Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1890-04-04

thence to England His father, Godfrey
Crosby was a school teacher in the early
part of this century, but after marrying
Sylvia Cune he went into trade in DUN
merston assisted by Dea John Holbrook
his former employer, who held him in higl
esteem. The venture was unsuccessful anC
he went from there TO West Brattleboro
He had three children, Fanny c. Emo,
and Edward He moved to Marlboro when
Edward, the youngest, was only two years
old, and died suddenly of heart disease not
long after at the age Of only 3D.
The mother was left wholly withou,
means, but her indomitable energy and de
termination asserted themselves and she
made a stout and winning fight to keer
her family together and bring her children
up TO useful and honorable lives She got
500 year for keeping the toll house on the
old Bennington turnpike road. the gate of
which was at the junction with the county
road at the foot of the hill this side of Mari
boro village OF what is now known as the
old stage or South road. Straw braidinP
for the ample sized hats worn bv the
women of that time was then the leading
rural industry, aud to this work the finger.
OF the children we're put as soon A. ever
they had grown big enough There was
little time for play, and Mr. Crosby was
fond of telling, in his older wears how
many, many long wards Of straw he had
braided in his childhood As he grew in
TO his teens he worked out for various
farmers, stay ing at home Ill the winters u
help his mother and get such schooling a.
he might At ] he came to Brattleboru a.
a boy IL the Old Chase tavern. afterward
the Brattleboro House which was burned
IN 1869 One of his chief duties was 10
call at the proper hours the passengers for
the numerous stage lines which centered
here AfterwHrd he was promoted to be
clerk and office assistant
In the meantime the John Strong farm
on the top Of the hill above the toll house had
been bought and at ~ Edward returned
home and took charge of it, his brother
Enos not wishing To remain there At %
be married a daughter of Oshea Smith, but
she was not in firm health and lived only
a year after her marriage. In 1888 Mr.
Crosby married Betsey l. Jones, daughter
of Dea. Laban Jones of Dover, who has
ever since been his devoted wife In Jan
uary, lS41, he sold the Marlboro farm and
moved down to hat is now the + iward
Jones farm in West Brattlei,oro Before
leaving Marlboro the two older children
were born-Fanny Mrs Rice and Ell
ward c. In this connection il is interest
ing TO note that the house in which they
lived on the hill farm was afterward tax en-
down and moved 10 West Brattleboro.
where it was for a time "Melrose academy
and is now well known building standing
on the Main street Of the village The &C
tive young farmer began at once 70 i'm
prove his land He started the culture Of
peaches which has ever since been contin-
ued by the farmers of that vicinity, and
by various means brought his farm to a
high state of productiveness 4 new barn
was built aud the buildings thoroughly re
paired
In the meantime his brother in-law, VIM
Gaines, had bought the mill at Centreville
and in 1880 Mr.. Crosby entered into part
nership with him in this business a set
of Touring machinery was put in, and here
the young man of 30 began in "a very small
way the business which finally developed
into the success of his life While still
keeping his farm he acted as the buyer and
general business manager of the mill 1t
was now that he began to go West" to
buy wheat, that term meaning then Albany
and Troy, n. y. Soon his trips extended
TO Rochester and the Genesee valley and
then TO Buffalo, the Journeys being made
by the Erie canal packet boats. Beginning
IN this way he had seen the whole great
railroad system of the country grow up
and 1t was his own observation and expe
rience which we have seen bearing fruit in
these later years in an ingrained conviction
of the necessity of railroads to sustain the
life of our New England towns Some of
his early shipments of wheat were by rail
10 Greenfield and thence by teams TO Brat
tleboro and most of his own business travel
in those times in all this section was by
horse. The wheat was delivered and trans
ported in bags. Elevators were unknown
and the bags were carried to the top of hte
mill on mems backs, Mr. Crosby doing his
own share of this laborious work About
1884 he sold his farm and moved To Centre
willie to the house now occupied by Webster
Dunklee, establishing besides his mill bust
ness a retail -four, grain and provision bust
hN'o a. AiAio NAlAaEN III btiH sbbiE INV ottu-
pied by Mr. Geddis After two or three
years he bought the Haven place. now
the Elliot place in West Brattleboro
and moved there, still continuing his bust
ness at this village and Centreville. In
1856 he sold his mill interest to Mr.. Gaines,
bought what is now the old tannery prop
erty, and began the manufacture Of shook,
but the experiment proved disastrous. A
freshet washed out the dam, be got one hand
crushed in the machinery, and the result
Of it all was that he sold out TO Boston par
ties who put in a tannery and after he
had paid all his debts he had Just $1,000 left
TO show for his 81 or 40 wears of work
In 1897 he reentered the flour and grain
business with Mr., Gaines acting as the
buying and selling partner. In the latter
part of that year he sold his West Brattle-
boro house aud then became for the first
time resident Of the East village, moving
into the house now owned aud occupied by
b. Ranger About the same time part
nership was formed for more extensive op-
erations in his chosen line of business. the
style being +. Crosby q Co., with Mr..
Gaines, Nathaniel Sampson and l. q
Chandler as the partners. The firm bought
tbs building on MILESTONE brook, then
used as "a planning mill This was the
building burned one December evening a
few years ago A first class Touring mill
was put in aud the firm ran it for two
years when, Mr. Gaines's health having
failed, it was sold to S NJ Waite, Jarvis Bur
rows and W. E. Eason. Mr. Crosby and |
g. Chandler then established business in
hour, grain, potatoes and groceries in the
old Blake building on the spot which Pullen
Bros S store now occupies This was in
1893 In 1860 Mr. Crosby sold out to take
the agency for the Cham berlain Touring
mills OF Akron, o., situated III what was
then the centre of the Touring district of
the country, In this move Mr.. Crosbv's
remarkable sagacity as business man was
Illustrated, He saw the drift of the times.
saw that the East could no longer compete
with the West IN the milling business and
that the thing 10 be done was to adapt him
self 70 the changed condition of things
In this fact lay the secret of his future
business success For the first year he was
alone IN the business, His Office was in
the northwest corner of the old Revere
House. In 1861 c. b. Rice came To him
from Massachusetts as a clerk The war
broke out, he enlisted, went to the front
was wounded at Bull Run, came home. and
soon after was admitted as a partner with
Mr. Crosby When Herrick q Wvman
erected their Main street building, Crosby
a Co. had their office in the room where
Mr.. Herrlcks office now ia Thar busi