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CHAPTER IX

Biographical SketchesRev. Elijah Lyman

Mr. Lyman was born in 1762 or 1763 .His early life is entirely unknown to us, a sprior to his settlement over the church inthis place his home and that of hisfather's family had not been in this vicini -ty . He was a native of Tolland, Conn ., and _.and

graduated at Dartmouth College i n1786. In 1789, when he had hardly finish-ed his studies, he received a call to settl ein Brookfield. This invitation he con-sidered with prayerful deliberation an dhabitual candor, and having formed hisdecision, he set forth in a letter to th epeople his views upon the matter withcharacteristic simplicity and humility. Acopy of this letter is as follows :

"To the church and congregation inBrookfield : Respected an dBeloved—whereas at a former period yo usaw fit to give me an invitation to settl eamong you in the character of a gospe lminister, and likewise were desirous a tthis time to receive my determinationupon that subject, therefore I shall takethis opportunity to communicate th esame. Being sensible of the greatness andimportance of the matter now dependin gon my decision, I have thought proper t oimprove a considerable time in the con-sultation thereof . And when I reflect uponmy own infancy and inferiority to such animportant undertaking, and the many in-conveniences, wants, and difficulties thatwill naturally arise from settling in a placeso infantile and new, and likewise thedisadvantages that might accrue both t o

-the minister and-to-the people by unitin gtogether when too young and indigent, Ifeel inadequate to the task, and the dif-ficulty appears almost insurmountable .But on the other hand, having sought th edirection of Him who is the Wonderfu lCounsellor, and whose wisdom is infinite ,and having taken the friendly advice t othose who have experienced transactionsof the like nature, and likewise you runanimous desire and earnest solicita-tion, together with the generous pro-posals you have made for my comfortablesupport and maintenance in life, it gives afavorable turn, and appears to be a call i nthe Providence of God for me to settl eamong you in the arduous work of theGospel ministry.

And now, relying on your friendship,

and agreement subsists among you til l

faithfulness, and punctuality, agreeabl yto what you have promised, I shall ac-count it my duty, and consequently con-sent to settle with you according to yourdesire, provided I can have the liberty o fabsence from you until the beginning o fMay next, and all the present unanimity

that time—then, if the Lord permit, I pro-pose to return and be constant with youas before mentioned.

Now permit me earnestly to request ashare in your petitions at the throne of al lgrace, that the blessing, assistance,guidance, and protection of Heavenmight ever attend me; and I can assureyou that it is my sincere desire that grace,mercy, and peace might be multipliedamong you, through Jesus Christ ou rLord .

And now I subscribe myself yoursincere friend and humble servant in th ecommon cause and gospel of our Lor dand Saviour,

Elijah Lyman"I have repeatedly heard the remark

from more than one of his forme rparishioners, "Mr. Lyman was a good, butnot a great man ." Modest and unassum-ing, he seemed not to be actuated by am-bition or love of praise ; but, far from this ,his labors were characterized b yearnestness, love of truth, and a most ar-dent desire for the good of souls . He wasdiffident and retiring, and ever of a devo-tional spirit . Though not without hi sfaults, his management of the affairs ofthe church was careful and prudent, an dthough,—during the latter yearsof hispastorate, his health was impaired, an dhis spirits broken by affliction, yet hisministry was eminently successful and"being dead he yet speaketh . "

He died at Brookfield, April 12, 1828 ,aged 65, having been pastor of the churc hfor the long period of thirty-nine years .

Mr. Abner Pride(By Mr. Darius Pride)

Mr. Pride was born in Connecticut ,December 12, 1744; was married toAbigail Kingsbury July 16, 1767. Theyremoved from Lisbon, Conn . toBrookfield in June 1789 with a family o feight sons and two daughters . Some fewweeks after the arrival of the family inBrookfield, Mr . Pride went to the pasture

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(that is, into a little bit of woods of abou tfifty thousand acres) after the cows. Afte rtravelling some distance, he conclude dthat he was lost, and must put up for thenight . He engaged lodging standing up atthe foot of a large maple tree, where heremained through a very dark rainy night .The next morning he resumed his march ,and about eleven o 'clock found a clear-ing, and a log hut into which he was ad-mitted. On inquiring of the landlady i nwhat part of creation he was, he was tol dhe was in Braintree, whereat he knew jus tas well as he did before, not having heardof the place before . After informing th elady where he belonged and where h espent the previous night, she got him agood breakfast and gave him the best in-structions she could . He started for home,where he arrived a little before sunset .The writer of this has often heard Mr .Pride say that if any man was ever sick ofVermont, he must be that man .

The mother of this family with seven ofthe sons and the two daughters died ofconsumption between the years 1808 an d1834. Only two of the family now survive :Amasa Pride, residing in Waterbury, age d85; and Darius Pride of Williamstown, ag-ed 77 . .

Mr. Pride died Sept . 21, 1813, aged 68 .

Elder Samuel Hove y(by Dea . Alvin Hovey)

Elder Hovey was born in Windham ,Windham County, Conn., March 7, 1743 .He experienced . religion at the age oftwelve years, and soon united with Con-gregational Society, then called Ne wLights . He married Abigail Cleaveland a tabout the age of twenty years and lived i nCanterbury, Conn . about seventeen yearsafter his marriage. He then moved t oLyme, N .H., at which place he united wit hthe Presbyterian Church, as there was n oCongregational Society - in the place atthat time. About theyear 1791, he movedto Norwich, Vt . where he lived about fou ryears, and in 1795 he moved t oBrookfield and united with the Congrea-tional Society in that town, the Rev . ElijahLyman then being its pastor . About thistime his views underwent a change as tothe mode of baptism, and he soon united -himself to the Baptist Society in Chelsea .This was in 1796 . He soon commencedpreaching, and on the 20th of June 179 8was ordained as an Evangelist, and con-tinued his labors until age laid its palsiedhand upon him, and closed his work i nthe ministry. He lived to the great age ofninety years and two months, and had afamily of seven sons and five daughters ,who lived to be head of families, on edaughter having died in infancy. It is a

singular instance of great longevity thathe and his companion lived together fornearly seventy years .

It is to be regretted that his record sand diary were destroyed so that therecan be no true record of his marriagesand baptisms, but they were numerous . Itis a fact worthy of mention that of hisnumerous descendants, three grandsonsand one great grandson are ministers o fthe Gospel .

The following is a copy of a vote passedat town meeting held in Chelsea October8, 1811 ."Voted, that Samuel Hovey, who was set-tled in the ministry in this town on th e20th day of June 1798, be considered th efirst settled minister of the Gospel inChelsea, and that the right or share ofland appropriated in the charter of sai dtown for the first settled minister, be con-sidered as said Hovey's property, and thatthe said land be considered as disposed o fby the inhabitants of this town to saidHovey as the first settled minister of thistown.

Attest, B .H . Oak, Town Clerk"This public right of land, voted to Elder

Hovey was afterwards divided by himself,and one half of it he generously bestowedupon the Congregational Society. Thehalf retained by the Baptist Society wasafterwards badly managed, taken fortaxes, and lost . Elder Hovey died in May1833 .

Capt. Amasa Edson(By Miss C.T. Edson)

Capt. Amasa Edson was born at Whate-ly, Mass. April 13, 1764. The first fiftee nyears of his life were spent on his father' sfarm. At the age of sixteen he enlisted a svolunteer in the army of the Revolun-tionary war . Though so young, he was on eto be trusted. While the army was sta-tioned in New Jersey, he was-sent-withseveral others (of whom he had the direc-tion) to procure wood for camp use . Whenthey returned, he proposed to the office rin command that he, with four or fiveothers, (whom he mentioned) should b esent for some dewberries, which grew i nabundance near where they had been get-ting wood. The officer gave him leave t ogo, but expressed a fear that some o fthose whom he had mentioned woul ddesert . "Oh" said he "if you will let the mgo, I will be responsible for their return . ""Very well," said the officer "they maygo." They did so and all soon returned,bringing more than a barrel of berries .

At the close of the war, he returned t oWhately, and soon married Miss HannahMorton of that place . He was then twent ythree years old . Nine years after, h e

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removed with his family to Brookfield ,Vermont. Here he purchased four hun-dred acres of land, extending from Colt ' sPond to within a few rods of what is no wBrookfield Centre, and lying both sides o fthe road. He lived, at first, in a house nearthe south line of his farm, but within th efirst year (though not a mechanic) he buil ta sawmill, and commenced putting updwelling houses in what is now Mil lVillage, furnishing the timber from hi sown land and hiring the workmen. In thi sway he continued to build for severa lyears . He also built a large Congrega-tional Church at the Centre . Fourteenyears after he came to Brookfield heopened a public house which he kept fo rmore than forty years .

He was married three times—first t oMiss Hannah Morton of Whately, Mass . ,with whom he lived thirty nine years . Ather death he married Mrs . Cady ofRoyalton, Vt ., with whom he lived te nyears . He afterwards married Mrs . Torreyof Bethel, who survived him . They wereall women of good sense, intelligence andpiety.

He had eight children, the youngest ofwhom died first at the age of fifty thre eyears, and seven years after the death ofher father. They all settled within threemiles of the old homestead and for mor ethan forty years attended church at th esame house.

Capt. Edson was a man of great energyand perseverance, as well as inflexibl emoral and religious principle—publi cspirited and philanthropic in matters o fcivil interest—zealous in the cause o feducation—a model of promptness i nsupporting the gospel at home, andliberal in sustaining every worthy objectof Christian charity. Few men enjoy withkeener relish the pleasures of social inter-course. He died Feb. 1853, being nearlyeighty nine years old .

Caleb Martin was one of the first in-habitants of Brookfield, having movedhere in 1780. His first pitch was on th eBranch, on the place now belonging toMr. Artemas Fisk. He removed from tow nin a few years, and his latter history i sunknown to us .

John Paine was born in Pomfret, Conn .July 15, 1756; came to Brookfield in1780 and settled on the place now i npossession of his son, Mr. Martin Paine . InMarch 1788 he was married to Olive Mar-tin, daughter of Dea. Caleb Martin, wh osurvived him nearly ten years . He was aprominent man both in civil and religiousmatters, and died March 26, 1838, age d81 .

Noah Paine came to Brookfield in 1782or 1783, and was the first surveyor of th etown. "He was born in Pomfret, Conn .February 1, 1758 . Early in life he joinedthe American forces in the cause of liber-ty and independence, and it was not unti lthe fatigues, privations, and sufferings o fthe camp had impaired his health, an dnearly broken down his constitution, tha the was prevailed upon to leave the serviceof his country . Soon after the Revolutio nhe emigrated to this town, then almost atrackless wilderness, and after surveyin ga large portion of it, he located himself o na farm." He settled on what is now know nas the "Old Paine farm." In Novembe r1788 he married Polly Carley, by who mhe had four children, two of them settledin this town. He died March 2, 1825, age d67 .

Jonathan Pierce came from Charleston ,N.H. in 1781 or 1782; settled where Mr .Calvin Freeman now lives; was the firsttown Representative . His subsequenthistory is unknown .

Abel Lyman came to Brookfield about1782, and settled on the "Lyman place "on the West Street . His dealings weresuch with his townsmen as to gain for hi mthe enviable reputation of being the mosthonest man that ever lived in Brookfield .Of his children, one settled in this town.He died January 11, 1823, aged 71 .

Paul Davison was born in 1751 or 1752 ;moved from Pomfret, Conn . to Brookfiel din 1784 and made his pitch in th esouthern part of the town, his dwelling be-ing a little way south from Dea . Kellogg'spresent residence. He was noted as a ma nof ready wit, and some of his sayings ar eyet current . He was a tanner by trade, andhaving married a woman named Hyde, i twas-a_favorite joke of his that he was"never out of stock." During a season ofdrought, when the grass crop was ver ylight, being out of town on a certain occa-sion, he was addressed by a friend a sfollows: "Your grass is not very good thi syear, is it?" "Yes," he replied, at which hi sinterlocutor expressed unfeigned sur-prise, when the Deacon explained himsel fby the remark "It is very good, but there' sprecious little of it ." He died atBrookfield, May 25, 1839, aged 87.

Oliver Hamblin came to Brookfield in1783 and settled at first near Mr . Colt's ,but soon afterwards removed to the Eas tHill. Two of his sons lived in town, one o fwhom still survives. He died in 1829, ag-ed 79 .

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Amasa Hyde was in this town as early as1784; was the first Constable chosen afterthe town organization . He lived near Mr .Sprague Arnold 's place .

Ebenezer Stratton came in 1785 fro mNorthfield, Mass . and cleared the farmnow owned by Mr. C.A. Stratton. Of hisnumerous family, two are still resident sof Brookfield.

Josiah Biglow came from Colchester ,Conn. about 1786 and settled near Mr .Bannister's on the East Hill . Three of hisdaughters are still residents o fBrookfield . He died in 1838, aged 72 .

William Carley, about 1785 settled nea rMr. John Wheatley's present residence.

Samuel Freeman moved to this tow nabout 1785, and lived near Mr .Patterson's . Two of his sons still live inthis town. He died Oct . 11, 1837, aged 84 .

Timothy Cowles came from Coventry ,Conn. about 1782; lived where Mr. HarrisEdson lives; was the first Town Clerk andthe first Justice of Peace . He held the of-fice of Town Clerk for seven years; soonmoved away with his family, and at pre-sent his family is not represented amon gthe inhabitants of Brookfield.

Hezekiah Gaylord came from Northfield ,Mass. in 1783; cleared the place on th eBranch now owned by Mr. Staples .

Amos Humphrey came in 1783, and livedfor a few years only near the place no wowned by Mr . Noah Paine . He soon after-wards moved away .

Simeon Rood and his descendants oc-cupied the "Rood farm" from 1785 or1786 until within two or three years .

Francis West fora fewyears subsequentto 1786 lived near where Mr . A.G .Williams now lives .

Amaziah Grover about the same time, oc-cupied another farm in the same part o fthe town .

David Bigelow was born at Glastonbury,Conn., November 7, 1762 . At the age o fabout eighteen, he entered the America narmy, not as a soldier but as a teamster .He was at Yorktown at the time of Corn-wallis' surrender, where he repeatedl ymet Gen. Washington . He removed toBrookfield in 1783 and at once becameprominent in the place . He was alwaysmild and peaceable in his dealings with

others; indeed the fact that he never in asolitary instance sued a person or wassued sufficiently illustrates this trait o fhis character. His family consisted o fseven children, four of whom are no wresidents of this town . He died November22, 1843, aged 81 .

Amasa Bigelow came about 1784, andlived near Mr. David Bigelow's presentresidence . His son, Seth G . Bigelow, was aprominent public man ; held the office o fTown Clerk for seven years, and otherpositions of trust from time to time.Amasa Bigelow died March 12, 1811, ag-ed 78 .

Zelotes Bigelow was born a tMarlborough, Conn. in 1764; came toBrookfield about 1792 ; cleared the farmnow owned by Mr . Zelotes Bigelow, hisson, where he resided till his death . Of afamily of seven children, five settled i nthis town, three of whom still survive . Hedied December 24, 1847, aged 83 .

Daniel Bigelow came from Colchester ,Conn. and settled on the place owned byMr. Dutton—died in Brookfield April 13 ,1832, aged 65 .

Zenas Cleaveland lived in this town a fewyears between 1783 and 1790—hisresidence was near the south line of thetown .

Ebenezer Ainsworth came to Brookfieldquite early, and for many years kept apublic house at the stand above Mr. J .S .Perham's. Three of his children survive,none of whom are residents of this town .

Daniel Kingsbury moved from Norwich ,Conn. to Brookfield about 1786 ; settledin the north part of the town where he liv -ed till his death . One son is still a residentof the town. He died July 29j-8-1-7 aged -67.

Reuben Adams came in 1786 fromCanterbury, Conn . and made his pitch inthe north part of the town. Of a numerousfamily, one is still a resident ofBrookfield . He died in J833 .

Samuel Bagley came from Massachusettsabout 1787 or 1788 . He settled on theplace now owned by Mr. B.C. Bagleywhere he lived for more than fifty years .died Sept. 12, 1841, aged 88 .

Vine Durkee lived near Mr. Asa Sprague' son the Branch; died in 1830 aged 62 .

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This view of the main street in Brookfield Village is noteworthy because it gives a good view of th eold hotel building, which was accessible on the west from the main street, and also on another level ,from Ralph Road. The John Harfords lived for many years in the white house which is visible behin dthe hotel.

(Courtesy Winifred Clark)

John Alvord was born in South Hadley ,Mass. July 13, 1760 . At the age of sixtee nhe enlisted in the American army ; was atSpringfield awhile, thence he went t oWest Point where he was when Arnold at-tempted the consummation of histraitorous plot . After his discharge, h ewent to Greenfield, Mass ., where he resid-ed till he came to Brookfield . In August1789 he married Rhoda Mather ofShelburne, Mass . ; moved to Brookfield i nDecember of that year, where he lived un-til his death, January 9, 1832 .

Josiah Smith came from South Hadley,Mass. and at first lived near Mr . O.Perrin's present residence . Of a largefamily of children, four are still residin gin this town. He died February 23, 1823,aged 67 .

Solomon Smith settled the place ownedat present by Mr. J .B . Lyman. Three of hischildren still live in this town. He diedFebruary 27, 1846, aged 82 .

Sylvanus Smith married HannahPomeroy in 1790 and immediatelyremoved to Brookfield . He settled theplace now owned by Mr. Horatio Smith ,where he lived till his death . Mrs. Smithstill survives at the advanced age of nine-ty five years, and is the oldest resident of

this town. Mr. Smith died March 31 ,1844, aged 78 .

Paul Smith lived for a while near Colt' spond west of Mill village . One son residesin town .

Capt. Josiah Smith, the father of theabove-mentioned four, died i nBrookfield, February 13, 1800, aged 70 .

Benjamin Colt moved to Brookfield fro mHanover, N.H. in 1787. He was born i nHadley, Mass. September 1762, and mar-ried-Mary Hopkins, -daughter-of- Rev .Samuel Hopkins of Hadley in 1785 . Helocated himself in Brookfield on the farmnow occupied in part by Daniel Colt, hi sson and only surviving child. He was alarge man, of great bodily strength, of ac-tive habits of body and mind, and of grea tenergy and perseverance in ac-complishing whatever he undertook. Hehad a family of nine children, seven ofwhom attained to years of manhood . Hiseldest two sons died in infancy. His wifedied September 13, 1813, aged fort yseven years . He remained a single manever after and died November 16, 1848 ,aged 86 .

Phineas Kellogg was born at SouthHadley, Mass . in 1759. He enlisted in the

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American army in 1777, and remaine dthree years; during that time he was a tSaratoga at the surrender of Burgoyne ,and was in some of the New Jersey bat-tles. In 1788 he moved to Brookfield, andsettled on the farm now owned by Dea .Kellogg. He died in 1840, aged 81 .

Moses Hubbard was born at Hadley ,Mass. in September 1745; was graduatedat Harvard University in 1765 and movedto this town about 1789 . He was TownClerk for twenty years and was a very pro -minent man in the early existence of thetown. Only one of his descendants is nowa resident of the town . He died April 29 ,1822, aged 77 .

Benjamin Seabury lived near the nort hline of the town near Mr . H. Braley's .

Philip Ingram came in 1787 fromAmherst, Mass . and lived for some yearsin a house which stood a short distancenorth from Mr . Harris Edson's.

Elisha Allis was graduated at HarvardUniversity in the year 1767 . He lived inHatfield, Mass . a few years, and then mov-ed to Williamsburgh, Mass . where heresided until about 1790 . During hi sresidence in Williamsburgh he wa schosen Deacon in Rev . Joseph Strong' schurch in that place. He spent two sum-mers in Brookfield before moving hisfamily, during which time he clearedabout twenty five acres of land, and putup a barn and house . In February 1791 h emoved his family to this place. Soon afterhis removal to Brookfield he was electe ddeacon of the church, which office h eheld for more than thirty five years . At thetime of his coming there were no in-habitants in the town west of his ownland, and but one piece of clearing. Dea.Allis lived to a good old age, revered by anumerous posterity, honored an d

—respected by- -his neighbors andtownsmen. He died April 3, 1835, age d87.

Experience Fisk came into Brookfield i n1790, and settled on the farm now oc-cupied by his son Mr . Artemas Fisk. Hecame from Westminster, and becamewhile he lived here something of a leaderin certain matters . He died in Brookfieldin 1825, aged 73 .

Asshur Hatch was born in Preston, Conn .in 1752. When he was sixteen years old,he came with his father's family to Nor-wich, Vt . where he fitted for College, andwas graduated at Hanover in 1779 . Hetaught a few years in Plainfield, Conn .,

returned to Norwich, and was principal o fthe Academy there six years . In January1789 he married Lucy Storey of Norwich .In September 1791 he moved t oBrookfield, and occupied the farm nowowned by Esq. Homer Hatch, his son ,where he resided the remainder of his life ,laboring on the farm in the summer, an dteaching school in the winter. This he didtill he was over sixty years old . He had te nchildren who lived to be men and women .He died March 10, 1826, aged 73 .

Nathaniel Wheatley came to this town i n1790 or 1791, and at once took a promi-nent part in public affairs, for which hi sexperience and native ability abundantl yqualified him. He became a large land-owner, and was remarkably successful i nagricultural pursuits . Four of his childrensettled in this town, and he has now anumerous posterity among its in-habitants . He died July 23, 1824, age d72 . "Respected and venerated as a parent ,as a Christian steadfast and persevering . "

Barna Biglow was born in 1762 atShrewsbury, Worcester County, Mass .When very young, he became a membe rof the militia, but was not called into ac-tive service in the Revolution . Afterwardshe removed to Paxton, Mass . where hewas employed as a clerk in a mercantil ehouse. His employers, having business i nRandolph, Vt. sent him to that place totransact it. This was in 1785. He remainedin Randolph until about 1793 when hemoved to Brookfield, settled on theBranch, and kept the first store in town, i nwhich business he flourished for fifteenyears . He then turned to agricultural pur-suits which he followed exclusively the re-mainder of his life. He was twice married ;to Nabby Pride in 1794; and to LoisGriswold in Dec . 1808, the latter of whomstill lives. He left a numerous family_of_children, three of whom are now living ;one a resident of Brookfield . He died inApril 1840 .

Walter Burnham came to this town in1791, and purchased the place now oc-cupied by Mr. Noah Paine's family. Hewas a skillful and popular practitioner i nmedicine and continued his practice fo rforty years after he came into town. Hisdeath occurred in September 1834, hi sage being 72 .

Thomas Peck came about 1791, and set-tled on what is known as the "Peck farm, "where he resided till his death in 1826, a tthe age of 64 .

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Luke Clark lived on the place owned b yhis son, Mr . U.A. Clark . He married SarahSmith in 1792 ; Levina Abbot in 1806; andMrs. Zerviah Cushman in 1807 . He hadeleven children, two of whom settled i nBrookfield, and two of whom ar epreachers. He died in 1841, aged 80 .

Andrew Steele lived for some yearswhere Mr. Gilbert Bigelow lives, and diedin 1811, aged 48 .

Nathan Parish built the house occupie dat present by Mr. O.C. Perrin, where helived for many years. He died in February ,1849, at the age of 80.

David Herrick lived where his son JohnHerrick lives, and died in 1841, aged 70 .

Lemuel Morton lived in what is now Mil lvillage. One of his children still lives i ntown. He died in 1813, aged 46 .

Francis Arnold came from Worceste rCounty, Mass . Mrs. Arnold (flabbyWalbridge) from Tolland County, Conn .They came to Brookfield in 1794 and set-tled the farm now owned by C .J. Kibbee ,which was then a settlement by itself ,there being no other clearing in sight of

their dwelling . Three of their children ar enow living in this town . Mr . Arnold died i n1841, aged 70. Mrs. Arnold died in 1862 ,aged 89 .

Simeon Wells came to Brookfield in1794, from Whately, Mass., lived near Mr .Baker's present residence for twelveyears and died in 1806, aged 51 .

Williams Walbridge lived for many yearsat the Center of the town, and died in1848, aged 73.

Comfort Carpenter came in 1795, andlived at the Center. He died in 1809, aged40.

Nathan Allen in 1797 settled on the farmnow owned by Mr . J .A. Reed .

Daniel Claflin in 1797 commenced clear-ing the farm now occupied by Mr . SquireClaflin, his son. He still survives at the ageof eighty-nine, and is the oldest man liv-ing in town .

Jonathan Edson came in 1797 and settl -ed the farm lately owned by Capt . SalmonEdson.

The present Ballou home on West Street, which wasbuilt adjoining the original Deacon Allis house. One of thetwo ladies in the picture is the wife of Elisha's grandson,Bert.

(Courtesy Irene L. Cady)

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Timothy Edson moved to Brookfield in1799 from Whately, Mass., and lived inthe Mill village until his death in 1834 atthe age of 68 . Two sons still are residentsof the town .

Thomas Bates was born at Mid-dlebourough, Mass. in 1771 . When ayouth he removed to Hartland, Vt ., thenceto Randolph, and in 1801 to Brookfield ,and settled on a farm where he spent th eremainder of his life, and where he died i n1857, aged 86. Dea. Bates possessed inhis habits and practices much of th ePuritanic element, to the principles o fwhich he rigidly adhered. Especially inthe observance of the Sabbath did h eadhere and require every member of hi sfamily to adhere strictly to the rule of th eBible . He was also a constant attendanton public worship; for neither cold no rrain would deter him from going if h ewere able, though the old meeting house ,being destitute of any warming ap-paratus, was cold and cheerless as th eNorth Pole . His family consisted of thir-teen children, five only of whom lived toadult age, and two of whom becameresidents of Brookfield .

Sylvester Griswold came to Brookfiel dabout 1801 or 1802 and resided in dif-ferent places in the town till his death . Hewas chosen deacon of the church, whic hoffice he held for many years . He died i n1849, aged 75 .

Frederic Griswold lived in Brookfield fo rmany years prior to his death. He was anhonest, public spirited- man and hel dmany responsible positions in town af-fairs . He died in 1854, aged 89 .

Abraham Smith was one of the pioneersin the settlement of the country aboutAyers' Brook where he resided for mor e

_than forty years .

Samuel Bates, son of Dea. ThomasBates, was born in Randolph, from whichplace he moved with his father t oBrookfield, and on the same place wherehis father settled, he spent nearly sixtyyears . He was energetic and perseverin gin his business, firm and constant i nreligious duties . He also held the office ofdeacon for many years. For the last yearor two of his life he resided in Northfield ,where he died in September 1861, age d62.

Benjamin Abbot moved with his familyinto Brookfield in 1802, and occupied theplace now owned by Mr . L . Rice, where h eresided till his death. He left nine

children, six of whom settled in this town .He died in September 1829, aged 65 .

Rev. Benjamin Abbot, son of the above ,was born Feb. 25, 1799. He commenced acourse of study but his health failed, andhe reluctantly abandoned the hope of ac-quiring a liberal education. But havin ggained his health he was licensed topreach, and was ordained as a nEvangelist in 1834, after which helabored in Orange and Topsham, andafterwards in Bethel, where he was install -ed in 1837. He was dismissed in 1842 ,and afterwards labored in Pittsfield three ,and in Addison nine years . He then mov-ed to Barre, and subsequently to Hanover ,N.H., where he died in November 1859 .Modest and genial in his deportment,mild and peaceable in his dealings, ar-dent and devoted in his Master's work, hisinfluence remains, though his lips aresilent .

Aaron Cleaveland was born at Lebanon,N.H., September 9, 1806; resided on hi sfather's farm till September 1827 whenhe went into the store of H .R. Stevens asClerk. He left Mr . Stevens' employ i nApril, 1834 and formed a business con-nection in Brookfield . At that time hewent to Boston to purchase goods and o nhis return April 16, 1834, marriedCaroline Wilson, at Nelson, N .H. He con-tinued in the mercantile business from1834 til 1850, and was greatly prospere dboth financially and in gaining the con-fidence and esteem of his townsmen . I twas during this period, and mainly thro 'Mr. Cleaveland's influence that th e"Brookfield Fork Company", since socelebrated, was organized. Mr. Adams ,the original manufacturer of th eBrookfield forks, received from Mr .Cleaveland an offer of partnership, tha tthe business might be conducted on alarger scale and more prosperously . Mr .Adams, however, preferring to labo ralone, Mr . Cleaveland and others forme da company, and commenced themanufacture of forks at Mill village, thefirm being known at first as that of "Va nOrnum and Co ." afterwards "Van Ornumand Braley ." After Mr .=Cleaveland left th efirm, Van Ornum and Company havin gremoved to White River Village, Stevens ,Peck and Co. purchased the shop, andcontinued the manufacture of forks. Thehistory of this company is not inap-propriately inserted in the biography o fMr. Cleaveland, as, but for his energy andcapital at the outset, the results migh thave been widely different . Mrs .Cleaveland died June 8, 1846 . January21, 1847 Mr . Cleaveland married Mary F .

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Weymouth of Tunbridge. He failed inbusiness in the fall of 1850, and as soo nas possible moved from Brookfield. Heremoved to St. Albans where he residedfour or five years . In December 1853 hewas attacked by the disease which even-tually terminated his life, an abscess ofthe lungs. He removed to Northfield i nMarch 1855, thence to Brookfield i nMarch 1856, where he died on the 16th ofFebruary, 1859, aged 52. Mr. Cleavelan dwas faithful and energetic in his busines sand during his residence in Brookfieldcontributed much to the general prosperi-ty of the town .

Abel Bigelow, son of Mr. Zelotes Bigelow ,was born in Brookfield April 5, 1804 ; waschosen deacon of the Congregationa lChurch in 1832, which office he held til lhis death. As a man of integrity an dsound judgment, he deservedly possess-ed the confidence of his townsmen in ahigh degree, and held at their hands posi-tions of trust. He was a man of few words ,prudent in counsel, yet faithful and effi -

cient in the discharge of duty. For manyyears he was a member of the Board o fTrustees of the Orange County GrammarSchool, and sought by his influence togive a correct moral tone to its course o finstruction . He was an ardent advocat eand supporter of all benevolent enter-prises, especially those of missions. Noneintimately knew him, except to esteemhim as an earnest Christian, a judiciouscounsellor, and a faithful friend . He diedApril 21, 1860 .

Samuel M. Biglow, son of Capt . BarnaBiglow, was born October 11, 1814 . Hewas a man of few words, but of extensiv einfluence—ever willing to practice self-denial for the good of others . He waselected deacon of the first Congrega-tional Church, which office he held at hi sdeath. He married Louisa, the youngestdaughter of Rev. Elijah Lyman, who diedin 1854. He afterwards married Mrs . Elec-ta P. Bigelow, who survived him . Dea .Biglow died October 8, 1855 .

Another view of the old hotel building, with Ralph Road to its right . Part of Green Trails, on theright, the barns, and then the Benham house, now owned by Ed Koren . Beyond Koren's, but not visi -ble here, is the present Town Office building and Town Library .

(Courtesy D. MacAskill)

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