CORNELL UNIVERSITY LIBRARY F 59G9 B47*" ""'"*"">' '-'""^ History of Guildhall, Vt oiin 3 1924 028 837 966 The original of tliis book is in tine Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924028837966 A HISTORY OF CONTAINING SOME ACCOUNT OF THE PLACE— OF ITS FIRST SETTLEMENT IN 1764. AND THE PRINCIPLE IMPROVEMENTS MADE, AND E- VENTS WHICH HAVE OCCURRED DOWN TO 3886— A PERIOD OF ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY TWO YEARS. WITH VARIOUS GENEALOGICAL EECOEDS, AND BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES OF FAMILIES AND INDIVIDUALS, SOME DECEASED, AND OTHERS STILL LIVING. TOGETHEK WITH A BKIEF SKETCH OF ESSEX COUNTY, VERMONT. By EVERETT CHAMBERLIN BENTON, A NATIVE OF GUILDHALL. WAVEELEY, MASS.: EVERETT C. BENTON, PUBLISHER. 1886. COPTMOHT, 1886, BY EVEHETT C. BbNTON. DEDICATION. TO MT FATHER, CHARLES EMERSON BENTON, This Little Book IS DEDICATED IN GRATITDDE AND LOVE. •Vf' ^ndex to gUttsMim^. -•- Benton, Hon. Charles E 204 Burge, Rev. Caleb .... 220 Coat of Arms, (Vt.) ^94 Chase, Dea. Robert 204 Congregational Church . . • • • 1^6 Court House . . . . 197 Dale, Gov. George N. .... 204 Dean Brook, as it enters the Connecticut River 123 Dewey, Dr. John . . . . 204 Follansby, Hon. Putney R 204 Guildhall Falls 90 Hartshorn, Hon. William H. ... 204 Heywood, Hon. William . . . 204 Indian ..... 174 Judd, Hon. Eben W. . . . .249 Maidstone Lake . . . .134 Metiiodist Church , . . .163 Northumberland Toll Bridge . . . ^"0 Old Congregational Church . . . 153 Old Corner Store. ( Essex Bank Building ) 137 Old Court House . . . .196 Original Spire to present Congregational Church 156 Pews in the Old Congregational Church . 153 Proprietors' Plan of Guildhall ... 62 Put)lic Buildings north of the Common . 38 Pulpit in Old Congregational Church 153 Safe us«d by the Old Esses Bank . . 137 Small, Hon. Richard • • . . 204 ^antetjts. INTRODUCTION. CHAPTER I.— Brief sketches of Early History. CHAPTER II.— Description of Guildhall-Natural His- tory, etc. CHAPTER III.— Surveys-The Proprietors. CHAPTER TV.— Early settlement of Guildhall. CHAPTER v.— Transactions of the Town. CHAPTER jVI.- Roads and Bridges, etc. CHAPTER VII.— Schools. CHAPTER VIII. — Remarkablfi Events-Disasters, etc. CHAPTER-. IX.— Mills-Trade, etc. CHAPTER X.— Bank and Newspapers. CHAPTER XI. — ^Ecclesiastical Affairs. CHAPTER XII.— Cemeteries. CHAPTER XIII.— War chapter. CHAPTER XIV.— A Brief sketch of Essex County. CHAPTER XV. — Genealogical Records and Biographi- cal Sketches. APPENDIX. INTRODUCTION. Since the men of the north made their incursion into the empire of the Romans, they have been an aggres- sive and colonizing race, pushing their dominion into dis- tant countries and overcoming their enemies. It is the history of an Anglo-Saxon Colony, pushed far out into the American wilderness, that this book relates. It is a story, the sequel of which will have to be written by the pen of some future annalist. Long before Columbus discovered America this section was the home of an Indian sovereignty over s wide area : numberless generations of red men had planted corn to some extent on the fertile intervals below the fifteen miles falls, speared fish in the clear waters of the Con- necticut, hunted game through the luxuriant forests and paddled their light birch canoes over the silvery waters of the beautiful lakes and streams. To them this region was Coos ; or as it was afterwards known Upper Coos. In this historic locality lies the beautiful town of Guild- hall, which we will try, as best we can, to give a history of; under difficulties from the fact that in the case of Guildhall, as well aa other towns in those early times, the records were not fully kept, and of course moch that would be of interest has been lost, and only those things that related to the public acts and doings of the early set- tlers is there any record of, and ag the old people of the town at the present time are not to any great extent des- ceudents of the sarly settlers, much that was known to their children and grand-children that would be of interest has been lost. INTRODUCTION. Among the objects that attract the attention of people- in all countries, as they advance in civilization, few are sought with more avidity than the facts concerning their early history. In the pages that follov we think we have rescued from oblivioit many facts which the lover of his- tory will rejoice to know. The work, it is true, is local, but in it are described the character and deeds of people who were pioneers in the march of civilization, patriots in the day of danger, useful citizens in the time of peace. We cannot but indulge the iuipe that not only those who still remain among the hills and valleys of their native land, but those also who have wandered from the good old town to find a home in difTorent sections of the Union may receive some gratification from the perusal of tho his- tory of their ancestors. This work has been in process of completion by the author since 1878 and we have spared no paios to make the book a thorough one; all facts cuncerning the history of the town have been sought for to the best of onr ability and had we had the proper help from all who know inter- esting incidents in relation to the town the book would he undoubtedly of more value. We are sorry to add that some people who now are comprised among the inhabitants of the town, through what seems to us a curious indiffer- ence, or otherwise, neglected, and in some instances by their actions refused to help place facts in oUr posaevsion from which to write this history ; others did not leo fit to fill out blanks sent them by mails or reply to a polite letter when in some instances we inclosed a stamp to pay tho return postage, and it is no faolt of ours that any one has been left out in the sketches of family history in thit book as we have inserted all that we have been able to obtain. INTRODUCTION. In addition to the usual authorities consulted in pre- paring this volume we owe eispecial indebtedness to and the following is acknowledged : Miss llemenway's Vt. Gazetteer; (which is a most valuable work, a series of books which only a woman of her extraordinary ability and perseverance could produce ; long after the averaga woman of Vermont shall have been forgotten the labor of of Miss Abbie Maria Hemenway will be kindly reuiem- bered and her name honored for the great interest she took in promoting not only the historical interests of the State but by her kind acts toward all and for all alike.) The writers in the above mentioned book which we are under obligations to are : Mr. Milton Cutler's sketch of the town of Guildhall, and Hon. !I. A. Cutting's various and valuable articles on the County of Essex. Wc also wish to thankfully acknowledge kind favors from Hon. Wm. Heywood, Hon. Win. H. Hartshorn, Hon. Geo, N. Dale, Hon. Chas. A. Dana of New York, Hon. D. H. Beattie, Hon. Ossian Kay, Hon. P. R. Follansby, Dr. I. W. Watson, Secretary of the State Board of Health of New Hampshire, Mr. W. H. Bishop, Editor and Propr. of the "Essex County Herald," Kev. S. L. Hedges, Mrs. H. T. Cummings, Mr. and Mrs. E. S. Freeman, Mr. Habbaid Willard, Mr. Geo. Hubbard, Mr. L. A. Gran- nis, my father Charles E. Beuton, my brother Jay B. Benton and my wife Willena R. Benton; also to the courtesy of several other gentlemen and ladies for impor- tant assistance in the preparation of these pages. Waverley, Mass., Nov. 15th. 1886. Everett C. Benton. HISTORY OP GUILDHALL, YERMONT. Chapter I. The Indian — Cartier — Champlain — ^Discovery of Vt. — Hudson — The Pilgrims — Fort Dummer, the first settlement in Vt. — Crown Point, — ' JVumber Four" — Bridgeman's Fort — Attfmpt to cap- ture "No. 4" — Effort to make a settlement at f 'oos — Col. Lov- well's journey to Coos. — Capt. Peter Powers; his discovery of, and through the northern Coi necticut Valley — Survey of the River Townships— Town grants by the Governor of N. H.— Maj. Kogers' expedition. Warm rays of a spring sun have caused the fierce clutches of a savage winter to yield its grasp, and beauti- ful spring enters upon the threshold leading to summer. Gentle breezes are swaying the leaves of a beautiful and unbroken forest : the waters of the loveliest river on earth are gently rippling along its banks, merrily wending their vcay to — who then knew where ? Suddenly the stream comes in contact vi^ith rocks, and madly the waters rush roaringly on, until the difficulty is past ; then resuming their former peaceful course they move on, year after year, and century after century. Tired and worn by the cold winter, which had confined him more or less closely to his wigwam for long and weary months, how the Indian rejoices at the return of spring ; his heart is light and happy, as nimbly he steps into his canoe, and undisturbed, paddles to his hearts content. 18 HISTORY OF GUfr.DHALt, Fancy, one day, one of their number is seen forcing his canoe down the river at its greatest speed; every muscle is strained to its full capacity; we eagerly watch him: he passes the bend in the river, directs his course to the set- tlement above the falls, and landing, we hear him convey with joy the intelligence, that a higher order of beings have been seen at the north. These beings were none the less then a band of daring and courageous Frenchmen under Cartier, who early in the sixteenth century, directed their way to explore the northern latitudes of the land, to which Columbus had led t!ie way in 1492. On St. Lawrence's day, Cartier discovered a great gulf, to which the name of St. Lawrence was given. The next year, he returned, entered the Gulf, and leav- ing his ships at anchor near the Island of Orleans, ascend- ed the river, in boats, about three hundred miles. At this place he found the large Indian town of Hochelaga, where he arrived Oct. 2d, 1535. This place he called Montreal, which name it bears to the present time. Ascending a neighboring hill, a civilized man first viewed the lofty "Green Mountains" in the far distance, casting his eyes over the beautiful country, which for years was the battle field of many a hard and bloody fight, but now is peaceful, quiet, and free. Cartier was received by the Indians with joy, and was treated with great respect. This was not only true of the Canadian Indians, but of every part of America ; and their suspicions were not generally aroused, or hostilities IlISTOKY OF GUILDHALL. l9 made, until tfie new comers had manifested their mean- ness, by most cruel acts of injustice and violence. Cartier again visited Canada in 1540, and attempted to found a colony, but was unsuocssful; and the French made no further progress in this part of the country for more than fifty years. In 1603, Samuel de Champlain sailed up the St. Law- rence, obtained what information he could from the Indi- ans regarding the interior of the country, and returned to France, to procure assistance in establishing a colony. In 1608, the French Court was induced to fit out for him, a fleet fur this purpose, and in July, he arrived at a place c.illed by the natives Quebec. Here he sppnt the follow- ing winter, in the course of which, his little colony suffer- ed extremely from the severity of the climate. In the spring of 1609, Champlain left Quebec, accompanied by a party of natives for the purpose of exploring the interior of the country. He proeeeded up the St. Lawrence, and Sorel Rivers, till he arrive! at a larL'e and beautiful lake, to which he gave his own name: proceeding still farther he reached another lake, smaller than the first, which he named St. Sacrament ; but now it is called Lake George. On the shores of this lake, the party fell in with the Iroquois: a skirmish immediately ensued, but some of the French being arquebusiers, it was soon decided in their favor. The Iroquois were put to flight, and fifty of their numbers were killed. This wis the first time the Indians in these regions ever witnessed the effect of firearms; and it is probable 20 HISTORY OF GUILDHALL. the panic produced in the astonished natives, contributed not a little to a favorable and speedy termination of the combat. Thus, so early was Lake Champlain, and the western borders of Vermont discovered, and partially explored; although after this time more than a century elapsed before this tract of the country became inhabited. While the French were founding their colonies in Canada the other European nations were not inactive. England, in 1607, made a permanent settlement on the James River, in Virginia, and also, at about the same time, started a colony in Maine. In the spring of 1609, Captain Henry Hudson, in the service of Holland, discovered and gave his own name to the Hudson River. He sailed up the river exploring the country as far as Albany, N. Y. Possibly, at the same time that Champlain was near the head waters of the Hudson, the other European navigator was encamped but a few miles below. Strange that two adventurers, in the service of diiFerent Sovereigns, and approaching from different points of the compass, should so nearly meet in the vast wilds of America: each exploring country never before traversed by Europeans. In 1614, the Dutch commenced a settlement where the city of New York now stands. December 21st. 1620, the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth, Mass., and commenced a colony. It is useless here to rehearse all the hardships this colony suffered that winter- 101 persons comprised the colony when it started, and HISTORY OF GUILDHAI.T.. 21 when spring opened their numbers were reduced to 56. As early as 1623, settlements were made at Portsmouth and Dover, N. H., and in 1633 they had penetrated the wilderness to the Connecticut River, and established them- selves at Windsor, Ct. In 1635 a settlement was started at Springfield, and soon after at Deerfield, Mass. It was nearly a century before a settlement was effected within the present limits of Vermont, owing to the fierce war whi(!h was waged between the English, and . French and Indians. This short History will not permit us to describe this cruel and bloody war. In 17:24 Fort Dunimer was erected by the English in Brattleboro. In 1731 the French came up Lake Champlain and established themselves in Addison, erecting a fort on the west side of the lake, and nearly opposite, which they called St. Frederick; but afterwards it took the name of drown Point. As early as 1746, the English had extended up the Connecticut River and erected a fortress at Number Four, (Charlestown, N. H.) also erecting several smaller forts on the other side of the river, in the vicinity of Fort Dummer. Among these were Bridgeman's and Startwell's forts in Vernon : Bridgeman's fort was attacked June 24th 1746, by Indians, who killed 2, wounded 1, and took several prisoners, but were finally repulsed. The next year, however, the fort was taken, and destroyed. In the year 1747, the settlement at No. 4 was abandoned by the inhabitants ; the fort at that place was garrisoned 22 PISTORY OF GtJiLDIIALL. by thirty men. April 4th, a party coneisting of three hundred French and Indians surrounded the fort, and commenced an attack by firing upon it on all sides. This proving ineffectual, they next tried to burn the fort by setting fire to the fences and huts around it, and by dis- charging flaming arrows upon it ; not being successful in this, they prepared a carriage, which was loaded with burning fagots; they p ished this befora them, endeavoring by it to set fire to the fort, in this way, while it protected them from the guns of the garrison. All these attempts failed, and at length an interview took place between the commanders; Debeline, the French leader, boasted of his superior numbers, expressed his determination to storm the fort, and described in glowina; colors the massacre which would ensue if the fort was net surrendered. Stevenst'ie commander of the garrison coolly replied; "lean assure you, that my men a.re not afraid to flif!" After this interview the attack was renewed for three days, after which, the French withdrew. During the Colonial and Indi.ui wars Vermont was the thoroughfare through which most expeditions proceeded, being situated at an equal d'stince from the French on the one hand, and the English on the other: it wa? constantly exposed to depredations of both. On this account the settle- ment of this section had been regarded as dangerous, nor was it until the conquest of Canada in 1760, that any considerable settlements were made. This tract of country had provioiisly been in the possess- ion of tlio Indians. The we,;tern parts were claimed UlSTOKY OF OUILDIIAJ'L. 23 by the Iroquois ; the northeastern parts and Lake Mem- phremagog (including Guildhall), by the St. Francis and other Canadian tribes ; and the southeastern parts on the Connecticut River were regarded as belonging to the na- tives in the neighborhood of Massachusetts Bay. Although the region was in some parts mountainous and unproductive, the forests were well stored with game, and the lakes, rivers and smaller strpamB abounded in excellent fish, which afforded subsistence to the savage state. In the spring of 1752 it was proposed by the English to commence a settlement at "Cohos,"* and a party pro- ceeded up the river for that purpose : but the St. Francis Indians compelled them to return. Their design was to cut a road from "No. 4" to Coos, and to lay out town- ships in that locality. They were to erect stockades, with lodgments for two hundred men, enclosing a space of fifteen acres, in the centre of which a uitadel was to be erected, containing the public buildings, &c., and large enough to receive all the inhabitants and their movable effects in case of necessity. It seems the project embraced two objects, civil, and military; as they intended not only to settle the country, but to estaWiah also a military post there. Rev. Grant Powers says in his "History of the Coos Country"; "It is extremely doubtful whether that party ever reached their destination, if they ever left "No. 4". There were no returns made of this tour, and they certainly did not lay out the townships." In the spring of lt54 the General Court of New Hamp- shire determined to send out a party to explore this •Coos was spelled "Colios" and "Cowass" in early daj-a. 24 HISTORY OF GUILDHALL. "hitherto unknown region"; accordingly, Col. Lovwell, Maj. Tolford, and Capt. Page were sent out at the head of a company, and John Stark (afterward Genl. Stark) ■was their guide. They started from Concord, N. H., March 10th, 1754, striking the Connecticut River at Piermont, N. H. after about seven days marching; they however spent hut one night in this region, making a retreat, and arriving at their starting point in thirteen days from their departure.* The cause of this short sojourn we do not know, hut one night in the wilds of that part of the country could have returned no information to the Government as re- gards the Coos. They probably feared an Indian foe superior to their own numbers. The Government of N. H. did not give u^i on account of this failure, but the same season Capt. Peter Powers, Lieut. Jas. Stevens, and Ensign E. Hale, took charge of a company to effect what had "hitherto been attempted in vain". The company commenced their march on Saturday, June l.-ith, 1754. In Rev. Grant Powers' "History of the Coos Country"t is published Capt. Peter Powers' journal, which he kept during his tour: this journal is not entire, some of the pages of the returning of the expedition being lost. We take the liberty of giving this journal as he has it pub- lished. •"Stsirk'.'s I;i^." +Rev. Grant Pmvc-«'"T7istoi-y of m^ Cms '-'r.iiTitrv"i,s n vorvvalnahlp I honk nnhlislKHl in ISU. T -e (l-?raa,rl for tliisbook IxH To Zelt th,"t a sR'-.T,rt (.(lition yv;, renamed. AlUoversof the liistoi-vof early settlers should have a copy. "1../U1.1 ui lliSTOllY OF GUILDHALL. 25 " Saturday, June 15th, 1754. This day left Rumford (now Concord, N. H.), and marched to Contoocook, which 18 about eight miles, here tarried all night." "Sunday, June 16. This day tarried at Contoocook, and went to meeting, and tarried here all this night." ''Monday, June 17. This morning fair weather, and we fixed cur packs, and went and put them on board our canoes, about nine of the clock, and some of the men went in the canoes and the rest on the shore. And so we marched up the river Merrimack to the crotch or parting thereof; and then up the Pemigewasset about one mile and a half, and camped above the carrying place; which carry- ing-place is about one hundred rods long; and the whole of this day's march is thirteen miles.'' "Tuesday, June 18. This day marched up the Pemige- wasset River, about eight miles to Smith's River, and then east one hundred rods, and then north two hundred and twenty rods, to the long carrying-plaee on Pemige- wasset River, and there camped." "Wednesday, June 19. We marched on our journey, and carried across the long carrying-place on Pemige- wasset River two miles north east, which land hath a good quality of large masts. From the place where we put in the canoes, we steered east, north east, up the river about one mile, and then we steered north east one mile, and north six miles, up to 'Sawheganet Falls, where we carried by about tour rods ; and from the falls we steered about north east to Pemigewasset interval, two miles, and from the beginning of the interval we made good our course north four miles, and there camped on a narrow point of land. The last four miles the river was extremely crooked." '■Thursday, June 20. We steered our course, one turn, 26 HISTORY Of GHlLDflALf-. with another, which were great turns, west, north west, about two miles and a half, to the" crotch, or parting of the Pemigewasset River, at Baker's River mouth: thence from the mouth of Baker's River, up said river north west bv west six miles. This river is exceedingly crooked and good interval. Thence up the river about two m'iles north west and there we shot a moose, the sun about |- an hour high, and there camped.'' "Friday, June 21. We steered up the said Baker's River with our canoes about five milrs, as t'ne river run. which was extraordinary crooked. In the after part of this day there was a great shower of 'hail and raia', which prevented our proceeding any further, and here we camped ; and here left our canoes for the water in the river was so shoal that we could not go with thorn further.'' "Saturday, June 22. This morning was dark and cloudy weather; but after ten of the clock, it cleared off hot and we marched up the river near the In'lian oarry- ingplace, from Baker's River to Connecticut River, and there camped, and could not go any further' by reason of a great shower of rain which held almof.t all this afternoon." "Sunday, June 23. This morning dark and cloudy weather, we marched up this river about one mile, and came to the Indian carrying-place, and by reason of the dark weather, we were obliged to follow the marked way, that waj marked by Major Loywelland Car»tain Tolford, and others from Baker's River to Connecticut River. And this days march was about six miles: and we camped between the two first. Baker's Ponds. And it came on a great storm of rain, which prevented our marching any further. And on this days march we saw a considsrable quantity of white pine timber, and found it HISTORY UK trUlLDllALL. 2 1 was something large, fit for thirty-inch masts, as we judged. But before this day's inaroh, we saw no white pine t'mbor that was very krge, pa this Baker's River, but a great quantity of small white pine, fit for boards and small m ists. And on this river there is a great quan- tity of excellent interval, from the beginning of it to the place where we left this river. And it lajeth of a pretty equal proportion from one end to the other: and back of the interval, there are oonsidorable many large mountains." "Monday, June 24. This morning it rained hard and all the night pat, and it held raining all this day, and we kept our camp, and here we stayed the night ensuing, and it rained almost all night." "Tuesday, June 25. Pair weather, and we swung our packs, the sun about an hour high, and we marched about two miles, and then steered our course north about twelve miles and came to that part of the Coos interval that is called Moose Meadow. And then steered our course up the river by the side of the interval, about north east and came to a large stream that came into the interval, which is here about a mile wide. The stream came out of the east, and we camped here this night. There are on this river thf best falls and conveniences for all sorts of mills. These falls arc nearly twenty feet perpendicular." "Wednesday, June 2R. This morning fair weather, and we marched up the interval to the great turn of clear interval on the westerly side of Connecticut River, and there came a great shower of rain, which held almost all this afternoon; and we camped by the river on the easter- ly side above all the clear interval: and this day's march was about 16 miles and very crooked." [It appears that the Little Ox Bow on the Haverhill side, and the Great Ox Bow ou the Newbury side of the Connecticut River, 28 HISTORY OF RUILDIIAU,. were cleared interval when the first settlers farm in. They had been cleared and cultivatsd to some extent by- Indians, and this is what the journal allu'les to.l "Thursday, June 27. Th^s mornino; it was Ho'idv weather, and it began to ra'n. the sun ahiutan hour.hi^h, and we marched, notwithstandinii, utd the river to Amo- noosiick Eiver Cnow Lower A'Tio-noosuck River.) and our f-in-sp was about north, di'?tinc'3 ahnn.t flve mil'^s; and wr '■amped here, for the River Amonoosnok was so hick ; and then we returned, and marched down the river to Stark's River, and camped. HISTORY 01- GDIPDHALL. 31 This afternoon it rained hard, but we were forced to travel, for want of provisi'ons. This interval is exceeding- ly large, and the further up the larger. The general course of this river from north east by east as far as the interval extends." [The Captain and his tvfo men pene- trated as far as Guildhall Falls, it would seem, and at this place were over 150 miles from civilized habitations. And here they first fell upon the trail of Indians, where they had been preparing themselves canoes to enable them to descend upon the frontier settlements.] "Wednesday, July 3. This morning cloudy weather, and thundered; and after the S'ln an hour his^h, it rained hard, and continued about an hour, and then we swung our packs, and-steered our course west south west, aiming for Amonoosuck River ; and this day we marched about fourteen miles, and camped." "Thursday, July 4. We marched on our course west south west, and this day we marched about twenty miles and camped." "Friday, July 5. We marched about three miles to Our packs at Amonoosuck, the same course we had steered heretofore; and we afterward went over Connecticut River and looked up Wells River, and camped a little below Wells River this night." "Saturday, July 6. Marched down the Greai River to Great Coos, and crossed the river below the great turn and clear interval, and there left the great river, and steered south by east about three miles, and camped. Here was the best of upland and some large white pines." Here the journal stops; the remaining pages cannot be found. We may suppose that they returned the same way they came, with hostile Indians pressing hard in their reir; 32 ^nSTOKY OF GUILDHALL. for we learn from Belknap, that by the middle of August lt54. the Indians were committirig their usual depreda- tions at Bakerstown, and vicinity. From 1754 to 1759 (the year Quebec fell into the possession of the British,) no efforts were made to dis- cover or settle new territories; nor does it appear that much was done towards settling the northern Connecticut Valley in 1760; for our men were Still in Canada. But in 1761 when the colonies no longer feared the French and Indians, the spirit of emigration from the older settle- ments revived and surpassed all that had been before witnessed. People from Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire were now preparing to transplant them- selves into the then great western valley of the Connecti- cut. Gov. Benning Wentworth of N. H., about this time ordered a survey to be made of the Connecticut River for sixty miles, and three tiers of townships to be laid ont on each side; but further surveys were made on account of the numerous applications for grants, and in I'ISl, the year in which Guildhall was chartered, no less than sixty town- ships of six miles square were granted on the we it side of the Connecticut River, alone. Thus have we tried in this chapter to give a brief skpteh of early times, as well as the discovery of Guildhall; some people claim, however, that their fathers were indebted for the discovery of this part of the country to Major HISTORY OF GUILDHALL. 33 Rogers' famished men, as they fled from the infuriated Indians of the St. Praneis Tribe in 1759. Possibly this may be the fact, but Capt. Powers' journal of an. earlier date by some years, convinces us that the traditionary tales which have so long existed, are all apocryphal. The truth is, when Major Rogers disbanded his men for their greater safety, he appointed them to "rendezvous at the Upper Coos," which could not have been done, if the place had not been known. Some of Rogers' men, no doubt, made the Coos, and some passed through it, while others perished whose remains were found by the early set- tlers: tradition also tells us that valubles were hidden in the ground by these poor perishing men, and it is fresh in the minds of many how the territory of some of the meadows in the lower part of this Town, and vicinity, have been dug over — with what result? Maj. Rogers left Crown Point Sept. 12, 1159, with two hundred men to destroy the St. Francis Indians. lie came in sight of the village on the evening of Oct. 4th, and leaving his men to refresh themselves, he dressed himself in the Indian garb and went forward to reconnoi- tre the town. He found the Indians engaged in a grand dance, without apprehensious of danger. At four o'clock the dance was ended and the Indians retired, and at day- break the fatal blow was struck. The Indian method of slaughter was adopted: they were determined to revenge the blood of their friends and relatives and spared no 34 HISTORY OF GOtLDHALL. pains, comJ)letely destroying the village and its in- habitants. Of the three hundred aouls, which the village contained, two hundred were slain on the spot, and twenty taken prisoners. The English lost only one killed and six slightly wounded. Having reduced the village, they set oiit on their return with the five English captives retaken, and such articles of plunder as they could easily carry away. To avoid his pursuers he proceeded up the St. Francis River, and directed his course toward the ("lonnecticut River. On his march he was several times attacked in the rear and lost seven men, but forming an ambuscade on his own track, he at length fell upon the enemy with such success as to put an end to further annoyance or pursuit. The men kept together until they had passed the easterly side of Lake Memphremagog. Their sufferings now began to be severe, not only from the excessive fatfgues they had endured, but from hunger. Their provisions were ex- pended, and they were a distance from any place of relief. Hfere Maj. Rogers divided his detachment into small companies, ordering them to "meet at the month of the Upper Amonoosuck." In the meantime, Samuel Stevens and three others pro- ceeded up the Connecticut River with two canoes from "No. 4" loaded with provisions; they landed at the mouth of the Passumpsic River, where ' 'they encamped for the night;" but in the morning hearing the report of guns, and supposing it to be Indians, they reloaded and hastened HISTORY OF (}L1IJ>HALL. 35 back. About noon Rogers arrived at the Passumpsic Biv- er, and observing a fire on an island, made a raft and pass- ed over to it; but to hie surprise and disappointment no provisions had been left; his men were so disheartened by this discovery that thirty six more died before the next day. Rogers then gave up the command of his men iind told them "to take care of themselves." Some were lost in the woods, but Rogers and a few of his party, after almost incredible hardships, succeeded in reaching "No. 4." Most authorities claim that Maj. Rogers aud his whole company struck the Connecticut River at Barnet, follow- ing down the Passumpsic River ; but we should judge from the facts, that the only part of that river the larger part of his company saw, is where it enters the Connecti- cut: the direction we claim Rogers took from Lake Mem- phremagog is this — he followed the Clyde River to Bright- on, then the Nulhegan River to the Connecticut, and thus down to where he expected to find his provisions. Our reasons are — 1st, this is the most direct route to the Connecticut, 2d, "he told them to rendezvous at the Upper Coos;" what section was then known as "Upper Coos?" and again, he ordered them to "meet at the mouth of the Upper Amonoosuok, 3d, various articles have been found in this section which must have been abandoned by these men as they passed along, or, possibly found'_ on the very spot, or near, where they layed down to die. Mr. Wm. Hendrick found the barrel of a musket on the side ofthe hill in his pasture near the river in town, which resembles precisely those carried in this expedition. 36 HISTORY OF GUtLDHAtt. Mr. Jonathan Crawford also found on his meadow in town, the iron part of a musket, similar to that found by Mv. Hendrick, and near which was a small mound, but there is no proof of its being the resting place of one of these brave men. We do not claim that none of the expedition went by the way of the Passumpsic River, but that the larger part passed this way. l^ Chapter 11. Guildhall— Guildhall Villafjp— Xorthumberland— Mill Brook— Burnside Brook and Mountain — Cow Mountain — Scenery — Natural History — Valley of the C^onnecticut. Guildhall, in Essex County, lying on the west side of Connecticut River, opposite Northumberland and ' Lan- caster in New Hampshire, is bounded N. by Maidstone, S. by Lunenburgh,_and W. by Granby; in lat. 44° 32' N., and long. 5° 14' K., and contains 19,477 acres. The soil is generally good,- more especially on the plains and intervals, and is easily cultivated; the hills are better adapted to grazing; but newly cleared land produces ex- cellent crops. Agriculture is the main pursuit ; cattle, horses, sheep, swine and poultry, wheat, corn, rye, oats, buckwheat, peas, beans, potatoes, maple sugar, &c., &o., are the principal products. There is a village in the north-easterly corner of the town, containing the County Buildings, . Congregational and Methodist Churches, Academy, Post OflBice, various Stores, Public Houses, Factories, Law Offices, Black- smith Shop, AC, and is connected with Northumberland village, in N. H., by a toll bridge, which together with Guildhall village make quite a flourishing place: in North- umberland village are three Factories, two Stores, Post OiBce, Blacksmith Shop, Wheelwright Shop, and the Guildhall Station on the White Mountain Division of the Boston and Lowell Railroad. 40 HISTORY OF GUILDHALL. The market facilities are good by means of the Boston & Lowell R. R., also the Grand Trunk R. R., which has a station at Groveton in Northumberland, N. H., about three miles distant. There are no streams that afford water power of very much note excepting the (Connecticut River; hence the quantities of lumber which this town and vicinity produc- ed have been drawn to the river and driven to find a market south. There are many small streams in town, upon which mills have been erected at various times: Mill Brook, (formerly Spaulding's Brook ) rises in Granby, and by a round about way runs through a part of Maid- stone, and finally empties into the Connecticut, two miles below Guildhall "Village; this brook took its present name from the fact that the first mills in town were constructed upon it. Burnside Brook rises back among the hills in town, and empties into the Connecticut about three quar- ters of a mile south of Mill Brook; it probably received its name from' the circumstance of a Mr. Burnside, one of the early settlers of Northumberland, N. H., having at one time resided on the river batik directly opposite its month; the high mountain, around whose base this brook courses, was also named "Burnside Mountain." Cow Mountain stands near the Burnside, and the two appear like twins: this mountain received its name in a rather queer way ; in early days there lived in that part of the town known as the "North Road," a colored man called Bacchus, or as he was more familiarly known. HISTOUi' OF GUILDHAXi.. 41 "Old Bacchus;" he had resided there a number of years. He was a powerful man and fond of sport; usually very good natured, but had a sufficient amount of temper when oflfended. At length, for some unknown reason he broke up house-keeping, and retired to the forest upon this mountain ; he took with him, however, another man's cow without leave, and fur many days sustained himself in the woods, baffling his seekers, but at length he was captured and during his imprisonment, he died. SCENERY. To the lovers of natural scenery, the valley of the Connecticut in this town canuot be surpassed in loveliness. The beautiful meadows, the abrupt headlands, in the distance the towering summits of the White Mountains, and the variety of timber land, all conspire in rendering it a changing scene and one of peculiar interest and beauty. A delightful view is to be seen from the bridge which leads to Northumberland; the broad river in the foreground, the charming meadows with here and there a tall elm tree, then the terraces, and best of all, those wonderful Percy Peaks in the background. So lovely a scene will scarcely be observed any where else in the world, and on a pleasant day, with the river smooth, which turnishes the observer a large and perfect looking glass, the landscape and its reflection are beyond describ- ing. We give elsewhere a sketch of the Connecticut Valley two miles south of the Village. Many other views might be mentioned, but to gain a good idea of them requires a viisit in person. 42 HISTORY OF GUILDHALL. NATURAL HISTORY. The reader will kindly bear with us upon this subject; we vfill give the best information upon it we can ascertain.* ANIMALS. Moose or Elk. This animal is quite extinct in this region, the last one killed near here, being in Brighton about the year 1858. Bear. The black bear is quite common in some locali- ties near, doing considerable damage at times, but is seldom seen in town. His color is shining black, long hair not curled, and he presents a rather shaggy appearance. Sometimes, when one is seen, the people turn out in large numbers, and frequently succeed in its capture. We will mention one bear hunt which occurred in town in 1842. As Mr. Richard and Geo. S. Boyce were milking their cows one morning, they heard a commotion among the sheep in the pasture, and looking in that direction saw a very large bear, who was trying to catch the sheep; Richard succeeded in getting his shotgun in working order, while Geo. S. contPnteH himself with a stake; they had a very spritely dog which accompanied them in the hunt. They started up the hill, Richard with the gun going in one direction, and Geo. S. with the stake going another ; their plan was to go around the bear and drive him down from the hill to the meadow. When Ihey got above him, Geo. S. was the nearest, and as the bear was ascending the hill they must shortly come in contact with each other; as his brother had the gun, he thought he would let the bear pass, so stepping one side he let him go on until he •In classification Ac. we have foUowea Tliompson. HISTORY OF GUILDHALL. 43 met Richard, who fired at him, but the shot being small, did not have much effect; but the dog gave chase, and as other men and dogs came to the rescue, they succeeded in driving the bear to the meadow, where they finally killed him. This bear was one of the largest ever seen in town. WoLP. Formerly numerous, but now seldom seen. In 1837 and 1838 they were very plenty. Deeb. This beautiful creature is fast disappearing, and the hunting of them is considered very rare sport. Hon. H. A. Cutting gives the following in one of his valuable articles in the Vt. Gazetteer, and we take the liberty of presenting it. "In 1855, a youngster, while bathing in the Connecticut above Guildhall Falls, saw a young deer trying to swim away from some dogs ; the young man finally caught him, and he was so tired tliat he conducted him home without difficulty, where he kept him for a time and then sold him to the manager of a mpnagerie." Fox. This very cunning, sly, and cautious animal is quite common ; the color is generally dull red, with some- times a tendency to black; a black one is occasioually seen, but they are rare. Upon the female devolves the entire c;ire of the young; they breed in April. There is no ani- mal which desires freedom more, and frequently when caught in a trap, it will gnaw off a foot to escape, and will refuse food, and die in captivity, rather than submit to restraint. Lynx. Though much larger, it resembles the common cat, but has longer ears, and a shorter tail. It prowls about at night, and is very sharp sighted. 44 HISTORY OF GUfLDHALL. In Feb. 1867, Mr. Seth Meecham killed a lynx, or bob cat, which was of tremendous size, standing as high as a table, and was a very savage looking animal. For a long time the inhabitants had been greatly annoyed, and serious damage had been done; besides other depredations, fifty shepp had been killed. Mr. Meecham, who then lived in the village, kept an eye out for him, and one day in the early part of the winter saw its tracks within thirty rods of his house. He followed them at various times, and once saw marks in the snow where it had jumped thirty five feet ; he finally set a bear trap in the "Fi-ye pasture," so called, and after leaving, it there for a time, he was successful in catching the lynx. Mr. Hubbard Willard told the writer that every wiuter one visits his pasture, and prowls around generally. Raccoon. Looks somewhat like a fox, but is allied to the bear. Gray in color, with rows of black and white alternately, but most strongly marked on the tail. They are very destructive to property, as well as treacherous. Hedgehog. This verj peculiar creature is still plenty in this region. Their defence is to roll up into a ball, and the sharp. quills which grow on their back serve as a very good fortress. WoODCHuCK. A very annoying animal to the farmers in town, destroying much of their crops; it necessitates almost constant trapping and shooting to keep them within bounds. Skunk. Too familiarly known to need any description, for it resides in every locality in town in reality. We will niSTOKY OF GUILDHALL. 46 relate what has to us seemed a rather comical incident, it was a wirm summer night, and all was quiet; my brother Charles and myself were sleeping in a room which fronts on the street, and opposite the Methodist parsonage, in whiuh at the time, Rev. S. F. C ashman and family resided. It seems that Mr. Skunk was rendering to himself very important service in the parson's hennery; of course the hens at once began to cackle and make an unusual noise, which aroused the Kev. gentleman and family; he at once attired himself in his long dressing gown, and sallied forth to see what was causing the disturbance. Upon his arrival at the scone, it is needless to say he was shocked ! and it became very evident to him, as he was unarmed, that he must at once retreat, which he immpdiately did. In the meantime his wife had dressed herself, and was going with a lamp to mi-et her better-half who. (she mistrusted by the sounds which were coming from him,) was in trouble; they met in the shed ; he at once called for firearms, but as they had none in the house, what was to be done ! His eyesight was beginning to get poor at this time, or else the light was too strong for him, and grabbing a carving knife and fork, he started back; his wife pleaded with him not to attempt entering the field ot conflict until reenforce- ments could be summoned. Frank, their son, was sent out upon that important service; he first struck for Ben- ton's, but before arriving at this place, the B's. were aware of the trouble, and the one man and two boys, (all of whom were more inquisitive than brave,) were starting for the parsonage. 46 HISTORY OF GUILDHALL. U2)on meeting young Cushman, who announced what peril his "dad" was in, they immediately despatched him for Hod.* Quicker than a flash, the boy shjOt up the street; brawling at every step "a skunk is killing my father" &c, and for "help at the parsonage;" the village was generally aroused, and many at once hur- ried their steps to the aforesaid place. While this was transpiring the skunk had gone from the hennery to a pile of wood which was in the yard. At length a company was formed and the order was given, as tlie Commander drew tighter the strings which were around his gown, to ad- vance ! They went directly to the spot where the first skirmish had taken place, but found no enemy; their sense of smell told them where to direct their course, and as the brave ( ?) men pulled over the wood, the parson awaited the chance to renew the fight, until at length we heard, — there he is — quickl! No sooner said than done; the fork was thrust, and the poor, and almost defenceless creature was carved ! It is needless to say more, only permit us to add, that the skunk was not the only thing buried. Sable. Sometimes called marten and belongs to the weazel family; it is fast disappearing. Its food is princi- pally birds and mice, and sometimes hares and partridges. I Rabbit OE Hare. These peculiar animals, varying in color from white in winter to reddish brown in summer, are numerous, but are fast decreasing in numbers. •Mr. Horace E. Hubbard, who keeps astore in the village, and at that time slept m a small room in tbe rear part of his store and it was generally known that he always kopt a revolver near his bed in the ■ night time. i aiSTORt OF G[JII,DHAI,L. 4'7 Weazel. Also is white in winter, but is generally browu or blaok in summer, and are very shy. They are more or less annoying to the community, as they are in the habit of eating eggs and killing hens. Squirrel. There are several kinds, aud are numerous; they are sprightly, full of fan and frolic, and as quick in motion as a bird. The gray squirrel is much larger, and are not so plenty in town as the othera. The red squirrel is the next in size, and is a daring fellow. The chip- munk, or striped squirrel is the most numerous, as there are more of them than all the rest combined; they are very timid, and possess the faculty of dodging a stone when one really believes it impossible. The flying squirrel is frequently met with, yet are not so common as the other species. Though called the fljing squirrel, in re- ality it cannot fly, but has the power of spreading its body out in such a manner as to form a parachute, as it were, which enables it to sail along through the air for a short distance. All but the striped squirrel, which burrows in the ground, live in hollow trees, stumps, &c. Moles. These curious little creatures are so busy, that they really put themselves in advance of their size; they construct long galleries in the ground, through which they travel in search of food; as they seldom venture to the surface during the day, they are not often seen. Rats. Are common, especially since the railroad was built in this locality, and are the greatest pestof any animal which is found in town, wanting the best of everything the farm affords. Mice. There are several kinds. They were not common wheu the first settlers came, but are now plenty. 48 HISTORY OF GUILDHALL. Bats. Are numerous, and very annoying if they get into an evening prayer meeting, or other similar gathering. Beaveks. Almost, if not quite extinct: the last one heard of in this part of the country, was taken in this county, not many years ago. The remains of their work is to be found on many of our stream.?. Otter. Also very rarely seen now days. MusKRAT. So called from their strong musky odor ; they are quite plenty in our streams. Mink. Not common, still they remain to' some extent. BIRDS. A eomplpte list of birds found in our town, will not here he attempted. The following is a list of those which are most common and best known. Birds op Prey; eagle, hawk, and owl. Omnivorous Birds; Baltimore oriole, crow, blackbird, bluejay, raven, and titmouse. Insbctivokods Birds; warhler, butcher bird, phoebee, pewee, thrush, cat bird, wren, bluebird, and lark. Graminivorous Birds; sparrow, snow bird, linnet, finch, and crossbill. YoKE-TOED Birds; cuckoo, and woodpecker. Birds with slender bills; nuthatch, creeper, ruby- throat, and humming bird. Halcyons ; kingfisher. Swallows; martin, barn swallow, cliflF swallow, white- billed swallow, bank swallow, chimney swallow, whip- poor-will, and night hawk. Pigeons; we have but one vai-iety; the passenger pigeon. Gallinaceous Birds; quail, and partridge. Wading Birds; plover, crane, hefon,and woodcock. Webfooted Birds; gull, goose, duck, teal, and loon. niSTOKY OF GDILDHALL. 49 FISHES. The variety of fishes iu Guildhall is not very great, nevertheless we have almost all the varieties usual in the state, but some are rare and seldom seen. The follovring are the names of those of most consequence; salmon trout, pike or pickerel, eel, perch, trout, pout, sucker^ and dace. bERPEXTH. They are uot so numerous here as in some parts of the state; we have however, the striped, black, and green snakes, and the adder. The most com- mon is the striped snake, which is perfectly harmless. AMPHIBIOUS REPTILES. Those most common are turtle or tortoise, two kinds, toads and frogs, six or more varieties, and lizards. INSECTS. These are so numerous that we cannot catalogue or describe them all. Those most common are the grass hoppor, potato bug, cricket, spider, ant, butter- fly, bumble bee, honey bee, beetle, hornet, wasp, firefly, blauk fly, mosquito, snow flea, moth, and multitudes of bugs and worms. BOTANY. Previous to settlement, this part of the country, like other parts of New England, was one con- tinual forest, consisting of lofty trees intermingled with a great variety of shrubs and plants, and since clearing the country, many more have sprung up. We cannot, in this brief history, give a list of them. MINERALS. The mineral wealth of the town is very limited, and the locality is not one of the fields of natural deposits of much value; there is, however, a bed of iron 50 HISTORY OF QDILDHALL. ore in the west part of the town, which has as yet, never been worked to any extent. VALLEY OF THE CONNECTICUT. It may seem strange to some to think that at one time the low lands in town were covered. by water to the depth of 200 feet or more. It seems probable and doubtless was the fact that at one time the Connecticut River run to Whitefield, N. H., across ponds, and into the valley of the Lower Amonoosuck and so on until it reached its present course opposite Wells River in Newbury. If this be the case, as the summit level, is 230 feet above the Connecticut at Lunenburgh, and 228 at Guildhall, it must have caused a large lake to have existed in this re- gion; but finally, by some means, by breaking through ite banks at Lunenburgh, changed its course to the present one. We present what was published in 1^61 in the "G-eology of Vermont" by Edward Hitchcock, and others, touching on the subject of the riv.er's changing its course, but recent surveys more clearly prove that what we claim to be the case, is true. "VVe would hazard a conjecture concerning the cause of this deficiency of terraces and terrace materials along this interval, while below, at Wells River, and above, at Lunenburgh (upper part) and Guildhall, they are so abundant. VVe would conjecture that the Connecticut formerly left its present bed a little below Lancaster, N. H., then passed to Whitefield over the summit level, across two ponds of water, into the valley of the Lower Amonoosuck River to Littleton, and followed that stream down to the mouth of Wells River, where it entered its present bed. HISTORY OP GUILDHALL. 51 We -would present the reasons for this belief: 1st. It would be a more direct route for the Cou- necticut than the present. To be sure, rivers do not seem to be very particular as to the route they take in threading their way among the hills; but, as for all the rest of its course in Connecticut, Massachusetts and Ver- mont, it is comparatively straight, there is some reason to think that a straight course for the rest of the way would, have been the most natural. Thi« straight course has generally been determined by the eastern limit of one of the rock formations, an easily decomposing rock.' Now on its present route the rock^is different in its character, being tough breccia or talcose schist instead of calciferous mica schist. On the Amonoosuck route the rock is main- ly granite, which is easier to decompose than the talcose schist. 'I'his route would have saved six miles at least. 2d. The character of the terraces along the two routes, afid above and below the ends of the supposed bed. Below Wells Eiver, the terraces are remarkably fine — so they are above Lunenburgh — while between Lunenburgh and Wells River on the Connecticut, they are very poor bdow the mouth of the Passumpsic, and above that point are generally entirely wanting. ■ Upon the Amor.oosuck Eiver they are well developed. Hence it fccms more natural to suppose that a continuous stt ot fine terraces was formed by the same stream, when that stream had the power to produce such brilliant effects as the Connecticut does, than to suppose the contrary. 52 HISTORY OF GUILDHALL. The fact that from Wells River to Stevens Village (Barnet) there are some terraces, and none of any conse- quence above it, except on the Passiimpsio River, would seem to indicate- that the Passurnpsio was the main pro- ducer of the terraces above Wells River, and that the Connecticut changed its' course so recently as to have little effect upon the formation of terraces there. 3rd. This supposed bed is on the route of the proposed railroad from Littleton, N. H., to Lancaster, N. H.* Its summit level ia 650 feet above Connecticut River, and if this measurement was taken from the mouth of Wells River, as we should suppose, it will be only 230 feet above the same river at Luneifturgh, and 197 feet above Lancaster, N. H. This would not make this bed so high above the present level of the river as others which we consider as well established cases." We also give what they have to say about the valley of the Connecticut at Guildhall. '•Therp are at least five basins in this region, one of the most fertile for agricultural purposes in the State. The first of them, or the eighth from the mouth of the Connecticut, extends to the north line of Guildhall, a distance of seven miles. In South Guildhall, ..... the meadow is remarkably wide — so wide indeed is it that we could not see from the west side how many terraces there were on the east side. This has not been so before since leav^ ing Massachusetts. f The terraces are developed in beautiful •Now the White Mountain Division of the Boston Ik LoweU B. R. +The ftate Geologists were taking a trip up the Connecticut Klver, It would seotn. m "S o 1-3 K o o !z! i! Q n a o CO u o o HISTORY OF GUILDHALL. 53 proportions in Guildhall, espoeially about two miles west of th e Court House, where there are seven terraces, the product ot the joint action of the Connectiisut and a small stream conning down from Granby. These are in a kind of suh-basin, a valley runnino; west among the mountains, so that the Cotiiiecticut must formerly ha%'e made quite a bend. The second terrace is the most extensive of them all, forming a plain more than a mile wide. It is the meadow in Guildhall. In Northumberland, on the New Hampshire side, a high ledgo of granite comes close to the river, cutting off all deposits. And soon the granite from the Vermont side approaches the river, and we SCO the barrier or limit of the bann. We were reminded very much ot Bellow.^ Falls in Guildhall. For in both places, the general features of the geology as well as the topography are the same. The high hill of granite in Northumberhmd is shiipeil like Kilhurne Peat, opposite Bellows Falls ; anil in litholo- gical character the mountains agree, as well as the adjac- ejit rocks across fhe rit'cr. CHAPTER III. Surveys of the Connecticut Eivei— t'pper Coof— TtwiTships Uid out. and chartered— Guildhall's charter— Gtanteep— Fust Proprietors meeting— Original town lines— The town sui^ey- ed into lots. In the year 1760, the Governor of Ntw Hampshire com- missioned JoBeph Blanchard, of Dunstable, in that State, to make a survey of the Connecticut River northward from "No. 4," now known as Chiirlestown, N. H., and every six miles to mark a tree, or set a boundary on each hide ( 1" the river for a township. This survey was made on thii ice, and completed in March of tliat year, extend- ing np the river as far as the N. E. comer of Newbury. The next voar, 1761. a survey of the same sort was made unler the same authority by Hughbastis Neel, from where Blaiiehard left off, to tlie north end oi the great useadtiws then called the Upper Coos. V\ e find in the Masrfaohu«etts IJistorical Collection, published in 1815:— Sketch of LanoiiHler, N. H.— '"Previ- ous to their incorporation, Lancaster, Northumberland Bud Stratford, in N. H., and Lunenburgh, Guildhall and Maidstone, in Vt., all lying on the Connecticut River, were designated by^the Indian name Coos, which signi- fies crooked, and was originally applied to that part of the Connecticut on which these towns are situated." The author of this was undoubtedly mistaken in one thing, and that is, the region referred to was Upper Coos and not Coos; ior we find from good authority that HISTORY OF GUILDHALL. 57 the towns in the immediate vicinity of Newbury and Haverhill were first known as Coos. From these surveys a plan was made, and three tiers of townships laid out on each side of the river, and several of them chartered, with no fiirther actual survey on the ground. In 1761, there were applications for almost every township on the river, anil many baisk towns, so far as then surveyed. A charter was granted for Guildhall in this year by Governor Benning Wentworth of New Hampshire, which bears date of October 10, 1761, and reads as follows: — GUILDHALL. , ■ J Province of New Hampfliire George the I _ I third By the Grace of God of Great Britain France and Ireland King Defender of the faith &c. To all Perfons to whom these Prefents shall come — Greeting — Know ye that wo of our special Grace sair- tain Knowledge & meor mention for the Due Encourage- ment of settling a New Plantation within our said Pro- vince By and with the advice of our trufty and well beloved Benning Wentworth Esqr our Governor and Commander in Chief of our said Province of New Hamp- fhire in New England and of our Council of the said Province have upon the Conditions and Refolutions here- in after made Given and Granted and by thefe Prefents for us our heirs and succefsor.-i do give and Grant in equal shares unto our loving Subjects Inhabitants of our said Province of New Hampfhire and our other Governments 58 HISTORY OF GUILDHALL. and to their heirs and afsigns forever whose Names are Entered on this Grant to be Divided to and amongst them into seventy equal shares all the tract or parcel of Land Situate Lying and being within our said Province of New Hampshire Containing by admeasurement tweutj- three thousand and Forty acres which tract is to contain six miles square and no more out of which an allounce is to be made for Highways and unimprovable Land by Eocks Ponds mountains and Rivers one thousand and Forty Acres free according to a plan and survey thereof made by our said Governors order and Returned into the Secretaries Office and hereunto annexed butted and Bounded as follows viz Begining at a Stake • and Stones which stands on the Westerly side of Connecticut River at or near the lower end of the upper Co-os thirty miles on a straight line from the mouth of Amonoosuck River from thence North west six miles from thence North east six miles from thence South east six miles to the bank of Connecticut River from thence down said River to the place it began at and tha,t the same bo and hereby is Incorporated into a Township by the name of GUILD- HALL and the Inhabitance that do or shall hereafter Inhabit the said Township arc hereby Declared to be enfranchized with and entitled to all and every, the Priveledges & immunities that other Towns within our Province b y Law Exercise and enjoy and further that the said Town a s soon a s HISTORY OF GCILDHALL. 59 their shall be fifty Families residant and settled thereon shall have the Liberty of holding two fairs one of which shall be held on the and the other on the annualir which fairs are not to Continue Longer than the Respective following the and that as soon as the said Town shall Consist of fifty Families a market may be opened and kept one or more days in each week as may be thought most advantagious to the in- habitants alfo that the first meeting for the Choice of Town Oificers agreeable ti) the Laws of our said Province shall be held on the last monday of October Instant which said meeting shall be Notified by Elihu Hall Esqr who is hereby alfo appointed the moderator of thci said first meeting which he is to Notify and Govern agreable to the Laws and Customs of our said Province and that the annual meeting forever hereafter for the Choice of such Officers fur the said Town shall be on the (if Marjh iinnually to have and to hold the said tract of Land as above Exprefsed Respective heirs and afsigns forever up- on the following Conditions viz: — 1 that every Grantee his heirs or afsigns shall plant and Cultivate five acres of Land within the term of five years for every fifty acres Contained in hif or thare share or proportion of Land in said Township and Continue to improve and settle the same by additional Cultivations on penalty of the forfiture of his grant or share in the said Township and of its Reverting to us our heirs and fuc- cefsors to be by us or them Regranted to such of our sub- jects as shall efentually Settle and Cultivate the same. 60 HISTORY OF GUILDHALL. 2 That all white and other pine trees within the said Township fit for mafting our Eoyal Navy be carefully preserved for that use and none to be cut or felled with- out our special Licance for so doing first had and obtain- ed upon the penalty of the forfiture of the Right of such Grantee his heirs and afsigns to us our heirs and Succefe- ors as well as being Subject to the penalty of any act or acts of Parlament that now are or hereafter shall be Enacted. 3 That before any Division of the Land be made to & among the grantees a tract of land as near the centre of the said Township as the Land will admit of shall be re- served and marked out for town lota one of which shall be allotted to each Grantee of the Contents of one acre. 4 Yealding and paying therefor to us our heirs and succefsors for the space of ten years to be computed from the Date hereof the Rent of one Ear of Indian Corn only on the twenty fifth day of December annually if Lawfully Demanded the firft pa3-ment to be made on the Twenty fifth day of December lt62. 5 Every Proprietor Settleor or Inhabitant shall yeald and pay unto us our heirs and succefsors yearly and every year forever from and after the Expiration of ten years from the above said Twenty fifth day of December Namely on the Twenty fifth day of December which shall be in j'ear of Lord 1772 one Shilling Prciclimation money for every hundred acres he so owns Settles or pofseses and so in proportion for a greater or lefser tract of the said Land which money shall be paid by the Re- HISTOEY OP GDILDHAIL. 61 spective Persons above said thare heirs or afsigns in our Council Chamber in Portsmouth or to such oflScer or officers as shall be appointed to receive the same and this to be in lieu. of all other Rents and services whatsoever in Testimony whereof we have caused the Seal of our said Province to be hereunto affixed Witnefs Benning Went- worth Esqr. our G-overiior and Commander in Chief of our said Province the lOth day of October in the year of our Lord Christ One Thousand seven Hundred and sixty one and in the first year of our Reign. B. WENTWORTH. By his Excelleucys Command with advice of Council Theododb Atkinson Secry. Province of New Hampshire Oct 10th 1761. Recorded according to Original under the Province Seal. Mr. THEODOirR Atkinson Secry. His Excellency Benning Wentworth Esqr. a Tract of Land to Contain five Hundred acres as marked B-W- in the plan which is to be accounted two of the within shares one Share fur the Incorporation Society for the Propaga- tion of the Gospel in foreign Parts one share for a Glibe for the Church of England as by. Law Established one . Share for the first settled Minister of the Gospel and one share for the Benefit of a School in said Town. Province of New Hampshire October 10th 1761. Recorded from the back of the Original Charter of Guildhall under the Province Seal. Atteft — Theododr Atkinson Secry." 62 HISTORY OF GUILDHALL. a *^ o BW * * North Eaft 6 miles. Plan of Guildhall 2 3 4 Acres. ' — end of 30 miles from Amonoosuck River. CO o B s- B * ^ •■-•■ * * Connecticut * River. » * * Province of New Hampshire Oct 10th 1761. Eecorded from the back of the Original Charter of Guildhall under the Province Seal., Mr. Theodoor Atkinson Secry. The foregoing is a true Coppy taken from the back of Charters No 2 pag 241 and on Attest Jofeph Person Secry. A True Coppy of the Charter — Ward Bailey P. Clerk ■ HISTORY OP aUILDHALL. 63 NAMES OF GRANTEES. Elihu Hall, Kdmond Ward, Daniel Thomas, John Benham, John Benham, jr., Genaliel Benham, John Hall, 5th., Abonijah Thomas, Ebenezer Blakeslee, Elihu Hall, jr., Ashbel Stiles, Enos Todd, Samuel Mix, Giles Dayton, Gershom Todd, Joshua Ray, Samuel Whitlesey, Chaunoy Whitlesey, Daniel Mackey, Saaiuel Sharp Bedell, Walter Alunson, Thomas Hay, Joel Thorp, Hester Mackey Simeon Tuttle, Ithamer Tuttle, Aaron Tuttle, Titus Tuttle, James Paine, David Sharp, John Blakeslee, Tim- othy Barker, Oliver Dudley, Medad Dudley, Ahram Kimberley, Nathaniel Chaaucy, Esq., Charles Whitlesey, Esq., Damaris Uall, jr., Elisha \S hitelsey, Edward G. Sutwyche, James Matthews, Jaa. Matthews, jr., Peter Itussdl, Richard Wibird, Esq., Daniel Warner, Esq., Comfort Sage, Thomas Darling, Esq., Thomas Dodd, Philip Jlortimore, John McC'hire, Sam'l. Mansfield, Tiiomas Rice, Chas. Cook, VV'm. Pundlc, Jonathan Blanch- ard, Ruv. Samuel Hall, Theophilus Doolittle, Richard Alsop, Thomas Mart, Dr. Wm. (Jould, Andrew Andross, John Mos.--, Benjah Thomas, Jno. Herpon, jr. These original proprietors were residents of New Haven (lou.ity and vicinity in the State of Connecticut. They held Irequent meetings and passed sundry votes preparatory to occupying their lands, but they did not settle, or perhaps not even visit the same, until men from another State (Massachusetts) had occupied portions thereof. The first proprietory meeting was holden at New Haven, Conn., on the last Wednesday of October, 1761; the first deed was given by John Blakeslee, Enos Todd, Giles Dayton, Saml. Mix, David Thorp, Joshua Ray, Gershorm Todd, Titus Tuttle, and John McClure to John Hall, 5th, and dated November 2d. 1761. 64 HISTORY OF GUILDHALL. By whom the good name Guildhall was given to the town is not known: it is the only town in the world of this name; for our statement we refer to "Lippincott's Gazetteer of the World," which is authority. The line between Lunenburgh and Guildhall was originally sup- posed to be further north, as well as the line between this town and Maidstone, and we find that much difficulty was experienced in the settlement of the matter with Maidstone people. Gen. James Whitelaw of llyegate, Surveyor General for the State, surveyed the town in 1785, but the matter was not settled until the next year 1786, when Eben W. Judd surveyed the line between the town.s. ' He at first met with much opposition from the settlers, who were jealous of their rights, and fearful lest they should be disturbed in their lots ; but the matter was finally arranged, and the survey accepted. In 1787, Edward Biicknam, Esq., "being one of a committee appointed to survey the town into lots,'' ho and Mr. Thomas Darling performed that important service. Chapter IV. Karly settlement of Guildhall — Emmons Stockwell — Settlement at Aewbury — First settlers arrive at Guildhall April 19, 1764 — First houses — The next addition to '.he settlement 1775 — Pro- prietors i)roceeding to Guildhall — DifRculty arises — Settlers finally confirmed in their lots by the Legislature of the new State, Vermont — l^-escription of the early settlers — Mi!ls at Newbury — v\ hat some Historians say about Guildhall — Enoch Bartl tt's mill in Northumberland — Block House — A Petition for Soldiers 1776 — First house in the Village — Settlers lota — Old people of the towr. During the French and Indian war many unsuccessful expeditions to subdue Canada were planned and attempted. In one of these expeditions was connected a young man by the name of Emmons Stockwell, an orphan, whose parents died when he was very young. Upon the failure of the expedition of which he was a member thej became dioi)rganized and separated into small parties, returning on their own account. It was in the winter season and their sufferings proved so severe that many died by the way. It was the fortune of young Stockwell and his party however, to strike the Connecticut River near its head waters, and they followed this stream down until they reached settlements. As they made their journey t hrough it, this part of the counti'y attracted the atten- tion of Mr. Stockwell, and he, for a considerable time after returning to his native town, tried to get together a party to commence a settlement upon the banks of this beautiful river: he wa.s finally successful, and in the 66 HISTOEY OP GUILDHALL. spring of 17C4 a party left Lancaster, Mass., to accoiupKsb this object: it being composed of the following: — David Page, whose father was an Englishman and the first settler of Lunenburg, Mass., David Page, Jr. , aged 18 years, Emmons Stockwell, now twenty three years old, Timothy Nash, and a Mr. Rice. Some of these men were from the town then known as Petersham, Mass. They took with them 20 head of cattle and some horses, which were compelled to subsist principally on brouse and the foliage of trees. When they started from Wassachiisettx tlieir intention was to settle at Coos on what has since been known as the Great Ox Bow in Newbury, but arriving at this place they found it already occupied and quite a settlement; among the inhabitants here were Michael Johnson and James Pettie, who settled in that place in 1761; the same year Capt. John Hazen went to Newbury, from Haver- hill, Mass., for the purpose of looking tlie locality over; and the next year 1762, (two years before the Guildhall settlers arrived) he, with men and materials, returned to that place (Newbury) and built mills. After finding settlers at this place they continued their journey northward, and April 19, 1764, crossed the stream since known as the Israels Eiver in Lancaster, N. H. They pitched their camps on both sides of the Connecti- ' cut, on land now called the Stockwell Place on the New Hampshire side, and on land now owned by Mr. Benj. HISTORY OF GUILDHALL. 67 Benton and Mrs. Small, widow of the late Richard Small, on the Vermont side. They continued to occupy these lands for some time, cutting and clearing off, and planting corn. The first year they planted seventeen acres, which was the first product of Indian corn in this region : Mr. Stockwell described it as being full of milk, and standing twelve feet high, the ears being as high as his shoulders. August 27, this, their first beautiful crop, was frozen through and completely spoiled. Their stock of cattle almost doubled during the first season, and the first winter they lost all of them owing to the destruction of their fodder. The next spring they procured others from their native towns. Their first houses were temporary camps or cabins, hut the next year they built more substantial structures. Mr. Stockwell finally located on the Lancaster side of the river, while Timothy Nash, who was more of a hunt- er and trapper, located on the land now owned by Mr. E. S. Freeman. George Wheeler commenced his labors on land near Fisks Pond, on the south side of which he pitched his tent. Mr. Rice also commenced upon the same meadow near the river, Mr. David Page never, as far as we can learn, made a permanent residence at either of these places, but he did much toward the success and advancement of the new 68 HISTOKY OF QUlLDnALL. settlement, passing back and forth frequently, and in the course of the summer brought his daughter Ruth, then we believe seventeen years of age. Not long after, she became the wife of Mr. Emmons StockwelL. Mr, Milton Cutler in his sketch in The "Vermont Gazetteer" says in regard to Mr. Stockwell: "He was said to be a man of iron constitution, weighing about 240 pounds, and insensible to fear; Mrs. Stockwell was in all respects qualified to be a companion and helpmeet suita- ble for him. In proof the following fact is adduced : Indians were quite numerous in these parts and they frequently called in small parties at the houses of the settlers to stay all night, and frequently to have a "drink" as they termed it. Their place of crossing the river was • at this settlenaent, and the canoes of the white men their means when traveling by land and then call the "war- whoop" not in hostility however. Many times has Mrs. Stockwell on dark and rainy nights on hearing the Indian whoop, gone alone, with her firebrand for a light, taken the canoe over and brought the savages to her house. Their house was a general resort for the Indians, with whom Mr. Stockwell traded, purchasing their furs and giving various articles in return ; but his authority or that of Mrs. Stockwell they never disputed — the tapping^ of his foot upon the floor being sufficient to quiet them when most rude or riotous. HISTORY OF QCILIVHALL. 69 They raised a family of fifteen children, their third child being their first son, David Stockwell, who was the first child born in Guildhall, and when the youngest of the fifteen had reached twenty one years, not a death had occurred in the family. Mrs. Stockwell lived till her 80th year, and when she died her family could count 130 of her descendants then living." The next addition to this settlement that we learn of was in the year 1775. Knoch Hall, Michael Amy, and James Rosebrook had advanced as far north as Colebrook, N. H., but when the Revolutionary war broke out, they were uncertain of the future actions of the Indians and Tories, and they concluded to return to their homes; they followed down the river until they reached the settlement at Guildhall, and Mr. Stockwell and others prevailed on them to remain here, and they made choice of this town. In 1778, Eleazer Rosebrook and Samuel Page, and the next year, 1779, David Hopkinson, Reuben Howe and Simon Howe joined the settlement. It was about this time that the proprietors proceeded to look after their interests, and to have surveys made of the township, by appointing and sending some of their numbers to this locality; when they entered this town, they found these squatters who were jealous of their rights, and rather rude contention ensued. 70 HISTORY OF GUILDHALL. We give one of the records which will show the litera- ture of that day, or of those particular persons: "at a meetin of the Proprietors of the township of gilhall — holden by adjournment on the 10th day of Mar A D nil at thehous of Doctor Walter muusons in North haven County Timothy AndruB Chosiii moderator Josep h Wooster Chosin — Clerk for the proprietors of said township. Voted that they wod Locate and Lot the township of Gildhall Voted that Joseph Wooster — Abel Hull & Samuel y. andrus should be a committe for the above purpose — and a Uordingly pursude our Beusiness till being drove oif from said town by the Inhabitants on account of expcnce our expence on the Road £1 8-0-0 to twenty Days each six shillings per day £l8-(i-o to horsis hier 300 miles each £4-4-o a true account of expence test— Joseph Wooster Clerk of Gildhall Jos Wooster-A Hull-Saml Andrus Committe £4o-4-o" Meanwhile considerable many additions had been made to this settlement: the settlers were finally confirm- ed in their possessions by the Assembly of the new State of Vermont. We will here give another copy of the record of a proprietors meeting: HISTOEY OP GUILDHALL. 71 "Gilhall-.^Sept. 1st. 1783. at a Proprietors meeting of the township of Gilhall Legally warned and Convened at the House of mr James Rosebrook in said Gilhall then opened the meeting and maid a Choyce of Maj. Jonas Wildow for a Moderator and Joseph Wooster Clerk — 1 — voated to adjourn this meting till wednsday next to be holden at Hous of Mr Philip grapes at two of the o'clock on said Day — then met a Cording to adjournment first voated to Run Lines Round the town and Locate & Lot the same — 2 — voated that a Committee of seven be chosen to Iiay out said town — 3 — voated that Lieut Andrus be first 4 — voated that Maj. Jonas Wildow he the 2 5 — voated that Capt Luther Richardson be the 3 6 — voated that mr Joseph Wooster be the 4 7 — voated that mr Phillow Treet be the ■'i 8 — voated that lar John Rich be the 6 9 — voated that mr Abel Hull be the 7 then voated to adjourn this metin til thursday till nine of the o'clock in the Morning at the above mentioned Place then met a Cording to adjournment & opened the meting voated to tax themselves — then voted to Lay a tax of ten dollars on each original right to defray the Charges a rising for Locating Lotting and Laying a roade through said town — 72 HISTORY OF GUILDHALL. Voted that Lieut Andrus be a collector for said tax — voated they will ascertain the quantity of inter in said town & make a return of the same to sum future, meetiiig. Lastly voated to adjourn this meting to the first tues- day ot November next at the hous of mr Philop grapes at one of the o'clock in the afternoon — this mcetin is ad- journed &c. (signed) Joseph Wooster Clerk." Nothing appears to have been accomplished pursuant to these votes of the proprietors in relation to locating and lotting the town, and its actual bounlaries, as we have previously stated, v^ere not established until ItSfi. We vrill introduce one more specimen of the literature of those days, showing the efforts of the proprietors for locating and lotting the town, and for settling disputes that had arisen. This in form of an account running through quite a series of years. "Timothy Andius ajant at the Assembly of Vermont holden at Charlestown,* fcir the townships of Guildhall, Granby & f^ townships to the northward. Expence 4 weaks myself & hors £15-0-0 in order to get the bounds Established between gildhall & Lunenburg. andrus paid Davenport 3-0-0 Joseph Wooster ajant' in rome of Capt Elijah Hinman sent to the Assembly of Vt. »It win be rememljered that for several years Vermont was refused ' admission into the Union, New York, New Hampsliire and Massa- chusetts claimingthe territory; but those determined men who were at the head of the new State protested; they were determined to be independent, or nothing! As other States claimed Vermont, and as many towns along the borders applied for admission into the new State, she too, commenced to make claims, and at one time several towns in New York /and New Hampshire joined Vermont. As the State Assembly in thpse days was held in various towns, thus we And It at Charlestown, New Hampshire. HISTORY OF GUILDHALL. 73 holJeii at Charlestown for the townships of gilhall granby & Eight other towns Northerly Expence £15-0-0 Timothy Andrus, Elijah Hinman appointed ajents to set- tle the dispute with Colo grout relative to gilhall & granby at the assembly of Vermont holden at benington Kxpence ft weeks myself & hors £18-0-0 Joseph Wooster Expence to bennington while iu Capt Elijah Hinman absents agreed upon by him self and and- rus for him to surve in his rome Expenee at that time £9-5-0 Timothy Andrus Expence in going to ('oos to get the comitttie that was appointed by the assembly of Vermont to assertain the boundaries of sundry townships begining with gildhall as may appear — sum time in June 1780 Expence myself & hors 5 weeks '^ dollars to be paid to the committee , £20-0-0 another time seat to wait on said Committee. Expence £8-3-0 all the above charges Lyea against the abuve menchend ten townships Except the first Committee that against guildhall only March the 15 — 1799." The first settlers of this town, being mostly from Lan- caster and Lunenburg in MadS., they gave the same names to the two towns lying as they intended upon op- posite sides of the Connecticut River. According to their plans and as already previously stated Lunenburg was to include nearly all of what was afterwards found to be the southern part of Guildhall, while Guildhall was supposed to include what is now the southern portion of the town of Maidstone; so »thil in early records we find some 7-t HISTORY OF GUILDHALL. Mai Istone men figure as citizens of Guildhall, and men of Guildhall as Lunenburg people. For a number of years after the first settlers started in there were rto roads, and no settlement nearer than Newbury. . As the nearest mills were at that place, no grain was carried there to be ground, although grain was sometimes purchased ground and brought to their homes; but most of their grinding was done with pestles. and mortars. It will be interesting to. note here these ''■grist milli;"- they wei-e manufactured from large hard wood trees, cut into short logs, whic^ were sometiines two and three feet in diame- ter, and then hewed out to suit their desires. When com- pleted they presented a sorb of one liorse appearance in comparison with some of thecomplicated aflf'airs one may see in the large cities in this latter half of the nineteenth century : but they answered all purposes at that time, and they got along very nicely in that way for a number of years. If we encroach upon any of our historians they will pardon us. Thompson in his "Gazetteer of Vermont'' ■published in 18.24, says in relation to Guildhall, "The first settlers suffered severe privations and hardships for a number of years. They brought their grain and provi- sions from Northfield in Mass., a distance of more than 150 miles. During the Revolutionary war they were in continual alarm, and frequently annoyed by the Indians and Tories who killed their cattle, pluudpred their houses and carried a number of the inhabitants into captivity." HI8TCHIY OP QOII-DBAI,!.. 75 Thompson' is by no means the only one who claims these facts, for most sketches and histories of this settle- ment tell the same story almost word for word; if the read- er will take the trouble to look this up, they will And we are quite correct in our assertions. These '-latter day" historians undoubteSly take Thompson for authority, but •'Thompson's Gazetteer" is far from being right, not only in this but in other cases as well; if you will read Rev. Grant Powers' "•History of the Coos Country" you will see that he criticises him very severely. We do not claim the early settlers had a "soft time" or were not annoyed, but they were only severely annoyed in one or two individual instances. They were of course new-comers, and had|;to put up with the hardships of the times and no more. Why did they bring their grain and provisions from Northfield, Mass., when, as we have shown to be the case, there was a comparatively old settle- ment at Newbury and Haverhill, where they had mills erected etcV The Proprietors of course annoyed them to quite an extent, and also the tories, but the Indians were usually friendly and committed no acts of hostility, and were only troublesome in making pmtty free use of set- tlers' houses. They took rather more liberty in calling at houses where the men were absent, but authority of the lady of the house was almost always acknowledged. However on one occasion they became so troublesome while calling on Mrs. Eleazer Rosebrook that she drove them from the house, but one squaw who at fh« timp, was quite intoxicated appeared 76 HISTORY OF GUILDHALL. unable to move. Mrs. Rosebrook caught her by the hair ' of the head and drew her from the house. This was too rough handling for the squaw, and recovering herself threw her hatchet just as Mrs. Rosebrook was closing the door, cutting off the wooden thumb piece of' the latch: the next morning after recovering from her "drunk," recollecting her actions of the night before, she returned to the house of Mrs. Rosebrook and confessed her fault, asked her pai'don, and promised to behave better in the future. We find that a very peculiar circumstance took place during the early settlement, and we insert the "Complaint of Enoch Bartlett," made in 1780, which we take from the "N. H. Town Papers," and which explains itself. "To the Honbie the Council and Representatives of the State of New Hampshire in General Court Assembled. The Petition Mpmorial And Address of Enoch Bartlett of Haverhill Humbly Shews. — That your petitioner has lately Suffered Much injury by a Sort of Banditti who in Contempt of all laws did at Northumberland in the County of Grafton in Said State in September last without Any color or right commit a most horid revenge, by entering Upon his Your petition- ers GRIST MILL And SAW MILL, in Said Northum- berland (lately erected or repaired at a great expenue) And cat and destroy'd the wheels Shafts &C And took Away all the Iron Work of Said Mills, Mill Stones and other Gear and a Quantity ot' Boards and Carried them a Cross Connecticut River into the State Called Vermont HISTORY OF GUILDHAxi,. 77 And improved them for other Mills — And have Since when demanded refused pay for the Damage done. And Further Says that he cannot Suppose that his affairs (the not the most trivial) will alone put you Upon Action on the affair; But that a due considera- tion of the many Instances of Fraud, Injustice and op- pression that prevails in that County Siuee the laws were Suppress'd — will influence You to make the Necessary Provisions Pray'd for And he As in duty bound Shall ever pray. June 22, 1780. Enoch Bartlett." In these revolutionary times, while the inhabitants of these settlements were to some extent annoyed by the Indians and tories, and not knowing what might happen, Col. Ward Bailey and others erected a Block House, which in cases of necessity was used as a defensive resort. This building was composed of white pine logs of large size, hewed square, and stood near where Mr. Cobb for- merly resided and on land now owned by Mrs. S. A. Hall: it was, for those times, a very strong fortification, and was a great protection to the settlement. It was after- ward used as the first jail of the county. We take from the New Hampshire Town Papers a petition for soldiers; it shows how the men of this com- munity stood in those days. They meant to protect their families and property. Their petition bears date of July 6, 1776, two days atter the signing of the Declaration of Independence. 78 HISTORY OP OUILDHALU PETITION FOR SOLDIERS. "Whereas we the inhabitants of Lancaster, Northumber- land, Guildhall & Stratford are fully sensible of the dan- ger of being attacked by the Canadians whioh are the wors* of Enemys & although some of our neighbors have Quit the ground, yet we the Subscribers Do Jointly & severly promis & ingage to Stand our ground providing the Hon'^i Oounsell sees Fitt to grant our request That is this, that you will please us your petitioners so far a« to apoint Mr. Jere" AmEs of Northumberland our friend & Neighbor, Commander of our Fort which with a great Deal of fatage we have almost accomplished and Likewise for him the s^ Ames to have orders to inlist as many men as the Hon"" Cort in their Wisdom will see fit, we do ingage to inlist ourselves & obey his orders as long as he is stationed in iiper Coos and Com- mander of the fort. July 6, 1776. THOMAS BLODGETT | NATHAN CASWELL | DAVID LARNED JAMBS CCRTISS | SAM'L. NASH | SAM 'L. PAGE ARCHIPPA BLODGETT | ABIJAH LAKNED | ABNER OSGOOD EMMONS STOCKWELL | MOSES QUIMBY | DIES SAWYER JOSIAH BLODGETT I WARD BAILEY I ABEL EARNED JOSEPH BAKI.OW j JAS. BLAKE I JOHN TRIOKKT EtIEZER ROSEBROOK 1 ABNER BARLOw" ■; HISTORY OK GUILDHALL. 79 The first house constructed in the village was made of logs on land near the coruer of the Essex House. In 1799 there were twelve settlers' lots in town occupied by eleven men whose names we give, also the number of lots occupied by them, and the present owners' names, viz: — No. ], Col. Ward Bailee- — including the tract now ocimpied by the village, westerly to land now occupied by C. E. Benton, and northerly to the Maidstone line. — No. 2, James Rosebrook — including Nelson Call's farm, and land owned by Frank Hall, Geo. Hubbard and Thos. H. Hubbard. — No. 3, D. Hopkinson — including the farm now owned by John B. Drew, and a considerable portion of the plain owned by Messers Haskell and Long. — Ni). 4. Samuel Howe — now owned by A. A. Gray. — No. 5, Ezra Rosubrook — now owned by Messers Bow- rnrin and Stevens. — No. 6,^Same as No. 5. — No. 7, Col. Jonah (Irout and Edward Bucknam — now owned by G. T. Fellows, B. B. Benton and Mrs. Small. — No. 8. Same as No. 7. — No. 9, Reuben and Simon Howe — now owned by Wm. and Henry Heywood. — No. 10, Same as No. 9. — No. 11, George Wheeler — now owned by D. Y. Clark. — No. 12, Benoni Cutler — now owned by Geo. S. Boyce, John Hubbard and Z. Woods. 80 HISTORY OF GUTL-DHALI^. These grants to the settlers contained 100 acres each, and in the case of No. 12, 400 acres. The reason for this diiFerence was the grant by the proprietors in lt87 to Abner Osgood and Ward Bailey of 300 acrex, in consider- ation of the large expense incurred by them in building mills on Spauldings Brook, since known as Mill Brook. Mr. Os- good had 200, and Mr. Bailey 100 acres extra. Mr. Benoni Cutler bought this tract of land, including the mills and the stream on which they were erected, so the stream is frequently called Cutler's Mill Brook. Very few of the numerous descendants of the twelve first settlers are at present residing in Guildhall; and no families bearing the name of Hopkinson, Howe, Grout or Bucknam. The settlement had a thrifty growth, and has proven tO' be a good one : in no town of the same size can be found a more enterprising, intelligent and independent people, than those who are still in the good old place. The oldest person, we believe, who has died in the town, was Mr. Calvin Hubbard, who died in Septemter 1854, aged 93 years and 5 months. His wife died in September 1857, and was 93 years and 2 months old. The oldest person now living in town is Mr. Zephaniah K. Washburn who is in his 86th year, of whom more will be said in another chapter. ■** Chapter V. f Transactions of the Town — Warning for the first Town meeting March Is; 1785 — First .l^ecord of Town meeting — List of Town officers elected al this meeting-^ Hound Distriier and one trestle; it was a good bridge and would have undoubtedly been very use- ful for a number of years, but in December 1854, a terrible wind storm visited this place, completely carrying away the bridge; we shall give more fully the particulars of this storm in a following chapter. In 1855 the 4th., and present bridge was built, under the direction of Mr. Chas. Richardson, and is a very good structure. In 1879 and 1880 an expense of $1200. was incurred in rebuilding tho abutmants, and in 1883 general repairs were made to the extent of $1500. There are 38 shares, par value $100. per share. The Officers of the Company are : President, Wm. H. Poole. f W. H. Poole, Clerk and Treas. 0. E. Benton. Directors -j Robert Ohase, Collector, Seth Meeoham. L Prank Hall. THE LANCASTER BRIDGE CO. The charter for this bridge was granted to "Richard C. Everett, Levi Willard, Titus 0. Brown, Jonathan Crane, Stephen Willson, Jonas Baker, Artimus Wilder, Jr., and such others as may join them are permitted and allowed to erect and maintain a bridge over Connecti- cut River at a place called Waits Bow in Lancaster in the County of Grafton or at any place between the mouth of Israels River and the upper line of said Lancaster." 90 BI8TOBY OF OOILDHALL. The charter bears date of June 21, 1804. The fii meeting was held Aug. 20, lb04 ; Richard C. Everett Ee was chosen Chairman, and Thos. Carlisle, Olerk. The shares were taken at this meeting as follows : Thos. Carlisle tc 2 Isaac Bunday 2- Richard C. Everett 3 Wm. Lovjoy 1 Levi Willard 2 Stephen Wilson 2 J. Cram I Daniel Perkins 2 Jonas Baker 1 Titus O. Brown 1 Humphry Cram -1 David Bundy Wm. Huves Artumas Wilder, Jr. 12 Elisha Bunday Daniel Dana Urial Rosebrook Lemuel Holmes Asa Holmes Samuel Howe Timothy Faulkner Bowman Chaddock "Voted that Richard C. Everett, Wm. Huve->, Le Willard, Isaac Bunday & Wm. Lovjoy be a Commii to report a correct plan of a Bridge & the exact pla( where it ought to be erected." The present location wi adopted, and the first bridge erected in 1805, which wi rebuilt about 1 823. The present bridge is a covere bridge with two piers; although it is a very old bridg yet it is in a fairly good condition. The Officers of the Corporation are: Richard P. Ken Chairman. Henry Hcywood, Olerk and Treasurer. John H. [lopkinson, James A. Smith and Henry 0. Ken Directors. HISTORY OF GUILDHALL. 97 THE GUILDHALL AQUEDUCT COMPANY. Originally the people of the village had to content themselves with wells from whioh to obtain their water, but frequently some drew it from different places in barrels. This was a very inconvenient way, and the larger the village grew, the more the necessity pressed itself upon the people to have some different method of obtaining their water. It was about the year 1841, that Allen Gould and John S. Nelson laid the first aqueduct; their plans were to lay logs from the spring near the Maidstone linB to the village, but when it was completed they found it would not work; owing to the fact that the spring itself was at about the same altitude as the village. They did not give up, however, although they had been to a heavy expense, and the same year laid logs from a spring upon the hill opposite the village, in N. H. Upon its com- pletion they found it worked to great satisfaction. This successful aqueduct wan laid across the bridge, and when the cold weather came, it froze up, and it was found necessary to devise some plan to surmount this obstacle, and the next spring they laid a pipe across the river let- ting it rest upon the bottom of the stream. About 1850, Mr. Geo. Hubbard and Mr. Wm. Heywood got possession of the property and managed it up to l'^57, at which time Mr. Nathaniel Shaw became owner and run it up to Sep. 1872, when Mr. Frank Hall and Mr. E. G. Richardson bought it and relaid the logs. 98 HISTORY OF GUTLDHALL. June 1st. Ib74, Mr. Charles E. Benton bought ou half interest and Mess. Hall and Benton managed it unti! Sap. 1st. 1883, at which time the Guililhall Aqueduct Co, was formed by J. B. I'arker, Geo. Hubbard, Robt. Chase, Mrs. S. A. Hall, H. E. Hubbard, P. R. Follansby, A. W. Grow, R. K. Poole, 0. D. Crawford, David Kent, C. E. Benton, A. D. Benjamin, W. H. Hartshorn, Dr. N. S. Boyoe and the M. E. Church ; they organized under the following act of Legislature : — II is hereby enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Vemwnt. Sec. 1. Such persons as shall hereafter become stock- holders are hereby constituted a body corporate by the name of the Guildhall Aqueduct Co., with powers incident to corporations and may hold real and personal estate not exceeding SIOOOO. in value for the purpose of constructing and maintaining an aqueduct for the purpose of supplying the inhabitant-" of the village of U uildhall with water for domestic and other purposes. Sec. 2. Said corporation may at any annual or oth«r meeting legally notified make, alter and repeal such by- laws, rules and regulations as may be thought necessary, not repugnant to the laws of this State. Sec 3. The capital stock of said Co., shall consist of 100 shares at $li;0. each which stock may be increased by said corporation to an amount sufficient to carry into effect the object of this act, and said corporation may provide for the sale and mode of transfer thereof as said corporation may from time to time deem exped.ient, and may levy & col- lect assessments on such shares according to law, & fix the rates on the same at pleasure, and shall have the power to sue for and collect said water-rents when necessary. HISTORY OF GUILDHALL. 99 Sec. 4. Said corporation may dig or open any street, common or highway, for the purpose of constructing, laying down or repairing such aqueduct, as may be found dusirable; provldfid, the same may be done in such a man- ner aSjUot to iryure or disfigure said street, common or highway; and in all cases when said corporation shall lay or repair said aqueduct in any enclosed field, they shall p:iy all damages done to crops thereon, and leave the sur- face of saiJ lands, as near as may bo, in as good condition as before laying or repairing said aqueduct. Sec. 5. The said corporation may enter upon and use (iny ciicl )sure or land through which it may be necessary for s:iid aque.Iu t to pass, on the most practical route from where its water may be taken, for the purpose of placing reservoirs and pipes as may be necessary for constructing, completing and repairing said aqueduct, and may agree with the owner or owners thereof for the use of the same; but in case of disagreement, or if any owner thereof be a minor, insane, or out of the state, or otherwise incapacita- ted to sell an! convey, said corporation, or the owner or owners, or persons interested in lands so entered upon may apply to the judges of the county court for the county of E ssox, by petition, who shall appoint forthwith three dis- interested persons to view the premises and assess the damages sustained by the owners or occupants of said land by the construction of said aqueduct, and said committee shall appraise said damages on oath, and report the same to the county court for the county aforesaid, at its first session thereafter, and if their report shall be accepted by said court, the court shall render judgement thereon, and may issue an execution therefor with costs. 100 HISTORY Ol' GUILDHALL. Sec. 6. Any person who shall maliciously disturb or in- jure said aqueduct, or any works or enclosures connected with the same shall be liable to be prosecuted by informa- tion, complaint, or indictment, and on conviction thereof shall be fined not less than 55. nor more than $20. and costs of prosecution, and shall also be liable to said corpo- ration for all damages. Sec. 7. This act shall be subject to tho provisions of chapter eighty six of the general statutes, entitled of pri- vate corporations, and may be altered amended or repealed as the public good may require. Sec. 8 This act shall take effect from its passage. Approved, Nov. 23, 1874. Chapter VII. Schools — Old Block Mouse used as first School Houje — F/easing of school lands — Schof^l districts — Number Scholars 1885 — Kssex County Grammar School. From an early period of the settlement considerable attention was given to the instruction of the children, ijin schools supported a few months in each year by subscrip- tion or taxation ; the first school of which we can learn, was in the year 1788, or 17S9, kept in the Block House, (of which we have already spoken,) by a Mr. Bradley, who was afterwards known as "old Master Bradley."' When the town became so far settled as to render it expedient, it was divided into two districts, and schools supported in each of these districts by taxation; one district comprised the village and northern portion of the settlement, and the other district the southern portion. About the year 1799, a third district was formed of the west, or hill settlement, and the town made arrange- ments for leasing 150 acres of the school lands, valued at $2. per acre; rented @6 per cent, to be paid annually, and this arrangement continues to the present day. The town is now divided into 5 districts, and one union district, taking in the portion of the town known as the North Road, and the westerly portion of the town of Maidstone. 102 HISTORY OF , GDILDHALL. No. 1. Is in the south easterly corner of the town, and exteuds from the Lunenburg line to, and including the Plina Rosebrook farm. No. 2. Known as the "middle district,"' takes in all that portion of the town on the river, extending to, and imjluding the place owned by Geo. Willard. No. 3. Easterly side of Guildhall hill. No. 4. Village district. No. 5. South westerly side of Guildhall hill. . No. 6. Union district which has already been described. The full number of we^ks as required by law is, and has been complied with, in all these districts, and the people of the town have always shown a commendable interest in educational matters. The school houses are in good condition, and well adapted to the wants of the various districts, and are a credit to the town. We give below the number of scholars in the various districts, one term 1885. In the case of No. 6. we give Guildhall scholars only. District No. 1 22 Scholars. " 2 19 '' " " 3 10 " " 4 38 " " 5 18 " " 6 7 " ): Total 114. HISTORY OF QCILDHALL. 103 esse;x county grammak school. By the terms of the charters of several towns in Essex County, reservations of land were made for the use of a County Grammar School. Noveraber b'th. 1805, the Essex County Grammar School was incorporated and located in Guildhall. The first Academy Building was erected at the south part of the town in 1806, on the very spot where now stands the house in which the writer was born. Mr. John Cushman was the' first preceptor and a Mr Leland the second. The people of the town of Concord, became greatly opposed to helping support an Academy so far away from their town, and at the Oc'tober session of the State Lfiglslature in the year 1823, they were successful in procuring a division of the County school lands, by which that town, (Concord) was to have the benefit of rents accruing from so much of said lands as were situ- ated in their town, and these were the only lands from which any funds had at that time been derived. During how many years of the intervening time the Academy had been in actual operation we are unable to ascertain, but between the years 1*^20 and 1830, it was at least a portion of the time sustained under the instruction of Rev. John Fitch and others. 104 HISTORY OF GUILDHALL. While a term of school was in operation, the first Academy Building was destroyed by fire, and the school was temporarily removed to the village. The next year a second building was erected upon the same location as the first, but this too, was buraed, after which schools appear to have been discontinued until 1839, when they were re- vived and have been kept in operation most of the time since. After the Academy Buildings had been twice de- stroyed by fire, the location was permanently changed to the village. The number of terms in each year vary from one to two, and the number of pupils at different times from 20 to 100. Of late years, since the Grand Trunk Eailway has by its passing through the County, made the land in the vi- cinity of its route become of value, some County lands lying in Brighton and towns adjoining have yielded a small income ; but not enough to render it unnecessary to depend chiefly upon tuition for supporting the schools. The income from Public Land Rents is $64. per year at the. present time. Chapter VIII. Changes and occurrences in the Atmosphere — Black Friday 1780— Great Snow Storms of 1804, 1807, 1815, 1861 and 1862— Cold Year— Dark Year— Warm Year— The Gale of 1854 — That remarkable phenomenon, the \ ellow Bay 1881 — Calamities — Freshets — "Northern Army" — Steamer "Marion" Disaster. We first give in this chapter some of the changes and occurrences in the atmosphere which have sufficiently stamped their impression upon the minds of early settlers to be remembered. The first remarkable event in this connection, which we give was the famous BLAOK FRIDAY of 11>*0. The winter of 1779 and 1780 was a remarkable season, auroral displays being frequent, large spots appearing upon the face of the Sun, the weather taking an unusual severity, and snow six feet deep remaining on the ground from the first of November to the middle of the following April. A backward spring followed, and it was said that previous to the dark day there was a smell of sulphur in the air. May 19 th., or Black Friday, was marked by a tarriblc darkness, a broad belt of gloom extending from the northern half of Pennsylvania, all over New England, and far into Canada. The morning of the day was overcast with clouds and rainv. Before nine, the rain in a great measure ceased, the clouds appeared more agitated, and the air began to darken. For several hours in the middle of the day the obscurity was so great that those who had good eye-sight 106 HI8T0RT OF GOILDHAli. could scarcely see to read common print. The birds and fowls in many places retired to their roosts, as though it had been actually night, and people were obliged to light candles to dine. Rev. Samuel Stevens, M. D., L. L. D., a well known Astronomer of the time, and a collator of the first annual almanac published in America, said: "It is my opinion that that darkness was not caused by any eclipMe, transit, or blazing star, but by an admirable condensity of large quantities of exalted particles that consisted of different qualities." The next remarkable event was the great snow storm of 1804 ; on October 9th., of that year, it being extremely cold, it snowed without intermission, until over twenty inches had fallen. In the month of March 1807, there was another great snow storm. This storm was accompanied by a very high wind. On the first day of May of this year the snow in the woods was fully 4| feet deep, and extremely cold weather. 1815 there was a large amount of snow, and May 22d., of that year 9 inches fell; this late storm was follow- ed by cold nights and warm and pleasant days, which made a great run of maple sap; so great indeed was it that it is" claimed to have been the greatest on record. The next year (1«16,) is noted as the "COLDEST YEAR." One writer says in relation to it; "this HISTORY OP GOILDHAtt. 107 was before the time of thermometers in this region and it was not ascertained how cold it really was, yet all who passed through that winter say it was • the coldest before or since experienced." June 8th., half a foot fell and it froze so hard that vegetation was almost ruined; this freeze was followed by a drouth, and it was with the greatest efforts that even a small late harvest was secured. The year 1819, has been styled the "DARK YEAR," for the many dark days during the year. Among them we think that November 9th., was the darkest ; although probably not as dark as May 19th., 1780. During the afternoon stars were seen through the breaks in the clouds. October 12th., of this year (1819,) there was a very fine display of the aurora borealis. The "WARM YEAR," was 1828; for that year many rivers, streams and ponds dried up, and were not closed by ice during the ensuing winter. Through the summer months there were some as warm days as were ever here experienced. January 28th., 1837, there was another remarkable dis- play of the aurora; the sight is said to have been wonder- ful, and the finest ever witnessed in this section of the country. THE TERRIBLE GALE OF 1854. On a night in the month of December, 1854, which from all appearances, would have turned out a pleasant one there was the most terrific wind storm which ever visited this place ; it was beyond a proper description from our pen. 108 HISTORY OF QUILUHALL. As people who passed through that night related to the writer the scenes at the time, it made them shudder ; ono man said, "it was terrible, and we thought the end of the world had surely come." Prom the description given us, we give the following brief account : — It was between 10 and 12 o'clock in the evening when the wind began to whistle quite loudly, and soon this terrible storm, which came from the Valley of the Upper Amonoosuc Eiver, sti^uck our village; it carried almost everything before it; trees, fences, chimneys, out-buildings, etc. were as jack staws in the hands of a giant! The noise was like the sounds which would be heard from -ten thousand cannon, each firing a hundred rounds in ten seconds! To say it was awful, would be mildly stating it. The toll bridge, which was over 300 feet long, and something like the present one, was taken from its settings and hurled into the rapids many rods below. A shed 40 feet long and 18 feet wide, which stood near where the Congregational parsonage is now located, and back of the old Essex Bank Building, was taken bodily and carried in a southerly di- rection over all the houses and landed upon the meadow just south of Mr. Geo. Hubbard's dwelling. Thus the wind held sway, until it had satisfied itself, and it cleared off calm so suddenly that the reality of passing through that night seemed like a dream. In June 1856 ther,e was a great hail storm which did much damage. They were frequent that year. The winter of 1861 and 1862 was noted for the great HISTORY OF QUTUyBAZIL. 109 amount of snow which fell ; the fences were entirely covered, so that their situation in many cases could not be Been. In the middle of March the snow was froni 5 to 7 feet deep; April it was 4 feet, and the track on the roads was nearly as high as the fences. Our oldest in- habitants do not remember so much snow in one winter. THE YELLOW DAY. The famous Black Friday of 1780 will no longer stand alone in the history of New England, for September 6th., 1881 was a phenomenal day which the youthful people will be likely to remember when they shall have become the oldest inhabitants, and one of which the old people now living in this section, in refreshing their recollections, are not able to parallel in the respect, namely, the extra- ordinary aspect of the earth and sky. Its gloom did not strike such terror'into the hearts of the people as did that of May 19th., 1780; but it found its way into timorous souls to a considerable extent, and there were probably more people filled with wonder and dread than would be willing to confess to the fact. The day was an uncomfortable one, although the mer- cury did not climb to an extraordinary height,-the oppress- iveness arising from the extreme humidity of the atmos- phere combined with an ordinary summer temperature. At an early hour in the morning a very peculiar appearance was perceived in the air. No fog or haze,was perceptible, except when looking off to ward the horizon from an eleva- ted position. But the Sun was thoroughly obscured, and 110 ' HISTORY OF GUILDHALL. - the atmosphere was pervaded with a yellowish light, which lent a strange appearance to every object. The clouds had a treacherous look, and in the perfect stillness of the atmosphere — so perfect that the leaves upon the tallest trees did not quiver — it was difScult to resist the impression that some frightful outbreafc of nature's forces was about to ensue. Some timorous peoples' minds were directed by it to the Scriptural prophecy concerning the brassy appearance of the sky, which is to be one of tbe> features of the last day. In every place where there was grass or foliage, the green hue of the leaves was changed from its natural shade to something much more vivid. There was a weird luster to the surface of the streets and buildings. The interiors of the buildings grew dark as the day advanced, and the outer air, as viewed through any opening, seemed to be pervaded with the reflected light from some vast conflagration. It became necessary to light lamps, and they emitted white flame 'strangly re- sembling the electric light. Nothing unusual was observed at the telegraph offices, in regard to the presence of electri- city in the air ; although some strongly affirmed they could feel it in the tips of their fingers. People were surprised and puzzled. Many asked if the end of the world were not at hand. Some, possibly, feared it might be. The phenomenon became more marked in the afternoon than it was in the forenoon. As late as one o'clock, it was possible for a person sitting in a window to see to read or write without the aid of artificial light. But after HISTORY 01- QDIlDHALt. Ill that hour the gloom deepened rapidly, the sky grew still more hazy in appearance, and the gloom was that of late twilight. The climax was reached at about three o'clock, and after that, light began gradually to return; although perfect daylight was not restored. Before eight o'clock the moon had come out, the clouds had disappeared, and the atmosphere resumed its normal condition. In regard to the cause of the phenomenon, various opin- ions were advanced. A majority were of the opinion that it was the smoke from foresl fires. Some people have been heard to advance the opinion that the earth had become entangled in the Comet's tail ;* but this opinion is only a bit of facetiousness. Prof. C. F. Emerson, Professor of Natural Philosophy and Astronomy at Dartmouth College, said: "It must be something in the atmosphere which absorbs the shorter and longer wave lengths, leaving only those which give the color'of yellow and green." He thought it might have been owing to the pollen from fir or pine trees, together with the smoke from the forest fires in Canada. At Harvard Observatory, while disclaiming any pro- fessional knowledge of the origin of the phenomenon, the astronomers are inclined to attribute it to the Canadian fires. They think the smoke may have been carried up and caught by the upper current of air, and that the darkness was intensified by the excessive moisture of the lower atmos- phere. •In reuard to this Idea which some have advanced, we addressed Prof. E. C. Pickering, of Harvard Observatory, and he very kindly "^^ni^VARD OBSERVATORY. Cambridge, Nov. 20, 1885. Dear Sir Your letter of Nov.18 Is at hand. No Comet or Comet's tall was near in September 1881. The conspicuous Comet of that year {Comet 1881 III ) was then so remote as to have ceased to be visible to the naked eve. Comet 1881 VI passed its perehellon in September, but not neafthe Earth. Yours Respectfully EDWARD 0. PICKERING. EVBBETX C. BENTON, ESQ., 20 Kilby street, Boston, Mass. 112 HISTOQY OF ODILDHAIX. CALAMITIES. We think the people of Guildhall have heen fortunate in the fact of so few calamitieg ; although at times events have taken place most shocking, while others have been very sad, accidents which seem to have been almost un- called for. We shall not attempt to rehearse all the sad events which have transpired in town, and shall only give those of most note. The loss of property by fire, storms, and similar causes has been very light, in comparison with other towns in this vicinity; the loss of life by acci- dents and from contagious diseases has also been light. . Guildhall is one of the healthy towns in the State; when we consider the fact of so few deaths from contagion es- pecially in the village, we must be inclined to feel that it is a favored spot; while at Groveton, Lancaster and^other places near, large parts of, and in some instances, whole families have been taken away by diphtheria and similar diseases, our village escapes with possibly a few light cases. This rule has held good in most cases, but one we must give way to a little, and in this instance we understand that Guildhall village had fewer cases than neighboring towns. About the year 1824 this part of the country was visited by a terrible disease in the form of dysentery, and the number of deaths was very great; it raged for Over two months. At this time Dr. John Dewey, who was then located in the village, was the leading physician in this section. He was constantly with the sick; for weeks at a time did not take off his clothes or lie down for a nights sleep. It is due to his great skill and extraordi- nary perseverance, that the disease was stopped so soon. HISTOEY OF QUILDHALL. 113 FRESHETwS. At times considerable damage has been experienced by the water in the Connecticut Kiver, and sometimes the smaller streams in town, overflowing their banks. Fall freshets, though not as common and the volume of water not nearly «o great are the most destructive, from the fact that many farmers have not harvested all their crops from their lower meadows. The first freshet we will mention is the fall freshet of 1771. Most early settlers pitched their tents upon the meadows, with a view of making their residences there, but they were driven off by this freshet; some of their fields were buried in sand to the depth of 2 or 3 feet and they not only lost more' or less of their crops for that year but their soil for a number of years. Some of their habi- tations Were invaded and taken possession of by the waters. The next groat freshet was in the year 1842, and it happened in a queer time of the year. July 5th., there commenced a heavy rain storm which swelled the streams to a height seldom, if ever, before that time known. Hap- pening as it did, at that season of the year the damage was great to the mills, roads and farms. We now come to what probably was the greatest rise of " water ever known in this section. The Gonnccticnt River was so high that the whole valley looked like a great lake: Guildhall Village was nearly surrounded by water, while ; apposite in Northumberland Village the streets were covered in many places to a considerable depth, and very heavy damage was done to several of the streets : in some 114 HISTORY OF QUILDHALt. instances they were gulled out from 15 to 30 feet deep. Many thought that everything in the vicinity of the fallw would surely be swept away, including the toll bridga, saw and grist mills, paper mill, straw shed, and several dwellings ; but luckily, as soon as the waters had passed the mark of its previous highest altitude, the great river seemed to feel satisfied, and slowly the waters receded until the danger was over. This was the great freshet of the spring of 1876. We next give a very extraordinary oeenrrence. In the form of the '"NORTHERN ARMY." This town, with others in the Connecticut Valley, had a queer visitation in the summer of 1770. It was an army of worms which extended from towns in this im- mediate locality to Northfield, Mass. We give what Rev. Grant Powers says of them in his "History of the Coos Country," although greatly abbreviated. "They began to appear during the latter part of July and continu- ed their ravages until September ; the inhabitants denomi- nated them the Northern Army, as they seemed to ad- vance from the north. They were altogether innumerable for multitude. They were seen so thick that whole fields would be covered, and a man could not put down his finger in a single spot without placing it upon a worm. They were unlike anything that the present generation has ever seen: there was a stripe upon the back like black velvet, on either side a yellow stripe from end to end, and the rest of the body was brown. They were sometimes seen not larger than a pin, but in their maturity, they were HISTORY OF eniLDHALL. 115 as long as a man's finger and proportionably large in cir- cumference. They appeared to be in great haste except when they halted to devour their food ; they filled the houses of the inhabitants and entered their kneeding troughs as did the frogs in Egypt; they would go up the side of a house and over it in such a compact column that nothing of boards or shingles could be seen; they did not take hold of the pumpkin vine, peas, potatoes or flax, but wheat and corn disappeared before them as by magic : they would climb up the stalks of wheat, oat off the stalk just below the head and almost as soou as the head had fallen to the ground it was devoured. To prevent this the 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 until it was nearly straightened, they would then pass through their wheat fields and brush off the worms, and by perpetual action they retarded destruc- tion, but it was doomed finally. The inhabitants also dug trenches around their fields a foot and | deep, but this also failed, as they were soon filled and the millions that were in the rear went over on the backs of their fellows in the trench and took possession of the interdicted food. About the 1st., of September the worms suddenly disap- peared and where they terminated their earthly career is unknown, for not the carcass of a worm was seen in just 11 years. Afterward in 1781, the same kind of a worm appeared again and the fears of the people were much excited, but they were comparatively few in num- ber. They have never been seen since." 116 HISTORY OF GOTLDHAU.. This was a terrible blow to the new settlement at this place, as it destroyed the principal grains of that year, and had it not been for the two sources open to them, they must have deserted the town : one was the extraordinary crop of pumpkins ; the corn being cut off, the pumpkins remained untouched by the worms, and they grew astoa- i-hingly. The other source of support opened to them was by the immense number of pigeons which came through this section immediately upon the disappearance of the worms. Nothing could equal their number unless it was the worms which had preceeded them. One writer says that "they were so thick that 3 men in 10 days captured 400 dozen." Mr. Fred Smith proved the fact of their being so very plenty when he wound up one of his pleasing stories by saying in substance. "They got the old gun which took a pound of powder and an equally large quantity of shot to load it, and went out into the field before daylight, hiding behind a large pine stump, propping the gun into position upon its top. At daybreak the pigeons began to come from all directions and congregate in the field; at the proper time a hat was thrown among them, which made them rise in the air and the gun was discharged ! The report was tremendous! It took 15 minutes for the smoke to-clear away, and when the morning sun began to shine through the breaks in the clouds of smoke they were greaH/y surprised, astonished and dumbfounded to find that they had not killed a pigeon! I They had delayed HISTORY QF GUILDHALL. 117 a little too long before firing the gun, the pigeons had risen a little too high: but they picked up 18 bushel has- ' kets full of legs and toes." The reader must themselves judge how much of this story to believe ; the fact does re- main, however, that pigeons were very thick at that time. STEAMER "MARION" DISASTER. We now pass to that terrible disaster, which cast such a gloom over this community, and took from our midst two of our smartest men: we refer to the accident of May 28th., 1873. For the better and cheaper transportation of ma- terial used in manufacturing the various articles pro- duced by the mills at the village, a company was formed ' and a small steamboat built, which together with a barge 80 feet long and 12 feet wide, was used to accomplish the aforesaid object. They operated for one or two seasons below the falls ; going down the river several miles, loading the barge and returning; this did not prove to be a very satisfactory undertaking, as they went down stream un- loaded and returned loaded, and as the current in the river is very strong just below the falls it took a long time to return. To overcome this obstacle they proposed to take the steamer and barge above the falls. We give what appears in the Essex County Herald of May Slat., 1873, somewhat changed, yet we think it explains the situation better than we are able to. An accident, resulting in the death of Joseph Chase, of the firm of Robert Chase & Co., and Benjamin F. Poole, son of Jonathan Poole, Jr., occurred here about six o'clock, P. M., May 28th. 118 HISTOBY OF GUILDHAU.. Mr. Chase, for the purpose of moving his barge abovd the dam, had erected a capstan on the N. H., wide of the river, near the end of the toll bridge, and attached the barge to it by a line. The current of the river is very rapid at this place, the water being sufficiently hi^h to cover the dam, making no break where it flows over. Upon this barge were Mr. Joseph Chase, Mr. Benj. F. Poole, Mr. E. E. Stuart, Mr. RoUin Brown and Mr. Wm. Poole, and fastened to the barge by ^ short line was a small skiff. Aa the barge was cast off from the shore, it was quickly carried to the middle of the river by the force of the current, and was slowly drawn up the stream by winding hp the rope around the capstan. As the forward end reached the dam the water broke over it; the men at the time being on the rear end. The force of the current immediately carried it under, but not until Mr. Chase, foreseeing the accident, had time to cut the skiff loose. When the barge went down the occupants were at once swept out, and all were struggling in the rapids. Mr. Chase unfortunately became entangled in a piece of line which was attached to the barge. The men in charge of the cap- stan, seeing the accident, let go the line which held the barge, and allowed it to float down the stream. As soon as the strain on the line on the capstan was loosened the barge floated, but it was filled with water. Mr. Chase was then seen for the last time alive struggling in the water below the barge, and as it floated down streaai it went over him and held by the line in which he was thus en- tangled ho met his death. HISTORY OF GUILDHALL. 119 In the meantime the others had made for the skiff which in some way was capsized and filled with water. All succeeded in reaching it with the exception of Eollin Brown, he finding himself sinking threw up his arms. Stuart seeing the Bign of distress, left the skiff to which he was clinging and went to his assistance; both went under once, but rose again to the surface, when by great effort they reached the boat, to which they clung as it floated. Franklin Poole at the fiirst sinking of the barge went down, but coming up, succeeded in reaching the boat, but being seized with a fit of coughing, and doubtless strangled by the water, he fell from the boat and sank to rise no more ; his body remained in the river until the lOth., of June, when it was found about two miles below where the accident had taken place, and the people here felt greatly relieved as they thought the body would never be recovered; although searching for him' was constantly kept up. Mr. Chase was found under the barge with a line wound around one leg below the knee, which had been drawn so tightly as to plainly mark his Ic" throtigh his clothing. Every effort was made to re- suscitate him but in vain; life was extinct when he was takeii from the water. He was under the water 10 to 15 minutes, and had in some manner received a bruise, the marks of which were plainly visible on his forehead. Those who sought safety on the skiff, with the exception of Poole, were rescued after having drifted about 30 or 40 rods don n the stream in the current. 120 HISTORY OF aniLDHALL. That any were saved from the perilous position is th( chief cause of wonder. It ie generally believed by those who witnessed the scene, that but for the presence ol mind and manly eiForts of E. R. Stuart, EolHn Brown must also have been drowned. Much credit is due him for his noble conduct, and the consciousness of having saved the life of a fellow mortal, is doubtless a sweet reward. Mr. Chase's death was a sad loss to our village. Mr. Poole, though not so generally known, nor so prominently connected with the business interests of the place, was equally missed by the circle of his friends and acquaint- ances, as he was of a kind and obliging disposition, and had many warm friends. Mr. Poole was in the 27th., year of his age, and Mr. Chase in his 41st. , year. Both were unmarried. Chapter IX. Mr. Osgood's Mill— Mr. Bartlett's MUl— Dean Brook— Mills at the falls in the village — Carding Mill — Potashes — Hat yacto- ries— Blacksmiths — Trade — Hotels — Maidstone Lake — Physicians, The proprietors of the early town were zealous in their endeavors to promote the settlement of their lands and from the record of a meeting held March ISth., 1779, we find the following: "Whereas Mr. Abner Osgood is building a grist mill in said township, which we suppose will be of great advantage to the settlers, and to encourage him In so good an undertaking-Voted, that we will give him, in case he effects said work, one whole dividing right or share of each proprietor, and that he have liberty to lay out one hundred acres of said right at the place where he builds the grist mill, to be in a square piece, half on one side of the stream and half on the other where he builds said mill; provided, he completes said mill and continues to keep it in good repair, and will hold the same by and under the proprietors." This id from the proprietors records of the town of Maidstone, as they then supposed their town line extended beyond this place; but the mills were built in Guildhall and although Mr. Osgood lost what Maidstone pruinised, our town more than made his loss good. This, the firbt mill built in this county was erected upon the stream now known as mill brook, and on the farm now owned by Mr. Geo. S. Boyce, in the locality known as the "North Road.'' For want of suiBcient water power it was not a very successful affair. The work as already stated was commenced as early as 1778 by Mr. Abner Osgood, 122 HISTORY OF GUILDHALI.. that year he commenced getting out some larj^e timbers, as well as doing something toward starting the work on the dam, but the next year he was assisted by Ool. Ward Bailey, and these two men with a few others completed the work. This mill was in operation until the year 1801 ' when the mill stonfl^^ were sold and taken to Stark, N. H. Thus making those mill stones about as historic as any in this country, for they were used in the first milli^ built in the following places vizirNorthern N. H., and N. E.Vt., Coos Co., Essex Co., and the towns of Northumberland, Guildhall and Stark. Mr. H. Willard took the writer to the spot where this mill was erected, and we found down in the water the old flume timbers, preserved in good condition to the present day, remaining, as they have, in the water nearly 110 years. There have been two similar mills built on this spot at different times, and this year, (1885)Mr. Sylvester Moody is erecting one. It appears from a petition to the Legislature of N. H., that Mr. Enoch Bartlett of Haverhill, N; H., built in Northumberland a grist mill and saw aiill. These mills were probably built at least only one or two years prior to 1780, being constructed on the stream running into the Connecticut a little above Guildhall Falls, called Dean Brook, and were probably erected near the place where the old Tannery Building now stands, and where BenjV min Rich is to have his Shingle and Lath mill. HISTORY OF GUILDHALL. 125 It is hardly probable that they were built at the falls on the Connecticut,* as it required the co-operation of parties on both sides of the river to accomplish what was then the very hard task of building a dam across the river, and it seems that the Guildhall people were not in harmony with this man's idea of building mills in this region, for as has been already stated in his petition, which appears in a previous chapter, in Sept. 1779, a party from the Ver- mont side of the river, went over to this mill and cut and destroyed the water wheels, shafts and other articles in the mill and took when they returned all the iron work, mill stones and gear, also what boards were convenient to carry, and used them in the completion of their own mills. Most pf our writers in various sketches of different parts of this locality, claim that the Guildhall mill was the first built in this region: we wish it were so, and in fact such may have been the case, but we have shown that mills were erected in Northumberland and the materials there- from taken to complete a mill being built in Guildhall. We do not say that any one from Guildhall did these acts of injustice, in tearing down and destroying property in the Granite State but will let others judge for themselves; •We do not stand alone in making these assertions, for in a con- versation with Dr. I. W. Watson of Concord, N. H., Secretary of the State Board of Health, for that State, and foi-merly a very able Physi- cian at Groveton, N. H. , he first gave us the idea. We wisli to add that the Dr. is very thoroughly preparing a history of the town of Northum- berland, which we hope will soon be published. People of Northum- berland should appreciate his eflovts and help him to publish a grand history of that historic town, which In early days contained two of the four forts which were erected in this section, and were used as places of safety by the settlers for many years, or until the time of danger and peril was over. 126 HIBTOBY OP QUItDHAtl. nevertheless^ this Mr. Bartlett said that the Vermont- ers did take his millstones etc., and used same in the construction of their own mills, and as the Guildhall mill was the only other one built in this region for years, it looks as if Mr. Bartlett's property was instrumental in the advancement of our town. On the other side it was claimed that the parties taking this property away had bought it and had a perfect right to do as they did. Whether they ever paid for it, is another thing; and from the fact that the New Hampshire authorities never took the property back by force, or in any other way, it rather looks as thonghthe Guildhall "thieves and robbers'' were not that kind of people, but did what has been done in town a great many times since, i e., bought property which they did not pay for. Guildhall people, from that day to the present time were never known to steal to any groat extent. In the year 1786 the first mills were erected at the falls on the Connecticut by Col. Ward Bailey ; this wasi a great blessing to this portion of the country, for up to that year there had been no framed houses erected, for want of necessary material. These mills were of the old stamp, and were operated until about 1844. In the neighborhood of 1 800, a Carding mill was built in the village, which run for a number of years, and the owners were very successful, as this was one of the first mills of this kind constructed in this section. HISTORY OF GUILDHALL. 127 There was also as early as 1800, a Distillery, and later a Brick-yard erected, and both were located in the pasture now owned by Mr. Hubbard Willard; and also several Potash establishments in town ; this in those days was quite a pursuit. There were two in the village; one stood where is now Mr. H. E. Hubbard's garden, and the other on the meadow back of Mr, Geo. Hubbard's dwelling. A queer incident took place in this latter one a great many years ago. An old nigger died in town, and the doctors thought they would dissect his body. As they wished to keep the matter quiet, thought they would go to this potash and boil the flesh from his bones: accord- ingly late one night they went to this place and started a rousing fire under the large kettle, which was partly filled with lye; they put the nigger in and sat around the fire tellitfg stories etc., until, as it was getting very late, and stories had given out they partially fell asleep. While they were in this state the body becoming swollen and the lye boiling at a great rate in the kettle, all at once, out he came! right over on pome of them who were sleep- ing! ! Frantically they flew for the door: out into the cool air, of that beautiful night, they came to their senses and looking each other in the face for a few minutes, each wondering which was the greatest fool, when they mustered up courage and returned, replaced the unfortunate colored man to his place in the kettle, and completed the job they set out to do. 128 HIBTOBY OF GUILDHAtfc. Mr. Milton Cutler says "in early years, before cotton had become the great article it now is, tow-and-linen flourished to quite an extent and piemiums were oflfered by towna to the family that produced the greatest number of yards in any one year, and dressed flax was an article of export." About the year li^20, there was a hat factory near the bridge, in the village, and afterwardt one in the house now owned by Mr. C. E. Benton. A comical incident happened in the first named factory many years ago. They used to keep a little ' 'spirit'' on hand most of the time, so Luke Parsons an old blacksmith in town thought he would take advantage of the occasion, as he saw a bottle behind the door and all the men were in another room, to take a drink. He took up the bottle taking a good swig, but to his surprise it proved to be oil ofvitrol! The dose was a severe one, for it nearly killed him. A lady in town at that time co:QpoBed a few lines about it; we are unable to give them in full, but some were told the writer by one of the older citizens in town which we give. "I went into the Hatter's Shop, And there I took my dram : I took, the oil of vitrei Which liked to ruined me. I sent for a Physician Who came in a great haste. You, my worthy Sodomite,* Take warning then by me ; Never take a bitter pill For death t'will surely be." •Guildhall Village was at one time nick-named Sodom. HISTORY OF QUILDHALi. 129 Col. Henry Hall, for a great many years, run an ex- tensive harness and saddle factory in the village. In the year 1830 Gilbert B. Mann built a saw aiill on the Burnside Brook, nearly half a mile from the river, which did considerable business during high water. Mr. Keyes constructed a similar mill there later, about the same as Mr. Mann's mill; the latter was taken down in 1885, and removed to Mill Brook by Mr. Moody, to aid him in the construction of his mill at that place. Several mills have been erected on ether streams at various times, but some years since became extinct. Mr. James Hall and others built new mills at Guild- hall Palls, about the year 1845 ; they were a Saw Mill, and Grist Mill. They have been at various times re- modeled and greatly improved. Mr. Hall rxm the mills for a number of years. Jacob Rich purchased from Mr. Hall, and Mess. Moore & Chase, from Mr. Rich, in the spring of 1866. This firm not only operated the mills on the Vt. side of the river, but controlled all the mills at this place, on both sides of the Connecticut. In 1873 they dissolved partnership, Mr. Moore taking the Guild- hall mills and Mess. R. Chase & Co., those in Northum- berland. In 1880, Mr. Moore sold out to John B. Parker and Wm. H. Gray, who now operate these mills. They manufacture from four to six million feet of lumber each year beside large qu&,ntities of laths, shingles and clap- boards. The village hay scales, which stood in the square near 15 130 HISTORY OP GUILDHALL. the Essex House, were for a long time the standard scales of this section, but there was almost always dissatisfact- ion regarding the figures which were given and claimed to be the correct weight of the many various things which were taken to these scales to be weighed. Seeing the necessity of having in this locality scales which would de- termine accurately the weight of any thing in this line, the firm of R. Chase & Co., (who had had a similar pair near their mills in Northumherland, and these too being of no value to them in the capacity of scales,) bought a new pair, a New York State make. The new scales were placed near their store^ and soon after, the Guildhall scales were taken up and removed, for Mr. Chase had put be- fore the people of this section scales which proved so clear- ly their superiority over those just mentioned that the new ones completely run out the others. The scales which were removed were Fairbanks scales, but were very old and the owner neglected to keep them in repair. BLACKSMITHS. Among some of the more prominent blacksmiths who have carried on business in town we find Mr. Oliver Hancock was the first mentioned blactsmith, and founder and in consideration of "his extraordinary ingenuity" he was voted 90 acres of land, "provided he or any other person on the prrtmiscs, do business 8 years." Mr. John Ross was a blacksmith in town for over 20 years; he had his shop on land near where Prank Hall's storehouse is now situated. HISTORY OF GDItDHAI^L. 131 Luke Parsons was one of Guildhall's blacksmiths, years ago. Mr. Proctor was a blacksmith and had erected a new shop when Mr.. Jonathan Poole bought him out, and carried on business at that place from 1858, until his death, Sept. -21, 1885. TRADE. At one time Guildhall was the chief town of this section as regards trade, as well as in all other ways. There are at the present time two general merchandise stores in town. They do a good business, yet the larger part of trading by the people of our town is done at Lancas- ter. Among the early traders were Thos. H. Tillotsoii, and afterwards the firm of Tillotson & Carlisle. Geo. E. Holmes kept store in a building which stood on land between the two stores now in the village. Edward A. W^bb traded in a building which stood where Mr, Geo. Hubbard's dwelling is now located. Greenleaf Webb for a good many yiaars had a store in the old bank building, and afterwards thS firm of Grin- nell & Webb traded in the same place. About 1840, Allen Gould took this old store; he soon had a partner, and the 'firm of Gould & Nelson did a flourishing business for a number of years. John Burt had a store on the first floor of the Essex House about 1842. In 1843 Geo. Hubbard bought out this store; he continued his business in this building two years when he removed to the old corner store, where he remained some seven years. 132 HISTORY or GUILDHAU.. For want of more and better rooms, he built a new store building, where he remained some 16 years. Mr. Hubbard sold his store and business at this time to Mess. Hall & Oopp, who traded in this place for a while, but finally Mr. Hall. bought Mr. Copp's interest, and he con- tinues business at this place to the present time. The other store now kept in the village was originally built, and run by a Mr. Blodgett, and for ii long time was known as the "Blodgett store." Mr. Darling kept hare for a few years, also Eton. Wm. H. Hartshorn, and a Mr. Wood; in later years Mr. Geo. Hubbard and his sons, Thos. H. and Horace E. The latter now runs this store. HOTELS. Although several individuals at different times and in different parts of the town had kept a sort of public house, yet we believe Mr. Nathan Cass was the first regular hotel keeper, for in the year 1800, he obtsiined from the County Court a tavern license, and we think he had already kept tavern some years, but it seems that others were also keeping*public places, for at the next term of Court in 1801, David Hopkinson, and John l)ana also received tavern licenses. We will not attempt giving a list" of people who have kept public houses at various times in town, for at one time, all through the country there was a tavern every few miles, but since the Railroads have been constructed .through the valleys of this region, we find the hotels have d ropped off, until now we have only one, which is very HISTORY OF GUILDHALL. 135 ple'asantly located in the village. This is t£e Essex House, which is one of the best hotels in this section of the State, and is very hospitably run by Mr. Charles E. Hartshorn who is liked by all who chance to stop there. To people who go to the country to spend the summer months, We would especially recommend this house; the surroundings cannot be beaten. It is within a few hours ride of Mount Washington, 16 miles to Brunswick Springs and 7 miles to Maidstone Lake. Although seemingly foreign to the subject of this History, we cannot help say- ing a few words about this beautifullake, which is located so near our town. The' lake is surrounded entirely by forests of the most beautiful pine,' spruce and hemlock trees. It is three miles long and one mile 'Jwide. Its waters are clear, deep and silvery, containing a species of trout called lunge. It is one of the lovely and romantic spots of the State. Near the easterly side of the lake, and near the base of a hill is a cave, which is a most wonderful _ place. One can traverse its subterranean passage for many hundred feet. We could devote a whole chapter in telling of the ad- vantages which this Town and Hotel ofifer to those wish- ing a pleasant and beautiful spot to spend a few weeks in the summer, but will simply say that when once in this, the coming resort of the county, you are at a place where in one hour's time you can either be in the wilds of the Green Mountains, or climbing the steep hills of the White Mountain State. 136 HISTORY OF GUlLDHALt. PHYSICIANS. The following individuals have been resident physi- cians in town; the dates given generally express the time iu which each individual was practicing medicine either in town or vicinity, the precise number of years each remain- ed we are unable to give. Beside those given there were some others, of vsrhom particulars in many cases, cannot be readily obtained. Dr. Gott, ItSS. Dr. Zadok Sampson, 1790. Dr. Thayer, 1805. Dr. Geo. A. Bolton 1810. Dr. Mc. Dole 1820. Dr. Bernice Eichardson, the year w6 are unable to give. Dr. John Dewey, 1824- Dr. Walter, -Burnham 1830. Dr. Saml. Curtis 1835. Dr. James Bullock 1838. Dr. H. L. Watson 1840 Dr. B. W. Dodge 1860 Dr. N. S. Boyce 1862 Dr. W. H. Leith 1884. Chapter X. 'I he old Essex Bank — Newspapers. It may seem indeed strange I to our people to think that there liever was money enough in f Guildhall to run a bank, yet many of our older people, in refreshing their memory can f\ook back at the old bank on the corner, which bo flashingly sprang up in the early part of this century, but faded oat almost as quickly as it came. Very little is appareutly known of thia bank at the present time, we may say especially among the young- er people or even among those who are the active men ot this generation. As the most information we are able to obtain in regard to this bank is contained in a report to the Vermont State Legislature, we here pubhsh the 138 HISTOKY OF GUILDHALL. "EEPORT OP THE COMMITTEE UPON THE AFFAIRS OF THE ESSEX COUNTY BANK. To the honorable the General Assembly of the State of Vermont now in session: Your committee, appointed at the last session of this General Assembly, 'to investigate the situation and con- cerns of the Bank of Essex County,etc., 'respectfully report- That, in attending to the duties assigned them, they have availed themselves of all the light virhich the boolcs and papers of the bank now^ in the hands of the receiver, and the tentimony of the president and cashier, would throw upon its transactions, and they believe they cannot better carrjf out the views of the General Assembly, than by giving a history of the leading acts of the bank, from its organization to the termination of its business. The Essex Bank was chartered at the October session of 1832, with a capital of |40,000. divided into 1000 shares of $40. each, subject tO the provisions of the safety fund aot of 1831, requiring that fifty per cent of its capital stock should be paid in, previous to its making any discounts. The books were opened by the commissioners, the stock subscribed in proper form, aiid.the first board of directors duly elected. On the loth, day of April, 1833, one of the bank commissioners certified that $20,000. had been paid in as capital stock, agreeably to the requirements of the charter. On the 16th day of April, 1833, the bank commenced its operations, at which time the cashier charged himself with the capital stock, consisting of a certificate of a de- posit of specie in the Grafton Bank 810,000. current bills $8,587. and specie $1,463. amounting in tho whole to $20,000. HISTORY OP GUILDHALL. 139 On the same day $17,ii45. of the capital stock placed in the bank as aforesaid, and on the 22d., of the same April $400. more of said stock was taken out of the bank, by some of the etockholders, substituting their private notes therefor, ieaving only the sum of $1,765. and the notes of the stockholders for the sum of $18,245. to secure the redemption of the bills of the bank, .which were there- afterwards to be put in circulajtioa. Of the above sums taken from the bank, John Dewey received $15,460. and Thouias Carlisle received $1,500. they being the principal owners of the stock. The first bills of the bank were prepared for emission on the 6th day of May^ 1833, up to which time no loans or discounts were made to pereons other than the stock- holders, iu manner above described. In consequence of the loss ot that part of the discount register which contained the transactions of the bank up td July l«;j3, your committee are unaiile to ascertain on what security the discounts to stockholders were made, but from th^Qi statements of Greeiilief Webb, one of the directors, they are led to the conclusion that no security other than a pledge of the stock was required. Your committee would here remark that from the man- ner of keeping the books of the bank, they have been un- able to ascertain the time of the payinji of the above, or any other of the notes of the bank, except they find that John Dewey paid $2,000. on his note above named, Aug. 1 1833, and they are thereby precluded from ascertaining all the liabilities and responsibilities of the officers of the bank at any given time during its existence. It is worthy of remark, that for several years after the bank went into operation, it laboi-ed under embarrass- ments in the i:edempfflon of its bills, and was frequently obl:°'ed to obtain loans in Boston and elsewhere, some- 140 HISTORY OF GUILDHALL. times at a high rate of interest, and that many of i individual loans were extravagantly large, considerir the' amount of its capital. In one instance they find loan was made to John Dewey of 115,720. This w! Feb. 4, lSo4, at a well— remembered time of severe en harrassments in the money market, and at a time whe the bank was very much cijibarrassed. In some instance large loans were made without adequate security: tw loans were made to Norton, Carlisle & Co. of Buffalo, i'' Y., of $3,300. which were protested Nov. 15, 1836, an April 29, 1837, whic-.h are still unpaid and are probabl wholly uncolleotable. There was also loaned for the bei efit of persons residing in Portland, Maine, $5,100. wLic was protested July 24 1837, and passed into the hands ( the receiver, who compromised with the endorsep on tl; payment of twelve and one half per cent. Vv The dividend book of the bank exhibit the dividends ( the bank as follows: July 6, 1*!35 81,000. January 11, 1836, $1,000. July 1836, $600. March 11, 1839 |1,000. The last of the above dividends was made on the stoc as it was owned August 10, 1839, of which John Dewe received $847. and Thomas Carlisle $112. althouo;h. sai Carlisle, as a member of the firm of Norton, Carlisle < Co., was then indebted to the bank in the sum of $3,80C and the note of said firm was then in the bank protested, It will be seen, that at the time of making said las mentioned dividend, the whole of the protested papei above described, was in the bank and composed part ( its assets; there was also a large amount of suspende paper or bad notes then in the bmk, and also composed HISTORT OF GUILDHALL. 141 part of said assets, ami upon all which said dividend was declared, and the object of the peculiar manner in which it was 80 declared, will be percoived when the circum- stances of the transfer of the stock, which undoubtedly led to the finale of the concern, are stated. The first board of directors was composed of John Dewey, Greenlief "Webb, Chapin K. Brooks, Josiah B. Hall", and John S. Wells, who severally lodged their re- spective bonds with the Treasurer of the State, for the sum of SS, 000. each, with one surety to each bond, who were niosfly irresponsible men ; all the bonds subsequently exeauted, except a part of those in 1839, have sureties of undoubted responsibility. John Dewey wa^ elected first president, and continued such until Sep. 17, 1838, when Greenlief Webb was substituted. Your committee find that, as usual, there were many transfers of stock, but the principal portion of it fluctuated between John Dewey, Greenlief Webb, Thos. Carlisle, and Norton, Carlisle & Co., of Buffalo, N. Y., although Norton, Carlisle & Co., were indebted to the bank at the time of the transfer of their stock, contrary to the provi- sions of the act of incorporation. In the summer of 1838, H. Bradley, Esq., of Burling- ton, who was then ba,nk inspector, received information that some persons from the State of New York were at- tempting to purchase the stock of the Essex Bank. He immediately weot to Guildhall to attempt to pre- ■ vent the sale, and received an assurance from John Dewey, who owned most of the stock, that no such sale should be made without his consent. 142 HTSTOEY Off ffDlLDHAIA. Sometime afterwards E. S. Townsend, of Palmyra, N. Y. called on Mr. Bradley with a letter of introduction from Dr. Dewey. Townsend wished Bradley to give his consent in writing to a transfer of the stock to him by Dewey, but ho absolutely refused, and Townsend left, saying he could not obtain the stock. On the nth., of August, 1838, John Dewey transferred to Thomas Carlisle 790 shares of the stock of said bank, who on the same day transferred 400 shares to Isaac F. Mack, of Rochester, N. Y., and 400 shares to E. S. Townsend. In March 1839, Carlisle transferred 'to Mack 141 additional shares, which, with 4 shares obtain- ed from other sources, made Mack & Townsend the own- ers of the whole stock of the bank, save 65 shares. For several years before the above transfer, and ever since, said Carlisle has been reputed a bankrupt, and has not possessed any visible estate either real or personal, and it was in proof before your committee that Dewey negoti- ated the sale to Mack & Townsend, and received the purchase money of them for the shares pretendedly sold them by Carlisle, and your committee have yet to learn for what good purpose this roundabout method wais adoptr ed, for conveying the shaves of Dewey to Mack & Town- send, but they feel constrained to say that they can regard it in no other light than a mere artifice to protect Dewey from liability, and also to avoid the imputation of having broken his promise to Mr. Bradley. Your committee are satisfied that when Mack & Town- send bought the stock, they kijew that the notes and funds called capital stock were for the most part of no value, and that the assumed sum of $18,.820. sold them as capi- tal was mostly fictitious and false, and that they intended at the time of purchasing said stook, to raise the credit of HI8TOET OF GDILDHALI.. 143 the bank, which was then at a low ebb, by redeeming its bills promptly in the city of New York, for a short time, and then to flood the country with them and let the bank fail, and that they were only prevented from fully con- eummating their plan by their own failure, which took place Boon after. The bargain between Dewey and Mack & T.ownsend was privately made: neither the public, nor the officers of the bank, nor any other person that your committee have been able to find, knew of the terms and conditions of the sale of said stock until the bank had wholly failed to re- deem its bills, which took place Aug. 14, 1S39. The terms of the sale were, as your committee are well satisfied, that Maok & Townsend paid $30. for each share of $20. the vendors to retain all accumulated surplus, es- timating the entire debts of the bank as solvent and col- lectable. Your committee have no means of ascertaining with ab- solute certainty the time and mode of payments for the stock purchased by Mack & Townsend, but are well satis- fied that payments were made at the time of purchase in the bills of banks, other than the Essex, borrowed for the exprens purpose, and that .the loans thus obtained were afterwards paid in the bills of Essex Bank. At the time of the sale, the bank had $44,90T. of its bills in circulation, and owed other sums of money, and had in its vaults iu specie 8319.08 Foreign bills $1,200.00 State orders 860.00 Deposits in the Market Bank, Boston $991.64 Amounting to $2,570.72 144 HISTORY OP GUILDHALL. The residue of its effects consisted of notes and accounts, more than $12,000. of which were and still are hopelcBsly bad, and of the remainder several thousands of dollars ■were very doubtful and still remain unpaid, and from which, in the opinion of your committee, very little, if anything, can ever be realized. It is evident, from all the evidence in the -case, that for 945 shares of the nominal value of $18,900. and made up mostly of worthless and protested paper, Mack & Town- send paid $28,350. in cash. This aft and the circumstances attending it, carry internal evidence of the object of the parties: it was pregnant with mischief, and afforded an ample opportunity for the perpetration of the most out- rageous frauds upon the public. Sept. 24, 1838, at a meeting of the board of directors, composed of John Dewej, Greenlief VVebb, and W. Hey- wood, Jr., it WHS voted 'that John Dewey be allowed and paid $3,500. for his services as president of the bank from April 15, 1883, to Aug. 17, 1838, and for the balances of interest on his deposits up to the last date,' which sum was subsequently allowed to him; and although there is no evidence that said Dewey had previously received any- thing for his services, except when abroad on. business of the bank, your committee are given to understand that the above vote, together with the dividend of March 11, 1839, were the means adopted'to give the sellers of the stock the pretendedly accumulated surplus before men- tioned, in compliance with the contract with Mack & Townsend. On the 17th, and 'iOth, of Aug. and I2th, of Sept. 1838, the bank loaned Mack & Towusend $32,0()0. about one half of which was loaned on the paper of Mack, Patterson & Co., a firm composed of Mack A. 'I'ownsend and one Thos. J. Patterson, who was then and still is a re- sponsible man. and the residue on the paper of Mack & Townsend; a part of Che debt of Mack, Patterson & Co., was afterwards paid, and the remainder with the paper of Mack & Townsend, was renewed, and afterwardt! formed a part of their notes of $60,440. hereinafter described. HISTORY OF GUILDHALL. 145 It was agreed between the officers of the bank and Mack & Townsend, at the time of the above loan, that Mack & Townsend should place funds in the hands of some person in the city of New York, for the redemption of the bills of tho bank. On the 25th. tf August 1?38, Mack & Townsend executed a bond of 820,000. to the bank, to secure the bank for loans made or to be made to them, with several sureties residing in the western part of the State of New York, who, there is reason to believe, were wholly irre- sponsible at the time. On the 10th. of Sept. 1.S38, the directors voted an as- sessment of So. on each share of the stock of the bank, and on the ■i4tK. of the same Sept. a like assessment was voted. The stock ledger shows a credit of $4,720. on account of the first assessment, but no other entry appears on the books in relation to it, and no other mention is made of the second. The issue book shows that $107,600.00 of bills had been prepared for emission, $20,100.00 were prepared after the sale to Mack & Townsend, from blanks furnished by them 828,229. ot' which passed into the hands of the receiver, leaving $79,371 OG in circulation. The bank was enjoined by the chancellor, Oct. 12, 1839, and its effects passed into the receiver's hands Nov. 4, '39. From a statement of the receiver it appears, that when he toot po-^session of the bank, its outstanding bills were $79,371.; of that sum «3, 000. had been pledged for the payment of a loan and have since been returned to the re- ceiver, and $5,770. have been delivered to him by Houghtons & Co., brokers of the^ city of New York, as redeemed bills, exhibiting an actual circulation of $70,601. 146 HISTORY OF GUILDHALL. It was proved before your committee by the cashier the bank, that the bank sent $10,000. to said Houghto & Co., after the sale to Mack & Townsend, to redeem t bills of the bank, that he subsequently demanded the i deemed money of them for the bank, but they refused let him have it, saying that they should sell it to pay tl liabilities of Mack & Townsend to them, and your coi mittee have strong reasons to believe that a large amoui of bills presented to the receiver by pretended claimant have been redeemed with the funds of the bank, and it clearly proved that a large amount of tlio bills presentt to the receiver for payments, were presented by persoi other than the real owners, and your committee are ni satisfied that they were so presented for any honest ( honorable purpose. One of the lloughtons appeared before your committ( and requested to be examined, but before the examinatio closed, he utterly refused to answer questions put hin calculated to ascertain the amount of money redeemed b them with the funds of the bank, and how much mone thus redeemed, he had uauaed to be deposited with tli receiver in the names of other persons-and said he coul not telHhe amount of money redeemed by them, or tl amount of funds received by them to redeem the bil with, within the sum of 85,000. He however admitted that they had been employed h Mack & Townsend to redeem the bills, and that they ha received funds to a considerable amount, both from Mac & Townsend and the bank, and that when they receive the bills of the bank that were not to be put in circulatio they punched a hole through them. A large amount of the bills deposited with the receivf have holes punched through them, and some of the pad ages appear not to have been separated since they wei HISTORY OF GDILDHAIX. 147 punched in the manner described hy Hoiigliton-there is now in the bauds of thfi recoiver a package of 17,500. which was forwarded by Houghtons & Co. and deposited ill the name of one J. W. Martin. Mack & Townseiid's notes arc in the hands of the re- ceiver to the amount of $00,440.00 all of which hear date March 16, lf~39, except one note of So, 000. with no security whatever except said $20,000. bond, which also pa-sji into the hands of the receiver, has been sued, judg- ment oltciinei and the execution returned nidla bona, both as to principals and sureties. It is a rfimnrkable fact that several of the notes now in the hands of the receiver against Mack & Townsend, correspond exactly in amount with several of the bills of sal'i of Slid stock, from Carlisle to Mack & Townsend. At the time the b.uik receive 1 the $2 ),000. bond, it was a'companied by 'i oertilicate of the cashier of the Wayne County Bank, certifying that said bond was good. The indebte Ines-s of the bank, as reported by the cash- ier, other than as above stated, was $3,840.39 which accrued from monsy borrowed by John Dewey, on the notes of John Dewey, Orpenlief Webb and Wm. Hey- wood, Jr. ,(again.^t which, the said Dewey holds the in- demnity of the said Webb and Meywood,) to enable the bank to redeem its bills after the s.ile to Mack & Townsend; they having failed to furnish funds as they had agreed, said notes still remain outstanding and are unpaid. The nominal assets of the bank, whic'i passed into the hands of the receiver, were:- Discounted notes and other evidences of debt . . . $94,907.79. John Dewey's receipts for notes held by him as collateral security . $9,457-50. Amounting to . . . $104,365.29 148 HISTORY OF GUItDHAtt. included in the above are the notes of Mack & Townsend. Of the debts other than those oi Mack & Townsend, the receiver reports $10 or 12,000. absolutely bad, |6,402. collected, and a large proportion of the balance extremely doubtful. The time limited by the Chancellor for pre- senting claims against the bank to the recoiver, expired on the first day of Sept. 1842, at which time there had been collected by the bills of Essex Bank $5,639. Deposited by claimants. . . §34,426. Amounting to ... . $40,065. which deducted from'$70,601. leaves S30,53tJ. still out- standing, and it is apparent that the bank has run un ler more than 8 6 0,000. At the winding up of the business concerns of the bank, on the I4th, and 15th, days of August 1839, writs of attachment v^ere issued against the bank, but no property of any value could be found, except $19.41 in specie, an 'Iron Safe,' some packages of unsigned bills, a few blank books, and a few sticks of sealing wax.'' The committee then advanced its ideas to the Legisla- ture, etc., being composed of: David Hibbard, Jr., Daniel Oobb. Sewall Fullam. Dated at Montpelier, Oct. 24, 1842. NEWSPAPERS. Guildhall, (though at the present time not favored with a newspaper,) has had at various times three papers. "The Guildhall Methodist,'" a religious paper, publish- ed by the M. E. Church, having for its motto : "An earnest Ohristianity, a definite Experience, and a clear Testimony," was issued in April 18T6. It was probably an experimental sheet, for only one edition was published. HISTORY OF GDILDHALL. 149 "Tlic Guildhall News," a small sheet issued in 1878, was also an experimental paper, and only 3 editions printed. "The Essex County Herald,"' our county paper, has arrived at that point, where, (if it ever were an experi- mental undertaking,) all doubts are now removed as to its being a success, for it certainly is a success, and as it is at the present time managed, a great benefit to this section. It has had its "ups and downs;" at times prosperous, and at other times certainly a sheet which would hardly promote the best interests of the county, which its motto pledges to 'lo. The first issue was January 11, 1873, with [T. C. Bates as editor. O. B. Boyce was editor for a year or so. April 7, 18t7, N. A. Burnham got control of the paper, but as this man was not *8 sacceesfnl as he wished to be. he finally withdrew from the State. The "Herald," though published at Guildhall was not printed here until 1>^77, that part of the work b».ing done at Lancaster. Mr. Burnham, after running the paper in Guildhall a year or so, and wishing to be in a town where he thonght he could probably cflmmand more advertislnf^ moved himself, and the paper, to Island Pond Village in Brighton, where it is now printed. Mr. W. H. Bishop, the present editor and proprietor, is to be congratulated for placing before the county people the nice cleau sheet he does ; his editorials are sharp and very able; his news items ai'e always the best, and latest ; his local items are nicely arranged and show that he has a select staff of correspondents. Chapter XI. Ecclesiastical Affairs — Congregationalist Church and Society — Methodist Episcopal Church — Sabbath Schools. The first settlers of this town, while few and poor, manifested a great desire to secure for themselves and families such religious privileges as they Iiad left in the various older places from which they had severally emi- grated ; and at an eairly date, put forth the corresponding endeavors. In aooordauce with the laws and usages of that day, when they began to act as a regularly organized town, they also took in hand, by authority, the business of not only employiTig and paying ministers of their .per- suasion, but of building a meeting house for their occu- pancy, and only those who filed with the town clerk an authentical testimony that they belonged to another sect, and protested against being taxed for the support of this, were legally exempt from such taxation. In 1788, the town at their annual meeting, "Voted to raise twenty-five bushels of wheat to hire a preacher, and horse keeping and board." "24th. Voted Eleazer Kosebrook and Ward Bailey be a committee to hire a preacher." So it will be seen that as early as 1788, the people of Gruildhall commenced to make exertions to procure the preaching of the Gospel in this town. July 25, 1789, a warning for a town meeting was post- ed, and itt it was the following: HISTORY OF GDILDHALL. 151 "To see wliat encouragement the town will give towards settling a minister of the Gospel in conjunction with the towns of Lancaster and Northumberland." "3d. To appoint a committee to meet and confer with committeeN of the other towns respecting the settlement of a minister." "4th. To appoint a committee to petition the general assembly to grant the town liberty to join themselves into parish with the townsof Lancaster and Northumberland." At the meeting to which this warning refers, Ward Bailey, Benoni Cutler and Eleazer Rosebrook were chosen as the conimittee. In various records we find : "Voted to give Mr. Bell as a settlement 335 bushels of good merchantable wheat, provided he settles in the town of Guildhall." '•Voted Mr. Bell 80 bushels of wheat as a salary annu- ally until there are KO ratable polls at the age of 10 years or upwards in the town where the said Mr. Bell settles, provided he sfettle in either of the towns of Guildhall, Lancaster or Northumberland, and the said towns will agree to divide the distance of holding meetings of public worship according to each town's pay." These votes were often repeated, and in many cases the sum of $40. was pledged for like purposes. It appears that the first preachers were missionaries, and principally from the State of Connecticut, most of them being Congregationalists. The first was a Mr. Bell, 152 HISTOBY OF GUILDHALL. who, as has been shown, was referred to at several meet- ings of the town; he was never permanently located in the town, nor did he form a society. Among other Congre- gationalists were Mr. Ripley, Mr. Nathaniel Waldo, Mr. Caleb Noble, during the earlier years, and later Mr. Nott, Mr. Hart and Mr. Ainsworth, of N. H. Eev. Elijah K. Sabin was a traveling preacher, and formed a band of Methodists as early as 1801. For what length of time each may have labored in town we cannot give. There has always been a decided majority of the peo- ple of the town in favor of Congregationalism, and of this sect were the first preachers. There has been for many years a large society of Methodists and the church-going people in town are mostly of either one or the other, yet now and then a person will be found whose belief is not in accordance with either, but they are rarely met with. THE CONGREGATIONAL SOCIETY. The Congregational Church in Guildhall was the first regularly founded religious body in town, and its organ- ization dates hack to 1799. April 1st. of that year through the instrumentality of Rev. Seldon Church, of Northumberland, and Joseph Willard of Lancaster, the society was formed: it consisted of 7 members, 3 males and 4 females: their names were, Benoni Cutler, Joseph Berry, Samuel R. Hall, Elizabeth Hall, Sarah R. Berry, Mercy Howe, and Hannah Amy ; the first clerk being Mr. Hall. November 24, lt<03, is the date of the next record in which we find that Samuel R. Hall and Joseph Berry were the first chosen deacons, and we find that a niSTORY OF GUILDHALL. 1C3 committee was chosen to assist the deacons in examining candidates for fellowship with the church; their names were, Heman Basaett, Daniel Dana and Wm. Cutler. la the moantiJie 26 names had been added to the church recordj, and the sociely was in a very prosperous con- dition, the meetings being carried on by Messrs. Bell and Rip- ley. In 1805 Mr. Waldo was called by the town I OLD CHURCH, and church to^ settle, but the call was not accepted, and but 4 joined the year previous. In ISOT Mr. Caleb Noble was called; not accepted. Id 1801 the town made provision for building a church and appointed Capt. Simon Howe, Wm. Cutler and Z. Perkins, committee for such purpose; also Lemuel nolraes, Wm. Amy and S. R. Hall to draw the plan. The place chosen was the centre lot in town, and situated on the hill ; the spot has ever since been knowa as Meeting House Hill. The place would now be considered very much out of the way, but then it was central. 154 HISTORY OF GUILDHALL. We find that Lemuel Holmes, Isaac Bundy and Saml. Howe formed a committee to sell pews. The building of the house was to go to the man who would build it the cheapest. Mr. Nathan Cass bid 12400. and it was struck off to him. He furnished men and materials and in 1805 it was completed. July 8, 1S08, the church by a unauimous vote, gave Kev. Caleb Burge "a call to be installed over us in the Lord." The call was accepted and on the last Wednesday of August following he was installed first pastor of the church and society, sustaining that relation with success for a number of years. February 16th. 1S14, he was dis- missed, for want of adequate support, consequerit upon the deaths of many, and the removalj of many others, also the public calamities resulting from the war with Great Britain. Nurdber of new members while Mr. Buvge was with the church 99; 74 uniting in 1910 ; 41 in one day. Prom 1814 to 1822 the records only show occasionally a business meeting. In 1822-3, Rev. Andrew Kankin preached, and 45 new members were added. January 1823, they extended an invitation to him to settle, but he declined . From 1823 to 1S29, there was no regular preaching and during that period only 5 joined the church. Kev. James Tisdale was called and September 29, 1880, he was ordained pastor; he labored | of the time in Guild- hall and I in Granby ; 28 were added through his preaching. HISTORY OF GCILDHALL. 155 He was dismissed May 5th. 1836. The following sum- mer Jonathan Blanchard supplied the desk for a short time, 10 being added to the church. Next we find Rev. VVm. E. Holmes, filling the pulpit for a year. October 14, 1837, Francis P. Sjiith, formerly an attor- ney at law, was invited to become pastor; he removed his fami]y to town and continued preaching, without further action in relation to his settlement until September 1838, when he was ordained pastor ; he continued his labors over 6 years with satisfaction, 67 being added to the membership of the church ; his dismission dates May 1844. In earlier days when the old mooting house was erected on the hill/ though Lirge and remote, it was better filled then most churches in this region at the present time; but at length it was clearly shown that a new locality was de- siied and the house was taken down and removed to the plain near the school house in the middle district: this was about the year 1!^28. The town assisted in defraying the expense, in consideration of occupying it for town meetings, and for a few years it was the only place of worship on the sabbath. Some years previous to the removal from the hill, meetings were held at the village, and about the time Mr. Smith came, they were held ^ the time at that place in the Court House, and the other ^ at the meeting house, but near the close of his labors-in 1843-the Methodists took advantage of an arrangement to temporarily hold services at the old meeting-house during the summer months, tak- 156 HISTORY OF GDILDnAI.I.. ing possession of the court house, and declined yielding thereafter its occupancy any part of the time ; tlius it be- came necessary for the Congregatioaaliats to either con- teat titles, or abandon the village altogi-ther, or build a new church, and the latter course was adopted. The next year 1844, a r~^^^^. | good and commodi' ous hous(5 was erect- ed at un expense of only $11100. principally through the efforts f Mr. David E. Deiini- 80 n. After the new church CONGHEGATIONALIBT CHURCH. WaS COUl- pleted the Rev. Thomas Hall was employed to preach, and in the course of the ensuing year settled as pastor, ac- cepting the call and made arrangements for his installation, bat poor health prevented him from filling the desk more than 2 or 3 years. From that time to the summer of 184* the Methodists occupied the church. HISTORY OP GUILDHALL. 157 From Aug. 1848 Rev. Joseph Marsh was pastor for 2. years, after which Mr. Hall returned and preached for nearly a year. After this we find tlis Mathodists aga,in holding meet- ings in tho church, and thoy continued until March 1858. While the Congregationaliats were in this, as we may say, partially dormant state, the members residing in the south part of the town, wanting to labor with people of the same sect, as themselves, withdrew and attended church at Lancaster, N. H., and in March 1856, most of the members residing in tiiat locality, together with the two deacons, virtually seceded from the Guildhall church and united themselves with the church at Lancaster, N. H. This secession was not accomplished by rebellion, but peaceably and in accordance with their own interests and good senses. The people thus going from the church and at that particular time, almost struck a fatal blow to the society, and it was years before it recovered. This state of affairs rather had a tendency to arouse the members thus remaining, and in the early part of 1857 they made a new effort to secure Congregational preach- ing. They raised a subscription-the largest for many years-and endeavored to find a good man to settle, but were unsuccessful. For a few weeks at a time Revs. Mr. Loomis, Jr., Mr. Dustan, Mr. Dye, Mr. Jenkins, Mr. Fellows, Mr. Blauvelt, Mr. Underwood and Mr. Beck- worth favored them. Their labors were not in vain, for 12 were added June 27, 1858, and 7 on June 19, 1859. 158 mSTOBY OF GUILDHALL. The Methodists appear again, for in the winter of 1859-60 they held meetings alternately in the church, and it was at this time that Rev. Josiah Morse, M. D., commenced his labors with the society. lie was pastor until 1864. During the years 1862-3 there were no additions to the church, and this has been accounted for, by some, for the reason of the great war of the rebellion which was raging with all its fury during these two years, that the subject of religion did not receive the attention which in other years was devoted to it by those interested in its advance- ment. Rev. L. H. Blake was pastor in the years 18(34-5; during these two years 12 persons were aJinitted to mem- bership, and of that number six are now members, Uie other six have either removed from town or died. October 1st. 1864 Wm. D. Rosebrook and Chas. Keith wore appointed deacons; for the time being. Rev. James Laird was pastor from December 14, 1.S65, until April 18, 1870. During this time 21 persons were admitted to the church; of this number 7 are now mem- bers, 14 having either removed their connection to other churches, or died. Rev. Mr. Laird was installed as pas- tor March 16, 1866. Josiah Morse ^and Chas. Keith elected deacons Aug. 31, 1866. Dr. Morse in place of Wm. D. Rosebrook who declined to serve. Robert Chase was elected deacon May 1, 1868, in place of Josiah Morse, resigned. Deacons Chase and Keith have executed that office from then to the present time. (Jan. 1, 1886.) In the year 1866 the church and society built a parson- HISTORY OP GCILDHALL. 159 age at an expense of some $2,0C0. Mr. Theodore P. Prudon, a Theological Student was acting pastor from Mareli 28, ]871, during apart of the year 1871. There were no additions to the church from 1870 to 1876. After Mr. Pruden left, the pulpit was not regularly filled until Nov. 1, 1872, when Rev. J. H. Thyng was engaged as acting pastor for one year. From Nov. 1, 1873 to Aug 20, 1876, the church was without a pastor, but was supplied more or less by different persons among whom were, Rev. Henry Farrar and Rev. Wm. Joslyu, but how long any of them supplied, the record does not state. Rev. Josiah G. Willis was engaged as pastor August 20, 1876; was ordained Oct. 11, 1876, and closed his labors with this church Aug. 20, 1878. During this time 3 persons were admitted to the church, all of whom are still living, and are now members. Rev. Levi G. Chase was acting pastor for one year from Nov. 1, 1878. He was invited by the church to be installed as pastor, but was obliged to decline on account of poor health. Tharo were eight persons admitted to the church in 1879, all of whom are now members. During this year the debt, which had been a burden on the church and society from the year 1866, and which was occasioned by building a parsonage, was liquidated, and the church and society were relieved, having^ during the time, paid almost as large a sum for interest as the debt was at the date it was contracted. Eev. Samuel W. Chapin was acting pastor from June 160 HISTORY OF GDILD&AtL. 1, 1880 to June 1, 1881 ; he was employed for another year but was obliged to give izp the work on account of his health being poor. During his ministry 2 persons were admitted to the church, and are still members. The church was then without a pastor until May 1, 18?^2, when Rev. F. L . Small was engaged and com- menced his labors as acting pastor, and was installed as pastor over the church June 21, 1883, and continued his relation of pastor until May 26, 1885, when he Was by a council duly dismissed from further service. During his pastorate 11 persona were admitted to the church, all of whom are still members. Rev. H. M. McLeod /^has been acting pastor from June 1885 to the present time (Jan. 1, 1886.) While Rev. F. L. Small was pastor, a small debt was contracted, in repairing the church, building' a barn, and other repairs, in and about the parsonage, which by some, might be regarded as needless ; still nothing was expended but what was needed to make the church building a convenient and suitable place for the pub- lic worship of God, and the parsonage buildings what the church and society ought to have for the use of whoever may have occasion to occupy them as the pastor for this church and society. HISTORY OF GCILDHALL. 161 Among very many pleasant things connected with the history of this church, it may not be improper to state that in the year 1882, Mrs. Eliza J. Chase of her own free will, prompted by the goodness of a large and gen- erous heart, saw fit, and made the church a present of a ., beautiful set of pulpit furniture, at an expense, which if the officers of the church had made, they would have been accused of extravagance, beyond the means of such a church to indulge in. Another giver who should bo re- membered with gratefal thanks is Mrs. Joshua Lamkin of Chicago, 111., vrho made the church a present of a larjje and costly bound Bible for the pulpit. In conclusion, perhaps it should be said that some tilings have happened in the history of this church, which it would in a worldly view, havo been fortunate, could they have been avoided; but has any one a right to ex- pect that every act of the oflBcers and members of this church should iiave been perfect? To such an one is re- spectfully submitted the suggestion : what might have been the influence that would have given character to this town from the year 1799 to the present time, had not this church been founded, sustained and directed as all God loving people believe, by an allwise provi- dence. From the church records it appears that the whole or aggregate number of members is 375; average yearly additions between 4 aad 5; greatest number admitted in one day 41; present number of members 71. 162 HISTOEY OF GUILDHALL. THE METHODIST EPISCOPAL .OHUROH. As already stated in the beginning of this chapter, if any one differed in belief with the majority of the town, (as the preaching of the Gospel was supported by taxation,) they could be exempt from the payment of such tax, by giving a testimonial to that effect to the town clerk; con- sequently we find among the town records many such testi- monials, and we here j^ive one of them. "To all people to whom these presents shall come, Greeting: Know ye, that I, Elijah R. Sabin, a traveling preacher'of the sect of Christians knowli and distinguish- ed by the name of the Methodist Episcopal Church, do hereby certify that Benjamin Cook, Lemuel Cook, John Crawford, Jr., and Caleb Call, all of Guildhall, are of the same sect of the subscriber and that I, the said Elijah R. Sabin, am an ordained minister of the said sect in the town of Guildhall, in the County of Essex and State ot Vermont. Elijah R. Sabin. Guildhall, August 31, 1801." After a time, through tlie influence of a clearer light, and the steady and. sure, advance of liberal sentiment, this custom of uniting Church and State, was forevor abaiiAm- ed in this town: and the practice of each individual volun- tarily subscribing or contributing for the support of tiv) Gospel in accordance with his own particular views was established. The exact date of the formation of the church is not known, but it was not far ft-om 1801. This society, did not have a church edifice .)f their own until 1865, when the present building was erected; their 19 lit METHODIST CHUEOH. HISTORY OF (JUILDIIALL. 165 parsonage however, was built as early as 184>J or 18-19. It has been altered and improved at various times, and last year (1885) extensive repairs were made. Here, as in a great many places where a churcli and society have no building of their ovsrn to worship in, and depend upon other places in which to hold their meetings they have many hardships t.) contend writh, and so with this church, but by the peculiar abilities whereby some societies hold together and continue, under seeming imposibilities, they held together and at last came oif victorious, and today we have in our town a flourish- ing Methodist society, with a good church building and parsonage, good preaching, and a brightening future. 1.'40, Rev. Erastus Pettingill labored at (JuilJliall; his chavg'^ als.) included Lunouburg'i. An extensive revival swept ovci' this place in tlie year 1843 and a Methodist cliurcii was organized, or as wo should thinii reorganized, but the only records we learn of date from this time. Guildliall was then cl.isse 1 with Lunenburgh and BloonLHell. Rev. LennarJ Austin was appointed in 1842 and 1843 to Guildhall and Lunenburgli; he held a protracted meet- ing in our town with good success, a large number were converted and joined the church; it was through his instru- mentalities that the church was reorganized as it was at that time. The following being members of the Qiiarterly Conferencer-STEWARDS: John Dodge, H. N. ShofF, R. C. Lucas. LEADERS: Isaac Cummings, Amos Rosebrooks, E. H. VVciib, Cin-istopher Cheney. 166 HISTO^y OF GUILDHALL. MEMBERS. Class'No. I.- Isaac Oummings, Ophe- lia Cumraings, Henry Cummings, Catherine Cummings, John Dodge, D. P. Grow, Comfort A. Grow, Betsey Nichols, Lucy Smith, Simon Smith, Roxana Long, An- drew Smith, Johji Smith, H. N. ShoiF, Lydia Gould, Roxana Watson, Allen Gould, Louise I. Cheney, John Little, James M. Flanders, Aaron Rowell, Polly Rowell, James Follansby, Ruth FoUansby, Sabina Rowell, James Nelson, Joseph Rich, Mary Rich, Linda Rich, I. W. Bel- lows, Mary Austin, Harriet Haewood, Mrs. Bemis, Free- dom Densmore, Tiezah Densmore, Rosaline Rhode?, Calpb- H. Marshall, Laura F. Marshall, Laura F. Marshall 2d. Jenett Marshall, Julia A. Crawford, A. Crawford, Lucy A. Peck, Asahel McFarland, Chas. Mo Farland, Putney Follansby, Maryette Follanhby, Dina Hammond. Class No. H.- Amos Rosebrooks, Ora Hall, Sarah Hall, Lewis Hall, Lewis H. Mashure, Rachael Mashnre, R. L. Boyee, Joanna Boyce, Mariam Boyce, Abigail Boyce, Abia Banfield, Irene Stewart, Guy Lamkin, Abi- gail Lamkin, Alpheas Nichols, Sarah Elkins, Isaac Elkins, Miles E. Randall, Hannah Randall, Adeline Haskell. Glass No. HI.- Edward H. Webb, Abl)a Webb,"R. 0. Lucas, Anna Lucas, Wra. Hopkins, Mary Hopkins, Oliver Bemis, Diadama Bemis, Julia F. Cutler, Wm. 'E. Howe, Adeline Howe, Eliza Howe. Class No. IV.- Christopher Cheney, Parmelia Cheney, Caleb Call, Roxana Call, Elam Call, Aaron Wheeler, Margaret Wheeler, Thursa Call, Davil Stuart, Roxana Peabody, Lorinda Peabody. HISTORY OP GUILDHALL. 167 Rev. Ira Beard was pastor for the years 184:4, and 1845. Supplied '46. Rev. Jonathan Gale, '47. Rev. James Smith '48 '49. Rev. Adna Newton '50 '51. Rev. L. P. Cushman '52. Supplied '53. Rev. A. McMillan '54. Rev. T. Eriright '55. Supplied '56 '57. Rev. C. D. Ingraham •60. Rev. H. Stevons '64 '65. Rev. J. McDonald '66 '67. Rev. M. BuUard '6S '69 Rev. Goo. Powell '70. Rev. T. Mackie '71 '72. Rev. Mr. Paintin '73. Rev. Mr. Narey '74. Rev. S. F. Cushman '75 '76. Rev. W. C. Robinson '77. No preaching '78. Rev.. O. W. Barrows '79 '80 '81. Rev. C. P. Flanders '82 '83 '84. K«v. S. L. Hedges '85 '86. SABBATH SCHOOLS. As early as 1816 efforts were made for sabbath school instruction. Mrs. Farrar of Lmcister commenced a school in her home, inviting the people of the south part of Guildhall to join, which they mostly did. At the same time Mrs. Waldo who with her husband, Nathaniel Waldo were residing in Guildhall, started a similar school in our village. In 1821 a sabbath school was comnaenced at the south school house, and continued for quite a number of years. This school was more of a meeting for social, moral and religious improvement, as they had no regular organization or classification of later times. A competent person conducted the meetings, who originated and pro- posed quefstions, from whatever part of Scripture might have been under contemplation ; these meetings were con- tinued until Rev. James Tisdale became pastor of the Con- gregational Church, and then a regular organization was effected with Hon. R- W. Freeman as first superintendent; 168 HISTORY OF GUILDHALL. this was in 1830. This organization held its school in the church, which was then on the plain in the middle dis- trict, as long as meetings were continued in this house. From that time there has been connected with the Oon- "gregational church a Sunday school which has been in operation whenever there have been servioesin the church, and in many instances when there have not. It is a flour- ishing organization and holds its meetings after the morn- ing services. Dea. Robert Chase is superintendent, which office he has held for a number of years. There has also been connected the M. E. church a pros- perous Sabbath school for many yeais. And the fact of two good Sunday schools being conducted in our town, gives ample opportunity to all, who will, to become well instructed in religious topics. Both schools have good libraries ; many rare books may he found there, and the scholars have thereby good advantages to improve their minds. One circumstance in tlio history of bntli of these Sunday schools, as well as the churches at large; while these soci- eties not being able to purchase the fine pipe organs thiit are in some other churches, both have good reed organs, which are as a general thing, well playcil. Tiie organ in the Congregational church has been in use for something like twenty five years, and is in good order at the present time ; it will be hard to match it with some so called im- jjroved organs of today. The Methodists had for years an old pipe organ which as we understand, came from Mont- pelier; it at last became so terribly out of order that it was sold, and a new organ was purchased to take its place. Today both churches have good Estey Organs, and their equal would be a credit to any society. CllAPTUR XII. Cemelenes in Guildhall— .\o;th Burying Ground— Old Graves— 1795. the date of the first known Burial — South Burying Ground — Xoithumberland Burying Ground — Court house Hill Cemetery, "Our dear old town ! How grand Tije views of luountain land Whifli here we meet 1 We l(]ve tlietie verdant liilLs, Tliese vales our fatliors tilled, These woods the wild birds tilled W ith iMl'ols sweet. (Juf n!iti\c towii I How dear Each purling brook so clear. liauh dale and steep — But there's a dearer spot Than roek, or rill, or <'ot, Which ne'er can be forgot — Where loved one.-; sleep." The principal Cemetery in (xuildhall is situated about a mile below the village, south side of the river road, and near the bank of the Connecticut River. There is an- other, more pleasantly located in the south part of the town, nearly opposite the school house in school district No. 1. On referring to the town records, we find that the Belectmen of the town, laid out a Burying Ground, in the year 1797. This was the North Burying Ground. Their report, which may be interesting to some, is given on the next page. 170 HISTORY OF GUILDHALL. "Laid out by us the subscribers in Guildhall the follow- ing Plot, for a Burying Ground in said Town. Contain- ing about one acre, and described as follows (viz) Begin- ning at a stake on the North east line of the River Divi- sion of School Lands, Lot No. 52 on the southerly side of the River Road, thence S : 45 : E : 13 Rods to the Bank of the River to a Stake on sd Line, thence down the said River about fourteen Rods to a Stake on sd Bank, thence N.45°: W. thirteen rods, to a Stake on the South- erly side of said Road, thence on Said Road to the Bounds first mentioned. Guildhall, November 14th. 1797. Benoni Cutler, ') Simon How, \ Selectmen. Timothy Holmes. ) Surveyed by Sam'l. R. Hall, Surveyor." It therefore appears that the first Cemetery was laid out in 1797, yet we find that there had been burials there before that date, for in this yard there is an old stone bearing date of HOS. The exact date of the first death, or burial in town, is not known, but there are some old graves in hoth yards. In July 18S5 the Writer went to the burying grounds referred to in this connection, and it was a noticeable fwt how badly the grave stones were either sunken into the ground, broken in pieces, or fallen to, and lying flat on the ground, or partially buried under debris which has accumulated for years, and which looks as if it seldom, if ever were cleared away, especially in the north burying ground. Is it right, men of Guildhall? You may not know it ; you may never have given it a thought, and per- haps you do not care to. Many old graves have possibly HISTORY OF GUILDHALL. 171 an old slatestone slab at the head, and it may look and sfiem to be worthless, but it marka the spot where lies an old' settler of GuUdhall, and should be cared for. If you do not care to preserve them as historical facts, do show some interest in the resting places of those who laid the foundation of the town. Among the old graves in the north Burying Ground are: Dea. Joseph Berry, March 22, 1813. "Mrs. Roxana Burge, consort of Rev. Caleb Burge, who died March 17, 1814." Hubbard W., son of Rev. Caleb Burge, Feb 28, 1811. Samuel, son of Rev. Caleb Bu^ge, 1813. Mrs. Ruth Hinman, March 8, 1813; and we find on the slate'these words: : "God my Redeemer lives : And often from the Skies Looks down and watches all my dust, Till He shall bid it rise." "Harriet, daughter of Hon. Daniel Uana Esq., and Mrs. Dolly his wife, April 12, 1S02." "Miss Dolly Dana, daughter of Hon. Daniel Dana Esq., and Mrs. Dolly Dana his wife, Feb. 20, 1808:" and here we find: "Tis niit by works of righteousness, Which our own hands have done. But we are sav'd by sov'reign grace. Abounding thro' the Son. Raised from the dead, we live anew ! And justified by grace, We shall appear in glory too, And see our Father's face." 172 HISTORY OF GUILDHALL. "Nancy Carlisle daughter of Thomas Carlisle ct ux. September 20, 1811," and this verse appears: ; "When the Archangel's trump shall call, : : And souls to bodies join, ; ; What crowds will wish their lives on Earth ; : Had been as short as mine." : David Lindsey, Aug. 7, 1801. Simeon Lindsey, Jr., April 21, 1^10. Edward How, Dec. 13, 1810. Hains How, Dec. 24, I8l0. Ira How, Dec. 31, ISlO. The oldest stone we could fiad was a small double slate- stone marking the resting placps ol Alden and Melinda How, children of Samuel How and Mrs. Mercy, his wife: Alden died Oct. 9, 1195, and iMeliuda died Jan. 0, 1798. Benoni Cutler, 1806. Daniel Bundy, Aug. 8, 1810. There are other old graves here, but we hardly feel like publishing more. SOUTH BURYING GROUND. In this yard we find some old graves, but none as old as some we have mentioned above. Betsey Cushman, 1813. MaryHopldnson, 1813. Joshua Hopkinson, 1816. Francis Hopkinson, 1817. John Whipple, 1819. General Seth Cushman's grave is here and dates Mar. 18, 1845. niSTOKY OF GDILDHALL. 173 THE NORTHUMBERLAND BURYING GROUND. As we thought it might be interesting to some to know how the Grave Yards in Guildhall compare with the one in Northumberland, N. M., as to dates, the writer made a visit to this Cemetery, which is situated about two miles north of Northumberland village, and is pleasantly located, and quite well cared for, much more so than either of the Cemeteries previously alluded to. The oldest grave we found was that of Mrs. Lois Smith, March 26, 1795. Capt. Jeremiah Eames' grave stone bears date of April 22, 1817, and on it are these words: : "He was one of the first settlers of this town." : THE COURT HOUSE HILL CEMETERY. There is a small private Cemetery in Guildhall village, located on the top of Court House hill. This is compara- tively a new one, and it is by far the best one in town. Chapter XIII. War Chapter— The settlement of Upjier Coos— Indian Path from Canada to Maine — How the news was received ot the strike for Independence — ^Vital times for the new settlements at Upper Coos— Tories — ') he Forts — Men who enlisted in 1776 — Some acts of violence — War of 1812— At the Battle of Vlattsburg — Feeling amorg citizens in relation to this War — The Great Period of Conflict— ■Wai of the Rebellion — List of Soldiers from Guildhall. Up to the year 1760 it w;is not only consiileretl, but in fact it was a perilous act to attempt settling in the Upper Coos,* aiul con- sequently it was not done, on ac- count of the St. Francis tribe of Indians, who had again obtained control of this entire section, (although they had the wint<>r before been partially swept out by Mnj. Rogerjs' men, but by no means subdue.!,) and the French Govern- ment in Canada. A new settlement was almost sure to be destroyed, and the inhabitants taken prisomrs or killed on the spot. When they remembero.i the fall of Deerfisl 1, Mtis., ajTd other similar circumntance.-5, their des'res to settle hew territory were put idmewhat in the background and the safel}' of tliemselves and I'amilies taken strongly 1! to consideration; but when no longer the French anl •In writing the flrst part of tliis chapterwe sliall not attempt to con- line cm' remarks to Guildhall alone; it would be ntediesii. Guildhall, and the adjoiniagrtowns on the river toyptlierSvith .Siraiiford au i Biuni^- wicli were then called Upper Coos. The history of those tt.'vviis, RS regards this suhject is so intimately connected, Hint to ising'le out any one and wi'ite ol its holding the enemy at bay at LliLs place would be devoid of (iood judgement. HISTORY OF GOILDHALL. 175 Indians in Canada were feared, settlements soon started. , The Indians about here were not especially hostile if they wore not disturbed ; yet in some towns there were acts of violence committed. The settlors were friend- ly to the Indians, which caused the Indians in this region to be friendly in return, and their influence upon the Ca- nadian Indians did much to heal up the deep wound which they received in 1759. The minds of the new colonists, who were now settling the lands of the Upper Coos, were greatly relieved when they felt that no longer the Canadians were to be feared, for now all was one Government ; not out of fear, however, for braver men and more courageous women never settled new territories than those who were at that time in these various towns. They were tired of war an! willing to be peaceable cidzens if they could maintain iheir rights. For a few years everything w.as peaceful enough, al- though at times the Indians who had a path from Lake Memphremagog in Canada to the Penobscot River in Maine* troubled them, but they came move to stop over night and to 'drink," than tiny other way. ''Hello theie!" was heard as Mr. Stockwell who had just come from his home in the south settlement, (for such was the name by which the families at South Gruildhall ■and Lancaster were known, )came riding up to Mr. Eames' yard in Northumberland. "What's the news, old fellow, and how are all the folks ilown at your place?" "Well, Jerry," said Mr. Stockwell to Mr. Eames, "we're in a stew a.;ain; what do you think? I have just *The Indian path from Maine to Oanada passed through the towns of Northumberland, MaWatone, Stratford a;irt Brunswick. After leaving L."ik(! ^!emphl■emaJ;og. tliey would take the Clyde River which would lead them to Island Pond, tlien across to the Nulhegan River, following it to the Cuui.euticut, thi-nce to the Upper Anionoosnc, and upthis river to some point in the pjBoent t ,wn of Milan, N. H., where they crossed to tlie Androsroggin, and followed that rirer into Maine. It had been a common thoroughfare for two or three tribes of Indians, who respect- ively ocoapied these portions of counti-y, for a great many years ; nor waa^h^abaudoued until tliese Indian tribes had removed to other re- gions. Parties of Indians were almost every week passing either one way or the othe-, and R« the settlements here were the only ones they met, it was very r.;i".ural for them to call. 176 HISTOKY OF GUILDHALL. heard by my man who has come from Newbury last night, that there's been jSghtin' at Lexington." "What, are the boys down there agoin' to carry out their threat and fight for liberty?'' ''I s'pose so, and so I jest got on my horse and came right up to tell you fellers here, for ye are in dangerous ground here, you know, for them Indians who go up the Ame,* and as bhey'l fight us if they get a chance, ye had better keep an eye out for em." "Well, Emmons, you surprise me, but we won't back down now: I have come here to stay a while, and if you fellers down south will stick by us, we'll fight era if they come here." "You may kuow that we will; I dare say that every man down there will join us." "Well, you'd better go right back and have every man who can, come up here tomorrow for we must build a fort: have em come and we'll build It down on the medder." Thus Was the information given and received of the strike for Independence. Now came a vital time to this new settlement, as a long and bloody war was to ensue. This was the frontier, and they must take immediate steps toward their own protection. The Canadians and Indians, (who were of course in league^with the British to put down the Relj'ol's, ~ iP > - - - ^ . , ^^ a ^ eg ^ (N i : ; « o - » r- i -^ CO - r^ ^ rt ; ; ; 00 ■?> ce o 00 CO ootoO CO oocOi-i--)-* g- 13 ^ GQ *-5 o a ■N ? •-5 to 1— ( CD -3 < "a a 1— 1 a - ^ ^ «< ^ HH ^ '■ :i t> - o o CO p o .a m r ■ . o a, ^ ^^ fj ■ « a 5 1 "S i § a i ^ - ^" ^ w s J i i ^ i 1 a b S 2 -2 s" s <» S § jn - «3 coc/jcco! yj i/jqqHp=?^E-i Chapter XIV. A BEIEF SKETCH OF ESSEX COUNTY, YERMONT. Essex County — County organized in the yeeir 1800 — ^Dimensions — Towns — First Term of Court— Land g'iven to the County by Hon. Eben W. Judd — Jails — Court Houses — List of County Officers — Probate Court — Attorneys admitted to the Bar — Population of the County by towns — Principal Vegeta- ble Products — liive Stock and its Productions—Grand List. Previous to the year 1164 the lands now in the area of Essex County werp supposed to be a part of the Province of New Plamp- shire, and the towns were called New Hampshire Grants. Many towns had been by Benning Wentworth, Governor of New Hampehire, granted char- ters. Now York, however, counted it among its possessions, in the year above named, and in 1770 that State included this territory in their Gloucester County. The people of Vermont declared themselves independ- ent in the year 1777, and two years from that time divid- ed the State into two Counties; Essex was then within the limits of Cumberland County. In 1781 this County was divided into 3 Counties, Orange among them, t,nd Essex was in that County. In 1796 Caledonia County was incorporated and that County included all the north- eastern part of the State, thereby including Essex. However, in the year 1800 Essex County was organized, SKETCn OP E33KX COUNTY. 195 and at the October session of the Legislature of that year the County Officers were appointed. The County is about 45 miles long and 23 wide. It lies between Lat. 44 ° 20' and 45 <= , and Lon. 4 => 51 ' and 5 ° 28/ east from Washington. Guildhall was so(m made its shire and thus far it has remained unchanged, although there have been repeated attempts to accomplish this object, but as yet the people of the County are satisfied thut all iu all Guildhall is the point where the people of the whole County are most con- veniently accomodated, and it is the best place for the shire town. The towns of the County are: Averill, Bloomfield, Brighton, Brunswick, Canaan, Concord, East Haven, Ferdinand, Granby, Guildhall, Lemington, Lewis, Lun- enburg, Maidstone, Norton, Victory and three gores: Avery's, Warner's and Warren's. The first settlement of the County was made in Guild- hall, of which We have previously given an account. The first term of Court was holden at Lunenburg on the 3d. Wednesday of December, 1800. Daniel Dana of Guildhall was Uhief Judge: Samuel Phelps of Lunenburg and Mills De Forest of Lemington, were assistant Judgea; Joseph Wait of Brunswick, Sheriff; Flaynes Frelich of Maidstone, Clerk. Arnbros Grow was admitted to the bar as an attorney, and seven cases were entered for jury trial ; the first case was John Hugh and Anna Hugh vs. James Lucas' and Nancy Lucas, for slander, and was continued: John Mattocks, att'y for pl'ffs and Elijah 23 196 HI8T0BY OF 6CILDHALL. Foote of Guildhall, for def'ts. The second case was continued, and the third, Woodman vs. Hugh, was the first in which a judgement wa'3 rendered — and that by de- fault — ^by which the plaintiff recovered $46.86 damages, and $8.63 oosts ; exception was issued thereon January Ist. 1801. The names of the firtt jurors were: James Mills, Gideon Bowker, Moses Quimby, Charles Cutler, Simon Howe, Elijah Spofford, Joseph Parker, John Rich, Jr., Jacob Granger, Win. Rosebrook, Royal Cutler and John Rich. The second term of the County Court was holden at Brunswick, commencing on the 3d. Monday of June, 1801. Twenty three new entries appear ; there was but one jury trial, which was the first case of the previous term, which had been continued, Hugh vs. Lucas, verdict for plff's for $14.41 damages, and $60.70 costs. The third term was holden at Lunenburg in Dec. 1801. Meantime Guildhall had been made the shire, and the 4th. term was holden here on the 3d. Monday of June, 1802. In Sept. 1797, Eben W. Judd granted to the County land on which « to build a Court House, Jail, and for a common.* We have not ascertain- OLD COURT HOUSE. 'This grant included thehill just north of the conimon, on which hill the first Court House was built. SKETCH OP ESSEX COUNTY. 197 ed in what year the first Court House was built, but prob- ably soou after the soleotinu of the shire town. For quite a numbor of years the first juil for the County was the block house, erected by Col. Ward Bailey : this was a substantial structure, and wc have yet to learn of anyone escaping from it when placed by authority therein. Tii.i firat jail was built about 1 '08, an 1 in 183i a brick jail was coustructed, but this was desti'oyed iiy fire Dec. l«t)4 and rebuilt in 186(1, which was burned Deo. 14, 187>. The present jail was erected in 1879 and l.*-^-0 and en- larged in 18,-55 so that it is one of the best jails in the State. In 1831 tho Court IIou,se was removed to the common in front of the hill upon whioh it was first erecteil, and re Ijailt. Tiie present Court [louse was built in 1850. 5W5fi-T-^ ^ There has been but or>e conviction for manslaughter*. •Tlic oase appeared as follriwB: Two brotlieit', Stephen and Martin Pellom resided In Giildhall. Sti'phoii went and toolc a hari'ow tliat belonared to Martin and ■n'hile eatrying; it away on hU l>aclc, \rartin assaulted him witlj aelub. H'.eiilioa tlionglit the treatment a littlB too hti]\sh, and throwing down thf^ hiirrnw, went in for a regular combat: hxi !ilso got in possession of u clnb and Btrnclc Martin on tiie Iiead. Tiie biow was a fatal one, a« it liit him on the teiKple, fracturing bis scull, aiidMartin soon died. This Wits Apr. 30, 1851, and the authorities an'est- ed Stephe:) the siine day. lie was lonvieted of manslnusbter and sen- tenced to several years hard labor in the .States Prison. 198 HISTORY OF GUILDHALL. COUNTY OFFICERS. Chief Judges :DanielDa(ia,1800-l'2'3'4'5'6't'9'l3'14. Michael Ingham, 1808 '10 '11. David HopkiusoD,1812 '15. Oliver Ingham, '16 '17 '18 '19 '20. Benjamin Hunkias, 1821. Joseph Berry, '22. Wm. Gates, '23 '24. After this the Circuit Judges came into existence. Assistant Judges: (we give only those who have been residents of Guildhall.) Noah Sabin, 1807 '8. Charles Cutler; '10. Royal Cutler, '19. John Dewey, -'26 '27. David Hopkinson, '27 '30. Simon Howe Jr., '31. R. 'W. Freeman, '33 '34. John Dodge and Samuel Curtis, '35. John S. Nelson, '41 -42. Horace Hubbard, '46 '47. Timothy Fairchild, '49. Oramel Crawford, '50 '51. John P. Dennison, '56 '57. Milton Cutler, '60 '62. T. 11. Car- by, '64 '65. Richard Small, "o9 '70. Wm. H. Hartshorn, '84 '5 '6. Councillors: Haines French of Maidstone, 1809 '10. Joseph Berry of Guildhall, '19 '20 '1 '2 '3 '4. Richardson Graves, '31 '2 '3 '5. The Council wasabolished and the Constitution amended so that a State Senate took its place in 1836. .Senators: Wm. Gates, 1836. Wm Heywood, Jr. '37 '8. Geo. E. Holmes, '39. Stephen Howe, '40. Moody Rich, '41. W. Bingham, '42 '43. Geo. Marshall, '44 '45. David Hibbard, Jr. '46 '47. 0. Crawford, '48 '49. John Dewey, '50 '51. H. L. Watson, '52 '53. Wm. H. Harts- horn, '54 '55. R. C. Benton, '56 '7. N. VV. French, '58. M. S. Chandler, '59. T. G. Beattie, '60 '61. D. H. Beattie, '62 '3. L. H. Tabgr, '64 '5. Geo. N. Dale '66 '7 SKETCH OP ESSEX COUNTY. 199 '8 '9. J. W. Hartshorn '70 '1. J. M. Bartlett '72 '3. Charles E. Benton, '74 '5. D. S. Storrs, '76 '7. C. W. King, '78 '9. Harvey Judevine, '80 '1. Wm. B. Perkins, '82 '3. S. D. Hobson, '84 '5. County Clerks : Haines French, I'SOO to '09. Noah Sabin, '09. Aderson Dana, '13. Timothy Fairchild, '14 '5 '22 '3 '4 '5. Wm. Gates, '16 '7 '8 '9 '20 '1 '6 '8 '9 '30 '1 '2 '3 '4 '5 '6 '7 '8 '9. Lucius R. Webb, -40. Allen GouiJ '41 '2 '3. Isaac Ciimmings '44 '5 '6. John Dodge '48. Wm. H. Hartshorn '47 '9 -fcO '1 '2 '3 '4 '5 '6 '7 '8 '9 '60 '1 '2. B. W. Dodge '63 '4. Charles E. Benton '65 '6 '7 '8 '9 '70 '1 '2 '3 '4 '5 '6 '7 '8 '9 -80 '81 '2 '3 '4 '5 '6. State Attorneys: Elijah Foote ISOl '2 '13 '14. Levi Barnard '03 '4 '5. Seth Cushman'06 '7 '8 ';* '10 '20 '22 '5 '6 '7. Joseph Berry 'U '2 '5 '6 '7 '8 '21 '3 '4. Bailey Dennison '19. David Hibbard Jr. '28 '9 '80 '1 '40. James Steele '32 "4 '6. Wm. Heywood Jr. '33 '6 '7 '8 '9 '41 '2 '3 '4 '7 '9 '51 '2. William T. Barron '45- '6. William Hartshorn '48 '50 '6. R. C. Benton '53 '4 '5. George N. Dale '57 '8 '9 '67. Oscar F. Harvey ■61 '2 '9 '70. Henry Heywood 63 '4. D. S. Storrs '65 '6 '8 Wm. Mason 71 '72. 0. B. Boyce '73 '4. George W. Hartshorn '75 '6 '7 '8. A. F. Nichols '79 '80 '1 '2. F. D. Hale '83 '4 '5 '6. 200 HISTORY OP GUILDHALL. PROBATE COURT. "Probate Records of the district of Guildhall in the State of Vermont, begin this 27th. day of August 1791 and Records of the District of Essex begin Decennber 3d. 179y and continue to" the present time. JUDGES OF PROBATE. Eben W. Judd, 1791 '2 '3 '4 '5 '6 '7 '8. Jamei Lucas, from Dec. 3d. 1798 '9 to Dec. IHOO. Daniel Dana, Dec 1800 '1'2'3 4 'o '6 '7 '8 -9 '10 '14 '15. Joseph Wait, 181J. Charles Cutler, 1812 '13. Isaac Cushman, 1816 '17 '18 '19 '20 '1 '2 '3 '4. Wm. Gates, 1824 '25 '26 '27 to Dec. '28, and '32 'S3 '34 '35 -SB. Royal Cutler, from Dec. 1S28 '29 '30 '31 '37 '38. Joseph Gleason, 1839 '40 '41. Azariah Webb, 1842 '43. Moody Rich, 1844 '45. Wm. Heywood, Jr., 1846. Jonah Brooks, '47 '48 '50 '51, Isaac Cummings, '49. Reuben W. Freeman, '52 '58. Oramel Crawford, '54. Wm. Chandler, '55 '56 '57 '58. Jonah Brooks, '59 '60 '61 '62 '63 '64. John W. Hartshorn, '65 't)6. William H. Hartshorn, '67 '68 '69 '70 '71 '72 '73 '74 '75 '76 '77 '78. Putney R. Follansby, '79 '80. D. S. Storrs, '81 '2 '3 '4. David H. Beattie, '85 '86. SKETCH OF ESSEX COCNTT. 201 ATTORNEYS ADMITTED TO THE BAR AT THE ESSEX COUNTY COURT. Ambrose Grow 1800. Wm. Haywood Jr. 1831 Elijah Foote tt A. H. Joy •37 Benj. Bessell «01 Titus Snell '37 Seth Cushman '04 H. A. Fletcher '38 A. Judson '06 J. S. Roby '44 Peter Converse •06 John Nichols '44 Daniel Cobb '09 R.. C. Benton '51 Samuel A. Pearson '10 D. G. Peabody '52 John M. Tileston '10 Henry Heywood '60 E. Hinds '11 Geo. W. Hartshorn •60 Joseph Berry •11 A. W. Tenney '61 Thomas Denison '12 Charles E. Benton '69 Zera Cutler '12 Hermon Holt '72 Charles Robinson '13 Z. M. Mansur '74 Samuel Ingham '1« J. I. Parsons '74 B. Davidson '18 J. T. Gleason '77 Nelson Chamberlain '19 R. N. Chamberlin •80 J. W. Williams •20 H. W. Lund •80 Thomas Peverly '21 David Hibbard Jr. '22 S. W. Cooper '22 F. E. Phelps '24 J. M. Cushman '25 Jamea Steele '27 Charles C. Cushman '30 George Paine '31 202 HISTOKY OF eUILDHALL. POPULATION 1880. GRAND LIST* U'SS. GBAND LIST. POPDL'N. GKAND LIST. POPUL'N. AveriUf $275.50 Bloomfield 1566.00 Brighton 4899.00 Brunswick 641.85 Canaan 2247.65 Concord 4875.S6 East Haven 741.23 Ferdinand 668.61 Avery's GorelOe.OO 48 Granby $735.53 194 627 Guildhall 1912.31 558 1691 Lemingtonl021.97 222 193 Lewis 424.00 637 Lunenburg 4262.55 1038 1612 Maidstone 1048.34 286 225 Norton 1442.69 239 40 Victory 1318.67 321 ... WarrenGore365.10 Wanier'8Grant45.00 The total population is 7,931 ; of which 7,916 are white, 10 are colored and 5 are Indians. There are 4,175 males and 3,766 females ; 2,311 males are over 21 years old. PRINCIPAL VEGETABLE PRODUCTIONS. Barley, 1,941 bushels; buckwheat, 18, 696 bushels; corn, 8,647 bushels; oats, 92,697 bushels ; rye, 336 bushels ; wheat, 10,S45 bushels; hay 20,831 tons ; hops 7,752 lbs.; potatoes, 166,521 bushels; value of orchard productions, $4,435. LIVE STOCK AND I l"S PRODUCTIONS. Number of horses, 1,617; oxen, 702; milch cows, 3,050; other cattle, 4,489; sheep, 5,397; swine, 1,492; wool, 27,841 lbs.; milk, 22,663 quarts: butter, 310,333 lbs: cheese, 27,150 lbs. »The Gi-and List ia 1 per cent of the valuation. +Averill, Ferdinand, Lewis, Avery's Gore, Warren Gore and Warn- er'a Grant are unorganized towns and gores. Chapter XV. Various Genealogical Records antl Biographical !»> etches of Families and Individuals, some Deceased and others still living. GEORGE WHEELER. Mr. Wheeler was one of the very first settlers of the town, cumitig in 1764. He came with David Page and others as a hunter and trapper, pitching his tent on the south side of "Fisk's Pond;'' he followed this life for a few years, but finally became a farmer. He resided in town many years, but whether he died here we do not know. We are informed that there are no descendants of his living in the town or vicinity at the present time. COL. WARD BAILEY. Col. Bailey, unv of the 12 first settlers, appears to have been a very active and prominent man in promoting the interests and conveniences of the early settlement. He assisted in the construction of the first mills on the Mill Brook, and later built the first mills at the village on the Connecticut. Hs also erected the celebrated "block house'' already referred to. How long CoL Bailey re- mained in the town we do not know; but he was succeed- ed in the ownership of his lands by Hon. Eben W. Judd. During the Revolutionary War Col. Bailey was proba- bly the most active man among the settlers ; he did much toward the protection of the people and property, and was also Commander of the "Rangers" which we have previously doscribed. 24 206 HISTORY OF GUILDHALL. EDWARD BUOKNAM, ESQ. Esquire Bucknam was ono of the 12 first settlers: he was one of a committee appointed to survey the town into lots, and he and Mr. Thomas Darling performed that im- portant service in the year 1787. There are probably no descendants of his in the town now. COL. JONAH GROUT. Was one of the 12 first settlers, but we do not know in just what year he came to town: he was a man of some note among the people of those times, but we are unable to learn very much of him. The records say that a "dis- pute" arose between him and the proprietors; what it was about the records do not state. There are no descendants of his in the town at this time. REUBEN HOWE. Mr. Howe, settled in town in the year 1779; wc are'un- able to learn much of him. He at one time occupied the Pliny Rosebrook farm. SIMON HOWE. Settled in town in 1779 ; he was a substantial and inde- pendent farmer and one of the pillars of the Church. He had quite a number of sons but they have, we believe, all removed west. One of his daughters was the wife of the late Mr. Anson Fisk, formerly of this town. SAMUEL HOWE. Settled in town about 1780. His wife was the daughter of Gapt. Eleazer Rosebrook; they had a large family and both lived to a good old age. He was for many years one of the most respectable, substantial and active citizens of the place. Mr. Howe died in April 1842. HISTORY OF GUILDHALL. 207 MICAH AMY. Was one of the early settlors; ho had, previous to com- ing to Guildhall, settled at Colebrook, X. H., but finally came fo this place in 1775 and commenced operations where John W". Webb now resides, in Maidstone, he sup- posing this to be in Guildhall ; but it turned out to be in- cluded in the "Governor's Rif^lit" of Maidstone, and he lost his claim and improvements. His sons, John., Wm., Micah and Caleb, settled in Guildhall, and brought up families, but they have mostly removed from tovpn. WILLIAM AMY. Known as Esq. Amy, was an excejlent carpenter and millwright. His son William, also familiarly known as Capt. Amy, was a most valuable member of the Churoh; he died iu 1>*45. I lis death was a great loss to the Churt-h. The clerk of th(! Church in recording his death speaks of him as ''a valuable and beloved member of the Congregational Church." CALEB AMY. Known as Maj. Amy was one of the most active militia officers of those days, and a man of the greatest integrity. He married Rebecca, daughter of Benoni Cutler; they lived in town over CO years and removed to N. Y. State. JAMES ROSEBROOK. Mr. Rosebrook joined the settlement in the year 1775 and remained in town as long as he lived. He attained quite a prominent position in the business affairs of the town, being entrusted with many offices of importance. 208 HISTORY OF GUILDHALL. CAPT. ELEAZER ROSEBROOK. Capt. Rosebrook was one of the early settlers, locating in ITTS, and first resided on the meadow of the John P. DenniBon farm, and afterwards lived on what has since been known as the James Perkins farm. During the lat- ter part of the Revolutionary War, he was a scout and ranger. At one time he, with a party, went into Canada on a reconnoitering expedition; but they were suspected of being spies, and upon learning this fact they at once vacated. They were closely followed and obliged to re- sort to means to deceive their pursuers. Coming to a stream near the head waters of the Connecticut, they built a brisk fire, and then extinguished it with water, then stepped into the stream and followed it for a mile nr so, and by so doing left no traces by which the Canadians could follow them, also making it appear as though they had been gone some time. The enemy concluded upon reaching this spot that it was useless to continue the chase and so returned. "Capt. Eleazor Rosebrook made the first settlement at the site of the Pabyan House in 1792. He opened there in 1803 the first house for summer visit- ors ever kept in the White Mountains. His son-in-law, Abel Crawford, long known as the 'Patriarch of the Mountains,' settled at Bemis Station in 1793. The lat- ter's eon, Ethan Allen Crawford, the most famous of the mountain pioneers, took Rosebrook's house in 1817. In 1819 he opened the first foot-path up Mount VVashington. His brother, Thomas J. ('ra\ifford, opened the first bridle- path to the summit in 1840, and his father, then 7.5 years old rode the first horse that ever climbed the mountain." HISTOnr OF GUILDHALL. 20^ WILLIAM ROSEBROOK. Came to Guildhall from Massachusetts ; settled near the Allen farm in the south part of the town. Me married Lydia Dodge ; they had 17 children; ten lived to beoome heads of familifS :-Freelaud, Eleazer, Dorothy, Esther, James, Lydia, Sarah, Amos, Pliuy and Dexter. FREELAND, marrieJ Mary Kilby and settled in Brifi;hton, Vt., they had ten children. ELEAZER, settled in Gouldsborough, Me. DOROTHY, married Abel Benjamin, had Schildrenr Jolmathaii, Alwl and Mary. ESTHER, married Uriah Stewart and lived on the farm now occupied by I. Marshall; had three children. JAMES, married a Misi Whipple; had five children. LYDIA. married Wm. Amy and lived on the farm where Henry English now resides; had one child, now Mrs. Frank Keyes of Watertown, Mass. SARAH, married John Crawford and lived on the farm now occupied by O. Crawford; had 4 children, Chas. Sarah, Erastus and Calvin, now of Watertown, Mass. AMOS, married Hannah Camp and spent their last years in Guildliall ; had 3 children that Y\v^A to adult age, Emily, Elbridgo and Albert. PLINY, married Elizabeth Amy and commenced far- ming on the hiil, lived there two years, then move'l to Burk, lived there 13 years; returned to Guildhall and spent the remainder of his days on the farm now owned by his sons William and Ashley ; had 5 children, William, Elizabeth, Lydia, Ashley and Oril. DEXTEH, went west and died in Dubuque, Iowa. 210 HISTORY OF GUILDHALt. WILLIAM D. ROSEBROOK. Son of Pliny Kosebrook, is now one of our smart and enterprising farmers. He has been prominent iu town affairs and has for many years been a valuable member of the Congregational Church. He represented the town in the State Legislature for the years 1872 and 1873, and has held many other important town offices. HON. WILLIAM HEYWOOD. Was born in Lunenburg, Oct. 6, 1804. His father, Wm. Heywood, came to Lunenburg from Oharlesiown, N. H. His mother came from HarJwick, Mass., her maiden naniewas Mary.Egeny. His father was a tarmer and Mr. Heywood livcd'with him until he was 21, labor-, ing on the farm', except that ho went to an Academy five fall terms, and kept a district school three winters. After he was 10 years old they resided most of the time in Con- cord. He began to study law with Hon. Charles Davis in Waterford, in the fall of 1826. Mr. Davis moved to Danville in 1828 and he went and studied with him there. In the fall of 1830 Mr. Heywood went to Detroit, Mich., and lived there about a year, and while there kept a win- ter school and studied law a few months with Hon. Sam'l A. Fletcher; returning to Concord he was admitted to the bar at Guildhall September Term 1831. Mr. Heywood began the practice of law at Lunen- burg and remained there some four years, and moved to Guildhall in the winter of 1835 and took the place of John S. Wells, who then moved to Bangor, Me. HISTORY OP GUILDHALL. 211 He was manied to Susan Hibbard March 18, 1834, and she died March 10, 18H1. ! lis two livino; children are Honry and Isabel Heywood ; one child diud in infancy and Francis died in the army in the late war. Mr. Hey- wood practiced law and kept an office at Guildhall about twenty years. He removed to Lancaster, in the spring of ISflB and has been in practice tliere ever since. While he resided in Essex County he was State's Att'y for 13 years, Senator for Essex County in 1837 and 1838, was a member of the Constitutional Convention in Vt., in 1851, when considerable alterations were made in the Constitution of the State. About the time''jof Pierce's administration he was a candidate for Representative in CoiuiTess and only failed of an election from the fact that the party to which he belonged being in the minority, Eldeii Sabin was elected against him. Both in Vermont and New Hampshire he has been pushed by some friends as a candidate for the Supreme Oourt Bench, but since he went to N. H., he has sought no office. He is esteemed a very sound, thorough and highly respectable lawyer and has an extensive practice." WILLIAM T. BARRON. Although not long one of our townsmen, Mr. Barron was a smart, clear-headed attorney; he practiced at the bar of our Court from I''45 to 1848, and'was a promising young lawyer, but to him the field seemed hardly large enough and he removed to Chicago, 111., where he rose to the position of Judge; but very unfortunately, about 1860 he was killed in a railroad accident. 21? HISTORY OF nUIl.DITAr.T-. ZEPHANIAH K. WASHBURN. Born May 20, 1800 at Greenwich Mass. Father's name Daniel Washburn, who died at Guildhall May 27, 1841, aged 71 years 10 months. Mother'.^ name. Miilitiah flDop- er Washburn who died at Guildhall,. Jul}' 14, 1852, aged 78 years 5 months. He came to Guildhall with his par- ents March 1>^17, and has. ever since resided in town and has pursued the occupation of farmer and lumberman. For a number of years he owned and operated the '-Wash- burn saw mill" (so called) situated on the north road in Maidstone, and has always been a hard working, honest and worthy citizen, respected by every one; and when he shall have passed the dark river to that land of rest where he can be relieved from the cares and embarassments that have been so constantly present witli him in his long life of toil and industry, he will be able to do what but few men can do in this or any other coaimunity--leave a pure, spotless and irreproachable nauij- He is the oldest person in town, and the oldest member of the Congregational Church of Guildhall living. He was twice married ; his 'first wife's name was Susan Cutler, by whom he had three children; she was born at Guildhall in 1804 and died January 20, 1832, aged 28 years. His seoo.nd wife's name was Harriet Washburn who was born at Springfield, Vt., in -Nov. l>04,and died at Guildhall April 12. 1S78, aged 73 years and 5 months, and they had nine children, five boys and four girls. Both of his wives were in every way worthy to be the helpmeets of so worthy a man. HISTORY OF G0ILDHALL. 213 DANIEL WASHBURN. Brother of Zephaniah K. Washburn, was born at Greenwich, Mass., June 19, 1802, and came to Guildhall with his parents from Springfield, Vt., in March 1817. His wife, Pamelia Bandall, was born in Spring- field, Vt., Feb. 1806, is now living and is a remarkably smart, intelligent and industrious old ludy for a woman of 80 years. They were married in 1826 ; had 11 ohildren 7 boys and 4 girls, of whom 1 son and 3 daughters are now living. Mr. Washburn has followed the business of farmer and lumberman, until recently, when on account of his advanced age he wag obliged to surrender and give up the lumber business, which he had industriously followed winters for a long number of years ; he has probably hand- led a greater number of pine trees and pine logs in his day than any man now living in Essex County, and it is doubtful if there ever has been his equal in this particular branch of lumbering in this section, and what may be con- sidered strange is that he did all this hard work, together with the perplexities and anxieties attending such a busi- ness, at a very small profit, if he ever realized any; for now in his old age, although not a poor man, he is not a man of as much worldly goods as he ought to have, had he reoeiviid a decent compensation for the many years of hard labor he devoted to the business. He is 84 years old, and while his brother Z. K. is only two years older and is very deaf and almost blind, he is as athletic and young in appearance as men in general at 70, and it is to be hoped that he may be allowed to live many years in 214 HisTOBV 07 exnutBAMJ.. health and prosperity, and at last when he shall have pass- ed avay he will have left an example of willingness to undertake and perform any lahor however hard, without hesitation or flinching, whether he was working at a profit or loss. When he was a young man, it was the oustom if a person wanted to go anywhere to "just step out and take a walk;" he walked 60 miles a day without the least trouble or weariness, and the writer has frequent- ly heard him invite some young man to take a short walk with him just to see how they liked it, but as "discretion is the better part of valor" his invitations have not been acoepted. JOSEPH BERRY. Mr. Berry was a smart and talented lawyer, and was one of the early settlers of the town, for his name appears on the church records as one of the seven who first formed the organization of the church in 1799, and in 1803 he was a Deacon. He was Chief Judge of the Court io 182*2, a member of the Governor's Council 1819, 1820, 1821, 1822, 1823 and 1824, State's Attorney 1811, 1812, 1815, 1816, 1817, 1818, 1821, 1823 and 1824, 'and represented the town in 1816. He removed with his family to New- bury, where he practiced law for a number of years when he removed to Iowa, where he died. HON. JOHN 8. WELLS. Between the years 1827 and '46, Mr. Wells was an attorney at the County Court, and most of the time Guild- hall was his place of abode ; he finally removed to New Hampshire, and was at one time a prominent politician. HISTORY OP GDILDHALL. 215 JUDGE DANIEL DANA. After the foundation has been laid and nil made ready, theu the corner stone Is to be laid, and Judge Dana can fitly be called the corner stone of Guildhall and the County of Essex. He was the great man of the times, coming from the State of Connecticut to Guildhall about 1795. He was the first Judge of the Essex County Court, and filled that important office for eleven years in all; he was also Judge of Probate for 10 years and repre- sented the town in the State Legislature 8 years; ho held many other prominent town and county offices. He united with the Congregational Church in 1803, and was chosen Deacon in 1813. He had a numerous family none of whom are residents of this vicinity at the present time. He finally moved to New York State in 1816 and died about 1837 in the town of Pembroke, some 8 miles from Batavia, Genessee County, and his death took from the world a man who had once been one of Guildhall's most noble citizens. Of his grand children living are Mrs. Mary C. Dewey, widow of the late John Dewey, and Mrs. David H. Beattie ; a grandson Hon. Charles A. Dana has been very prominently connected with national afikirs, and the large daily papers of New York City, and is now proprietor of the famous "New York Sun." COL. E. H. WEBB. While in Guildhall he lived on the farm now occupied by A. A. Gray and was a good farmer, industriouB man and good citizen. He moved to Lancaster, N. H., about 1 870 where he died. 216 HI8V0BY or Gini.DHALI.. STEPHEN AMES. Became a resident of Guildhall in the spring of 1842, and lived on what is Icnovn as the Perkins' farm, until April 1880 when he died. Mr. Ames was a very eco- nominal, industrious and prudent man, a good citizen, and ever ready to lend a helping hand to those in need; and no one ever asked him to contribute to any worthy object and was refused. COL. ISAAC CUMMINGS. Was born in Wenham, Mass., Oct, 18, 1799; moved to Northumberland, N. H., in 1S06. He came to Guild- hall when 15 years old to work as an apprentice at saddle and harness making with Col. Henry Hall. He was married in 1822 to Ophelia Perkins of this town, daughter of Z. Perkins a tanner by trade; they had four children, two sons and two daughters; his oldest son Mr, Henry K. is a prominent merchant-in San Francisco, Cal,, the second eon Isaac resides in N. Y., the oldest daughter Kate, (Mrs. Barclay) lives in San Francisco, and the sec- ond daughter Sarah, (Mrs. Merrill) died in 1867 at San Francisco. Mrs. Cummings died in 1865. Col. Cummings was married the second time in 1851 to Hannah T. Young of Stewartstown, N. H., and had five children, four sons and one daughter; one of the sons died at the age of six years, and another at the age of 11 years. Prom about 1822 Col. Cummings kept hotel 11 years. He was engaged in military affairs, and was promoted to Colonel by which title he was thereafter known. He held many oEBces of trust: Postmaster, Judge of Probate, Clerk of the Court of Essex County. He united with the Metho- HISTOBT OF GUILDHALL. 217 diat Church in 1843, and was an official member up to the time of his death Oct. 11, 1880. BENONI CUTLER. Originally came from Connecticut, he was a soldier in the Pverioh and Indian war, and a Captain in the Revolu- tion, at about the close of which he came to Vermont, first moving to Windsor, but in 1784 he came to Guildhall; he first resided on the meadov where Mr. Rice 20 years be- fore had first commenced, being on the farm owned by Wm. and H. Haywood. He remained there 3 years and then purchased the 12th settlers' lot and the 300 acres grant to Osgood and Bailey, including the mills, then on Spauldings brook. He was one of the first Justices of the Peace, and almost always held some town office ; he was also one of the 7 persons composing the church organiza- tion in 1 899; he lived to be over 60 years of age and died in 1806 ; was buried in the north burying ground, being among the first buried there. He had a family of 7 sons, viz: Charles, Theophilus, William, Joseph, Royal, Erastus and Zara ; and 2 daughters Rebecca and Luoy. CHARLES CUTLER Resided in town many years ; was prominent and active in public affairs of Town and Church, holding frequent offices of responsibility. He moved west, with most of his family, where he lived to be over 90 years of age, THEOPHILUS CUTLER. Resided in town most of his life; was smart and rather distinguished as a constable and collector of taxes ; had a family of 5 sous and 3 daughters. He died, being over 80 years old, at Lunenburg. 218 HI8T0BY OF cmLISALI.. WILLIAM CUTLER. Was an enterprising man ; he was uhosen Deacon of the Congregational Churck in 1810, and held that offiae till he died. JOSEPH CUTLER. He was a smart young man, bat died early in manhood leaving no family. ROYAL CUTLER. Was born in 1778 at Windsor, and was about 6 yean old when his father came to Guildhall, and from the time he came with his father until his death he lived in town. He was a very trustworthy and smart man; he held many public offices, being Town Clerk, Selectman, Treasurer for a great many years, delegate to the Constitutional Convention, Justice, Assistant Judge of the County Court and Judge of Probate; he was also identified with the pnblic interests ef his fellow citizens in all branches during his entire life. He died in 1856 in his 78tb. year. ERASTUS CUTLER. Was a man highly esteemed by the Church and society, possessing the confidence of all, being repeatedly honored by his fellow-townsmen and the Church, of which he was a deacon for 13 years. He was a very great help in sus- taining meetings for religious worship on the Sabbaths, during the times in which the church was without a preach- er; he left one child now the wife of Hon. Wm. H. Hartshorn. Mr. Cutler died Apr. 1832 in his 49th. year. ZARA CUTLER. Was born in Guildhall in 1786, and was a lawyer; he HISTOKY or GUILDHALL. 219 went to Conway, N. H., >»hcre he died March 1861 being 75 years old. He was a very ahla and prominent lawyer and had a large and lucrative practice in that Ticinity. Rebecca Cutler married Caleb Amy. Lucy Cutler married and finally went to N. Y. to reside. MILTON CUTLER. Was a prominunt oitizon, holding many offices. He was Assistant Judge of the County Court for the years 1860 and 1862. About 1861 he wrote a sketch on the history of Guildhall for Mrs. Hemenway's Vt. Gazetteer, which was very nicely gotten up and his work should be appreciated much more than it apparently is. He moved to Illinois Dec. 13, 1865. July 9th. 1«85 he and his iamily made a settlement at Jetmore, Hodgeman Co., Kaa., by entering a quarter section as a homestead. NATHANIEL SHAW. Came to town in 1838; he has been a farmer most of the time and for a long time owned and operated the aqueduct, which supplies the village with water. THE EMERY FAMILY. Joshua and Hannah Emery came to Guildhall in March 1846, moving on the "Call place'' now owned by A. M. Grout; there were 7 children, 4 boys and 3 girls, one of the daughters being born after they came to town. The children were ; John P., George C, Stephen W., Louisa L., Warren D., Elizabeth H., Elsa A. and Adeline H. George C. died January 10, 1856 aged about 25 years. John P. married Miss Louisa Sanderson in 1855 ; they had 7 children; he died in April 1884. Stephen W. married Betsa Amy of this town ; they have had 6 children; 3 died in infancy and 8 are now living. 220 HISTORY OF GUTLDHALL. Warren D. married Ruby S. He.tidrick of Concord ; they have 4 children, 3 boys and 1 girl. Louisa 6. married John F. Hartshorn and lived in Canaan, they have 1 boy. Elizabeth H. married Marvin Fletcher of Canaan, and after his death married Charles Weeks of Canaan; has 4 children. Elsa A. married John Carby of Lunenburg; they have 2 children living, and 2 have died. Adaline married John Flanders of Canaan. Joshua Emery lived on the Call farm 5 years, and then moved on the Bothel place where he lived until his death in 186V*; hi.' ■^ife Hannah died in 1876. Stephen \V. and Warren D. now live on the Bothel place. HARDEN WILLARD. Came to tl^is county very early and settled in Maidstone; he was a young man at that time but finally removed west. HUBBARD WILLARD. Youngest son of Harden Willard, vsrasborn August 24, 1829, became a resident of Guildhall in 1860. Miss Mariette Follansby became his wife March 5, 1S56. Theilr children are, -Mrs. C. E. Hubbard, George and Mary ; this last child died when 21 months old; a brighter little girl never lived in Guildhall. Mr. Willard has held various town oifices and in other ways been promi- nent in town. ^ He is considered an influential, honorable and trustworthy citizen; is a carpenter and joiner by trade, but now owns a farm on the north road and is spending most of his time taking care of and working his farm, which by his ability and industry he has made one of the best and most productive in the town. HISTORY OP GUILD HALL. 221 DR. JOHN DEWEY.* BY HON. WM. HETWOOD. Was one of the remarkable men of Essex County. He was born at Hanover, N. H., Dec. 5, 1794. He received his education in his profession mainly under the tullion of Dr. Nathan Smith; and his medical degree from Dart- mouth College. He commenced his profession very young in Canada, remaining there till he was attacked with a disease in his eyes, which for a time threatened him with blindness. Recovering from this infliction, he established himself at Hill, N. H., and about 1 822 came to Guildhall. For nearly twenty years he was the leading physician In this section. Here he became a practitioner of large experience and great skill and judgment. No man was more relied upon in case of difficulty and danger. He gave up his profession as a business about 1840, upon becoming involved in business of other kinds. He married Mary P. Carlisle, Feb. 1832. In 1H41 he moved to a beautiful farm in Maidstone. Here he and his wife kept a most hospitable home ; and many have been the times that acquaintances far and near have assembled there to enjoy auch entertainment as no one else could dispense,-for the Doctor besides his liberality, had the manners of an accomplished gentleman ; and he was also a man of fine proportions and presence. The stranger also from city or country who might chance to stop in the neighborhood was sure to be invited to partake of their hospitalities. AnH there was no obstentation in this, but •This stctch was originaUy written by Mr. Heywood for Mrs. Hemen- way'8 Gazetteer. As we give it, It is considerably abbreviated. 222 BISfOBY OF OUIbDHAU.. such generosity was a characteristic, and the poor never went hungry from his door, — many have been the bags- full and the basketsfuU and the back loads with which the destitute of his neighborhood have been loaded from his stores. Dr. Dewey was a man of extraordinary persever- ance and great energy of character. In politics he was a whig, and later a republican, and it never was with half assent that he supported and advocated the measures of his party. Ho was a member of the State Legislature for twelve years. He was Assistant Judge 1^26, '7; a member of the council of censors, and for several years he received appointments from the Legislature, such as director of the state prison, etc. The Doctor was able in debate, and many of his speeches would be a credit to any debater and worthy of any legislative body. Dr. Dewey entered into the support of the government with zeal to put down the rebellion, and lent every aid in his power to that end. On a summer evening he rode to the house of a neighbor where in course of a talk upon political affairs he became excited, not from opposition (for in political opinion they did not differ,) and on his way home he was attacked by a paralysis of the brain, and when he arrived home he was insensible, and was carried into the house and died the next morning, which was July 11, 1862, aijd no man in all the community could have been more widely missed. HISTORY OF GUILDHALL. 223 MR. CHESTER W. SCHOPF. Was born in Brunswick, August 26, 1832, and came to reside in Guildhall in 1848. When he was 24 years of age he married Malinda Green and they reside in the villao-e. They have had 3 children ; Ella, who died while quite young, Nelly A., born in 1864, Charles, born in 1866. Mr. Schoff is one of the leading men of the town and county; he has at various times filled to the great credit of himself and the people of this town, many important offices. SAMUEL R. HALL. Mr. Hall was an early settler and a prominent man; he came from Cornish, N. H., and was long known as "Dea- con Hall ;" he was a practical surveyor and was much employed in surveying roads, etc. He removed from town about 1812 and became a preac}ier at Rumford, Maine. He had several sons and daughters brought up here. JOSIAH B. son of S. R. Hall was a smart farmer, but he removed with his family to Ohio in 1S34 where his children were educated. COL. HENRY HALL. Was an early settler. For many years he carried on a very extensive saddle and harness business. He was quite prominent in town and military affairs. He represented the town in the State Legislature for the year 1834. FRANK HALL. Col. Henry Hall's grandson and oldest son of the late Henry S. Hall formerly of Northumberland; was born Aug. 1844. He came to Guildhall when he was 8 years old and has made this town his home most of the time since. 224 HISTORY OF GUILDHALI.. For quite a number of years he has had a store in the vil- lage, doing an extensive business. He is an influential citi- zen and is Post-master for the Guildhall office. Jan. 1875 he married Sarah A. Russell; they have 2 boys living, Fred N., and Harlie S., and one son died in infancy. DAVID KENT, JR. Was born in Canterbury, N. H., Sept. 28, 1795, and when he was 22 years old he went to Stewartstown, N.H. where he resided some 40 years. He came to Guildhall in 1857 and lived here until his death Sep. 1st, 1882. He was 3 times married, and father of 4 children. Mr. Kent was a soldier in the war of 1812. W. H. LEITH, M. D. Born at Haverhill, N. H., in 1859; was educated at the common schools in that town and at the Academies at Plymouth, N. H.; where he led his class. He then went into Dr. S. P. Carbie's office at Haverhill. He took his first course of lectures at Burlington in 1881 ; was President of class in 1883 and ranked amongthe very first in the class. He located in town in 1884, and has been very sucoeBsful in the practice of his profession, and it is hoped that he will see fit to make Guildhall his purman- ent residence. REV. CALEB BURGE, A. M. The Rev. Caleb Burge,first pastor of the Congregational Church of Guildhall, was born in Springfield, educated at Middlebury and came to Guildhall when he was about the age of 30 in the year 1808, and was installed pastor of said church on the last Wednesday of August of that year. REV. CALEB BCRGE. HISTORY OP &UILDHALL. 22*1 He was of the Calvaniatio school, and was the founder of the church in Guildhall, being the author of their creed and articles of faith. His labors were to establish the church in the soundest orthodoxy ; believing it indispensi- able that a church should bo firmly grounded in the Faith. It was during his ministry the greatest revival ever in town, or as it is termed the "great revival" occurred, and in the year 1810 over 70 joined the church, 41 being admitted on one day. His labors with the church were ve^y successful and the loss was a heavy one to the place when he was dismissed, the reasons for which we have given ; this was Feb. 16, 1B14; ho went from here to Brattleboro, from there to Glastenbury.Conn., then to N. Y. State. We learn that while returning from a funeral at which he had preached the sermon, he was throvn from his carriage and instantly killed, and what is a sin- gular thing his text was-"Be ye also ready, for in such an hour as ye think not, the Son of Man cometh." In person, Mr. Burge was tall and powerful, and while he resided in town he not only preached, bat owned and occupied a farm. He produced a work entitled "Burge on the Atonement," which was at^that early date consid- ered equal if not superior to any that had been written upon the subject. REV. JAMES TISDALE. Secon<1 pastor of the Congregational Church, was from Taunton, Mass. He graduated at BrowQ University in 1821 ; studied theology with Rev. A. Cobb, of Taunton. His first labors in this part of New England were in the 228 HISiHJRY OP eUILDHAW.. capacity of a missionary, preaching in Burke, Granby and other places about a year. The Guildhall church gave him a call and Sep. 29, I5i30 he was ordained pastor, and continued that relation until May 5, 1836. He was considered a faithful pastor and was very suc- cessful; during his ministry, 28 were added to the church. He went to N. H., from there to 111. He died Peb.28, 1863. REV. FRANCIS P. SMITH. Third pastor of the Congregational Church; a native of Gilmanton, N. H. , was educated at Dartmouth, and was in his younger days a lawyer. He finally became a lic- ensed preacher a"nd for two years supplied the pulpit at Epsom, N. H.; he came to Guildhall October 1837, and remained in town occupying the same position until May 1844. Mr. Smith was one of those men while a lawyer, could truthfully be called an "honest lawyer," remarkable for his uprightness and integrity ; as a man artless, ami- able, social and friendly, as a Christian pastor, meek and zealously engaged in promoting the spiritual aud temporal interests of the church and people. He was instrumental in advancing all interests of education, and whatever would serve the welfare of the people was his deligiit. "He in some degree fell a pray to the malice of some whose errors and enmity his zeal and faithfulness corrected or reproved, and in his moral character was most villain- ously traduced and greviously wronged." The church did not uphold and sustain him as it should have done, and it is a noticeable fact that from that day to this, it has not enjoyed amytking like its former prosperity. BieTOBY OF eiHLDHALL. 229 After leaving here he went to Maine where he was en- gaged by the Maine Miasionary Society for years. Says the council, in dismissing Mr. Smith, "We rejoice that, among the reasons assigned why brother Smith's pastoral relation should be dissolved, nothing was present- ed derogatory to his Christian character, or his standing as a minister of the Gospel; and could cheerfully recom- mend him to the churches of Christ as a faithful, devout and worthy minister." By his labors 67 were added. REV. IRA BEARD. Came as pastor of the Methodist church in 1844, which was then in its infancy; his charge extended from Lan- caster bridge to Heriford, Canada. They had no church then, and meetings were held in the old court house. Mr. Beard had a wife and one child at that time, and his receipts all told for the first year were $108.; ha wrote in a recent letter, "Rather small pay, the boys of the present day would think, but, O! if I could only strip off my coat now and put into the work as I could then how quickly I would do it, pay or no pay." GOV. GEORGE N. DALE. The subject of this sketch was born at Fairfax, Feb. 19, 1834, atid lived in Waitsfield, from six months to 21 years of age. He was educated scantily in the common schools and attended Thetford Academy 2 or 3 years, during which time his limited means compelled him to pursue only those branches which he regarded as the most neces- sary and beneficial in the practice of law, which profession, very early in life, he had determined to follow. He read during the time required in the office of Messrs Dilling- ham & Durant. 230 HTSTORY OP GUILDHAI.L. He was admitted to practice at the March Term, 1?56, of the Washington County Court. In December of the same year' lie borrowed money to defray his expenses and came to Guildhall. Here he formed a partnership with Hoti. Wm. H. Hartshorn, which continued about two years. Ke soon became very much attached to the place and people, and did a growing business until 1861, being State's Attorney during most of the ti:iie. Ho was elect- ed Representative of Guildhall in the Legislature in 1860 for the purpose of opposing the dismemberment of the County, and took part in the memorable session of April 1861. In Jutie of the same year he was appointed Depu- ty Collector of Customs and took charge of the Port of Island Pond which position he held until 1866 when he was elected to the State Senate to which he was re-elect- ed in 1867, 1868 and l.^:C9. In the year 1870 he was elected Lieut. Governor and in 1871 he was reappointed Deputy Collector of the Port of Island Pond, which posi- tion he resigned in lf82. In November 1885 ho was elected President of the Vermont Bar Association. Ou the election of Judge Steele in 1863, Gov. Dale was substituted for Judge Steele in the firm of Steela & Rob- inson under the name of Dale & Robinson, having an office at Derby Line, and Barton. Soon after he formed a partnership with B. F. D. Carpenter Esq., having an office at West Ciiarleston, and continued in connection with them for several years, having his office at Island Pond, where he now resides, and does a large and profita- ble business and is regarded as one of the ablest lawyers now living and in active practice of the law in the State. IIISTQRY OF GUlJ-RHAIiL. ;231 H()N. ISAAC CUSHMAN. Was a descendant of Robert Ciishmaii who came to this ci'iiUuent in the Mayflower. He curne to Guildhall early in this centui-y and located at the south part of the town. Uc was Judge of Probate fiom 1815 to '22. Mr. Cusliman in his old aije went and spent the remain- der of his days with one of hia sons at Troy, N. Y. GEN. SETH CUSHMAx'. Previous to coming to Guildhall, Gen. Gushman resid- ed with his fatiier. Hon. Isaac Cushman. in Connecticut, and WHS at the time of his father's ,«cfctling in Guildhall stn lying law with an acquaintance in Vermont, and when he was read/ to try for admission to the bar, Guildhall was recommended to him; he came to town and was in 1H04 admitted to the bar and continued his residence with : the exception ni' oiip, year until 1845 when he died, at the age ol' 63. Gen. Cushman was a very talented man and probably fevv men possesso 1 a greater amount and variety than he, and had his moral and religious principles equair ed his natural abilities, he would have been the pride of the place and his frierid.s ai\d a bright ornament of the Cliuivh and his State. lie was entertaining at home, iu the social circle, at the bar, and as an officer in the field. At Ijhe bars of most counties in this part of the country he was the peer of .such men as Hon. John Mattocks, James Bell and Isat-.c Fletcher, all "giants of theirtiine." Hon. James Bell,* in addressing the jury of Orleans ('ounty Court in a case where a mother was on trial for the murder of her own idiild, as he stood up in the dignity oi'old age, and casting his eyes along the vacant places inside the bar, where were the wonted scats of his "fallen brethren," he said : — '-May it please your honor, and genilemeii of the jury : I stood among'giants, though not of them; my comrades at the bar have fallen. Fletcher! the •.Mrs. Hemenway'9 Vt. Gazmteer, sketch of Walden. 232 HISVOBY OF GUILDHALL. untiring and laborious counselor, the persuasive advocate, the unyielding combatant, if where ! Eternity echoes, here! Cushman, the courtly and eloquent Isiwyer, the kind and feeling man, the polished and social companion and friend. Where now is he? The world uoiieen alone can say." Gov. Geo. N. Dale, in a letter to the author, gaya of Gen. Cushman: I understand him to have been a man nearly 6ft. in height, full size very erect in form and bear- ing, a man most decidedly accurate and a plwmb in thig respect, of most genteel and elegant appearance, and with faultless manners. In all that I have heard of him, 1 find no memory of a rough or vulgar expression of him, which always seemed singular when we consider his reputation for somewhat questionable gallantry. As an advocite I understand him to have been of the very finest type, very choice in the use of language aud having a wonderful fac- ulty of elicitiny; the sympathy of his auditors. Ilis eifurts seemed to have -been temporary in their iuSuence and effects which seem to have passed away with the occasion that produced them. I have heard such men asi Judge Redfield, and Judge Smalley relate instances in v?hich he had rescued clients from defeat in court in a manner scarce- ly, if ever, equalled in Vermont. His efforts before the Legislature, among which is one urging the commuta- tion of a death sentence to imprisonment for life, are said to be the very finest ever made in thi State. Hon.- Wm. Heywobd* says of him : He was a m-i'i of remarkable forensic talents. He was not a deep student of the law, but his knowledge was sufficient to enable him t(i manage a trial skillfully. I never knew a lawyer of more resources. His perceptions were quick; almost without an effort he would understand a case and I have known him to sit down to a jury trial without instructions and render •Aa we go to press with this chapter, we receive from Hon Wm Heywood a vei-y interesting sketch on the life of Gen. Cushman- we hftve made room for part of it, and wish we could print all ' HISTORY OF GUILDHALL. 233 efficient aid. He was a brilliant advocate ; he was a very successful lawyer in the defence of criminal proseootions. I recollect that in a very important jury trial he and Judge John Mattocks were engaged in the defence and Gen. Cushman made the opening argument. After he had finished Judge Mattooke arose and said that Gen. Cttshman had so argued the case that ho should do beet to say nothing, and he sat down. G-en. Oushman was a man of handsome presence of accomplished and gentleman- ly manners. He was always kind and ready to aid the youi'gcr members of the profession. He was a man of deep sympathies. He would aid a poor man with no ex- pectation of pay with as much zeal as though he was sure of a large fee. Guildhall was and is yet a small vil- lage and a very narrow field for a distinguished man with such talents as Gen. Cushman possessed. He had the ability to have distinguished himself in a much greater field. But he also had failings which were a clog upon his success. A year befDre he died he had a paralytic shock, and though ho got up so as to be around the village it was sad to see him, the wreck of an able man. He was many ways a man to t)e admired. H. N. ALLIN. Came with his father, Matthew Allin about 1840, and became the owner of a large tract of farming land, and at one time was the most extensive farmer in town, but could not be contented \4'ith farming business alone and embarked in the lumber business about 1810, an occupa- tion in which he was entirely unacquainted, and about 1&74 he failed for a large sum, went into bankruptcy, and left town. He now rcsidus in the State of New Jersey. DANIEL KEITH. Came to town about- 1S32 residing on the hill, but in 1852 he removed to the valley and for years operated the farm now carried on by his son Charles. He was a leading citizen in town. He died in 1861. 234 HiaXOBY OF gcildball. DANIEL KEITH. Son of Daniel Keith, was born July 1831, and has re- sided in various places but is now living in the village. He married Miss Thankful Jacksou who keeps a milli- nery and fancy goods store. DEA. CHARLES KEITH. Was born in town, Aug.29, 1833. He married Emeline M. Joslin, Oct. 14, I'^Ti, and they live on the farm already alluded to, which is about 1^ miles west of the village. He has almost continuously for a long time held the important town office of coUeotor of taxes and for quite a number of years been one of the Deacons of the Cong'l Chuioh. Dea. Keith is considered one of the clear headed men of the town, and the fact of his so successfully carry- ing out his ideas in public life amply proves the above statement. DBA. AZRO BURTON. Was born in Norwich Feb. 28, 1813. He married Miss Sophia Morse at Bradford March 6, 1839 ; they moved to Guildhall in 1841, on a farm in the south part of the town, whore he now resides. They had three daughters; Addie D., born July 21, 1841, and married Col. E. R. Kent, of Lancaster, Jan. 1862; Emily S., born Feb. 29, 1844, resides at Lancastc; Ella M., born Jan. 6, 1849; she died quite young. Mrs. Burton died March 27, 1861. He married Miss Jane P. Freeman, Feb. 18, IS'69. Dea. Burton united with the Cong'l Church at Norwich in 1839; was chosen one of the Deacons of the Church at Guildhall in 18.56; he has held most of the offices in the town, some of them every year for 40 years; he never had occasion to sue any one and was never sued, and has always lived in peace with all his neighbors- HISTOny OF GUILDHALL. 235 CALEB CALL. Came to town from Hartland about 1805; his son Sim- eon waB about 15 years of age when his father came and they both thereafter lived and died in town, residing on Guildhall hill. NELSON CALL. Born in lt^40 and lived on the hill until 1875 when he moved to the beautiful farm in the southwest corner of the village where he now resides. He married Martha A. Stone in I860. Mr. Call has always followed farming as a business, in which he has been successful. JONATHAN POOLE. Was born in Orford, N. H., Oct. 27, 1812. When he was quite a young man his family moved to Piermont, and it was at this place that Mr. Poole first commenced to learn the trade he so successfully followed until his death Sept. 21, 1885. His stay at Piermont was com- pnratively a short one for soon afler he removed to Hav- erhill, and there resided until he was 29 years old. He married Mii57, and has held other town offices. THOMAS II. HUBBARD. Son of George. Hubbard; born Feb. 21, 1^50. He re- sided, in town for quite a number of years, being a mer- phantj but finally niraoved to Watertown, Mass. lie; is engaged in the wholesale paper business at Boston, bsiri' one of. the leading salesmen for the firm of Pulsifer, Jordan & Pfaff, one of the largest and best paper houses in the United States. 238 HISTORY OF GUILDHALL. HORACE E. HUBBARD. Born April 20, 1S54. He married Miss Edith A. Riek- atds May 6, 1879 and they reside in town. He is an en- terprising and capable man, and keeps one of the stores ill the village which he has suoces.sfuUy managed for' the past few years. JOHN HUBBARD. Youngest son of the late Hon. Horace Hubbard, carries on the farm which his father did before him, on the north road. He is one of the leading farmers of the town. He married Susan D. Massuro July 2, 184-6. Their children are: Calvin H., Delia P., George A., Charles E., Ann Eliza and Harry. Mr, Hubbard married, Harriet Woodbury March 20, 1>:()0. Their children are, Lois .M., Lilla H.. William D., Ernest A. and Mabel H. BENSLEY P. COliB. . ■Born Jan. "23, 1810; oarpe to town in 1855, and rusided here, with the exception of one year, until his death, Jan. 5, 1880. He was twice nian-ied; his first wife was Emily Black whom he married in 1832. His second wife Martha A. Foss, born in Strafford, N. H., Nov. 22, 1822 he married May 7, 1^40; they had 8 children, the three youngest being born in Guildhall. HON. RICHARD SMALL. Hon. Richard Small was born in Limingtoii, York County, Maine, September .SOtli, 1808. He resided there, and in the adjoining town of Buxton, till 1845. He niaile several voyages in a sailing vessel to the West Indies while a young man. He was marriiil to Abba A. Jose, April 30th, 1834 et Buxton, by Rev. Levi Loring, pastor ofthe Congregational Church, at, Buxton Centre. Mr. Small, although bred a farmer, kept a country store about five years in Limington, and afterwards about four years at a place called Scarboro Corner, in York County. HISTORY OF GUILDHALL. 23H In March 1845, Mr. Small and his father-in-law, the late Mr. Alexander Jose of Buxton, purchased the General Seth Cushman farm in (Juildhall, nearly opposite the vil- lage of Lancaster, N. H., and removed there the same month, going from Buxton to Guildhall, through the White Mountain Notch. Mr. Small and his family trav- elled the entire journey in one of the, bo called, Concord stage coaches of the olden time. He was justly regarded as a leading citizen of the town and county. He repre- sented Guildhall in the Vermont Legislature for the year 1855. lie was also assistant judge of the Essex Co. Court in 1867 and I'-'GS. At different times he worthily held nearly every important office his fellow town's-men could bestow. Judge and Mrs. Small united with the Congregational Church in Lancaster, soon after moving to Guildhall, and he continued one of its most active, faithful and devoted members to the end of his life. He was a thoroughly upright and christian gentleman, high- ly estceuieil by a large circle of relatives, neighbors and friends. In politics, Mr. Small was a whig, in early life, and afterwards joined the rcpnl)]ioan party, when it was organized, to which he remained thoroughly attached un- til he died. No kinder hearted man or better neighbor ever lived than Richard Small. He died August 28th, 1('82, leaving bis estimable widow, his daughters Mrs. Sallie Burnside Ray wife of Hon. Ossian Ray, and Mrs. Abbie S. Porter of Lancaster and his sons Dr. Horatio N. Small and John C. Small of Portland, „Maine, to lament the loss of an affectionate husband and father. 240 HISTORY OF GUILDHALL. HON. PUTNEY R. FOLLANSBY'S FAMILY EECORD, ON HIS FATHER'S SIDE. Records show that the family was a Norman family who followed the fortunes of the Duke of Normandy ia his successful conquest of England in 10C6. Thos. Fullansby, his great grandfather, emigrated to America in I7r>0; set- tled at Newburyport, Mass. ; served in the French war ; was in the battle of Lake George in 1758 and assisted in the building of fort Wm. Henry ; he was a carpenter and ship-builder. He had 3 sons: Wm., Benjamin and Sam- uel. Benjamin, (Mr. F's grandfather, ) a carpenter by trade, came to Hill, N. H., about 1800 and died there in 1836. He left a large family : had 3 wives and children by them all; his first wife, (Mr. F's grandmother, ) was a Peabody, from Danvers, Mass., and a relative of the late Geo. Peabody the London banker. He had 4 sons and 1 daughter by his first wife : Thomas, John, James, Willard and Ruth. Jamea, his father, was born in May 1800; ho married Ruth Rowell in 1824 at Bradford; moved to Hill, N. H., where resided till 1827, when he went to live with Mr. F's grandfather Rowell in Bradford, where they lived till 1839. Mr. Rowell for many years had what was then called the "western fever," and when he sold jiis farm it was with the expectation of going west ; but it seems he got over it. In the fall of 1838, Mr. James Follansby and Mr. Row- ell visited Essex county ; they wore so well pleased that that James Follansby purchased the Wm. Rich farm in Maidstone, which is the third farm on the river north of Guildhall. They moved in March 1839; Putney's grand- father died there in lb'45, and his grandmother in 1849. His brother, Jasper Hazen, born 1828 and died 1842: his sister, Maryette, (Mrs. H. Willard,) was bora 1833. HISTOKir or GUILDS ALL. 241 FAMILY RECORD, ON HIS MOTHER'S SIDE. His groat great grandfather's name was ThoB. Rowell. who was born in Amesbury, Mass., sabsequontly moved to Waruer, N. H., where hia great grandfather Aaron Rowell was born in 1740; ho came to Bradford whore he died in 1816, leaving his large farm to his son Aaron,(Mr. Follansby's grandfather, ) who married Polly Putney, daughter of John Putney who went into the Revolutionary Army at the commencement of hostilities; was with Gen. Montgomery in hia ill fated expedition agalnat Canada and fell with that brave commander at Quebec in 1775. Hia grandfather had no sons, but 9 daughters all lived to old age; two yet survive, Mrs. Sally Hutchins of this town, aod Mrs. Hannah CoU>y of Albert Lee, Iowa; his mother's name vas Ruth, born at Bradford and died at Maidstunc, March 1866. HON. PUTNEY R. FOLLANSBY. Born in Hill, N. H., July '2i, 1826; was the oldest son. He married Amanda Lucas Johnson Oct. 16, 1849, she was bora May IS.i'^. They have lived in towo since the spring of 1670. 0' their children, two died in early in- fancy. Lois H., born May 1851, died in Oregon Mar. '84. James L., born Feb. 1854, is a merchant at Btayton, Ore. Far.* A., born Dec.l!j59, married T. A. Chase; resides at Derby Line. Nfllie M., bom '63, died '64. Kate C, born Apr. '67 and Fred L., born Sep. '70 both reside at home. Mr. Follanaby is a surveyor of land and lumber for the lumber corapaniea which operate on the Conn, river. He is one of the prominent men of the town and county; has repeatedly held offices; has been justice most of the time since 1850. He represented Maidstone in 1852-3-8-9-62-3; was County Commissioner 1854-f; represented Guildhall 1876-7 ; was Judge of Probate 1879-80, being elected on the democratic ticket, and the district vas very strongly repablican, a fact which speaks highly of him. 242 HIBVOBY OF GiriLOBAU.. JUDGE DAVID HOPKINSON. Was a native of Molbury, Mass., and Sarah Kennedy Hi)pkinson his wife born in Haverhill, Mass., came to Guildhall in April 1776, and drew their two children, Joshua whp was then 3 years old, and David who was 10 months old, on a moose sled from Haverhill, N. H., and on their arrival, pitched upon the place where Wra. Hop- kins now lives for their home. They cleared up the land and made for themselvei), and their children a comfortable and prosperous home, and from which no deserving needy one was ever tamed. He was a man of good capacity and was very prominent in public afl'airs: he was Chief Judgeof the Essex County Court for the years 1812-15. They had 10 children, viz : Joshua, born April 1773, died May 1839, he married Mary Monroe, they lived on the farm where he was first taken off the moose sled, the greater part of their lives, and labored faithfully to pro- vide for the wants of themselves and children, Wm. A., and Mary, (Mrs. Wm. Hopkins.) Mrs. Hopkinson died March 18, 1836. HON. DAVID HOPKINSON. JR. Born July 8, 1775 and landed in Guildhall in April 1176, where he lived until he removed to Derby where he died Nov. 8, 1837. He married Dorcas Hugh bora Nov. 1780, died Nov. 1863. They bad 9 children: Russell, Portia H., Guy, Isaac, John H., Aim, Sarah, Dorcas and Portus. He was a very influential citizen, a man of first class ability and "acted well his part" in whatever place he was chosen by his fellow citizens, or appointed by the Government to fill, and tho name of Hon. David Hop- kinson is one that his cbildrons' children can look upon with great pride and veneration. When he lived in town he owned and occupied the lot known as the "Governor's Right," beiug a part of the land taken by his father when HISTORY OF GUILDHALL. 243 he came to Guildhall in 17T6, and where his widow re- sided at the time of her death Nov.18, 1863. HENRY born Oct.lfVT went to 111., where he died. JOHN, born Oct. 1779 died in infancy. SALLY, born Dec. 1783 died at Cowpton, P. Q. ISAAC, born Apr. 1785 died at sea. NO YES, born Feb. 1788 died at Derby. POLLY, born May 1792 died in infancy. POLLY, born March 1795 died in Canada. FRANCIS, born July 1796 died at Guildhall July 31, 1817. Of all the number, not one who bears, or ever bore the name of Hopkinaon is at the present time living in town, excepting Mrs. Wni. Hopkins. JOSHUA HOPKINSON. Born Apr. 1773 and was brought to Guildhall when 3 years old, and ever after Guildhall was bis home till the time of his death May 1839. He was a farmer and he and his brother owned and occupied the "Governor's Right," and adjoining lots. He was a man of good ability and during his life held many oiiices of trust in town. He married Mary Monroe a native of Keene, N.H., born Mar. 1775, died 1S36. They had two children: Wm. Aldrich, born 1^08, went to N. Y. where ho died, 1860 : be had 3 sons and 1 daughter: Benjamin, Wm. D,, and Henry. Benj. went to Paris, Jlich..i^lleury died young. Wm. D., is a resident of Paris, Mich., and by the kindness of bis aunt Mrs. Wm, Hopkins we publish part of a letter which^shows the necessity of town histories and family records being kept, as well as information which the pres- ent residents and those who shall take Iheir places can look at with great pleasure, feeling that an influence has gone forth from the dear cdd town that is doing good not only for the present but for the future. 244 HiBCOBT OF eutLDniu.. "Paris, Mich., May 26, 1885. David HopMnson, Esq., Derby, Vt. Dear Sir: My fattier died when I was eleven years of age, about 25 or 26 years ago, and knowing that he came from Vermont I write to you to ascertain if possible, some information in regard to my ancestry. My father Wm. Aldrich Hopkinson died at Corning, N. Y. Being lefthome- ] ess I went on the Brie Canal for two years, saved my wages, went to school, finally to College at Poughkeepsie, ST. Y. Came west, taught school many years, ana now have the superintending of 87 schools. My father was vdl educated and followed civil engineering : helped to survey northern Michigan in 1842, being then in the U. S. Survey. What I want to know is, can you give me Information that may en- able me to trace my geneology back. I have a dim recollection of many things my father said of Vermont." Mary, the daughter, married a Mr. Smith and resides in Miohigan. It would be gratifying if «e could publish more in relation to the Hopkinson families but must leave it for some of the descendants, who can if they see fit gather the informatiou, and cause to be kept a very interesting family record. WILLIAM HOPKINS. Bora at Oabot, June 7, 1810, and ciime lo Quildhall in 1832: be married Mary Hopkinson, daughter of Joshua Hopkinson, and has livad ou the farm that Mr. Hopkin- son occupied during his lifetime. Mr. Hopkins is a good farmer and a hard working, industrious man. He and his wife both got severely injured by a collision on the Grand Trunk Railway, a number of years ago, and both of them Lave suffered very seriouslyj! from it, although at the time the Railroad Co. tried to make it appear that they were dishonest in claiming damages, but after an expensive law-suit they got a small sum. Time, and their lame and crippled condition in their old age shows which were in the right, they, or the paid agents of the R. R. Co. They are the parents of 5 children, all now living: Joshua P., has a family and lives in town ; he married a daughter of the late Carr Wilson. John lives in Lancaster, and owns and keeps the "Williams House" of that place. Charles, has always lived with hia parents and now carries on tha farm, and is an industrious lUSTOIlY OF GDILDIIALL. 245 Citizen. Mary O., married a Mr. Wilson, and resides in Mass. Abbie E., married a Mr. Hartshorn and has always resided in town; she MOW lives with her parents, having as the Court decided, a just cause for a divorce from her husband. CAPT. SIMON SMITH. About 1826 Capt. Simon Smith, who was a native of PlainfielJ, moved to Maidstone, and settled on what was at that time called the ''Worcester Bow." His family consisted of a wife, ;3 sons and 3 daughters. After living there a number of years-during which time most of his children married and settled in different parts of the country-he sold his farm and moved with his youngest son Frederick W. to Guildhall, on the farm now owned by Nelson Call. FREDERICK W. SMITH. Was married in 1S47 to Miranda, daughter of Oliver L. V/oods of Northumberland. In April IS.^S Mrs. Smith died, leaving one daughter, Mary Minerva, then five years of a£;e. Mr. Smith resided in Guildhall until his death in June 1881, at the age of 64 year?. Capt. Simon Smith was of rather a roving disposition, and it i'* related of him that he a number of times in his younger days journeyed west with his family with a view to settle there, but would become dieoontented and return; thi." was before the days of" railroads and these trips were made with a team of horses or mules, and once a Dumber of valuable cows shared the journey. Frederick was of a different turn in this respect and tliough at various times in his life he had occasion to travel through the greater part of Me.,N.H., and Vt., and was a man of much obser- vation and profited thereby, he was strongly attached to the home of his adoption. The family were all of asocial disposition and possessed to a, greater or loss degree a vein of humor which rendered them particularly genial and companionable. 246 tUSTOKT OF GUILDHALL. HON. REUBEN W. FREEMAN. Was bom In Norwich, May 22, 1785, and came to this town June 2, 1819. He married Betsey Stookwell March 26, 1812 ; of their children Ezra Selden and Phebe Jane wife of Azro Burton, are the only ones now living in town. Mr. Freeman was one of the great men of his time, occupying many offices of trust. He was representative in 1835 and 1839 ; Assistant Judge 1833-4, and Judge of Probate 1852-3. He was a very capable farmer and left when he died an excellent farm on the hill. He died June 27, 1866. EZRA SELDEN FREEMAN. Son of Hon. R. W. Freeman resides and carries on the farm his father had so successfully operated before him . It will be hard to find a man who can equal him at farm- ing, and we shall pronounce him the best farmer in town at the present time; our statements can very easily be proven by a personal visit to hi.i when he came to Guildhall and built a house in the village, where he lived till the time of his death Dec. 3, 1878. Soon after coming to town he was elected a Justice of the Peace and was the trial Justice until he died, being one of the best, if not the best that ever performed the duties of that office in Guild- hall. The writer remembers on one occasion, when a per- son had been complained of for violating the liquor law, and brought before him for trial, (although not a very great admirer of the law himself.) 202 HISTORY (W 0U1LDIIALI.. After hearing both sides, he announced "that this respon- dent is here to answer to a violation of a law of the State of Vermont, and what the opinion of any man or set of men might be as to the law being right or wrong it is not a question I have anything to do with, but while it re- mained on the statute book, and I have anything to do as a magistrate I shall try and enforce it. I find the respondent guilty of two first offences, and adjudge that he pay a Hue of twenty dollars and costs." At the next uWction this violator of the law tried to defeat Esq. Morse, but he was elected almost unanimoualy, and the job of trying to pre- vent bis election as a Justice was never again attempted. He was twice married, and his iieooiid wife diednt Lan- caBt«r in Aug. 1886. He had two children by his first wife : Mrs Sylvester Poole, of Nurthnuiberlaud, and Mr«. Robinson, of Boston; and five children by hit second wife, three sous and two daughters, the sons all went to Mass., one da«ghter married Sylvester Rich, a native of MaiJ- gtone and resides at Spriugiield, Mass., the other married a Mr. Wilson who died at Lowell, Mass. a few years since, she now resides at Lanoaster. BARNARD B. WAID. Has been a resident of Guildhall for a lung time. Hit wife was a Miss Bryant; they have two children, a son and daughter; the son Wm. W. lives with his parents ; the daughter married a Mr. Ci)nell and lives at Brighton. Mr. Waid has, since he lived in town, followed farming and has been fairly ancoessful for a man who has had only a small farm.to get a living from. WM. S. WILI.EY. Was born in Lomington; married a Jiiughter of Mills D. Webb who formerly lived in Guildhall. They have six children, 4 girls and 2 boys; all young and bright, and it is a very pleasant sight to see this family of children going to and from school, and it shows that these parents have a HISTORY OP GUILDHALL. 261 right to feel proud and happy in their pleasant home. He carries on a small farm and also does anything that comes in hi? way by which he can earn an honest dollar. It would be well if the town had more such families in it. GEO. A. FORD. Came from Maidstone soon after he returned from the war of tho rebellion; married Celia Hubbard and they have a large family of bright, active and industrious chil- dren. He is a hard working man and a good farmer; owns the "Call farm" on the hill, and is well situated. WARREN R. MARSHALL. Came to Guildhall a few years since and bought the farm on the hill fonuerly owned by Wm. H. Meacham. He is doing a prosperous business for a farm of it's size in a town so far from tho markets where most of the pro- duuts that a farmer has to sell now days are disposed of. He is an active member of the M. E. Church ; is one of the stewards, and at the present time chairman of the financial board. ISRAEL DREW. Born in 1785 and died in 1^'63. He married Lucinda Hopkins who was born in 1799 and died in 1S83. They lived on a farm in the southwesterly part of the town; he was a good, quiet, well disposed and smart citizen, a man of no large property, but while he was able to work did the best he could to provide a comfortable home for his family. They had a large family of children, only two of whom are now living in town : Wm., who is a farmar and lives on the farm occupied by his father, and Mrs. Louis E. Webb. JOHN B. DREW. A son of Israel Drew by his first wife is a farmer. He married for his second wife a daughter of Mr. Jed Woods, hie owns a farm in school district No. 2. Mr. Drew is an industrious man and is a very useful citizen, being one of the best furriers in this section. 264 HISTOBT OF GUILDHALL. HUBBARD D. WEBB. Was born in Guildhall ; married Miss Abbie Jackson, and owns and resides on the J. Q. Peabody farm. He is a man of middle a^e ; is industrious, and one of the best farmers in town. They have only one child, a daughter. MOSES KOGERS. Born in 1803; came to Guildhall from Newbury in 1840 and lived on a farm in the south part of the town until 1861, when he moved to Northumberland, where he kept a hotel. He married Adeline Bayley in 1829; he died in 1864, and she died in 1869. Of their children: Adeline, went we^t in 1856 and married Timothy Allen; her pres- ent home is in Columbus, O. Estelle L., married H. T. Adams of Lancaster; they now reside in Hartford, Wis. Helen, went to Hartford, Wis., where she married Dwight Jackson in 1875. John B., went to Hartford, Wis., and and married Emma Wheelock in 1873 ; he died in 1877. Robert, the eldest son was drowned iu 1833. ABNER BAYLEY. Came to Guildhall about the year 1852 and made his pitch on one of the wild lots in the west part of the town, and cleared up a nice ftirm on which be lives as happy, and apparently as contented as a king. He was a soldier In one of the Vt. Regiments during the war of the rebell- ion, and was S"0 fortunate as to escape without having been wounded, but as he grows old he shows that the life in that war was anything but a pleasure excursion. He has had two wives ; his first wife's uame was Fanny, by whom he had 4 children; 3 of whom are now living: Mrs. Simon Stone of Guildhall. Henry E., of Guildhall, who is a farmer, and wood worker by trade, and is a good citizen; he married a daughter of John Hubbard ; he is an active and consistent member of the M. E. Church. The other son: Benjamin, resides in Whitefield. His second wife was a Miss Hutohius, a very capable lady, who is one of the best nurses in cases of sickness about here. HISTOnV OF GCILDHALL. 26-^ CHARLP]S J, FLANDERS. Born in Guildhall in 1852; married Miss Helen Rickards in 1884, and they live in the village. His business for a number of years has been that of engineer for R. Chase & Co., at their peg factory; a position which requires a faithful, competent man, and as he has been in that place so long that the other help call him a fixture to the mill, which speaks sufficiently in his favor. He is a member of the M. E. Church, and now one of the stewards. HON. CHARLES E. BENTON. Son of Samuel S., and Esther P. Benton, and youngest child of a family of twelve children. Was born at Water- ford, Deo. 11, 1825; lived at home till of legal age; had the advantages of comnion schcul education, and attended St. Johnsbury and Lancaster Academies two terms. He came to Guildhall April 5, 1860 and bought the John P. Denison farm ofsaid Denisnn, and carried it on till March 16, 1866 vifhen he moved to the village and has lived on the John Dodge place from Jan. 8, 1868 to thu present time. He has, since residing in town held nearly all the town offices at various times ; represented thetowii in 1866 and 1867; was senator in 18H and 1875; appointed county clerk in 1865, which office he now holds; was a member of the republican state committee for 10 years. He married Adda Chamberlin, daughter of Abner and Mary Chamberlin, at Newbury, Oct. 21, 1856; they have had three children: Charles A., Everett C, and Jay B. CHARLES A. BENTON. Son of Charles E. and Adda 0. Benton, was born at Newbury August 12th., 1857 and came to Guildhall Apr. 3th., 1860; was educated in the common schools, Essex County grammar school and attended the St. Johnsbury Aoademy three years graduating June 1816. In the spring of 187t he wpnt to Lancaster and commenced 266 HISTORY OF GUILDHALL. reading law in the office of his uncle, and under the di- rection of Hon. William Heywood, who took a great in- terest and pride in him. He was at Lancaster until the 12th. of August when he returned to his home in Guild- hall sick with typhoid fever, and in spite of all that could be done by kind friends and a faithful physician he passe d from earth August 20th. aged 20 years and 8 days. Had he lived he had. made arrangements to attend the law Bchool at Albany, N. Y. After he graduated at St. Johnsbury and before he went to Lancaster he spent his time in getting information and facts for the purpose of some time arranging, and perhaps publishing a history of Essex County, and much valuable aid has been derived by the author of this book from the labor and earnest zeal of this noblest one of the name of Benton. EVERETT C. BENTON. Born at Guildhall September 25th., 1&6-2; educated in common schools, Lancaster Academy and Poughkeepsie, N. Y.Business College; was mBSsoiiger in Vermont Senate 1878 and clerk to Secretary of State 1880; went to Bos- ton in Feb. 1882 where he is employed in an insuriincs office. He married Miss Willena B. Rogers January 24, 1885, and has one child: Jay Rogers Benton. They reside at Waverley, Belmont, Mass. JAY B. BENTON. Born at Guildhall April 10th., 1870; attended Lancas- ter Academy, Essex Oouiity Grammar School at Guildhall, St. Johnsbury Academy two years wiiere ho graduated June 1885; taught school one term in district 'No. 1 in Maidstone, then he went to New Yorl; City an! was em- ployed as musical director and librarian in the Young Men's Institute till August 1 886 when he left and came home for the purpose of entering Dartmouth 0.)llego wherahe is at the present time. APPENDIX. A curious implement of "ye olden time'' was recently found by Mr. Wm. Hopkins on his farm while plowing on his meadow. It is a small broad axe of a very curious pattern, about half way in size between an ordin- ary sized broad axe used by carpenters at the present time in hewing timber and a common hand hatchet. It is very peculiar in shape and nothing like it has ever been seen in this vicinity. It was without doubt brought to town by Mr. David Hopkinson in 1776 and although it muift have laid in the ground many years it was in a re- markably good condition. It is now in the possession of the autlior by the kindness of Mr. Hopkins and is a very interesting relio and is prized as a great curiosity. There is an elm tree on the Wilder farm in this town, which, if it could tell its own story might relate a very wonderful and remarkable experience. By the slern and irrevocable law of gravitation when a tree falls, there it must lie, if not removed by some other force acting upon it, and yet there is evidence that this tree fell and is now standing. The fads seem to be as follows : about a quar- ter of a century since it was standing and was a fair tree; it was about twelve inches in diameter. On an evil day there came a tierce and irresistible wind and prostrated it to the earth. 1 1 ere it remained for several months, when fi! old gentleman who was in search of a load of fuel to rfpleni.sh his fire, (and what should be more alluring than the long and straight branches of the prostrate elm,) with his axe cut thy tree asundei", leaving about twenty feet connected with the roots, which, in the prostration of the 268 APPENDIX. tree, turned up a quantity of earth. When the spring came and the snow and frost melted away, behold, the tree arose and assumed an upright position which it ha.i maintained ever since, and the marks of Mr. Bimis' axe where he cut the top away furnish incontestible evidence of the facts above stated. The tree is now in a flourishing condition and bids fair to withstand the storms and tempests of many a year to come. L. A. Grannis. We have the following very interesting story from a former Methodist Preacher of this town. In the spring of '46 after all the old snow was gone, there came a storm and left about one inch of new snow. A farmer in the west part of the town went to his sugar lot to gather his sap buckets; when hu got to his sugar- house a rough looking man sprang out of the door, and presented a pistol to his head, and demanded his business there. The farmer was frightened but finally told him that sugar lot was his, and ha had come to gather the buckets. He questioned him for all the news, and among other things,* asked him if he had heard abuut a murder in Manchester, N. H., and who they supposed had done it.* Well, said the man, I am not the murderer, but I have been in another scrape and am trying to get to Canada, and he should not leave the place till the snow went off", so no one could track him, and if the farmer attempted to leave, he would put a ball through him. He permitted him to gather his buckets, but kept near him, with his pistol in hand; about eleven o'clock the snow had disappeare.l •A prominent man, a ooUoctor of taxes in Mancliester, N. H by tiie name of ParJier, was beset one niglit, ami after a most desperate flglit was overcome and cruelly murdered, a tew days before, almost in tlie heart of that city. And to this day no trace of the murderer has been found, although, a large reward was offered, and great pains taken to trace him out. '^ APPENDIX. 269 and the man concluded it was safe for him to go on, and started off into the woods. As soon as he wks gone and fairly out of sight the farmer started for his bam, and leaping upon his horse, rode to the village ts fast as his horse could go, pale and excited he told what had hap- pened, and the whole community was in a fever of excite- ment at once. A company was collected to go and head him off and arrest him if possible. They secured some teams and what guns and other weapons they could. A Brother Eeed, a very pious and good man, went with them : he had no gun but took his pocket Bible, and said if it was the Manchester murderer, he thought he would be more afraid of the Bible than he would of a gun. They knew in order to get into Canada he must come out of the woods and cross the Nulhegan River on a bridge at its mouth, near where it empties into the Connecticut River, or cross on a bridge made by some lumbermen some 'five or six miles up the river in the woods ; as the river was full banks at this time of the year. Leaving some men to guard the bridge at its mouth, they took an old lumber-road in the upper part of Brunswick which led to the bridge in the woods; they found it very rough, with trees blown across the road, making their progress necessarily slow, and night coming on, a part of the company lit their lanterns and started on ahead and left others to get along with the team ns best they could. There was a log house built by the lumber-men stand- ing near the end of the bridge : when they came in sight of it they saw a bright light in it. They blew out their iHtiteriis, and swtn the light in the house went out, and they distinctly heard some-one run across the bridge. 270 APPENDIX. They found in the house a tallovr candle, some smoked ham and other articles of food. The gentleman had arriv- ed there before them, and taken up his quarteris for the night, and just skipped across the bridge. They thought it would not be best to follow an armed desperado into the open wilderness in the night, so they camped in the old house till morning and then started for their homes. They never heard who the man was, or what was his crime. Conspicuous for size and unrivalled for beauty stands the stately and majestic elm that adorns the front yard of the residence of the Hon. Richard Small late of this town. Although this tree has attained an immense growth, yet it evidently was not one of the denizens of the primeval forest, but has grown up since the advent of the white man: it has all the characteristics of a second growth tree. It is divided into branches near the ground; these are nu- merous, lofty and wide spreading, and furnish an umbra- geous and grateful shade in the heat of summer, and pre- sent to every lover of the beautiful an object of admira- tion. It was near this tree where tradition says the first settlement of the town was made. When the old forest was cut away this peerless tree began to grow, and the rapid growth it has made furnishes substantial evidence of the fertility of the soil on which it stands. Its trunk is six feet in diameter in one direction and five in the other. There is nothing to match it in this section. L. A. G. As some parts of this book have been in print for some months it will be observed that a few changes have taken place since they were printed, these however are very few. The j Author. m8 ^ oW TV' •■iS^-v^v:^;^ '- 1.'-' ■Ar.:.,'r:^.v I'.'*' • .-,.-'j.- -[A^,,-