Part III. 



GAZETTEER OF VERMONT 



23 



commenced the year before by Messrs. 

 Panborn and Thurber. Mr. Fowler was 

 tlie first settler who resided here perma- 

 nently, or whose descendants lived in 

 town. In addition to the above, Capt. 

 James Hobart, Hezekiah Silloway, Wm. 

 Flag-g', Jacob Black, PJleazer Hubbard, 

 Zachariah Perrin, David Nye, Elijah Nye, 

 Jabez Ellis, Aaron Strong, Joshua Bay- 

 ley, John Taplin, and James Sawyer may 

 be mentioned nsamouo; the early settlers 

 of the town. The number of families in 

 town in 1790, was 21; in 1795, 65: in 

 1708,85. There was nothing remarkable 

 .attending the first settlement of this town 

 but wliat was conunon in the first settle- 

 ment of others. The town was organized 

 March 31, 17!)1. David Nye was first 

 town clerk, and John Taplin first repre- 

 sentative. Abel Knapp was chosen town 

 clerk in 1795, which office he has held till 

 the present time, witJi the exception of 

 one year (1815). The peo|)le of this town 

 are mostly engaged in agriculture, being 

 so situated that it is more convenient for 

 them to patronize the tradesmen and pro- 

 fessional men of other tow)is than their 

 own. The religious societies are Con- 

 greo-ationalist, Methodist and Universal- 

 ist. Rev. James Hobart was settled over 

 the Congregationalist society in 1798, and 

 dismissed in 1829. Rev. Austin Hazen 

 was settled in 1837, and still continues 

 their pastor. The first meeting house 

 was erected 1801, and burnt in tlie winter 

 of 1837. A "union jiouse," owned prin- 

 cipally by the Universalist and Methodist 

 societies, was erected in the south part of 

 the town, and a Methodist house a little 

 east of the centre in 1837, and a Congre- 

 gationalist house at the latter place in 

 1838. The town is watered by Winooski 

 river, which forms a considerable part of 

 the northern boundary; Dog river which 

 runs nearly north through the western 

 part of the town ; Pond brook near the 

 centre, and Stevens' branch, which runs 

 across the northeast corner. Before any 

 settlements were made in this vicinit}^, a 

 hunter by the name of Stevens, from the 

 east part of tlie state, was found dead in 

 his camp on the bank of this stream near 

 its mouth, and was buried there: hence 

 its name. In '181 2, Mr. Daniel Thomp- 

 son, while digging a ditch on his farm, 

 ploughed up human bones, which were 

 supposed to be those of Stevens'. They 

 were carefully collected and buried.* 

 Berlin Pond is a little southeast of the 

 centre of the town. It is in two bodies of 

 water, being connected by a narrow neck ; 



* There is a notice of this in the first edition of 

 the Gazetteer, under the name of Barre. Iledicd in 

 \W\s town and it is .supposed thiit his camp was on 

 tlie farm owned by Mr. Thompson. 



is about two miles long and half a mile 

 wide. The fish in this pond are princi- 

 pally pickerel. When tlie settleinent of 

 this town was commenced, the dace was 

 the only fish found in this pond. About 

 ]8(/3, some trout were put into it, and in 

 the course of a few years became quite 

 plentiful, some of them weighing 4 or 5 

 pounds. Pickerel were afterwards intro- 

 duced, and as these have multiplied the 

 others have disappeared. There is a me- 

 dicinal spring in the northeast corner of 

 the town and anotlier in the west part, 

 but they have not gained much celebrity. 

 Tiie town is somewhatbroken,yet it con- 

 tains much very good and handsome til- 

 lage land. There is considerable inter- 

 vale oit Winooski and Dog rjverand Ste- 

 vens' branch. The timber, west of Dog 

 river, is a mi.xture of spruce, hemlock, 

 maple, beach, birch, bassvvood, and ash; 

 east of that, principally hard wood, ex- 

 cepting in the vicinity of the pond and 

 streams. On a ridge of land south of the 

 centre, is some butternut, and east of the 

 pond, considerable cedar and fir. Iron 

 ore has recently been discovered a little 

 east of Dog river, near which place ter?-e 

 dc sena has been found of good quality. 

 The town has been generally very healthy. 

 Occasionally typhus fever, scarlet fever, 

 whooping cough, &c. have been epidem- 

 ics. The epidemic of 1813 prevailed to 

 some extent, and was fatal in quite a num- 

 ber of cases. We find on record tlie fol- 

 owing list of birth and deaths, in this 

 town, from 1799 to 1813, inclusive : 



Deaths. Year 



12 

 25 

 M 

 13 

 10 

 6 



1807 

 1808 

 1809 

 1810 

 1811 

 1812 

 1813 



Births. Deaths 



45 

 50 

 37 

 35 

 47 

 36 

 43 



15 



19 



22^' 

 13 

 39 



There is a small village a little east of 

 the centre of the town containing from, 

 15 to 20 dwelling houses, 2 meeting hous- 

 es, a store, tavern, post office, grist and 

 saw mill, starch factory, and several me- 

 chanics. There are 13 school districts 

 and 13 school houses ; 1 mercantile store, 

 1 machine shop, 5 carpenters and joiners,. 

 4 blacksmiths, and 8 shoeinakers. Statis- 

 t/.rs of 1840.— Horses, 414; cattle 2,266 ; 

 sheep, 7,097; swine, 956; wheat, bu. 

 2,510; barley, 110; oats, 20,335; rye,, 

 155; buck wheat 1,915; In. corn, 7,182; 

 potatoes, 83,734 ; hay, tons, 1,232; sugar, 

 lbs. 29,175 ; wool, 14,647. Population, 

 1598. H.H.n. 



