188 



GAZETTEER OF VERMONT. 



PaktIII. 



WESTMINSTER. 



WESTMORE- 



famous massacre of the 13th of March, 

 1775, took place, and that the first regu- 

 lar measures were adopted to resist by 

 force the government of New York ; and 

 after the erection of the county of Wind- 

 ham, tlie courts were held alternately at 

 Westminster and Marlborough, for many 

 years, until they were removed to New- 

 fane. For many years afterwards it main- 

 tained its reputation as a place of consid- 

 erable business and trade ; but has, of 

 late years, been rather stationary, if not 

 on the decline. It is, however, a good 

 township of land, and iiihabited by a 

 steady, industriou.*;, agricultural popula- 

 tion. Westminster is divided, by law, 

 into two parishes, the east and the west. 

 The Congregational church was organ- 

 ized, and the Rev. Jesse Goodell settled 

 in the east parish June 11, 17G7, who left 

 in 1769. His successors have been tiie 

 Rev. Joseph Bullen from 1774 to 17d5, 

 and the Rev. Sylvester Sage from Oct. 

 13, 17U() to MaVch 1, 1838. The Rev. 

 Calvin R. Batchelder is the present min- 

 ister. Their first meeting house was 

 erected in 1770, the present in 1835. The 

 Congregational church was organized in 

 the west parish in 17'J!). The ministers 

 have been the Rev. Reuben Emerson 

 from Feb. 18, IHOD to March 21), 18U4 ; 

 the Rev. Timothy Field from January 20, 

 1807 to April 1, 183."), and the Rev. Pres- 

 ton Taylor from April 1, 1835 to Nov. G, 

 1836. The Rev. J. Welhnan, the pres- 

 ent minister, was settled March 7, 1838. 

 There are some Baptists and ^Methodists, 

 but they have no organized societies. 

 The Rev. and venerable S. Sage died 

 here in Jan. 1841; he preached his-'jOtn an- 

 niversary sermon October, 18, 1840. This 

 town has had its share of men whose 

 names occupy a distinguisiied place in 

 the history of the state. At an early pe- 

 riod Crean Brush, the colonial di>puty 

 secretary of New York, and Ezra Sliles, 

 the son of the late Dr. Stiles, president of 

 Yale College, removed to this place, and 

 entered into the practice of the law. The 

 former left at the breaking out of the rev- 

 olution, and died a short time aftt^-r, and 

 the latter deceased long before his learned 

 and venerated father. Gen. Stephen R. 

 Bradley, v/hose name occurs so often in 

 all the important transactions connected 

 with the formation of the stale, and who 

 is better known abroad as a senator in 

 Conoress, which oflice he held for sixteen 

 years, was, for more than thirty years, a 

 resident in this town ; as was also the 

 Hon. Lot Hall, a distinguisiied lawyer, 

 and afterwards judge of the supreme 

 court, who died here in the year 180l). 

 Hon. Mark Richards and Hon. Wm. C. 



Bradley, late members of Congress, reside 

 here. The principal and oldest village is 

 delightfully situated in the east parish, 

 on the bank of Connecticut river. The 

 main street, which is perfectly level, 

 crosses a table of land about one mile in 

 diameter, considerably elevated above the 

 river, and al^-o above the large and fertile 

 meadows '■>•<,■ v.-jiich it is approached on 

 the north ind south ; and the whole is 

 enclosed by a semi-circle of hills which 

 touch the river about two miles above 

 and below the village. It is this barrier 

 which, while it contributes to the natural 

 beauty of tlie place, has, by turning the 

 water courses in another direction, de- 

 prived it of all those facilities of access, 

 and of water power, which have so 

 much contributed to the rapid growth of 

 some of the neigliboring villages. The 

 rocks are granite, slate, and silicioua 

 limestone. There are in town 14 school 

 houses, 2 grist and 8 saw mills, 1 tannery 

 and store. The first newspaper in Ver- 

 mont was printed here. (See part second, 

 poge 171.) Statistics of 1840. — Horses, 

 301 ; cattle, 1,739; sheep, 16,976; swine, 

 1,185; wheat, bush. 1,893; barley, 479 ; 

 oats, 19,649; rye, 3,29! > ; buck-wheat, 

 1,144 ; Indian corn, 12,498; potatoes, 30,- 

 267; hay, tons, 4,307; sugar, lbs. 28,670; 

 wool, 31,382. Population, 1,546. 



Westmoke, a township in the south- 

 cast part ol' Orleans county, is in lat. 44** 

 45' and long. 4" 57', and is bounded nor- 

 therly by Brighton and Charleston, eas- 

 terly by Newark, southerly by Sutton, 

 and westerly by Brownington. It lies 

 43 miles northeast from Montpelier, was 

 granted November 7, 1780, and chartered 

 to Uriah Seymour and others, by the 

 name of Westford, August 17, 1781, con- 

 taining 23,040 acres. The name was af- 

 terwards altered to Westmore. The 

 township was surveyed in March, 1800, 

 and the settlement conrmcnced the same 

 spring. Tlie settlement was abandon- 

 ed during the war of 1812, but resum- 

 ed on the return of peace. This town 

 ship is but little settled. The surface 

 is uneven, and mount Hor, Pisgah and 

 Pico are the most important summits. 

 Willoughby's lake lies in this township, 

 and is about si.x miles in length and one 

 and a half wide. Its waters are dischar- 

 ged by Willoughby's river into Barton 

 river. Some of the head branches of 

 Clyde river and of the Passumpsic rise 

 here. Statistics of 1840. — Horses, 12; 

 cattle, 37; sheep, 62; swine, 38; wheat 

 bush. 308; barley, 108 ; oats, 223; rye, 55; 

 buckwlieat, 223 ; Ind. corn, 55; potatoes, 

 2,350 ; hay, tons, 92 ; sugar, lbs. 48 ; wool, 

 114. Population, 122. 



