Article – Page 4 – Hartland Historical Society

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The Tale Of Hartland’s First Settler

The Lull descendants don’t agree, but I think there is little doubt that Oliver Willard was the first settler in Hartland. He was here, at least by 1759, beating Timothy Lull by four years.

It was Oliver Willard who called upon Gov. Benning Wentworth in Portsmouth, N.H. and secured a patent for Hartland (It was Hertford then) on July 10, 1761. Oliver immediately sent out a notice for the following meeting.

“Province of New Hampshire: Notice is hereby given to the Proprietors of Hertford on Connecticut River, That they Assemble at Fort Drummer on the last Wednesday in August next, First, To chuse a Clerk, also a Proprietor’s Treasurer, and to raise what Money shall be thought needful for the defraying the Charges of procuring the Grant of the Township; and to chuse a Committee to bound out the Town, and allot the same (if needful) and raise Money sufficient to defray the said Charges. Also to agree on a method for the calling their Meetings for the future, and to chuse the necessary Town Officers for said Town. Dated at Portsmouth, July 14, 1761. Oliver Willard.”

Who was Oliver and how did he come to be on this stage at this time? He was the 4th generation of Willards in North America, preceded by others who were instrumental in forming our country. Simon was the 1st to settle here from England, and was one of the ones to found the plantation of Concord, Mass in 1635. He had a long and illustrious life.

Next came Simon’s son, Henry (the 11th of 17 children) born in Concord in 1655. Henry provided 14 children to the Harvard, Mass area. One of these was Josiah, born in Lancaster about 1693. He was one of the first settlers of Lunenburg, a Captain in frontier service against the Indian enemy, and was commander of Fort Drummer in Brattleboro. He was an original proprietor in “the township on the East side of the Connecticut River above Nothfield, commonly called Arlington”.

Our Oliver was his son, born in 1729 (7th of only 9) in Lunenburg, and was a Colonel at Forth Drummer by 1748. He was one of the grantees of Winchester and Westmoreland, N.H. He then settled in Hartland, Vt. where he was proprietor of the entire township and sold to the settlers. He took the side of New York in the boundary dispute.

Oliver’s son Levi was the first child born in Hartland, arriving in 1759. Poor Levi was unlucky in love. Levi Willard, the son of Col. Oliver and Thankful Doolittle Willard, was born at Hartland, Vt. and died at Sheldon, Vt. in Oct. 1839 at age 80. He went early to Montreal, E.C. espousing the British cause and being employed in the commissary department; engaged after the war in the Fur Company, and for several years led a wandering life among savages and trappers.

“Traditions have it that previous to this he had married Jane Dailly of Montreal, said to be an accomplished Irish lady; but returning there had been informed of her unfaithfulness and departure for Hartland. Arriving there and finding the report confirmed, he walked his room in agony all night, and found in the morning that his hair had become prematurely gray, After this he taught school some time in Richford, Vt. but at length repaired to Sheldon, where a daughter resided, and there this unhappy man, from being first scholar in his class, (Dartmouth, 1776) descended to his grave in painful humiliation and obscurity.”

Information taken from the “Willard Geneology” by Joseph Willard 1915, “In Sight of Ye Great River” and “Alumni of Dartmouth College by G.T. Chapman, class of 1804.

This article first appeared in the May 26th (2011) print edition of the Vermont Standard.

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Hartland News, Vermont Journal, July 26, 1884

One of the wildest storms within the recollection of our oldest
inhabitants broke over this village on Saturday last. During its
continuance a large maple in front of W. E. Britton’s house was split down the middle and blown across the street. The same fate awaited another maple in front of Mrs. Augusta Bates’ house in another part of the village. The water poured down the Ed Hoisington hill, in front of the newsroom, flooding the main street to the depth of more than twelve inches, while the garden of Cullen F. Sturtevant was entirely submerged. At the lower end of Lull brook lightning struck the house of J. F. Lyman, tearing off a few shingles and passing off by way of the waterspouts. An ancient elm in front of A. A. Martin’s house which had grown in three main branches, had two of them blown down, one falling on the house, broke the chimney off even with the roof and otherwise damaged the house.

Mrs. W. R. Sturtevant is away from home making her annual visit with her father, and other relatives and friends in Chelsea, this State.

Lucian Dunbar left here last week for railroad work in Central America.

Rev. Joseph Crehore preached at the Universalist church, last
Sunday. Rev. Mr. Noyes preached at the brick church last Sunday, and the Sunday before. Mr. Noyes has preached here on several previous occasions, and will probably become the regular minister in a few months.

John Stillson carries on the farm of Mrs. Melinda Tinkham and the crops give evidence of good care, being worthy of the farm which is one of the best in town. Mrs. F. P. Barstow, at the Four Corners, noted as one of the best farm and dairy managers in town, takes personal charge of her garden, and if she could manage some way to take it to the county fair just as it is she would be sure of the first premium in gardens. The only other gardens in that locality that would stand any chance as competitors are those of Mrs. Phelps Hunt, Mrs. Dana P. Atwood, Mrs. C. C. Thornton and Mrs. Lorenzo Wood, by the side of which no masculine garden would have any show at all.

A most beautiful floral sight has been noticed during the past two weeks, in the front yard of Mr. George Sturtevant. It consists of a clump of lilies with petals of the purest white that can be found in nature, and of the sweetest odor. Fifty of these blossoms were counted at one time. The plant is quite old, the present owner having received it as a present from Mrs. Cullen F. Sturtevant, nearly twenty years ago. The name of the lily is Lilium candidum simplex. It seems to flourish in almost any variety of soil. At the same time it is advantageous to plant in a soil composed of mould, sand and well rotted cow manure. All lilies require deep planting and will do better if not disturbed for several years.

Mrs. Samuel Jewett of St. Johnsbury, with children, is visiting with her father, Mr. Jacob Bates, and other relatives in town, and Mrs. James Stone, of Windsor is visiting with Mrs. Melinda Tinkham at her farm residence.

The sympathies of our people are universally expressed for Rev. A. J. Hough and family of White River Junction, in view of the recent death of their little daughter after months of painful illness. It is hard to part with the little ones, even when the passage from the home below to the home above is attended with little pain; but when, as in the case under notice, each step on the way, through months is taken in intense suffering, then one can hardly regret that the suffering is ended and that the little innocent child is at rest.

One of the county papers stated last week that a branch post-office had been established at Martinsville. Such is not the fact. A. A. Martin and others employ a person to get their mail at the post-office and deliver it twice a day, but this does not constitute a branch office; if it did every hill and valley in town would have a branch post-office.

H. B. Watriss had cucumbers and new potatoes from his garden Monday.

Delegates to the Congressional convention this week at Montpelier, with the number of votes each received at the caucus: James G. Bates, 36; Wilson Britton, 36; D. F. Rugg 37.

While Wallace A. Burk was at work in his barn a hawk made a descent upon his poultry -yard, and, fastening upon a chicken, started for the upper air, but before getting above arm’s length, Burk caught the hawk by the legs and brought him back to earth. A brief fight, a few scratches on the hands of the captor, and the feathered chicken thief was dead.

Col. M. K. Paine, of Windsor, is having a large number of boxes for packing Celery Compound, made here by Martin & Stickney.

Our neighbor, Curtis Flowers, lost a valuable three -years old colt Sunday from injury caused by running down a steep pasture hill, producing internal rupture. The colt had developed remarkable speed and had a very high prospective value.

Mrs. Dr. Fuller of Brooklyn, N. Y., formerly Jennie Keyes, of this town, is at P. B. Smith’s.

The school in district No. 12, taught by Nannie Darling, closed July 18. Whole number of pupils was 10. of those, Mabel Bagley, Maud Hadley, Jennie Tarble, Flora Walker, Stanley Spear, Orimer Bugbee, George and Freddie Stillson were neither absent nor tardy. Ernest Spear and Julian Burk were absent during haying. The people in the district speak in high terms of Miss Darling as a teacher. Miss Gertie Walker, a recent graduate of Windsor high school, is to be her successor.

*Information supplied by Ruth Barton.

Transcribed by, Joan H. Bixby

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Hartland News, Vermont Journal, July 5, 1884

If any of the brethren in the democratic fold should be inclined to favor the election of Gen. BUTLER, they are recommended to read, as an aid to the understanding, ” A narrative of the services of the officers and enlisted men of the 7th regiment of Vermont Volunteers, (veterans) from 1862 to 1866, by Wm. C. HOLBROOK, late Colonel 7th Vt. Veteran Vols.” We have read a copy belonging to A. A. MARTIN who was a member of the regiment above named.

Frank GILBERT has made substantial improvements on the foundry buildings, new foundations and new roof of old growth fine shingles being among them. Here the business of Hartland properly commences, it being the place where Lull brook begins its work of turning water-wheels. From this place to ASHWORTH’s, MERRITT’s, A. A. MARTIN, MARTIN & STICKNEY’s ending at LYMAN’s the brook finds no rest.

Frank O. PENNIMAN, of Grafton, contracted to work for C. H. FRENCH, one year from April last, worked about two months, quit and “returned to the place from whence he came.” FRENCH, as anyone would, sued for damages. The case was heard June 25th, before Justice STURTEVANT, who gave judgement in favor of the complainant of $25 and costs. ENRIGHT of Windsor, looked after the interests of FRENCH, and WALKER of Grafton those of PENNIMAN.

Fred I. MARCY, of Providence, R. I., was in town last week on a brief visit and made arrangements with Oscar DAVIS to remain with his father, Mr. Ithamar MARCY, whose unfortunate mental condition renders constant watchfulness necessary.

Joseph E. RICE caught a bear in a trap he had set for crows, but it got away.

We have been shown, during the past week, some very pretty specimens of ladies’ work, among which may be mentioned a patchwork robe, by Mrs. George S. LEONARD, a lounge cover, by Miss Helen HARDING, and a table cover, by Miss Maud LABAREE. The two former are of worsted and the latter of silk, all being of the “crazy” pattern.

Mrs. Lucy DUNHAM of Bethel, sister of Mrs. Taylor ALEXANDER, of this town, died last week of apoplexy. The shock occurred while riding with a son. She was driven rapidly home and taken from the carriage, but never spoke, and died in a few hours. Her last words were to her son: “Drive me home as quick as you can, I feel dreadfully.”

The frost and freeze of early June destroyed most of the fruit in this section, but the re-blosoming trees of station agent LABAREE leads one to think that Nature, repenting the mischief done, had set about repairing the damage she had caused.

Frank C. CARPENTER has made important improvements in the griddle cake baker. As first made it had some weak points, but any woman who finds fault with it now should be doomed to everlastingly go without her griddle cakes. While on the subject of inventions, it may be stated A. C. MARCY, at Four Corners, has invented a kitchen utensil which will doubtless prove a great blessing to the ladies. N. F. ENGLISH is perfecting the model, but we are not permitted to be more definite till the patent is secured.

I. W. LAWRENCE, for many years known in Windsor as the best shoemaker in town, except one, made the newsroom a welcome call last week Thursday. He is now located on one of the best farms between Brownsville and Felchville, the old BENJAMIN place, keeps seven or eight cows, has all the latest improvements for dairying, including the Cooley creamer, raises his own wheat, which he brings her to MERRITT’s mill to get ground, and is, we judge happy and prosperous. We are glad of it.

Henry HARDING, the well known civil engineer, who has spent some months with his brother Watson, at the Four Corners, left last week for Massachusetts.

The following is the report of Miss Clara A. LAMB, teacher of the intermediate school in Hartland Village: Whole number of scholars, 21; average attendance per day, 19 3/4; not absent during the term, Frank DICKINSON, Bayard LYMAN, Ernest MARTIN, Addie BRITTON, Nellie DICKINSON, Ethel LITCH, Maud MARTIN, Inez STICKNEY, Laura STICKNEY; not tardy, Addie BRITTON, Nellie DICKINSON, Ethel LITCH, Maud MARTIN, Nellie SMALL, Lena SPAULDING, Florence STURTEVANT, Lillian STURTEVANT, Mabel STURTEVANT, Mabel WILLARD; 1st rank, Nellie SMALL 9.94; 2nd rank, Maud MARTIN, 9.91; 3rd rank Alice SPAULDING, 9.87.

School in dist. No. 1 taught by Cora M. McARTHUR, closed June 27. Whole number of pupils, 22; not absent or tardy, Arthur SPEAR, Kate AINSWORTH, Lucy CHASE, Abbie JONES, Abbie MURPHY, Edith MURPHY, May STURTEVANT, Gertie STURTEVANT, Flora TURNER; not absent but tardy, Flora SPEAR, Eddie SPEAR; not tardy but absent, Allie TURNER, Leroy HADLEY, Eddie HADLEY, George MURPHY, Fred RAHUE, Willie RAHUE, Frank SHERWIN; absent 1 day, Allie TURNER.

Quite a collection of old clocks can be sen at the shop of N. F. ENGLISH, one the property of Napoleon LUCE, was made for Judge LUCE, and fitted to a room in his house now owned by B. P. RUGGLES. There are four of them in all, mostly left for restoration of some missing parts. There is also a very ancient and curious German clock to be seen in the same place. Several of these old clocks are scattered babout town. Asa J. WEEK owns four, two of them having very beautiful inlaid cherry cases. Dr. D. F. RUGG and A. C. MARCY own each one.

Transcribed by Ruth Barton

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Hartland News, Vermont Journal, August 2, 1884

A curious piece of mechanism in the shape of a clock may be seen at the residence of Lorenzo MORRISON, made by him thirty years ago.

Howard MILLER is building a new two story house at North Hartland, and E. H. LEWIN a new meat market to contain a 10 X 14 refrigerator.

R. L. BRITTON is again on the road with meat.

Ira BLANCHARD, No. Hartland, has a cow and calf, and the ages of both added together make only fourteen months.

In C. P. BURK’s two car loads of stock, last week, was a yoke of oxen weighing 4200 lbs., bought of Elisha GALLUP, and a calf bought of John S. SLEEPER, weighing 178 lbs.

Miss Addie SLADE of Waltham, Mass., spent last week with her brother, Elmer, at B. F. LABAREE’s.

David BARBER is finishing tinman BILLINGS’ new building, David is a useful citizen; can turn his hand to anything from cleaning a carpet to building a meeting house.

F. A. GILE is round with his rollers moving buildings. One moved for James WALKER, on the HENDRICK place, and another for D. F. RUGG, in the village, while the places of the respective owners have been greatly improved, shows plainly that the mover understands his business.

An interesting temperance lecture was delivered in the Methodist church by David TATUM, minister of the Society of Friends.

Regular services at the Methodist church, Rev. Mr. BARROWS, pastor.

J. G. MORGAN, on Weed hill, estimates his apple crop at 200 bushels.

Mattie KEYES has concluded her visit with her aunt Mrs. Lorenzo WOOD, at the Four Corners, and gone to see her mother, “up north.”

William BENSON, assistant steward of the American Asylum at Hartford, Conn., left town this week for the scene of his labors. he was appointed watchman on the recommendation of C. H. GILSON, and on the death of Mr. CROSSETT, was appointed to his present position. he is a young man of good habits and will make a good officer.

James G. BATES had string beans, July 12th; and new potatoes, cucumbers and ripe tomatoes the 18th, from his garden.

Mrs. C. H. HOISINGTON had ripe tomatoes on June 1st–when she set them out.

ASHWORTH’s factory is now running altogether on yarns, large quantities of which is shipped to Philadelphia, to be woven into shawls.

School in district No. 13, taught by Stella M. ROGERS, closed July 25. Whole number of pupils 12; not absent nor tardy, Mabel RODGERS; absent but one day, Harry JAQUITH; absent but not tardy, Nettie CROSBY, Lulu CROSBY, Frank JAQUITH, Harry JAQUITH, Lucy RODGERS, Harry WEEDEN; tardy but once, Frankie GREEN, Lillian THAYER.

Transcribed by Ruth Barton

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Dr. Joseph Adam Gallup (Author: May Rogers, 1963)

Joseph Gallup, born in Stonington, Conn. in 1759 was about six years old when his father brought his family to Hartland. The means of his early education is not known but it included a command of good English, some Latin and Greek and the ability to read French. In 1787 he began his study of medicine under a “preceptor”, the method of instruction in this profession prevailing at that time. This supplemented by the required number of lectures qualified him to begin practice when he reached his 21st birthday, the earliest age when such practice could be legal. This practice began in Hartland, Bethel and Woodstock. In May 1792 he became surgeon of the militia.

In Sept. of that year he married Abigail Willard of Hartland, and their first child was born there in 1793. For a better location and a wider field of activity, he moved to Woodstock in 1800. He received the degree of Bachelor of Medicine in 1798, the first to receive a medical degree from Dartmouth. He received the degree of Doctor of Medicine in 1814 and the degree of Master of Arts from Middlebury in 1823.

In these years, medical societies were beginning to be formed and a charter was granted to the Vermont Society of Castleton in 1813. Dr. Gallup was elected it’s president for ten successful terms until he refused in 1829. He was already a teacher and writer on medical subjects, being deemed the most prominent man in the profession in New England.

Dr. Gallup was the first in the use of the new vaccination for small pox. Upon the discovery in 1796 of the much greater effectiveness of cow pox in the inoculations for this dread disease, he advertised in the Vermont Journal of Windsor in Jan. of 1803 that he was prepared to vaccinate with cow pox.

Dr. Gallup had long had dreams of a school of medicine and these were brought to fruition by the founding of the Medical College in Woodstock in 1826, of which he was sole owner and supporter during it’s difficult early years. The first session of the Clinical School of Medicine was from March to late May in 1827. Midway in this session Dr Gallup bought a plot of land and erected a building for the purpose of holding lectures in 1828. This fine brick building was the home of the medical school until 1839 when the larger building was erected on College Hill. The original building was remodeled for residential purposes.

A difference of opinion arose between Dr Gallup and two young medics resulting in the resignation of Dr. Gallup. This so stirred the people of Woodstock that a meeting was called. A large gathering on a stormy night in Jan 1834, unanimously passed resolutions commending Dr. Gallup “Resolved that it is the wish of this meeting that Dr. Gallup would continue his efforts and use what means as he may think proper to continue the school and in so doing we will give him our support and influence”. This did not help and Dr. Gallup resigned and severed all connection to the institution.

Save for a few years in Boston, he continued to live in Woodstock, dying there in 1829. He and his wife are buried in the Wyman Cemetery in North Hartland.

– May Rogers, 1963

Joseph Gallup

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Hartland News, The Vermont Tribune, March 28, 1890

Miss Carrie E. PERRY returned to her school near Boston, last Saturday.

David STEEL is home from Holderness, N. H., on account of sore eyes, caused by la grippe.

The ladies of the Congregational society will give a sugar party at L. A. SHEDD’s, this evening.

Hon. E. M. GOODWIN, who has been ill for a long time, is not expected to recover.

Miss Ida METZ returned to her home in this village, Monday. She has been in Manchester, N. H., with her aunt, the past few weeks.

Mrs. Lucy TEMPLE, a lady 72 years of age, has, in the past six years, woven 3,000 yards of rug carpeting. Who gives a better record?

George A. DUNBAR is in Bellows Falls this week.

Transcribed by Ruth Barton

Footnote: The item about Mr. Steel’s sore eyes caused by “la grippe” may sound trivial, but it is not. “La grippe” is a name given to the influenza pandemic that was raging through the US at this time. From an article by the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota,

The “Asiatic Flu”, 1889–1890, was first reported in May 1889 in Bukhara, Uzbekistan. By October, it had reached Tomsk and the Caucasus. It rapidly spread west and hit North America in December 1889, South America in February–April 1890, India in February–March 1890, and Australia in March–April 1890. It was purportedly caused by the H2N8 type of flu virus. It had a very high attack and mortality rate. About 1 million people died in this pandemic.

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Willard Twin Bridge Rebuild, 2001

Lattice interior of Willard Bridge

Seth Kelley worked on this covered bridge as a sub-contractor for Jan Lewandoski in 2001. A hurricane had destroyed the original bridge during the 1930’s. The state had replaced the bridge with one built of concrete. The concrete bridge began to crumble and fail in less than 65 years. The town opted to rebuild the covered bridge.

The bridge is a Town Lattice Truss spanning eighty feet over the Ottauquechee River. Some of the features of the original bridge were changed in the new bridge, most notably, the engineer specified natural ships knees from Maine be used in place of knee braces. Ships knees are usually cut from the base of spruce trees where the trunk creates a natural buttress. Milled carefully, ships knees provide stable bracing that offer greater clearance for vehicles passing through the bridge. Although most of the ships knees in this bridge came from Maine, the project required a few additional knees. Seth and Jan selected appropriate trees from Jan’s property and hewed out the additional ships knees. Each of the knees were scribed in place. Oak sheer keys were added and finally the knees were bolted to the truss and tie beams. Seth and Michael Cotroneo spent may hot July days drilling and sledgehammering two inch diameter pegs into the lattice truss. With all of the pegs in place, a crane was used to lift the trusses. When the trusses were plumbed, four inch thick hardwood decking was added along with the board and baton siding. The Bridge was rolled across I beams and lowered down to rest on white oak bearing timbers on the new abutments. The remaining siding work was then finished and a wooden curb was added to the interior of the bridge before opening it for public use. If you ever find yourself in North Harland, be sure to visit the bridge. It is a rare opportunity to go through two covered bridges back to back.

Project Pictures

Reprinted from Knobb Hill Joinery, with permission.

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Historically Speaking: Nathan Frederick English

Nathan English was the son of Eli, 1789-1852, of Norwich, Vt. Nathan with his wife, Emily Stocker moved to Hartland in about 1834.

Nathan English was a remarkable man with a remarkable family. He was an inventor as were his sons, Euler, Analdo and Ernest. He also had some inventions with his brother-in-law, Benjamin Livermore.

A kindly man who carried raisins in his pockets to give to the children, N.F. spent countless hours in his shop on Lull Brook inventing things such as a machine to bind or wrap horse whips, and he made a drill that would drill cast iron. The Foundry people wanted to buy it but he wouldn’t sell. Told them to come over when they wanted something bored and he would do it for them.

The following is from Analdo and Ernest’s reminiscence recorded by Howland Atwood.

Back in 1847 or 1848 Nathan and his brother-in-law got up a line of shoe machinery-press and dinking machines, etc. They went to Milford, Ma and hired a loft with power and he was a pioneer in introducing shoe machinery. Formerly a shoe factory was merely a warehouse. The materials were accumulated and dealt out to men who cut out shoes – though in those days, boots were mostly made. The people used to come there and they were given so many pegs and various shoe parts, which they took home. They lived on little farms and had a room or two in their homes which was used as a shop where they worked on or made the shoes. The people did not all do the same thing. There would be a team of stitchers who would go get their materials and take them home and stitch them. The bottomers pegged or sewed on the bottoms – did lasting. The news leaked out that English and Livermore were making shoes by machinery. English used to hire teams of men to work for him and the people, being jealous, would mob the men and disable them so they couldn’t work for a few days. Of course, when the men weren’t able to work, English and Livermore used to work in their places and Mr. English got very tired. Milford was sort of a malaria city and Mr. English got very sick and he and Livermore gave up the business as things didn’t go right. Mr. English came home, poorer than when he left, when Analdo was a baby. Mr. English was sick for 2 or 3 years and wasn’t able to do much. A partner in their business had absorbed what was left.

A daguerreotype had not been out a great while and along in 1850 Mr. English made them. After awhile he dropped that and began experimenting with machinery. Mr. English made a turning machine in his round top shop which would cut an irregular last. There were two lathes and a pattern was put in and there was a saw which cut in unison with the turning of the last. He carried on the last business for a few years. He wouldn’t make a fashionable last so that is probably why he lost the business. He made several of these turning machines. Hammond and Merritt had one in their factory on the Mill Gorge. There was a gristmill with several runs of stone and below that a sawmill with machinery for making other things out of wood. There was one of Mr. English’s turning machines over in the foundry where they turned out wagon spokes, etc.

Along about 1858-59 Mr. English got up a sort of photographic apparatus, so that he took pictures around the area. He had a room in his house for working with daguerreotypes and one for sensitizing and developing “amber types”. By the time the Civil War broke out he had completed a daguerreotype machine and used it for a year or so.

In 1862, Nathan made up a portable “amber type” machine. It was a box 10 inches square and 20 inches long. This was the wet process. Mr. English made quite a few of these apparatus’s and he used to fit men out with them. He outfitted a boy studying to be a doctor who put himself through college by taking pictures during vacations – at the seashore and elsewhere. Mr. Milliken of the Brattleboro Reporter bought the patent right. Mr. English took hundreds of pictures, many of them portraits.

N.F.’s last years were spent making microscopes, telescopes, etc. He ground thousands of lenses and had rather a craze for making them. He spent months making powerful microscopes. He had one with such a wonderful lens that doctors used to come from all over to use his microscope, as it was so much better than theirs.

Reprinted from the Vermont Standard, “Historically Speaking” by Carol Mowry.

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Weed Cemetery Survey, 1991

The following is a transcription of the prologue to the 1991 survey of the Weed Cemetery done by Howland Atwood. Virtually all of the information from the survey has been incorporated into the data in the Hartland Historical Society’s website. A copy of the original is available in the Society’s library.

The survey has seven pages of transcriptions and notes. It is supplemented by three pages of names, dates, and ages labeled, “Weed Cemetery – Town Highway #22, Hartland, Vt. (1989 Survey).

THE WEED CEMETERY

Byron P. Ruggles compiled a record from the gravestones in the Weed Graveyard on August 3, 1907. He reported the condition of the cemetery as “now a complete hedgerow of trees, brush, briars and weeds.” The town officers fro many years have taken an interest in the proper maintenance of its cemeteries and new flags are still placed in the metal flagholders on each soldier’s grave every Memorial Day.

The oldest gravestone is probably that of Moses Currier, who died March 20, 1791, ages 77 years. There are dated gravestones in every decade up through the nineteenth century to Dec. 31, 1893, the date of Augustine W. Rodgers, a civil war soldier. There was a gap of 77 years before burials were resumed.

George Crandall was buried there in 1970 and George Spear in 1978. Two boys, born the same year (1908), the youngest in their families, who were lifelong friends and grew up on adjoining farms in the Weed neighborhood. George Crandall wasn’t born in the neighborhood Crandall farm, but came there to live when he was about six years old. His mother, Myrta Crandall exchanged her farm (the Blodgett place on County road) for the farm of Frank Burke on the Weed road in the spring of 1914. George Crandall and George Spear were very successful in life. Both retired in the same neighborhood. George Spear on the farm settled on by his Gates ancestors and George Crandall on the Ahira Flower farm that adjoined the farm wher he spent most of his boyhood. His retirement home farm may have adjoined the Weed farm. George Spear’s wife Celia was buried in the Weed cemetery in 1986.

Later generations of the Weed family were buried in the Hartland Village cemetery (see pages 17 and 66A of the record of that cemetery). The Weed family farm was probably sold out of the family in the early 1900s. The descendants removed to Massachusetts. Many descendants of original families in Vermont towns have moved out of state for better opportunities for over 150 years and still will.

Weed cemetery was a part of the old Weed farm. Evaline (Darling) Morgan, who was a Weed descendant, wrote a very interesting article about a walk she took on June 20, 1943 from her family home on Hartland Hill — the next place beyond Lillian Marcotte’s. She described her walk “across lots” and down through the Mose Weed hollow at one time. The mill pond or what remained of it was aftwards used for a “sheep dip”. The brook wound down through the hills to join Lull brook at Fieldsville.

From this point, about 3/4 of the way down page one of the survey, are entries about the people buried in this cemetery and the markers left on their graves.

Transcribed by Brad Hadley, November 2011.

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Preface to “Your Grandparent’s Recipes From the Hills of Hartland”

Preface

By Judith Howland

I commend the Hartland Historical Society for compiling this cookbook. Taking pains to collate and publish the recipes of Hartland’s previous generations is a worthy project and benefits us all. History is not just names and dates; it is also the crafts, the tools, the seasonal tasks, and most of all – the food! And that means recipes and directions for making dishes “just the same way Grandma did.” I grew up in Hartland and have many memories of special foods such as:

Grandma’s chocolate birthday cakes. She made round chocolate layer cakes with chocolate frosting and white “beading” on top. It was such a treat, along with home made ice cream and a gathering of cousins to share in the birthday.

Sally Comstock’s spice cake, which she would make for the Grout School Community Club’s weekly winter whist parties. A whist party consisted of an evening of cards which ended with sandwiches, cupcakes and pieces of Sally’s spice cake for refreshments.

Home-made ice cream at Fairview farm, which was my Grandma’s childhood home. We had an annual family picnic with ice cream and my mother’s custard pies for dessert. We sat at picnic tables beneath the two trees planted in honor of Grandma (Kittie Gates Spear) and her sister (Nellie Gates).

Dora Shepard’s dried beef gravy (some would call this chipped gravy) on boiled potato. It tasted so good on cold winter nights.

Della Merritt’s lemon sponge pie. Mrs. Merritt would make her pies for community suppers, and they were always well received.

Popped corn with melted butter and cocoa for Sunday night supper. We used to grow our own popcorn and shell it by hand for popping in a wire popper on the stove.

Sugar on snow. Many families enjoyed sugar on snow in early spring, before all the snow had melted. This tradition is carried on annually at the Universalist Church by Clyde Jenne and Bruce Locke.

Strawberry shortcake. Once every summer we would enjoy a meal that consisted only of strawberries, biscuits, and whipped cream. Nothing else.

Then there were all the suppers! The Firemen’s Turkey Supper was in the fall, then the Fish and Game Club’s Wild Game Supper. Somewhere in there were the Grange suppers at Damon Hall. These were followed by the Brick Church’s Roast Beef Suppers in the winter and the Universalist Church’s Chicken Pie Suppers in the fall. The meat at these suppers has always been excellent. But a good word needs to be inserted here on behalf of the home made rolls, the mashed potatoes, the home made cole slaw and the winter squash.

The pies deserve their own paragraph! At every supper, someone has had the responsibility of “soliciting pies.” This means calling up every name on the list and asking for two pies, freshly baked, for each supper. Each pie baker would then turn out her best example of pie.

The kinds of foods that the cooks prepared might be for special occasions, such as holidays or birthdays, but some of the most memorable were for the everyday meals which were prepared with devotion for the family.