St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1885-07-16
THE READERS DELIGHT.
a History of Walden.

81 Walden, copied from vermont Ills
toric.il Magazine dated 1862. AS viii
s. he seen, many changes have occurred
81 since then and where | could conven
entIy have added to the articles t
make them plain aud tn show th'
q blarked changes which have takeI
81 place. La copying this article, you
"A correspondent thought perhaps j
81 might interest some of the readers o
81 The Caledonian, as many may neve
81 have seen it. The article was writer
81 by the Hon. James ID. Bell, but in cop
s. wing it have left out the least impor.
q liant part ON account of making too
s. long an article:
q Walden belonged to Orange county
81 lIntil the organization of Caledonia
q county in 1896; was granted Nov. Is,
#+I75O, chartered August Ia, 1881, 10y
q the Legislature of Vermont, to Moses
Il Robinson aud ia others on condition
that each grantee put under cultivation
live acres aud built "A house 10 feet
81 sduare or more within three years after
81 the close of the war, the state ever re-
serving all pine timber suitable for
naval purposes. The town was sur
81 veyed in l7c6.
81 Joe's brook, which has it's origin in
q 4 'ole's pond in the north part of the
a Down, runs southerly into JOe's pond
81 b. Cabot. thence into the Passumpsic,
b. the largest stream. Coles pond Was
81 discovered 10y hunter by the name
of Cole from st. J0hnsbnry, TINS de
a riving it's name LytfOrd's pond, in
A the south part of Walden, was also dis
4 covered 10y nHe of Gen. Hazen's men
b Of that name. A small portion of JOe's
4 pond is situated in town. JOe's brook
and pond derived their names from n
friendly Indian of the st. Francis tribe
who first discovered them and used to
fish aud huHt in and around them. He
had "a cabin in town for himself aud
his squaw MOllic for some years after
its settlement. Ia 1879 Gen. Hazrn
built Il military road through Cabot,
Waldcn aud Hardwick and north to
IIazcn's notch in Westlield. HaZen's
rOad, as it is called, passes through
n the southwest part of Walden, and
was of essential service to those who
*came early to town. Gen. IL. built
%iblock house on the land now occupied
lby Cyrus Smith (but which is now Oc-
II ,cupied by G.. j. Perkins, aud left Il
& small garrison To man it until the next
wear. The name of the officer left in
f command was Walden, who requested
that the town should receive his name
when chartered, which was accordingly
done. The block house remained for
some years and was temporarily Occu-
4 pied 10y the first settlers, having the
honor of having the first school, the
first sermon, and the first birth III
town, and at one time family by the
4 name of Sabin, consisting of father and
mother and 26 children, within its
4 walls.
Walden was mainly settled by emf
grants from New Hampshire. Nathan
lei Perkins moved his family into town
ia 1889, his being the only family for
the three succeeding years. Nathan
Barker came aud was soon followed by
Joseph Burnley, Samuel and Ezekiel
Gilman, Elisha and Benjamin Cate,
Samuel IIuckings, Robert Carr, Major
Robertson and many others, who main
" settled on Or near the HaZen road.
and So rapidly was the settlement in
creased that in 1900 the inhabitants
n numbered l53 At the present date
Il the number is not many hundreds In
II advauccl. Among them at that time
n were Timothy Haynes, Stephen Cur
II Iicr and john Stevens, who were the
II first settlers on or near the county road
"a road running nearly centrally
through the town east and west, which
was laid out 10y a special act of the
Vermont Legislature, probably In 1901.
Walden was organized March "a,
i 1894 Nathaniel Perkins, town clerk
Nathan Barker, Nathaniel Perkins
and Joseph Burnley, selectmen Samuel
Gilman, Treasurer; Elisha Cate, con
Il stable Ia March. 1875, Samuel Huck
ins WAS the first grand juror and in the
same year Nathaniel Perkins was elect
eel first representative. In March, 1896,
the town voted to raise 30 bushels of
wheat to pay for preaching, 80 bushels
ta paw for schooling, $40 worth to de-
\ fray town expenses, and appointed II
committee of three tn hire preaching.
la March, 1877, voted to raise - for
town expenses for the current year,
being the first money raised 10y the
town for any purpose, and so for
schools likewise, and selected the first
petit jurors.
First sermon in town ny Elder Chap
man in 1894. DR.. Geo. G.. Wheeler
came into town ia 1928, was the first
physician. James Bell, the first lawyer,
was the only professional man that
ever permanently resided in town.
Nathaniel Harrington, Jr., was first
merchant. Jesse Perkins, son of Ma
thaniel pen kinS, was the first child born
\ in town aud Is still "a resident. The
4 first death ia town was that of Samuel
II Gilman, caused 10y the burning oft and
II falling of sinh of u tree where lie was
cleaTing-On the tarn occupied by Otis
Freeniaii (but Is now occupied by Geo.
Lane) First marriage, Mr.. Melcher
First schnol taught by Nathaniel Per
kins. rhe oldest person deceased in
town was Mrs. George, aged lt2
There have been five college graduates
from this town, viz. {: Rev. Samuel X
ShrpIey. Mark Durant, James ). Du-
rant, now a physician in Danvile
Daniel w. Stevens, teaching in Ohio
and Giles L. Mont gOmery (who IL will be
remembered Is u missionary tn foreigL
lands Ia regard tO the graduates
there have been several since this ar
ticle was writtrn.)
The first church built was nnioI
f house in South Walden in lS26 tia,
second "a Congregational hOnse in 1874
In the month part of Walden the thirI
and last Il union house in 1856 in the
southeIly part OF Walden tor what d
called N0yrsville). Walden has suffer
ed for the want of "A common center
there is no village ia town, There ar
now several small villagesl and M
mills that de- business excepting saw
mills. Population ia 1850, 1902 Pop
uIation in 1880, 93l, showing a de
crease ot I1l.)
4