Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1889-10-11
CURRENT AFFAIRS.
SOME FAMILY LANDNdRh'N
4 West HrHuIebOrO Letter from the Old
HMM % OImeslenh.

4 West HrHttlebOrO Letter from the Old
Hayes Homestead.
From the Fremont ,Ohioi journal, oct. 81
Six generations in direct line have lived
upon or near the site Of the house from
which | write 1t is "A large broad fronted
homestead. looking directly down the main
street Of the pretty village of West Brat
tleboro, Vermont watching with digniiied
satisfaction the sweeping curve which its
position forces upon the road. 1t was built
for the village inn by great grandfather,
and according to hearsay was a most popu-
ular house. Great grandmother Chloe
Smith, at the mature age Of seventeen,
married Rutherford Hayes, few years her
senior, and one Of the treasures Of the
house is her diary On the opening page is
written
My grandfather by my fathers side was Dca-
con John Smith His native place was lIadley'
when Drcrneld was destroyed 10y the Indians hr
was seven years old. In the morning he saw the
smoke uf the buildings that they had cft burning
The inhabitants were earned captive to Canada
lie when hr was married he went to South Had
hey, where It was a wilderness was an eminent
Christian, aud sustained that character to the dag
Of his death have heard him say when he was
converted II was Il very dun time After tins was
Whitefcld's time. He used to speak of the grra'
stir there was through New England the first aud
second stir It was not then called areyiyal but
str. My grandfather did not marry till hr was
more than thirty He said his uncle from Weth
rrsirld, in Connecticut, visited at his father and
hc slept with him In the night hr told him he
had daughter that would make him good wife
and so it proved hr married his cousin Elizabeth.
After reading that we went down into
the meadow behind the house, To where an
Client slate slabs mark the graves Of Deacon
John Smith and Elizabeth his wife. Six
generations ago and among the numerous
offspring great Grandmother Chloe stands
out IN bold relief "How well remember,
said my mother one day at breakfast, "a
scene that took place in this room. Two
guests were discussing in loud tones, l.u
thersm and CaivmiSm. GraMdd4ther lett
her seat at the head Of the table, came to-
ward the men, and striking the table with
her hand said stop, every one of you,
and without controversy great is the mys-
terry Of Godness The men laughed and
obeyed, 90 added the narrator; but how ter
rificd my little heart was.
Every thing was turned scripture ward
in those days Her grand daughter came
to show pearl engagement ring. and met
with the reply, and he sure You have the
pearl Of great price :' while ~ grandson
bursting into the room with "Oh grandma,
I'm engaged, came II hope you o-e engag
ed ia religion
She was often slccpess, aud during the
night would repeat a long prayer, sing IA
hymn and then repeat the nssembly's cate
chsm question and answer Her eldest
daughter inherited the same habit Of wake
fulmess, and used to call upon her mother
Ia sleep with her One time coming on the
usual demand she found her mothers pa
thence exhausted. "Nou cant sleep Sit
up then, as | do, and say your own cate
| chse
Throughout the diary the verb L,,ow l.
spelt phuuetlcally One Of her daughters
once demonstrated with this result 81
| know that its tao,r, hut like 40 better.
Her energy was phenomenal. Think Of
the ball, to which all the country side used
to come The pies aud buildings, meats
aud drinks that had Ia Toe provided. After
all were served great grandmother herself
Join in the festive lance and at daybreak
at least twice in her life-did she tax"
advantage Of being up and dressed 50 ear
! w. to start oil on horseback with her nus
band for cambridge, New York Only one
recreation did she allow herself, that wa
Worstcd work Bringing in flower from
the garden, She would faithfully copy it,
form and colors upon her canvas and So
fascinating was this occupation that every
Saturday night found her pushing her
worsted work far under the bed, lest she bc
tempted u look at it ON Sunday.
Looking again into the fascinating diary
we find that six daughters and three sons
lived to marry and have families. None
lived more than fifty miles from us till
Rutherford moved to ohio In about five
years he died, when he was thirty five years
old. His youngest child, Rutherfor Gen
eral Hayes was named after his father
and grandfather That branch Of our fam
lily is hut Gtir kHocn by the other connec
tion-they have been at such It distance.
The italics in that sentence are my own.
The story runs that down in the cellar Of
this house was "A deep well, into which one
Of the grandchildren. John Pease aged
four, fell lie was rescued by the father
Of the present owner Of the house, and lived
to lay out large part of our own Fremont.
In the antiquity room are many relics OF
long past days There is the little trunk,
not large enough for modern doll, in
which great grandfather brought hither his
sole earthly possessions; the cradle il
which all his children were rocked, spinning
wheels and cards, some of the famou,
worsted work, and best of all the old swing
ing tavern sign. The last was discovered d
few years ago by one of the present gener
alton, who found it under the attic caves
1t bears the inscription
X. HAYS