Part III. 



GAZETTEER OF VERMONT. 



191 



WHITINGHAAI. 



WILD BRANCH. W ILDERSBURGH . 



WILLIAMS RIVEH. 



prevailed here in 1803, and the epidemic 

 of 1812 and 13 was very mortal. One 

 person has lived in this town to be 100 

 years of age. Otter creek waters the 

 eastern border of the township but affords 

 no mill privileges. A saw mill, on a small 

 stream, is the only mill in town. Otter 

 creek, till lately, afforded no valuable fish. 

 In the spring of 1819, Mr. Levi Walker, 

 of Whiting, proposed to the inhabitants 

 of this and the neighboring towns along 

 the creek to transfer fish from tlie lake 

 into the creek above Middlebury falls. 

 The plan was carried into execution, and 

 the fish have since multiplied exceeding- 

 ly. In 1823 not less than 500 pounds of 

 excellent pickerel were taken from the 

 creek in the distance of two miles. Along 

 the eastern part of the township, near Ot- 

 ter creek, is a swamp, which covers 2 or 

 3000 acres. It affords an abundance of 

 excellent cedar, pine, ash, &c. The soil 

 is generally of the marly kind, and pro- 

 duces good grass and grain. In 1810 Mr. 

 Samuel H. Remmele had a field of five 

 acres of wheat which averaged 50 bushels 

 to the acre, and Mr. Benajah Justin for 

 several years raised an annual crop of 

 corn which averaged 100 bushels to the 

 acre. The stage road from Burlington to 

 Albany passes through the centre of the 

 township. The town is divided into five 

 school districts, with a school house in 

 each. Sfjitistics of 1840. — Horses, 181 ; 

 cattle, 807; sheep, 10,323; swine, 390; 

 wheat, bu. 1,232; barley, 13(j; oats, 2,- 

 600; rye, 236; buckwheat,/!; Ind corn, 

 2,255; potatoes, 7,150; hay, tons, 2,837; 

 sugar, lbs. 1,590; wool, 27,168. Popula- 

 tion, 660. 



Whitingham, a post town in the south- 

 west corner of Windham county, is in 

 lat. 42° 47', and long. 4*^ 9", and is boun- 

 ded north i)y Wilmington, east by Hali- 

 fax, south by Heath and Rowe, Mass., 

 and west by Reedsborough. It lies ]8 

 miles southeast from Bennington, and 20 

 northwest from Greenfield, Mass., and 

 contains 23,404 acres. The settlement 

 was commenced in 1770, by a Mr. Bratlin 

 and Silas Hamlinton. In 1773, Messrs. 

 Angel, Gustin, Nelson, Lamphire, and 

 Pike, emigrants from Massachusetts and 

 Connecticut, moved their families here. 

 The town was organized March 23, 1780, 

 and Eliphalet Hyde was first town clerk. 

 Silas Hamlinton was the first justice of 

 peace, and first representative. The re- 

 ligious denominations are Baptists, Meth- 

 odists, Universal i.sts, and Congregational- 

 ists. There have been several instances 

 of longevity. Mr. Benj. Cook died here 

 in 1832, aged 106 years. His health and 

 strength held out remarkably, and he cel- 



ebrated his hundredth birth day by ma^ 

 king a pair of shoes, without spectacles- 

 In 1793 the canker rash was very niortah 

 and carried off one fourth of the children 

 in town. The typhus fever prevailed in 

 1801, and was fatal to more than 40 adult 

 persons. Many of the first settlers of 

 this township had numerous families of 

 children. Mr. Pike had 28 children, 10 

 by his first wife, and 18 by two others. 

 Most of these lived to a mature age, and 

 19 of tliem were alive a few years since, 

 the youngest of whom was 25 years old. 

 Deerfield river runs through the whole 

 length of the township, along the western 

 part, fertilizing some handsome tracts of 

 meadow. There are many other smaller 

 streams in diflTerent parts. There are two 

 natural ponds. SawdavHla pond is so 

 called from an Indian of that name who 

 formerly lived near it, and was afterwards 

 supposed to have been drowned in going 

 down Deerfield river. This pond has 

 been gradually decreasing for 50 years 

 past, by land forming over the water, 

 which, to the extent of 70 or 80 acres, 

 rises and falls with the waters of the 

 pond. The surface of the township is un- 

 even, but the soil is generally good, and 

 is timbered with maple, beech, birch, ash, 

 spruce and hemlock. A mineral spring 

 was discovered here in 1822, which was 

 analyzed by Doct. Wilson, and found to 

 contain the following ingredients, viz : 

 muriate of lime, carbonate of lime, muri- 

 ate of magnesia, carbonate and per-oxyde 

 of iron, alumina with an acid trace. It is 

 said to be a specific fur cutaneous erup- 

 tions, scrofulous humours, dropsy, gravel 

 chronic ulcers, liver complaint, and a va- 

 riety of other diseases. The western part 

 of the township abounds with limestone, 

 which is burnt extensively into lime. — 

 The town contains a well finished meet- 

 ing house, 50 by .55 feet on the ground, 

 fourteen school districts, two grist mills 

 nine saw mills, two fulling mills, five 

 stores, one tavern, and one tannery. Sta- 

 tistics of 1840.— Horses, 267; cattle, 2,- 

 710; sheep, 3,997; swine, 969; wheat, 

 bu. 1,154; barley, 375; oats, 5,137; rye, 

 822 ; buckwheat, 1,044 ; Ind. corn, 3,270 ; 

 potatoes, 43,978 ; hay, tons. 4,999 ; sugar, 

 lbs. 30,389 ; wool, 6,809. Population, 

 1,391. 



Wild Branch originates in Eden, runs 

 through the western part of Craftsbury, 

 and unites with the river Lamoille in 

 Wolcott. 



WiLDERSBURGH. Name altered to Barre, 

 October 19, 1793. See Barre. 



Williams' River is formed in Ches- 

 ter, by the union of three considerable 

 branches, which originate in small streams 



