130 



GAZETTEER OF VERMONT. 



Part III, 



NORWICH. 



45' and long. 4^^ 42', and is bounded north 

 by Thetford, east by Connecticut river, 

 which separates it from Hanover, N. H., 

 south by Hartford, and west by Sliaron. 

 It lies 40 miles southeast from Mpntpelier 

 and 20 north from Windsor. This town- 

 ship was chartered to Eleazer Wales and 

 others, July 4, 17G1, by the name of 

 J^Forwhich, and contains about 25,000 

 acres. In 17G2, the township was partly 

 lotted, and the next year Jacob Fenton, 

 Ebenezer Smith and John Slafter came 

 here from Mansfield, Con., built them a 

 camp, and began improvements. There 

 were, at this time, two men in Hanover, 

 and a small settlement in Lebanon. In 

 July, Smith and S'atter left Fenton on 

 Wednesday for the pur[)0se of hoeing 

 corn in Lebanon, and returned on Satur- 

 day evening, when they found Fenton 

 dead in the camp. It appeared afterwards 

 that Mr. Freeman happened over here, 

 and finding Fenton sick and alone, he 

 tarried with him till he died, and then 

 went to Lebanon for help to bury him. 

 Freeman returned, and Fenton was buried 

 July 15, 17G3, aged 65 years, and a mon- 

 ument erected over him. In the summer 

 of 1764, four men moved their families 

 into the township, and from this time the 

 settlement advanced with considerable 

 rapidity, mostly by emigrants from Mans- 

 field and Preston, Con.* The town was 

 organized in Connecticut. The first town 

 meeting was held in Norwich, in 17(58. 

 The religious denominations are Congre- 

 gationalists, Methodists, Baptists, Episco- 

 palians, ^«&c. The first Congregational 

 church was organized in 1770, the second 

 in 1819. The Rev. Lyman Potter was 

 ordained over the Congregational church 

 August 31, 1775. At this time there was 

 no other denomination of Christians in 

 town. Mr. Potter was dismissed in 1800, 

 and the Rev. James Woodward was in- 

 stalled over the same church September 

 5, 1804. The Rev. Samuel Goddard was 

 settled over the north society January 23, 

 1822. The Rev. R. W. Bailey was set- 

 tled over the south society Nov. 24, 1819, 

 and dismissed in November, lc25. The 

 first meeting house was built in this town 



* The above statements are m;uln on llm autlior- 

 jty of a communication farnisKed bv Mr. Hezekiah 

 Goodricii, in 1514, to Capt. Josiali i)unham,for his 

 proposed Gazetteer of Vermont. Tjie Rev. Grant 

 Powers, in his "Historical Siietches of the Coos 

 cniinlry," says that Fenton's de;ith tooli place in 

 I76.T, and that in 1766, when Dr. Burton came with 

 his father to Norwich, there were but two families 

 in town. Mr. Power's statement may be correct, 

 and Mr. Goodricii'.* wrong ; but T judged it best to 

 retain the latter, till I should find means to recon- 

 cile Mr. P.'s staieiD°"t with what he says else- 

 wlieie. Whether Mr. P.'s sovero Ktrictures upon 

 the first edition of my Gazetteer were generous or 

 just, I l»ave others to jurf^e. 



in 1776, and it was at that time the best 

 meeting house in the state. The other 

 Congregational meeting house was built 

 in 1818. The Methodists have two meet- 

 ing houses, one built in 1 836, and the oth- 

 er in 1837, in the west part of the town. 

 The Baptist house was built in the west 

 part, in 1835. Among the eminent per- 

 sonages may be mentioned the Hon. Pe- 

 ter Olcott, who died here in September, 

 1808. He had a military command at the 

 capture of General Burgoyne, and, after- 

 wards, passed through every grade of mil- 

 itary office to that of Major General. He 

 was for some time judge of the supreme 

 court, many years iieut. governor of the 

 state, and, at the time of his death, trus- 

 tee of Dartmouth College. The Hon. 

 Tliomas Murdoch died here in December, 

 1803. He was a member of the council of 

 the state, and a judge of the county court. 

 The Hon. Paul Brigham died here July 

 15, 1824, in the 79th year of his age. He 

 served four years as captain in the revo- 

 lutionary war; was five)^ears high sheriff 

 of the county of Windsor; a major gen- 

 eral of militia; five years chief judge of 

 tiie county court; and 22, of 24 succeed- 

 ing years, Iieut. governor of the state. 

 All of these offices he discharged to the 

 satisfaction of his fellow citizens, and he 

 received their suffrages for the latter till, 

 admonished by the infirmities of age, he 

 declined any further public service. Con- 

 necticut river washes the eastern boun- 

 dary of the township, and is from 30 to 

 40 rods in width. It is fordable in three 

 ])laces at low water. Ompompanoosuc 

 river enters the township from Thetford, 

 two miles west of Connecticut river, and, 

 after running three miles across the north- 

 east corner, mingles its waters with those 

 of the Connecticut. It is a rapid stream, 

 with a gravelly bottom, about six rods in 

 width, and affords several eligible mill 

 seats. Bloody brook arises wholly in this 

 township, and, passing a little westerly of 

 Norwich plain, falls into the Connecticut 

 just below the bridge leading from Nor- 

 wich to Dartmouth College. On this 

 stream are several excellent mill seats. 

 It is said to have had its name from a 

 bloody battle fought here during the 

 French war. At its mouth, it is about 

 two rods in width. On each of the above 

 streams are some fine tracts of intervale. 

 Smalley's brook is a small mill stream 

 which falls into Connecticut river be- 

 tween tiie Ompompanoosuc and Bloody 

 brook. Mosher's brook rises in the south 

 part, and unites with the Connecticut in 

 Hartford. The timber on the meadows 

 was originally elm, bass, ash and butter- 

 nut ; on the plains and hills near the riv- 



