Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1879-09-05

MAnLBoBo's FIRST WEDDING.


A correspondent contributes to the Gin
cinnat Commercial the following graphic ac-
count of the first courtship and marriage in
the town of Marlboro, as given in the manu-
script history of the town prepared by the
late Rev. L. H. Newton. 1t happens that the
couple referred to were the parents of the
husband of Mrs. Sally Stockwell, now of
West Brattleboro, whose Tooth birthday was
celebrated last spring;
about the year 1870 Mrs Stockwell, wife
of Abel Stockwell the first settler, made a
quilting, which was fashionable in those days
and has continued so for years since Among
the invited were Dinah Fay, who came with
Col Williamss family from Northboro, Mass.
and Molly Gale. From the late Mrs. Hannah
Mather, wife of Major Timothy Mather, the
writer received the following particulars, as
narrated to her by Mrs. Stockwell:
AT the time the young ladies (Dinah Fay
and Molly Gale) were coming to the quilting
her boys, Abel and Perez Stockwell, were at
work piling and burning brush. As they es-
pied the young misses tripping through the
woods and over the logs, Perez starts up and
says to Abel, Come let us throw a stone at
that bird (perching upon neighboring twig),
and see who shall have the old maid
Fay. Perez cast the first stone and knocked
over the bird, giving him fair claim to the
damsel, fifteen years older than himself At
evening Perez accompanied Miss Dinah to
her residence Mt Colonel Williams's As his
return would be dark and dreary, alone, by
night, he was induced to tarry until morning
Being much delighted with his interview,
and with a hospitality so cordially bestowed,
he took courage and returned home full of
animation. He went into the chamber live
ly enough, to exchange his best for his work
ing suit. 1t was then and there he began to
sing and to dance; and in the midst of his
rapture flung out the following stanza;
Life won't last forever,
Beauty will decay;
Rambling is no pleasure
And I'll have DinAh Fay,
"All the little circumstances which follow
ed in settling the prelminares for the first
marriage We're not told. But ere long the
happy wedding day arrived 1t was in the
autumn of III, when the Rev Abner Reeve
of Brattleboro was invited to solemnize the
first marriage in Marlboro when Perez Stock
well was married to Dinah Fay. All the in
habitants of the town were invited as guests
to the wedding; were quite punctual in their
attendance, and all tarred through the night.
1t was in n log house of one room, with a
stone chimney and large fireplace with
high lambs and broad back to hold q pile
of wood to keep them warm. When the hour
of rest arrived, with these accommodations
(the best the house aiforded), all encamped
upon the floor for the night. 1t should have
been said all were provided with n wedding
supper. The good lady of the house apollo.
gized for having pumpkin sauce as the only
dessert on her table. To relieve her embar
rassment good Parson Reeve related the fol
lowing:
"A man having moved into n new country
wrote letter to his friends in which he ex.
pressed the value of the pumpkin in the fol
lowing lines;
Pumpkin bread and pumpkin beer,
If twant for pumpkin we couldn't live here;
Pumpkin pudding and pumpkin pie,
II twant for pumpkin we should die"
For the information of old residents of the
town of Marlboro Mr.. Newton's manuscript
gives the record of every family having lived
in the town, from 1853 to 1862, with valua
BILE information regarding their descendants
in other parts of the country.