Part 111. 



GAZETTEER OF VERMONT. 



'35 



BROOKFIELD. 



BROOKLINK. 



after. The early settlers were principally 

 from Conn. Capt. Cross built the first 

 grist and saw mill. Timothy Cole was 

 the first town clerk and Jonathan Pierce 

 the first representative. The religious de- 

 nominations are Congregationalists, Bap- 

 tists, Freewill Baptists, Methodists and 

 Universalists. The Congregationalist 

 church was organized, July II, 1787, and 

 the Rev. Elijah Lyman ordained over it 

 April 8, 1789, and continued pastor till 

 his death, which took place April 12, 1828. 

 Mr. Lyman was a native of Tolland, 

 Conn, and graduated at Dartmouth col- 

 lege, in 1786. He was succeeded by the 

 present pastor, the Rev. Daniel Wild, 

 who is a native of West Fairlee, graduated 

 at the University of Vt. in 1828, and was 

 ordained over this church, July 1, 1830. 

 This was for man}' years the only reli- 

 gious society in towTi, and the others are 

 still comparatively small. There are four 

 houses for public worship belonging to 

 the several religious denominations, that 

 of the Congregationalists was erected in 

 1806. In 1789 there were 52 families in 

 town. The number of deaths in town 

 from that time up to 1842, is 805. The 

 smallest number of deaths in one year 

 Wfis one, the greatest 34, the average 

 mimber 14. The years of most remarka- 

 ble mortality, were 1795, 1801, 1807, 1808, 

 1811, 1813, and 1823. This township lies 

 nearly on the height of land between 

 White and Winooski river, and parts of it 

 are broken ; but it is mostly fit for cultiva- 

 tion and is very productive, particularly in 

 grass. It is well watered with springs 

 and brooks, but has no very good mill 

 privileges. The principal stream is the 

 second branch of Wliite river, which 

 originates in Williamstown, in conjunc- 

 tion with Stevens' branch of Winooski 

 river, and runs through the eastern part 

 of this town into Randolph There are 

 several considerable ponds, some of which 

 afford streams, a considerable part of the 

 year sufficient for mills and other machine- 

 ry. Colt's pond near tlie north village 

 is crossed by a floating bridge 25 rods 

 long. Around and at the bottom of a 

 small pond in tJie west part of the town 

 is an inexhaustible quantity of marl, from 

 which very good lime is manufactured. 

 There are three good stage roads passing 

 through the town leading from Montpelier 

 to White river. There are 13 school dis- 

 tricts, a female seminary, a town library 

 consisting of about 600 volumes, 4 taverns, 

 3 stores, &,c. Stafistirs o/184U. — Horses, 

 546; cattle, 2,406 ; sheep, 12,693 ; swine, 

 1,641; wheat, bu. 6,127; barley, 176; 

 oats, 26,251 ; rye, 321 ; buckwheat, 4,095 ; 

 Jjad. eorn, 7,042; potatoes, 70,686; hay, 



tons, 1,412; sugar, lbs. 26,486; wool, 

 25,757. Population, 1,789. 



Brookline, a small post town in the 

 eastern part of Windham county, in lat. 

 43° 1', is bounded north by Athens, east 

 by Westminster and Putney, south by 

 Putney and Dummerston, and west by 

 Townshend and Newfane, being in part 

 separated from the latter by West river. 

 It is about eight miles in length and from 

 one and a half to two and a half miles in 

 width. It was set off" from Putney and 

 Athens and incorporated into a township, 

 October 30, 1794, and derives its name 

 from Grassy hrtwk which runs througU 

 the whole length of the town from north 

 to south, and empties into West river on 

 the southwestern boundary. Its area is 

 about 17 square miles. The town was 

 organized in March, 1795, and John Wat- 

 ers was first town clerk. It was first rep- 

 resented in 1823, by Benjamin Ormsbee. 

 The first settlement was made in this 

 township by Cyrus Whitcomb, jr., David 

 Ayres, Samuel Skinner, and Jonah Moore 

 about the year 1777. The first settlers 

 had many hardships to endure, but nothing 

 more than is common in new settlements 

 generally. There are two religious soci- 

 eties, a Baptist society, close communion, 

 and a union or open communion society, 

 each having a good house of worship. 

 The former was organized in 1798 and 

 has had the following ministers; Rev. 

 Amos Beckwith, settled in 1802 and re- 

 mained but a short time. Rev. Isaac Well- 

 more, settled Nov. 2, 1808, continued 18 

 years. Rev. David Cutler, October 3, 

 1827, two years, Rev. Denzil M. Crome, 

 May, 1837, one year, and Rev. John 

 Baldwin, the present minister, settled in 

 April, 1838. A deep valley runs through 

 the whole length of the township from 

 north to south, at the bottom of which 

 runs Grassy Brook, which rises in Athens 

 and falls into West river near the south- 

 west corner of Brookline. Along the 

 whole of the east line of the town, is a 

 considerable elevation. West river forms 

 for a short distance, the western boundary. 

 During a violent freshet, some years 

 since, a bed of kaolin, or porcelain clay 

 was laid open in this town. The soil is 

 better adapted to the production of grass 

 than grain. There is a medicinal spring 

 in the south part of the town, which is 

 considered efficacious in cutaneous af- 

 fections. The town has always been re- 

 markably healthy. There are four school 

 districts and school houses, one tavern, 

 one saw mill and one grist mill, but the 

 mill privileges are not very good. Statis- 

 tics of 1840.— Horses, 75 ; cattle, 679 ; 

 sheep., 1,553; swine, 201; wheat, bu. 



