Biographies of Chittenden County

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JOHNSON, JOHN, who died in Burlington of erysipelas fever, on the 30th of April, 1842, was one of the most skillful land surveyors of New England in his time. He was born in Canterbury, N. H., on the 2d day of December, 1771, his parents having just previously removed thither from Andover, Mass. He was descended from a family of the same patronymic who were among the earliest settlers of Andover, where several branches of the family still reside. His father, Benjamin Johnson, was a grandson of Captain Timothy Johnson, an extensive land owner in Andover, who, in 1677, at the head of a corps of mounted men, defeated the Indians in several fierce encounters.

Benjamin Johnson married Elizabeth Boardman, of Preston, Conn., and removed to Canterbury, N. H. He was a farmer, and took an active part in the War of the Revolution, rendering distinguished service at the battle of Bennington under General Stark, and receiving the commendation of that officer. He died at the advanced age of eighty-eight years, having through life sustained a character above reproach. His son John, then nineteen years of age, determined to seek his fortune in a newer country, and repaired at once to the north western part of Vermont, residing for short periods at several places, until the year 1808, when he settled permanently on the hill near the university in Burlington. By the time of his settlement in Burlington he had acquired a thorough knowledge of his chosen occupation of land surveying, and had already made surveys and resurveys of many of the towns in Northern Vermont. It will be remembered that the duties of a surveyor in this early day were of a severe and arduous nature. The population of the country was scanty, money was scarce, there were few roads, and they of the rudest description, the extremely rugged surface of the country presented in many cases almost insurmountable barriers to progress, while the snow lay at a great depth in the dense forests late in the season. In conducting these surveys it was Mr. Johnson's practice to encamp with his party wherever night overtook him. The town of Westmore, in which Willoughby Lake is situated, was surveyed by him in the months of February and March, 1800, when the snow covered the ground to a mean depth of five or six feet. His eminent services in his pursuit brought him a wide and enviable reputation throughout the State, and in 1812 he was appointed surveyor-general of Vermont. He was also chosen by the commissioners under the treaty of Ghent to superintend the surveys on behalf of the United States of our northeastern boundary. With Colonel Bouchette, the English surveyor, he undertook the work in 1817, and traced the north line from die source of St. Croix River in the eastern part of Maine, to St. John's River. In the following year, with Colonel Odell for the English commission, he continued this line to the Highlands designated in the treaty, and explored the country lying to the west of the due J north line, the geography of which had been previously unknown. At this point the English commission objected to the extension of the due north line across St. John's River, and the surveys were interrupted.  Mr. Johnson's final report was made in 1819 or 1820. Upon the resumption of the surveys by the government some years later, when the line was directed to be run more accurately than was possible in an original exploration, it was found to differ so little from the line traced by Mr. Johnson that the latter was adopted in the treaty of 1842 as the boundary to St. John's River, whence by a liberal concession on the part of this government it was permitted to follow the channel of that stream for some distance west, before again verging to the Highlands. After concluding this service Mr. Johnson was again appointed surveyor-general of Vermont, and at various times during the remaining years of his life he filled several important offices of trust. During the War of 1812-15 his intimate acquaintance with the topography of Northern Vermont and New York enabled him to furnish invaluable information to the military department, which was suitably acknowledged, but for which he received no compensation. He was also appointed one of a commission to examine and adjust the claims of citizens on the northern frontier, upon whom the army had at times been obliged to make forced demands for transportation, forage, etc. He was chosen to this position by virtue of his high reputation for probity, and of his excellent private and public character. These qualities also commanded the universal attention of his townsmen, by whom he was frequently made the arbitrator of some disputed question, which was determined by his wisdom and keen sense of justice, without the delay and expense of a trial and judgment in the regularly constituted courts. In the division and settlement of estates his .services were almost constantly brought into requisition.  It has already been made apparent that Mr. Johnson was not merely a surveyor, but a man of broad general information, of great native abilities, and of an unerring judgment He possessed a degree of mathematical and mechanical knowledge and skill rarely attained by those whose education, like his, did not emanate from the schools and colleges, but was rather built up by his own unaided efforts. It was his habit to investigate all questions on which his mind was brought to bear, carefully and closely, guarding his judgments from the influence of any improper prejudice or bias. The many manuscripts which he left on the subjects of carpentry, bridge building, hydraulics, etc., display great care and patient research in the collection of facts, and very unusual mechanical skill in the arrangement of plans.   Most of the mechanical structures of any magnitude erected in Northern Vermont during his residence in Burlington, either emanated from him or received the benefit of his sanction. In 1815 he furnished the plans for the structure, then the largest of the kind in that part of the country, that was placed over the frame of the large government vessel, then unfinished, at Sackett's Harbor.  He had no superior in the planning and construction of bridges, dams, and mills, and many so-called improvements, since patented by others, and used in other parts of the country, may be discerned in structures planned by him in Northern Vermont. He gave particular attention to the subject of saw-mills and flouring-mills, and through his instrumentality, aided by one or two others chiefly, the flouring-mills of Northern Vermont and New York were rendered especially superior to all others.  Mr. Johnson become a partner in 1822 in the first establishment erected in Ausable Valley, N. Y., for the manufacture of chain cables, and he retained his interest in the manufacturing industries of that valley for a number of years. In addition to his manuscripts on saw-mills and flouring-mills, mentioned above, he left others equally valuable on the construction of fulling-mills, oil-mills, rolling-mills, forges, etc., which manifest in their preparation extreme diligence and careful observation. The celebrated Oliver Evans met Mr. Johnson while on a visit to Vermont to collect his dues on the improvements in the use of machinery which he had originated, and was surprised and delighted to find in his new acquaintance so thorough an adept in the branches of practical learning in which he himself had become famous.

It was early a conviction with Mr. Johnson that theoretical knowledge in any department of science was valuable chiefly in proportion to its contribution to the general welfare and prosperity, and he viewed with pain the divergence in thought and sentiment between the scientific men of his day, who made little effort to render their studies practical in result, and the practical men who refused to believe that their professions could be advanced by any labors outside of the field or workshop. With the latter he had great influence, and was eminently successful in his efforts to elevate the several mechanical professions by proving that a knowledge of general principles and theories was important, because to a man's personal experience it added much of the recorded experience and observation of others, which could be learned only by reading and study, Mr. Johnson originated many valuable improvements in the mechanical arts; not-withstanding which, he never sought to benefit himself by obtaining letters patent, as he might have been justified in doing. The results of his studies, researches, and all his labors were generously devoted to the public benefit. The success of his son, Edwin F.  Johnson, who afterwards attained a position in the first rank of the profession of civil engineering, was in no small degree due to the instruction received in the office of his father on the subjects immediately connected with his pursuit. Mr. Johnson usually had with him several young men who were qualifying themselves as land surveyors and mechanics, many of whom afterward became prominent as such in other parts of the country. These young men always retained for their instructor the kindest regard and affection. His sympathies on behalf of the poor and suffering were easily excited. His hospitality was well understood, and his home was always open to the reception of his many friends.   He was generous almost to a fault.

Although he never took a very active part in political matters, he entertained decided opinions in harmony with the Jeffersonian school, and never neglected his duties as a citizen, nor hesitated to express his opinions of men and principles. He was conscious, however, of the readiness with which human nature is swayed by partisan and sectarian influences, and carefully avoided exposing himself to their action, or censuring others who had been thus exposed. He was a great favorite socially, having the rare and happy faculty of making himself agreeable to all alike. Though not what would be termed a learned man. he had read extensively, and stood upon a footing of equality and friendship with men who ranked high for their scientific attainments.  Mr. Johnson first married, in 1799, Rachel Ferry, of Granby. After her death he married, in 1807, Lurinda Smith, of Richmond, Vt, who died March 21, 1866.   Biographies Index

LYMAN, EDWARD, was born at Woodstock, Vt., on the 21st day of January, 1826. He was the second child and only son of Job and Mary P. Lyman, and is in the seventh generation from Richard Lyman, who was born in High Ongar, Essex county, England, in 1580, and, emigrating to the New World in the summer of 1631, became one of the proprietors and a leading citizen of Hartford, Conn. Job Lyman was born at Northampton, Mass., was graduated from Darmouth College in 1804, studied law, and settled for the practice of his profession at Woodstock. There he became identified with a number of important public interests; was cashier of the old Vermont State Bank throughout its existence, and served many years as president of the Woodstock Bank. For a long period he was court auditor of Windsor county, and a member of the Governor's Council. In 1850 he relinquished all business pursuits and came to Burlington, where he died on the 10th of September, 1870.  Edward Lyman, the subject of this sketch, was educated at the schools of Woodstock and at the widely-known Kimball Union Academy, of Meriden, N. H., and at the early age of fifteen years entered upon his business career as clerk in a dry goods store at Woodstock. He continued to act in that capacity in several stores until 1848, when, deeming his apprenticeship concluded, he came to Burlington and became the junior partner of the firm of E. & E. Lyman. After the lapse of three years he purchased his partner's interest and continued sole proprietor until August, 1868, when he rewarded the fidelity and ability of one of his clerks by admitting him to an interest in the firm. The clerk was Heman W. Allen, his present partner, who has united with Mr. Lyman in sustaining and furthering the enviable reputation of the house for the highest integrity and unquestioned credit.   In 1862 Mr. Lyman added a wholesale and jobbing department to his business, which has grown to large proportions.  In 1855, when the institution now known at the Merchants' National Bank was chartered, he was chosen one of its directors, and has remained in that position without interruption to the present time, being in the mean time elected vice-president and president, respectively. After serving in the capacity of president for a number of years he resigned the position in January, 1885.

On the 25th of October, 1853, he married Minerva B., daughter of the late George Lyman, of White River Junction. Of their two children, a daughter, Minnie Elizabeth, is living. The first-born, Mary Louise, died on the 14th of March, 1862, in the fifth year of her age.

To the unyielding strength of moral principle which Mr. Lyman has inherited from his ancestors, he has added the qualities that soften the stern outlines of the Puritan character and a spirit of charity that widens the influence of the Puritan faith. He and his family are attendants at the College Street Congregational Church. In politics he is an ardent Republican, but he steadily refuses to accept public office.   Biographies Index

MEECH, HON. EZRA, was born in Norwich, Conn., in 1773, and came to Hinesburg, Vt., with his father, Elisha Meech, in 1785. The country being new at this time, he was obliged to fight innumerable obstacles; but by remarkable perseverance and energy he attained prominence and became one of the wealthiest men in his county.  He entered first into the fur trade between the United States and Canada. Subsequently he kept a store at Charlotte, Vt., and in 1810 was extensively engaged in shipping timber to Quebec. At the breaking out of the war in 1812 they gave him thirty days to close out his business and leave the Dominion.   During the war he furnished provisions for the soldiers of the American army. At the close of the war he again entered the lumber business.

He was also during his business career interested in railroads, marble business near Rutland, and several other enterprises, nearly always making a success of whatever he undertook.

He was at one time Democratic candidate for governor, but defeated by the Republican nominee.

He represented his State in Congress three terms at the time Daniel Webster and Henry Clay were in the Senate.   He was also judge of his county.  He married for his first wife Mary McNiel, daughter of John McNiel, of Charlotte, and they had ten children, five of whom lived to maturity, Mary, Jane, James, Ezra and Edgar. Mary (McNiel) Meech died in 1827. The following year he married his second wife, Mrs. Asahel Clark, in 1828, and she died in Burlington, Vt, September, 1874.

Ezra Meech was a man of stanch principles and great executive ability. In physical stature he was gigantic, being six feet four inches tall, and weighing 360 pounds.  He died in Shelburne, Vt., September, 1856, leaving two sons, Ezra and Edgar. 

Edgar Meech was born in Shelburne, Vt, June 20, 1818. He was a son of the Hon. Ezra Meech and Mary (McNiel) Meech, and the youngest of ten children. At the age of fifteen he went to Chambly, Canada, and studied French, afterwards entering the University of Vermont and graduating in the class of 1841. He then returned to his father's home in Shelburne, and there, with his brother Ezra, managed the farm, which consisted of 3,500 acres of land, situated on the border of Lake Champlain. 

He was married June 9, 1850, to Mary Jane Field, daughter of Salthiel and Lydia (Bragg) Field, of Springfield, Vt. In 1851 he settled on a farm in Charlotte adjoining his father's, and there lived the remainder of his life.  They had five children-Charles E., who graduated at the University of Vermont in 1874 and who is in business in Portland, Oregon; William F., who died in 1874; Mary E., Abbie J., married to William K. Sheldon, of West Rutland, Vt., and Sarah S.  Mr. Meech was a man of rare qualities, retiring and modest in disposition, but deeply interested in all the political and social movements of his time. He was a man of strong integrity, gentle and loving in manner, so that all who knew him loved and respected him from childhood up. On February 19, 1885, he died at the age of sixty-six years.   Biographies Index

MORGAN, EDWARD J., was born in Wilmington, Essex county, N. Y., on the 27th day of December, 1834. After receiving a common school education he became early connected with the Crown Point, N. Y., Iron Works, and there acquired a thorough business training, and fitted himself for the duties and responsibilities of his future business career. After an invaluable experience there, extending over a period of more than twenty years, he came to Burlington in May, 1872, and connected himself with the business of manufacturing doors, sash and blinds, which had been established about four years earlier by his partner, Albert Taft. The success of this enterprise, de-tailed in the history of the manufacturing interests of the city of Burlington, is too well known, not only in Burlington, but throughout New England and the whole continent, to require further comment.

On the maternal side he was descended from a distinguished ancestry, and his mother was a sister of the late Bishop Hedding. She was therefore a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Notwithstanding this early inclination towards that denomination, Mr. Morgan became in his youth an active member of the Congregational Church in Crown Point, and after his advent to Burlington soon associated himself with the First Congregational Church of this city. He was a man of fervent though quiet piety.  He was never assuming or self-assertive, and the graces of his gentle character were best known to his more intimate acquaintances, and in the bosom of his family, where he was ever affectionate and beloved. He died on the 14th of June, 1885, in the prime of life, and at the noontide of his most promising achievements, The Burlington Free Press of June 18, 1885, among other things said of Mr. Morgan: "The community has lost a respected and valued citizen, an upright and enterprising business man, and to many a beloved and honored friend. he was a member of the well-known and highly prosperous firm of Taft & Morgan, manufacturers of doors, sash and blinds, and in his business relations was known as a man of strict integrity, unswerving fidelity, and a courtesy and kindness of demeanor which endeared him to all. It is largely to his business insight and enterprise that the firm of which he was a member owes its present success. Mr. Morgan was a consistent Republican in his political opinions, bur carefully abstained from seeking or holding office.

On the 27th of February, 1855, Edward J. Morgan was united in marriage with Julia S., daughter of Timothy Taft, of Crown Point, who, with three children, Earl E., Lee J., and Harvey S. Morgan, is still residing in Burlington.   Biographies Index

MORSE, GEORGE H. The subject of this sketch is the second of three children of Aaron Morse, jr., and Eliza (Bradley) Morse, and was born in Boston, Mass., on the 3d day of January, 1839. His father was a native of Boston, and his grand-father, Aaron Morse, sr., was the first of the family to settle in Boston, where he went in the latter part of the last century from Sherburne, Mass. Mr. Morse's mother was a native of New York city.

Mr. Morse received his education in the public schools of Boston and at the Northfield Academy, and on his return to "Boston from Northfield, with characteristic self-reliance and energy, he made application at the office of Flint & Hall, without consulting any one, and with them began his life as a lumber merchant. Mr. Morse passed three years with this firm, during which time he became familiar with all branches of the lumber business.

In 1862 he left Boston for San Francisco, where he was engaged by the firm of Pope & Talbot, the most extensive lumber company on the Pacific coast; he remained with those gentlemen until 1866, when he returned to Boston, and in the following year he came to Burlington as agent for his former employers. Flint & Hall, who were establishing a branch office in this city. This undertaking proved successful, and in 1867 they sold out to Otis Shepard & Co. By purchase from Lawrence Barnes & Co., in the following year, the new firm then formed became the founders of the present company known as the Shepard & Morse Lumber Co. Mr. Morse and Mr. W. A. Crombie then became managers of the business in Burlington, and since the organization of the stock company they have been stockholders and directors in this company. Mr. Morse is a director in the Saginaw (Mich.) Lumber and Salt Co., the American Milk Sugar Co., the Vermont Life Insurance Co., and the Vermont Shade Roller Co. He is also a stock-holder in several other companies.

In politics Mr. Morse is an unswerving Republican, but, far from being an office-seeker, has a positive dislike for public office. Notwithstanding his desire to confine himself to his business life, he has been several times elected to fill public positions, from which he has retired in opposition to the wishes of those citizens who were best acquainted with his official conduct.

He was first elected mayor of Burlington in 1883, and in 1884 was nominated for the same position by both political parties. His election, of course, followed without contest. Previous to his election as mayor he served three years as alderman of the Fourth ward, from which office he resigned.

Mr. Morse attends the Unitarian Church, and is heartily interested in the welfare of the society. He married in 1867 Miss Kate Russell, of New Bedford, Mass., and has two children, Harold Russell, born on the 10th of December, 1872, and Herbert William, born on the 6th of June, 1876.   Biographies Index

PARKER, SEYMOUR JEREMIAH, was born in Milton, Vt., on the 8th of February, 1820. The first of his ancestors to come to Vermont was his grandfather, Edward Parker, who emigrated from Deerfield, Conn., to Richford, in this State, shortly before the year 1800, and died there in 1812. His son, John Parker, father of Seymour J., was born in Connecticut in 1796, and was brought to Richford by his parents, where he attended school and helped his father about his work until he had attained the age of sixteen years. Then, at the outbreak of the second war with Great Britain, he enlisted as a musician, young as he was, and in that capacity participated in the battle of Plattsburgh. After serving out his time he went to Milton and settled on the farm now occupied by Allen Caswell, about a mile east from Milton village. While there he was made captain of a company of riflemen, and was promoted to the colonelcy, which he remained until the company was disbanded.   In 1837 he removed to the farm in Westford now owned and occupied by his son. the subject of this sketch. When he first removed to Milton he married Letty, daughter of Solomon Caswell, of that town. His wife was born in 1799, and died May 26, 1883. They reared a family of four girls and two boys, of whom Seymour J. was the eldest. John Parker died June 13, 1876. He was deservedly a prominent man; served one term in the State Senate, and held all the highest offices in the town of Westford.

Seymour J. Parker was educated in the district schools of Milton and accompanied his father to Westford in 1837. After his marriage in 1839 he purchased a part of his father's farm, to the west of the paternal residence, and for a number of years carried it on separately. About 1855 he purchased the rest of his father's property, and returned to the house which he now occupies, and which John Parker built in 1845. The life of a farmer is not usually prolific of thrilling events; its days are passed in fruitful toil, and its nights in peaceful rest. Mr. Parker manifested his ability by steady industry. The farm which he received from his father contained 325 acres-an extent of territory which in Vermont will tax the energy of the most laborious to manage-but he has in-creased it to 375 acres, and has kept the numerous buildings in good repair, has maintained sufficient fences, and has made the property pay. Like most of the farmers in Northern Vermont, he has paid the greatest attention to dairying, and now keeps usually not fewer than thirty cows, besides the other kinds of necessary stock.  Mr. Parker is a tried member of the Democratic party, with which he is generally in accord on all questions of governmental and international affairs. He is no office-seeker, but has been placed in a number of the town offices, the several duties of which he has successfully discharged.   His religious preference is Congregational, and he is a stated attendant and supporter of the church of that denomination in his town.  In December, 1839, Mr. Parker married Marcia, daughter of Martin Bates, of Westford, who has been his companion for nearly half a century, and with him has had a family of eleven children, three girls and eight boys, two of the latter being deceased.

The names and dates of births are as follows:

John C, born May 5, 1841 now a farmer in Colchester; George Edgar, born April 11, 1843, died in the service of the Union army, of typhoid fever, in New Orleans, 1864; Martin B., born July 4, 1845, now a farmer in Milton ; Charles S., born June 4, 1847, resides in Milton ; Francis H., born July 4, 1849, now a carpenter and joiner in Westford; Edwin C, born September 12, 1851, became a member of Ethan Allen Engine Company of Burlington, and was killed in service in the winter of 1884-85 by the falling of a brick wall; Rollin J., born November 23, 1853, now living with his parents; Ida J., born June 18, 1856, wife of Amos Partridge, of Westford; Willie J., born February 4, 1858, now a farmer in Colchester; Mary A., born March 29, 1860, wife of Philo Irish, of Westford; and Nellie H., born August 29, 1862, wife of Edward J.  Moseley, of Burlington.   Biographies Index

POMEROY, JOHN N. John Norton Pomeroy was born in a log cabin on the north side of Pearl street, Burlington, just below the present residence of Henry Loomis, on the 29th day of September, 1792, and at the time of his death, on the 19^th of July, 1881, was the oldest native inhabitant of the city. He was the youngest of three children of Dr. John Pomeroy, a sketch of whose life appears in the history of the Medical Profession, having one older brother, Cassius F. Pomeroy, and one sister, Rosamond P.   His mother, Mary Porter, was born in Abbington, Mass.  

The childhood of Mr. Pomeroy was passed in attendance at the old district schools of his native place, and in August, 1805, he entered the University of Vermont, from which he was graduated four years later. Although then not quite seventeen years of age, he delivered at commencement a poem and an oration, both of which were remarkable for youthful productions; and from the time of his graduation to the day of his death he was an active friend of his alma mater, which he frequently aided by liberal donations. At college he evinced a wonderful aptitude for scientific study and research, becoming thoroughly conversant with the discoveries of all times; and this predilection for studies in this department of learning he never relinquished. He delivered the master's oration at the university in 1812. In the winter and spring of 1814 he attended two courses of lectures on chemistry in New York city, and in the following fall delivered a course of fourteen lectures on that subject to a class of medical students and a number of ladies and gentlemen residing in Burlington. His native independence of character, however, together with his enthusiastic and practical love of learning, impelled him to one of the learned professions as a means of earning his livelihood, and he chose the practice of law. He entered the office of Judge Daniel Farrand, with whom he remained during the greater part of his apprenticeship, but finished his course with Hon. Charles Adams. He was admitted to the bar of Chittenden county in 1816. He continued to practice successfully until the decease of his father in 1844, when, by the inheritance of an ample fortune, he was enabled to retire and devote his time exclusively to those learned and elevating pursuits of which he was so fond. His professional labors were chiefly those of a collecting lawyer, in which he was very successful; but among other important litigated cases he was prominent in defeating the claims of a number of men who had taken possession of portions of the city hall under leases from the town of Burlington, and thus vindicated the exclusive right and duty of the public to keep and use the same for the erection of public buildings and for a public park.  At the commencement exercises of the University of Vermont, in 1816, he delivered -another oration, as did also his intimate friend, Henry Hitchcock. He was then but twenty-four years of age. He was deeply interested in the question of the feasibility of crossing the ocean by steam, which was then in process of agitation, and in 1816 wrote to Cadwallader C. Colden, of New York city, for a position on his new steamship, which was then supposed to be about to make the attempt. The places were all engaged, however, and this enterprise soon after failed for want of funds.  Mr. Pomeroy's love for learning did not, however, unfit him for the practical duties of citizenship, or for the more weighty responsibilities of statesmanship. He was elected a member of the Constitutional Convention of 1836, which established the State Senate in the place of the old Council, and took an active part in bringing about this most desirable measure. He also aided in securing the coalition of the old anti-Masonic party with the National Republicans, " the success of which," as he afterward said, u has kept the State right side up ever since." In 1848 he was elected a member of the Council of Censors, and was made secretary of the board. In this position he advocated with great vehemence and well-directed power a reform in the vicious method of representation, by which towns with their thousands of inhabitants have no more voice in the House of Representatives than towns whose population could be counted on the fingers. Upon this subject he made a report which the Council ordered published. He was chosen a member of the Constitutional Convention of 1849. and performed his full share of the labors of that body, particularly in his reiterated advocacy of a more nearly equal representation.

In 1850 he was appointed by the president a member of the board of examiners at West Point, to which place he repaired, and acted with his usual efficiency in that capacity. In the same year he was appointed by Governor Williams chairman of a committee, of which Lieutenant-Governor Ranney and Hon. T. F. Redfield were the other members, to examine and report upon the finances of the State under a resolution of the Legislature. In this capacity he drew up a report in which he expressed the views of himself and his coadjutors in vigorous and well-chosen language, which was not flattering to the Legislature; and for that reason, and because its independence was in favor of a worthy cause, it was deserving of the highest commendation.  These are, however, but a few of the many prominent offices which Mr. Pomeroy filled during his long and eminently useful life, it being one of the best of his characteristics that he never refused to perform a public service when called upon to act.  From his earliest manhood to the time of his old age he made it a principle to attend all the town meetings and freemen's meetings held in his town, excepting in the rare cases of enforced absence. From the time of his admission as a freeman in 1814 to the year 1874 he was absent from only one freemen's meeting in Burlington, and during that long period of sixty years voted successively the Federal, National Republican, Whig and Republican tickets. During the anti-slavery agitation he freely expressed his sympathy with the movement, and upon one occasion publicly and successfully protested against the attempt of some of his social and even political friends to prevent by force an anti-slavery lecturer from speaking.   He was at various times made overseer of the poor, town treasurer, selectman, State's attorney, etc., and acted for many years as justice of the peace. He was a warm friend of Hon. George P. Marsh, and was with him alone associated on a committee of two for the erection of the statue of Ethan Allen. Mr.  Marsh selected the marble and other material in Italy, while Mr. Pomeroy directed the modeling and erection of the statue.

He was trained in childhood to attend regularly divine worship, and continued the habit during his life, from both principle and pleasure. He was one of the original members of the Unitarian Church in Burlington, formed in r8r6, and continued his intimate association with that organization to the time of his death. In his church as in all his affairs he was always ready to give generously, but in his own way, to aid any cause which commended itself to his better judgment. It is this wise and sensible discrimination which is the grandest charity, infusing energy and courage in all enterprises that are practicable as well as benevolent, and discouraging the birth and prosecution of visionary and Utopian schemes which must ever end in ridiculous failure. 

Mr. Pomeroy was united in marriage, on the 25th of March, 1819, with Lucia, daughter of Horace Loomis, of Burlington. On the 25th of March, 1869, they celebrated, with a few family friends, the fiftieth anniversary of their wedding, and on the 12th of August immediately following commemorated the occasion by giving a large party.   Mrs. Pomeroy died on December 31, 1878.  Such is the outline of a life of honor and fidelity of Mr. Pomeroy's personal characteristics shine forth from his deeds. He was independent, public spirited, scrupulously honest, an enlightened friend to justice, and a determined opponent to everything evil, an advocate of a higher and universal education, hospitable almost to a fault, affectionate in his family, sincere and devout in his religion, pure in his public as in his private life, and charitable. He was fond of the society of children, and in his intercourse with them seemed to be of their very age and temperament. He had a strong aversion for being in debt, and would never enter upon an agreement while there was a visible contingency of his being unable to perform it. His life was eminently useful, and no higher praise can be given to any life.   Biographies Index

PECK, CICERO GODDARD. Cicero Goddard Peck was born in the village of Hinesburg, Vt., on the 17th day of February, 1828. His father, Nahum Peck, was one of the most distinguished lawyers of Chittenden county, and was the eldest son of Squire Peck and Elizabeth Goddard. Nahum Peck was born in Royalton. Mass., on the 5th of October. 1796. he was descended from Joseph Peck, who was the twenty-first generation from John Peck, of Belton,. Yorkshire county, England. Nahum was the seventh generation from Joseph Peck, the American ancestor who, with other Puritans, fled from the persecutions of the church in England to this country. They came from Hingham, England, to Hingham, Mass., in 1638, sailing in the ship Diligent, of Ipswich, John Martin, master. Thus the genealogy of the Pecks has been traced as far back as, and probably farther than, any other family in Vermont. At this place it will be well to give a brief mention of the career of Nahum Peck. His father was a farmer, and removed from Royalton, Mass., to Montpelier, Vt., in 1803, finding his way by means of marked trees. There young Nahum received as good an academic training as the capital of the State could afford in those days, studied law, and was admitted to the bar of Washington county at the September term of the County Court for 1823. He immediately came to Hinesburg and opened an office, where he continued a large and ever growing practice to about the time of his death, which occurred on the 8th day of June, 1883. At the time of his death he was the oldest practicing lawyer in the county.  As a lawyer he was best appreciated for the judicial accuracy of his opinions, his wide .acquaintance with legal literature, and his utter contempt for the emoluments of his profession. He practiced law from the love of it, and accepted money in payment for -services only as a means of livelihood, not of accumulation.   He was public spirited, and in the course of his long life in Hinesburg was honored with many positions within the gift of his townsmen, whom he represented in the Legislature a number of terms.  He was a fair though not a fluent speaker, his diction being characterized rather by correctness than readiness. His political opinions were as decided as those connected with his profession. He was one of the earliest, most determined and aggressive antagonists of slavery, at a time when men of that opinion were liable to abuse and opprobrium. He was an early advocate of temperance reform. After the formation of the Republican party he allied himself with it, and always supported its measures with earnestness and consistency.

He was twice married. His first wife, whom he married in October, 1825, was Lucinda, daughter of Benjamin I. Wheeler, of Montpelier, a prominent citizen, who represented Montpelier several terms in the Legislature. She was the mother of Cicero G. Peck. She died January 14, 1854. His second wife, to whom he was wedded in May, 1857, was Marcia Wood, of Keeseville, N. Y., who died in August, 1875.  Cicero G. Peck was educated in the old Hinesburg Academy, in which institution he prepared for a collegiate course of study, but just as he was about to enter upon such a course, ill health deprived him of the opportunity, and he was forced to a life of out-door work, as expedient against permanent sickness.   He has consequently remained on a farm all his life, and with commendable diligence has added to his patrimony and other inheritances, so that without them he would be possessed of a handsome property. He came to his present residence in 1857, and by repeated purchases has enlarged the original area of the farm to 250 acres. He also owns a very large and valuable dairy farm in Jericho, which was left to him by his uncle, Hon. Asahel Peck, who is mentioned at length in the latter part of this article. Mr. Peck devotes his attention principally to dairying, though he has done considerable work in general agriculture. He owns a number of fine Holstein cattle, his herds on both farms numbering about 100 head. When the Valley Cheese Factory Company was formed in 1865 he was elected treasurer, and has held the office continuously ever since. Although the business established by that company is not now conducted by a stock company, Mr. Peck still owns a large interest in it, and continues to act as treasurer.

He is a firm advocate of Republican principles in politics, and has been placed by his fellow townsmen in almost every office within their gift. He was county senator in 1878-80, and previous to that held the office of selectman seven consecutive years.  He has always taken a profound and active interest in educational matters, and was town superintendent of schools from 1877 to 1884 inclusive, besides being a member of the school board three years previously and two subsequently. He has been repeatedly called upon to act as executor or administrator in the settlement of estates, some of them among the largest in the vicinity. He is an active member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and has for many years taken a leading part in the conduct of its affairs.

He was united in marriage on the 29th day of March, 1854, to Maria Coleman (daughter of Selah Coleman, of Hinesburg), whose grandfather, Zadock Coleman, was at an early day major-general of the State militia of Vermont, and a prominent resident of Williston. He was of Irish descent, and emigrated to Vermont from Connecticut.  Mrs. Peck's mother's father, Charles Russell, was an early settler in Hinesburg and participated in the battle of Plattsburgh. He was of Dutch descent and came to Vermont from White Creek, N. Y. At his death he left the largest estate ever settled in Hinesburg up to that time. Mrs. Peck was born in Williston May 27, 1836. Their family consists, besides themselves, of an adopted niece, born April 14, 1858, and adopted by them on the 14th of August following. She is now the wife of Rev. Marvin R. France, a Methodist clergyman of Cobleskill, Schoharie county, N. Y. 

Mention having been made of Hon. Asahel Peck, it is well to add in this place a brief sketch of his life, because he was an honor to his county and State, and a memorial sketch of his deeds can be given in no better connection. He was the third son of Squire and Elizabeth (Goddard) Peck, and was therefore a brother of Nahum Peck.  He was born in Royalton, Mass., in September, 1808, and came to Montpelier with his parents two or three years later. Receiving the discipline of farm life until he was of age, in connection with a preparation for college at the Washington County Grammar School, he entered the University of Vermont, but in his senior year left that institution for a course of study in the French language in Canada. The embryo eminent judge and governor entered upon the study of law in the office of his elder brother, Nahum Peck, of Hinesburg. His name as attorney first appears in Walton's Register (for Hinesburg) in 1833, when he was thirty years of age.   In that year he removed to Burlington, where all his professional life was spent. Doubtless his progress at the bar was slow, as he was not a man to push his way, but to honestly win it by merit.   Indeed, a characteristic of him was that he was slow in everything, though in the end he was almost sure to be right, and that he regarded as the only point worth gaining. He was a thorough and patient student and became a conscientious lawyer and judge. Possessing a tenacious memory, he held all that he had secured in years of study, and could instantly bring his great store of learning to bear upon any legal question presented to him. Touching his abilities as a lawyer, we cite an incident that occurred a number of years ago:

The late Rufus Choate, of Massachusetts, met Mr. Peck as an antagonist in the trial of a very important case in the Supreme Court of the United States, and at its conclusion was so astonished to find "such a lawyer in Vermont " that he went to Mr.  Peck and urged him cordially to remove to Boston, assuring him that both fame and fortune would there be at his feet. No inducement, however, could move Mr. Peck; having once made up his mind, he would not change it. Burlington he had selected as the theatre for the practice of his profession, and Burlington it must and should be.  An eminent member of the bar, speaking of Mr. Peck's abilities as a lawyer and a judge, declared that no man in New England since Judge Story has equaled him in his knowledge of the common law of England and the law of equity.  Mr. Peck represented Chittenden county in the Senate in 1851, at the same time with Hon. George F. Edmunds. He was judge of the Circuit Court from 1851 until it ceased in December, 1857, and of the Supreme Court from 1860 to 1874, when, it being understood that he would retire from the bench to his farm to renew the employments of his youth, he was elected governor for the term 1874-76. In speaking of the probable action of the Republican State Convention of 1874, at which Judge Peck was nominated, the Watchman, a leading paper of the State, recommended him in the following tenns: which his subsequent conduct in the gubernatorial chair fully vindicated :" The State would be honored by selecting his name as its candidate. So long as Vermont designates such men as he is for its highest offices it is not liable to the old Tory reproach against Republican government, which condemned republics not because the people elected their officers, but because they elected unworthy and ignoble men to office. He would be a worthy successor in the executive chair to Moses Robinson, Galusha, Palmer, Tichenor, Skinner, Williams, Van Ness, Royce and Hall, who were his predecessors on the bench. His nomination is not merely unobjectionable, it is in every respect honorable and fit to be made, and would be followed by a triumphant election. As a governor it is the testimony of all that he was one of the best that Vermont ever had - thoroughly independent, prudent in every act, and carefully inspecting the minutest details of every question presented for his official approval. He received the degree of A. B. from the University of Vermont many years after leaving it as a student, and was made LL.D. by Middlebury College in 1874. After the close of his term as governor he was often employed as counsel in important cases ; and doubtless had his life been spared would for many years more have shown himself a grand master of the law.

He was never married. He spent most of his leisure time, after leaving the executive chair, with his friends in Hinesburg, and at his farm in Jericho, where he died May 18, 1879.   He was buried in the family lot in the cemetery at Hinesburg.   Biographies Index

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