John Darling came to Chesterfield, from Winchendon, Mass., February 17, 1778, and settled upon a part of what is now known as Barrett hill. He was one of the party that made the famous march to Quebec, in 1775, under command of Benedict Arnold, through the wilderness of Maine. At an early period he built the large two-story house, situated on the road from the Center village to Winchester, long known as the “yellow house,” and at one time owned an extensive tract of timber land in the Winchester woods, from which he cut large quantities of lumber, sawing it in a mill erected for that purpose, then drawing it to the Connecticut and rafting it down to Hartford. He married three times, first Sarah Blood, of Groton, Mass., who died June 6, 1804; second, Mrs. Lydia Baker, of Westmoreland, who died September 9, 1815; and third, Mrs. Mary Taylor, daughter of Rev. Abraham Wood. Mr. Darling died March 28, 1824, in his seventy-third year. His children were as follows: John, born December 17, 1778, Nahum, born August 22, 1781; Montgomery, born April 8, 1785; Darius, born June 26, 1787; Boynton, born January 23, 1790; Sarah, born September 23, 1791; Mary Ann. born April 31, 1794; Louis, born January 2, 1796; and by his second marriage, he had born to him Miranda, and by his third marriage, Heliann and Joseph. John, Jr., married Nancy Norcross, of Rindge, and had born to him seven children. His wife died October 14, 1862, and his death occurred December 3, 1862. His son George W., born November 18, 1818, is the present proprietor of the Darling picnic grounds on Spafford lake, and resides on road 51, corner 55.
