223
HISTORY
OF MIDDLEBURY.
CHAPTER VII.
JAMES CRANE AND BROTHER--GIDEON
ABBEY--NATHAN CASE--DARIUS TUPPER--DEA. BOYCE--EAST MIDDLEBURY VILLAGE
INCIDENTS OF THE EARLY SETTLEMENTS--FAMINE.
JAMES CRANE was the first settler
in the neighborhood, constituting the north part of the east tier of home lots.
He and his brother Jeremiah in 1790, commenced on different parts of No. 11. That
year they worked on their land and the next year removed their families. The first
year there was no family, on any road leading to that neighborhood, nearer than
Joshua Hyde's; and the brothers went there to get their clothes washed. Jeremiah
Crane continued to cultivate his farm until his death, which took place many years
ago. After four or five years, James Crane removed from his farm, and it was afterwards
owned successively by Waldo Carey and Eleazer Abbey, and is now owned by his son,
Warren Abbey. When he left this farm he settled on the east half of No. 8, with
some adjoining lands. On this farm he resided until his death in 1845, at about
the age of eighty. The farm is now owned by Luther C. Files and Joseph Files.
Nathan
Case about the year 1792, settled on lot No. 12, on which Dudley Munger had commenced.
Here he built the present dwelling-house and resided until his death, at an advanced
age. Before his death, his son Abel P. Case occupied a house, which had been built
on a part of the same farm, and continued the possession of the whole farm for
several years, and moved to the west. The farm has since been divided and is now
owned severally by Sidney Mead, Warren Abbey and D. W. Chittenden.
Home
lot No. 51 was also owned by Nathan Case, and constituted a part of his home farm.
Among other tenants, Major William
224
HISTORY
OF MIDDLEBURY.
Cummings lived for a time
on the lot. He had been a school teacher, and was poor and in feeble health,
and was troubled to obtain food for his family. These circumstances occasioned
a fatal depression, which, it was thought, disturbed his mental faculties, and
led him to commit suicide, by hanging himself on a tree near the house, in December,
1817, at the age of 47. The lot is now owned and occupied by Isaac Lovett.
Elisha
Sheldon, about the year 1790, made a beginning on No. 9, and in the year 1794
was succeeded by Benjamin Maltbie, who remained in possession until 1797, when
he removed, with Jonathan and Edmund Munger, to Ohio. At the last mentioned date,
Gideon Abbey, of Mansfield Conn. purchased and settled on this lot. He also had
a perpetual lease of No. 10, on the right of the Society for Propagating the Gospel,
and continued to occupy both the lots until his death at the age of 92 years.
Mr. Abbey built, and while he lived, resided in the present dwelling house on
No. 9. Theodatus Phelps now occupies the house and lot. Orin Abbey and Abel Abbey,
and perhaps other heirs, severally own parts .of No. 10.
The
east road passes from south to north through nearly the whole length of the east
tier of the home lots, and divides them into unequal parts. The different parts
of the same lot have been severed and added to parts of other lots, and all have
frequently changed owners. This renders it perplexing for us to ascertain, or
the reader to understand correctly, the history of the settlement. And being more
recently settled, and not properly included in the "early settlements," we feel
bound not to trespass longer on the patience of the reader, with these tiresome
details, in the correctness of which neither they nor we can have much confidence.
We are therefore obliged to abridge our materials as well as plan. This we regret
the more, as the territory is fast rising in importance, and in public estimation.
We
add only one or two cases in other parts of the town.
Darius
Tupper from Charlotte, where he first settled in this State, in the winter of
1794-5, removed his family and settled on lot No. 23, a second hundred acre lot,
lying south of home lot 66, then owned by Martin Foot, and north of Slasson's
pitch. Mr. Tupper
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HISTORY OF MIDDLEBURY
soon after built the present
large house, for many years kept a tavern and remained in possession until his
death. He died in 1828, at the age of 74. Amos Boardman had previously commenced
a settlement on this lot. Previous to his death a house had been built and occupied,
on the opposite side of the road, by his son-in-law, James Champlain. After
his decease, the farm was divided among his heirs, and that part lying east
of the road, and a part of that on the west side, was for some years owned by
Edwin B. Douglass and now by Ira B. Wicker. The remainder, with the large house,
is occupied by Silas Perkins, a son-in-law.
Deacon
David Boyce in 1814 had taken a permanent lease of the second hundred acre lot
on the Glebe right, and owned thirty acres on home lot 53, north of and adjoining
his leased lot, settled on the latter and built the brick house and other buildings
now standing there, cleared both lots and occupied them as his home farm until
his death. His widow and son Elijah S. Boyce now reside on the farm.
VILLAGE
OF EAST MIDDLEBURY.
The
west part of this village, as far east as Kneeland Olmstead's dwelling house,
is located principally on home lot 35. The buildings north of the road, leading
from the school house to its junction with that which leads from the Torrance
place, are on lot 34, formerly owned by Eber Everts. That part of the village
which lies east of Kneeland Olmstead's is on the mill lot pitched by Joshua Hyde.
The village lies principally along the north border of Middlebury River, and extends
east to the foot of the mountain, where the river issues from a deep gorge.
The
first application of the extensive water power at this place was the erection
of a saw mill in 1790, by John Foot, on the south side of the river. The year
following Foot built a house for the miller, which was occupied by the family
of Nathan Carpenter, who had charge of the mill, and was father of Nathan and
Gideon Carpenter. His was the first family which resided in East Middlebury. Joshua
Hyde and Eber Everts, who then owned the mill lot, deeded to him one half of it,
as a consideration for his erecting the mill. Hyde also soon after built a saw
mill on the upper dam. Foot, at
226
HISTORY
OF MIDDLEBURY.
the time, resided on the west side of the falls, in Cornwall, and was concerned
in the mills there. In 1811, Foot moved from New Haven, as before mentioned,
to the mill lot in East Middlebury, rebuilt the saw mill, and successively erected
works for dressing cloth and carding wool, a grist mill and the gambrel roof
house, a few rods south of Farr's tavern, in which he resided for several years.
Epaphras
Jones, who had previously, in the name of the Vermont Glass Factory Company, erected
a large establishment for manufacturing window glass, at Lake Dunmore in Salisbury,
wishing to extend his operations, in the year 1812, erected in East Middlebury,
a little west of Farr's hotel, a large circular brick building for the manufacture
of glass ware. He also built two dwelling houses, near by and westerly for the
accommodation of his workmen, and another building for a store and office. This
establishment encouraged the hope, that the place, with its valuable water power,
would soon become a place of extensive business. This hope induced Mr. Foot to
build the large tavern house above mentioned. In this he opened and, for several
years, continued a house of public entertainment, which is now occupied by Royal
D. Farr. But Jones' establishment , because he did not succeed well in the manufacture
of glass, or for other reasons, broke up, and the brilliant prospects, which it
had induced, vanished with it. The anticipated growth of the place was checked,
but not wholly stopped by this disaster. Mr. Foot erected and repaired his works
above mentioned, and rebuilt his grist mill, and died in 1849 at the age of 84
years. Other establishments were successively erected, and the business and population
of the village has been gradually increasing, until the present time. If there
had been sufficient capital available, the increase would have been much larger.
Mr.
Daniel L. Sessions settled in the village in 1821, and by his aid and that
of Norman Tupper, Esq., we have been able to ascertain some facts relating to
the growth since that year and its population and business at the present time.
In 1821, there were ten dwelling houses, and a somewhat larger number of families.
At this time the number of dwelling houses, in the compact part of the village,
is fifty. Some of the houses being occupied by more than
227
HISTORY OF MIDDLEBURY.
one family, the number of families is larger. David S. Church, Esq.,
who, as deputy marshall, enumerated the inhabitants in Middlebury in 1850, at
our request, has ascertained the number of inhabitants in that village to be
four hundred and thirty. He probably included some families, not embraced in
the estimate of Messrs. Sessions and Tupper, but properly to be estimated, as
belonging to the village.
There
is also a neat church, owned by the Universalists, two stores, several mechanics
and the following water-works: At the upper dam are a forge and saw mill, owned
by Israel Davey. Next below is the tannery, owned by Horace, son of Parley Enos,
who first established it many years ago, and a shop owned by David Olmstead, with
machinery for boring, sawing and turning timber for waggons, which he manufactures.
On the south side of the river are a saw mill, belonging to the estate of Norman
Boardman, and a machine for sawing shingles, owned by George Champlin. Still lower
is a shop owned by Kneeland and Waldo Olmstead, for the manufacture of waggons,
and machinery for fitting the timber for them, supplied by water from the river
by a tube. Next below this is a grist mill, owned by Norman Tupper Esq., built
in 1850, and below this a sash factory* owned by Almon P. Tupper, and a factory
for sawing and fitting barrel staves for the Boston market, owned by E. Hayward
& Co. The three last mentioned works are furnished with water conducted by
a canal, without any dam across the river.
The
Middlebury River, at this place, furnishes a large amount of water power, sufficient
to operate works to a much greater extent than those now in operation. It is,
like all mountain streams, very impetuous, rises suddenly and is liable, in high
freshets, to break through the barriers which confine it, and has occasionally
done mischief in the village. The most considerable instance of this,
----------
*This factory was established by Norman Tupper Esq. father of the
present owner, who in 1830 invented the necessary machinery for making the mortices
and manufacturing all other parts of window sash by water power; which is still
in operation
228.
HISTORY OF MIDDLEBURY.
which we now call to mind, is the freshet of 1850, which we have elsewhere mentioned.
Besides
the very valuable water power, this village is otherwise advantageously situated.
The ground on which it stands is mostly level, and is connected with a level region
of considerable extent, widening as it recedes from the mountain. The soil, where
most of the village stands is gravelly, and the surrounding region is composed
of an alluvial or intervale soil of a very productive character.
INCIDENTS
OF THE EARLY SETTLEMENT.
Every
body has heard something of the hardships and privations of a new settlement.
But the experience of the present day gives no adequate impression of what such
an adventure was in the days of our predecessors. Now families may carry with
them all the comforts, and, if they wish, the luxuries of life, by steamboats,
rail roads and other open and comfortable roads, to the newest settlements. And
when they reach their destination, they find prairies already cleared to their
hand, and ready for the plough; and, if they have not all the required comforts,
they have easy access to them. But when Middlebury was settled, the people who
came here were poor, as the whole country was, and were forced to make their way,
as best they could, without roads and locate themselves in a dense forest. This
was to be cleared away, with wasting labor, before they had room to plant their
cabins, or fields for their first crop. As to provisions and furniture, they could
bring but few articles, if they had them. Before the war and for several years
after, there were no mills nearer than Pittsford or Ticonderoga, and there was
no access to them, by roads passable with teams; and much of their grain for food
was pounded in large wooden mortars made for that purpose.
Many
of the incidents of the early settlements are recorded in our previous history;
and at the close of this part we add a few others.
Mrs.
Loomis says, that her father's family had become, at one time, destitute of all
kinds of flour and meal, and her father, Col. John Chipman, took a bag of grain
on his shoulder, and carried it on foot to Ticonderoga to be ground and
was gone several days;
229
HISTORY OF MIDDLEBURY.
and in the meantime the
family lived wholly on milk. We learn from another source as coming from Mrs.
Chipman, that after opening their log cabin for the entertainment of travellers,
she had but one towel for her guests; and when travellers came; who appeared
rather smart, she went to the river in the evening, washed and ironed it, to
be ready for her guests in the morning. When Mr. John Deming was nominated for
tavern-keeper, as mentioned elsewhere, he was like all the other settlers, destitute
of the requisite furniture for the accommodation of his guests, and unable from
the want of mechanics, to supply the deficiency. He needed especially bedsteads,
and called on Judge Painter for the loan of one. "Oh yes," said the Judge, "but,
in that case I shall be obliged to lie on the floor."
But
the greatest scarcity of provisions was in 1790; and it was little short of
a famine. It is said that sufficient provisions were raised the preceding year
to supply the settlers; but, on account of the famine in the counties north and
in Canada, they had been carried away to feed the people in those places. Mr.
Loomis of Burlington says the famine in that neighborhood was in 1789. Mr. Abraham
Williamson was then fourteen years old, and recollects the famine here. His statement,
confirmed by his wife, is that being wholly destitute of bread, the women went
into the fields and cut off the heads of the wheat before it was ripe, dried them,
shelled out the wheat and boiled it for food; that almost the only animal food
was the fish taken in Lemon Fair creek, and he thinks that, without this supply,
many of the people would have starved. He saw there, he says, larger collections
of people from the neighboring country, catching fish, than on any other occasion
for many years after. He says that many were so enfeebled for want of food, that
they could not go: but such as had strength went to the creek, built a fire, and,
as they caught the fish, threw them into it, while yet showing signs of life,
and when sufficiently cooked stripped off and ate the flesh, without disturbing
the entrails. After their own appetites were satisfied, they caught and preserved
the remainder for their friends at home. He states also, that many subsisted on
the bulbous roots of leeks, gathered in the woods, and some stripped the bark
from oak trees, the inner bark of which they boiled and converted
230
HISTORY
OF MIDDLEBURY.
into a kind of food; and
that he has seen many oak trees stripped of their bark, for that purpose,
as high as men could reach. The first bread stuff, he says, brought into the
country was Virginia corn.
The
following anecdote is received from Mrs. Williamson. A farmer in the neighborhood
had a larger supply of provisions than his neighbors, but not a proportionate
share of benevolence. His wife was a benevolent woman, from a Quaker family, and
educated in their principles. She was willing to share in the destitution of her
neighbors, that they might share in her abundance. She gave to the destitute the
bran of her wheat as long as her husband would consent; and she thought it none
the worse for a little flour mixed with it. The recipients of her bounty sifted
the bran; and made wholesome bread of the finer parts, and such flour as might
be with it. One day, when preparing a batch of bread, in the absence of her husband,
she took a loaf of the dough and carried it to a neighbor by the name of Thaddeus,
Palmer, an uncle of Mrs. Williamson, and living near her father, and said to him,
"Thaddeus, thee take this and give part of it to Polly," and went home. Polly
was the mother of Mrs. Williamson.
Miss
Althea Deming states, that her father that year went to Connecticut, and on his
return purchased at Lanesborough a quantity of beans, peas, wheat and corn, and
loaded his own horse and those of two young men in company. The. sight of such
a treasure was an occasion of great triumph to Mrs. Deming, as she had baked her
last loaf. The family, she says, had restricted themselves to two meals a day,
and after the cows were milked at evening, they finished the day with milk punch,
seasoned with a small allowance of whiskey; and that many families lived for weeks
without bread.
Mr.
Asa Preston says that he well recollects the famine; .that the family were destitute
of all kinds of bread stuffs, as well as animal food. Their whole dependence was
on the milk of two cows. In this dilemma, his father started on horseback for
the south to procure grain, and was gone some time. While his father was absent,
he went to the woods and dug up a large quantity of the roots of leeks, which
were dried and cooked, when needed, and eaten with their milk, and that this was
their only food.