Biographies of Chittenden County

Page 7

WELLS, WILLIAM, was born at Waterbury, Vt, on the 14th day of December, 1837. He is descended from one of the oldest and most honorable families of Normandy, which shared a conspicuous part in the government of that province previous to the conquest of England. As early as 794 a branch of the Vaux family (from which the name Wells is derived) inhabited Provence, Normandy, and were allied by marriage to most of the sovereign princes of Europe. In 1140 they disputed the sovereignty of Provence with the house of Barcelona, and in 1173 acquired the principality of Orange by marriage with Tiburge, heiress of Orange. In 1214 William, Prince of Baux and Orange, assumed the title of King of Aries and Vienne, which dignity was confirmed to him by Frederick II. A branch of the family was founded in England after the conquest by Harold De Vaux, a near connection of William the Conqueror. At this time was adopted the surname De Vallibus. An unbroken descent is traced from Hugh Welles, who was born about 1590 in the county of Essex, England, married in 1619, and emigrated to this country in 1635, staying for a time either in Salem or Boston, and afterward assisting in the founding of a new colony, Hartford, Conn. He died in Wethersfield, Conn., about 1645.   General Wells is seven generations direct from him. Roswell Wells, grandfather of the subject of this sketch, was an early settler in Waterbury, Vt., to which he immigrated from Greenfield, Mass. He returned for a time to Greenfield, but moved back to Waterbury in 1805, where he died in 1826, aged fifty-seven years.  His wife was Pamelia White, a descendant from Peregrine White, the first child of civilized parentage ever born on the North American continent. They had two children, William W. and Roswell W., the former of whom was the father of our subject. He was born in Waterbury on the 28th of October, 1805, and died at the same place on the 9th of April, 1869. He was a leading merchant and manufacturer of Waterbury, a graduate of the University of Vermont, class of 1824, and at one time studied law with the intention of practicing, but was obliged to relinquish this hope by the affairs of the family at Waterbury. He married Eliza Carpenter, daughter of Judge Dan Carpenter, of Waterbury, who survived him four years, dying August 5, 1873.  Of their ten children, nine of whom were sons, William Wells was the third. He was educated in the common schools of his native town, and in the Barre Academy and the Kimball Union Academy at Meriden, N. H. While at the Barre Academy he performed his first labors in surveying Caledonia county, with an odometer for a county map, a service which he completed in about two months. He was then about seventeen years of age. At the age of nineteen years he entered the dry goods store of his father in Waterbury Center as clerk. After a year or two in this capacity he assumed the management of his father's flouring mill and wholesale Hour and grain store. In 1861 he went to Cleveland, O., but the outbreak of the war affecting the object of this visit, he returned at once to his home in Vermont.

In August, 1861, he enlisted in the First Regiment of Vermont Cavalry, and assisted in raising Company C, of which he was a member. The companies were mustered into the service of the United States in October, 1861, and on the 19th of the next month the regiment as a whole was mustered in as a regiment in United States service. The regiment, however, had been raised by order of the secretary of war of the United States.  On the 14th of October, 1861, William Wells was chosen first lieutenant of Company C, of which he became captain on the 18th of November immediately following. The regiment left the State for Washington, D. C, the 14th of December. From this time forward he rose by regular gradation to the rank of major, which he attained on the 30th of October, 1862. On the 4th of June, 1864, through the recommendations of all the officers present with the regiment, he received the commission of colonel. On the 22d of February, 1865, he was brevetted brigadier-general, on the 30th of March next he was brevetted major-general, and on the 19th of May, 1865, received a commission as brigadier-general.

The details of the part taken by General Wells in the war involve an almost complete history of the regiment with which he was connected. It was stationed on the extreme left of the army at Gettysburg, and delivered an effective charge on the enemy.

General Wells then commanded a battalion of four companies, at the head of which he penetrated the enemy's lines about three-quarters of a mile. The regiment was actively engaged at Hagarstown, Md., July 6, 1863 ; at Boonesboro, in the same State, July 8, 1863, where General Wells was wounded by a sabre thrust; and at Culpepper Court House, Va., September 13, 1863, where he was wounded a second time by the bursting of a shell, the regiment at that time, while under his command, capturing a piece of the enemy's artillery. He served with the Army of the Potomac under Generals Kilpatrick, Sheridan and Custer, and accompanied Sheridan in his raid on Richmond and in the famous cavalry fight at Yellow Tavern, where his regiment rendered gallant service in a charge upon the enemy in which rebel General Stewart was killed. He also accompanied Sheridan in his campaigns through Shenandoah Valley, down James River to the Army of the Potomac. His regiment formed a part of Wilson's command in the raid on the rear of Richmond, during the ten days of which (June 22 to June 30 inclusive), the command unsaddled only twice. At Cedar Creek he acted as colonel commanding a brigade of which the Vermont Cavalry formed a part, his regiment, in connection with the Fifth New York Cavalry, capturing no less than forty-five pieces of artillery, of which the Vermont regiment was credited with twenty-three pieces. On the departure of Sheridan and Custer for Texas, General Wells was ranking officer of the Cavalry Corps.  After the surrender of General Lee and the mustering out of this corps he was for some time in command of the first separate brigade at Fairfax Court House, Va. Though his regiment returned to the North in the summer of 1865, he, having been promoted to brigadier-general, for gallantry at Cedar Creek, etc., was not mustered out until January 15,1866, (general order 168, War Department, Washington, D. C, dated December 28, 1865.) This is the brief outline of an army experience which embraced much that was not glory, days and weeks of hardships and privations, which only those can appreciate who have passed nights on the " tented field " and days amid the conflict and clash of battle.

Soon after his return to Waterbury he became a partner in the firm of Henry & Co., wholesale druggists of Waterbury, who transferred their business to Burlington in 1868.  In 1872 changes in the membership of this firm led to the assumption of the title of Wells, Richardson & Co., and General Wells withdrew from the concern in order to accept the position of collector of customs for the district of Vermont, proffered to him by President Grant. This is one of the most arduous and responsible offices within the gift of the national government; but General Wells exhibited ample capacity to grapple with its complicated details, and honesty to make prompt and accurate returns, so that after thirteen years he had accounted for every cent of the money that had passed through his hands.   He retained the position until the 1st of September, 1885.  In all other political positions in which General Wells has been placed he has proved himself worthy of the confidence bestowed upon him. he represented the town of Waterbury in the Legislature in 1865 and 1866, and served in the House on the committee on military affairs. Elected to the same office in the following year, he served as chairman of the committee on public buildings and also on the committee on military affairs.  In 1866 he was elected by the Legislature to the office of adjutant and inspector-general, and by virtue of consecutive annual elections held that office until 1872, when he resigned it to enter upon his duties as collector of customs. In the summer of 1886 he was nominated county senator from Chittenden county, by the Republican county convention, on which occasion he was described by one of his own fellow citizens in terms which cannot be improved upon. Hon. Henry Ballard, who nominated him, said that he was a man of great executive ability, considerable legislative experience, and one who would perform the duties of senator with faithfulness and ability. In their scramble for office the Democrats had searched in vain for a flaw in the official record of General Wells, and had been compelled to fall back upon the charge of " offensive partisanship." He then spoke in handsome terms of General Wells's brilliant record as a soldier. As General Stannard would be recorded in history as Vermont's best infantry soldier, so would General Wells be known to fame as Vermont's first and best cavalry soldier. He was the right arm of Sheridan at Five Forks and Cedar Creek, and was the Custer of Vermont. The old soldiers were fast passing away; in a few years nothing could be done but erect monuments in their honor. General Wells was the only soldier presented for a place on the county ticket; and as a man eminently fitted for the position of senator, as an official of proved honesty - who had accounted for every cent of $ 13,000,000 which passed through his hands as collector -and most of all at this time as an earnest and recognized Edmund's man, he deserves the cordial support of the convention.  The next Legislature would have the opportunity to name the leader of the United States Senate for the next six years, and General Wells could do more to accomplish that object than any other man from Burlington. It is needless to add that he was elected.

General Wells has long been prominently identified with many of the most important business enterprises of the city of Burlington. He is president and director of the Burlington Trust Company, director in the Rutland Railroad Company and also in the Burlington Gaslight Company, and is president and one of the trustees of the Soldiers Home of Vermont He is a friend of order in all things, in religious as well as in civil and military life.   He is a member of St. Paul's (Episcopal) Church of Burlington.  William Wells was united in marriage, on the 18th of January, 1866, with Arahanna, daughter of Edwin Richardson, of Fitchburg, Mass. They have two children, Frank R. and Bertha R. Wells.   Biographies Index

WESTON, SIDNEY H., was born in Chesterfield, Essex county, N. Y., on the 16th day of December, 1824. The origin of the Weston family in America dates back to the time of the coming of the Mayflower which brought over three Weston brothers from England. James Weston, the grandfather of the subject of this sketch, bore a conspicuous and honorable part in the Revolutionary War, and was a commissioned officer. He was an early settler in the town of Peru, Clinton county, N. Y., where he died on the 18th day of May, 1840. His wife, Sally Witherell, from Braintree, died the day following and was buried in the same grave with her husband. They were the parents of eleven children, six boys and five girls, of whom Harvey, the next to the youngest, and the father of Sidney H. Weston, was born on the 20th day of Tune, 1798, in Peru. He adopted the vocation of a farmer and lumberman, and went to Chesterfield, N. Y., to live. He died on the 20th of February, 1857. His first wife was a daughter of George Mace, of Peru. By her he had four children, one of whom died in infancy, and the other three, Fidelia, wife of L. D. Gay, of Chesterfield, N. Y., Sidney H. and Blanchard, in Chesterfield, N. Y., are living.  Mr. Weston received a good common school education in Chesterfield and after-ward attended for some time the academy at Underhill, during the principal ship of Professor J. S. Cilley. Just previous to this, however, he earned the means of attendance upon the academy by making charcoal for the iron company at Vergennes, Vt.

That period of his minority which intervened between April and December, before his twenty-first birthday, he bought of his father and paid for the time out of the proceeds of his labor. After his term of schooling at Underhill had expired he purchased 100 acres of timber land in Peru, N. Y., from a portion of which he manufactured charcoal, disposing of a part of his products to the Peru Iron Company and part to an iron manufacturer named Cook, of Ferona, N. Y. The rest of the timber he had made into lumber, which was sold at Clintonville and Keeseville, N. Y. After working there two years he sold the farm and in April, 1848, removed to Buder's Corners, in Essex, Vt., where he purchased a small farm. Here he remained, devoting his energy and time to agriculture, until 1856, by which time he had added 135 acres to his original purchase in Essex, when he removed to Winooski. This flourishing village was at that time not more than half its present size, but promised to become what it has, by reason of the passage through the place of the new railroad. Mr. Weston opened a hotel on the site of the present post office, and conducted also a good business in a livery stable and meat market. After an experience of three years in the hotel he sold out and removed to his present farm, which he had previously purchased and the buildings on which he had just completed.   He continued his interest in the meat market, however, to the present time without interruption except about a year following 1858, when he sold out and remained out that length of time.   The home farm which Mr. Weston occupies contains about 160 acres of good farming land, but it is only a small part of his vast possessions.  He is the owner of not less than 7,000 acres of land in all, 3,000 of which are in Vermont and the remaining 4,000 in the State of New York.   That in New York is mostly timbered land lying in the towns of Peru, Keene and Wilmington.   The timber he cuts for sale and for his own use in the manufacture of lime, in which he is extensively engaged at the High Bridge over Winooski River. He has been interested in this business since 1864, and now owns two kilns, one in South Burlington and one on the Colchester side of the river.   He first bought a one-half interest in the Burlington Lime Company, of which John McGregor and Mr. Jackson were principal owners.   Soon afterward Mr. Weston purchased a one-half interest in the Winooski Lime Works, originated by Penniman & Catlin and afterward carried on by Penniman & Noyes, and within a few years became sole owner of both properties.  In connection with his farming Mr. Weston engages largely in the raising of fine cattle, sheep and horses-Holstein, Guernsey and short-horn cattle and Spanish Merino sheep being with him a specialty. He usually winters about one hundred and thirty-five head of cattle, one hundred sheep and twenty-five horses and colts. Other property in Winooski to which he has title is the northwest corner of Main and Allen streets and the entire block below his store, which he rents for tenant houses, stores, etc.  It requires more than ordinary energy and sagacity, industry and economy, to acquire possessions as large and valuable as those just related; but Mr. Weston has added one industry to another, and with a spirit like that of Alexander of old, seeking for new worlds to conquer, has never rested from his labors. About 1868 he purchased $15,000 worth of stock in the Winooski Lumber Company. Since then he has added $3,000 more in stock, and is now the president of the company. The company owns about 1,800 acres in timbered land. Mr. Weston also owns a sixth interest in the enterprising clapboard company of W. R. Elliott & Co., of North Duxbury, Vt., which turns out about r,000,000 feet of clapboards and a large quantity of dimension lumber every year, taking its timber from a tract of 2,000 acres. In company with his son, Warren F. Weston, he has extensive iron works, a forge and coal-kilns, and a store in Wilmington, N. Y., and at Keene, N. YM owns another store, ore mines, a separator, a six-fired forge and eighteen coal-kilns. They also own a large hotel at Keene village and another summer hotel at Cascade Lake, about six miles from Keene on the way to Saranac Lake, the house being situated between two lakes, one of which, by a freak of nature known as a mountain slide, has been elevated nine feet higher than the other.  In this slide, moreover, is an extensive iron mine, said to be about the first ever worked in the State of New York, which is included in the possessions of Sidney H. Weston and son.

Besides his home farm in Winooski Mr. Weston owns a tract of about a thousand acres just across the river, and extending about three miles east to the Lamoille bridge, which is really a consolidation of five farms, partly timbered and partly prepared for cultivation. He is a large stockholder in the Vermont and Rio Grande Cattle Company, which owns a ranch controlling 100,000 acres about twenty miles from San Marcial, New Mexico, and covering six miles of river front on the Rio Grand. This company is under the management of G. G. F. Tobey, superintendent of the cattle ranch and manager. Thus it will be seen without further statement that the range of Mr. Weston's abilities cannot be confined to one enterprise, or to undertakings of a similar character.  It is impossible for him to rest idle upon one farm or in one business; but with all the various industries with which he is connected he is thoroughly conversant, and with a prudence and sagacity seldom equaled keeps a familiar understanding with all departments. He is now, and for about six years has been, president of the Winooski Savings Rank.

Mr. Weston's political principles are Republican. Although he represented Colchester in the Legislature in 1865 and 1866, he has usually kept aloof from office seeking^ his time and interests being absorbed in the management of his private affairs. He always keeps abreast of the times, however, in his knowledge of current events.  He is a life-long member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. He is now one of the stewards and trustees of the church at Winooski, and is the superintendent of the Sabbath-school. In these days of blatant infidelity, when men of property are too apt to drift from the pious teachings of childhood, and when opposition to Christianity is necessarily an encouragement to anarchism and all iconoclastic organizations, it is refreshing to feel that the church is still powerful in her possession of men of brain and energy, who are not made stiff-necked and rebellious by success. 

On the 14th day of December, 1847, Sidney H. Weston married Philinda, daughter of Warren Ford, of Essex, Vt. Mrs. Weston was born on the 5th of September, 1824, in Essex. The union has been blessed by the birth of six children, one of whom died young.   Their names in the order of birth are as follows:

Warren F., the eldest living, born February 14, 1849, at Essex, who is living in Keene, N. Y., and who has represented his district two successive years in the New York Assembly; Matilda M., born April 15, 1851, wife of G. G. F. Tobey, of Winooski;

Herevy S., born March 12, 1857, at Winooski, where he now resides; a daughter, born July 31, 1859, who died in infancy; Ina M., born November 5, 1860, wife of George B. Catlin, of Winooski; Clarence G., born October 26, 1863, and now living with his parents.   Biographies Index

WHITNEY, EDMUND, was born in Williston Vt., on the 5th day of November, 1818. His father's family lived in Massachusetts, and many of the members of it still remain residents of that State. His grandfather Whitney lived in Conway and was there killed by a falling tree when his son Otis was a small boy.  Otis Whitney, father of the subject of this notice, was born in Conway on the 24th day of May, 1781, and came to Waterbury, Vt., in the year 1803. On the 4th day of March, 1805, he married Sarah, daughter of Joseph and Rosamond (Barton) Edmunds, of Waterbury, but natives of Rhode Island. Joseph Edmunds, son of John Edmunds (who was a Quaker preacher), led an eventful life as a privateer during the War of the Revolution.

Sarah (Edmunds) Whitney was born in Providence, R. I., on the 7th of April, 1782, and died at Williston, Vt, on the 1st of September, 1868. Otis Whitney continued his residence in Waterbury until 1812, when, with his wife and three children, he removed to Jericho, Vt. Two years later he again moved, this time to North Williston, whence he came to the town of Williston in 1822 and there passed the remainder of his days, dying November 14, 1857. Although not a public man, he was well informed and conscientious in the performance of all his duties as a citizen and Christian, being a member and one of the founders of the Baptist Church of Williston. He was the father of seven children, two daughters and five sons, none of whom are now living except the subject of this sketch.

Edmund Whitney received his education in the old Williston Academy, and was for a time a pupil of Rev. William Arthur, the father of ex-President Chester A. Arthur, who came to Williston mainly through the influence of Otis Whitney.   Mr. Arthur is remembered by him not only as an excellent teacher but as an eloquent preacher, a genuine Irish wit, and a perfect Christian gentleman.  Like his father, Mr. Whitney has never taken a conspicuous part in public affairs, but has been undeviating in his course as a citizen, keeping himself informed on matters of public interest at all times, and forming decided opinions concerning methods which should be adopted upon all measures of importance. He was one of the first to join in the crusade against slavery, and since its formation has always acted in harmony with :he Republican party, exercising independence and discrimination however, in all his political acts. He was a member of the Baptist Church, which informer days existed in Williston, and since its dissolution has not joined any other, although he is a regular attendant and supporter of the Congregational Church in his native town. 

He has been twice married. His first wife, with whom he was united in marriage on the 1st of May, 1839, was Esther Flagg, of Burlington, where she was born on the 10th of September, 1820. She died June 14, 1862, leaving five children, all but one of whom are now living. Their names in the order of their births are as follows: Henry Otis, born December 26, 1840, died March 1, 1870, at Elks, Nevada, whither he had gone as a minister of the gospel under the direction of the Presbyterian Home Mission Board ;

William Flagg, born October 27, 1842, now living in Williston; Ellen Josephine, born January 4, 1845, wife of Dr. Isaac D. Alger, of Minneapolis., Minn.; Edmund Barton, born June 19, 1848; and Zenas Blinn, born December 25, 1853, both living at Gloversville, N. Y., where they are engaged in the manufacture of gloves.  Mr. Whitney was again married on the 29th of May, 1866, his second wife being Mary Elizabeth Seaton, of Charlotte, Vt., who was born in Norfolk, N. Y., on the 12th of April, 1834.

Like the great majority of Vermonters Mr. Whitney has always pursued the vocation of farming, deeming it not only an honorable calling, but one affording more of real independence, both of body and mind, than any other, and also giving the surest claim to an honest living. But above all he believes a farm to be the safest and best place on which to rear boys and girls and make of them such men and women as the world has at the present time so much need of. How well he has succeeded in that respect those who know his children can best judge.   Biographies Index

WHITTEMORE, ALBERT GALLATIN, the eldest of seven children of John and Abigail (Olin) Whittemore, was born at White Creek, N. Y., on the 16th of January, 1797. His father was of English descent. His mother was a daughter of Gideon Olin, of Shaftsbury, Vt., and half-sister of Judge Abram Olin, of Washington, D. C, who studied law in Mr. Whittemore's office in 1838-39. Mr. Whittemore received his education at the St. Albans Academy, his parents removing to St. Albans, Vt., in 1799. He displayed the first sparks of his energetic spirit in September, 1814, by crossing Lake Champlain in a row-boat with a company of volunteers on their way to the battle of Pittsburgh. Upon attaining such education as the schools of his day afforded, he entered the law office of Hon. Stephen D. Brown, of Swan ton, as a student, and afterwards studied with Hon. Heman Allen, of Milton. He completed his course in the office of Judge Asa Aldis, of St. Albans, and was admitted to practice in the Franklin County Court on the 16th of March, 1821. He first established a successful practice at South Hero, but removed to Milton in 1824, and entered upon a career which reflects luster upon his abilities, his industry, and his public spirit. He remained until his death at Checkerberry village, and by the extensive practice which came to him gave the place an activity and prominence which departed upon his death.  He was of a mechanical turn of mind, and originated the idea which resulted in the construction of the Sandbar bridge, himself obtaining the charter of the company that completed that structure, in 1850. He was warmly interested in the railroad controversy then agitating the people of the town of Burlington and the county of Chitten-den, and earnestly favored the extension of the Rutland and Burlington Railroad to Swanton. He predicted that in lieu of this extension, when the charter was rejected, a railroad would be built along the western shore of the lake within twenty-five years, and his prediction was verified. In 1852 he was associated with Messrs T. D. Chittenden, John Bradley, and N. L. Whittemore in the construction of a large section of the Central Ohio Railroad. On the 10th of November, 1852, while examining the machinery which operated the gates of the lock in the Muskingum River, at Zanesville, O., and pointing out to his son, Don J., the manner in which they worked, he was thrown from the lock by a blow from a capstan suddenly set in motion by an approaching steamer, and instantly killed.   He was buried at Milton on the 14th of that month.  On the day of his death a meeting of the board of directors of the Central Ohio Railroad Company was called, and appropriate resolutions adopted, of which the following is an extract:

" Resolved, That the president be instructed to communicate to the family of Mr. Whittemore the sympathy of the board for the afflicting dispensation which has taken away so suddenly one who had inspired us with feelings of attachment and respect, and who must have been a good citizen in all the relations of life." Mr. Whittemore was indeed a good citizen in all the relations of life. His abilities and his uprightness were rewarded by frequent elections by his townsmen and the citizens of his county to positions of honor and trust. He was chosen State's attorney for Chittenden county as early as 1831, and for a number of years then succeeding. He also received tempting offers from friends to induce his removal to Burlington, which his love of home impelled him to decline. His legal abilities were of the highest order, and in August, 1851, he was admitted to membership in the American Legal Association by virtue of his "sound professional integrity and acquirements," and his" prompt-ness and reliability." He represented Milton in the Legislature four terms, and in 1851 was chosen county senator. His tastes were, however, studious. He approached every subject with the air and ultimate success of a thorough student, and during the whole period of his life delighted in mechanical and linguistic avocations. His success in business may be attributed partly to his remarkably systematic methods, as well as to his rare ability and integrity, his excellence as an advocate and public speaker, his untiring energy, public spirit, independent judgment, and his position in the van of all educational matters and questions relating to public improvements.

On the 14th of September, 1826, he married Abbie, daughter of Samuel Clark, a native of Weybridge, Vt, who had traveled extensively, and met his death by drowning in St. Lawrence River in 1810, while acting in the capacity of general agent fo David A. and William B. Ogden, then of New York city. Mr. and Mrs. Whittemore had eight children, of whom four were living at the time of his death, Abbey J., now Mrs. Ell Barnum, of Milton, born February 9, 1839; Clark F., an attorney of New York, lately deceased, born January 21, 1837 ; Don Juan, chief engineer of the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railroad, born December 6, 1830; and Albert G., now an attorney of Burlington, born January 23, 1844. Mrs. Whittemore, the mother of these children, is still living in Milton. The success in life of the children of the subject of this sketch is undoubtedly due in a large degree to the careful training given them by him in their younger years. So thorough was he that he required them to recite to him at night all that they had learned during the day at school. It was said of one of the children that died (in February, 1842, aged thirteen years), Eugene, that he seemed to blend "the discreetness and wisdom of maturity and the modesty and tenderness of boyhood." Besides a very competent insight into the elementary branch as taught in the academies and schools, he had mastered the French language, was advanced in the Latin, had laid a thorough foundation for acquiring the Italian, had made himself very familiar with two or three systems of algebra." Don J. Whittemore, the oldest living child of Albert G. and Abbie Whittemore, began his first engineering experiences on the Central Vermont and Vermont and Canada Railroads, He has held his present prominent position since 1866.of the American Society of Civil Engineers. He served one term as president   Biographies Index

WOODRUFF, JOHN, son of Eli and Nicy (Rogers) Woodruff, was born in Milton, Vt., on the 2d of July, 1819. His grandfather, Shubal Woodruff, moved to Westford, Vt., from Great Barrington, Mass., in 1802, and resided there until his death in 1808, leaving two sons and four daughters. Eli Woodruff was born in Great Barrington December 25, 1792, and was therefore ten years of age when he was brought to Westford, where he lived until he was of age. He bore an honorable part in the War of 1812-15, and participated in the battle of Pittsburgh. He married Nicy Rogers March 16, 1817. She was the youngest of ten children of Jason Rogers (and Mehitabel Booth), who removed from Litchfield, Conn., in 1802, when she was eleven years of age, and settled on the farm in Underhill now owned by Charles Truel. After his marriage Eli Woodruff passed the rest of his life in Underhill, with the exception of two years in Milton, covering the period in which the subject of this sketch was born.   He reared a family of eight children, viz., Henry L., John, Mary Ann, Joseph R., Harriet, Fanny, Homer, and William Willshire. Of these only four are now living, Joseph R., on the farm first purchased by his father in this town, while his son, Warren S., occupies the farm originally cultivated by one of the first settlers of Underhill (Abner Eaton); Mary Ann resides on the farm on which her father, Eli, passed most of his life, and Fanny is the wife of Stephen Saxe, dentist, of Whitewater, Wis.   Eli Woodruff died February 22,1872.

John Woodruff attended the district schools of his neighborhood three months each summer and three each winter from the time of his sixth or seventh year until his thirteenth, and afterwards three months each winter until he attained his eighteenth year.  He also attended one term at the academy at Jericho Center. His father being in straitened circumstances and burdened with the support of a large family, hired him out to a neighboring farmer for the summer when he was thirteen years of age, and repeated the custom for five years, when he purchased 100 acres of wild land in Underhill on credit, and enlisted his sons, John, Henry L., and Joseph R., in his service to clear the land and raise grain to pay for it. The subject of this sketch worked at the home of his father until he became of age, excepting the two last winters, and until he was twenty-five, passed his winters teaching district schools (one winter, when he was nineteen, in Westford, one in Jericho, and four in Cambridge) and his summers in working out on farms. He then bought a tract of fifty acres of land near his father's, in North Underhill, which was originally settled by Edmund Parker, and lived upon it eight years, during which time he paid for it, and bought and paid for several other lots, aggregating 225 acres in extent. In the fall of 1853 he sold all the land which he had acquired, and purchased of Elijah Birge the farm of 250 acres, about one and a half miles from his former lot, the farm upon which he has ever since resided. The purchase imposed upon him a heavy debt, but by dint of economy and unremitting toil he cleared the property of all encumbrances in the first five years. Since then he has increased the extent of the farm to more than 300 acres, thoroughly repaired the buildings, constructed good fences, and so successfully improved the land that it sup-ports more than twice the stock than when he purchased it. His success has been owing entirely to industry and thrift in farming, and not at all to trading or speculation, which are too often presumed to be the only means of achieving a competence. Mr.  Woodruff has all these years remained upon his farm, taking no recreation away from home except one trip to Minnesota, one to the Centennial Exposition at Philadelphia, and one to New York and Boston. The farm was first occupied by Samuel Bentley, who after three years sold it to David Birge, from whose son it passed to Mr. Woodruff.  The dwelling house was erected in 1802 by David Birge, and was the first framed tavern in town, accommodating the stages which passed along the Hill road between Burlington and Derby line.

Mr. Woodruff is a member of the Democratic party, and has held various town offices in Underhill, such as selectman for several years, overseer of the poor, lister, justice of the peace, etc.   His religious preference is Congregationalism

John Woodruff was joined in marriage on the 15th of October, 1845, with Emily, daughter of Milton and Amanda (Bliss) Ford, of Jericho, in which town she was born on the 24th of October, 1821. Her father, a carpenter and joiner, and toward the latter part of his life a farmer, was born in Pomfret, Conn., April to, 1794. In 1802 he came with his parents, Abram and Sarah (Ingalls) Ford, to Richmond, and soon after to Jericho, where Abram Ford carried on his trade, blacksmithing, until his death.

Amanda Bliss was the daughter of Amos, and granddaughter of Timothy Bliss, who came from Massachusetts in the early history of Essex, Vt., and settled upon the farm in that town now occupied by Julius Ransom. The farm upon which Amos Bliss passed the whole of his married life, and upon which Amanda Bliss was born November 13, 1797, is now owned by George Sinclair. His wife was Hannah Clark, from Connecticut. Amos Bliss was a soldier in the War of 1812-15 and was captain of a company of militia that participated in the battle of Plattsburgh. 

Mr. and Mrs. Woodruff have had one child, Nicy Amanda, who was born January 28, 1851, and who died February 22, 1854. In November, 1856, they adopted Frank Edward, infant son of William Martin, then lately deceased, and grandson of Peter Martin, one of the original settlers of Underhill, on whose farm Mr. Woodruff worked for five summers. By act of the Legislature, session of 1865, the name of the adopted child was changed from Martin to Woodruff, and he was made the legal heir of his foster parents. They have given this adopted son, their only child, the best opportunities for an education. He was fitted for college at Underhill Academy when Oscar Atwood, A. M., was principal, entered the University of Vermont at the age of sixteen years, and was graduated in 1875. then taught one year in Plainfield and two in Barre, and in 1878 entered Union Theological Seminary in the city of New York, where, at his graduation in 1881, he received a fellowship which entitled him to two years abroad in study. The greater portion of this time was passed in Germany, at the Universities of Tuebingen and Berlin, six months in Athens, and a brief period traveling in Italy, Switzerland, and Germany. While abroad he was appointed to the associate professorship of Biblical literature in Andover (Mass.) Theological Seminary for three years, and was there inaugurated as professor September 6, 1883, at the age of twenty-eight years. At the expiration of this period the appointment was made permanent.

On the 11th of January, 1883, while in Athens, Greece, he married one of his college classmates, Ellen Eliza Hamilton, of Brandon, Vt., and has two children, John Hamilton, born February 17, 1884. and Robert Thomson, born May 26, 1885.   Biographies Index

WRIGHT, SMITH, was born in Williston, near the line of St. George, on the 8th day of March, 1823. His grandfather, Elisha Wright, probably of Scotch descent, was an early settler on the place, and the builder of the house now occupied by Patrick La veil. He died about 1830, at a very advanced age. His son, John Wright, the father of the subject of this sketch, was born on this place in 1797, passed his life there, anddied on the 3d of July, 1874.   His wife was Polly, daughter of Smith Holt, of Keene, Essex county, N. Y., who came from a family of early settlers in Essex county, from Litchfield county, Conn. She died in August, 1881. John and Polly Wright had seven sons, of whom three, Orson H., of Hinesburg, J. W., of Chimney Point, in Addison county, Vt., and Smith, are the only ones surviving. Smith Wright was educated in the schools of his native town and the Hinesburg Academy.

On the 25th of April, 1844, he married Clarrissa A., daughter of Sheldon Loggins, of Williston. For twenty years after his marriage Mr. Wright remained upon a farm in St. George, looking assiduously after the affairs of his farm, keeping fences and buildings in good repair, and paying off a heavy encumbrance for the purchase money of the farm. Many of his neighbors regarded his purchase with gloomy predictions of disastrous failure, but he went on about his labors with a quiet determination that would brook no failure, and during the twenty years of his residence there not only paid the debt, but purchased and paid for 200 acres more, and had the entire property well stocked. During a considerable portion of this period he was not only a farmer, but a traveling salesman for a mercantile house of New Haven, Conn., whose headquarters were in Albany. He introduced throughout his territory nearly the first keg oysters that were sold in this part of the country, and established for his house a very extensive trade in them. But such arduous duties from 1848 to 1860, as he had imposed upon himself, began at last to wear upon his health, and at the end of twelve years he was obliged to retire. In 1865 he sold his property in St.  George in two parcels at different times, and removed to the place that he had previously purchased of David A. Murray, about two and one-half miles south from Williston village, where he remained two years and a half, and again sold out at a profit, re-moving to the house now occupied by Mrs. Crane in Williston village.   This he bought as well as the store building previously owned by A. B. Simonds, and now occupied by Charles D. Warren. In this last mentioned building he carried on a successful mercantile business for two years. He then sold out this interest to E. R. Crane, and after a year of withdrawal from any active business purchased the old brick store of George Morton, now occupied and owned by George L. Pease. He conducted a prosperous trade there two years longer, and in 1873 withdrew permanently from mercantile pursuits, disposed of his property in the village, and bought his present farm. This place is next to the old Governor Thomas Chittenden farm, the house which Mr. Wright occupies being also the building erected by Giles T. Chittenden, Governor Chittenden's son, in 1800, and for some time occupied by him. The parcel contains 166 acres of fertile soil, which supports thirty cows and other stock in proportion. In connection with his other business occupations Mr. Wright has for more than thirty years been prominently engaged in the poultry trade, which now overshadows all his other interests. In 1876 he built a storehouse for poultry, and has since added large refrigerator buildings at heavy cost, from time to time, furnishing storage capacity for more than five hundred tons. The mechanical arrangement of these freezers is most ingenious and well calculated to effect the desired purpose. The temperature is susceptible of perfect regulation, and poultry and other meats can be frozen almost instantaneously and preserved indefinitely. They are used not only for storing poultry for Mr. Wright, but for others in Boston, New York, and other large cities, who desire to store meats, poultry, etc., through the warm seasons. The business is constantly growing, and it is impossible to estimate the proportion which it is likely in time to assume. In 1883 he made one sale to one firm to the amount of $45,000, being the largest single sale of poultry ever made in this country at that time; and his sales have aggregated more than $40, 000 annually for several years past. Mr. Wright has always been either a Whig, in the days of that party's ascendancy, or a Republican. His first vote for president was cast for Henry Clay in 1844. He has always been prominently connected with the political interests of his native county and State. In 1852 and 1853 he represented St. George in the Legislature as a member of the Whig party. It was during this period (1852) that the prohibitory law was passed. Mr. Wright voted for this law, and has always been a firm advocate of its enforcement. He was again elected to the Legislature from St. George in 1860 and 1861, during the excitement of the war period. He has been chosen county commissioner under the prohibitory liquor law three times without opposition, and now fills that office, and has been placed by his townsmen in nearly all the offices within their gift. In 1869 and 1870 he was assistant judge of the County Court.  In 1872 he was appointed postmaster at Williston village, which position he held until 1884. At this time he was elected to the House of Representatives from Williston, but was held to be ineligible because he was postmaster at the time of his election. He has now (1886) been elected State senator for the next two years.

Mr. and Mrs.  Wright have a family of five children: the eldest, Mary A,, was born July 18,1845,and on the 14th of January. 1878 was married to Gilbert Harris, now of Burlington. Louisa J., the second child, was born on the 8th of May, 1847, and on the 10th of January, 1870, was married to Elery C. Fay, now of Jericho. Homer E. Wright was born on the 12th of November, 1858, and is married, and is now in business with his father.  On the 26th of February, 1864, Clayton John and Clinton Smith, twins, were born.  Clayton J. has just graduated from the University of Vermont, and Clinton S. is living at home.

Mr. Wright is conspicuous among the citizens of Chittenden county as an energetic and reliable business man, and an active and public-spirited worker for the general benefit of the community.   Biographies Index

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