent to construct bridges, and for the building of new highways ; and commissioner on sev eral occasions, by the County Court, to lay out roads in this and other towns. He was also a firm friend and supporter of the cause of temperance, and held not only to moral but to legal sua sion. He believed in the necessity of law to restrain in temperance, as well as other crimes against society, and was for having such enactments put into execution upon reckless transgressors, whether drunkards or retailers. Industrious, economical, and faithful to fulfill all his en gagements, he wished to see others so, and the prosperi ty of not only those about him, but that of our entire country promoted. He was a firm advocate of freedom and human rights, a friend and supporter of the govern ment of his country, and rejoiced in its triumphant sup pression of the slaveholders gigantic rebellion, and the universal emancipation and enfranchisement of their slaves. In the Presidential election of 1868 he took a deep interest, and wished once more to cast his vote in favor of the cause with which he had so long been iden tified, but was not able. He lived, however, to hear of, and rejoice in, the result. He was then confined to his house by a prostration which was destined soon to termin ate his long and active lile. Though he had never been in the habit of talking much about death or eternity, he had evidently, for some years been sensible that he was liable at any time to be called hence, and had arranged all his secular affairs accordingly. The disease which final ly broke down his strong constitution, and brought him to the grave, seized upon his heart, paralyzed his nervous and muscular powers, and toward the last sadly affected his once sound and strong intellectual capacities. But 295 without murmuring he seemed resigned to his destiny, and quietly passed away on the evening of the 16th of November, 1868, in the severity-ninth year of his age, having been a resident of the town of Bradford for sev erity years. On the 19th his funeral was numerously at tended, especially by those who for more than half a century had been associated with him in the various cares and comforts of life and love. But few of his age, in this community, are now remaining. May the evening of their lives be serene, and their eternity blessed. " As for man, his days are as grass ; as a flower of the field so he flourisheth, for the wind passeth over it, and it is gone, and the place thereof shall know it no more." As to the family of Mr. Peckett, it may be remarked that he was married to Miss Martha Tilton, January 8, 1817, an excellent Christian lady, who died suddenly, De cember 23, 1858, at the age of sixty-six years. They were blessed with three sons and two daughters. One daughter died in infancy ; their son Derrick died in March, 1851; Edward M. in June, 1858, leaving a family. John B. Peckett, Esq., and family, and his sister, Martha F.,the wife of Col. J. C. Stearns, still reside in Bradford, and were able to be with their honored father in his declining years, and to do whatever could be done for his comfort when finally passing away. John B. Peckett, Esq., left at his decease a son bearing the same name, of whom, and his family, some account will now be given. John B. Peckett, Jr., was born in Bradford, Decem ber 19, 1822. After his school days were over he spent several years in mercantile business, first as a clerk in the store of Mr. Asa Low, and subsequently as partner with Adams Preston, Esq. r three years. Mr. Peckett was united in marriage with Miss Caroline H., daughter of Mr. Asa Low, of this village, September 9, 1847, and in the year 1853 built the nice brick cottage 296 nearly opposite to the Congregational parsonage, and there resided for several years. In 1854 he became part ner with Dea. George W. Prichard and George and E. Prichard in the ownership of the valuable brick grist-mill, and of the saw-mill therewith connected, in this village, and has since had the principal agency in the manage ment of the same. Those mills are not only very benefi cial to the public, but have the reputation of .being very profitable to their proprietors. Mr. Peckett, in principle and practice has been decidedly in favor of temperance in this community, and by diligence in business, econo my in his expenses, and uprightness in his pecuniary transactions, has been prospered in his secular affairs. In March, 1865, he bought the beautiful homestead which he has since occupied and still further improved, on the Lower Plain, about three-quarters of a mile South of the principal hotel in this village. That nice brick house was built by Mr. John H. Richards, for his own family oc cupancy, in the summer of 1858. Mr. Peckett has not only had business enough of his own to occupy his time, but has been repeatedly called to take an active part in public affairs. He has officiated as Town Treasurer for five years, and as a Justice of the Peace for about twelve years. Mr. and Mrs. Peckett have had two sons and two daugh ters. Their son, Asa Low Peckett, born September 1, 1848, a worthy young man, married Miss Helen M. Clement, of this town ; and is at this date station agent on the Concord railroad, at Nashua, N. H. They have one child, a daughter. 2. Caroline Frances, born September 7th, 1853, grew up a comely, amiable, well educated, and hopefully pious young lady ; fond of vocal music, and a competent teach er of the same ; and on the 8th of April, 1874, became the wife of Horace Berry, M. D., of Cambridge, Mass. He took her directly, with fair prospects, to her new 297 home at Cambridge, where he was established in medical practice. But in less than one month, on the fourth day of May, 1874, she was, by the stroke of death, suddenly called away from all the joys and from all the sorrows which might otherwise have been her lot in life ; called, it is confidently hoped, into the approving presence and happy kingdom of that blessed Saviour to whom she had years before consecrated herself. She died at the age of twenty years and eight months, lacking three days. Her remains were brought to her native place for sepul ture, and her funeral was numerously attended by deeply sympathizing relatives arid friends. 3. John Barren Peckett, born December 21, 1856, has been pursuing a course of education at Bradford Acade my, and to this date has remained at home with his parents. 4. Martha Lucinda, youngest member of the family of J. B. Peckett, Esq., born January 27, 1859, died in her childhood. Colonel John C. Stearns and wife occupy the pleasant homestead, now much improved, which was owned by her father, and are deserving of a more satisfactory notice here than the writer has been furnished with the means ot correctly giving. CAPTAIN HAYNES JOHNSON AND FAMILY. This Johnson family were of English origin. Their earliest ancestor who emigrated to this country was Wil liam Johnson, born at Kent, England, in the reign of James the I. He was one of the early settlers and mu nicipal officers of Charlestown, Mass., which was incorpo rated in 1629. His wife, Sarah Haynes, is said to have been of Danish descent. This William died in Charles- town, December 9, 1677, at the age of seventy years. He left a son Thomas,~who had a son John, whose son Haynes 20 298 lived for a while in Newbury, Vt., but died in Concord, N. H., September 2, 1775, leaving three sons, Jonathan, Jesse, and Hajnes, the last named being but twenty days old at the time of his father s death. He was born in Newbury, August 13, 1775. In the summer of 1776. the young widow, then at Con cord, took her three little sons on the same horse with herself, and traveled, mainly through a wilderness, about thirty miles, to Hempstead, N. H., to be more out of the way of the Indians and tories. She returned again to Newbury, Vt., and there married Mr. Remembrance Chamberlin, by whom she had several sons and daugh ters, who became people of honorable distinction in New bury and Bradford. Her son Haynes, afterwards generally styled Captain Haynes Johnson, came to Bradford to live in 1798, when about twenty-three years of age, and for two or three years cultivated the farm in Goshen district which Mr. John Hardy at this date owns and occupies. In 1801 he bought the fine river farm, in the north-east part of the town, on which he remained an honest, industrious and hard-working farmer, during the remainder of his life. He married Miss Jane Sawyer, April 8, 1802, a daughter of Captain Ezekiel Sawyer, then of Bradford, but former- ly of Rowley, Mass. Captain Johnson and wife became members of the Congregational church in Bradford. He built the large house on his farm which still stands there, now forsaken of all its former inmates. Captain Haynes Johnson died November 1, 1863, aged eighty -eight years ; Mrs. Jane S. Johnson, his widow, died May 21, 1869, at the age of eighty-seven. They had a family of ten children. One of the daugh - ters died in childhood. Of the four sons and five daugh ters who lived to maturity, the following notices are deemed worthy of insertion here. Their children were all natives of Bradford. 299 1. Ezekiel Johnson, the eldest son, born September 26, 1803, married, February 27, 1827, Miss Nancy Rod- gers, daughter of Samuel Roclgers, of Newbury. She was born there, December 12, 1807. His children by this marriage were seven; all, with exception of the youngest, natives of Bath, N. H., where Mr. Johnson set tled soon after his marriage, and remained for about twelve years ; namely : Mary Elizabeth, born January 19, 1828, was married, at St. Albans, Vt., to Roswell Fariiham, of Bradford, De cember 25, 1849. Of Colonel Farnham and family see further notice elsewhere in this history. Ruth Ann Johnson, bom January 26, 1830, married Benjamin B. Chadwick, of Bradford, April 11, 1850. He at this date is engaged in the lumber business in North ern Michigan. Jane, born January 14, 1832, died in her third year. Nancy Jenny, born April 19, 1835, married John H. Ruckel, Esq., of Buffalo, N. Y., March 27, 1856. They have five children, Mary E., Adelaide M., John B., and Louise B. Mr. Ruckel is engaged in the manufacture of copper work for vessels and steamers on the Lakes. Harriet B., born December 19, 1837, married Mortimer Bradley, Esq., of Buffalo, N. Y., June 6, 1867. Their children are two, Jennie Louisa and Henry H. Ezekiel Thomas Johnson, born May 19, 1839, before he became of age entered the office of the Windsor Journal (Vt.), where he became an accomplished printer, and worked at that business till the breaking out of the war of the Rebellion, when he enlisted as a private, August 6, 1862, in Company H of the Tenth Vermont Regiment, at the age of twenty-three years. While in command of a portion of the skirmish line, in the battle of Monocacy, Maryland, July 9, 1864, he was severely wounded by a minnie ball, which struck the top of his head, cutting- through the flesh to the bone as it passed on. He was 300 sent to a hospital, where he remained for several months ; and as soon as able returned to his regiment, was com missioned Second Lieutenant of Company E, and the next year, March 22, 1865, was promoted to the rank of First Lieutenant of Company G. Amid many perils and hardships, he served his country bravely, and persevered till the war was successfully terminated. Was honorably mustered out of the service, June 22, 1865. He then went to Buffalo and acquired a knowledge of book-keep ing, at the Commercial College there, and is at this date book-keeper for a firm of ship-builders. He married Sophia Louise Bailey, of Newbury, Vt., who died at Buf falo, May 17, 1870, at the age of twenty- six years. William Henry, youngest son of Mr. Ezekiel Johnson and his first wife, born March 7, 1840, at Bradford, Vt., married, first Virginia Hartly, daughter of Dr. W. H. Hartly, of New York City, by whom he had one daugh ter, Ann Eva Dene. His second wife was Mary Adelia Lord, of Western New York, who died at Buffalo, July 27, 1874, aged eighteen years, leaving an infant son, named Harrison Foster. Mr. Ezekiel Johnson, while living in Bath, was called to the command of a military company, and generally styled Captain, as was his father before him. He re turned to this, his native town, in 1839, where he has since continued, an industrious, hard-working and devot edly Christian man. His pious and excellent wife, Nancy Rodgers, died here, September 11, 1850, at the age of forty -two years. The children of these parents have all become hopeful ly pious, and members of different churches : Mrs. Farn- ham of the Congregational church; Mrs. Ruckel of the Episcopal ; and all the rest, with their father, are mem bers of the Methodist Episcopal ; but all united in love. Mr. Johnson married for his second wife, March 15, 1857, the widow Lucy A. Southworth, daughter of Benja- 301 min Underwood, with whom he lived happily for sever al years. After her decease, he married Miss Ann Bar- net, of Newbury, April 4, 1867, with whom he is spend ing the evening of his life. The marriage rite in all these three instances was performed by the same minis ter, Rev. S. McKeen, Mr. Johnson s almost life-long friend. We now return to the original family. 2. Mary, twin sister of Ezekiel, born September 26, 1803, married William Peters. See the Peters family. 3. Eliza, born February 18, 1808, married Earle Paine, of Washington, Vt., April 26, 1835. She had a son, Haynes J., and a daughter, Helen E., who married Dan iel Grant, of Washington, June 6, 1868. He was a widow er, having at that time three children, all of whom, with their father, died of diptheria, in the course of one week, in August, 1874. Mr. Grant left by his second marriage two young daughters, Anna Evaline and Eliza Emma. 4. Haynes C. Johnson, born April 4, 1811, married Harriet Willard, daughter of Captain Israel Willard, of Bradford. She was born December 26, 1816, and mar ried February 9, 1843. Mr. H. C. Johnson owns the northern half of the large farm formerly possessed by his father, and has there on the river road built a nice brick cottage, with good outbuildings, and has a pleasant home. He has two sons. Walter Haynes, born July 15, 1847, remained at home, working, when of suitable age, on the farm summers, and attending the district school winters, until 1866, when he entered the Commercial College at Poughkeepsie, N. Y., and there finished the regular course ; after which he returned home, taught two win ters, and in the spring of 1868 accepted the office of Su perintendent of the motive power business at St. Albans, Vt., where he has since remained connected with rail road affairs. He married, June 29, 1870, Miss Lizzie S. Whitcomb, of Bradford. They have one child, Mabel Lizzie, born September 7, 1872. 302 Arthur Franklin, second son of Mr. H. C. Johnson, born December 16, 1849, at home schools and Montpelier Academy obtained a good business education, taught school for three winters, and then went into business in connection with his brother at St. Albans. Mrs. Johnson > with her two sons and the eldest son s wife, were all mem bers of the Congregational church in Bradford. 5. Hannah, born October 10, 1813, married William Peters, widower of her deceased sister Mary. See Peters family. 6. " Thomas Johnson, born December 13, 1816, married Miss Hattie Avery, of Corinth. They have three sons, Frank, Charles and Herbert T. Mr. Thomas Johnson owns the valuable river farm long known as the Rowell place, overlooked by the celebrated RowelPs Ledge, which gives also a fine view of the surrounding moun tains of this section of the Connecticut river, with its fer tile meadows and thriving villages. 7. Jane Ann, born February 22, 1819, married Mr. Dan W. Shaw, of North Cambridge, Mass. See the Shaw family. 8. Clarissa P., born July 18, 1825, married Mr. John Richardson, of Orford, N. H., November 10, 1858. They have a pleasant homestead on the river road in that town, and a family of five interesting children, namely : Clara Alice, John Fred, Arthur Johnson, Willie Martin, and Emma Louisa. 9. Edmund Elliot, born November 27, 1827, owns and resides on the. southern half of the old farm formerly pos sessed by his father, on which he has built a nice -cottage, and is pleasantly situated. He married Miss Mary Smith, of Newbury, and has one daughter, Lizzie. He is leader of the choir in the Methodist Church, and at this date one of the Selectmen of Bradford to whose care the pub lication of this History is by vote of the town entrusted. Thus end our reminiscences of this family. 303 i FAMILY OF JESSE JOHNSON; Jesse Johnson, the next elder brother of Capt. Haynes Johnson, of whom some account has just been given, was a son of Haynes Johnson and wife, born at Newbury, Vt., March 27, 1773. He married Elizabeth Sawyer, a daughter of Capt. Ezekiel Sawyer, of Bradford. They were united in marriage by Rev. Gardner Kellogg, March 19, 1807. She was a native of Rowley, Mass., born Jan uary 13, 1775. Mr. Johnson owned and occupied a good river -farm in Bradford, bordering on the south side of Newbury, and there kept a house for the entertainment of travelers for several years, and died there, July 18, 1830, in the 54th year of his age. Mrs. Johnson, his widow, died at the house of Moses Chamberlin, her son-in-law, May 23, 1855, in the 81st year of her age. These parents left four sons and two daughters. The first foifr of their children were born in Newbury, and the last two in this town. Of these children we are able to give only the following brief account. 1. Jesse Johnson, Jr., born May 6, 1808, married Mary A., daughter of Captain Ellis Bliss, of Bradford. He pur chased a valuable farm in Fairlee, and there lived till his decease, which occurred March 2, 1866, in the fifty-eighth year of his age. Mr and Mrs. Johnson had four daugh ters and two sons, namely : Martha Elizabeth, born September 22, 1845, died April 10, 1869, in her twenty-fourth year. Mary Ellen, born April 16, 1847. Sarah French, born May 11, 1849, died April 4, 1868, in her nineteenth year. Jesse R., born March 20, 1852, died in infancy. Abby Wright, born June 3, 1854. Penniman, the youngest child, born June 6, 1856, died June 10, 1860, at the age of four years. After the decease of her husband, Mrs. Johnson re- 304 turned, with the remnant of her family, to Bradford, where at this date she is still living ; her daughters Mary E. and Abby W. having their home with her. 2. Elliot P. Johnson, born December 19, 1809, married Sarah, daughter of Alva Taylor, of Bradford, May 6, 1841, and removed to Orford, N. H., where he possesses, at this date, a good farm on the river, below the village. They have at this writing three sons and one daughter. Jesse, the eldest son, graduated at Dartmouth College, studied law, and is settled in the practice of it in the city of New York. Alva T. and Edmund, his brother, reside in the same city, engaged in the market business. Orpha, the daughter, remains with her parents at Or ford. 3. Elizabeth A., born August 27, 1811. Since the death of her parents has had her home with her sister, Mrs. Chamberlin, of Bradford. 4. Jonathan Johnson, born August 22, 1813, married Abigail Willard, daughter of Captain Israel Willard, of Bradford, February, 1845. She died in the fifty-third year of her age, March 13, 1872, leaving two sons and three daughters, namely : Willard C., born April 4, 1846. He married Mary Smith, of Corinth, resides in Bradford, engaged in agri cultural pursuits with his father. Julia A., born April 3, 1848, still at her parental home. Moody, born July 22, 1851, a clerk at mercantile busi ness. Laura L., born October 24, 1853, married E. S. Peaslee, who is engaged in livery business here. Eva E., the youngest member of this family, born Jan uary 25, 1858, at home with her father. 5. Remembrance C. Johnson, born in Bradford, No vember 28, 1814, was for several years proprietor and 305 keeper of the Vermont House in this village^ and is still resident here. 6. Ruby S. Johnson^ born here January 29, 1819, married Moses R. Chamberlin, September 24, 1840, who owns and occupies the valuable homestead formerly pos sessed by his father, on the Upper Plain in Bradford. They have at this date one son, Benjamin Franklin, who married Abby, daughter of George Monson, of this place. He is engaged in farming business with his father. The daughters, Martha, Elizabeth, and Ruby, are still with their parents. John Westly, a promising boy, came to his death by accidental drowning. It seems proper to add here that Jonathan Johnson, brother of Jesse and Haynes, early settlers in Bradford, married Hannah Sawyer, a sister of the wives of his two brothers, and settled in the same neighborhood with them, though within the limits of Newbury, where they lived and died, leaving one son, Haynes Johnson, who gradu ated at Dartmouth College in 1822, became a worthy min ister of the Methodist order, married a Miss Stevens, of Newbury, and died in 1856, at the age of fifty-five, leav ing two sons, Jonathan and Simeon Stevens, the latter of whom became an attorney-at-law, married Miss Ellen Bailey, formerly of Fairlee, and is settled at Jefferson, Indiana. CAPT. ISRAEL WILLARD, AND FAMILY Israel Willard was a native of Sterling, Mass., born March 2d, 1777. He remained with his father, engaged in agriculture, till very nearly twenty-one years of age, when he learned the business of chair-making, and com menced operations here in *1804 or 5. His shop was on Roaring Brook, near its confluence with the Connecticut. Being very devoted to his occupation, and having no com- .petitor, he did quite a large and profitable business for 306 many years. He was a man decidedly honest, very kind- heartedj strictly temperate, and very exemplary in con versation and conduct. He married Miss Abigail Cum- mings, of Leicester, Mass., March 2, 1806, with whoin he lived happily nearly twenty-four years, when she died May 13, 1830, in the fifty-second year of her age. They had seven children, namely : L Laiira^ born February 5, 1807; married John E. Chamberliri, of Newbury, where she resided during the remainder of her life, and had four sons and two daugh ters. 2. Israel Cummings Willard, born July 2, 1809 ; mar ried Miss Ruth Jane Colby, of Bradford, September 1, 1852. She died April 11, 1855. Mr. Willard married for his second wife Mrs. Apphia Durgan, widow lady, a sister of Capt. B. Celley, of Fair- lee, June 27, 1861. They own and occupy the pleasant homestead formerly possessed by his father. . That brick dwelling house was buiit by Capt. Willard in the year 1822. Mr. I. C. Willard, a worthy man, was by occupa tion a farmer. 3 and 4. Two daughters, who died in their infancy. 5. Harriet Wilhrd, born December 26, 1816; married Haynes C. Johnson, of Bradford. See the Johnson fam- iiy- 6. Abigail, born October 15, 1819; married Jonathan Johnson of this town. See Johnson family. 7. Lydia Willard, born October 15, 1823; died Janua ry 4, 1850 in the twenty-seventh year of her age. She was a fine singer, had remembered her Creator in the days of her youth, and was much beloved by those who knew her. Capt. Israel Willard, the father of this family, married for his second wife, October 6, 1831, the widow Mehitable Sanders, of Newbury, a sister of Capt. Moses Chamber- lin, of this town, and an estimable lady. She died March 307 13, 1849, aged sixty-five years. Capt. Willard spent the remainder of his days With his son and Wife, kindly cared for, and died August 16, 1865, in the 89th year of his age. His mental as well as bodily powers had considera bly failed, but he still ielt that his Saviour was most prec ious, and peacefully died, trusting in Him. This good man, and both of his wives, and his daughter Harriet, and his son Israel C., were all members of the same church, Congregational. The son s wife is a worthy member of the Methodist church in this place, but of the same spirit with her husband. THE WORTHLEYS. Jesse Worthley, of Weare, N. H., married Judith Calif, of Kingston, in that State, and removed to Bradford, Vt., about the year 1798. He bought and settled on a farm some four or five miles back from the village, in the South west part of the town, and there raised up a family of three sons and as many daughters, namely : 1. Mary, who married Samuel Graves. 2. Jesse, Jr., married Lavina Ainsworth, and had two sons and three daughters. 3. Benjamin Lewis, who married Eliza Ann Dearborn, and by her had two daughters. The elder of whom, Su san Green, married George S. Howe, of Concord, Vt., and the younger, Lucy Ann, married Ira A. Merrill, of Cor inth. After the decease of their mother, Mr. Worthley mar ried for his second wife the widow Osmore, whose maiden name was Emily Coburn, and had a daughter Emily, mar ried, and a son, John Lewis. After the decease of his second wife, Mr. Worthley married the widow Susan Tap- lin, of Corinth, with whom (August, 1874) he is still hap pily living on the old homestead in Bradford, occupied in agricultural pursuits. 308 4. Joseph Worthley, the next son, married Eliza San- born, of Bradford. 5. Hannah, his sister, married John Sanborn. 6. Roxalana Amanda, married John Capper, of Bos ton. Further notices of these worthy families have not been received. JAMES ARMSTRONG AND FAMILY. James Armstrong, by occupation a farmer, and in life an honest man and worthy citizen, was born at Westport, Ireland, in 1799. He emigrated to America in 1824; married Elizabeth Liscomb, of Ackworth, N. H., in 1829 ; resided for a few }^ears in Fairlee, Yt.. and removed thence to Bradford in 1836. They have one daughter, Ann, and an only son, James H. Armstrong, who, October llth, 1864, married Mary Jane Snow, of Bradford, and is set tled on the farm with his father, engaged in agricultural occupations, and has recently been elected by his fellow- townsmen a Justice of the Peace. The family have a pleasant homestead and farm, on the south road, two or three miles west of the village. Mr. James Armstrong and wife, with their daughter and son, are all members of the Congregational church in this place. t WILLIAM S. NELSON AND FAMILY. W. S. Nelson was a native of Reading, Mass., as was also his father, William Nelson ; a devoted and faithful minister of the gospel, of the Methodist Episcopal de nomination, who died at Hebron, N. H., January 2, 1859, in the sixty-ninth year of his age. He had officiated as pastor in many places, and for an undetermined period in Bradford. By his industry and good economy, he had acquired a considerable property, and at his decease left a family consisting of his widow, seven sons and three 309 daughters. His first wife and two children had passed away before him. Of his surviving children William S. was the oldest. He was born at Reading, August 17th, 1815, and in the year 1832 became a resident of this town, where he has since continued, for over forty years, industriously occu pied in the business of a painter and glazier. Mr. Nelson, January 17, 1837, married Miss Persis S. Brewster, of Topsham, Vt., who was born there May 22, 1817. They have one son, William H. Nelson, born October 21, 1840. He settled in St. Johnsbury, and was for years in the employment of the Messrs. Fairbanks, and has been there, as he was here, called to officiate as church organist. He married Lydia Spooner, of St. Johnsbury, February 21, 1867. He at this writing is a dealer in musical merchan dise of all kinds. Mr. and Mrs. Nelson, of Bradford, have also two daugh ters, namely, Charlotte Isabella, a teacher of painting and drawing, born September 18, 1849 ; and Lucy Elizabeth, born September 15, 1853. These daughters reside with their parents, and are, with their mother, members of the Congregational church here. Mr. William S. Nelson has two surviving brothers, namely, B. Nelson, M. D., at Laconia, N. H., and Simeon B. Nelson, of Peshtigo, Wis., who lost almost everything that fire could consume in the great fire of 1871, when eight hundred persons perished in one night. Mrs. Persis B., wife of William S. Nelson, a very decid edly pious woman, died at Bradford, October 25, 1874, in the fifty-seventh year of her age. 310 CHAPTER XV. The Aldrich, Hardy, and Shaw Families. THE ALDRICH FAMILY. Tradition, which in this case is believed to be reliable, says that three brothers by the name of Aldrich emigrated from England and settled in Oxford, Mass., but in what year we have no information. The first of the name who settled in Bradford, Vt., was Silas Aldrich. The under standing is that he belonged to the company of Major Rogers, who was sent, in the autumn of 1759, with a force of two hundred men, to chastise the Indians at St. Francis, in Canada East, who had committed many dep redations and cruelties upon our border inhabitants. That work being accomplished, while the Rangers, as they were styled, or- a division of them, were returning through what is now the northern part of Vermont, and had reached the locality now called Hardwick, they were early one morning attacked by a party of Indians, and overwhelmed by disaster, numbers being killed or taken captive, and the rest put to flight. Aldrich, who could not then have been more than sixteen or seventeen years of age, was one of those who escaped. He made his way to the Connecticut River, and, following down through the lower Coos region, was so impressed by the natural beauty of the scenery that he resolved, when the war should be over, he would return and settle in that locali ty. He accordingly, in due season, came back to what was then called Moretown, now Bradford, and settled on a place which still bears the family name, in the north ern part of the township, about two miles back from the river. The precise date of his coming is not known, but in 1774 he was here, united in marriage with Miss Alice Collins, then, like himself, residing in this place, who is 311 said to have been a woman distinguished lor decision and energy of character. Mr. Aldrich was a man of an even, peaceable disposition, and of strictly temperate habits, even in those days, when the use of intoxicating liquors was well-nigh universal. He built for his residence a humble log cottage, and there with his wife raised up a family of four sons and four daughters, all of whom lived to marry and have families of their own. Silas Aldrich died, November 28, 1811, aged sixty- eight years, having made his will and appointed his son Richard sole executor. His widow married a Mr. Hunt, and lived on the same farm till her death, in 1823, at the age of seventy-three. Children of Silas Aldrich and wife : 1. Phebe, married James Martin, and lived and died in Bradford. 2. Betsey, married John Muzzey, and settled in Cor inth. 3. Richard ; of him more hereafter. 4. Abigail, married John Chase, and remained in this her native town. 5. Elsy, married Joshua Barren, and went West, and was lost sight of. 6. Silas Aldrich, Jr., married a Miss Carter, of Brad ford, and moved to Compton, in Canada East, where both died, and some of their descendants still remain. 7. Asa Aldrich married Lucy Maynard, a sister of his brother Richard s wife, a native of Marlborough, N. H., who had come to visit her sister and seek her fortune. They lived on the West side of Wright s Mountain, and had three daughters, namely : Emmeline, who married, a Mr. Caswell, and went with him into the Western country ; Sally, who married Charles Johnston, of South Newbury, and died at the age of about twenty-two, leaving two sons ; and Mary, who became the second wife of Adams 312 Wilson, of Bradford, and died, as her sister died, of con sumption. Mr. Asa Aldrich retired to his rest one night in, as was supposed, perfect health, and when his wife awoke she was horror-stricken to find that his spirit, in silence, had forever departed. He, like his father, was a man of mild and pleasant disposition, without great force of char acter. His widow married Calvin Cowdry, of Newbury, where she lived several years, and finally died, of consumption. 8. Ephraim Aldrich, the youngest son was physically perhaps, as powerful a man as was ever reared in Brad ford. In^ early youth he grew not only fast, but strong ; taking great delight and pride in athletic exercises. He, indeed, through life gloried in his great strength. At the age of eighteen he was married with Sarah Hilliard, of New Hampshire. But in moral strength and stability he was so deficient as to cause those who loved him most not a little concern and grief. At the age of twenty-one he enlisted into the United States Army, expecting to be stationed at Portsmouth, but was ordered to New Orleans, and became so utterly dissatisfied with his position and employments there that, at the peril of his life, he de serted, and, through hardships and dangers the most form idable, returned to his family and friends at the North; but not daring to stay, went on to the disputed territory of Indian Stream, where he resided for a while ; but finally, at the age of seventy-five, died at Pittsburg, N. H., a new settlement north of the White Mountains, where some of his descendants are understood to be still resid ing. His wife died several years before him. 3. Richard Aldrich, the third child and eldest son of Silas and Alice C. Aldrich, was born April 8th, 1780. By the will of his father, he came into possession of the old homestead, on condition of paying off the other heirs. In 313 the log-tiouse built by his father, he spent the days of his youth, and there, on being married, brought his young wife to commence housekeeping by themselves. His ad vantages in youth for a school education were very lim ited, but the lessons of industry, frugality, kindness to the suffering, and of heroic patriotism in which he was thoroughly drilled, had much to do in forming the charac ter for which he was distinguished in after life. He married at the age of twenty-one Miss Anna May- nard, then residing in the family of Andrew B. Peters, Esq., of this place, but a native of Marlborough, N. H. There is a little anecdote connected with the occasion of her coming to this town which seems worth relating here. Anna Maynard, at an early age was left without a moth er, and thrown for support on her own industry. At the age of sixteen she came to this town with a Mr. Norcross, as a companion for his wife, who was dissatisfied with her situation in this then new country ; and having gone to her old home could be persuaded to return only on condi tion that Miss Anna would come with her. She accord ingly came, but Mrs. Norcross after a while again grew so discontented and homesick that she determined to go back to her old home. In this distress Mr. N. besought Anna to stay and keep house for him. Her reply shows in what estimation she held her. reputation : " A pretty story that will be, to go back to my father, brothers and sisters, that I have parted husband and wife ! " Mr. N. urging the matter a little more strongly, she said, with decision, " No, sir ; I will see you in the bottomless pit first ! " So she left, and was taken into the family of Esquire Peters, where young Richard Aldrich found her, and easily persuaded her to become his wife. She ever after remembered the Peters family with gratitude for their kindness to her. Mr. Aldrich and wife lived happily in their log cottage till after the birth of their second child, when they moved 21 314 into their new framed house, in which all the rest of their children were born. They were industrious, hard-work ing people, and it is believed that the destitute and hun gry never applied to them for relief in vain. They both became hopefully pious in the maturity of their powers, and united with what was then styled the Christian church, and so remained during their subsequent lives. In 1807, Mr. Richard Aldrich was elected Captain of the Second Company of the First Regiment of the State Militia. Hence the military title by which he was ever after designated. He also filled several civil town offices acceptably. About the year 1856 he sold his farm to his son, John D. Aldrich, and moved into a house which he had bought in Bradford village, and there died, November 25, 1856, aged seventy-seven years. Captain Aldrich seasonably and with entire composure prepared for his departure to his final rest. Some years before he died, he requested the writer of this article to preach his funeral sermon. He also seasonably made his will, disposing of his property as he thought best, appoint ing his eldest son sole executor, and leaving his aged widow under his care. And so, trusting in the blessed Saviour, when his time came he had nothing to do but to bid his friends farewell, and, like aged Simeon, depart in perfect peace. His aged widow still survives, though greatly debili tated both in body and mind. Captain Richard Aldrich and wife had ten children four daughters and six sons of whom some brief account will now be given. 1. Almira, the eldest, married Levi Hazelton, of New- bury ; they had a family of children, and finally settled in the State of New Hampshire, where she died. Their youngest son, during the late war died in the service of his country, at Hilton Head. 2. Lydia S. married Josiah Rodgers, of Newbury, and 315 was the mother of nine children, viz : six sons and three daughters. Mr. Rodgers died in 1843. His widow mar ried William Bolton, of Newbury, and had another son and daughter. Alniira and Lydia Aldrich became hopefully pious in their youth, and united with the Methodist church. The eldest died happily, several years since. Her younger sister, Mrs. Bolton, still lives, striving to make her calling and election sure. 3. Sally, died at the age of five years. 4. Eliza Ann, in 1833 married James R. Brown, ol Chelmsford, Mass., but died at Wells River, Vt., leaving one son and two daughters. 5. William Aldrich, the eldest son of Captain Richard, married Rebecca Highland, of Bradford ; bought a farm near his father s, where he lived several years, and his only child, Rebecca Ann, was born. He was a deacon in the Christian church, in Goshen, the same to which his parents belonged. In the year 1861, his wife died of consumption. . She was a woman highly esteemed and much beloved by her relatives and neighbors. Mr. Al drich, after his wife s decease, built a house at Bradford village, and, May 28, 1862, married Miss Anna M. Corliss, a native of this town. His only daughter married a Mr. Leonard B. Fletcher, who has deceased, and she has re turned to her paternal home. 6. Richard Ransom Aldrich had no taste for agricul tural pursuits, but early manifested a decided genius for the manufacture of articles of wood. He first learned the carpenter s and joiner s trade, and was the first to in troduce the board-planing machine into Orange County. He was also the first in this County to manufacture wooden ware, and send it in quantities to a Boston mar ket. -At South Newbury he carried on quite an impor tant business of this sort. He had married Miss Emma. Heath, of Lowell, Mass., 316 and was living at South Newbury when, in 1851, his dwell ing house there, with five others, was consumed by fire, which induced him to sell his remaining property there and come to Bradford, where he bought a half interest in the Baldwin Mill Privilege, commenced business afresh, and has manufactured a great amount of mackerel kits, wooden pails, and other articles; and, in partnership with his son-in-law Barrett, at this writing is still going on, not withstanding the recent loss of his left hand by a circular saw. In 1854 Mr. R. R. Aldrich represented this town in the State Legislature. He and his wife became members of the Methodist church in Newbury soon after their settle ment there, and here he has been a steward in the church of the same order, and one of the liberal supporters of its ministry for over twenty years. Mr. and Mrs Aldrich had two sons and two daughters. Charles and Richard I)., both promising young men, died at nearly the same age, of twenty years. The first named, who showed a remarkable genius for mechanical pursuits, died of typhoid fever ; and his brother by an act of sui cide, owing, it is believed, to aberation of mind, caused by rheumatic fever settling on his brain. To the bereaved parents these were wounds which, earth could not heal ; but which grace has helped them to bear. The eldest daughter, Eliza A. Aldrich, in 1865 married Norman W. Barrett, of Connecticut. Mr. Barrett resides in Bradford village, engaged in business with his wife s father. They have one son, Richard A. Mrs. B. is a member of the M. E. church. Josephine E. Aldrich married Josiah H. Benton, Jr., attorney-at-law, May 19, 1866. J. H. Benton, Esq., a young man of talent, energy, and moral integrity, then of Lancaster, after a few years of prominence in New Hamp shire politics and office, opened a law office in Boston, where at this date he is understood to be doing a fair 317 amount of business. His young wife, Josephine E., after a short but happy life, died at her father s house in Brad ford, in April, 1872. Mr. Aldrich has been successful in business, and his good wife still lives to aid and comfort him, as in years that are past. 7. Edwin R. Aldrich married Harriet Hazelton, of Newbury, in 1835. Two of their children, a son and daughter, died in infancy. Their only surviving child, Miss Olive Ann, married Mr. Benjamin P. Baldwin, and is pleasantly settled near her parents. Mr. E. R. Aldrich, an honest man and good citizen, a house carpenter and joiner by trade, assisted by his son-in-law, Mr. Baldwin, has done much in the way of house building here, and each occupies a nice new house, both near each other on Main street. Mrs. Aldrich is a member of the Congregational church in this place. 8. Smith Aldrich married Elsie Muzzey, and lived for some while in Corinth, engaged in farming ; then moved to Northumberland, N. H., where he and his wife united, on profession of their faith, w r ith the Methodist E. church. He almost at once felt it his duty to preach, and set about it in the fear of God. As a preacher he has endeavored to declare the truth, without attempting any great dis play of rhetorical eloquence. About 1854 he went West, where he has since been preaching. Some three years since his wife died very suddenly, of heart disease. Their daughter married William H. Anderson, and lives in Sib- ley, Osceola County, Iowa. Rev. Mr. Aldrich has since married a Western woman. 9. John D. Aldrich married Harriet H. Highland, in 1845. Their only child, a daughter, died in her infancy ; her mother died of consumption in 1851. Three years afterward Mr. Aldrich married Philinda Williams, also of Bradford. He owns and occupies the pleasant homestead on Main street which formerly belonged to Judge Steb- 318 bins ; he also is owner of the old place in Goshen district on which his father and grandfather lived for so many years. Mr. J. D. Aldrich and wife have two sons, yet in their minority, namely, John Albert and Charles Richard, the only representatives of the third generation from the first Aldrich settler here to bear up the family name. 10. Levi M. Aldrich married Sarah George, of New- bury. They had six children, all daughters. One died in her infancy, and all the rest at this date are living. All were born in this town. Mr. Aldrich and family left this place about five years ago, and moved to Lowell, Mass., where he still resides, and where all his surviving daughters but one are married and settled. For the substance of this account of the Aldrich fam ily I have been almost wholly indebted to Mrs. Barrett, daughter of Mr. R. R. Aldrich, although the manuscript furnished by her has been wholly rewritten, and some what abbreviated. DEACON OLIVER HARDY AND FAMILY. Oliver Hardy was born of respectable parents, in Weare, N. H., September 19, A. D., 1779. During his minority the means of education were extremely limited ; and he had his share with others in the common misfor tune. He was, however, early trained to a life of indus try, honesty and prudence. After finishing an appren ticeship in the business of a tanner, currier and shoemak er, he came to Bradford, Vt, in the Fall of 1802, and se lected for himself a permanent location on the small brook at what is now the North end of the village. He that Fall commenced clearing away the trees from his pur chase, and preparing facilities for the prosecution of his business. The next Spring he put down more vats, and commenced the erection of a building to accommodate his operations, and of a dam to hold water to drive the 319 requisite machinery. He boarded in the neighboring families of Andrew B. Peters, Esq., and Dr. Arad Steb- bins, until the winter of 1805, when he married Miss Sal ly Johnson, of Enfield, N. H., who came and lived with him in the same house, until the day of his death, a peri od of sixty-two years and a few months over. Deacon Hardy was a man of ingenuity, who could work to advantage not only in his appropriate sphere, but had a blacksmith s forge and tools, which he used as occasion required, and when there was no other man in the vicini ty to clean and repair clocks and watches they were car ried to him, as it was understood he could do almost ev erything, and had a corner in one of his buildings for this particular purpose. He was also a farmer in a small way, and in the winter was accustomed to go with his sleigh load of leather and other commodities to some one of the seaports, and bring home a supply of desirable ar ticles for his family. In these and like ways he accumu lated a nice little property, sufficient for himself and wife in their old age, and to leave something comfortable for his beloved daughter, to say nothing of other relatives. After the lapse of many years, the fire seized the old tannery, with its various appurtenances, and so thorough ly swept them away that scarcely a vestige no^t remains. But one thing more in regard to that old establishment I must not omit to mention. While a fine boy was one day superintending the grinding of bark there, he by mistake got his foot where the bark should be, and was thus crip pled for life. But the loss of his foot awakened his inge nuity to supply, so far as possible, the want, and led to the making of artificial limbs so superior to any ever before known as to bring him high renown, not only in America, but Europe, and wherever the name of Profes sor Palmer is known ; not only renown, but also it is said wealth. Thus a serious calamity proved to be but a bless ing in disguise. 320 Deacon Hardy was not ambitious of political distinc tion, but for several years sustained, much to the satis faction of his fellow townsmen, the office of a Justice of the Peace. He had always been a man of kind disposi tion and exemplary morality, but did not become an ex perimental and professed Christian until he had attained to what is deemed the meridian of human life. Then there is reason to believe he became divinely illuminated, a sincere penitent, a hearty believer in the blessed Sav iour, and commenced a life of obedience to the gospel. At the age of thirty-six, in the year 1815, he professed his faith, and was received as a member of the Congrega tional Church in the place of his residence, then in its in fancy, and continued faithful to his dying day, more than half a century after. In March, 1830, he was elected and constituted a Dea con in the same church, and continued to perform the active duties of the office for some nine or ten years ; when, by his request and that of Deacon Bliss, his aged associate, younger brethren were chosen to relieve them ; but they both remained beloved and honored Deacons during the remainder of their days ; having "purchased to themselves a good degree and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus." Deacon Hardy revered the Sabbath as a holy day, and delighted in the worship of God, at home, in the social prayer meeting, in the monthly meetings of the church, and in the more public congregation. He was a man of strict honesty, of firm integrity, and at the same time of uncommon humility and meekness. His heart was full of good will towards all men. Seldom or never was he heard to speak unkindly of any human being. His patience and sweet resignation to the will of God, were admirable. He had followed the remains of six sons and one daughter to the grave, and experienced many other trials, but ever bowed submissively to the divine will, and failed not to 321 manifest that meek and quiet spirit which is in the sight of God of great price. During his long and painful ill ness he had a strong hope in the covenant faithfulness of God, and found his Saviour to be to him most precious. When the time for his departure came, he was fully sensible that he was going home ; and, having spoken im pressively to the aged companion of his life, and to his surviving son and daughter, attending physcian, and others about him, each separately, with a wave of his hand he bade them all adieu ; resigned his spirit into his almighty and most merciful Saviour s hands, and, beyond all doubt, entered into life eternal. Deacon Oliver Hardy died at Bradford, Vt., August 1st, 1867, aged eighty-seven years, ten months and twelve days. "Mark the perfect man, and* behold the upright, for the end of that man is peace." Mrs. Sally J. 7 widow of Deacon Oliver Hardy ; born at Enfield, N. H., May 16, 1786; died at the house of her son, J. A. Hardy, July 26, 1870, in the eighty-fifth year of her age. These parents had seven -sons and three daughters. Of these, two of the daughters and three of the sons died in childhood. One son, Jesse, from his infancy of feeble intellect, but of a quiet disposition, died in 1855, at the age of forty-three years, having been through life treated by his parents and the entire family with exem plary consideration and tenderness. Of the three other sons and their sisters, let the following notices suffice : 1. Johnson Arad Hardy, born July 29, 1806, still re mains a worthy citizen of Bradford. January 3, 1830, he married Miss Sybil Clark, of this place, by whom he had a family of four sons and one daughter, of whom some fur ther account presently. Mr. J. A. Hardy opened the first scientific clock, watch and jewelry establishment in Bradford, in October, 1829. He commenced in a shop near his present residence, but 322 in 1836 moved that building, and his business with it, to a more central location in the village, and there went on prosperously, till able to erect a more costly edifice, af fording not only ample accommodations for his own busi ness, but to let, for a store of dry goods, an express office, a law office, post office, a photograph gallery, and the business of dentistry, a music, hall, etc. Into this build ing he removed his business in 1851, and, having gradu ally gained a high reputation as a skillful and reliable workman, and fair dealer, was extensively patronized, and accomplished a great amount of profitable business. In 1858, Mr. Hardy, finding such close application injuri ous to his health, sold his goods and rented his store, with its fixtures, to Mr. Charles H. Harding, for the term of five years, reserving the privilege of having a work apartment in or near his own house, during the same time. At the expiration of this period, William G. Hardy went into the same business in the new store, and being assisted by his father was very successful. At length, in consequence of failing health, he felt obliged to exchange this, his favorite occupation, for out-door air and exercise, and so purchased for himself a nice homestead in Fairlee, next north of the residence of Mr. Lewis Jenkins, his wife s father. He disposed of his goods and business to Mr. C. H. Harding, who there keeps an excellent clock, watch and jewelry establishment, in juxtaposition with the office of which he is the highly esteemed Postmaster. Mr. J. A. Hardy continues, June, 1873, business in his pleasant retirement, both to meet the wants of many of his former patrons, and for his own gratification, it being a pleasure to him to be actively and usefully employed. His books show that in the course of now nearly fifty years he has cleaned, repaired and attended to the real wants of thirty-three thousand watches. The largest number repaired in any one year was thirteen hundred and thirty-three. In March, 1851, his shop door had 323 seventy-two holes bored around one of its panels, which was removed, and his store robbed of about one thousand dollars worth of goods, no part of which was ever re covered. Mr. Hardy occasionally made time-pieces, clocks, and regulators, of different styles and prices. Among others, he calculated and made a valuable clock which requires winding but twelve times in a year, and as a donation to the Congregational society placed the same in the breast work of their church gallery, where it. still remains, a memorial of his liberality, and a faithful monitor of pass ing time. As to the children of these parents, William C., the eldest, died at the age of two years ; Milo, the second, died at the age of nine years. Oliver J., the third son, born February 6, 1835, an en terprising young man, of the same occupation as his fa ther, married Miss Louisa Ladd, of Haverhill, H. H., and established himself in a prosperous business at Haynes- ville, Alabama. He was esteemed a safe and very nice workman, but in early manhood was called away. He died at Haynesville, of consumption, February 26, 1858, at the age of twenty-three years. His remains were brought home to Bradford for burial, and the discourse delivered on the occasion, by the Rev. S. McKeen, was published, lor the satisfaction of his numerous relatives and friends. Sarah Jane, daughter of J. A. Hardy and wife, born February 17, 1837, married Edwin Kilbourne, then prac ticing dentistry in Bradford, January 3, 18CO, and died at her father s house, August 27, 1866, in the thirtieth year of her age. Let the following correct, though brief, sketch of her character, from the pen of her pastor, im mediately after her decease, be her memorial: Mrs. Kilbourne, the only daughter of kind< and Chris tian parents, who had ever earnestly sought to promote 324 her highest good, was a young lady universally esteemed and beloved by those who knew her. In person sym metrical and pleasing, but too delicate to be strong and enduring ; in attire, ever neat, and modestly elegant ; in manners, unassuming, but uniformly correct and winning ; at home and abroad she habitually exhibited that meek and quiet spirit which is, in the sight of God, of great price. She had a fine taste for music and drawing, in the practice of which she had attained to excellence. For years she was .the admired organist in the choir with which she worshipped. For fifteen years she had been a member of the Congregational church in her native vil lage, and very exemplary in her attendance on all its meetings, ordinances and worship. Greatly beloved by her husband, parents, and other relatives and friends, she loved them dearly in return. Life was pleasant to her ; she would have been happy to have continued here long er, but when she evidently perceived that it was her Saviour s pleasure to take her to her heavenly home, she was not only perfectly reconciled to leave all, and depart, but esteemed it gain to die. In nature s last extremity, her faith and hope in Christ, the Lord, were strong ; and while passing through the valley and shadow of death, she feared no evil, being divinely sustained and most sweetly comforted. Her peaceful and happy departure was a most fitting termination of her exemplary and beautiful life. " Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints." S. M. K. William George Hardy, the youngest son of Mr. J. A. Hardy and wife, born March 8, 1840, married Miss Maria L. Jenkins, of Fairlee, February 9, 1864, and being thor oughly acquainted with the business of a watchmaker and jeweller, succeeded his father in that occupation, and went on prosperously until he found it necessary, as has been stated, to engage in agricultural pursuits, and pur chased a pleasant farm and homestead in Fairlee, where 325 he spent the remnant of his days. He died of pulmonary consumption at his home in Fairlee, on Saturday morning, April 18, 1874, in the thirty-fifth year of his age, leaving the beloved wife of his youth, with an only child, an in fant son. He was a young man of kind disposition, of mechanical genius, good sense and unblemished moral character. He had for about seven years been a consistent member of the church to which his parents, and also wife, belonged. He was in life much attached to his mother, and by death only five days separated from her. He was blessed with the exercise of his reason to the last, and died beautifully sustained by the promises and consola tions of the Gospel. His funeral services were attended at his late home in Fairlee, on Monday, the 20th inst., and his burial was with his kindred dead, in the cemetery at Bradford. He had been for some years to his parents, their last surviving child, very dutiful, affectionate, and much beloved. Mrs. Sybil C., wife of Mr. J. A. Hardy, died at her home in Bradford, April 13, 1874, in the sixty-sixth year of her age. Her departure was thus but five days in ad vance of that of her last son. She died of a chronic dis ease of the heart, ending in general dropsy. She was a native of Clinton, Kennebec County, Maine, a daughter of William Clark and wife. Her mother, whose maiden name was Sybil Heald, died at Troy, N. Y. Her father, after living for a while in Mobile, where he buried his eldest daughter, Sally, went to Florida and there died, leaving this daughter, and his two sons, William and George, both younger than their sister. The sons re mained and became men of business in that part of the country, and died in Low r ndes County, Alabama. The climate not suiting the daughter s health, she had re turned before her father s decease, to live with her aunt Hartwell, in this place, who had been to all these orphans as a mother for some years -before they went to their 326 father in Florida. Sybil grew up an amiable, interesting young lady ; remembered her Creator in the days of her youth ; and at the age of about nineteen became hope fully pious. In the year 1828 she, with more than twenty others, united with the Congregational church in this place. Of those then received Mr. Hardy was one ; so that this destined couple, by a happy coincidence, com menced publicly their heavenward journey together. They were married by their pastor January 3, 1830, and directly commenced house-keeping in a new building, de signed both for a family residence and to accommodate -the business of its proprietor as a watchmaker and jewel ler. This building was subsequently removed, to give place to the commodious brick residence in which she spent the principal part of her married life. Mr. and Mrs. Hardy had one daughter, Sarah Jane, a very amiable and good young lady, who became the wife of Dr. E. A. Kilbourne, and died at her father s house ; and two sons, worthy young men, of the same occupation as their father, namely, Oliver, who married Louisa Ladd, of Haverhill, N. H. ? went South and died in Hayneville, Alabama, and William G., who married Maria L. Jenkins, of Fairlee, where for a few years past he has resided on a farm, with a view to the improvement of his health, which had become delicate and precarious. He was un able to attend his mother s funeral. They have an infant son. The state of Mrs. Hardy s health had been for several years very imperfect, and of such a nature as to affect seriously her nervous system, and to weigh heavily on her accustomed cheerfulness. But this, with her repeated bereavements, she endured with quiet resignation ; habit ually aiming to do, in all circumstances, the best she could. She was much attached to the quietude of her home, but had, been repeatedly benefited by being taken to the 327 sea-shore to spend a few weeks at a time, and the last Summer and Autumn was wonderfully revived and invig orated by a journey with her husband, of some months, in the western country, including a visit to the medicinal springs of Saratoga, and especially of Clarendon, Vt. This improvement, however, was not of long duration. As her health again declined, and her journey through life was evidently drawing near its end, she seemed not to be much disappointed, or at all alarmed, but was enabled to trust in the precious promises of the Gospel with sweet composure, and was greatly comforted in view of eterni ty by the belief that she should soon be with her prec ious Saviour, re-united with her dear ones who had died in the Lord, and that those whom she was leaving would, in God s good time, be with them there, in perfect and everlasting blessedness. She had for about forty-six years been aiming to live in obedience to the Gospel, and, as might be expected, the end was peace. She left her husband solitary in the pleasant home which they had so long enjoyed together, deeply afflicted, but still able to say : "The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away ; blessed be the name of the Lord." Mr. Johnson A. Hardy, the last survivor of his own family, died at the house of his daughter-in-law, Mrs. Ma ria Hardy, in Fairlee, October 17, 1874, in the sixty- ninth year of his age. He was a worthy man, and in his last will remembered generously the church of which he had long been a member. 2. George W. Hardy, son of Deacon Oliver Hardy, born March 8, 1809, in early manhood was, with his fa ther, occupied for several years in the business of a tan ner and currier of leather. After the burning of that es tablishment, he engaged in the manufacture of boots and shoes for sale, ancj mercantile business in this, his native, village, and so continued during the remainder of his life. He built and occupied a pleasant brick house, a lit- 328 tie north of that of his brother, on the same street, which is now (1874) owned by Mr. James Woodward, of Chi cago, and undergoing important improvements. Mr. GL W. Hardy married Miss Sophronia Buswell, of Lebanon, N. H., and died January 26, 1866, in the fifty-seventh year of his age. They had one son, John, who married Miss Josephine Doe, of Newbury, Vt. He owns and oc cupies a farm which formerly belonged to his grandfather, but on which he never lived, in that part of Bradford called Groshen. They have but one child, a son, whose name is Frank Everett. 3. John, the fourth son of Deacon 0. Hardy, born January 17, 1814, learned the clock, watch and jewelry business of his brother J. A., and at the close of his ap prenticeship went South, and was very successful in his chosen occupation. He married a Southern lady, Miss Susan Crenshaw, by whom he had three daughters, Ala bama, Virginia, and Sarah Jane. He died of congestive fever, September 11, 1843, at Haynesville, Alabama, in the thirtieth year of his age, leaving, as the result of his skill and industry, about $6,000 for the comfort of his be loved wife and daughters. Mrs. Hardy has since died, but the daughters are understood to be still living at the South. 4. Harriet Maria, the only surviving daughter of Dea con Hardy, born April 26th, 1827, married Jasper M. Hardy, of Hopkinton, N. H., April 12th, 1866, and so became a resident of the native State of her parents. It is here worthy of remark, that the descendants of good Deacon Oliver Hardy and wife have been, not only, in a temporal view, but also religiously, signally blessed. The daughter just mentioned, also her brother, J. A. Hardy and wife, their daughter, Mrs. Kilbourne, her brother William G-. and wife, Mr. George W. and wife, their son John and his wife, all became members of the same 329 church to which Deacon Hardy and wife belonged, and in which he had so long and acceptably officiated. THE SHAW FAMILIES. The Shaws were of English descent. The first of the name in this country of whom we have any account was Benjamin Shaw, of Abington, Mass. His son, William Shaw, born February 22, 1730, married Hannah West, and settled in Bridgewater, in that State. He was a man in humble circumstances, by occupation a tanner and shoe maker ; but of excellent moral and religious character, and withal of very industrious habits. He and his wife had a large family, whom they seem to have faithfully en deavored, and not without success, to train up in the way they should go. Mrs. Shaw, their mother, died in 1772. Mr. Shaw married again ; had by this marriage one daugh ter, and died in January, 1810, in the eightieth year of his age. Two of his sons, namely, Colonel Dan Shaw ~and Rev. Naphtali Shaw, when quite advanced in life, re moved to Bradford, Vt., and here died, leaving families ; and it is of them particularly that I shall now have occa sion to speak. Their brothers and sisters, generally married, settled elsewhere, and left posterity in the country. Colonel Dan Shaw was born at Bridgewater, Mass., No vember 15, 1758. His first wife was Joanna Perkins, a daughter of Deacon Isaac Perkins, of Middleborough, in that State, born January 5, 1761. They were married in March, 1780, and removed to Lyme, N. H., where she died November 22, 1803, in the forty-second year of her age. The Rev. Dr. Burton, in his sermon at her funeral, after wards published, speaks highly of her good qualities and Christian character. For his second wife Colonel Shaw married the widow Mary Bliss, of this town, who survived 22 330 him, and became the wife of Colonel Freeman, of Hanover, N. H. In the sixteenth year of his age Mr. Shaw became, on profession of his faith, a member of the Congregational church in his native place, and was through life a remark ably strict keeper of the Sabbath. At Lyme he united with the Orthodox church, and was constituted a deacon in the same. He was also for a time one of the Selectmen of that town ; and in a military line was, by regular gradation, promoted from the office of a Lieutenant to that of com mander of a regiment ; whence the title by which he was ever after designated. After the death of his first wife he removed from Lyme to this town, and purchased a farm on the West side of the River road, bounded on the South by the line between Bradford and Fairlee, the same on which Amos Clement now lives. Colonel Shaw when over fifty years of age became un settled in his mind in regard to the correctness of the Orthodox belief that those who die in their sins are for ever lost, and finally embraced fully the docjtrine that all without discrimination will be saved. And so zealous was he in his new belief that in the year 1809 he obtained approbation from due authority to go forth as a preacher of universal salvation, and in the course of four or five years preached occasionally, in many places. He was undoubtedly sincere in his belief, and so conscientious that when, again fearing he might be wrong, he ceased to preach, became unhappy, and so disturbed in his mind ; about that and other things, that he terminated his life by drowning himself in a small brook near his home, greatly to the grief of his family and many friends, November 14, 1814, at the age of fifty-six years. He was an ami able man, in life well esteemed, and there can be no doubt but he had become truly insane. 331 Colonel Shaw and his first wife had a very respectable family, of whom some account will now be given. 1. Nanny P., the eldest daughter, born December 16, 1780, married Joshua Balch, of Lyme, June 15, 1800, and died there, leaving a family of children, January 24,1850. 2. Dan, born October 13, 1782, died May 4, 1805. 3. Samuel W., born November 12, 1784, died March 31, 1803. 4. Joanna, born April 3, 1787, married Abel Kent, Jr., of Lyme, January 1, 1806, and died November 4, 1856, leaving a family. 5. Asa, born February 20, 1789, married Eliza T. Slade, of Hanover, was a merchant at Lyme, and died there July 4, 1861, leaving one daughter, Eliza P., and one son, Asa, with their mother. This son is a merchant in Hartford, Conn. 6. Abraham Perkins, born June 20, 1813, married Mary, daughter of Joseph Jenkins, of this town, June 20, 1813, who died here August 6, 1855. Mr. A. P. Shaw and wife were both members of the Congregational church in this place, and valuable members of society. He was by occupation a cabinet maker, and is at this date still living in this village, in circumstances of comfort. THEIR CHILDREN. Joseph Wright Shaw, born April 3, 1814, married Al- mira Tisdale, was of the same occupation as his father, removed to Summerville, Mass., and died there, March 1, 1870. Dan W. Shaw, born March 12, 1816, married Jane A., daughter of Captain Haynes Johnson, of Bradford, and engaged in the manufacture and sale of furniture at East Cambridge and Boston, Mass., on a large scale, in which business he has been very prosperous. He has a commo dious and delightful residence at North Cambridge. Mr. 332 and Mrs. Shaw are very estimable people, and have a pleasant family , as follows : Ella J., born July 19, 1846; Emma L. 7 born November 27, 1848, died January 22, 1854 ; Susie E., born November 30, 1854, was married with Mr. George A. Keeler, June 4, 1874 ; Adna B., born December 8, 1856, and his brother, Edward L., January 24, 1860. Mary E., eldest daughter of A. P. Shaw and wife, born June 9, 1818, died February 28, 1826. Abram Perkins, Jr., born May 3, 1821, remains at this date a citizen of Bradford, usefully engaged in the man ufacture and sale of furniture, and caring for his father, now far advanced in age. Arad K., a younger brother, born April 16, 1825, by reason of severe sickness in childhood became deaf and mute, though still bright in intellect, and died April 14, 1854. Julia A. B., born September 25, 1827, married Olin Partridge, January 16, 1853, who died in Ripon, Wiscon sin, August 16, 1861. Their son Willie Oliri was born at Ripon, September 22,1858. After her husband s decease, Mrs. P. returned, with her son, to this her native place. Mary J., the youngest member of this family, born May 25, 1831, married William Miller, then of Bradford, a worker in marble, October 23, 1853, and died here April 12, 1855. 7. Naphtali, the next son of Colonel Dan Shaw, was born May 20, 1793. He married Hannah Worthen, of Bradford, January 21, 1817. He was a man highly es teemed for his intelligence, ability, and moral worth ; was for many years occupied here in mercantile business, and died September 3, 1861, in the sixty-ninth year of his age. His good wife died August 16, 1844, in the forty-fifth year of her age. They were both exemplary Christians , and members of the Congregational church in this place. They had two daughters and one son. The 333 youngest daughter, Julia B., died in her infancy. Han nah Maria, born November 27, 1817, married Olin Part- ridge, June 21, 1840, and died December 20, 1847, leav ing one daughter, Arabelle Maria, born May 29, 1841. Asa Thaddeus, the only son, born February 9, 1820, married Maria L. Putnam, November 9, 1843, removed to Elmore, Vt., and died there, January 5, 1855, leaving a family of three daughters and two sons, with their mother. Their eldest son, Asa Balch, had previously died in child hood. Mrs. Shaw with her family returned to Bradford, and for years has kept a respectable millinery establish ment here. Her daughter, Harriet Arabelle, born De cember 3, 1846, died June 27, 1867, in the twenty-first year of her age. Julia Laurette, born October 22, 1848, an industrious young lady, to whose influence we are in a great measure indebted for the monument at her grand father s grave. Mary Ann, born November 12, 1850, married Victor Wallace Bagley, September 16, 1871, a merchant, in partnership with William B. Stevens, of this place. Asa T. Shaw, Jr., born February 14, 1855, a clerk in that establishment. And, lastly, William West, born October 22, 1852, engaged in the business of a livery- stable keeper. 8. Pollycarpus, the sixth son of Colonel Dan Shaw, was born February 25, 1797. Went to Indiana, devoted himself to teaching, married, and died February 1, 1849, leaving a large family. And, finally, 9. Mandana, youngest member of Colonel Shaw s fam ily, born April 9, 1799, died June 6, 1801, at Lyme, N. H. Of this large and respectable family, Abraham P. Shaw at this writing is the only survivor, now eighty-three years of age. Rev. Naphtali Shaw, the third son of William, of Bridge- water, Mass., and brother of Colonel Dan Shaw, was born there, June 20, 1864, and was from his childhood trained up in habits of industry, sobriety, and Christian morality. 334 He had naturally a strong desire for the acquisition of useful knowledge, and fondness for reading, but his ad vantages were very limited. He was in his youth, as well as in mature manhood, a lover of his country, and at the age of fifteen, with his father s consent, enlisted for a limited period in the Revolutionary service. He re turned in safety ; and at the age of twenty, by agree ment with his father, entered on a decided course of preparation for college, and persevered amid difficulties, paying his expenses in part by manual labor, and was ad mitted a freshman, at Dartmouth, in the autumn of 1786. He found his preparation had not been equal to that of most of his classmates, but by hard and persevering study gained and held an honorable standing among them. He graduated in 1790, his appointment at commencement being a discussion of the question, " Does moral obliga tion arise from the revealed will of God, or from the fit ness of things ? " Among his fellow graduates were Rev. Ethan Smith, Mills Olcott, Esq., Asa Lyon, Member of Congress, and General William Eaton, United States Consul at Tunis, in North Africa men of distinction in their day. On leaving college Mr. Shaw, having taught in Boston and other places for a year or two, to pay up his college expenses, studied theology, for about seven months, with Rev. Dr. Sanger, of Bridgewater ; when, being approbated by Plymouth Association as a qualified preacher of the gospel, he was invited to preach for four Sabbaths, as a candidate, at Kensington, N. H. About the same time he received his second degree at Dart mouth. With much diffidence, he consented to go to Kensington, having no expectation of giving them satis faction, as that church had already tried twenty or thirty candidates without success, and were in a deplorable con dition. He preached his first sermon there September 9, 1792, and in the course of eight weeks, to his great surprise, received an urgent call from the church and 335 society to become their pastor. He felt that he must not refuse; and on the 30th of January, 1793, was duly or dained, and constituted the settled pastor of the Congre gational church and society in Kensington. And so con tinued, in love and peace, and with moderate success in his ministerial labors, for about twenty-one years, when his health had become so seriously impaired that a re lease from study and preaching could no longer be de ferred, and, with great cordiality on both sides, his minis terial connection with that people was, by act of council, honorably terminated, January 13, 1813. He then set tled up his secular affairs, bought a farm in this town, adjoining that of his brother, Colonel Shaw, on the east, and settled here with his family, in October of the same year, designing to spend ^ the remainder of his days in agricultural employment, and from that time wholly ceased to officiate as a preacher, but continued through life to maintain an excellent Christian character. For five or six years after Mr. Shaw s ordination, he remained a bachelor; but on the 10th of June, 1798, he married Mary Crafts, a daughter of Dr. John S. Crafts, of North -Bridgewater, a companion altogether suitable for him. They were blessed with a family of four children. Mrs. Shaw died at Bradford, January 14, 1840, aged seventy- five years. Rev. Naphtali Shaw, her husband, died here also, October 10, 1853, in the ninetieth year of his age. Their remains repose side by side in Bradford cemetery. They were both members of this Congregational church. THEIR CHILDREN, ALL NATIVES OF KENSINGTON. 1. Thomas Crafts, was born June 7, 1799, and under good parental influence grew up a very worthy young man. It is not known that he ever contracted any of the bad habits so common among young men. The ordinary use of tobacco and intoxicating liquors, Sabbath breaking, profane swearing, lounging about in places of public re- 336 sort, and wasting time and money in dissipating amuse ments, were practices that he abhorred. He was always to be found on the side of morality and good order. His candor and kindness, and strict regard for veracity, jus tice, fairness and faithfulness, in all transactions with his fellow men, were admirable. He had through life a healthy appetite for reading, and in that way acquired a good store of useful knowledge. He was in his youth a successful teacher of common schools, and through life felt interested in the right education of the rising gener ation. For twenty-three years he officiated as a trustee of Bradford Academy, and for six years of that time as treasurer. Mr. Shaw was married, December 2, 1819, with Miss Sarah B., a daughter of Joseph Jenkins, an estimable young woman of the same neighborhood, a few years older than himself. They remained, taking care of his parents, at the old homestead, till their decease, after which Mr. Shaw sold that place, and bought a pleasant residence in the village, near his ordinary place of wor ship, and there they spent their remaining days. During a series of religious meetings, attended with great power, about the beginning of the year 1837, Thomas C. Shaw and wife became hopefully converted, and united with the Congregational church, in which he was in 1839 chosen a deacon, and for about twenty-seven years so performed the duties of the office as to purchase to him self a good degree, and great firmness, if not boldness, in the faith which is in Christ Jesus. A failure of his health induced him to resign, about five years before his de cease. Mrs. Shaw died, stricken down by apoplexy, De cember 30, 1869. Deacon Shaw, after a protracted fee bleness of some two or three years, in which his eldest daughter, the only surviving member of his family, with admirable loving kindness ministered most faithfully unto him, died March 24 7 1871, aged seventy-one years. These parents had been blessed with three children. 337 Sarah Jane, the eldest daughter, born December 14, 1820, at this date still survives, occupying, with competent support, the pleasant home which her father left to her in this village. She is a member of the same church to which her parents belonged. The next child of her pa rents, a son, died in his infancy. The younger daughter, Mary Ann, born June 6, 1825, died February 10, 1848, in her twenty- third year. 2. Eliza Parks, eldest daughter of Rev. N. Shaw, born April 19, 1801, became hopefully ^pious when about fifteen years of age, and made a public profession of her faith. She married Randall H. Wild, of West Fairlee, then resident in Bradford, March 15, 1824. They re mained here for a while, and Mr. Wild was chosen a dea con in the Congregational church, October 4, 1827. They removed to West Fairlee, and had two daughters, Mary Elizabeth, the eldest, married Rev. Orpheus T. Lan- phear, now D. D., and pastor of the Congregational church in Beverly, Mass. Her younger sister, Emily, died in her maidenhood, an amiable young lady, x Mrs. Wild, their mother, owing to a softening of the brain, or some other physical cause, suffered a sad failure of her intellectual powers, though still remaining quiet, and by agreement was taken home again by her parents, and, by accidentally falling into an open fire, was so seriously burned as to cause her death, which occurred December 22, 1841, in the forty-first year of her age. Though thus in the decline of, her life unfortunate, there can be no doubt but she was a truly good woman, and her immortal interests secure. 3. Samuel West, the second son of Rev. N. Shaw, born June 1, 1803, grew up a very worthy young man, and married, November 23, 1830, Jerusha Bliss, daughter of Deacon Solomon Bliss, of Fairlee. They were both good Christians. He lived in a house near his fathers for a few years, and died March 10, 1832. His widow 338 married Deacon John Metcalf, of Piermont, N. H. ; had several children, and at this date is still living, again in widowhood. 4. Mary Ann, the younger daughter of Rev. N. Shaw, born May 21, 1807, died in childhood. In closing this genealogical record it is deeply inter esting to notice how the divine blessing has come down from a pious ancestry upon children s children, unto the third and fourth generation. So may it be till earth and time shall be no more. 339 CHAPTER XVI. The Prichards, Lows, and Ormsbys. THE PRICHARD FAMILY. Col. George W. Prichard was born at New Ipswich, N. H., December 4, 1792. His parents were Jeremiah and Elizabeth Prichard, of that place. His father was for sev eral years an officer in the war of the Revolution, and bore the title of Captain. He died in New Ipswich .in 1813, at the age of fifty-eight years. His widow died at the house of her son, in Bradford, Vt., March 1836. The parents had four sons, all worthy men, of whom the sub ject of this notice was when visited with his last sickness the solitary survivor. George W., while rather young for a clerkship, came to live with Captain John B. Wheeler, of Orford, N. H., in whose store a large amount of business was in those days transacted. Capt. Wheeler, who was a shrewd business man, and would have none but the capable and trustwor thy about him, was so much pleased with this young man that he not only kept him as a clerk, but in due season took him into partnership, and committed to him the management of the mercantile business which he had es tablished in Bradford. When about twenty years of age, in the year 1812, Mr. Prichard took up what proved to be his permanent residence here. Nor was it long before he became the sole proprietor of the establishment. He here continued in very successful mercantile business for about half a century, when, having acquired a competen-^ cy, and being far advanced in life, he retired, leaving his almost life-long business to two of his sons, to the prac tice of which they had from early youth been trained. His first store was a low wooden building on the west side of Main street, in the central part of the village, 340 where the two story brick building which he subsequent ly erected now stands, and continues to be occupied for the same purpose. That Col. Prichard was a very capable, upright, and honorable man in his various transactions, is evident from the manifold official duties which he was called to per form, and the entire confidence which all who knew him invariably reposed in him. By the election of his fellow townsmen he officiated for three years as one of their Se lectmen ; twice he represented the town in the State Legislature ; executed the office of a Justice of the Peace for some thirty years ; and for some thirty-seven years was entrusted with the town moneys, as Treasurer. On resigning the latter office, at the last annual meeting preceding his death, a vote of thanks was unanimously passed, testifying that he had invariably kept the funds committed to him with fidelity, and discharged the vari ous business of his office as Treasurer to the entire satis faction of all concerned. He performed the duties of Secretary of the Board of Trustees of Bradford Acade my for, it is believed, more than forty years. He also bore for some while the commission of a Colonel, in a time of peace. He was also the efficient, reliable, and only President of the first Bradford bank, whose business was honorably closed, without loss to any, about two years before his decease. Col. Prichard had also important trusts committed to him in the way of settling the estates of deceased friends, and was remarkably successful in giving good satisfac tion. Even when the amount of property in one case was large, and the claims of the heirs in conflict with each other, they were all alike ready to acknowledge and thank him for his perfect impartiality, and strict justice. With regard to domestic relations and affairs, it may be remarked that Col. Prichard was united in marriage with Miss Elizabeth Pearsons, of Bradford, March 16, 1817, a 341 lady in person, manners, domestic habits, and character, truly amiable and estimable. They were married by their then youthful pastor, who in years long after at tended the funerals of them both. They wisely com menced housekeeping in a style corresponding with their then somewhat limited means, for some years living in a humble cottage, made pleasant by love and contentment, nor wished to remove till able, without inconvenience, to build and furnish to their liking the commodious residence in which they spent the remainder of their days. They had a family ol one daughter and six sons, of whom fur ther notice will be given. All were living at the time of their mother s decease, which occurred March 5, 1853, in the sixty-second year of her age. She had been a mem ber of the Congregational church for sixteen years, and by her exemplary life had evinced the sincerity of her profession. In view of death, she was beautifully sus tained and comforted by the assured prospect of a near and blessed immortality,. Colonel Pri chard s second marriage was with Miss Mary P. Sutherland, February 7, 1854, a daughter of the late Rev. David Sutherland, of Bath, N. H. She faith fully ministered to his comfort during his declining years, and was rewarded with not only worldly substance enough, but with the strong assurance of his high esteem and grateful love. Although Mr. Prichard had been from his youth a moral man and regular attendant on public worship, and for years entertained a trembling hope of the divine accept ance, .he had passed the meridian of life before he made any open profession of religion. It was during a pro tracted meeting of great power, held in connection with the dedication of the present Congregational meeting house in this village, in January, 1837, that he and his wife, in company with several others, were brought to consecrate themselves heartily and openly to the Sav- 342 iour s service, and to become living members of his visi ble church. Thence onward their path was like the light of the morning. About three years after this season of refreshing, the aged deacons of this church wishing to be relieved, George W. Prichard and Thomas C. Shaw, who had to gether been received as members, were unanimously chosen deacons, and, to the great satisfaction of the church, continued to perform the duties of that office un til, by reason of advanced age and bodily infirmities, they in their turn thought it their duty to resign. Their resignation was accepted so far only as to excuse them from officiating, except in cases of special need of their services. Deacon Prichard was a firm believer in divine revela tion, and made the Holy Scriptures the guide of his faith and conduct.. He delighted in public and social wor ship, and his fervent prayers and pathetic remarks in social meetings were truly elevating and refreshing. In the Sabbath school he was also deeply interested. He for several years officiated as superintendent, and after that continued as teacher of a class, while he had strength to perform the arduous, but to him grateful, service. He took a lively interest in the support of public worship, ever ready to do his part. He was not only a liberal subscriber and prompt payer, but a cheerful giver. Great pleasure he evidently took in attending the annual " donation visits " to his pastor and family, and never failed to bring on such occasions substantial proofs of his friendship. And when, after a long, peaceful, and not fruitless ministry, the pastor esteemed it his privilege and duty to resign, this good man was prominent among the considerate and kind-hearted friends who undertook to provide for him a comfortable home, that he might continue to live, and finally die and be buried, with his beloved people. 343 Such men are a blessing, not only to their own fami lies and to the communities around them, but to the world. But the most upright, benevolent, exemplary and useful members of society must with others pass away. The ailment of which Deacon Prichard died was similar to that of the good king of whom it is said, that he " did that which was good and right in the eyes of the Lord his God," but who in his old age " was diseased in his feet, until his disease was exceeding great ; " and in addition to this, dropsy in the chest, sa that for months before his decease he could not lie down at all. During this whole season of bodily infirmity and distress, his pa tience and sweet resignation to the divine will were most admirable. During those wearisome days and nights, sitting almost constantly in his . chair, often pierced with intense pains, he was not only reconciled and submissive, but said he loved to be in the hands of his Heavenly Fa ther, who knew just what was best for him. To him the Saviour was inexpressibly precious, and in Him he re joiced at times with joy inexpressible and full of glory. His children, with their companions, from near and afar had gathered around him, to receive his dying benedic tion, and express to him their sympathy, gratitude, and filial love, when on one Thursday evening, August 8, 1867, at the age of seventy-four years, eight months, and four days, he, at the call of his Lord, exchanged Earth for Heaven, leaving his lifeless body still reclining in the ac customed chair, presenting even in death a placidity of countenance expressive of the most perfect satisfaction. The burial service was attended on the subsequent Saturday, towards evening, and at the church on the fol lowing Sabbath an appropriate funeral discourse was de livered by his pastor and almost life-long friend, in the presence of the united congregations of Bradford village, and numerous other friends from -places more remote. " Blessed are -the dead who die in the Lord." 344 The children of George W. and Elizabeth P. Prichard, his wife. 1. Adeline, born December 22, 1817. She became hopefully pious while young, and united with the same church with her parents. She was a well educated young- lady, and became the wife of Rev. B. B. Newton, then pastor of the Congregational church in Chelsea, Vt. Af ter several years of ministerial service as a Congrega- tionalist, Mr. Newton withdrew from that denomination, united with the Episcopal church at Brooklyn, N. Y., and received ordination as a clergyman of that, order. Mrs. Newton had for several years charge of a female board ing school at Brooklyn, and has done much good ser vice, not only for those under her immediate care, but for the world, as an educator of young ladies. Rev. Mr. Newton had by this marriage eight children, of whom four died early j and at this date two daughters and two sons still survive, namely, Elizabeth P., wife of George H. Goddard, Adeline, Benjamin, and Edward Prichard. 2. George Prichard, born November 19, 1819, mar ried Elizabeth F. Brooks, of Worcester, Mass., and with his brother Edward was for years actively and extensively engaged in mercantile business in the same store which had been occupied by their father for the same purpose. He had also a pleasant homestead next South of the Academy, and near the churches in Bradford village. Mr. and Mrs. Prichard were members of the Congregational church here, and took a lively interest, not only in its prosperity but in the general advancement of the best interests of society. Mr. Prichard, like his father be fore him, was a highly esteemed deacon in the church to which he belonged, and so continued until, owing to em barrassing reverses in his mercantile affairs, he closed up further business here, left the place, and late in the Au tumn of 1871 removed with his family to Worcester, 345 Mass. While resident in Bradford, he was for several years a Trustee of Bradford Academy, and Secretary of the Board, and also represented the town in the State Legislature of 1858-59. Deacon George Prichard and wife had three daughters and four sons. The eldest son, Charles, died in early life; at the house of his maternal grandmother at Worcester, in 1851. Eva Frances, the second daughter, died at the same sweet ancestral home, December 6, 1868, at the age of eighteen years and seven months. She had gone there in health, to visit her grandmother, and to spend the Win ter with her uncle and aunt Anderson in Boston ; but soon after her arrival was visited with disease of a gan grenous nature, painfully affecting especially one of her feet, which no medical treatment could relieve ; amputa tion became a matter of necessity ; the disease still lin gered in the system, and within a few days reached the mainsprings of life. The dear girl knew she was going going to leave her beloved father and mother, who were with her, and the dear ones at their home ; but bore all with sweet resignation to the Divine will, and, with entire confidence in her blessed Saviour, peacefully passed away to her final rest. Nearly a year before her decease she had made a public profession of her faith, and united with the same church to which her parents and her two sisters also belonged. Her funeral was numerously attended at Bradford, and her precious remains followed to the tomb by a full representation of the Sabbath school to which she had from childhood belonged. The surviving children are Mary Addie, Annie Eliza beth, George Brooks, William Frederick, and Arthur An derson. 3. Moses Smith Prichard, born April 8, 1822, graduat ed at the University of Vermont in 1841, studied law, and opened an office in Janesville, Wisconsin, where af- 23 346 ter the lapse of some thirty years he was still remaining, pleasantly located. He was for a term called to the office of Judge of the County Court, holding its sessions there. He married Miss Betsey Ann True, of Janesville, and the names of their three children are Mary, George W., and Anna. 4. Edward Pricharcl, born November 29, 1824. He was in youth favored with the requisite advantages for acquiring a useful education, which he duly improved and became, as he advanced in life, well qualified for the various mercantile and official transactions in which he was^called to engage. At the old stand in Bradford vil lage, in company with his brother George, he was occu pied in commercial business for several years. During a part of this time, and subsequently, he was called to fill various civil offices of trust and importance. As one of the town Listers, one of the Selectmen, Town Clerk, and Justice of the Peace, he had much to do. The records which he made will long remain, should no accident pre vent, an honorable memorial of his fidelity and penman ship. He officiated for a time as Cashier of Bradford Bank, was for years a Notary Public, and at the time of his decease an Assistant Assessor of the United States Revenue, and a Trustee of Bradford Academy. He was a man so modest, kind-hearted, seriously inclined, and withal so winning in his ways, as well as capable and trustworthy, that his fellow townsmen were very natur ally disposed to respect and honor him. Mr. Prichard built the store on the East side of Main street, at this date occupied by Bailey & Reding as a clothing store, and also the commodious house on Pleasant street in which his family continue to reside. In his domestic relations Edward Prichard was very happy. At the age of twenty-six he was united in mar riage with Miss Anne Merrill, of Pittsfield, N. H., who did him good all the days of his subsequent life, and by 34:7 whom he was blessed with a somewhat large, for these days, and very interesting family of children, consisting of. two sons and eight daughters. The eldest son, Edward Payson, a beautiful and prom ising boy, was so unfortunate as to be drowned at the age of thirteen years. Towards evening July 29, 1867, this dear boy had gone quite alone to bathe in Wait s River, a little below the brick mill. at the village. Not return ing, as was expected, in the evening, the most dilligent search was made for him ; but in vain, until early the next morning the lifeless body was discovered reposing in death s profound sleep on the river s bed ! The entire community seemed to be moved with deep sympathy for the family in their sore bereavement. About five weeks before Mr. Prichard s decease, his eyes were blessed with the sight of another son, to be, with the eight lovely daughters, to their mother, as he hoped, a rich blessing when he should himself have passed away. This son, born October 20, 1870, is named James Edward. The names of the daughters are Caroline Mer rill, Elizabeth Pearsons; Julia, Jane Hallet, Anna Lois, Ellen Catherine, Mary Sutherland, and Adaline Frances. The disease of which Mr. Prichard died was of the heart. In the action oi that vital organ there had been more or less irregularity through life. For some weeks immediately preceding his decease this trouble had be come most serious and alarming. Its progress to a fatal termination was rapid and irresistible. Of this he was duly aware, and quietly awaited the eve at. His decease occurred November 28, 1870, at the age of forty-six years, lacking one day. Mr. Prichard, though seriously inclined, evangelical in his belief, and very exemplary in his observance of the Sabbath, and attendance with his family on public wor ship, had never seen his way clear to make a public pro fession of religion by uniting with the church. In the 348 near prospect of death, he utterly disclaimed all depend ence on any ground of hope save Christ, and Him alone, for salvation, and so quietly passed away, hoping that to him it would be a gain to die. At his funeral an earnest appeal was made by the beloved pastor, the Rev. Mr. Williams, to the men of Bradford to be wise and consider their latter end, to consecrate themselves heartily and openly to the service of God, and to do so without delay, seeing the night of death cometh, and may come with un expected suddenness. Miss Caroline M., daughter of Edward Prichard, and Edward E. Baldwin, of Cambridge, Mass, were married September 1, 1874. 5. Amos Prichard, born May 26, 1827, graduated at the University of Vermont in 1847, studied for the pro fession of law, and directly after became established in successful business at Janesville, Wisconsin. In due sea son he was constituted a Judge of the County Court there, for the term of four years, and at this date is offici ating on his fourth term of election to the same office, a sufficient proof of the esteem in which he is held by his fellow citizens of that County. He married Miss Augusta Dearborn, and they have been blessed with three chil dren, Charlotte Augusta, Lyman, and Abby Elizabeth. 6. Arthur Prichard, born April 27, 1835. Some years of- his early youth were spent in acquiring a business ed ucation, arid as a clerk in his father s store. In his twenty-first year, with his father s consent, he went away to seek his fortune, as many other young men do, in the West. In the course of a few weeks, while boarding at a hotel in Ripon, Wisconsin, he was visited with danger ous sickness, but by the aid of a friend succeeded in reaching Janesville, the residence of his two brothers, and there, at the house of the Hon. Moses S. Prichard, re ceived whatever kindness loving hearts could render. He seemed to revive a little, hopes of his recovery were 349 beginning to be entertained; but while his brother s wife was giving him some nourishment, his head sudden ly declined, his heart ceased to beat, and life was extinct ! His immortal spirit had returned to God. He died March 6, 1856, hardly twenty-one years of age. The same day the sad intelligence was glanced over the telegraphic wires, causing the friends at home to sympathize and mourn with those afar oif. Arthur was an active and amiable young man, whose loss was deeply felt. His burial occurred at the place of his decease, but a discourse by his former pastor, in memory of him, and addressed particularly to young men, delivered March 30, 1856, at Bradford, was by their solicitation printed, and some what widely circulated. A post mortem examination showed that the disease of which he died was of the heart. 7. John Brooks Wheeler Prichard, born September 26, 1839, married Miss Orissa George, of Bradford, and, in company with Mr. Barron Hay, succeeded the firm of George and Edward, his brothers, at the old trading stand in this village, encouraged by a due share of pub lic patronage. Mr. J. B. W. Prichard, since the death of his brother Edward, in the autumn of 1870, has filled the office of Town Clerk of Bradford. He- built the commo dious house which he owns and occupies on Pleasant street. He and his wife have been blessed with four children. A son and a daughter died in early childhood. The two survivors are Fred Elmer and Henry Warren. ASA LOW AND FAMILY. Mr. Asa Low was a native of Sanford, in the State of Maine, born January 13, 1796. He came to this town about 1820, and engaged in the business of paper mak ing. This business had before been carried on in the same place by others, but in the hands of Mr. Low it was 350 much increased, and through various vicissitudes of pros perity and adversity continued for about a half century. Mr. Low was a man of enterprise and energy in various directions, and did much for the prosperity of Bradford, especially of its village. He for a time owned and much improved the hotel called the Trotter House ; he erected and for }^ears occupied the large stone paper mill, which is still used for the same purpose ; built also the substan tial brick grist-mill, a few rods below, but subsequently sold it ; also built the two-story brrck store, nearly oppo site the paper mill, on Main street, and was extensively engaged there in various commercial transactions. His family residence was the commodious two- story white house, directly opposite the Trotter House, formerly owned by General Micah Barron. Mr. Low was for a long time a trustee of Bradford Academy, and took a live ly interest in the cause of education, and in the support of public worship, on which he regularly attended. He was also an earnest and persevering advocate of total ab stinence from the common use of all intoxicating liquors. He was in favor of whatever he judged to be for the ben efit of society ; and did probably more than any other man to encourage the building of the Connecticut and Passumpsic Rivers Railroad, opening a communication from the seaports to this place, whence it has since been extended to Canada East, and secured railroad connec tions with Quebec, Montreal, and the far West. At times this man of business seemed to be borne along on the full tide of prosperity, but at other times met with seri ous disappointments, losses and embarrassments, till at length, in broken health and exhausted energy, he re tired, in 1873, from , his former rush of business, to the quietude of his own pleasant home and loving family. In his domestic relations Mr. Asa Low has been signal ly blessed. September 21, 1824, he married Miss Lucin- da Brooks, a daughter of Deacon Samuel and Mrs. Anne 351 Butler Brooks, formerly of Worcester, Mass., but at that time of Canada East, with whom he has been living hap pily for now almost fifty years. Their union has been blessed with three sons and seven daughters. Two of the sons and three daughters, one "half of their children, died in childhood. Of those at this date still living the following brief no tices must suffice. 1. Helen Mary, born May 14, 1826, remains at home, greatly to the comfort of her parents. 2. Caroline Henrietta, born November 24, 1827, mar ried Mr. John B. Peckett, of Bradford. They have a pleasant residence on the Lower Plain. See J. B. Peck ett and family, 3. George Azro, born December 16, 1833, married Marcia Cutler, a daughter of Rev. Calvin Cutler, formerly of Lebanon and of Windham, N. H. Mr. George A. Low graduated at Dartmouth College in 1857. He taught for some years after his graduation at Chicago, 111., St. Paul, Minn., and -at Bradford Acadeiny r Vt., and has subsequent ly been engaged in various business, in connection with his father. In the meanwhile he has taken a deep inter est in the cause of education, temperance and religion, in the best interests of society generally, and for several years, much to the satisfaction of his fellow communi cants, has filled the office of Deacon in the Congregation al church, to which he and Mrs. Low still belong. They have had four children. One died in infancy. The names of those still living are Walter Carroll, James Herbert, and George Evarts. At this date (November, 1874) Mr. George A. Low and family are living at Brooklyn, N. Y. 4. Adaline Pri chard, born December 22, 1839, mar ried David Blakely, Esq., Editor of the Chicago Evening Post. Their residence is at Chicago. They have three children Jesse, Bertha, and Daisy. Mrs. Blakely, since her marriage, has spent some time in Germany, to accom- 352 plish herself more to her own satisfaction in the science and art of vocal and instrumental music, in which she was previously quite proficient. 5. Martha Ann Rogers, born July 5, 1842, remains with her parents, contributing much to their happiness, amid the infirmities and trials attending declining age. Mrs. Low and all her surviving children are beloved members of the household of faith. May both parents and children, with their entire families, reach the land of pure delights at last. Mr. Ira Low, a farmer in West Bradford, is a twin brother of Mr. Asa Low, above mentioned. The wife of Mr. Ira Low was removed from him by death, a year or two since. They had four children, of whom only Ira and Emeline are at this time (July, 1874) living. THE ORMSBY FAMILY. The original spelling of this name was Ormsbee, and so continued till within a few years past ; but is now by general consent as abovq given. The first man of this name who settled in this vicinity was Ichabod Ormsby, from Woodstock, Conn. We have not the exact date of his coming, but it was within a few years after the first settlement of Fairlee, where he pur chased real estate to a considerable extent, and became a permanent resident. Having determined on removal, he returned to Woodstock, and gave his friends a glowing description of the fertility of the soil in this locality, and the prospective advantages of early possession, repre senting that the lands were not only very productive but cheap ; that the meadows for quite a distance above Fair- lee Mountain had been cleared up by the Indians, and in times past planted w^ith corn ; that rows of corn of a mile in length might be planted in that rich soil, he might truly add, without a stone of any size to interfere with the ease of cultivation. Several families removed about 353 that time from the old State of Connecticut to homes in this happy valley. On the return of Ichabod Ormsby he settled on the farm now owned and cultivated by Captain Benjamin Celley, and his son William, a little North of Fairlee Mountain. Two of Ichabod s brothers, namely, Joseph and Thomas, came with him, and settled on lands which he had previously purchased. In the account of Fairlee in the Vermont Historical Magazine it is incident ally mentioned that at a town meeting held there, August 2, 1 774, Ichabod Ormsby was elected one of the Assess ors of the sum of two hundred and fifty- seven pounds, eight shillings, voted by the town to be raised " to defray the expense of allotting the township, cutting out and clearing roads, and other necessary expenses." And also to be, with Israel Morey, Esq., and Jonathan Child, a com mittee to lay out and make the necessary roads through the township," in 1780. He was also one of a committee " to provide necessary materials, erect and complete a House of Public Worship, at the expense of said town." By these records it is manifest that he was an influential and well esteemed member of that community. Of the time of his decease, or of his family, we have no account. They were not inhabitants of this town. Rufus F. Ormsby, eldest son of that Joseph who was a brother of Ichabod, moved with his family into Bradford in the year 1817. He was a native of Woodstock, Conn. His wife was Elizabeth Young, of Piermont, N. H., and died here February 6, 1847, in the seventieth year of her age. Mr. Ormsby s farm was on the West side of Wright s Mountain. He died in the family of Lewis Jen kins, his son-in-law, at Fairlee, October 22, 1861, at the age of eighty- seven years. He had a family of ten child ren, namely: 1. Timothy Ormsby, born November 14, 1799. 2. Mary, born August 18, 1802, married a Mr. Gate. 354 Years after his decease she went with her son into the Western country, and at this date is still living. 3. Eliza, born October 6, 1804, married Lewis Jenk ins, of Fairlee, and there resides, having a pleasant family and situation. She and her sister Mary when young be came members of the Congregational church in Bradford. 4. Nancy, born February 28, 1807, married Daniel Rowe, and died at Manchester in 1870. 5. Emily, born March 20, 1809, married Sanborn Cor liss, and lives in Missouri. 6 and 7. Charlotte and Annah died in childhood. 9. Charlotte, born July 27, 1818, married John Row land, and settled in Topsham, Vt. 10. Joseph, born September 7, 1820, married Orissa Dickey, who died in 1850. He subsequently married a Miss Daniels. 8. Rufus F. Ormsby, Jr., born October 7, 1815, mar ried December 14, 1848, Mary H. Colby, daughter of Cur tis Colby, of Bradford, where they at this date continue to reside, blessed with four daughters. Sarah E., born December 8, 1849, married April 7, 1873, Gregory B. Durgin, of this town, where they continue to reside. Jennie N., born January 21, 1852, married Horace P. Emerson, January 2, 1871. They have one son. Emma M., born November 2, 1854. Etta C., born May 8, 1857. Mr. Rufus F. Ormsby, Jr., and family, lived for several years on the farm which his father had occupied before him, west of Wright s Mountain; but in 1860 moved to the meadow farm, which he at this date still occupies, called the Albee place, in the south-east corner of Brad ford, and bordering on Connecticut River. In that some what retired but pleasant location, Mr. Ormsby enjoys the esteem and confidence of his fellow townsmen, and is at this date one of the Selectmen of Bradford. 355 Another son of Joseph, and brother of Rufus, the first of that name above mentioned, was Thomas Ormsby, born Jan. 13, 1784. He married Susan Leslie, of Bradford, December 4, 1806. They had four children, namely, Charity, born October 2, 1807, died September 11, 1854. Christiana, born February 2, 1810; Joseph W., born February 2, 1812, and died September 3, 1857, and Susan M., born December 11, 1815. She married Lor enzo Tabor, Esq., of Bradford, and removed with him to Adrian, Michigan, where they at this writing are still living. See account of the Tabor family. Mr. Thom as Ormsby was by occupation a farmer, a man of decidedly Christian character, and withal quite a poet. A specimen of his versification, styled " The Bower of Prayer," may be seen in the last chapter of this book. He died at Bradford, May 21, 1824, in the forty-first year of his age. His widow died at Adrian, February 13, 1863. Joseph Ormsby, M. D., a skillful physician and man of ability, who practiced for several years in Corinth, and died there, was a brother of Thomas, last named. ORMSBY. Robert McKinsley Ormsby, attorney-at-law in the city of New York, was a native of Corinth, Vermont. His father, Dr. Joseph Ormsby, for several years a prac ticing physician in that town, was a son of Joseph Orms by, of Fairlee, who was a son of Ichabod Ormsby, of Woodstock, Conn. Dr. Joseph Ormsby married Miss Mar tha Soule, of Piermont, N. H., October 29, 1809, and at Corinth continued to reside during the remainder of their days. They were a couple of decided talent, vivacity, and energy of character. The doctor was esteemed well read and skillful in his profession. They had a fam- v ily of six sons, all natives of Corinth. Of these two died in their childhood. Thomas, the eldest son, died unmar- 356 ried, in his twenty-ninth year. Rufus, the fourth son, died some five or six years later, at about the same age. Robert McKinsley, of whom we now propose to speak somewhat more particularly, was born June 29, 1814. On the death of his father, which occurred September 6, 1822, in the forty-sixth year of the doctor s age, this son, then in his ninth year, went to live with Mr. Ezra Childs, of Bath, N. H., where he remained, receiving the advan tages of common school instruction, till fifteen years of age. In 1831 he attended Bradford, Vt., Academy three terms. In 1833 he went to Massilon, Ohio, where he re mained till 1836, when he went to Louisville, Kentucky, and resided there till 1842. At Louisville he studied law with the late Hon. I. I. Marshall, and was admitted to the bar in 1840. In 1842 the death of his mother occasioned his return to Vermont. She died on the 14th of July, 1842, in the fifty-ninth year of her age, having remained in widowhood nearly twenty years. Esq. R. McK. Ormsby opened a law office at Bradford, Vt., in 1844, and there continued in successful business for more than twenty years, when in 1866 he removed to the city of New York. The year in which he commenced business in Bradford, at the request of Mr. Asa Low, a large dealer in school books, Mr. Ormsby prepared a spell ing book which has been used to some extent, especially in Vermont. Desirous that Mr. Webster should be nomi nated for the Presidency in 1852, Mr. Ormsby for a short time previous to that date published in Bradford a news paper called the Northern Enquirer, and in 1859 he pub lished in Boston a volume of some 370 12mo. pages, enti tled "A History of the Whig Party," a work prepared with painstaking and ability, but, like the party itself, now almost forgotten amid the tumultuous strife of later organizations. Since the publication of the work last named, the author has devoted his attention more exclu sively to the appropriate business of his legal profession. 357 On the 14th of September, 1857, Robert McK. Ormsby and Miss Lucy Jane Murphy, of Bradford, were by Rev. S. McKeen united in marriage. There have been born to them two sons and two daughters. Edward Everett was born November 11, 1858. Laura Arabella and Lucy Malvina, twin sisters, were born July 22, 1860. The last named died February 14, 1861. Charles Arthur, born January 9, 1863, died April 25, 1864. Edward E. Ormsby, when in his "fifth year, was by scar let fever rendered totally deaf. His health has since been delicate. He is a bright and pleasant boy, in whose due education his parents feel deeply interested. He is a pu pil in the Institute for the deaf and dumb in New Ybrk city, and his parents have established themselves so near that they can have him with them two days in a week. He is understood to be making fine improvement, and to be quite a favorite with his Principal and Teachers. Such institutions are surely among the- richest blessings of the age in which we live. John Bliss Ormsby, M. D., the youngest son of Dr. Jo seph and Martha S. Ormsby, of Corinth, was born there January 2, 1821. Before he reached the age of two years his father died, and he remained with his mother till ten years of age, when he was taken to a friendly family in Bath, N. H., where he resided till sixteen. In 1838 he commenced work at the carding and cloth dressing Busi ness, at which he labored till 1846, when, at the age of twenty-five, he commenced the study of medicine. He entered the private class of Prof. Benj. R. Palmer, of Woodstock, Vt., and graduated at the Vermont Medical College in June, 1849. In October of that year Dr. Orms by began practice in his native town of Corinth, and in February, 1850, he married Miss Malina L. M. Baker, daughter of Enoch Baker, Esq., of Shipton, Canada East. 358 The consumptive condition of his wife rendering a change of climate necessary, he removed in 1854 to Wisconsin. In 1865 occurred the death of his wife. In 1867 his own health, under the malarial influence of that climate, hav ing failed, he returned East, and in 1868 came to Brad ford, where he has continued to reside, in the practice of his profession, esteemed a skillful physician, but in feeble health. He has at this writing three children, namely : Clara Martha, born March 31, 1852 ; Thomas Edwin, born April 13, 1855 ; and Robert Silas, born November 26, 1865. Dr. Ormsby is at this date (1874) President of the Bradford Scientific Society, 359 CHAPTER XVII. Deacon George L. Butler James D. Clark Captain Charles Rog- erk John Flanders David Manson and Families. DEACON GEORGE L. BUTLER AND FAMILY. George Little Butler was a son of John P. and Aphia B. Butler, his wife, of Plymouth, N. H. The family of these worthy parents consisted of eleven sons and daugh ters, among whom George L., the first, was born August 22, 1817. During his minority he remained at home with his parents, but in April, 1839, came to Bradford, Vt., and lived for some time in the friendly family of Mr. John B. Woodward, of this place. His main object in coming was to attend the Academy here, as much of the time for two or three years as he could, consistently with paying his expenses in the meanwhile by manual labor and teaching, for some part of each year. But a long and expensive sickness, in the course of the first year, with its consequent pecuniary embarrassments, compelled him to abandon that worthy object, which he has ever since deeply regretted. On ^recovering his health in a good degree, he engaged in the business of carriage mak ing and painting, which he followed with fair success for fifteen years, when, finding the occupation too laborious for his not very firm state of health, he gave it up for that of a furniture dealer and undertaker, in which at this writing he still continues, his establishment being the next immediately south of the Trotter Hotel. Mr. Butler was from early youth extremely fond of music, arid being possessed of a good voice, and using to the best advantage his limited means and opportunities for acquiring a knowledge of that interesting science and art, he became in early manhood a competent choir lead er and successful vocal music teacher, and was thus oc- 360 cupied in his native town for two years. In Bradford and adjacent towns he taught with good success, general ly in the winters, for twenty-five consecutive years, and led the choir of the Congregational church in this place for thirty years, without a quarrel ! Mr. Butler, enjoying in a high degree the respect and confidence of his townsmen, was elected Town Clerk in 1851, and Representative to the State Legislature in 1860-61, serving not only in the regular sessions of those years, but also in the extra session of April, 1861, in view of the impending war of the rebellion. In youth Mr. Butler was divinely led, as he then and has subsequently believed, to consecrate himself to the blessed Saviour, and at the age of eighteen united with the Congregational church in his native town, and so continued until in 1844, July the 5th, his membership was duly transferred to the church of the same denomination in Bradford. In July, 1866, he was elected a deacon in this church, and also its treasurer, in which offices he has given good satisfaction. In his domestic relations, Deacon Butler has been for tunate and happy. His first wife was Miss Jane Clark, a daughter of Mr. Charles and Mrs. Harriet Baton Clark, formerly of this town. They were united in marriage October 30, 1844. Mrs. Butler had united with the Con gregational church here the year before her marriage, and continued a beloved member during the remainder of her days. She was a kind and affectionate friend, a cheerful, loving wife, a devoted and withal truly Chris tian mother, and in declining health and the near pros pect of death was divinely sustained and comforted. She died of consumption, June 7, 1855, in the tbirty-ninfti year of her age, leaving two children, George C. and Alice Jane, both of whom became hopefully pious in their youth, and united with the same church to which their mother had belonged. 361 George Clark Butler, born December 3, 1849, was unit ed in marriage with Miss Addie B. Taplin, of Corinth, December 3, 1872, and has subsequently been employed as clerk, or book-keeper, in a railroad office at St. Albans, Vt., where he and his wife reside. They have one daugh ter. Miss Alice Jane Butler, born July 1, 1851, married, December 4, 1871, Mr. John T. Cutter, Jr., a grain and flour dealer of Plymouth, N. H., and there has her home. In the course of two or three years after the death of his first wife, Deacon Butler married, April 6, 1858, Mrs. Laura A. Eastman, an estimable widow lady of Newbury, Vt., who proved to be a great blessing, not only to him, personally, but to his children also, whom she cordially received as her own, and by them was at once and per manently highly esteemed in filial love and confidence. Mrs. Butler is a beloved member of the same church with her husband. They at this date are happily living, as for years they have been, in their pleasant " Suburban Cottage," a little north of Bradford village, built in 1859, from a draft entirely his own. * JAMES DATON CLARK AND FAMILY. With regard to the parentage and relatives of Mr. J. D. Clark, it may be remarked that Mrs. Lois Clark, his fa ther s mother, became a resident of Bradford early in the present century. Her husband was a wool dealer in Bos ton, where he died in 1802. She was left with an in teresting family of four sons and three daughters, wor thy of individual notice in this connection. 1. Calvin Clark, became a merchant in Boston, of the firm of May & Clark. Retired from business, he is at this time residing at Boston Highlands. 2. William Clark, removed to Alabama, and died there. His daughter, Sybil, remained in Bradford, and became 24 362 the wife of Mr. J. A. Hardy. See account of the Hardy family. 3. Thomas Clark, Esq., settled in Paris, Maine, and was for some time Clerk of Oxford County Court. 4. Abigail Clark, married William Stratton, a farmer in Winslow, Me. They have an interesting family of five sons and five daughters. She at this writing is still liv ing. 5. Lois Clark, married David Hartwell, a respectable merchant and hotel keeper in Bradford, removed to Ala bama, and died there. She was a member of the Congre gational church in Bradford, and a very estimable lady. 6. Miss Elizabeth Clark, married Jesse Merrill, Esq., for many years a practicing attomey-at-law in Bradford, and for seven years, not consecutive, a Rspresentative of this town in the State Legislature. Mrs. Merrill, after the decease of her husband, and in view of her own de parture, bequeathed in trust to the trustees of Bradford Academy two thousand dollars, and something over, to be safely invested, and the interest annually applied to the purchase of books and apparatus for the benefit of that institution. Hence the " Merrill Library/ which, already valuable, is yearly increasing. May it long continue, an honor to its worthy founder, and a blessing to successive generations of the young people who may be favored with its advantages. She died January 5, 1859, aged sixty- four. 6. Charles Clark, a brother of the above named, was for some years a merchant in Bradford, of the firm of Clark & Moore. He married Harriet Dayton, daughter of James Daton, Esq., of Orford, N. H. They had one. son, James D. Clark, and one daughter, Jane, who became the first wife of Mr. George L. Butler, of Bradford. Mr. Clark, being unsuccessful in mercantile business here, went to Alabama, and after a short residence there, in de clining health set out on a journey to his home in the 363 North ; but died at Petersburg, Virginia, in or near the year 1819. His widow subsequently married Mr. Elisha Corliss, of Orford, N. H., both now deceased. They had four children. Harriet Dayton ; Elisha M., who is now married and living in California ; Charles, who died at the age of seven, and John, now living in Fairlee, Vt. His very estimable and pious sister, Miss Harriet Cor liss, died at his house some years since. Mr. James Daton Clark, son of Charles, the merchant, was born at Bradford, May 22, 1817. After his father s decease, he lived with his mother and her relatives for several years, when he went to an apprenticeship at the book binder s occupation in Concord, N. H. Thence he returned to Bradford, and successfully prosecuted that business here for a long time. During the great anti-slav ery conflict Mr. Clark was firm and zealous for the right, and so continued until, by means unexpected, the great object was secured, and liberty proclaimed through all the land to all the inhabitants thereof. In 1861 Mr. Clark re moved to St. Albans, Vt., and from there, in 1864, to Montpelier, where for the ten years past he has continued to reside, engaged still in his accustomed occupation. Mr. J. D. Clark married Miss Mary Sexton, of Bradford. Her father, Major Sexton, was an officer in the troops called out for the defense of our Northern Frontier in the war of 1812. He came to Bradford in 1830, and built an iron foundry in this village, which in the course of a *few years passed into tlie hands of Horace Strickland, Esq., and has since been successfully Occupied under his man agement. Mr. Sexton died in Bradford in 1836, leaving five children : Emeline, Philo, John, Mary, and Hiram. Mr. and Mrs. Clark were both members of the Congre gational church in Bradford. They had four sons, all na tives of this town. 1. Dwight Sexton Clark, born April 10, 1841, a print er in Boston, Mass. 364 2. Charles Edgar Clark, born August 10, 1843, through the influence of Hon. Justin S. Merrill, Member of Con gress from this district, was appointed a Cadet Midship man to the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis, Maryland in 1860, and in 1863 was ordered into active service. From that time until the close of the war he was attached to the Western Gulf Blockading Squadron, under Admiral Farragut, participating in the battle of Mo bile Bay, August 5, 1863, in the attack upon and capture of Fort Morgan, on the 23d of the same month, and in several minor affairs on the Mississippi River and the coast of Texas. Since the war Lieutenant Commander Clark has been employed mainly on the Pacific and West India stations, and has made sevefal short cruises on the coasts, not only of our own country, but of Europe. He has also been on duty at the Navy Yards of Brooklyn, N. Y. and Ports mouth, N. H., and during the years 1870-1-2 and 3, was Instructor in the Naval Academy, and assistant to the Commandant of Midshipmen. He was attached to the flagship of Admiral Thatcher when Queen Emma was car ried home to the Sandwich Islands, and to the flagship of Commodore Rodgers when that officer urged in vain the English Admiral to unite with him and prevent the bom bardment of Valparaiso. He witnessed also the severe engagement between the Spanish fleet and Peruvian bat teries at Callao. He was on board the United States ship Suwanee when that vessel was lost near the coast of British Columbia, July 7, 1868, and when the larger por tion of the officers and crew were taken by Her British Magesty s ship Sparrow-Hawk from Hope Island, on which they had landed, he remained in command of the party which was left to protect from the Indians what had been saved from the wreck, until relieved by a steamer sent for that purpose by Admiral Thatcher. Mr. Clark was promoted, October, 1863, to the grade of 365 Ensign; May, 1866, to that of Master; February, 1867, to that of Lieutenant; and March, 1868, to that of Lieu tenant Commander; which position, after the lapse of six years, he stiil holds. He seems to have acquitted himself with honor in the various positions which he has been called to occupy, and is believed to be the only young man from Bradford who has been duly educated for office in the United States Navy. He was married April 8, 18 69, to Miss Maria Louisa Davis, daughter of W. T. Davis, Esq., of Greenfield, Mass. They have two daughters, Mary Louisa, born March 10, 1870, -and Carrie Russell, born January 7, 1872. 3. The third son of J. D. Clark and wife, named George Butler, died in his infancy. 4. Grenville Loyd Clark, born October 20, 1850, has remained with his parents, and at this date is actively en gaged, in company with his father, in the useful business of book binding, paper ruling, and blank book manufactur ing, at Montpelier, Vt. CAPTAIN CHARLES ROGERS AND FAMILY. Captain Charles Rogers was a native of Orford, N. H., born October 7, 1795. His father, Nathaniel Rogers, was a descendant of John Rogers, the martyr, and his mother, wife of Nathaniel, was Eunice Allen, a near relative of Colonel Ethan Allen, of Vermont. Captain Charles Rog ers married Permelia H. Ramsey, a descendant of the fifth generation from Mrs. Hannah Dustin, the heroic In dian captive of New England feme. Captain Rogers re moved with his family from Haverhill, N. H., to this town, in the spring of 1846. These parents had eight sons and three daughters, of whom all, with the exception of two, lived to the age of maturity. Five sons and two daugh ters at this date, August, 1874, are still living. Nearly all these children received instruction in Brad- 366 ford Academy, and in the business of life have had a fair degree of success. Four of the sons, Charles, James, George and William, are lawyers. The two first named are located at Burlingame, Kansas ; George, at Eureka, in that state ; and William at Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin. James was a graduate of Dartmouth College, in the class of 1851. In his adopted State he has several times been a member of the State Legislature, both of the House and the Senate, and for some years a member of the State Board of Education.^ The other son, Barton, is a clergy man, now located at Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The Jefferson Liberal Institute, a flourishing seminary of learning, lo cated at Jefferson, Wisconsin, owes its origin to him. In 1862, Lambard University, of Illinois, conferred on him the honorary degree of A. M. On the breaking out of the Rebellion, Captain Rogers had six sons living, all patriotic young men, who devoted themselves to their country s service, and were all in the war at the same time. George, who enlisted as a private, was promoted to the rank of Brigadier General. He was in several hotly contested battles, and several times slightly wounded. Barton served as Chaplain of the Fifteenth Illinois Infantry for nearly three years. All, with the exception of Thomas, survived the hardships and perils of the war, and lived to see the independence and integrity of our country preserved and firmly estab lished ; he, brave fellow, lost his life in Arkansas. As it regards the marriages and domestic relations of the sons and daughters of Captain Rogers, we are able to give only the following brief account : Charles married Miss Fannie Clark, of Patterson, N. J. They have four sons and one daughter. James married Mary Harper, of Sandwich, Mass. They had one son and one daughter. After the decease of this, his first wife, he married a lady from Kinderhook, N. Y. 367 Barton married Miss Elizabeth C. Vedder, of Berlin, Wisconsin. They have two sons and two daughters. George married Miss Josie Carey, of Chicago, Illinois. They have one son. William married Miss Nettie Horton, of Bradford, Vt, They have two sons. Thomas, who died in the army, never married. Elizabeth, a sister of the above-named sons, married John L. Fitch, of Manchester, N. H. They had three daughters. The remains of this entire family repose side by side in the cemetery of Manchester. Mira married Eleazer M. Hall, of St. Johnsbury, Vt., and is settled there. And Miss Emma is at this date still with her father in Bradford. Mrs. Rogers, mother of this family, died December 15, 1870, at the age of sixty-nine years. . Captain Charles Rogers, at the age of seventy-nine years, still in very comfortable health, has through life been an honest, hard working man; from the beginning of the anti-slavery movement, one of its earnest promot ers ; and in him the temperance cause has invariably had a warm and steadfast friend. He is still living in the nice stone cottage, the only one in this village, which he built several years ago, enjoying the kind regards of all around him. THE FLANDERS FAMILY. The first settler of this family name in Bradford, was John Flanders, a son of Ezra Flanders, of Hawke, now Danville, N. H., born there January 24, 1769. He mar ried Rebecca Pettingill, February 24, 1794. She was a native of Salisbury in that State ; born March 11, 1772. They removed to this town in 1798, and settled on the farm now owned by Thaddeus Simpson, where they lived 368 for several years and most of their children were born. At the time of their settlement here on their mountain farm, flour, and all kinds of meaj, were so difficult to be obtained, that for the first six weeks they lived on pota toes and meat, without bread, when their father, Ezra Flanders, then a resident in Salisbury, N. H., sent his youngest son through the woods and new settlements, the distance of some seventy miles, on horseback, with two bushels of corn, for their relief. Let us not in these days complain of hard times. Mr. John Flanders and wife had a family of four sons and three daughters, namely : 1. Andrew Pettingill Flanders, born in Warner, N. H., September 19, 1796, came to Bradford with his parents. As he grew up he was engaged in agricultural pursuits, and, when of age, married Sally Crane, of Bradford, Sep tember 11, 1825. They remained in this town and had a family of three sons and three daughters, all now de ceased but one. Amos married, and died here but a few years since. Benjamin married Miss Mary E. Chamberlin, of this town, built a nice residence at Bradford Center, and died young. His widow married Cyrus Curtis, and with her husband has for several years been keeping a fine millin ery establishment in this village. One of the daughters, Julia A., married Edwin Rodgers, of Newbury, but has deceased, and her sisters, Rebecca, Ruth, and Sarah, died young, Mr. John Flanders, now the only surviving member of this family, graduated at the Vermont University ; stud ied law ; married Miss Jenney Hutchinson, of Canaan, N. H., and has for years been engaged, it is understood, ex tensively and profitably in the practice of his profession in the city of New York, 2. Sarah was born in Bradford, January 15, 1798, died September 30, 1864. 369 3. Moses Flanders, born June 19, 1801, married Abi gail Cass, December 6, 1827. 4. Elias S. Flanders, born January 17, 1807, married Matilda Heath, and continues at this date to reside in Brad ford. They have two sons and a daughter. Their eldest son, Edmund Gr., a carpenter and joiner by occupation, married Miss Clemantine Richardson, of Orford, N. H., where they reside. Mary Abbie, his sister, married Jesse A. Warren, a dealer in boots, shoes, etc., in this village. They have two children. Thomas Jefferson Flanders spent several years of his youth as a clerk in different stores in this village. In June, 1865, he was appointed Postmaster, in which office he continued till his death, which occurred February 14, 1870, in the thirty-third year of his age. In this office, as in all others which he was called to occupy, he gave high satisfaction. While holding the office of Postmaster he was also, for the last year or two of his life, in partnership with Mr. Charles H. Harding, in a jeweler s and fancy goods establishment, in which they did a profitable businese. Mr. T. J. Flanders married Miss Kate P. Fabyan, a very estimable young la dy, then of this village, who died of consumption but a f3w months before him, leaving an only son Albert, a promising boy, who on the death of his lather was adopt ed by his uncle, Edmund G., and his wife, as their own. Mr. T. J. Flanders and wife were members of the Con gregational church here, as are also Mr. and Mrs. Warren. The wife of Mr. Elias S. Flanders died July 12, 1862. 5. Mariam, born February 8, 1810, married Seneca Dickey, removed with her husband into the Western country, and has there lately deceased. 6 . Peter Flanders, born January 14, 1813, by occupa tion a farmer, married Miss Mary Cass ; resided for sev eral years in Bradford ; and finally settled in Haverhill, N. H. They have one son, Nelson Flanders, who was graduated at Dartmouth College, and at Andover Theo- 370 logical Seminary, and is a highly esteemed young minis ter of the Gospel of the Congregational order. 7. Abigail Flanders, born March 20, 1815. Of this first Flanders family in Bradford only two mem bers at this date survive, namely : Elias S. Flanders, of Bradford, and his brother, Peter Flanders, of Haverhill. All the rest, with many of their children, years since fin ished their course and passed away. DAVID MANSON. Though Mr. Mauson had for some years immediately preceding his decease lived in Newmarket, N. H., more than one half of his long life was spent in Bradford, where one son still remains, and by some at least this worthy father will be long and respectfully remembered. David Manson was a native of Kittery, Maine, near Portsmouth, N. H., born there May 30, 1782. In his youthful days he had some experience of the sailor s life ; but his principal occupation during early manhood was that of a ship carpenter. At the age of twenty-eight years he emigrated with his family to Bradford, and set tled down on a farm in a rather retired locality, industri ously devoting himself there to agricultural pursuits. He came in the Spring of 1810, and continued a resident of the town for forty-six years. Several of the last years of this period were spent, not on his farm, but in Bradford village. The beloved wife of his youth and mother of his child ren, Sally Tarlton, died in 1835. He subsequently mar ried a very estimable lady, Miss Sarah Tarlton, a niece of. his first wife, who proved to be to him a great comfort and blessing during his declining years. With her he removed, 1856, to Newmarket, the place of her former residence ; and finally died there as above stated, at the good old age of eighty -nine years, six months and fifteen days. ffi Though during the days of his youth and early hood, Mr. Manson, like too many others, lived in neglect of the great salvation, he became at length deeply im pressed by religious considerations, obtained a comforta ble hope of Divine forgiveness, and heartily consecrated himself to the Redeemer s service. He first united with the so called Christian church, but on coming to live in the village became a member of the Methodist church, and so remained. During most of the last two or three years of his life there was a sad failure of his intellectual powers ; his memory was almost gone ; his mind was weak and wan dering ; but he was to the last m-ide as comfortable as conjugal and filial loving kindness, the most devoted, could possibly render him. What a satisfaction, too, it is to be assured that in such a state, or when still more de plorably bereft of reason, the life of the real Christian is still secure, being " hid with Christ, in God." Before this calamity occurred Mr. Manson had present iments of its coming, and did what he could to be in read iness for it. He set his secular affairs in due order, and aimed to be habitually prepared to meet his God. In his last will and testament he, like Joseph of old, " gave commandment concerning his bones," that they should be conveyed to the place of his former abode, and laid to rest with their kindred dead, until called forth to life by the voice of the Son of God, in the morning of the general resurrection. He even gave directions in re gard to the religious exercises at his funeral, so far at least as that " the aged Congregational minister in Brad ford, Rev. Dr. McKeen, if living and able," should be re quested to preach his funeral sermon. With him he had been long and pleasantly acquainted, while of any other minister who might be officiating in the place, he of course could have no knowledge. To all of which re quests his widow and sons paid the most respectful attention. 372 Mr. Manson died at Newmarket, N. H., December 15, 1871, in the ninetieth year of his age. His funeral was attended in the Congregational church on Wednesday, the 20th day of December, by a respect ful gathering of old friends ; and in the religious exer cises the officiating pastors of the Methodist and Congre gational churches rendered fraternal assistance. The precious remains, tastefully prepared for the occasion, and still remarkably retaining their natural and life-like appear ance, were gently laid down to their long repose by venera ble men, former neighbors arid friends of the deceased. Beside his widow , Mr. Manson left two sons and a daugh ter ; Mr. George Manson, of Bradford, Mr. John T. Man- son, of Boston, and Mrs. Ira Hiland, also of Boston who have families of their own. 1. George Manson was born at South Newmarket, N. H., September 22, 1828. He was brought here by his parents on their removal to this place in the Spring of 1830, and has here remained a worthy inhabitant for some what over forty-four years ; being chiefly engaged in ag ricultural pursuits. On the 4th of July, 18 , he was mar ried by Rev. S. McKeen with Miss Betsey Wilson, of this town. .These parents had one daughter, Sarah Ann, who married John M. Warren, of Swanville, Maine, and had two sons. After the decease of his first wife Mr. G. Manson married Miss Mary Taplin, of Corinth, who lived but a few months after their marriage. He then married Miss Rebecca Heaton, of Hanover, N. H., who deceased, leaving two daughters and one son. The eldest daughter married Gardner Gaffield, of Brad ford. They have two sons and two daughters. Charles A. Manson married Evelyn Lund, of Piermont, N. H. They have one son and one daughter. His sister, Abbie F., married Frank Chamberlin, of this town. They have one daughter. 373 Mr. G. Manson married for his fourth wife the widow Bean, a worthy lady, then of Bradford, whose maiden name was Amanda Tibbets. 2. Martha, daughter of David Manson, a native of Bradford, married Ira Hiland, of this town, formerly ; but subsequently of Boston. They have one daughter. 3. John T. Manson, born in Bradford, married Mary Sawyer, of Litchfield, Maine. He is engaged in the mar ket business in Boston. They have two daughters. 374 CHAPTER XVIII. Hon. J. W. Batchelder Roswell Farnham, Esq. Adams Preston William B. Stevens C. P. Clark B. Hay A. Osborne J. K. Davis Dea. Israel Cummings and Families. HON. JOHN W. BATCHELDER, AND FAMILY. Mr. Batchelder was a native of Bradford, a lawyer by profession, and for years filled various offices of trust and importance in this community, with credit to himself and public satisfaction. His grandfather, Isaiah Batchelder, and family, removed from Warren, N. H., to this town, some time near the close of the last century, and settled on a farm on the west side of Wright s Mountain. After a residence there of twenty years or more he removed to Springfield, Erie County, Penn. His son, Samuel Batchelder, remained in this town, and in 1809 married Jane Wilson, a native of Windham, N. H., daughter of Thomas Wilson, who had for several years been a resident of Bradford. These were the parents of John W. Batchelder, and at the time of his birth were dwelling in a house with Mr. John Flan ders, on the farm in the western part of the town, which Mr. David Norcross now occupies. He was born Decem ber 9 % 1812, and when he was six months of age his pa rents removed to Topsham, and settled on a farm about one mile and a half north of the East village. There in his youthful days John was accustomed to work during the summer seasons on the farm, and in the winters to attend the district school at the village. At length, anx ious to avail himself of better advantages, he attended Bradford Academy for a term, and that at Norwich for a while, which he was obliged to leave sooner than he in tended, on account of a visitation of sickness. Having recovered from this prostration, he pursued his studies 375 with Dr. Hinckley, of Topsham, for a while, and after that for a year with Rev. James Milligan, the talented Presby terian minister of Ryegate. In 1840 he commenced the study of law with P. H. Baker, Esq., of Topsham, who died in about a year after- Mr. Batchelder entered his office. Then, by advice of two of the neighboring lawyers, who knew the circum stances of the young man, and were disposed to assist him, he opened a law office in Topsham, and so, in a small way, uniting practice with study, persevered till duly admitted to the bar of Orange County Court, at their December term, in 1843. January 15, 1844, J. W. Batchelder, Esq., was united in marriage with Miss Sarah Clark, an estimable young lady of Newbury, and thence onward continued in business at Topsham, till November, 1854, when he moved to New bury and opened an office there. While in Topsham, he not only did a fair amount of business as a lawyer, but enjoyed in such measure the favor of his townsmen that they annually elected him Town Clerk and Town Treas urer for seven years ; Town Agent, seven years ; Justice of the Peace, ten years ; Representative to the Legisla ture, two years ; and a member of the Constitutional ^Convention for its one term. During his residence there, he also held the office of Register of Probate two years, and that of a Judge of the Court of Orange County for two years. So that he had no lack of honorable and profitable employment. At Newbury he remained till March, 1856, when he moved to Bradford, and became established as an attorney here, doing a fair business in the way of collecting debts, settling estates, and acting as Town Agent for several years. In 1863 he was ap pointed one of the Directors of Bradford Bank, and from January 1, 1865, was Cashier of the same, till its corpo rate existence was honorably terminated. In October, 1867, Esquire Batchelder left Bradford, and 376 with his family resided for the four subsequent years at Alrnont, Lapeer County, Michigan. He was there chiefly engaged in buying and selling real estate, especially pine lands, in which business he had fair success. In October, 1871, he returned to Bradford, found his old friends still cordial, and business in the line of his profession much as formerly ; but after a residence this time of two years, he was induced to remove again to Michigan, and at this date (May, 1874,) is a citizen of Detroit. In his family Esq. Batchelder has been highly blest. The wife of his youth, an estimable Christian lady, and while here a member of the Congregational church, and their only daughter and son, worthy young people, still live to comfort him and each other. The son and daugh ter were both natives of Topsham. The daughter, Mattie J., born October 19, 1846, grew up an amiable young lady, having taste and talent for music, but being specially fond of penciling and painting, in which she was quite proficient, and competent to give instruction. She was married August 13, 1873, at Brad ford, with Mr. Charles B. Kidder, of Almont,, Michigan, and at this date is residing with her husband, at Armada, Macomb county, in the same State, where he, as Princi pal of the Union School in that place, and a man of intel- lectual and moral worth, is highly esteemed. John C. Batchelder, born June 20, 1850, became a young man of decided gejiius for instrumental music, and skill as a player, especially of the piano and organ. He availed himself ol the best advantages for improvement within his reach, and after years of practice commenced giving private instructions to learners in this and some of the neighboring towns, and was also employed as organ ist here in the choir of the Congregational church. Asa teacher and performer of instrumental music he early gained a desirable reputation. On the removal of his parents to Detroit, in the autumn 377 of 1873, he went with them, and though a stranger in the city, with no influential musical friend to introduce him, he soon obtained one scholar, and that in a little while prepared the way for another, and yet another, until with in the course of a few months he had as many as he could possibly attend to, and was also employed as organist in St. Paul s (Episcopal) Church, his services in all cases be ing highly appreciated and handsomely compensated. Mr. Batchelder has made no attempt to play showy music, or anything of the flashy kind, but his aim has been to play, and to teach his scholars to play, truly good music, with scientific correctness, appropriate spirit, and due effect. And as a correct, tasteful performer he has ac quired among his scholars and their friends, and the church choirs who have become acquainted with him, an honorable reputation. ROSWELL FARNHAM, ESQ., AND FAMILY. In the first place, a brief sketch of his ancestry. And here it seems appropriate to remark that there has been a change in the spelling of this family name, from Farnum to Farnham, by general consent, as will hereafter be seen. The Farnums are of English descent. The first of the name in this country came from England, settled in An- dover, Mass., where he was married in 1658, only fifteen years after the first settlement of that township. His name was Ralph Farnum. Roswell Farnum. a descend ant of the sixth generation from that early emigrant, was born in Plymouth, N. H., in 1792. He married first, Ruth Bixby, of Piermont, by whom he had one son, Cyrus Co- nant Farnham, born at Haverhill, N. H., June 27, 1818. This son died at Memphis, Tennessee, February 26, 1863, while in the employment of the United States Govern ment, in the Military Telegraphic Department. After the decease of his first wife Mr. Roswell Farnum 25 378 married Nancy Bixby, a sister of the deceased, April 29, 1822, by whom he had a son, Roswell Farnham, born in Boston, Mass., July 23, 1827, and a daughter, Laura Ann Farnham, born in Haverhill, Mass., who now resides in Boston. In 1830 Mr. Farnum removed with his family from Bos ton to Haverhill, in that State, where they resided about ten years, and in 1840 became residents of Bradford, Yt., where the parents spent their remaining days. Mrs. Nancy B. Farnum, a pious lady and worthy member of the Congregational church, died here January 30, 1860, in the sixty-sixth year of her age. The sermon preached at her funeral by her pastor was published. Mr. Farnum, her husband, a worthy citizen, died December 20, of the same year, at the age of sixty-eight. About this time, or not long after, by mutual under standing and agreement among the younger members of the Farnum family, through nearly all of its branches, what they believed to be the original and correct spelling of their name was resumed ; that is, Farnham, instead of Farnum ; and this spelling has since been followed. Mr. Roswell Farnham, Jr., fitted for college at Brad ford Academy, and in 1847 entered the junior class of the Vermont University, where he graduated in 1849. On leaving the University he went immediately to Dunham, in the Province of Quebec, and taught the Academy there for a little over a year. While in Dun ham, he was married to Miss Mary E. Johnson, eldest daughter of Ezekiel Johnson, of Bradford, Vt. From Dunham the} 7 were called to Franklin, in this State, where they taught the Academy for more than three years, hav ing a very prosperous school. In 1854 they were called to take charge of Bradford Academy, which they taught for somewhat over two years. In 1857, Mr. Farnham was admitted to the practice of law, at the bar of Orange County. 379 In 1859, he was elected State Attorney for Orange County, and held that office for three years. At the breaking out of the war of the Rebellion, in 1861, Mr. Farnhara was a Corporal in the company of Bradford Guards, but when the company was re-organized, to go into the field, he was elected and commissioned second Lieutenant, and served as such, during a term of three months, at Fortress Monroe and Newport News, Virginia, in the First Vermont Regiment, of which the Bradford Guards formed a part. He was present at the battle of Big Bethel, and acted as Provost Marshal of all the forces at Newport News, all the time he was there. On his return to Vermont, in August, 1861, he resumed the practice of law; but in 1862 ho resigned his position as State Attorney, was elected Captain of the Bradford Guards, and recruited that company to the full number required by Government. Upon the organization of the Twelfth Regiment, the Guards enlisted into that Regi ment, and were styled Company H, of Regiment Twelfth. Captain Farnham was then appointed by Governor Hoi- brook, of Vermont, Lieutenant Colonel ; and, there being- some question raised whether the Governor had the right to appoint the field officers of a Militia Regiment, an elec tion was held, and Captain Farnham was duly elected to the same position, and in that capacity acted during the service of this Regiment. Mrs. Farnham, influenced alike by patriotism and concern for her husband s com fort, spent several months with him amid the exciting scenes of active warfare. At the close of this, his second term of service, he returned to the practice of law in Bradford, where he has ever since resided. He was elected to the State Senate in 1868 and 1869. Colonel Farnham and wife have for years been active members of the Congregational church in this place, arid persevering advocates and promoters of the best inter ests of society generally. In 1868 the Colonel built for 380 his family residence one of the best houses in this village. These parents have at this date three children, namely : Charles Cyrus, born May 9, 1864; Florence Mary, born October 30, 1866 ; and William Mills, born July 5, 1869. PRESTON. Adams Preston, Esq-., was a native of Romney, N. H., born June 16, 1801. His father, William Preston, became a resident of that town when but fourteen years of age, and rendered faithful service to his country during the war of the Revolution. He was with Montgomery in Canada, and was there, with others, taken captive ; but was exchanged, and again joined the army. He subse quently fell into the hands of hostile Indians ; but had the good fortune to escape, and lived to see the war suc cessfully closed, and the independence of his country firmly established. His office in the army was that of a Sergeant. Mr. Adams Preston married, February 15, 1827, Miss Jane Parkinson, of Canterbury, N. H., and came to this town to reside in the year 1830. He first served as a clerk in the store of Mr. Asa Low for about ten years. He then traded in partnership with Mr. John B. Peckett &* Son for ten years longer, after which he prosecuted mercantile business here by himself till 1860, when he retired, to spend the remainder of his days in the frugal use of the competency which he had honestly acquired. That Mr. Preston enjoyed in a good degree the confi dence and respect of his townsmen, as a man of intelli gence, good judgment, and honesty, is evident from the facts that for seven years he was annually chosen and acted as Town Clerk ; and for fifteen years was called to officiate as Justice of the Peace. Surrounded by kind friends, he still remains at this writing a citizen of Brad ford. . Mrs. Preston, having lived with her husband in love, 381 quietude and comfort for over forty-seven years, and hav ing by her neighborly kindness secured the good will of all around her, was, on Sabbath morning, March 1, 1874, stricken down by apoplexy, and remained in a state of speechless insensibility till she expired on the subsequent Tuesday afternoon, in the seventy- seventh year of her age. She had never made a public profession of religion, . but is understood to have been a very diligent reader of the Holy Scriptures, evangelical in her faith, and for years preceding her death trusting that she had secured the pearl of great price. WILLIAM B. STEVENS AND FAMILY. Mr. W. B. Stevens was a native of Newbury, Vt., where his father, Caleb Stevens, resided for more than half a century, and died in 1868, at the age of seventy-seven years, leaving his widow, whose maiden name was Mary Matthews, with three sons. George, born in 1820, has for many years resided in this village, in various ways usefully employed, and is a member of the Congregational church. William B., born in 1822, after arriving at the age of fifteen, spent his minority as a clerk in mercantile business in Newbury. In the year 1851, in partnership with his brother Charles, he opened a store in Bradford, and after the lapse of some twenty-three years is still here, engaged in commercial transactions, favored with a due share of patronage and success. In 1856 he married Miss Harriet E. Ladd, a daughter of Mr. Austin Ladd, of Haverhill, N. H., born there in 1833. They have at this writing three daughters living ; namely, Carrie B., born in 1858; Annie E., born 1860; and Mary L., born in 1863. Helen Luella died in 1872, aged four months. The first two of the above named, with several other young per sons, on profession of their faith and hope, were, on the first Sabbath of July, 1874, received as members of the Congregational church in this place, of which Mrs. S. had 382 for years been a beloved member. Mr. Stevens, in the year 1857 built, and has since occupied, the nice house next north of the Congregational meeting house in this village. Mr. Charles Stevens, in 1856, married Miss Harriet Brown, of Boston. He subsequently built a good house on Pleasant street, in which his wife, son, and daughter subsequently died. He married for his second wife Miss Martha Brown, from Canada East ; had two daughters, and died in the same house in November, 1872. His widow disposed of her homestead in Bradford, and re moved in the Autumn of 1873, with her children and w r orthy parents, Deacon Alba Brown and wife, to a desir able river farm which she had purchased in Piermo"ht, N. H. About two years before the death of Mr. Charles Stev ens, Mr. Victor W. Bag-ley ways taken into partnership in this firm, and, with the surviving brother, so continues actively engaged. He purchased, and at this date, with his family, occupies the pleasant homestead formerly owned by the deceased. CALVIN P. CLARK. Was a native of Newbury, Vt., born March 5, 1826. His parents, Jonathan and Martha F. Clark, came from Hopkinton, N. H., to Newbury, about the year 1816, and, after a residence of more than fifty years, died there, the father in 1867, aged eighty years, and the mother in 1871, at the same age. Their family consisted of eight chil dren, seven of whom are now living. Calvin spent his minority mostly in Newbury, working on the farm sum mers, and, after he was fifteen, teaching district schools winters. In 1847 he went to Boston, and, after working three years in the brewery of Dea. John Simonds, in the year 1850 went into business for himself. In January, 1851, he married Miss Sarah E. Martin, daughter of Peter 383 and Catharine Martin, of Newbury. In 1857, by reason of his wife s failing health, and with hope that a change of location and atmosphere might prove beneficial to her, he sold out his business in Boston, and for a year or two resided in Newbury, their native place. The result was favorable, and in 1859 he moved to Bradford, and in Au gust of that year purchased the store and goods owned by S. T. George, in this village, and formed a partnership in trade with Mr. John Bascom, under the name of Bas- com & Clark. Mr. Bascom has since deceased. In Oc tober, 1862, Mr. Clark was called to part with his wife, a pious and very estimable lady, who died of consumption, after long feebleness and suffering. December 25, 18G3, Mr. Clark was united in marriage with Miss Julia A. Winship, a daughter of Mr. Joseph Winship, formerly of Bradford. In March, 1868, he purchased Mr. Bascom s interest in the store, and thence to this date has contin ued business there, under his own name. In 1871 he built a nice house, on elevated ground, on the west side of Main street, near the north end of the village, where he has since resided. But his pleasant home was again made desolate by the presence of death ; his second wife dying January 8, 1873, of consumption, as did the first. She left an only child, Mason Bowditch, four years of age. Since then, Mr. Clark has done business still at the old stand, to the extent his health would allow, enjoying the esteem and confidence of his fellow citizens. The following notice of Mrs. Clark, which appeared in our village paper, soon after her decease, is thought wor thy of insertion here : Died; in Bradford, Vt., January 8, 1873, Mrs. Julia A., wife of Mr. Calvin P. Clark, lacking but ten days of being forty-two years of age. Her maiden name was Julia A. Winship. She was the only daughter of Joseph Winship and wife, persons of excellent Christian character, who for many years lived and finally died in this place. This 384 daughter remembered her Creator in the days of heo* youth ; and, being blessed with health and strength, and a kind heart, at the same time wishing to earn for herself ,a competent support, while doing as much good as possi ble to others, she accepted heartily of the position of a nurse in the female department of the Massachusetts General Hospital, in Boston, where, greatly to the satis faction of all, concerned, she continued ministering to the sick and suffering for some ten or a dozen years. The managers gave substantial evidence of their high appre ciation of her worth, not only by their kindness to her while with them, but by a permanent liberality, alike honorable to themselves and to her. As a wife and mother, and manager of her domestic affairs, Mrs. Clark was the light and joy of her household. Of fine personal appearance and pleasing address, pru dence, .and kindness towards all, she had no lack of admir ing and steadfast friends. But the crowning excellency of her character was her decided piety. When young, she devoted herself to her Saviour, and confessed Him publicly, by uniting with an evangelical church in Boston, but for nine or ten of the last years of her life had been a beloved member of the Congregational church in Bradford. For several months immediately preceding her decease, her health had been in a precarious condition. Still she hoped to live, and assist her husband in training up their little son in the way he should go. The thought of being taken away in the midst of her days and usefulness was unwelcome to her. But when convinced that the time by infinite wisdom and goodness appointed for her departure was evidently near, the blessed Saviour gave her light, faith, grace and strength, equal to the exigency, and enabled her to de part rejoicing in the God of her salvation. Dearly as she loved those whom she was leaving, she felt that to her 385 death would prove unspeakable and eternal gain. With perfect composure she expressed her wishes in regard to her funeral services, which were accordingly performed, in the presence of a large circle of loving friends, when her precious remains were laid down to rest till called forth by the voice of Him who is the resurrection and the life, to a glorious immortality. Surely, blessed are the dead who thus die in the Lord. S. M K. I add in this connection a brief notice of Mrs. Winship, the mother of Mrs. Clark, for such a woman as she was ought to be held in affectionate re membrance. Mrs. Nancy Winship, whose maiden name was Nancy Keyes, was born at Mason, N. H., September 30, 1784, but spent her youthful days in Milton, Mass. She there enjoyed the ministry of Rev. Joseph McKeen, D. D., sub sequently Professor of Rhetoric and Oratory at Harvard. For that eloquent and good man she retained an affection ate remembrance and high respect to the day of her death. Impressions deeply fixed in the youthful mind are apt to be enduring. At the early age of about thir teen years she was divinely led to receive Christ Jesus as the Lord her righteousness, and to consecrate herself most heartily to His service. That the change was genu ine her subsequent life abundantly proved. The princi ple of faith and love then implanted in her young heart was indeed a fountain of living water springing up into life everlasting. At the age of about twenty she was married to Mr. Joseph Winship, then a young farmer, with whom she came to Bradford, Yt., and settled down on a wilderness place, in the deep valley of Waits River, through which, for a long time after, no road passed, though now inter sected by a great thoroughfare. In that solitude they cheerfully lived and walked with God, until many years after he finished his course with joy, and triumphantly passed away, leaving one son, Mr. Warren Winship, now 386 of Barnet, and one daughter, Mrs. C. P. Clark, of Brad ford, both partakers of the same precious faith. At the house of Mr. Clark, enjoying the tender care of himself and her daughter, Mrs. Winship, full of sweet content ment, with every want bountifully supplied, passed the evening of her mortal life. That religion which amid the various changes and trials of life had sustained and comforted her and made her a blessing to all who came within her influence, in nature s last extremity, amid the infirmities of age and great bodily sufferings which pre ceded her final prostration, appeared in its strength and glory. Her victory over death and the grave was complete, and most admirable. Surely such a religion is of price less value. God grant that we may all possess it. On the 4th of January, 1867, in the eighty-third year of her age, this excellent woman passed thus sweetly away from the sorrows and joys of life, to her everlasting rest. BARRON HAY was born in Bradford, Vt.. September 26, 1828, and lived here till ten years of age, when he went to Orford, N. H., and lived with Levi D. Corliss, Esq., working on the farm summers and attending district school three months each winter, for seven years, when he return ed to Bradford,, where he has since remained, with the ex ception of the autumn of 1850 and the next winter, which he spent in Boston as porter in a hotel. In November, 1851, he entered the store of George and Edward Prichard as clerk, and at this writing has been in the same store ever since, a period of twenty -three consecutive years, the last five, however, as partner with John B. W. Prichard, under the style of Prichard & Hay. On the 16th of October, 1854, Mr. Hay married Miss Janette C. Smith, youngest daughter of Levi and Almira A. Smith, of Middlebury, Vt., where she was born Sep tember 6, 1830. They have two sons, Fred E., born August 14, 1855, and John Barren, born May 4, 1861. 387 Mrs. Hay, and her husband s mother, who lives with them, are highly esteemed members of the Congregation al church in this place. Mr. Barron Hay, in addition to the honor of being considered a capable and upright man in his mercantile transactions, has been called once and again to represent his native town State in the Legisla ture namely, in the sessions of 1866 and 67. ADELBERT OSBORN, merchant, son of Cyrus Osborn, of Pierrnont, N. H., was born there January 15, 1835. He married Miss Lizzie R. Towle, also a native of Piermont, a daughter of Mr. F. M. Towle, born Oct. 26, 1838, a lady highly esteemed for her intelligence and good influence. They have one son, Walter T., born September 18, 1864. Mr. Osborn commenced mercantile business here in No vember, 1856, and since May 1, 1871, has held the office here of Agent of the U. S. and Canada Express Compa ny, and performed its duties to public satisfaction. In 1871 he built a commodious and nice house in the north ern part of the village, in which he and his family have a pleasant home. JACOB DAVIS AND FAMILY. Jacob Davis was a native of Amesbury, Mass., a man of decidedly good moral and religious character, by occu pation a farmer. In the year 1818 he removed with his family to this town, and settled on a farm, which he had purchased, on the South road, about two miles west of the village, where he passed in comfort the remainder of his days. He died in April, 1842, at the age of sixty- four years. That he was a man of decision, may be illustrated by the following little incident : It had been common for farmers to furnish rum to their laborers, in the time of haying and harvest, and to unite with them in the moder ate use of it. But on one occasion Mr. Davis hired men, 388 under the influence of intoxicating liquor, became some what noisy and disorderly. This led him to reflect more seriously than ever before on the evil consequences of the common use of such liquor, and he determined then and there never to furnish another drop to his men, but thenceforth to act on the principle of total abstinence, however singular or inexpedient his course to his neigh bors might appear, and ever after firmly adhered to his resolution. To do so then was by no means so easy and popular as to pursue a similar course at the present time. Mr. Davis and his then second wife were both substan tial members of the Congregational church in Bradford. The first wife of Mr. Davis, Polly Sargeant, was, like himself, a native of Amesbury, Mass., where she died in 1817, at the age of about thirty- six years. She left at her decease two sons and two daughters, who came with their father and his second wife to Bradford, in 1818, namely : 1. Hezekiah. He lived with his father until about thirty years of age. He was a well esteemed teacher of common schools ; taught for nine winters in two districts. He married Jerusha Davis, of West Fairlee, Vt., and re moved to Northfield, in this State, and settled on a farm so distant from any school house that he educated his children at kome, in quite a methodical manner, having regular hours for study, as well as for other exercises. In 1863 he removed to Vineland, N. J., where he died the next year, at the age of fifty-nine. His death is said to be the first which occurred in that remarkable settlement. After his decease, his family came to Lowell, Mass., and at this date are there pleasantly located. He had nine children. His second wife was Eliza Leonard, of North- field. 2. Grilman Davis was also a farmer, and accustomed in winter to school teaching. He married Mary Ann Dodge, of Fairlee, and in 1842 removed to Northfield, where he 389 died in 1873, leaving his second wife in widowhood, with one child, a daughter. 3. Martha Davis died in 1834, in her youth. 4. Mary Davis married Enos Taylor, of this town, where she died, leaving one son, George H., who became a patriotic young man; served with honor in the late war, returned home in safet} 7 ", but immediately after was taken sick and died. His father, thus bereaved, has re mained solitary. Mr. Jacob Davis, after the decease of his first wife, in 1817, married, the same year, Sally Kelley, a native of Amesbury, and sister of Rev. John Kelley, who was for more than forty years the faithful pastor of the Congre gational church in Hampstead, N. H. She came with him and his children to this town in 1818. She was a truly good woman, lived to have four children of her own, and died in October, 1860, at the age of eighty years, having remained in widowhood for about eighteen years and six months. Two of the children by this marriage died in early childhood. Elizabeth, the eldest, died in 1835, at the age of sixteen years. Jacob K. Davis, at this date the only surviving member of his father s family, owns and occupies the farm on which he was born and brought up. Though by occupa tion a farmer, he has for some years been engaged in dif ferent agencies, especially in behalf of book publishers, which have taken him much of the time from home. In December, 1850, he married Clara L. Morrison, of this town, and they have at this date five children still with them; namely, Millard F., George M., Clara A., Arthur L. and Henry E. Mr. J. K. Davis and wife, and second son, are members of the Congregational church in Bradford. Indeed all the children of Mr. Jacob Davis who lived to become men 390 and women, are believed to have become also joint par takers with their pious parents in the same precious faith and promises. ISRAEL CUMMINGS. Deacon Israel Cummings was a native *of Woodstock, Vt,, born March 14, 1791. His father removed with his family into the south-east part ot Thetford, in the year 1798, and made a permanent settlement there as a farmer. His son remained with him, and at the age of about twenty-three married Miss Ruth Kinney, a daughter of Deacon Kinney, of Thetford. In the course of the last war with England he offered himself to his country s service, and for months stood with a com pany of others as a volunteer minute man ; but was not called into the army. When about thirty years of age he became deeply impressed by religious considerations, ob tained hope of an interest in the great salvation, and made a public profession of his faith by uniting with the Bap tist church at Post Mills, in Thetftrrd, and was for years a deacon in the same. In 1848 he sold his farm in Thetford, and bought a good farm on the Upper Plain in Bradford, long known as the May place, and there continues, in 1874, to reside, with his eldest son, who is devoted to agricultural pur suits. Mrs. Cummings died June 26, 1861, at the age of sixty-six years. These parents were blessed with two sons and one daughter, who lived to marry and have families. The eld est son, David Kinney Cummings, married Maria Jewell (rightly named), of Norwich, Vt. They had a daughter, Ellen Maria, who married Mr. James Sawyer, of this vil lage, and died in the Autumn of 1873. Also a son, Wil liam Frederick Cummings, who was married by Rev. S. McKeen, April 2, 1874, with Miss Ada Lillie Barrett, daughter of Mr. S. C. Barrett, of Bradford. 391 Lovel Cummings, second son of the deacon and wife, married Sarah Arnold, of Boston, kept the Vermont House here for some time, and at this date is engaged in mer cantile business in Brooklyn, N. Y. Harriet Cummings, the only sister of the above named, married Mr. George Wright, of Bradford, and with her husband occupies the pleasant homestead next north of her father s. Mr. I). K. Cummings and wife are members of the Methodist church in this village. The venerable deacon, at the age of eighty-three, retains his intellectual and physical powers very well, and still feels deeply interested in the prosperity of the Redeemer s kingdom. 392 CHAPTER XIX. Physicians Aubrey, Andross, Stebbins, Whitney, Whipple, Put nam, Colby, Poole, Martin, Carter, Gushing, Carpenter, Doty, Warden, and Others. PRACTICING PHYSICIANS IN BRADFORD. It is proposed to give in this chapter some account of the several physicians who have been established in their professional business here, with such notices of their fam ilies as may be considered of general interest. The ar rangement will be with reference to the various dates of their commencing medical practice among this people. Pursuing this order, we notice, first, DOCTOR AUBRY. Dr. Frederick Aubry, one of the early physicians in this town, a German by birth and education, claimed to have been a surgeon in the British army during the " Old French war," and to have dressed the wounds of the brave General Wolfe, who in 1759 fell at the siege of Quebec. He was an expert fencer, and took pride in displaying his skill in the use of the sword. It is said he could with his sword strike out a pin from a man s shirt collar without injury to his throat. His temper was hasty and violent, but in its paroxysms not lasting. At one time, when he was having an arch laid, his wife came out to give her advice, which led to a violent altercation between them. In his anger he caught up a brick and threw it at her, exclaiming as it went from his hand, " Dodge, Sally, my dear ! " Being slack in regard to paying his debts, one of the traders at the village went to him with his store account for collection, when the Doctor bitterly said, " You traders, when we go to your stores, are all aingels, but when ye want your pay ye are very deevils." Of his 393 professional skill there was quite a diversity of opinions, some thinking him a wonderful doctor, and others unwilling to employ him. He was severe in his condemnation of our native doctors, as men without knowledge or skill in their profession, which, of course, set them against him. He was sometimes unreasonably exacting in his charges, as well as needlessly persevering in his visits ; but now and then in his dealing with his Yankee employers found that he had " caught a Tartar. 7 Some instances, quite amusing, are still remembered. The doctor having been once called in to see a sick man in the south part of the town, came of his own accord many times more. The patient having after a considerable time recovered, the doctor presented his bill for "visits, medicines and smi- dries" running up to an amount far beyond the man s ex pectation. He, however, taking it coolly, sat down and made out an account of various things which he had let the doctor have ; but finding himself far in the rear, he made up the deficiency with " sundries," and thus brought out an amount equivalent to the charge against him. The doctor, on looking at this account, instead of flying into a passion, as might have been expected, said, " Let s pass receipts ! let s pass receipts ! " and so the matter was easily adjusted. On another occasion the doctor was called to attend to the case of a boy in a very suffering condition ; a fly some time before having got into one of his ears and de posited there its eggs, a hateful progeny, giving the suf ferer great distress, had been the result. The doctor, having ascertained the cause of the trouble, by a simple remedy, directly applied, effected a cure. The boy was soon well again, to the great joy of himself and family. The father, on inquiring what would be the doctor s charge for this service, was told to his great astonishment that it would be one hundred dollars ! which the old physician attempted to justify on the ground that the bo v s life was 26 394 worth more than a hundred dollars, and that he would have died if he had not thus by his medical skill saved him. Remonstrance was of no avail. The father of the boy subsequently brought in his account, proposing to the doctor to look over and come to a settlement. This ac count Avas a very short one, for two bushels of wheat at fifty dollars a bushel, amounting to one hundred dollars. The doctor on looking at it gravely, said, " I will dispute no man s account. We will pass receipts." Dr. Aubry first settled in the part of the town called Goshen, but subsequently on a farm West of Wright s Mountain. He afterwards, about the year 1813, removed with his children to Pennsylvania, and died there at an advanced age. The above is from the recollection of several gentle men who personally knew him. DOCTOR ANDROSS. Of him and his family see some account under the title, The Andross Family. DOCTOR STEBBINS. Dr. Arad Stebbins was born at Hinsdale, N. H., March 21, 1760. He studied medicine with Dr. Dickermond, of Brattleboro, Yt., and surgery with Dr. Goodhue, of Put ney. Nathan Smith, subsequently Professor of the The ory and Practice of Medicine at Dartmouth College, was his fellow student. We have not the date of his com mencing business in Bradford, but it was some time be fore 1790, as a town meeting was held that year at his house, and it is known that for some time after his coming here he boarded in the family of Dr. Andross, whose wife was his aunt. Dr. Stebbins was a sensible, affable, wide awake, energetic man, and had an extensive medical practice here, for about thirty years. He married Mary 395 S. Kent, of Newbury, and had a family of one son and eight daughters. The doctor built a large, and for those days fine, house near the north end of this village, to be occupied, not only as a family residence, but for the ac commodation of travelers and boarders, which after his decease was known as the Vermont House, and by suc cessive proprietors kept as a hotel, till June 18, 1871, when, in the ownership of R. W. Chamberlin, it accident ally took fire and was consumed. A fine residence on the same spot is at this writing in progress of erection, under the care and at the expense of Mr. Harvey Nourse, of this place. Dr. Stebbins represented this town in the State Legislature of 1805. In the course of the first year of the writer s ministry here the doctor and his wife, on profession, became members of the Congregational church, and so continued during the remainder of their lives. One dark evening, while the doctor- was walking homeward and alone, from the house of his father, where he had been attending a Library Society meeting, he had the misfortune to step off the side of a bridge across a ravine, since filled with earth, near the residence of J. A. Hardy, by which fall he received a concussion of the brain which put an end to his medical practice, and from which he never entirely recovered. He lived, however, in a state of quiet feebleness, both of body and mind, for some ten or eleven years longer, and died April 30, 1828, in the sixty-eighth year of his age. Mrs. Stebbins died October 29, 1835, in her sixty-ninth year. CHILDREN OF DR. STEBBINS AND WIFE. Their first daughter, Polly, died young, but all the others lived to years of maturity. Mary married Alfred Corliss, for many years a harness maker, arid also Postmas ter in this village, and had three sons and two daughters. Lucy married Theodore Dame, of Orford, N. H v and had \ 396 a son and two daughters. Betsey married Nicholas W. Aver, of this town, and in her widowhood, when drawing nigli to death, made several valuable bequests to various individuals and religious societies, one of five hundred dollars to the Congregational church here, the annual in terest to be applied towards the support of public wor ship. Sophia remained and died single. The four sis ters last named, and also their youngest sister, Harriet, were all members of the same church here to which their parents had belonged. Louisa married a Mr. Moulton, and Harriet, Mr. Ward, of Plymouth, N. H. All these have deceased, with the exception of Mrs. Dame, who, in widowhood, is living (1874) with her son in Newbury, Vt. Arad Stebbins, Jr., the doctor s only son, married Eliza Stoddard, of Fairlee, remained in this village, and had a family of several children. He was esteemed an intelli gent, capable, and honest man, and as such was much em ployed in public business. He had been Overseer of the Poor and a Justice of the Peace, in Bradford, for several years ; had represented the town in the State Legislature for five years ; had filled the office of Judge of Probate for this district for one term ; and had been much em ployed in the settlement of estates, and as guardian of orphan children, in which capacities he seems to have given general satisfaction. He had a competency, loved his family, was free from pecuniary or other embarrass ments from without ; but his health at length began to fail, his mental powers also, a melancholy gloom came ever him, and he seems to have been overwhelmed with the fear that he might become permanently insane ! and in this state of mind he, on a certain sad day, retired to his barn and terminated his life by deliberately hanging himself. This mournful event occurred January, 1862, he tjien being a little over fifty-nine years of age, and cast a deep gloom over this entire community. His pas- 397 tor s text at his funeral was, " Let him that thinketh he stand eth take heed lest he fall." The widow and her children subsequently removed to Summerville, Mass. DOCTOR WHITING. Dr. Jeremiah Whiting practiced medicine for a tew years in Bradford. He resided in the part of the town called Goshen. He came here from New Bedford, Mass., or its vicinity, about the year 1798. He had a good pre paratory education, and was well read in his professional studies. He was considered a man of good judgment, and a successful practitioner. He distinguished himself somewhat in the judicious treatment of scarlet fever, which prevailed, of a malignant type, at one time espec ially during his residence in Bradford. He left this towif about the year 1807, and went into practice in the north ern part of New York. His wife was a daughter of Dea- cori Sweet, of Bradford. Of his death we have no ac count. DOCTOR WHIPPLE. Thomas Whipple, M. D., was born in Hanover, N. H., in the year 1785. His father was a Baptist minister. Thomas was thrown almost entirely on his own resourc es in his efforts to obtain an education, but, possessing a strong mind and resolute determination, he early acquired a good knowledge of English literature, and a valuable acquaintance with the Latin and Greek languages. He became a popular teacher, and for several winters taught the school here in Goshen district, consisting of nearly a hundred scholars, with great success. He attended the Medical Institution at Hanover, N. H., and received from Dartmouth College the degree of M. D., in the year 1814. He commenced medical practice in the part of this town where he had been teaching, but soon after located him self at Wentworth 7 N. H. ; where he rose to distinction as 398 a successful practitioner of medicine and surgery. He married Phebe Tabor, of this place, and was sent from the State of New Hampshire to Congress, where by his tal ents he gained notoriety. But, like many other men of ability and high promise, he gradually fell into habits of intemperance, and thereby did himself great injury. He died in the year 1835, aged fifty years. DOCTOR PUTNAM. Dr. Samuel Putnam was born in Salem, Mass., in 1782. While he was young he came with his father and family to Vermont, and resided for some years in Topsham. Samuel made good use of his limited advantages for ac quiring an education, and studied the medical profession with Dr. Richard Huntley, of Topsham. He commenced practice in the town of Burke, in this State, where he re mained but a few years, when he located himself in this town, near the south line of Newbury. He practiced about equally in the two towns, until the year 1816, when, his health failing, he moved into Newbury, and died there, of pulmonary consumption, in the summer of 1817, aged thirty-five years. His wife was Betsey Bai ley, daughter of Colonel John Bailey, of Newbury. They had one son and one daughter, Samuel and Angelina. DOCTOR COLBY. Dr. Thomas Colby, a native of this town, was born in 1788. He worked at farming in his youth, and his advantages for acquiring a good education were very limited. Being unable to pursue the business of agriculture, from poor health, he felt strongly inclined to try the medical pro fession, and after some effort at preparation entered on the study of medicine, and pursued it chiefly with Dr. Wellman, of Piermont, N. H., and Dr. McKinstry, of New bury. He commenced practice in this village in the year 1812. In the autumn of 1815 he located himself on 399 the Upper Plain, near the cemetery, and there continued in his professional business till near the time of his death, which occurred December 26, 1829. Dr. Colby was by many considered a skillful physician, especially in fevers, and for several years did a fair amount of business. He died at the age of forty-one. His wife was Eliza Kimball, daughter of Daniel Kimball, Esq., of this town. They had two daughters and a son, no one of whom is known to be living now. DOCTOR POOLE. As he was long here and extensively known, of him a somewhat more full account may be expected. Dr. John Poole was born at Plaintield, N. H., February 22, 1792. Blessed with a firm physical constitution and good intellectual powers, he grew up to be an energetic, intelligent, and worthy young man. Having acquired a good academic education, and being inclined to the medi cal profession, he entered as a student the medical de partment of Dartmouth college, and having pursued a regular course, under the instruction of such men as Pro fessors Muzzey, Perkins, and Dana, graduated with honor in 1817. The next year, 1818, at the age of twenty-six years, he established himself as a physician and surgeon in Brad ford, Vt., where he continued in the practice of his pro fession for fifty-one years, or within a few weeks of his decease, which occurred April 14, 1869, when he was a little over seventy-seven years of age. When he came here Dr. Arad Stebbins, who had long been the principal physician in the place, was drawing near to the close of his active life, and "Dr. Poole, without any particular agreement or unpleasant collision, gradually became his well-received successor. During the half century of his practice Dr. Poole per- 400 formed a vast amount of professional business in this and the neighboring towns. Possessing firm health, being strictly temperate in all his habits, and wholly devoted to his profession, he was habitually ready to go, when call ed, whether by day or night, and however uncomfortable the weather or the traveling might be. Whether he was to go with a fair prospect of compensation, or to attend on those who were known to be too poor ever to reward him for his services, made no difference in regard to his prompt attendance and persevering visitations. Whatev er help he could afford the sick and suffering he was happy to render, and was, no doubt ; quite as successful in his practice as the generality of physicians are. Many who have been carried by him through trying scenes of phys ical prostration and distress, still live to remember him with affectionate gratitude during the remnant of their days. As the Doctor was accustomed to keep himself well-in formed by the reading of the new publications in the line of his profession, and had acquired much knowledge by experience in the course of his long practice, he, perhaps rather insensibly to himself, became so firmly assured of his own ability and skill as a practitioner as to be rather intolerant of any person or thing that he viewed in the light of rivalry, or interference in any way with his customary business, and consequently was not apt to be on very good terms with other physicians, who thought they had as good a right as he to locate themselves here, and minister to such as might call for their services. The Doctor was particularly disturbed by any departure from the old line of practice, and unsparing in his censures of everything which he denominated quackery. It gave him great dissatisfaction also to have any of his old friends turn away from him and patronize those whom he esteem ed less worthy of their confidence. Being a man of rath er excitable temperament, and of strong will, these views 401 and feelings caused him much unhappiness, and not un- frequently proved very annoying to others, The fact is, physicians, like other professional and business men, while aiming to make themselves worthy of public confi dence and encouragement, must at all events should be willing that the people, their old employers as well as others, should enjoy the privelege of acting according to their own choice in regard to giving or not giving them their patronage. When one s health and life are at stake he, if competent, and if not competent, his friends, must be left free to employ whatever medical counsel or means of cure they prefer, inasmuch as they are mainly con cerned in the consequences. True merit will not fail in the long run to maintain its ground and respectability. Dr. Poole was, not only in his profession but outside of it, a worthy and valuable citizen. Strictly temperate himself, he wished to see the cause of temperance promo ted, in the use of the wisest and most efficient means. The vulgar use of tobacco, and such like narcotics and stimulants, received from him no countenance. With the company of the vicious and profane he had no affinity; you would find him not walking in the way of sinners, or sitting in the seat of the scornful ; but associating with those who were endeavoring to promote the interests of intelligence, morality, good order, and religion in society. The doctor took a lively interest in the due education of children and young people, and wished to see the schools well conducted and prosperous. For some twen ty-three years he had been clerk of the school district to which he, during the latter part of his life, belonged ; and one dark evening, about two weeks before his decease, when his bed or an easy chair would seem to be the most suitable place for him, came out and attended an annual meeting of this sort, and was reappointed to his clerkship. He had also acted as a Trustee of Bradford. Academy lor about thirty-six years, and for most of the time in some 402 special official capacity. In the affairs of the religious society to which he belonged he was also an efficient member ; and with faithfulness filled some official station for twenty-five years. During a considerable part of this time he performed the somewhat self-denying, but very important, service of collecting his pastor s salary, and thus securing to the people the permanent preaching of the gospel, with its attendant blessings. In these arid va rious other ways he seemed to take real pleasure in doing good. He evidently wished to see the best interests of the community about him promoted, and was ready to do his part. As it regards the domestic relations of Dr. Poole, it may be remarked that the wife of his youth, his only wife, was Mary Evans, with whom he was united in mar riage May 27, 1821. She was a lady of pleasing personal appearance, devoted to home duties, but benevolent to ward all, and a beloved member of the household of faith. With several others, she united with the Congregational church here in the year. 1831, and so continued to the close of life. She died away from home, at the house of her youngest daughter, near New York, August 19, 1861, at the age of sixty- five years. Her remains were brought here for interment. Dr. Poole and wife had eight child ren, of whom three died in infancy. Horace B., a young man who had been engaged in the business of a druggist, died at the house of his father, September 17, 1857, at the age of thirty-two years. Three daughters and one son re main. The eldest of these, Mary L., married A. G-. Rich ardson, of California, and resides there. Her husband died a few months or weeks before her father. Julia S. married Henry C. Bidwell, also of California, and there has her home. Cornelia Frances, the youngest daughter, was the wife of Wm. D. Skidmore, now deceased, and lives at Mount Yernon, near New York. Charles Carroll, having been preserved through many hardships and perils in the 403 service of his country, was the only member of the family who had the privilege of ministering to his father in his last sickness, or of appearing as a mourner at his funeral, Mrs. Poole, his wife, being with him. He is by occupa tion a house carpenter. They now, 1874, reside in St. Johnsbury. Dr. Poole became hopefully pious and united with the Congregational Church during the great revival which was here enjoyed in the beginning of the year 1837, and so continued. He was strictly evangelical in his senti ments ; took a deep interest, especially during the latter years of his life, in the Sabbath School, having charge of a class of intelligent men ; he loved to attend social meet ings ; and was, not only a dilligent student of the holy Scriptures, but a man of prayer. For months, if not years, before his decease, he seemed to be deeply impress ed by a conviction that he was a great sinner, who need ed a great Saviour ; and on this theme he dwelt continual ly, with apparently the utmost seriousness. Hope gener ally prevailed that through Christ he should find forgive ness and salvation ; but his hope at times was not without fear and trembling. He said he wanted clearer evidence that he had been really created anew in righteousness and true holiness, and was indeed united to the blessed Sav iour by a living faith ; that he must at all events cling to Him, and to Him alone, as the Lord his righteousness. As he drew near to death he expressed good will tow ards all men, without exception ; and deeply regretted that he had ever exhibited or felt any measure of a different spirit. The Doctor was ver} r tenacious of life. It was unpleas ant to him to have his friends ever allude to his failing strength ; he did not like to talk about death ; he kept about as long as he possibly could ; but at the time appointed all his powers, both physical and mental, gave way ; and he passed quietly to that land from which no traveler returns. 404 We cannot doubt that, notwithstanding all those imper fections of which he was so painfully sensible, to him death has proved immense and eternal gain, arid that he is now most fervently thankful to God who has given him the victory through Jesus Christ our Lord. Brother tbou art gone to rest, Thy cares and toils are o er ! And sorrow, pain, and sufferirg now, Shall ne er distress thee more." DR. WILLIAM MARTIN. See the account of the family of Dea. Reuben Martin. DOCTOR ROGERS. Dr. John L. Rogers was born in Northrield, N. H., in 1803. He studied his profession with Dr. T. Haynes, of Hardwick, Vt., and commenced the practice of medicine at East Corinth, in May, 1839. In the year 1848 he moved to Bradford Center, where he continued in pro fessional business for several years. His mode of prac tice was Eclectic, and he had patients, at different times, in most of the towns in Orange County. He removed from Bradford Center to Canaan, N. H., and at this writ ing is understood to be in successful business there. DOCTOR CARTER. Dr. William H. Carter was a native ol Newbury, born May 28, 1801. His father, Dea. William Carter, was a native of Kingston, N. H. He migrated to Topsham, Vt., soon after the close of the Revolutionary war, and \vas the third settler in that town. He subsequently removed to Newbury, and in the year 1806 to Bradford. William H. was the youngest of the family. He worked at farm ing, with only common school advantages for education, until the age of nineteen. He then attended Bradford Academy for some time, commencing with its first term, 405 in the spring of 1821. He there acquired sufficient knowledge of the Latin and Greek languages to enable him to enter with advantage on the study of medicine. Being destitute of pecuniary help, he was obliged to rely on his own earnings to defray his expenses ; obliged, also, to forego many advantages now generally enjoyed by medical students. His professional studies were pursued under the instruction of James Petrie, M. D., of Topsham, and Calvin Jewett, M. D., of Newbury. He attended medical lectures at Dartmouth College, and received there the degree of M. D. In 1827 he located himself in business at West Newbury, where for twenty-six years he had an increasing and successful practice. In 1853 he removed to Bradford village, and thence onward to this date, a period of over twenty years, his professional services have continued to be, and still are, in good de mand. He has now been in medical practice for nearly forty-seven years. Doctor Carter married Miss Hannah H. Eastman, daughter of David Eastman, Esq., of Tops- ham. The doctor and his wife have for years been mem bers of the Congregational church in this place. In 1829 they became, by profession, members of the Congrega tional church in Newbury. They have two daughters, Susan E., wife of Dr. A. A. Doty, of this village, and Jen nie A., wife of Dr. Eugene L. Boothby, of Fairlee. Dr. Carter s influence in society has been in all respects de cidedly salutary. Mrs. Boothby, daughter of Doctor Carter, died at the house of her father, September 18, 1874. DOCTOR GUSHING. Dr. Alvin M. Gushing was born at Burke, Caledonia county, Vt., September 28, 1829. He graduated from the Homcepathic Medical College of Pennsylvania, March 1, 1856, and located in Bradford directlv after, in the 406 month of May. He was the first to introduce Homoepa- thy into this town, and the first, as he says, to practice it exclusively in this County of Orange. He came a young man, a stranger to all, and, though strongly opposed by doctors, and many others, on account of this then new way of practice, yet, as Dr. Poole said, "believed in it and stuck to it," and was successful in gaining a large practice. His residence was in the same house which the writer of this now occupies. He married Miss Han nah Elizabeth, daughter of Mr. John Pearsons, then of Hartford, Vt., but formerly of Bradford. The doctor practiced here for nearly five years. In the autumn of 1866, while riding in the western part of this town, he met with an accident, injuring his spine so seriously that he was obliged to abandon his large practice for a while, and he removed to Lansingburg, N. Y. After about four years there, the failure of his wife s health compelled him to leave his pleasant home and lucrative practice there and seek a residence near the ocean. He finally settled in Lynn, Mass., where he at this date is understood to have an extensive practice. He has written several medical works which have been well received by the pro fession. Dr. Gushing and wife have three sons, and many reasons to be contented and happy. DOCTOR CARPENTER. Dr. William S. Carpenter was a native of Moretown, Vt., born March 31, 1818. He studied his profession un der the instruction of Dr. Sanborn, of Lyndon, and grad uated at Dartmouth College as M. D. in the class of 1842. He commenced medical practice here soon after, and continued with good success for more than ten years. He married Miss Helen Louisa Ladd, a daughter of Mr. Austin Ladd, of Haverhill, N. H., where she was born December 7, 1825. They were married October 1, 1845. They had but two children, both of whom died early. 407 The Doctor while here. built a nice cottage on Main street, in or near the year 1850, the same which Dr. Car ter now owns and occupies, and lived there during the remainder of his stay in Bradford. He removed to Chi cago, and there settled May 1, 1854, with fair prospects. He had, however, but fairly commenced practice there before his very estimable wife was taken dangerously sick, and on the 5th of June died, in the twenty-ninth year of her age. Mrs. Ladd, her good mother, died there soon after, arid the Doctor himself died in the same city, August 31, 1855, in the thirty-eight year of his age. His remains, with those of his wife, were brought to Brad ford for burial, their final resting place in the cemetery being designated by a marble obelisk. DOCTOR A. A. DOTY AND FAMILY. A few words first in regard to his parentage. His father, Abner Doty, was a native of Rochester, Mass., and with his parents moved to East Montpelier, Vt., March 15, 18 , he being at that time six year of age. The mode of conveyance was by an ox team, and it took three weeks to perform the journey. Quite a contrast with railroad speed. In early manhood Abner Doty married Betsey Putnam, a direct descendant of General Israel Putnam, of historic renown. After the birth of two children, he moved his family to Elmore, in Lamoille County, then a sparsely settled town. He was promoted to the highest office of the town, for many years, and was kept in the performance of some official duty to the time of his death, which occurred in 1847. His son, Dr. Abner A. Doty, was born in Elmore, March 15, 1828, and commenced the study of medicine in the Spring of 1851, with William H. Carter, M. D., then of Newbury, Vt., and graduated at Hanover, N. H. Medical College in 1854. He commenced practice in Newbury, 408 and continued there for two years, when he went to New York, where he spent some months in attending lectures, and at the hospitals, and then came to Bradford and com- mencerl medical practice here in 1856: where for eighteen years he has devoted himself closely to his professional business, and found full employment. Although most of the time in delicate health, so entire has been his attention to his home practice that he has never, he remarks, left it for a day, except to visit sick friends abroad, or on ac count of his own sickness. Soon after his settlement in Bradford, he united with the Methodist Episcopal church, and was chosen one of its Stewards, and has served in that capacity ever since. He has also been for several years Chairman of the Com mittee of the Graded School in this village, embracing Bradford Academy. As it regards the domestic relations of Doctor Doty, we remark that at the commencement of his practice he married Miss Susan Carter, daughter of Dr. W. H. Car ter, a worthy lady, and they have had four children, all daughters, namely : Jennie Kathrinne, born January 16, 1857. Minnie, born July 29, 1859. Died November 22, 1872. Susie Isabelle, born March 26, 1866. Marion Gertrude, born April 24, 1872. DOCTOR WARDEN AND FAMILY. Jonathan Warden was a native of Greenock, Scotland, born September 30, 1795. His wife, whose maiden name was Joanna Ferguson, was also a native of the same coun try, born November 15, 1798. They were united in mar riage January 15, 1827, and emigrated to this country in 1842, arriving September 1st, They spent their first winter at Ryegate, Vt, They removed thence to Haver- hill, N. H., in the spring of 1843, and there remained until 400 the autumn of 1848, when they came to Bradford, Vt., and here remained during the remainder of their abode on earth. Mr. Warden, though not a practicing physi cian, was universally styled Doctor, as his principal occu pation consisted in preparing and selling medicines, which by many families and individuals were highly ap preciated, and somewhat extensively used in this vicinity. Both the doctor and his wife were much esteemed by those who knew them. Mrs. Warden died July 24, 1856, in the fifty-eighth year of her age ; and his decease oc curred June 3, 1869, in his severity-fourth year. Their remains repose side by side in Bradford cemetery. They had one daughter and two sons, all natives of Scotland, namely : 1. Joanna, who grew up an amiable and good young lady, and September 28, 1872, became the wife of Mr. Daniel Carpenter, of St. Johnsbury, Vt., with whom she has there a pleasant home. 2. Peter Warden, learned the business of a watch maker and jeweller, went South, and settled at Tallahas see, Florida ; married there a Miss Gibson, had two chil dren ; in 1863 went, in feeble health, to Cuba, and died there November 13th of that year. A very worthy young- man he was. 3. Joseph M. Warden, born 1840, November 23, be came, like his brother, a watchmaker and jeweller, re mained in Bradford, and has for years been diligently en gaged in his favorite business ; also as a telegraphic ope rator ; giving general satisfaction in both employments. J. M. Warden, April 28, 1861, was united in marriage with Miss Fannie A. Flanders, daughter of Mr. Josiah Flanders, of Vershire. They have a desirable homestead on Pleasant street, in this village. Mr. and Mrs. Warden are members of the Congregational church here, as was their sister, Mrs. Carpenter, before her removal to St. Johnsbury. 27 416 Doctors J. N. Clark and 0. H. Stevens, well-known and highly esteemed dentists, in the use of all modern im provements, are established here, in the successful prac tice of their professional business. Of Doctors Barnabas Wright, Hiram Bliss, and Henry Hays, who for years successfully practiced here, but long- since removed, and have deceased, we have no particular account to give. Neither have we been able to obtain any from Doctor Julian H. Jones, homoeopathist, now in successful practice in this town and vicinity. 411 CHAPTER XX. Rev. Silas McKeen and Family. REV. SILAS McKEEN AND FAMILY. Some time ago> at the solicitation of my daughters, I commenced and persevered in writing out a somewhat extended account of our McKeen race^ beginning far back in Scotland, and coming down, through Ireland and the emigration, to Londonderry, N. H., and thence to Ver mont, with the collateral branches extending East, West, arid South. This account, though of interest to us, must be reduced to comparatively narrow limits in such a book as this. I am still in danger of saying too much. James McKeen, Esq., commonly called, in his latter days, and by his posterity, Old Justice McKeen, a leading man in the little colony from Ireland which settled in the Spring of 1719 at Nutpelee, subsequently Londonderry, N. H., was my great grandfather. His second wife, the one who came with him to this country, was Annas Car- gill, a sister of Mary, wife of Rev. James McGregor, their minister. Their son, James McKeen, born within a year after their arrival in this country, was my grandfather. He married Elizabeth Dinsmoor, who died young, leaving one son, David McKeen, who was my father. He married Margar et McPherson, and continued a few years with his father on the old home place, where their first four children were born, and then removed to Corinth, Vt., about the year 1781, where they had eight children more. In the whole, six sons and six daughters, happily interspersed. Elizabeth married Nathaniel Ingalls ; - Mary married Wil liam Johnson, and after his decease, James Richardson; Daniel McKeen married Sarah Libbey; John married Sally Collins ; Jenney married Henry Doe ; Sally married 412 James Annis; and Robert, Almira Paine; all of whom had children, now, with their posterity, widely scattered over the country. My brothers James and David, and sisters Margaret and Annis, died in their youth, unmarried. My truly good mother died of fever at Corinth, in the fifty- fifth year of her age. My father subsequently married Lydia Ingalls, of Methuen, Mass., by whom he had a son, David, and a daughter, Lydia, who died in early life. Their mother died of small pox at Corinth, in the Autumn of 1810, at the age of forty-three years. My father, David McKeen, Esq., died suddenly of heart disease, De cember 2, 1824, on a Thanksgiving Day morning, at the age of seventy-five years. I am at this writing, and for years have been, the only surviving member of this once large and flourishing fam ily. Having long been an inhabitant of Bradford, arid my children all natives of the place, some more particular account of myself and family will naturally be expected. I was born in Corinth, Vt., March 16, 1791; my place in the order of my mother s children being the tenth. One does not love to say much about himself, though he of course knows more about himself than any one else does or can. And I am the more inclined to give a sketch of my early history, hoping it may encourage some other poor boy, anxious to acquire useful knowledge, to perse vere, amid whatever difficulties, in doing the best he can. The fear of the Lord, we are divinely assured, is the beginning of wisdom; and I can truly say that from my childhood I was habitually impressed with such reverence for Him that I was accustomed in my humble way to im plore His guidance, forgiveness, and blessing. This early habit, I am satisfied, was of inestimable benefit to me. I also felt a profound respect for the Holy Scriptures, and for the Lord s Day, though I had become a lad of perhaps a dozen years of age before we had any regular public 413 worship that I could attend. At home we had family prayers, and were taught the Westminister Catechism. I do not remember any of my youthful associates who habitually manifested any special interest in religious concerns. They were generally full of fun and frolic, and were by their parents suffered to run merrily on, in their chosen ways, with but little restraint. Some of the boys and young men of my acquaintance were profane, and otherwise immoral ; but as for profanity, it was no temp tation to me, for I always abhorred it ; and for card-play ing, or any other sort of gambling, I had no inclination. Of social gatherings, and exhilerating plays, I was suffi ciently fond, but all along felt that these were not the things of chief importance. Boys in those days were re quired to work more than they do now, and then I had such a desire for reading and mental improvement that time seemed too precious to be wasted. The first school I ever attended was in my father s barn, then new, but now old. There I began Webster s spelling book, under the tuition of Miss Betsey Morrison, for whom I ever after entertained a very cordial respect. After that I used to go, summer and winter, to a school house away over the hills, about a mile distant. Such was my desire to attend, I think it must have been the first winter of my going, that I could not quietly wait for shoes, which at the time could not easily be obtained, and so my mother furnished me with cloth moccasins, greatly to my gratification. Some of the schoolboys, looking down on my teet, laughed at me ; but I was not to be thus disheartened, conscious that I could make those of my age feel that in the main thing I was not their inferior. I believe I made very good progress in learning, and it was not long before I was as well furnished with shoes as my associates. I remember that my progress in arithme tic, when I came to it, at the age of fifteen or sixteen, was quite unusual, it seemed to me so easy. Instead of 414 spending winter after winter upon it, as in our school was customary, in one and the same winter 1 went pretty thoroughly through the system then in use. About this time it became necessary that, except in the time of winter, I should stay at home and work, both on the farm and in my father s mills. He had both a grist mill and a saw-mill, in the same large building. My main employment for one or two summer seasons was tending the grist-mill, and, as that business among a sparse popu lation was not regularly urgent, I found some opportuni ty in the course of almost every day for a little reading and mental improvement. It was in that old mill that I commenced the study of Latin, and became interested in it. By some good fortune I also obtained an old, tattered book of navigation, which, among other things, contained a diagram of a quadrant, with rules for its use in finding the latitude of places, by the aid of which I made one of wood, which enabled me to determine pretty accurately the latitude of my old grist-mill, at forty-four degrees and ten minutes North. Another different kind of a quadrant I also made, by the aid of which, and some knowledge of trigonometry, I could ascertain the height of the tallest trees standing around me. Finding me so much inclined to study, my father con cluded to let me go, and do for myself the best I could. Situated as he was, he could help me but little. He, how ever, made arrangements for me to study Surveying with John McDuffee, Esq., of Bradford ; who was justly es teemed a distinguished master of the art. This was to me an unexpected gratification. In the Winter of 1807-8, in the 17th year of my age, I commenced school teaching in Topsham, with satisfactory success. This business I fol lowed during six succeeding Winters ; two in Corinth, three in Piermont, N. H., and one in Bradford village. By so doing I obtained some means for the purchase of books, chiefly old ones, and for prosecuting my studies 415 during the rest of the time ; with the exception of some weeks at home each Summer, occupied on the farm at hay- ing. At the age of 17, I went to study Latin, and subse quently Greek, under the instruction of our minister, the Rev. William Pickles, originally from England, but then preaching at Corinth. He was a remarkably large man, of venerable appearance, but very social, and, in my estima tion, very learned. I am sure his teaching was very ben eficial to me. My cousin, Joseph McKeen, afterwards L L. D., and Superintendent of Schools in the City of New York, arid Aaron Smith, subsequently a distinguished phy sician in Hardwick, Vt., were for a part of my term with Rev. Mr. Pickles my fellow students. Under his tuition I read Virgil straight through, without the help of any translation ; and it became quite familiar to me. In the same way I read Cicero, and Gratius on the truth of Chris tianity, and some other Latin authors. He also drilled me pretty thoroughly in the making of Latin. The intro duction which he gave me to Greek was in the use of a Grammar the text of which was in Latin ; I never saw another like it ; and my Lexicon was of the same sort. With him I became able to read the Greek Testament with tolerable ease ; and was much interested and profited by the study of Logic, for which he had a special liking. Mr. Pickles was not only an able teacher, but an elo quent preacher of the Gospel, though often in-feeble health. He in the Summer seasons preached in the new, unfinish ed meeting house, in the central part of Corinth ; still standing, but new modeled, and in good condition. On one occasion, when the house was well filled, and I was sitting away in the back part of the assembly, I was startled to hear him call out, "Silas, I must ask you to come up here, and read my hymns for me !" I dreaded to do it, but dared not refuse ; and that was my first introduction to a pulpit ; which was in fact but a joiner s bench, with 416 some necessary fixings attached to it. While I was away teaching, at Piermont, the subsequent Winter, my good friend died, January 1, 1811, at the age of 56 ; and his re- mains were laid in the cemetery at Corinth, near the meet- ing house in which he used to minister. His widow, an exceedingly amiable and intelligent Christian lady, also from England, removed to Montville, Maine, where he had left some real estate ; and where, in thirty-two years after the decease of her husband, she died at the age of 82, in the family of a Mr. Spring, a farmer, who had for the property undertaken her support. They had never had any children. After the death of Mr. Pickles I pursued my studies preparatory to college at Haverhill, N. H., academy, until my preceptor told me I was prepared to enter two years advanced, but about that time I was taken sick, and all my prospects became dark and discouraging. I went to the house of my sister, Mrs. Doe, and her kind husband, at South Newbury, where I was kindly received, and lay through the course of a long fever, which brought me very near indeed to death. This was in the Summer of 1812. I had previously been very thoughtful on the sub ject of religion, but was in doubt whether I had really passed from death to life, and found acceptance Avith God or not. During that sickness the way of salvation re vealed in the gospel appeared beautifully plain to me, ex actly adapted to my wants ; and the blessed Saviour so in expressibly precious that I could not but most heartily devote myself to him, whether for life or death, and felt that he had received me into an everlasting covenant with himself. Nor have I from that day to this ever had the least disposition to build my hope of heaven on any other foundation. From that severe sickness I was through divine good ness raised up, as my life work was still before me. My relatives who had taken such tender and faithful care of 417 ine neither asked or would receive any pecuniary recom pense, but the bill of my physician, Dr. Stebbins, of Bradford, though not at all exorbitant, was so considera ble as to require not only what little money I then had, but most of my next Winter s wages, for its payment, and of course to discourage me from further efforts to make my way through college. I went home to recruit, and in the meanwhile to study by myself as I might be able. After teaching in Piermont the subsequent Winter, I concluded to go and study Theology with Rev. Stephen Fuller, of Vershire, who, after years of successful prac tice, had acquired a good reputation as a theological in structor, and educator of pious young men .preparing for the gospel ministry. I went to him early in the Spring of 1813, and closed my studies under his care in July of ths next year, having in the meanwhile taught school during a Winter term at Bradford village. Soon after going to study with Mr. Fuller, I united, by profession, with the Congregational church under his pastoral care, as there was at that time no such church in Corinth. Henry Fuller, the minister s eldest son, and a graduate of Middlebury college, subsequently an able minister on Long Island and in Connecticut, was my fellow student. With the instructions of my teacher I was well satisfied, ;uid will here give some idea of his method. Mr. Fuller, after graduation at Dartmouth, had studied for the ministry under the instruction of the famous the ologian, Rev. Dr. Burton, of Thetford, and in his teaching- pursued essentially the same course. I remember that Judge Buckingham, of Thetford, who was well acquainted with them both, once said to me that he thought Mr. Ful ler understood Dr. Burton s system rather better than the doctor himself did. His method was to have a series of questions on topics embracing a complete system of doc trinal theology, including also the organization of the vis ible church, with its ordinances, officers, and discipline, 418 investigated by the student in their consecutive oider, in the light of all available information, especially that of the divine oracles, when the result in each case was re quired to be reduced to writing, and read to the instruc tor, who, after attentive hearing, would give, with as much clearness as possible, his own views, with three reasons approving of what he considered well done, help ing out what was essentially correct but imperfectly ex pressed, and correcting any thing he might judge erroneous. Toward the close of his course some practice in prepar ing sermons was also required. Students were also ex pected to attend and assist in conducting devotional meet ings in the parish. Having in this way gone through the prescribed course of my teacher, I was by him recommended to the favora ble consideration of Orange Association, and, after due examination, I was by them, at Windsor, July 14, 1814, licensed to preach the Gospel. Of all present on that, to me, trying occasion, I have for years past been the only survivor. My first attempt at preaching was on the next Sabbath, at J^ershire, on the subject of evangelical re pentance, its nature, reasonableness, arid absolute neces sity in order to the divine forgiveness, and then I came directly to Bradford ; my services having been for months pre-engaged, or at least spoken for. I had but slender preparation, and did not expect to continue long; but God gave me favor among the people, and united my heart with theirs in lasting love. I was then but a little over twenty-three years of age. I will here say that the great amount of writing requiring close consideration, which in my preparatory course I had been obliged to perform, I subsequently found to be of great benefit to me; not so much indeed in its outward results as in the mental discipline and habit thus established. The Congregational church in Bradford at the time of my coming consisted of but eleven resident members, of 419 whom only three were men. But as there was no other regular gathering for religious worship in the village, our congregation on the Sabbaths was, I think, nearly or quite as large then as now. It seems wonderful that people should have attended as they did in the Winter seasons, when, for some year or two, we had no means of warming our meeting house. It was mainly through my influence that such a questionable improvement as that of making a church, even in Winter, as comfortable as one s friends at home was here first introduced. After preaching here somewhat over a year as a candi date, I accepted of a call to become the settled pastor of the church and congregation, and was so constituted Octo ber 28, 1815, by an ecclesiastical Council convened for that purpose. My salary was to be four hundred dollars a year, with firewood in addition. There was no provision by the society for a dwelling house, but Capt. Trotter, of his own accord, freely gave me the use of the homestead which I now occupy, from June, 1816, till he died in 1822, a period of a little over six years. Thus settled, with the exception of a release of two or three months in the Au tumn of 1827 and beginning of the next year, as related in my account of this church, I remained its pastor till December 31, 1832, a period of eighteen years and near ly six months from my commencement here in 1814. This second dismission I had asked for on account of a very unexpected call which I had received from the First Congregational church in Belfast, Maine, to become their pastor, a call at first declined, but which had been repeated and rendered stronger by the influence of dis tinguished ministers in that neighborhood in favor of its acceptance. During this first portion of my ministry in Bradford our little church of eleven members when I came had been increased by the addition of one hundred and seven ty four others. 420 After about nine years of pastoral labor in Belfast, during which we were blessed with repeated seasons of refreshing from the presence of the Lord, and one hun dred and forty-one members were added to that church, I accepted of an urgent and unanimous call to return to my then destitute people in Bradford, and on the 25th of May, 1842, was by an act of Council constituted for the third time their settled pastor, and so continued for a lit tle over twenty-four years longer, when, having attained to the age of seventy-five years, I finally resigned, and by the same council which ordained my worthy and be loved successor, in perfect harmony still with my people, I was again dismissed, November 22, 1866. I had indeed closed my regular services among them on the last Sab bath of the preceding July, after a ministry here of about forty-three years. After my return from Maine, our God had repeatedly manifested His gracious presence and power among us, and the church had been increased by the further addi tion of one hundred and sixty-eight members, making in the whole during my ministry here three hundred and forty-two by profession and letters received, some five or six of whom were received for the second time. And here I will say, with gratitude to the God of my life, that before closing my labors at Bradford I was in vited by the church in the neighboring town of Fairlee to supply their pulpit on the alternate Sabbaths for the following year, and in perfect harmony with our Metho dist friends there so continued for about six years, during which we were signally blessed at one time with a glori ous revival of religion, and both the churches were in creased and strengthened by the addition of living mem bers. Both churches worshipped harmoniously together, and their Sabbath school was one and the same. During that period, to the Congregational Church about 30 members were added. 421 During my long pastorate in Bradford I was in the con stant practice of preaching twice on each Sabbath, and conducting a social meeting each Sabbath evening, beside one or two others in the course of each week.- In the early years of my ministry here, several of the neighbor ing towns were destitute of stated preaching, and I had many requests to preach, especially at funerals, away from home, which I was ever ready to do, to the extent of my ability, though for these services I seldom received any pecuniary compensation. People have since become more considerate. Thus situated, I was under the absolute ne cessity to be a diligent student of the holy Scriptures, and to work hard, both early and late, as I could find op portunity, in preparing my sermons ; which, for several years, I was in the habit of writing in full; afterwards, generally, but in part ; though not without studious pains taking. When I commenced preaching, I was entirely unac quainted with the original of the Scriptures of the Old Testament ; but felt so much dissatisfied with myself to remain so that, after a few years, I obtained an elementa ry set of Hebrew books, and without a teacher commenc ed, with determination, the study ot them ; and persever ed with gratifying success. I have ever since been glad that I did so. N"o one knows what he can do in the way of study till he faithfully tries. After a while several, then young, ministers in this vicinity united with me in what we called a Biblical Association, for the express pur pose of aiding each other in the diligent study of the original scriptures ; and for years we regularly met, at set times, with our lessons prepared, both in the way of trans lation and exegesis. This was of great advantage, not only to me, but to us all. These exercises in no way interfered with our duties or privileges as members of the larger circle of ministers, styled the Orange Asso ciation, whose meetings we also, with no little inter- 422 est, constantly attended. My Biblical Associates were Rev. Baxter Perry, of Lyme,and J. D. Farnsworth, of Or- ford, N. H., Clark Perry, of Newbury, Charles White, of Thetford, afterwards D. D., and President of Wabash Col lege, and Joseph Tracy, then of Post Mills and West Fair- lee, afterwards editor of the Vermont Chronicle, and as Rev. Dr. Tracy, of Beverly, Mass., well-known for his History of the American Board of Commissioners for For eign Missions, History of the Great Awakening, and oth er valuable literary productions, all now, with the excep tion of myself, gone to their final rest. Indeed I do not know or suppose that, one of all the ministers who were laboring in the Connecticut Valley, between the Green and White Mountains, on my first coming to Bradford, can now be found on earth ; all have passed away, and others have entered the fields they once cultivated ; many of whom have been succeded by still others. Ministers, as well as their people, are continually passing away; but none of the truly faithful ever have labored, or ever will labor for the cause of Christ in vain. Their good influence will in its consequences be as enduring as immortality. In the course of my ministry I have repeatedly rejoiced with trembling amid seasons of refreshing from the pres ence of the Lord among my own people, and not unfre- quently been called to assist away from home in " Pro tracted Meetings," held for the express purpose of awak ening the minds of the people more thoroughly to the great concerns of religion, and to win souls to Christ, and have generally seen the power and glory of God mani fested on those occasions, sometimes in a way and measure truly marvellous. I early espoused the cause of Temperance and of Anti- Slavery, and through evil and good report held on with the many others like minded, and am thankful that I was ever inclined to do so. Behold what God hath wrought ! I have united three hundred and thirty couples in marriage, and ministered at funerals very many, but of which for more than fifty years past I have kept no ac count. I have attended numerous Ecclesiastical Coun cils, especially in Vermont and Maine, and been called to preach on about twenty ordination and installation oc casions, and to perform other important parts on probably still more. Hoping to do some good in yet another wa} 7 , I have written in the. course of my ministerial life articles, I will not say innumerable, on religious and other topics of in terest, which, generally without lull signature, if any, have appeared in newspapers, and other publications, in various parts of the country. And here it seems in my way to mention that, while resident in Maine, the duty on a certain occasion was devolved on me to prepare a reply, in behalf of the General Conference of that State, to a Southern Presbytery which had addressed an earnest remonstrance to that Conference, on account of our in terference with what said Presbytery claimed to be the divine institution of slavery. My article, which cost me a good deal of labor, was so well appreciated at the North as to be published, long as it was, in several newspapers, and also in pamphlet form, for better preservation ; but, through some mistake, its authorship, after the decease of Rev. Dr. Cummings, of Portland, was by his biographer ascribed to him, though he never wrote a word of it. He was on the same committee with myself and others, and with approbation published the reply in the Christian Mirror, of which he was then the editor. A considerable number of sermons which I have preached on various occasions have, by request of the hearers, been published, of which I will here give a brief memorandum. - 1. A Thanksgiving sermon : Watchman, what of the night? 2. The friends of good order called to combined ex- 424 ertion : Who will stand up for me against the evil doers ? 3. A farewell sermon. 4. A sermon before the Vermont Colonization Society, at Montpelier. 5. A sermon before the Orange County Conference, on the duty and proper management of family worship. 6. A sermon before the Legislature of Vermont : Civil government a divine institution. 7. A sermon before the General Convention, at Ben- nington : The claims of Vermont. 4 8. A sermon before the General Conference in Maine : The triumph of Christ s enemies no cause of discourage ment. 9. A Fast sermon, at Belfast : God our only hope. 10. A sermon before the American Missionary Associ ation, at Meriden, Conn. : Christ the conqueror. 11. A sermon before the Bradford Guards, when called to engage in their country s service. 12. A sermon in the National Preacher : Sinners en treated to seek the Saviour while he may be found. 13. A sermon in the Covenanter, Philadelphia, on Ro manism. Also funeral sermons at Bradford and vicinity, a con siderable number, on such topics as these : 14. The memory of the just is blessed. 15. The nature, duty, and benefits of a pious confi dence in God. 16. Activity in duty urged from the brevity of human life. 17. The responsibilities of young men. 18. The Bible the young man s perfect guide. 19. God s way in the sea ; at the funeral of one of our young men, lost at sea. 20. Our Heavenly recognition. 21. To die is gain. 22. She hath done what she could. 425 23. The attractions of Heaven overcoming those oi the earth. 24. An example of ministerial fidelity and success ; in memory of Rev. Increase S. Davis. Also a Scriptural argument in favor of withdrawing fellowship from churches and ecclesiastical bodies prac ticing or tolerating slaveholding among them; published by the American Anti-slavery Society, at New York, The Worth of a Dollar, a small tract translated into German. A Review (twenty-six pages) in the New Englander, of Rev. Dr. Lord s letter of inquiry to the ministers, on the subject of Slavery. And, to mention no more, An Address on the Right Ob ject and Use of Religious Investigation, before the Socie ty for Religious Inquiry in the University of Vermont, at Commencement in 1828, on which occasion that University conferred on the speaker the honorary degree of A. M., as Dartmouth College had six years before. In 1861 the same college saw fit to attach to my humble name the further title of D. D. For these titles I never either directly or indirectly sought; but was content in silence to re ceive them, as expressive of the respect of the worthy men who had bestowed them. Every man is just what he is ; and, whether with or without titles of any kind, is likely to be estimated accordingly. In promoting the work in which our religious, moral, and educational socie ties are or have been engaged, I have also had something to do. For years, both in this State and in Maine, I have belonged to their Domestic Missionary Boards, have acted also as Secretary of the Vermont Education Society, aux iliary to the American, and Secretary of the Vermont Temperance Society ; and, in behalf of the General Con vention, Treasurer of the Fairbanks fund to assist young men in their preparation for the Gospel Ministry. I have at home taken a. deep interest in the prosperity of Brad- 28 426 ford Academy, and as President of its Board of Trustees served for nearly forty years, when I thought I had a right to be excused. I have never had to go seeking for a parish, or employ ment, have always had work enough to do from my youth to old age, for which I am thankful ; and only regret that I have not done more and better ; but am satisfied that I have not been doomed or left to labor or live in vain. I have not in a pecuniary view sought great things for myself; my stipulated salary has always been rather scanty, and sometimes not well paid; but through the lib erality of friends, at home and abroad, unsolicited, we have been most kindly remembered, and probably have been as comfortable and happy as we should have been had we possessed ten times as much. God s promises to those who love -and trust in Him are sure. For a year or two past I have preached only occasion ally ; but with mental faculties, so far as I know, unim paired, and remarkable health for one of my age, and with eye-sight nearly as good as in the days of my youth, I still find enough to do, and have been mainly occupied in preparing some historical account of Bradford and its people, which I hope may be of interest and use, not only to those of them now living, but to their posterity. This work I feel in haste to finish, being fully aware that my time must now be short. It is, however, to me a sweet thought that it will be neither shorter or longer than the God of my life, in His infinite wisdom and goodness, has absolutely determined. This sketch of autobiography would be very incomplete without some account, though brief, of my dearly beloved family. My first wife was Miss Phebe Fuller, eldest daughter of Rev. Stephen Fuller, of Vershire. She was born De cember 18, 1794. We were married by Rev. Calvin No ble, of Chelsea, June 4, 1816, a few months after her fa- 427 ther s decease ; and the next day commenced house keeping at Bradford, in the same cottage which I now oc cupy, though since that day considerably improved. She was in person somewhat below medium stature, slender, delicate, and of countenance prepossessing ; in mind and manners cultivated, of sweet disposition, and decided piety. We lived, and in the days of our youth, happily together for four years and nearly a half, when she was called away to her heavenly home. She died of pulmon ary consumption, during the progress of which her sweet resignation to /the clivine will, deep humility, loving con fidence in the blessed Saviour, and strong hope of eternal blessedness, were most admirable. She passed away on the last day of November, 1820, in the twenty-sixth year of her age, leaving three precious little daughters, and firmly trusting that God would be very gracious to them, and in His own good time bring them adorned in the beau ties of holiness to enjoy with her the perfect happiness of the saints in Heaven. Nor has this consoling hope been disappointed. Those children all became hopefully pious in early youth, and after beautiful, though brief, lives of usefulness, died divinely sustained by the hopes and con solations of the gospel. As it regards education, I will here say, as it was our good fortune to live close by a respectable academy, bot]i in Bradford and Belfast, my children \vere all favored with good school privileges while at home, and when of suitable ages were prepared to go abroad to other insti tutions, possessing, in some respects at least, for them superior advantages. They were all natives of Bradford, Vt, and born in the same house, which I now occupy. 1. Marianne, my eldest daughter, was born April 14, 1817. She and her next sister, Serena, while young misses, applied themselves, among othet studies, to that of the Greek language, with so much success as to be able to read the gospels, with satisfaction, in their origi- 428 nal. She studied French, and some other branches of knowledgB, at a Ladies School in Bucksport, Me., and at South Berwick Academy, made fine progress in the study especially of astronomy, and finished there her academic course, receiving from the trustees a well-deserved diplo ma. After that, she taught for about three years in the female department of Gorham Academy, and subsequent ly for a year or two in Belfast Academy, of which Mr. Greorge Field, now Rev. Dr. Field, of Bangor, Maine, was then the Principal. After our return to Bradford, she accepted, in the spring of 1843, of an invitation to take charge of the Ladies Department of the Academy at Meriden, N. H., an important institution. In that posi tion she was expected not only to teach several hours in a day, but to take the entire care of the young ladies in their common boarding house ; to distribute their work, after the fashion of Mount Holyoke, and see that it was properly done ; and moreover to purchase the provisions for their tables, and, as agent for the trustees, pay the bills for the same ! .Work enough, surely, for at least two energetic ladies to perform. She endured it bravely for some time ; but, while all was apparently moving on suc cessfully, her health and strength, before the close of her second year, were so evidently failing that she was per suaded to resign and come home, to rest and recover her accustomed physical energy, but, as the result proved, to die. She came in the autumn, and during the subsequent winter everything was done for her which could be done by the family, Avho loved her as they did their own souls, and by skillful physicians ; but on the 24th of March, 1845, in the twenty-seventh year of her age, she peace fully passed away to that perfect blessedness for which, through grace, she was admirably prepared. In early youth she heartily devoted herself to the blessed Saviour, and thence onward her path of usefulness and happiness 429 had been like the rising light, which shineth more and more unto perfect day. 2. Serena McKeen, my second daughter, was born January 23, 1819. She was a lovely child, and became decidedly pious while quite young. A few years after finishing her academic course with her elder sister, at South Berwick, Maine, she became, September 16, 1841, the wife of Rev. Charles Duren, a graduate of Bowdoin College and Bangor Theological Seminary, a worthy, kind-hearted man, and very devoted minister of the gos pel. In the various places in which he was called to la bor, Mrs. Duren, though for years in the latter part of her life an invalid, invariably exhibited such a beautiful example of all the Christian graces, that her influence was most blessed, and failed not to secure the admiration and love of the many who became acquainted with her. Amid the various trials of life through Avhich she was destined to pass, she was so restrained by divine grace, and by the great kindness of all around her, that she en joyed an unusual degree of real happiness ; and at West Charleston, Vt., August 6, 1862, in the forty-fourth year of her age, died as she had lived, confidently trusting in the blessed Saviour. Her remains, with those of her daughter, Elizabeth F., repose in the principal cemetery there. Rev. Mr. and Mrs. Duren had one son and two daugh ters. Little Marianne, their youngest child, died at Waits- field, August 31, 1853, at the age of two years and two months, and was buried there. Elizabeth Freeman, an in telligent, pious and very amiable girl, died at West Charles ton, December 30, 1860, in the 15th year of her age. Charles McKeen Duren was born at Sang^rville, Me., No vember 26, 1842. In his youth he was divinely led to consecrate himself to the Saviour, not only in heart, as he believed, but openly. He received a course of educa tion qualifying him for commercial and banking business, 430 and has for several years held the position of Cashier in Hardin County Bank, at Eldora, Iowa, to the satisfaction of his employers and the public. In the 26th year of his age he married Miss G-ertrude Eliza Whiting, daughter of Rev. Lyman Whiting, D. D., then of Du- buque, an estimable lady. They have had two sons, twins, who died under two years of age ; and now (1874) have two daughters, Alice Serena, born July 23d, 1871, and Mabel, September 7th, 1873 ; both promising chil dren. The Rev. Mr. Duren married for his second wife Sarah Atherton, a widow lady, of Sheldon, Vt., and at this date is officiating as acting pastor of the Congregational church at Plover, Wisconsin. 3. Julia McKeen, my third daughter, born April 16, 1820, was left, at the age of seven months and fourteen days, a motherless infant. She inherited a very delicate constitution, with a remarkably mild and affectionate dis position ; and from childhood was very attentive to relig ious instruction. At the age of fourteen, she gave good evidence of true piety, and became a beloved member of the church in Belfast, of which her father was pastor. After having enjoyed for several years such education al advantages as she there had, early in the autumn of 1839 she went, with her next younger sister, to the Acad emy at Gorham, Me., in which their eldest sister, Marianne, was principal of the Ladies Department. She continued there until the next Spring, when her health had so failed that it was not without difficulty she could be brought safely home from Portland to Belfast by steamboat. Be ing at home most tenderly cared for, she partially recov ered ; but within a year went into a settled decline, which terminated in death, June the 9th, 1841, in the 22d year of her age. Her lingering and not unfrequently painful illness she endured with admirable resignation to the di vine will; invariably presenting an example of person- 431 al piety very affecting and beautiful. Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints. Her funeral services were conducted by our dear friend, the Rev. Stephen Thurston, of Searsport, and her precious remains were laid down to their long repose in the ministerial lot in Belfast Cemetery. I will now go back so far as to say that these three daughters, though bereft in childhood ot their own moth er, were within the course of a year blessed with anoth er, entirely suited to their condition, who took them at once to her heart, and to whom they in filial love clung as their own dear mother, as long as they lived. My second wife was Hannah Johnston, daughter of Captain Michael and Mrs. Sarah (Atkinson) Johnston, of Haverhill, N. H. Her father was son of Colonel Charles Johnston, honorably distinguished among the first settlers of that town. She was born at Haverhill, June 17, 1793. We were united in marriage by her pastor, Rev. Grant Powers, June 13, 1821 ; and a rich blessing she proved to be, not only to myself and family, but to our friends, dur ing the twenty-seven and a half years of her subsequent life. By this marriage I had three daughters and one son, of whom some brief notices will now be given. 4. Philena McKeen, my fourth daughter, was born June 14, 1822. With the exception of a few months spent with her sister Julia at Gorham Seminary, she pursued her studies at the Academy in Belfast, where we then liv ed. But, having talents and taste for vocal and instru mental music, she subsequently availed herself of the best instruction to be had in Boston, and also in Brooklyn, N. Y., and was for several years employed as a teacher, with special reference to music, at North Bridgton, Me., Hanover, N. IL, St. Johnsbury, Vt., in Ohio Female Col lege, of which Alphonso Wood, the Botanist, was then President, and for three years in the Western Female Seminary, at Oxford, Ohio. From that position she was 432 \ called, in 1859, to take charge, as Principal, of the Abbott Academy for Ladies at Andover, Mass., where at this date, April, 1874, she still remains; enjoying- the satisfaction of seeing the institution under her care in a very prosperous condition. She early became a member of the household of faith. 5. Catherine McKeen, born February 5th, 1825, like her sisters became hopefully pious while young. In her academic course she was classmate with her brother until he entered Dartmouth college, one year advanced, when she commenced teaching, but continued her classical studies as she had opportunity. She taught in Haverhill, N. H., and St. Jolmsbury, Vt., academies, and for several years at Mount Holyoke Ladies 7 Seminary, Mass. Though not educated there, her services had been sought, not only on account of her general scholarship, but with special ref- ference to her reputation as a very competent teacher of Latin. Her services and influence as a teacher were high ly appreciated, and in that way of doing good she found great satisfaction, but when declining health admonished he r that she must retire for rest, and, if possible, the re covery of her accustomed strength, she quietly yielded to the necessity. After two or three years spent partly at home and partly with her sisters, Mrs. Duren, at Sheldon, Vt., and Philena and Phebe F., at Oxford, Ohio, she went from there to her aunt and uncle Atkinson s, at Mount Leon, West Virginia, where, after months of the kindest care by them and their family, her peaceful de parture to her final rest occurred July the 20th, 1858, in the thirty-fourth year of her age. I had visited her a few weeks before, and her sisters from Oxford were with her on the affecting occasion. Her remains repose in the burial lot of her kindred at Elm Grove, near Wheel ing, West Virginia. Catharine possessed real poetical genius and taste, of which some specimens may be seen near the close of this book. 433 6. George White field McKeen, my only son, was born January 26, 1827. He was a bright, promising boy, and became hopefully pious and united with the church when about twelve years of age. He early fitted for college, and graduated at Dartmouth in 1846, in his twentieth year. Among his classmates and beloved friends still surviving, were Professors Charles C. Aikin, of Prince ton College, and J. J. Blaisdell, of Beloit, also Rev. Drs. J. W. Wellman, and A. H. Quint, of Mass. While in college his health became, through too intense applica tion to study, seriously impaired, but on leaving he taught for a while as assistant to his friend, Jonathan Tenney, then Principal of Pembroke, N. H., Academy, studied medicine some, both at home and at Bangor, Me., and spent a year or two with main reference to physical improvement. He had hoped to become a good minister of the gospel, but under an impression that the practice of medicine would be more favorable to his impaired health, he entered the University of New York as a med ical student, and for some time went on successfully there, until about the middle of February, 1850, when, un der the influence of a severe bronchial affection, he came home to his anxious father and sisters his beloved mother had previously died and after the best possible care and medical treatment his disease in the course of a few months came to a fatal termination. His mind retained its clearness and strength to the very last, and was kept in perfect peace, being stayed on God, his Saviour. He died June the 9th, 1850, at the age of twenty-three years, four months and fourteen days. His funeral was attend ed by a great congregation. The Vermont Conference of the Methodist Episcopal church being at that time in ses sion at Bradford, adjourned and united in the services. A sermon of great excellence and appropriateness was preached on the occasion by Rev. President Lord, from the 434 passage "Open them mine eyes that I may behold won drous things out of the law." The venerable preacher said, "What have we that we have not received ?" Our young friend had a firte intel lect, but God gave it to him, and a believing heart, but it was the product of the Holy Spirit, and sound principles, but they were instilled into him out of the Holy Scrip tures, and an ardent thirst for good things, but it was be cause a divine power had attended him to the great source of light and life. He was beloved at home, great ly beloved at College, too, and honored, as I well remem ber, and abroad in the busy world, but it was for quali ties which he would not have posessed if God, for Christ s sake, had not produced them. He was peaceful, hopeful, in death, but he would have died in despair, and been miserable forever, if Christ had not had mercy upon him. Wherefore I praise him not, but God." 7. Phebe Fuller McKeen, my seventh and last child , was born July 21, 1831. She obtained her school educa tion mainly at our home Academy. She remembered her Creator in the days of her youth, and at the age of six teen or seventeen heartily consecrated herself to His ser vice. Her first attempt at teaching was in a district school at Haverhill Corner, N. H. Then, after one term as an assistant teacher in Peacham, Vt., Academy, she was invited to Mount Holyoke Seminary, where, with her sis ter Catherine, she taught for about three years, after which she taught with her sister Philena for about three years in the Western Female Seminary at Oxford, Ohio. From that position she was called, with her sister, to Ab bott Female Academy at Andover, Mass., in 1859, where they, my only surviving daughters, are still (April, 1874) actively, and not without due appreciation, most usefully employed. While teaching, Phebe F. has found time to write somewhat extensively, under the name of " Jenny Bradford," for newspapers and other publications, and to 435 prepare a small volume entitled Thornton Hall, with spe cial reference to young ladies at boarding schools, published at New York in 1872, which has been received with pub lic favor. * If the work of professional teachers, seeking the high est good, temporal and eternal, of all under their care is great; so also are, and will be, the results of their abun dant labors. Having said thus much of these children, I go back to say a few words with regard to the death of the excel lent mother who, from their infancy, had most tenderly cherished them, and faithfully endeavored to train them up in the way they should go. Her call from this to the eternal world came suddenly, at a time and in a way wholly unexpected. On Wednesday, the 28th day of December, 1848, we were returning from a pleasant visit to our relatives in Vershire. There was no snow on the frozen ground, and we were in a covered wheel carriage, drawn by one horse. While descending the steep hill immediately north of the deep ravine styled Eagle Hollow, a holdback of the har ness brol^e, the carriage suddenly dashed against the horse, which at once started on a run; to hold the strong and terribly frightened animal was impossible, and as the way was narrow, with sides rocky and precipitous, to turn either way would be instant death. There seemed to be no way but to keep still, and await our destiny: Having descended the hill she, in tremulous voice, said, " What shall I do? Shall I spring out?" My reply Avas, "Oh, I don t know ! I think not!" The horse dashed on with fearful power. In a minute or two she was gone ! I then dropped the reins, arid threw myself out. Though bruised, and on my head gashed, I was enabled to rise and return to her, some ten or fifteen rods distant. She was lying in the first spot by the wayside which had pre sented itself to her eyes as affording the least possibility 436 of safety in case of springing out. But oh, what a spec tacle ! She breathed, but was speechless and insensible. No bones were broken, but the brain had received a fatal concussion. A friendly man was quickly present. At his call others came, and on a bed conveyed her to a neighboring house, where we were kindly received. Friends rapidly gathered; skillful physicians, good minis ters, and kind hearted women. All was done which could be; but slie never spoke again, or appeared conscious of her condition. She languished till Saturday morning, nearly three days, when, at the house of Mrs. John Gor don, of Vershire, but surrounded by her own family, and some other relatives, she expired December 31, 1848, at the age of fifty-five years. Her remains were taken di rectly home to Bradford, a distance of some twelve miles, and her funeral, on the subsequent Wednesday, was num erously attended by deeply sympathizing friends. Our friend, the Rev. Solon Martin, then of Corinth, conducted the services, and preached an appropriate sermon on the affecting occasion. She, beyond doubt, had found it gain to die. Her path through life had been continually grow ing more and more luminous, and must have terminated, not in the darkness of the grave, but in the perfect light of eternal glory and blessedness. My third wife was Miss Sarah Parmelee, of Guilford, Ct., a daughter of Mr. Jonathan and Mrs. Elizabeth (Hart) Parmelee, of that place ; both of decidedly Puritan de scent, principles, and manner of life. In early woman hood she became a member of the Congregational church of which the Rev. Aaron Button was then pastor, and to which her parents, sister, and two brothers all belonged ; and for some thirty years or more had devoted herself to the good work of teaching various schools in her native town. She remained with her parents to the close of their lives, then resided for a time with her beloved sis ter, Mrs. Fowler, in the same village ; but finally became 437 the wife oi a minister away here in the State of Vermont. We were married by Rev. David Root, her pastor, April 30,1851, and came directly to Bradford, where she was cordially received by her husband s family and parishon- ers, and has since had her home. We are at this writing quietly living in the same cottage in which I first com menced house-keeping, the same in which all my children were born, now, through the liberality of our people, made our own for life ; and, still surrounded by kind friends, are aiming to finish whatever work our Heavenly Father has for us to do, and be ready to remove to our heavenly home at whatever time He, in His infinite wisdom and goodness, shall see best to call us away. 438 CHAPTER XXI. Specimens of Bradford Poetry By Thomas Ormsby, Thomas Ta bor, Miss Lydia White, Emily II. Page, Catharine MeKeen, and Rev. S. MeKeen. THE BOWER OF PRAYER. Written by Mr. Thomas Ormsby, a praying man, in 1821, when about leaving his retired homestead, and favorite retreat for private devotion, to remove to another home, though not remote. For further notice of him, see the Ormsbys. 1. To leave my dear friends, and with neighbors to part, And move from my home, afflicts not my heart Like the thought of absenting myself, for a day, From the blessed retreat I have chosen to pray. 2. Dear bower! where the pine and the poplar have spread, And woven their branches a roof o er my head ; How often I ve knelt on the evergreen there, And poured out my soul to my Saviour in prayer. 3. The early shrill notes of a loved nightingale, That dwelt in the bower, I observed as my bell To call me to duty ; while birds of the air Sang anthems of praise as I went to prayer. 4. How sweet were the zephyrs, perfumed by- the pine, The ivy, the balsam, and wild eglantine ! Yet, sweeter, O, sweeter, superlative were The joys I there tasted in answer to prayer. 5. For Jesus, my Saviour, oft deigned to meet And grace with His presence my humble retreat ; Oft filled me with rapture and blessedness there, Inditing in Heaven s own language my prayer. -6. Dear bower! I must leave thee, and bid thee adieu, And pay my devotions in places all new ; Well knowing my Saviour resides everywhere, And can in nil places give answer to prayer. 439 THE SONG OF SEVENTY YEARS ; OR THE YOUNG OLD MAN. BY THOMAS TABOR. (For some account of whom, see the Tabor Family.) 1 . Though three score and ten, I am not very old, For neither of death s warnings three Have come to remind me yet I m fast growing old, And soon with my fathers must be. 2. No, I cannot be old, for my form is erect, Elastic and^steady my tread ; Youth s rapturous emotions my heart still aftect, And few of life s pleasures are fled. 3. It cannot, surely, be long since I was a child ; It seems but a day, or a week, Since I joined my companions, gay, noisy, and wild In playing at "Hide and go Seek." 4. Old Time, in his swift course so light footed has sped, He s made no deep tracks in his way ; Nor yet very much frost has he strewn on my head, Nor made my affections his prey. 5. No, I am not very old, that cannot be true; Else why are my feelings so young? My enjoyments so many, my suff rings so few, And melody still on my tongue ? 6. The sweet, pretty maiden whose undisplayed charms First kindled a fire that still burns ; It seems but yesterday she was first in my arms ; I smile as the vision returns. 7. The innocent freedom she so modestly gave, I cannot begin to forget ; If age blots from memory the records we save, I m sure I m not aged yet. 8. My grandparents, venerable, died long ago, Their children, my parents, are dead ; My brothers and sisters have heads white as snow, And are half to eternity fled. 440 9. Of six generations I have seen in my day, The two first are gone, every man ; And now, me they call old! I know I m somewhat gray, But prove that I m old, if you can. 10. For the fancies of boyhood as bright as of yore, Still cluster round memory s shrine ; And the loves and the synip thies felt long before, To-day are as vividly mine. 11. I see not my dear wife as she is seen by you, All toothless, and wrinkled, and gray, But with cheeks fresh with roses, and lips moist with dew, Her December has blossoms like May. 12. She still has the maiden coyness that, in her youth, My wooings could scarce overcome ; So recalling the vows I then made her in truth, I m sure that we both are still young. 13. The roses I planted in the Spring-time of life, By temp rance and justice, now bloom ; And shed a sweet fragrance around me and my wife, And hide t^e dark gate of the tomb. 14. As a rock in the main, as an oak on the plain, Long-battles the surge and the blast, And although they may seem to remain firm and green, Are destined to fall at the last. 15. So each year, month and day, though they seem but in play, And have failed to make me feel old, Yet I know that in the end to their force I must bend, And pass like a tale that is told. 16. As a stone that is moved from the mountain s high top, Moves slowly along in its course, And at times in its progress seems almost to stop, Near the base gains terrible force, 17. So have I been moving down life s declining way, But can t have grown old very fast, Yet I ve gained an impetus, and no one can say, How long my course downward will last. 18. Still I cannot feel old, though I know death is near ; Death I ll view but as a sweet rest 441 For this weary body, when all its labors here, Shall cease, and I be with the blest. 19. As the crawling worm dies, and a chrysalis lies, Yet wakes a winged, beautiful form, So with glorious bloom man shall wake from the tomb, As order comes out of the storm. I CANNOT DIE. BY LYDIA E. WHITE, Preceptress in Bradford Academy. " I cannot die, 11 said the maiden fair, Twisting the locks of her golden hair; " My cheek is warm, and my eye is bright; O, speak not to me of death to-night. Speik of the earth, and its pleasures sweet, Of the festive hall where gay ones meet, Arid of pleasant lands, and shady trees, Arid of spicy isles and sunny seas ; Of music clear, on the liquid air O, earth is beautiful, bright arid fair. 1 Night came again with its shadows deep The maid was wrap d in wakeless sleep, "I cannot die, 11 sighed the joyous bride. She stood by the strongman, in his pride, And gazed in his dark and pleasant eye, And thought twould be hard, O, hard, to die : For life, like a sunny landscape fair, Without one shade of cankering care, O erspread with a blue and cloudless sky Appeared to her bright, enchanted eye ; But she dreamed not earth is full of woe, A fleeting dream and a passing show. Spring came once more to the rose s bed ; But the bride ; the bride ; ah ! she was dead ! " I cannot die, 11 the strong youth said, " For the paths of science I must tread ; And I must gain me a noble name, And write it high on the roll of Fame. 29 442 Now ray life in clear prospective lies, Like pictures rare in the cloudless skies, And laurels fresh on my brow I ll wear, For honors of earth are not a snare. My head is clear, and my lie art is strong. I feel that my time on earth is long." That night he sat o er his page of lore ; But on it he gazed no more. " I cannot die," breathed the mother pale, As she heard her first-born infant s wail. " O, I cnnnot die, for I am young; And O, my babe on the cold world flung, Will be left alone to pine and weep, For who will a mother s vigils keep. The loved ones all can I leave them here ? Those who to my heart as life are dear ! O, I cannot die in youth s glad prime, And leave forever the scenes of Time." Through the window-blinds the soft air stole, And gone was the mother s deathless soul. " I cannot die," sighed the man of care, And he hurried forth to do and dare ; For his soul was merged in business schemes, And his sight obscured by lofty dreams ; And his plans were formed for future years. Yes, they must be wrought, though wrought in tears. His heart was bound by a magic chain To that luring hope, the hope of gain ; And the thought of death he forced away, Saying "I ll listen some other day." A few months passed to the land of shade The man of care with the dead was laid. Mortal, whatever thy lot below, Be it light or darkness, joy or woe, So live that when thou art called to die, Thou then mayest go without one sigh, Like one who goes to a much loved home, Never again from its joys to roam ; Like one who his work hath all well done, And who with patience his race hath run. 443 SOME SPECIMENS OF THE POETRY OF EMILY R. PAGE. Emily Rebecca Page was born in Bradford village, Vt., May 5th, A. D. 1834. Her father, Casper Page, by occu pation a shoemaker, was formerly of Greensboro, Vt. His wife, her mother, Emily A. Alger, Was daughter, by a former marriage, of Mrs. Eugene Baker, and died when this, her infant daughter and only child, was but two weeks of age. The dying young mother gave her child to Mrs. Baker, her own mother, who tenderly received her as her own. Emily s father died while she was under two years of age died of consumption, while quite a young man. Mr. Eugene Baker was toll-gatherer at Piermont bridge, across Connecticut River. His toll-house, in which Emi ly was brought up, was at the west end of the bridge, and of course in Bradford, -her native place. Her com memoration of The Old Bridge, in general use, was there fore perfectly natural. Her earlier teachers, both since distinguished for abili ty and aptness to teach, were her aunt, Maria R. Baker, and Miss Mary Belcher, under whose training she made wonderful progress. Later she attended Bradford Acad emy, and for a term or two that at St. Johnsbury, Vt. Emily wrote verses while yet a child, and when about a dozen years of age some of her poetic effusions found their way into the local paper, much to her regret in after years. Miss Hemmenway, Editor of the Vermont His torical Gazetteer, speaks of Emily s poetic genius and productions in the highest terms, and says she had the honor, while living, of being one of the only two in Ver mont admitted by Mr. Dana into his compilation of the Household Poets of the World. Several of her poems ap pear in said Gazetteer, and also in the volume of Ver mont Poets. 444 After the death of Mr. Baker, her grandfather, Emily went with her grandmother Baker and aunt Maria to Chelsea, near Boston, where she was connected editorial ly with one of the Boston weekly papers, and as poetical editress of Gleason s various publications. Always frail and delicate, she died at Chelsea, Mass., February 14, 1862, where she had for several years resided with her grandmother and aunt. She died in the thirty-second year of her age. Her grave is in Woodlawn cemetery, her only epitaph being her own words, " Through the darkness into light." THE OLD BRIDGE. BY EMILY K. PAGE. Bowered at either arching* entrance By a wilderness of leaves ; Clustering o er the slant old gables, And the brown and mossy eaves, Is the dear old bridge, which often, Often in the olden time, Echoed to our infant footfalls, And our voice s ringing chime. Where from out the narrow windows We have watched the day go down Till the air was full of twilight, Soft and shadowy and brown ; Till the river, gliding past us, Gloom upon its bosom wore ; And the shadows, deep and deeper, Crept along the winding shore ; Till the pale young moon grew brighter, And the silver-footed night Scattered stars along the pathway Of die eve s departing flight. Oh! the dear old bridge Jias echoed To the tread of many feet, Whose sweet music long has slumbered, Muffled in the winding; sheet. 445 Many voices, too, have sounded, Clear and soft and full of song , Like the ripple of a bird-note, All the ringing roof along. But the silent angel hushed them Many, many years agone, Yet an echo mong its arches Seemeth still to linger on ; And as now within its shadow I am sitting all alone, Flows the river down beneath me With a sad and ceaseless moan, As if grieving for the lost ones They who listened long ago, Leaning from the narrow windows To the light waves lulling flow. And the elm trees, swaying lightly, Let their shadowy dimness fall Far in on the frowning columns, And along the darkened wall ; Like the shadows which have drifted From the death-damps of the tomB", Wrapping up my glad young- spirit In the mantles of their gloom. And the golden -fingered sunbeams Sifting through the broken roof, Weave upon the dusty flooring Here and there their shimmering woof; Seeming like the golden vista Where my hopes reposed secure, When the dew of life s young morning O er my heart lay fresh and pure. Now, though years have swept me onward Down the hurrying tide of time, Leaving childhood far behind me, Like a pleasant matin chime Yet from youth s deserted gardens I am gathering up the flowers, Whose sweet fragrance floateth to me, Cheering all the languid hours. 446 For again the shining pageant Of the long-forgotten past Floats before me, with no shadow O er its sunny surface cast. 1 forget the many grave-mounds That lie dark and cold between, For the "silver lining" only Of the frowning cloud is seen. With the sunlight round about me Bright and glad as long ago, And the river down beneath me, With its soft, continuous flow, With the old familiar places, All about me everywhere, Come again the pleasant faces That made earth so bright and fair: And, as then, each passing cloudlet Seems to wear a golden edge,* As I muse within the shadow Falling from the dear old bridge. BE NOT WEARY. BY EMILY R. PAGE. Laughing, down the misty valleys, Where the morning faintly falls, Go the sowers, in life s Spring-time, Scattering where the spirit calls. But, while yet the dew is weeping From the flowers along the way, They are pausing spent with labor, Ere the noon-tide of the day. Be not weary, Spring-time sowers Through the valleys level sweep, If ye be but faithful doers, In the Autumn ye shall reap. When the heavenward lark uprising On the air her matin leaves, In life s field swart hands are busy, Binding up the golden sheaves. 447 Up and up the sun is climbing, And the day grows faint with heat, And along the harvest meadows Faltering fall the reapers feet. Be not weary, sturdy gatherers Of the full and golden store ; In the season that is coming Ye can sow nor reap no more. Ye who keep on Zion s mountain Watch, to tell us of the night ; Who, in Truth s victorious army, Battle bravely for the right ; Ye who stand on life s proud summit, Whence your way lies down and down, Mong the shadows of the valley AVhere Earth s empty echoes drown ; Ye who struggle, ye who suffer, Be not weary doing good ; Ye shall wear the shining garments That are fitting angelhood. IN MEMORY OF MRS. ELIZABETH PRICHARD, Wife of Deacon George W. Prichard, who Died at Bradford, Vt. March 5, 1853, aged Sixty-one Years. BY MISS EMILY R. PAGE. She is sleeping lowly laid To her last and dreamless rest ; With the heart so pure and meek, Stifled within her throbless breast. Raise ye, with the hand of love, Sculptured marble o er her head ; Let the graven tablet tell Of the virtues of the dead. Yet in many a lowly heart, Laden with its weight of care, Is her proudest monument, Cherished with a blessing there. 448 Hers have been the pleasant paths That the blessed Master trod ; Hers has been the sweet reward Of the faithful unto God. And her memory, like a gem Set in Glory s coronal, Still shall be, undimmed and bright, Fadeless in the hearts of all. Ye who weep above her dust, Grieving for the gentle gone, Let your high and holy trust In the Father bear you on. For, though Death s relentless hand Tender ties hath sternly riven, God hath called her from our hearts To her happier home in heaven. ONLY WAITING. BY MISS EMILY K. PAGE. A very aged Christian, who was so poor as to be in an almshouse, was asked what he was doing there ? He replied "Only Waiting." Only waiting till the shadows, Are a little longer grow r n ; Only waiting till the glimmer Of the days last beam is flown ; Till the night of earth is faded From the heart once full of day; Till the stars of heaven are breaking Through the twilight, soft and gray. Only waiting till the angels Open wide the mystic gate ; For which full long I have lingered, Weary, poor and desolate. Even now I hear their footsteps, And their voices far away. If they call me I am waiting. Only waiting to obey. 449 Only Waiting till the reapers Have the last sheaf gathered home ; For the Summer time is faded, And autumn winds are eome. Quickly reapers, gather quickly The last ripe hours of my heart ; For the bloom of life is withered, And I hasten to depart. Only waiting till the shadows Are a little longer grown ; Only waiting till the glimmer Of the day s last beam is flown : Then from out the gathered darkness Holy, deathless stars shall rise, By whose light my soul shall gladly Tread its pathway to the skies. The following pieces, signed C. McK.. were written by Miss Catharine McKeen, Associate Principal of Mount Holyoke Seminary, who died at the home of her uncle and aunt Atkinson, Mount Leon, Virginia West, July 20, 1858. They need no commendation. For further notice of the author, see the preceding chapter. The first of these articles is an extract from a poetical effusion of her heart, on the day of the death of her beloved sister Marianne, March 24, 1845- And art thou gone, my angel love, So soon to heav n thy home above? Oh! wherefore haste thee thus away? Wast weary with so brief a stay? Some call this earth a desert drear ; But, sister, thou wast happy here ; And here were friends thou lovedst well ; How loved thyself, no words can tell. ***** Yet Jesus called ; and thou hast flown To join thy kindred round the throne. Oh! what a rapt, ecstatic thrill, Did thy whole soul and being fill, When first on thy unclouded eyes Burst all the glories of the skies ! How didst thou view the vision bright? Till ev ry doubt was lost in sight ; 450 Then lightly tread the golden street, To how before thy Saviour s feet; While thousands and ten thousands raise High anthems of enraptured praise, And sound through all the heavenly plain Hosannahs, to the Lamb, once slain. ***** C. McK. TO HER MOTHER IN HEAVEN. Mother dearest, I am kneeling Close beside thee, as before ;. But I cannot see thee Ah ! the bitter Nevermore ! Precious mother I am waiting . For thy hand upon my head Oh, my mother, vainly waiting For a blessing from the dead. Oft upon thy gladsome birth-days How I blessed my God for thee For thy spirit s light, so holy, Ever beaming down on me. And to-day my anguished spirit, With a deeper, chastened love, Blesses God I have a mother For my angel guard above. C. McK. Written June 17, 1849, on her beloved mother s birth-day, and at her grave. The following beautiful and affecting lines were written by Miss C. Me Keen, more than a year preceding her decease, but immediately after an attack of bleeding from the lungs, when she was expecting to go soon : GOING HOME. Going Home! Going Home! To my Father s own embrace ; Home, to see my Saviour s face ! Weary pilgrim, for my feet 451 Waits at Home a blest retreat, Wrought for me with skill divine Ere the stars began to shine ! Homeward from the whitened field, Where the harvests richly yield, Slowly with repentant grief, Must I bear my meagre sheaf; But when at the door I stand, Christ will take it in His hand, And, for His dear sake forgiv n, Bid me welcome Home to heav n. Then, with joyful welcoming Shall all harps and voices ring To the high celestial dome, For a wandering child come Home. Going Home ! Going Home To the blessed land above ; Children of one Father s love ; Many I have loved below, Many I have longed to know ; Blessed union, sweet and strong, Binding all that countless throng ! O, the joy of loving there, Purely, fully, without fear ; Not a loved one e er shall die, Naught can hi ing one tear or sigh ; Richest fellowship of mind Shall my longing spirit find. List ning from some humble place, I shall catch the words of grace Which from Israel s Psalmist fall, Or the eloquence oi Paul ; See the great in faith and love Great in all that s great above ; And the music I shall hear Never fell on human ear ; Sweetest theme of thought and song, Kindling all the raptured throng, Shall be Christ, the Lord, once slain ; Christ, the Lord, now ris n again. 452 Going Home! Going Home! There from all unrest to be Sweetly and forever free ; Free from weariness and pain, Free from cares that vex in vain, Free from sin ; the conflict o er, Pure in heart forevermore. O, the blissful, wondrous change ! Sli all I know myself, so strange? But a richer joy than rest Is employ among the blest; Thought so clear and strong and free, Tireless, through eternity Roaming with intense delight, Where the vision feels no night; Beauty shall the spirit fill ; Wondering joy its being thrill! Yet that spirit ne er shall know * Linking fetters, felt below ; All my soul, with growing pow r, Serving God from hour to hour, SliM.ll its highest pleasure win In the deepest love to Him. I am going going Home ! Father, when thy call I hear, Let me neither shrink or fear ; Gladly would I come to Thee, Painful though the way may be ; All thy children, gathering fast, Shall encircle Thee at last ; All at Home ! Yes, all at Home ! Never, nevei? thence to roam ! C. McK. ELEGY. [On a sister s favorite Canary Bird, which had died at night, alone in its cage ; by Miss CATHERINE McKEEN, then in failing health.] Wert thou lonely, Darling Birdie, In the dark and solemn night, When cold Death came creeping round thee, 453 And put out thy Spirit s light? Thou wert not alone, sweet Birdie ; Gentle hands received thy breath : For the God who made and loved thee Willed and watched His Birdie s death. Rig-id lies thy little body, In its golden, downy nest : Where is that which woke to motion, Which should break this peaceful rest? Where is that which danced and sparkled In thy cunning ebon eyes ? Stirred thy wings to mount and flutter Free and joyous, toward the skies? Where is now the fount of music Welling once from out thy throat, Softly trembling, richly swelling, In triumphant, liquid note ? Where the consciousness that answered To thy lady s voice and sight, Gave thee joy, anon, and sorrow, Thinking, feeling little sprite ? Strange and solemn is the silence Wrapped around thy spirit now : God has never told us, Birdie, Where he treasures such as thou. Soon my form will lie, sweet Birdie, Tenantless and still as thine ; But I know, for God has told me, / shall spring to life divine! C. McK. Mount Leon, Va., March, 1858. THE SPECTRE HORSE. BY THE AUTHOR OF THIS BOOK. The following poetic effusion, first published in the Christian Mirror at Portland, Maine, was occasioned by an eloquent temperance address by a Universalist minister, who graphically described intemperance as a mighty steed, rushing with his great car loaded with drunkards, down a steep de- 454 clivity into a rapid river, or deep gulf, below ; and pathetically called his hearers to the rescue of their fellow mortals who were in such fearful peril. This call I forthwith, in this manner, attempted to obey. Whatever in the piece is contrary to the idea that such a load of drunkards would not in their first plunge into the dark waters of Death find themselves infinitely better off than they would have been if stopped in their downward course, must be ascribed to the writer, and not to the orator, who stayed not at all to settle that question The representation of Satan as driver of the Spectre Horse, with his drunkard s car, was not contained in the original picture ; but no one can dispute his title to that position. THE SPECTRE HORSE. A wondrous steed I saw, of size and height Which ne er before, I ween, met human sight : His head, high raised, was in a tempest cloud ; His snorting seemed like startling thunder loud; Right on the huge, tremendous monster dashed From out his nostrils streams of lighthing flashed ! Beneath the prancing of his ponderous feet Earth trembled, e en to Pluto s fabled seat. With more than lurid comet s mighty force He, mad, pursued his daring, headlong course, Straight down a mountain s steep, declining side, Against whose base dashed the rolling tide The fearful tide of death! A car he drew With wheels more high than rapt Ezekiel knew ; With body vast, arranged in such a mode As to receive some thousands at a load. The force of Mars, the strength of Juggernaut, Were in this strong machine together brought. A shout more loud, more dread, than shout of war Outflew this huge and quickly coming car, Whose pealing, startling sound awoke my ear, And filled my trembling heart with sudden fear. By pity moved, and nerved with vigor new, To help the wretches I determined, flew. But oh ! believe who can ; I quickly found That shout was not of grief, but joy, the sound! On, on, with banners streaming high they came, Inscribed with every Alcoholic name. Amid this car a cauldron fiercely boiled, From whose infernal fumes not one recoiled; 455 But through long winding- things, called worms, conveyed, The deadly liquid was in bars displayed ; To which all thronged, resolved to get their fill Of drunkard s drink fresh pouring from their still ; And while some trembling lay, some reeling stood All all, with one consent, pronounced it good. Lewd men, with mates as lewd, both dark and fair, Dishonest men, with men of blood, were there ; Dark minded, crafty men, of deeds untold, With gentlemen, lured on through love of gold, Who seldom drank, themselves, but understood How best to sponge the fools that would. And from this numerous, motley, drunken crowd. Rose execrations dire, and laughter loud ; With jests and scoffs profane, and ribald song, As down to death they gaily swept along. Stop! desperate mortals, stop! i loudly cried, See there a gulf; try not its roaring tide ! Behold its treacherous service covered o er With bodies dead of those who ve jumped before ! Stop ! madmen, stop ! turn back ! or I foretell You ll quickly plunge into the gulf of liell ! A vaunt ! cried some ; to man the lot is given To drive through hell to seats of bliss in heaven . The mighty driver of that wondrous steed Then cracked the whip and urged his headlong speed ; And while at me a fi ry dart he threw, Most fondly said to his confiding crew : " Fear not; no hell there is, why trouble buy? "Enjoy yourselves; Ye shall not surely die; "That flood at which the dastard terror feels "Can never reach the axles of our w r heels; " The sooner in, brave boys, the sooner through, " And all beyond is joy, is heaven for you ! u Not one of you, I gospel truth declare, " Do what you will, shall be excluded there." A thund ring shout of joy they quickly raised, In paeans loud, loud their loved driver praised ; On still they drank, and danced, profanely swore ; On- flew the horse, and quickly reached the shore ; In plunged the monster, with his cumbrous load, And heedless of their shrieks still onward strode ; 456 Down, down went horse and car, and frighted crowd, To ocean s depths, overwhelmed by billows proud ! I, breathless, viewed the gulf, both near and far; Up came the hated horse, with empty car! There sat the fiend ! with sly, infernal leer ; He looked around, and back was seen to steer, To take of drunkards yet another freight, Consigned to dread perdition s yawning gate ! All such he boldly claims, and knows full well How easy tis to wheel them down to hell. THE GOD OF NATURE. AMOS, 5 : 8, 9. The floating clouds, the falling rain, The rolling earth, the starry plain, The good, the mighty God confess, And counsels wise to man address Seek Him who lias the Pleiads made: Orion, too, who death s dark shade Converts to morning s welcome light, And turns the joyous day to night; Who bids the ocean vapors rise, Supply the cisterns of the skies, And thence descend in genial show rs, To clothe the earth with smiling tiow rs, With fruits and fields of bending grain ; The Lord! The Lord s! His holy name! He aids the weak against the strong ; Praise, Praise Him, in sublimest song. S. Mck. THIRSTY SINNERS INVITED TO CHRIST. JOHN, 7: 37. Originally written for the last day of a " Protracted Meeting." 1. Come now, dear friends, the Saviour calls; On thirsty souls His notice falls ; From broken cisterns turn away ; Death hastens, you must not delay. 457 2. Pure living water Jesus brings ; From Christ, the Living Rock, it springs ; Your raging thirst it will control, And make the wounded spirit whole. 3. To all who thirst this water s free ; It s free for yon, and free for me ; The offer s kind, the day is great, To see you come the angels wait. 4. No sword gleams by this water s side ; Come, say the Spirit and the Bride ; And here the blessed Jesus stands, With tearful eyes and outspread hands ! 5. This day of grace may be your last ; Tt flies ! soon, soon it will be past ! The day of wrath ! when that s begun, No water cools the fervid tongue. S. M. K, THE JUDGMENT DAY. 1. Lo it comes! the day expected! Lightnings flash, and thunder roars ; Christ his throne has now erected ! Down the skies his glory pours ; Earth, affrighted, Trembles throughout all her shores ! 2. Hark! the trump of God is calling Adam s race, both quick and dead ; Tombs are cleaving, towers falling; Slumb ring nations lift the head, And are rising, Both from earth and ocean s bed ! 8. Harden d sinners are confounded; They have heard Him, from afar, Christ, with glories bright surrounded, Calling, Come, now, to my bar ! Oh ! how dreadful, To receive their sentence there ! 458 4. But ye Saints, who died believing, Hoping;, mid the gloom of night Crowns of life from Christ receiving. Crowns and robes with glory bright, Ye are destin d, Hence to shine in realms of light. S. M. K. 459 VALEDICTION. My work is finished. Amid many hindrances I have done the best I could. If those for Whose gratification this service was undertaken should generally be satisfied, I shall feel that 1 have not labored in vain. While medi tating on, and writing of, friends and scenes long since pass ed away, and preparing some account of our present peo ple and affairs, for the information of those who shall come after us, I am moved to say, 0, Bradford, Bradford ! field of my early and late ministerial labors ; resting place of my nearest and dearest kindred, and venerated parishion ers ; abode of many tried and faithful iriends ; endeared to me by ten thousand fond and tender recollections ! So long as the beautiful Connecticut shall flow by thy side, and the lofty mountains which skirt thy horizon shall stand as monuments of the great Creator s power and im mutability, and thy charming scenery continue to delight the eyes and the heart of every lover of the beautiful, may Heaven s blessing rest upon thy sons and daughters ; vice and crime find no place among them ; but intelligence, and virtue, good order, and, above ail, true religion, with all its attending and consequent benefits, be their inher itance and pre-eminent glory. ERRATA AND OMISSIONS. Page 2, for conainiug read containing; and for reasonable, seasona ble. 13, line 13, for seventy-six, sixty-six, 17, line 26, insert inhabitants of before said Township. 20, line 10, for six month, six months fr,om the date. 27, lines 20, 21, for reversions and remissions, reversion and rever sions. 28, line 2 from the bottom, for written, read within. 31, for eke, execute. 37, for forty-two, forty. 49, for stock-yard, stack-yard. 61, for Englishmen, Englishman. 68, for June, January. 74, after 1867 supply and. . 75, for Rev. Wm., Rev. Mr. 120, for ghostly, ghastly. 121,forPeckles, PicMes. 125, line 12, for through, thorough. 127, line 6, for bearing, learning ; line 11, for Bernslee, Bemslee. 141, line 7, for gen&logy , genealogy ; in the foot note for Benjamin F., Benjamin P. 147, line 7, for criminal, dismal. 150, for Epapros, Epaphras. 153, line 11, for at, to. 226, omit the comma after Mary. 227, for Shum, Shumway. 235, for including, indicating. 243 ,-5 ,-6, for Dake, Doke. 260, atter Their Children omit were, and for 1767 read 1777. 270, line 23, for twenty-first read twenty-fourth. 271, Elzina, Elsina. 278, line 8, for 1796, 1799. 285, last line, for Burnet, Barnet. 298, for Hemstead, Hampstead. 305, line 8, for Monson, Manson; line 11, after Martha omit the comma. 331, line 17, for June 20, 1813, read June 22, 1791. 372, line 17, for 1828 read 1808 ; line 19, for 1830, 1810 ; line 21, for 18, 1831. 395, line 18, for father, pastor. 405, for Homoepathie, Homeopathic; and on page 406, for Homoepa- thy, Homeopathy. 407, line 19, for 18, read 1790. 411, for Nutpelee, Nutfield. 415, for Gratius, Grotius. 418, line 6, fcr three, their. 419, line 9, for friends, fireside. 419, line 18, for restrained, sustained. 436, for Mrs., Mr. 443, line 18, for general use, read graceful verse. 455, line 19, for service, surface ; line 20, for jumped, plunged. In chapter V the following should have appeared, immediately after "Charles May Killed in a Duel :" BRADFORD BRASS BAND. This company of musicians, incorporated by act of the Legislature, have a commodious hall for their social gath erings, and an elegant stand in a central part of the vil lage, from which, under their accomplished leader, Capt. R. E. Whitcomb, they occasionally, on pleasant evenings, discourse sweet music, to the high gratification of numer ous listeners. They are also accustomed to favor the public with their performances in this and other towns, on various occasions. Their leader was a distinguished bugler in a cavalry regiment during the late war for the suppression of the rebellion. At the close of Chapter XVIII should have been printed the follow ing : An important Drug and Medicine store has been here kept for several years by H. G. Day. Books and Stationery by Mrs. J. D. Clark. Hardware, Iron, Steel, Coal, Nails, Cutlery, Glass, Farmers Tools, etc., etc., wholesale and retail, by Eaton & Co. Various other stores not here particularly mentioned. Bradford village is a center of trade for a populous surrounding community. U.C. BERKELEY LIBRARIES RETURN CIRCULATION DEPARTMENT 202 Main Library LOAN PERIOD 1 HOME USE 2 3 4 5 6 ALL BOOKS MAY BE RECALLED AFTER 7 DAYS 1 -month loans may be renewed by calling 642-3405 6-month loans may be recharged by bringing books to Circulation Desk Renewals and recharges may be made 4 days prior to due date DUE AS STAMPED BELOW MAR 5 138 \ j INTER-LIBR/ RY LOAN A IIP 4 n 4fti^rt ! - AU6 2 2 /982 urn AUG 1 2 1982 KKI V MWU MAY 61984 freCE^ED B* DEW; UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY FORM NO. DD6, 60m, 1 1 /78 BERKELEY, CA 94720 (Bs U.C. BERKELEY LIBRARIES M279859 THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY