Biographical Sketch of Phineas Newton
PHINEAS NEWTON, one of the early settlers, lived in the famous ” Old Stone House,” on the glebe lot south of the original Whitman Jacobs place.
PHINEAS NEWTON, one of the early settlers, lived in the famous ” Old Stone House,” on the glebe lot south of the original Whitman Jacobs place.
BENJAMIN SWINNERTON, one of the early settlers, once quite a favorite in town, was drowned at an early age while attempting to swim across the Connecticut River in company with an Indian.
EZEKIEL POWERS, son of Lemuel and Thankful Leland Powers-a lady of uncommon intellect-was born in Grafton, Mass., March 27,1745; was one of the party who came to Croydon in the spring of 1766, for the purpose of surveying land and making other preparations for a settlement, and settled here the following year. He was conspicuous principally on account of his great physical strength and his inventive genius. Among his many other inventions, he first introduced the practice of “ridging” green-sward for the purpose of raising Indian corn,-and the “looped” sled so generally used since by the lumbermen of Croydon, and … Read more
ISRAEL GOODWIN was remarkable for his intellectual and social qualities. He lived at the Flat, and was a cloth-dresser by trade. In 1824 he removed to Plainfield, VT, where he represented that town in both branches of the Legislature. He was appointed judge, and removed to Montpelier, where he died.
LUCY P. WHEELER, youngest daughter of Col. Nathaniel Wheeler, was educated at Norwich Institute and Kimball Union Academy; married Edward Ingham, Esq., a man of superior intellect and business tact, and died at Newport in 1852.
JOSEPH EASTMAN came to this town from Hopkinton, N. H., about the middle of the century, and settled at the East Village. He was a joiner by trade, and a valuable citizen. He afterwards removed to the west part of the town and turned his attention to farming. He was a Representative in 1838 and 1839.
TIMOTHY C. EASTMAN, son of Joseph Eastman, Esq., was horn May 30, 1821. His time during his minority was divided between farming, mechanical work, teaching, and attending school at Kimball Union Academy. In 184.5 he married Lucy, daughter of John Putnam, Esq. After four years of farming in the East, he removed to Cleveland, Ohio, in 1850, and commenced the milk trade. After the first two years he kept one hundred cows. In 1853, in connection with his milk business, he commenced dealing in cattle for the Cleveland market, and in 1854 began to ship them to New York and … Read more
JEREMIAH NEWELL, one of the early comers to Croydon, settled at Ryder Corner, and was an extensive farmer, tidy, energetic and proud. His “Hack,” the first in town, was an object of great interest to the” little folks.” He was father to JEREMIAH, who was for a long time a popular sheriff at Newport, of PARKER N., merchant at Newport, and now at Princeton, Ill., of BENJAMIN, merchant and speculator, also at Princeton, Ill., and grandfather of THANKFUL M., daughter of David, a lady of uncommon energy and business talent-late wife of Shepherd L. Bowers, Esq., of Newport.
CYRUS KINGSBURY FLETCHER, second son of Timothy Fletcher who was for a long time a worthy, gifted and zealous deacon of the Baptist Church at Newport-was one of the Committee of Arrangements, and is a most worthy and exemplary farmer. He married Rachel Jacobs, daughter of Luther, and resides on the old “Jacobs Farm,” so long occupied by her grandfather, Whitman Jacobs.
JONAS CUTTING, BENJAMIN CUTTING and JONATHAN CUTTING, sons of Francis Cutting, came early to this town from Worcester, Mass., and settled on the banks of Sugar River, near the Newport line. From them have descended the Cuttings. FRANCIS CUTTING, son of Benjamin Cutting, has been an extensive dealer in cattle, sheep and horses. He was born May 14, 1793. He is one of the largest tax-payers in town and has raised up a large family of prosperous boys, all of whom have settled near him.
DR. HORACE POWERS, son of Urias Powers, born October 27, 1807; graduated at the Woodstock Medical College in 1832; settled at Morristown, VT; was high sheriff of Lamoille County in 1844 and 1845; represented his town in the Constitutional Convention in 1850; was a Senator in 1853 and 1854, and was director in the Lamoille County Bank.
SAMUEL METCALF, his third son, was father to ALEXANDER, a wealthy farmer and justice at Northfield, Min., who married Anna, eldest daughter of Col. Nathaniel Wheeler, and grandfather of SAMUEL METCALF WHEELER, a distinguished lawyer at Dover, N. H.
MOSES and JOHN WALKER, the former living in the west part of the town, and the latter on the turnpike, were the progenitors of the Walkers.
HON. LEVI W. BARTON, born March 1, 1818, a lawyer, graduated at Dartmouth. He was three years register of deeds. two years county solicitor, five years a Representative and two years in the Senate; in 1866 on committee to audit war indebtedness of the State, one of the committee to codify the New Hampshire laws, member of the Constitutional Convention, 1876, and in 1876 one of the Presidential electors.
ROLLINS A. KEMPTON, fifth son of Col. Calvin Kempton, was born Oct. 29, 1826. In addition to the district school, he received the instructions of his father at home, who was an experienced and most faithful teacher, and had been for thirty years Superintending School Committee of the town. His early life was full of poverty and discouragements. At the tender age of nine years he followed his mother to her grave, and was thus deprived of her guardian care and sympathy. His father had been a large farmer and extensive wool-grower, but the revulsions of 1837 swept away his … Read more
HORACE P. HALL, son of Col. Daniel R. Hall, was born August 5,1827. He fitted for college at Marlow and Kimball Union Academies. After spending two years at Middletown College, Ct., and another at Amherst College, Mass., he abandoned his studies on account of ill health, and went West. He was for two years Principal of Marshall Academy, Ill., for seven a Professor of Latin in Union College at Merom, Indiana, and is now Principal of the Academy at Pendleton, Indiana. He was for a time connected with the army. In 1863 the Asbury University conferred on him the honorary … Read more
ELISABETH RUMBLE, a spinster, was noted for her great age-a hundred years-and her many eccentricities. At the trout-brook she was the rival of the famous Isaak Walton.
EDWARD BROWN, son of Briant Brown, a worthy farmer and a man of good judgment, was born January, 1818. He has for a long time taken a deep interest in the agricultural affairs of the State and County. In 1866 he was one of the Committee on the State Agricultural College, whose duty it was to report to the Legislature a suitable plan, location and other matters relating to the State College.
FRANKLIN PUTNAM, son of John Putnam, Esq., was born September 8, 1833; graduated at Bowdoin College in 1859; studied law with Brown & Sewell, at Bath, Me., and commenced the practice of his profession at Kansas City, Mo., in 1861, where he died November 3, 1865.
WILLIAM P. WHEELER, A.M., born July 31, 1812; graduated at Harvard; was for many years a prominent member of the Cheshire County bar; was twice appointed to a seat upon the bench of the Supreme Court, which he declined; 11 was twice a candidate for Congress; was president of the Keene Savings-Bank, and was a trustee of the New Hampshire Industrial School and of the Agricultural College; died May 10, 1876.