The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1891-04-16
HISTORICAL "REMINISCENCES.
No. 7.

| -~'>N AssAN Noa w suehSiSN VI thN Noiif
settlers of this town, but that little is
deemed worthy of record and will be pre-
sented from time to time. The record of
births, deaths and marriages fifty years
ago was very imperfectly kept and our
chef.sources of knowledge of the people
of those times now, is the brief mention
of names in the report of town meetings,
the transfers of property, the cemeteries,
the family bibles and the memories of the
old people.
-~ Hopkins, tie secona town clerk
of Kent lived north of Chester Huntley's,
to the left going to Chester quarter of
a mile nearly, off the road on land now
owned by Herman F. Griswold. He had
four sons and two daughters Thomas,
David, James, Robert-the two last were
the ones who had the encounter with the
bear on the mountain in the rear of Mr..
Huntley's Robert married Sarah, daugh-
ter of Nehemiah Howe. One daughter,
Polly, married DR.. Charles Chandler, a
skiilful physician, and Margaret, who
married John Larkin and went to York
state. He was town clerk in III and was
reelected in IT'S. He was one of the
seletmen in l779. Robert Mccormick was
the third town clerk elected March 6, IL
| 80. He lived in the eastern part of Kent
which subsequently became Windham
He came to Vermont in l775 in company
with Eddy, Allen, Mack and others.
He had at least two sons, Robert and
| William. His widow married John Cox,
brother to William, whose son John fell
off the bridge near Jairus Aldrich's house
and was killed
The Coxes were also among the origi-
nal settlers. There were three brothers.
John Cox settled on the DR.. Payne farm,
William on the old Wilbur farm and Rob-
ert on the Fish farm-all adjoining. The
two former lived and died on their farms,
but William did not remain their long.
John Cox had a son, also named William,
who after he married lived on the farm
now owned by Dr. Marden. He built a
log house and moved into it, but John
was home-loving man. He loved his
fold paternal home and would go there and
leave his wife Betty to do the chores.
Betty was spunky and scolded and did not
like to go to the pasture for the COWS.
She finally told John that if she went for
the cows again she hoped the - would
catch her. John went off again few
days after and Betty delay ed going for
the cows till about dark and then went
but as she neared the pasture some kind
,, of Wild beast followed her and she re-
membered her rash words to John and
she thought her time had come. She
screamed and ran and climbed tree, and
Squire Wait says was obliged to stay in
the tree all night. In the morning Mr..
Shattuck went to her relief But John
was given to drink and one unlucky day
fell off the bridge, as above noted, and
was killed 1t is said that Elder Philetus
Clark, pastor then at middle-town, preach
ed at his funeral from the words in End
Sam'l. III, SO: ''Died Abner as fool
dieth 2" Words that were more pertinent
than appropriate He was buried in the
old cemetery at Lowell lake where his
tombstone may be seen.
The Aiken family was one of the prom
inent families in Londonderry in its early
history and the name frequently occurs
in the early records. The fact that there
were two of the same name and distin-
guishable only by their titles, and these
titles not always given in the records,
make it difficult sometimes to determine
which is meant. There is even some
doubt about the title of one of them.*
Capt. Edward Aiken and Dr. Edward
Aiken, (some have read it Dea- but we are
| inclined to think it is DR.. )were cousins.
The former built the grist mill at the out
| let of Lowell lake and was the first town
clerk and also the first justice of the
peace. DR.. Edward Aiken settled in the
eastern portion of the town of Kent and
when the town was divided he was an in
habitant of Windham. He was there a
prominent man and his descendants are
found among the prominent men of the
county. In lS0S-9 and in 1Sl5-l6 John
Aiken was one of the side judges of the
county court
Capt. Edward Aiken had at least three
sons, viz Daniel, Major Jonathan and
| William. OF these three persons we will
trace only the geneology of Daniel here.
Daniel married Mary Jameson of Man.
chester, vt. They had seven children
viz: Jonathan, James, Daniel, Edward,
WY1tam, Mary and John.
| Jonathan, son of Daniel. had four chill
dren, viz: Daniel, George, Frank and
Caroline. He lived in Boston and was a
policeman many years. He lived at one
time on the farm of the late John Aiken.
He became insane short time before he
died and was at the Asylum in Brattle-
boro short time.
James also had four children, Martha,
Walter, Albert and Alonzo.
| Capt. Edward lived in house that
stood on the old road that led from mid
dle-town down by the Aldrich brick
house. The old barn connected has been
torn down within a year. He had one
child.
| William had five children: William
Charles, Cordelia, Frances and Mary.
Mary married Lewis Howard. Hel
children are Kirk Howard of Chelmsford
Mass, George who died about year age
in this town, Caroline living in Illinois
Mrs. Sem Pierce, recently deceased, and
Mrs. J. l.. Martin, deceased.
Daniel died young and unmarried.
John Aiken was born on the old Bols
ter place. The old stone chimney still re
mains. His children are one son Hiland
who died at the age of 10, and one daugh
ter Ann Rosamond who married the late
Charles Chase. John Aiken's father ant
mother died of scarlet fever few