The Rutland weekly globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1873-10-24
Centennial Address, Delivered at
WaIiingford, Vermont, October
10, 1873
BY REV. II. II. sAUNDERsoN OF CHARLES
TOWN, n. II.

On account of the great length of the
address of Mr.. Saundersor,it was not posi-
bic to publish it entire In last week'se1ition.
We give the conclusion of the address.
As the offices which were held by Mr..
Ives will be brought in in another connec-
ton, will only say here that his residence
was at what has since been known as the
Meacham place on the west side of the
street, a few rods below Mill Lane. will
also say that Mr.. Ives did not continue in
Wallingford beyond the years 1886 or 81.
Getting involved 1t was thought through
the dishonesty of his agents in the sale of
wild land for taxes he thought it best to
leave the state. lie therefore exchanged
farms with Mr.. Samuel Hull of Connec-
tcut, the grandfather of our most respected
citizen, Alfred Hull Esq, and went to
Connecticut and Mr.. Hull came here.
Like the Ives, the Bradleys were staunch
men and true. Mrs. Esther Bradley, the
wife of Daniel Bradley was a sister of
the Ives and was very excellent woman.
Parlhena, her daughter, $50 our lamented
venerable friend Mr.. Chatterton was ac-
customed to say) was the first child born in
town. 1t has been usually thought that
Lorraine, the youngest daughter of Dea.
Jackson, had that honor. At the time of
the birth of Parthena. Mr.. Bradley liyedo on
the olive Ballou place. When the British
occupied Castleton he took his family and
went to Connecticut but when he return
ed, not being satisfied with his farm, Mr.
johnson the proprietor of whom he had
purchased it took II back and let him have
the place about midway between the village
and South Wallngford for so many years
subsequently occupied by Dea. Moscley
Hall.
Benjamin Bradley, whose wife was the
daughter of Ezekiel Miles who lived on the
Thomas Hulett place Just below our beauti-
full cemetery. 1t has more recently been
owned by Hon. David L. Nicholson. Mr.
Bradley being sick could not like his
brother go to Connecticut, and some per-
sons who were half tories came to him and
advised him for his personal safety and the
better protection Of his friends TO put him
self under royal prOteCtiOn-that is to 90
to Castleton and get certificate from the
officer commanding there that he was a
true and loyal subject. But when Mrs
Bradley understood the object for which
they had come her patriotic blood was at
once up and she gave them lecture and
babe them begone and never to come there
| again on such an GRAND.
An incident of the war perhaps may
properly come in here A tory from Man
chester seeking to go and put himself under
royal protection at Castleton, got as far as
Green Hill, in Wallingforl, on his way
The citizens learning that he was on the
hill went out after him. lie pointed his
gun at them when they Immediately shot
him down. His gun was not loaded but
they supposed it was. lie was brought
down to Mr.. Benjamin Bradlcy's where he
was kindly cared for, but soon died of his
wounds. Mr.. Bradley buried him on his
own land on the spot which is now the
was buried there. When Mrs. Chittenton,
with her father Nathaniel Ives, came to
town in 1873 the cemetery contained eight
graves. 1t is now the resting place of
hundreds
In speaking further of the settlers who
almost Immediately followed Dea. Jackson,
will say that Chrspn Bull built the first
grist mill in town at what is now South
Walingford, and that Joseph johnson
built the first in the village. What
Ephraim Andrus did hardly know, save
that he was a poet and wit and often
created good deal of amusement for the
people.
Ezekiel Miles was a staunch patriot, as
were also Edmund and James Bumpus,
We may therefore say that WallingfoTl
was truly fortunate in her early settlers.
And we may owe them greater debt Of
| gratitude perchance than we know.
In the year 1919 came into town two
good men; the one was Joseph Randall,
the other was Nathaniel Ives The first
was the second deacon of the Baptist
Church the other the first deacon of the
Congregational Church Mr.. Randall was
a man of eminently correct principles and
habits, and none of our earlier and later
citizens have been deserving of more regard.
Briefly, to sum up his various services he
was Deacon OF the Baptist Church SO years,
supplying gratuitously the place of pastors
for more than third of that time He
was clerk of the church 81 years and
leader of the singing 80 years. Justice
Of the Peace so years - Representative
four years, Judge of Probate four years.
He was also in 1893 n member of
the Constitutional Convention. In addi-
ton to this he bore his part in the war of
the revolution and also in the war OF 1872,
an honorable man, a christian, II patriot, he
was of very great benefit to t c town and
performed no inconsiderable service for
the State. Mr.. Ives was less distinguished
yet was ever held in great esteem by his
fellow citizens.
The house where Nathaniel Ives first
lived was near the spot now occupied BY
the residence of Mrs. Randall-Mrs. Chat
terton who was years old when her father
moved to the place used to give the follow
ing description Of it and of the state of
things then existing here. 1t was log
cabin, as all the houses of the settlement
then WERE. Ithad a chimney but it had no
hearth and it had no door until some time
after they had moved into it. For door
they used to hang up Il cOverlid until it
become convenient to get one.
/ have already spoken Of the settlers
who had come in before her father came.
Let us now look for few moments at the
situation Of this new conner. His nearest
neighbors on the south were BENJAMIN
Bradley and family, little beyond the
present cemetery and there were none on
the north nearer than the Meacham place
then occupied by Abraham Ives. There
was no bridge across roaring brook When
they crossed it they had to go on logs one
side of which was cut off and made flat so
that they could walk on them better. The
brook was much more of stream than il
is now and there were fish in it in great
abundance and down on the Creek there
were plenty mink, muskrat and beaver.
For some time after they came to Wal
lingford, deer were found in considerable
numbers in the forest and then she woul
get sight Of bear or moose, And almost
every night too they used to hear the cries
of wolves and other wild animals not ysry
far away. Thsy used most to frequent the
tnicK forests down by the creek and the
woods on the other side. At first these
sounds frightened her but getting accus-
toned to them after while she minded
nothing about them.
Speaking of the condition of things in
her childhood Everything ne would say
has changed from what it vas then. Even
the birds many of them are not the same
as they used to be. Wnen came here we
had the hawk and the owl and the blue jay,
the partridge and thu woodpeeker and wild
niqeons and wild duck and the snipe. But