The History of Braintree, Vermont, Including a Memorial of Families That
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Gc 974.302 B73b v.l 1136833 GENEALOGY COL-L-EC" 3 1833 00055 6347 Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2015 https://archive.org/details/historyofbraintr1883bass THE HISTORY OF BRAINTREE VERMONT . INCLUDING A Memorial of Families that have resided in Town. BY H. ROYCE BASS. " Ot a people, whose heroic aims Soared far above the little selfish sphere Of doubting modern life." —Thompson. RUTLAND, VT.: TuTTLE & Co., State Printebs, 1883. 1 PREFACE, 1136833 The celebration of the one hundredth anniversary of Braintree, in 1881, «xcited a degree of interest in its history wliich gave the tliought of securing the same in permanent form. Tlie town voted March 7, 1882, "That a com- mittee of three be appointed to edit and secure the publication of a history of the town." Victor 1. Spear, H. Royce Bass, and William C. Holman were appointed such committee. This volume is the result. Its limits exceed somewhat the plan first proposed. But research multi- plied facts, volunteers contributed thereto, and friends of the enterprise urged that time and space be taken to make a work creditable alike to the town and to those having it in charge. Serious difficulties have been met. Few now living can recall events in the earlier history of the town; records are more or less incomplete: statements concerning the same thing by different persons do not always coincide. Geit'mrj at the facts has been no small task. Especially is this true of the Memorial, which is in part fragmentary. In "Personal Sketches" will be missed names that deserve a place there. Accuracy and fullness have been the aim. Any incompleteness is due to the fact that the necessary data have not been, or could not be, obtained. Hon. Jefferson P. Kidder, Yermillion, Dak.; the late Dr. Samuel W. Thayer, Burlington; Luther S. Goodno, Canton, IST. Y.; Rev. Edward P. Wild, Newport; Rev. Andrew J. Copeland, Chelsea; Mrs. Frederick Billings, Wood- stock; George W. Pratt, River Falls, Wis., and others have rendered material assistance in the preparation of this volume. Kindly criticism of it is invited, and the committee would esteem it a favor to be notified of any error. Braintree, May 22, 1883. j THE TOWN OF BRAINTREE, PART FIRST. I. GEOGRAPHY. Position and Extent.—The town of Braintree is situated in the west- ern extreme of Orange County, forming a projection bounded in part by the counties of Windsor, Addison, and Washington. It is more particularly bounded, north by Roxbury and Brookfield, east by Randolph, south by Rochester, and west by Granville. The center of Braintree is about fifteen miles nearly due south from the geographical center of Vermont, about twenty-five miles from Montpelier, the capital, and about twenty miles east of the ridge, or principal range, of the Green Mountains. By the terms of its charter, Braintree is about six and one-half miles ongby about five and one-half miles wide. But according to measurements ndicated on the plan of the town, its length is seven miles and its width, .36 miles, making its area originally 37.52 square miles. By act of the legis- lature, Xov. 10, 1824, ten lots and four gores in the southwest corner of the town, about two square miles in area, were annexed to Rochester, leaving the present area of Braintree about 35.5 square miles. SuKFACE AND Steeams.—The valley of the third branch of White River, known as the "Branch," through which runs the Central Vermont railroad, divides Braintree into two principal divisions. That part south and west of the branch is rough, rocky, with many bold and precipitous peaks, much of it being incapable of tillage. All settlements are confined to the eastern half. Riford's brook, named for Joseph Riford who first settled near it, and Thayer's brook, similarly named for Joel B. and Zeba Thayer, both tributaries of the branch, are its largest streams. The branch flows southeasterly through the whole width of the town. The part north and east of the branch is nearly equally divided by the high ridge, commonly called Braintree hill, extending north and south through the town, just east of its center. Spurs jut out east- ward and southward from it, diversifying the surface. The chief points in this ridge are ISTevens' hill, named for Alfred JSTevens who early settled at its foot; Belcher hill, similarly named for Samuel Belcher; Oak hill, so called from the oaks growing upon it; Quaker hill, named by Ebenezer Waters while urveying the town, who with his assistants dined one day at the corner near Braintree hill meeting house. Waters, it is said, jocosely remarked: "We n\\ sit down here and eat dinner with our hats on and call it 'Quaker' hill." ts highest point is also called Alban's hill, for William Alban who lived there 0 GEOGKAPHY—GEOLOGY. many years. The largest streams are Ayer's brook, through Snowsville, and Spear's brook, its tributary. According to tradition, Ayer's brook received its name from one Ayer who deserted the "':]nglish and became a guide to their enemies during the French and Indian v/ar. He was caught and hanged on this stream about 1755. The method of hanging is said to have been by ad- justing the "halter" to the top of a sapling bent to the ground and swinging the victim with a sudden jerk into the air. Spear's brook was first called Bass's brook, for Dea. Samuel Bass who first settled on it; then Mill brook from the numerous mills for which it has furnished water-power; and Spear's brook, for Xathaniel Spear who settled and for many years resided and owned mills on it. It is the outlet of Mud pond, which is some five or six acres in area, and the only natural pond in Braintree. It is peculiar in having great depth and in being filled with a light mud, which, when water is abundant, is overflowed and in a dry time can be walked on in some places. Villages.—The position of Braintree is not favorable to the growth of large villages within it, though the railroad might contribute thereto but for two or three large, thriving business places near by or not far away, like West Randolph and Northfield. West Braintree is a railroad station on the branch, has a postoffice, a hotel, two groceries, and a lumber mill doing quite an extensive business. The station and postoffice at AVest Randolph is nearer or more convenient to many inhabitants of Braintree, who therefore patron- ize that place. Hutchinson's village, named for John Hutchinson, its first resident, now known as "Peth," is situated on Spear's brook. Here were formerly the Braintree postoffice, a church, a dry goods store, and oil, clover,, and saw mills. In 1840 all business except that of the mills was transferred to East Braintree, or Snow's village, now Snowsville, named for Jeremiah Snow, an old settler. It seemed quite probable that the road up Ayer's brook through Snowsville would be one of the main thoroughfares between Boston and Burlington; that Snowsville, aided by its favorable site and abundant waterpower, would thereby get a large business [and population. The premise of this met with no disappointment till that business magnet, the railroad, pushed its way up the branch, and drew all business into its line. But for this Snowsville might possibly have been inpointof importance what West Randolph now is. It has a postoffice, which accommodates the north- east part of Braintree and a considerable part of Brookfield, a church, a hotel, a store, a carriage and one or two harness shops. ViKWs.— Fev,' localities afford a view of so many points of interest as the hill toi)s of Braintree. From the top of Quaker hill can be seen, to the east Mt. Washington and other principal peaks of the White and Monadnock Mountains in New Hampshire, fifty to sixty miles distant; to tlie south. Mt» Ascutiu-y in Windsor, forty miles away; to the southwest, Killington and Shrewsbury i)eaks of the Cireen Mountain range; to the west, a section of that range; and in various directions, numerous less elevated prominences within a radius of twenty or thirty miles. Here the feathery tops of green hills seem to meet the sky the whole circumference around, the nearer being outlined against the more remote, the whole forming a picture which far exceeds many tluvt have engaged the artist's pencil. Oak hill commands a VILLAGES, YIEWS, POPULATION", CURIOSITIES, ROCKS. 7 view no less extensive and interesting. Nearly half of the town of Kandolph, including the Center village, and parts of the towns of Brookfield, Tunbridge and Bethel, embracing a broad, beautiful landscape view ten miles in extent, checkered with forest and field and dotted with farm-houses, are seen from the belfry of the Braintree hill meeting house. Mt. Cushman, a higher point in the south east corner of the town, lying partly in Rochester, and upon which a conservatory has been erected, affords a wide view, taking in with a glass several villages and Lake Champlain. PoruLATiON.—The population of Braintree in 1791 was 221; in 1800, 531; in 1810, 850; in 1820, 1033; in 1830, 1209; in 1840, 1232; in 1850, 1228; in 1860, 1225; in 1870, lOm; in 1880, 1051. CuitiosiTiES.—A little north of Quaker hill is a rocking rock, "having a circumference of forty-nine feet, being 1^ feet in length, ten feet wide and 7 feet high." It will weigh perhaps fifty tons or more.