The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1884-09-10
WilliamstOwn.

Mrs. Durgin and sister returned home on the
day following.
AFTER some months absence In Maine, Lewis
Flint came home last week for few days
visit He finds the selling OF fruit-trees
" bread-frut" for himself.
WE hope that Rev. F. L. Small, now of Guild |
hall, will supply the Congregational pulpit next |
Sunday. He Is well remembered az Young |
Mems Christian Association worker here.
A VERMoNTER living in Iowa writes: 1--WE |
have had some OF the worst storms this season |
we have had since came here, and they make |
me long for good old Vermonts even temper In |
weather and storms"
A MAN from the south part Of the state who |
recently came to Barre to work was compelled |
we hear, to hire house in our village to live |
in. See how 1t would be with us here, with
railroad, and to the quarries.
A MARRIAGE anniversary hanging over Dr.
and Mrs. G. A. Bailey, few Of their friends
stole in unawares, on Friday evening last with
refreshments, and departed, leaving hand
some lamp to hang over them in time to come.
FROM Nathan Harrington we learn that
Chauncey Bennett is a prosperous carpenter In
Grinnell, Iowa. Also that Mrs. Maria Weeden
Snow still lives In the same place. She has
two sons, one OF whom Is a lawyer In Spencer,
Iowa.
NATHAN HARRINGTON tells us that our farm
ers may thank Iowans for being able to get
fence-wire for the price they do II Is owing
to the persistent fight against claimants Of the
sole right to make 1t, by the Iowa Farmers
Association, he thinks.
AMONG the relatives from abroad at the JEFF
fords centennial were Peter Bean of Mortified
and his two daughters. Mr.. Bean is eighty
seven years old. young" Jacob Jeffords
and wife (who was a daughter Of our late
townsman, Dana Simons) were also present
They reside in Bradford.
WE lately had the pleasure OF examining an
| anvil hoo IL shnA De, kAt-
Robert Sewers family 1t was her grand
fathers. Massachusetts man, and was in use
| in 175S 1t could hardly fail to be an interest
ing book. Mrs. Seaver will exhibit it at our
centennial that we ought to have.
IT is encouraging to learn what Daniel
Royce has succeeded in doing on his farm in
the way Of Embarrassing He will have hun
dreds of bushels OF apples this year. Ashes,
leached or unleacbed, Is his favorite fertilizer
for trees. He has a Flemish Beauty pear-tree
that may yield several bushels of pears this
year.
WILLIAMsTowNIANs long ago learned some
thing of what Martin grit is A secret of Mar
| tin thrift came out in a conversation, lately,
with child OF one of the old stock of Mar
tins, He would go at night after a days
work, from the east to the west side of the
town to pay debt, and thus save one days
more OF interest.
AN incident in the life Of the first settler on
u.s. His fire went out, and he had no way Of
reminding it but to go to the opposite side Of
the town, to Judge Paines, for some fire. On
his return he had nearly reached home, when
the fire he had been carrying went out. He
was then obliged to return to Judge Paine's for
more fire. But on his way home the second
time he kindled fires by the way, so that in
! case he lost his fire again he would not have
far to go. Do we fully appreciate our "luci-
fers p
IT ought to console one that his past mis-
takes may be helps to others as well as him.
self. A sensible farmer, right in the flower Of
his manhood, sad to us the other day: BE
fore | was twenty-one, had not much of q
chance for education. After was twenty one
; was ashamed to 60 to school. But now / see
my mistake. II | were to do it over again,
should go to school after coming of age If
had not done so before, as | needed" Thi,
! ought to set some young man to thinking who
has reached his majority with q lack of educa
, ton he may be deploring.
q If any "bailiwick" in this commonwealth
has reason to rejoice that it is not called GU
a | in freemen's meeting oftener than once in twt
|. years, it is this one The republican party
j. which numbers two or three to one of the dem
4 | ocratic party, Is "a house divided agains
v ITSELF" At the town meeting of last week nj
: regular candidate was up for election. In tn
;. course of the meeting, which did not break NJ
4 till three o'clock Wednesday morning, a mum
/, Der of persons developed strength enough t.
give some hope OF an election. But the,
reached their high-water mark short of beinj
a elected, and then took themselves out OF tn
i | way. And as one went out another was take
i up 1t went on in this way till midnight or after
\, when George Crane was brought into the fell
and elected. He has served the town as rep
q resentative once or twice before, and his ap
q premiership ought to be pretty nearly served
n There was much disgust felt by republican
n here at the way in which things were done i
o the party that day. We know not wher
4 blame ought to fall, but are sure the part
a has more to fear from its own members tina
from the democrats. A halt ought to
h called-a thing to be done on himself by eac
II freeman's oath to vote for one who can bes
Il serve the state, without the fear or favor G
any man.
The Jeffords clan could hardly have hope
for more favorable day for their centennis
" than that of last Thursday The spot selecte
IL for the occasion was grove in pasture o
J. the old farm, quite q little distance east froI
'. where the buildings now stand, but not ia
n from where their ancestor, Jacob Jefford
ir Senior, built his first house Of logs, to whc
he took his young bride in May, 1871. Nearl
1t eighty persons, embracing four generations
le the descendants of Mr. Jeffords, with few oil
l. neighbors and friends outside, assembled
ic this grove for a day of 1--WE speak for curse
I'd alone) rare pleasure unto edificaton" A
Q, would be expected at such a time, the shade
a. in the dial was brought backward" man.
many years. Among the facts in Mr.. Jefford
life that we have gathered are these: He wa
Is born in 1865. or his history previous to con
b ing to this town little is known here. He can
It. from Williamstown, Mass, says one; anotht
At thinks Connecticut was his native state.
le came on foot, reaching the place without a dc
m lar in his pocket. He and two brothers we
40 among the first settlers in town. One of the
ID brothers was one Of the seventy.five grantee
of the township. When about to locate on
ar farm, Mr.. Jeffords was offered the presei
ne General E. Bass and Chester Martin farms f
rk $50, and the farm which he finally took 4
$50. 1t consisted OF two lots, which prove
to contain many more acres than they we
he supposed to. He reasoned that the first me
he toned farms might eventually be worth mo
J. than the one he took; but they were thu
st swamps and when cleared would be wet Ian,
~ that would not yield him living as soon as Il
n hill farm. His marriage service, which WI
lir performed by Justice Cornelius Lynde was Il
in first to occur in town. On horseback Mr.. al
tn Mrs. Jeffords went to their new home MI
Jeffords' wardrobe consisted of what she had
at the time and what could be carried in
ne handkerchief ON the "horn" of the saddl
~, They began life without chair, table or be
c. stead. Their crockery" and knives and for
ne were OF wood. The spot where the house sto,
ge is marked by the ruins of the old stone fir
is place and the foundation wall. We were TO
OF how Mr.. Jeffords went on foot to the Jud
.st Paine neighborhood, then the hub" Of Il
&c. town, for wheat to SOW, which he broug
homa N his hack On his wa a naased the IN