Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1880-07-30
NO. 81.
VERMONT VETERANS.

WHAT AELLA GREENE WRITES IN THE SPRING
FIELD UNION ABOUT ''GUILFoRD's WELL pre-
SERVED OLD FOLKS"
The veteran Nathan Conant of Guilford.
born on Revolutionary ground at Acton,
Mass, and a soldier and pensioner of the war
OF 1912, is now SS years old, and, somewhat
recovered from the effects of fall he received
year or two ago, is able to till his large gar.
den or sit for an hour and chat of the good
old days of jackson democracy"-of the times
| when he made 1000 barrels for old Cant
Jonah Cutting and many thousands of them
for other people, and Of the good old training
days, when the militia used to muster for in.
! spection, manual and maneuver on Meeting
House bill, and march by platoons around the
ancient sanctuary, near which church was the
house OF old DIR. Hyde, II famous physician of
those days, but who, long since, has gone to
meet on the other shore those he physicked
IN Guilford and other towns OF southern Wind
ham county. The very site of his house is
obliterated and the church was, many years
ago, taken down and the timbers used in
building the church in the. village hollow.
The place of sepulture, which is, in this re-
gion, still known as the graveyard needed at
last an increase in size, and large slice of
the area formerly occupied by the church and
surrounding grounds was absorbed. In this
enlarged cemetery, shaded by locust trees and
overlooking the beautiful valley below, ''the
forefathers of the hamlet sleep"
1t was at one of the trainings on Meeting
House hill, Gj years ago, that Mr. Conant's
acquaintance, Capt Jesse wilkins was elect
ed to the command of company, and Mr..
Conant VOWS that Capt Jess wilkins made
his sojers mind him." This Capt Jess" isa
marvel of well preserved vigor who can read
NY prove his distinct recollection of neighbor-
hood events that transpired more than so wears
ago, and who, at SO years of age, without
glasses and alone, can drive 'over the hills
aud far away" from Green River village, ten
miles to Brattleboro and bring home load of
supplies He distinctly remembers that, rs
years ago, at nino years of age, before there
was railroad in the land and long before
Windham county people had seen a wagon,
he rode on horseback, twenty miles to Tur-
nrrs Falls, carrying pork in bag, TO "swap"
at the Falls for shad which abounded in those
days, where now shad are unknown. The
boy, Jesse" occupied two days in this trip.
lie began to work regularly in the field Is
years ago, and has been at it ever since. He
has a great-grandson who is a school master
at 20, and another great-grandchild died seven
years ago at IS. Capt. wilkins remembers
the first Methodist convert baptized in Yer
mont, about 20 years ago, and it may be
crumb for the Baptists that the ceremony WAS
done in those days principally by immersion.
Forty years ago this veteran was gathered"
by the Methodsts, and he is constant wor-
shipper in their quaint little sanctuary at
Green River village, an edifce the founda-
tions of which he helped lay. Near by in an
other of the uncushioned pews sits his gray
haired son. The captain, who, as conduct
or OF funerals, has helped bury three genera
tlons OF his fellow-men, is still of steady nerve
and keen eye, and can WELD razor with pre-
cision in shaving his own face or that of his
neighbors. Whenever an old man comes to
what is expected to be his last sickness, the
watching friends send for Capt Jess" to do
for him the final tonsorial service, and he does
1t as well as can any barber in Brattleboro.
and the Brattleboro standard is. with your
average Guilford man, the acme of excellence.
But let 1t be distinctly remembered that Can't
Wilkins has been beyond Brattleboro-to New
York and Baltimore, in which latter CITY he
has son, successful business man, and to
Washington where he was presented to Abra-
ham Lincoln at the White House. He was
always a Republican and has taken the VRR
MONT PHGNIx so years.
Six rods from the captains humble abode
ives, with relative, his sister, Mrs. Polly
Kent, smart as a cricket at SS. In another
part of the town lives Mrs. Sarah Bullock,
who at 50 does her own work and not unfre-
luently walks miles to make calls. Jabez
rankin is smart octogenarian, of Guilford,
md Mrs Sarah Stoddard of Brattleboro, aged
49, is of Guilford nativity. Benjamin Fessen-
len is 81 years old, as is Deacon John Car
,onter, of the Baptist persuasion, and Aaron
Wilder still lives at 81.
DIR. ]. G. Holland had his first and only e1
'erience in teaching district school, at Gull
ord, more than 40 years ago, and some of
hose he taught are grandparents now They
ver lit was good school Holland taught"
peaking of schools, Capt. Henry Chase has
uperintended them in Guilford for about 40
ears and is now at it ''smart as a whip"
People of urban homes like to 90 to Gull
ord in the summer. The Weekses and Pot
ers of Boston have sojourned here a month,
his season. j. c. Cutting, formerly Boston
lerchant, came back to Guilford to regain
is health and is now doing well at dairying.
may be of interest to the worshippers of
le Jersey COW to know that this Vermonter
ows that the best butter COW is the grade
durham. He says she makes more butter
ian the Jersey and that which is good enough
'r the tables of the 'tonedest" families of
eacon and Boylston streets, Boston.
Guilford, July, 1880.