Part III. 



GAZETTEER OF VERMONT. 



173 



TOWNSHliNU. 



TROUT RIVER. 



commenced in 1761, by Joseph Tyler, 

 who was soon joined by John Hazletine, 

 whose mother lived to the ao-e of 104 

 years, and others, from Upton, Ms. The 

 first town meeting was on the oOtli of 

 May, 1771. Joseph Tyler was the first 

 town clerk. The religious denominations 

 are Congregationalists, Baptists, Metho- 

 dists and Universalists. The Rev. Mr. 

 Dudley was the first settled minister. He 

 was ordained over the Congregational 

 church June 26, 1777, and dismissed about 

 the year 1780. This church, having be- 

 come extinct, was reorganized in 17f)2, 

 and then consisted of 15 members. The 

 ministers since that time have been the 

 following : Rev. Luke Whitcomb from 

 Aug. 30, 181.") to his death, Jan. 2, 1821 ; 

 Rev. Philetus Clark from Nov. 21, 1821, 

 to July 6, 1824 ; Rev. James Kimball from 

 Jan. 13, 1825, to Oct. 6, 1830; and Rev. 

 Horatio N. Graves, the present minister, 

 who was settled Feb. 3, 1833. The pres- 

 ent minister of the Baptist church is the 

 Rev. Wm. D. Upham, who has been set- 

 tled here 3 or 4 years. There are two 

 villages, whose post oflice designations 

 are Townshend and West Townshend. 

 The former is a flourishino- village, con- 

 taining a Baptist and Congregational 

 meeting house, the former built in 1838, 

 the latter in ]7!)0, 3 stores, a number of 

 mechanics' shops, and about 40 dwelling 

 houses. The Leland Classical and Eng- 

 lish School is located here. It is a flour- 

 ishing institution. The building is of 

 brick, 54 feet by 36, together wi(h a large 

 boarding house for the accommodation of 

 the pupils. In the west village is a meet- 

 ing house, built in 1816, but no settled 

 minister. There are now living in this 

 township two persons who are between 

 90 and 100 years of age. Among the 

 early and distinguished inhabitants of this 

 township may be mentioned the late Gen. 

 Samuel Fletcher. He was born at Graf- 

 ton, Mass., in 1745. At the age of 17 he 

 enlisted as a soldier in the contest between 

 the British and French colonies, in which 

 service he continued one year. On his 

 return he learned the trade of a black- 

 smith, which he followed about four years, 

 when he married a young lady with a 

 handsome property, and, resigning the 

 sledge, removed to Townshend to wield 

 the axe among the trees of the forest. In 

 1775 he joined the American standard at 

 Bunker's hill, with rank of orderly ser- 

 geant. He returned to Townshend in 

 January following, where he was made 

 a captain of militia. He was, at this time, 

 principal leader in the county convention, 

 and was ordered, as captain, to raise as 

 jnaoy minute men as possibje in Jiis vi- 



cinity, who were to hold themselves in 

 readiness to march at the beat of the 

 drum. His whole company volunteered, 

 and in 1777, they marched to Ticonde- 

 roga for the purpose of relieving the 

 American army, which was there be- 

 sieged. On this expedition, with 13 vol- 

 unteers, he attacked a British detachment 

 of 40 men, killed one and took seven pris- 

 oners, without sustaining any loss him- 

 self. He soon after received a Major's 

 commission, and continued in the service 

 till after the capture of Burgoyne. After 

 his return, he rose through the different 

 grades of oftice to that of Major GeneraJ 

 of militia, which office he held six years. 

 He was several years member of the ex- 

 ecutive council, and, in 1788, was ap- 

 pointed high sheriff" of the county of 

 Windham, which office he held 18 years 

 successively, and he was three years a 

 judge of the county court. He died Sep- 

 tember 15, 1814, aged about 70 years. 

 The surface of this township is generally 

 uneven, and many of the hills are high 

 and steep. West river runs through the 

 township in a southeasterly direction. It 

 is a very rapid stream, and is about ten 

 rods in width. Along its banks are some 

 fine tracts of intervale. There are also 

 several brooks, which afford good mill 

 seats. The town contains 9 school dis- 

 tricts and school houses, 2 grist, 1 fulling 

 and 4 saw mills, 4 stores, 2 taverns, 1 trip 

 hammer, and 2 tanneries. Stat.iatics of 

 1840. — Horses, 326 ; cattle, 2,669 ; sheep, 

 8,890; swine, 1,055; wheat, bus. 2,025; 

 barley, 116; oats, 8,936; rye, 1,823; 

 buckwheat, 898 ; Indian corn, 7,946; po- 

 tatoes, 4J,488; hay, tons, 4,178 ; sugar, 

 lbs. 10,460; wool, 17,276. Population, 

 1,515. 



Trout River, is formed in Montgom- 

 ery, by the union of soutli and east branch, 

 the former rising in Avery's gore, and 

 the latter in Westfield. The junction i^ 

 formed about half a mile west of the cen- 

 tre of the town, from which the river 

 takes a northwest course, and, after run- 

 ning about four miles, passes through the 

 northeast corner of Enosburgh, into Mis- 

 sisco river near the south line of Berkr 

 shire. Trout river receives, initscoursej 

 a number of tributary streams, affords 

 several valuable mill privileges, and fer- 

 tilizes a handsome tract of intervale. The 

 Rev. Mr. Gray, an Episcopalian clergy- 

 man, was drowned in attempting to cross 

 this river to attend a funeral, during a re- 

 markable freshet in the fall of 1822. He 

 was a man respected and beloved, and his 

 loss was much lamented. 



Troy, a post town in the north part of 

 Orleans county, is in lat. 44'^55' and long. 



