Biography of Judge Henry Lane

LANE, JUDGE HENRY. James Lane, grandfather of Henry, born in 1769, came from Mansfield, Conn., and settled in Cornwall, Vt., in the year 1800 on the farm now owned and occupied by the judge. He died July 3, 1801. He left three sons — Job, James and William. James Lane pursued his professional studies with Doctor Ford, of Cornwall, and practiced his profession many years in Ohio. He died there, leaving a family of three children. William Lane was an enterprising and successful farmer, a public-spirited and useful citizen ; but in the midst of his activity he lost his life in consequence of having his arm caught in a threshing machine. He died at the age of forty-eight, September 26, 1844. He left three children — William, Charles D. and Gilbert Cook. Job Lane remained on the farm of his father. He married Sarah, daughter of Bebee and Elizabeth (Eells) Turrill, in 1812. She was born in Shoreham, Vt., April 3, 1792. Job Lane was a good farmer, was a firm supporter of secular and religious order, and a valuable citizen. He died at the age of seventy-two, November 19, 1850. His wife died August 15, 1854. Job and Sarah Lane had eight children, viz: James T., William H., Elizabeth, Joel, Henry, Rollin, Sarah and Mariette. James T. was born December 25, 1812, married Lucinda Landon Eells, widow of John Eels, December 3, 1840. She was born October 10, 1812. They had four children — Truman J., Mariette, Joel T. and Gilbert H. William H. was born September 6, 1816; married September 8, 1841, Caroline, daughter of Major Orin and Maria (Alvord) Field. The latter was born September 3, 1822, in Cornwall. They have two children living — William Henry and Estelle Maria. Elizabeth, born September 20, 1817; married, April 11, 1839, P. W. Collins. The latter was born September 27, 1810. Mrs. Collins died December 18, 1860. Their children were Joel P. and Sarah E. Joel P. died October 26, 1850. Sarah E. is the wife of C. J. Day, a merchant of Albion, N. Y. Joel Lane was born in ——-; married Lucretia B. Ripley. He died June 28, 1847. His wife died September 20, 1848. They had one child, Lucretia, who died at the age of twenty. Rollin Lane was born May 3, 1828; married Lucia Brainard March 20, 1861; three children — Charles R., Frank B. (drowned in Otter Creek September, 1884, at the age of nineteen), and Hattie S. Rollin Lane is a farmer, owning and living on the Notham Eells a farm in Cornwall. Sarah Lane was born in 1829 and died September 13, 1847. Mariette Lane was born June 22, 1832; is the wife of Joel Rice, a lawyer of New York city. Mrs. Rice is an artist of acknowledged ability. Mr. and Mrs. Rice have three children — Charles, Etta May and Edward.

Judge Henry Lane was born in Cornwall February 14, 1824; has always lived on the place of his birth, coming into possession of the Lane homestead upon the death of his father. His education was received in the district school of Cornwall, with several terms of attendance at the Newton Academy in Shoreham. He taught the district school of his own neighborhood and Shoreham two winters. He married, February 7, 1849, Mary Antoinette, daughter of Captain Alanson and Mary (Parker) Peck. Mrs. Lane was born in Cornwall September 12, 1828. Her grandfather, Jacob Peck, with his wife, Elizabeth (Gibbs), moved from Farmington, Conn., in 1785, and settled on the farm, a portion of which is now owned and occupied by his son Alanson, in the south part, of Cornwall. They had eleven children — five sons and six daughters, of whom Alanson Peck was the ninth child. He was born in Cornwall February 2, 1800. He married, February, 1822, Mary Parker. Their children were James Monroe, Charles C., Orlin A., Mary Antoinette, Martin M. and Henry T. All are married and have raised families.

Job Lane, father of the judge, was one of the early farmers of Addison county, who took especial pride in the breeding of sheep, and left a good flock to his son. The judge laid the foundation of his present flock of pure blooded Spanish Merino sheep in 1858, and his flock, No. 114 of the Vermont Flock Register, is one of the best of the numerous flocks of sheep which has made Addison county famous in this branch of industry. While sheep-breeding has been the leading business to which he has devoted his farm, Judge Lane has given especial attention to the raising of fruits, vegetable and garden seeds. He developed “Lane’s imperial sugar beet,” the seed for which has been in great demand for many years in the United States and other countries. While the judge has been eminently practical and successful as a farmer, he has always been a great reader of agricultural works, and has one of the most extensive agricultural and general private libraries to be found in the State.

From early life Judge Lane has taken an active interest in the political affairs of his town, county and State. He has held many of the town offices, and has been called upon probably oftener than any other man to preside over town meetings. Six years, including the period of the War of the Rebellion, he was selectman of the town of Cornwall. When the general government issued its order making the selectmen of towns legal enlisting officers, the town of Cornwall gave its selectmen discretionary power as to time of procuring enlistments, the number and the amount of bounties to be paid. After being thus authorized Mr. Lane enlisted thirty-five soldiers, and had credited to the town, previous to each and every call for volunteers to the general government, sufficient men to fill the quota and thus avoid a draft. In 1864 he was elected a member of the Legislature of the State, and was re-elected in 1865-66. In 1865 he was elected by the General Assembly one of the directors of the State prison, and in 1866-67 was re-elected to the same office. In 1869 was elected a member of the Thirteenth Council of Censors. The First Council of Censors was chosen by ballot, by the freemen of the State, on the last Wednesday of March, in the year 1780, and every seven years thereafter thirteen persons were chosen in the same manner and were to meet together the first Wednesday in June next ensuing their election. Their duties were to inquire whether the constitution had been preserved inviolate in every part, and whether the legislative and executive branches of government had performed their duties as guardians of the people, or assumed to themselves greater powers than they were entitled to by the constitution. They were also to inquire whether the public taxes had been justly laid and collected, with what manner the public money had been disposed of, and whether the laws had been duly executed in all parts of the Commonwealth; and for these purposes they had power to order impeachments. The Thirteenth Council of Censors recommended that the constitution of the State be so amended as to abolish Council of Censors, and provided thereafter that the constitution might be amended by the General Assembly in the year 1880 and every ten years thereafter, each proposal of amendment recommended by the General Assembly, before becoming a part of the constitution, to be referred to a direct vote of the freemen of the State. The convention ordered by the Thirteenth Council of Censors, which convened on the second Wednesday of June, 1870, adopted the amendment to the constitution abolishing the Council of Censors and adopted the new mode of amending the constitution. In 1880 he was appointed by the governor and confirmed by the Senate as a member of the Board of Agriculture, and has been re-appointed twice, having served six years. In 1884 he was elected judge of the Addison County Court.

Judge Lane was president of the Addison County Agricultural Society for two years, and has always taken an active part in all efforts to advance the farming interests of the State. He has been often called upon to deliver addresses at different agricultural meetings in Vermont and other States. He has been a member of the Cornwall Congregational Church since 1837, and was for nine years superintendent of its Sabbath-school, and has been one of the largest contributors to its support. Mrs. Lane has been a member of the same church since 1851. Faithful and conscientious in the discharge of every public trust, honorable in all business transactions, in his social life kindly, genial and hospitable, Judge Lane deservedly commands the respect and esteem of the entire community in which he has passed his whole life.

Judge and Mrs. Lane have had three sons — Charles H., Francis P. and Arthur T. Charles H. was born January 14, 1853 ; married, December 13, 1876, Sarah, daughter of Horatio and Sarah (Dana) Sanford, Mrs. Lane was born in Cornwall March 29, 1857. They have three children — Estelle D., born March 3, 1878; Jesse A., born July 21, 1880; Sanford H., born September 10, 1882. Charles H. lives near the homestead and assists his father in carrying on the farm. Francis P. died December 25, 1860. Arthur T. was born June 30, 1863 ; a tobacco broker, living in Chicago.