150 



GAZETTEER OF VERMONT. 



Part III. 



ROCKINGHAM. 



ROCKINGHAM. 



Briggs, both between 96 and 98 years of 

 age. The principal stream is White riv- 

 er, which runs through the township from 

 north to south. About half a mile south 

 of the centre it receives a considerable 

 tributary from the west, which originates 

 in Goshen. On each of these streams are 

 good situations for mills. The township 

 is mountainous and broken, but contains 

 much good land. The intervale along the 

 river is handsome, but not extensive. 

 The timber is mostly hard wood, inter- 

 spersed with some spruce, hemlock, &c. 

 There is a small but pleasant village sit- 

 uated near the centre of the township on 

 the eastern bank of White river, contain- 

 ing a meeting house, and it is a place of 

 Bome business. There are in town 13 

 school districts, 1 grist, 7 saw and 2 

 fulling mills, 3 stores, 2 toverns and 1 

 tannery. Statistics o/ 1640. — Horses, 287 ; 

 cattle, 1,609 ; sheep, 11,6J6; swine, 678; 

 wheat, bus. 2,367; barley, 15.5; oats, 

 10,552; rye, 639; buckwheat, I, -5.59; In- 

 dian corn, 4,446 ; potatoes, 44,945 ; hay, 

 tons, 5,250; sugar, lbs. 39,110; wool, 

 29,980. Population, 1,396. 



Rock Dcnoer. See Dundcr Rock, 

 Rock River rises in Franklin, and 

 runs througii Highgate into Missisco bay. 

 Rockingham, a post town in the north- 

 east corner of Windham county, is in lat. 

 43"^ 11' and long. 4° 32', and is bounded 

 north by Springfield, east by Connecticut 

 river, which separates it from Charles- 

 town, N. H., south by Westminster, and 

 west by Grafton. It lies 85 miles from 

 Montpelier,22 from Windsor and 25 from 

 Brattleborough, as the roads are travelled. 

 It was chartered December 28, 1752, con- 

 taining 24,955 acres. The settlement of 

 the township was commenced in 1753, by 

 Moses Wriglit, Joel Bigelow and Simeon 

 Knight, who emigrat^^d from Massachu- 

 setts. The town was organized about the 

 year 1760. The first town clerk was 

 Joshua Webb, and he and John Roundy 

 were the first representatives. But little 

 is known of the early history of this town. 

 The attention of the first settlers was 

 principally directed to fishing for salmoir- 

 and shad, which were then taken in great 

 abundance at Bellows' falls. For this 

 reason, agriculture was, for many years, 

 much neglected, and the settlement ad- 

 vanced very slowly. The religious de- 

 nominations are Congregationalists, Epis- 

 copalians, IMethodists, Baptists, ttc. The 

 Congregational church was organized 

 aboiTt 1770. Rev. Samuel Whiting was 

 settled over it from Oct, 27, 1773, to May 

 18, 1809, the Rev. Elijah Wallage from 

 1818 to 1821, and the Rev. Samuel Mason 

 from Jail. 5, 1837 to August 22, 1838. A 



Congregational church was formed at 

 Saxton's River village in 1836, over which 

 the Rev. Nelson Barbour was settled from 

 Nov. 13, 1836 to Sept. 11, 1839; the Rev. 

 Samuel A. Benton, the present minister, 

 was settled Jan. 15, 1840. The Episcopal 

 church, by the name of Iininanuel Church, 

 was formed at Bellows Falls, as early as 

 1798. The first articles of association 

 were signed by 17 persons. For several 

 years the societ}' held only occasional 

 meetings for public worship, availing it- 

 self of the services of passing clergymen. 

 For many years it received the income, 

 $70 per annum, of the glebe grant in 

 town, which was usually appropriated for 

 the ministerial services of the Rev. Dan- 

 iel Barber, but sometimes of other cler- 

 gymen, as the Rev. Messrs. Ogden, Chit- 

 tenden and Bronson. Two acres of land 

 being given as a site for a church and 

 burying ground in Bellows Falls village, 

 a church was built and consecrated Sept. 

 24, 1817. Rev. Carlton Chase, D. D., 

 the present minister, became rector of 

 this church Sept. 1.9, 1S19, the Rev. Geo. 

 T. Chapman having officiated between 1 

 and 2 years previous. About 1821, a 

 course of prosperity in spiritual and tem- 

 poral things began, which, by Divine fa- 

 vor, has not ceased. In 1826, the rector 

 commenced a course of " Bible class" and 

 catachetical instruction, which is still con- 

 tinued with a manifest blessing. The 

 progress of the church in numbers and 

 piety has been firm and constant. Com- 

 municants in 1831, 45; in 1837, 80; in 

 1842, 116. Baptisms, 315. Confirmed by 

 Bishop Griswold, 46; by Bishop Hopkins, 

 101. Marriages, 56. Deaths, 81,— in 22 

 years. Connecticut river washes the 

 eastern border of this township. Wil- 

 liams' river runs through the central part 

 and unites with the Connecticut about 

 three miles north of Bellows Falls. Sax- 

 ton's river runs through the south part 

 and falls into the Connecticut a mile 

 south of Bellows Falls, in the northeast 

 corner of Westminster. These streams 

 afford a great number of valuable sites for 

 mills. The surface of this township is 

 somewiiat broken, but the soil is in gen- 

 eral warm and productive. Bellows' falls 

 are in Connecticut river, near the south- 

 east corner of this township. The breadth 

 of the river above the falls is from J 6 to 

 22 rods. At the falls a large rock divides 

 the stream into tv.'o channels, each about 

 90 feet wide. When the water is low 

 the eastern appears crossed by a bar of 

 solid rock, and the whole river flows into 

 the western channel, where it is contract- 

 ed to the breadth of 16 feet, and flows 

 with astonishing rapidity. There are sev- 



