St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1894-05-03
A REVOLUTIONARY SOLDIERS SON
DIR. SpauIdine of HaverhfII.

goes the rounds Of the press, that
! the last child of Revolutionary sol
| der has Just died, or has been living
| somewhere at most remarka bic
enough of them left to make a good
sized village, and some are not SO
very old either. There is even living
at New Haven, Conn, in her Goth
year, daughter Of Elbridge Gerry,
one of the signers Of the Declaration
of independence. We are not so
very far removed from colonial days,
after ALL yet a man must have pass
ed more than half the span OF life
allotted by the psalmist to be able
to remember revolutionary soldier.
The particular statement which
calls out this article is the account
of public gathering near Ports
mouth, n. H., in which an aged gen
tleman received attention and honor
from the fact that he was believed
to be the last child Of revolution
airy soldier remaining in the state.
This is not the case, and | propose
to say something to the CALIFORNIAN
readers, about a venerable man
who is worthy the respect and ad-
miration of the present generation,
not as relic Of a long past age or
event, but because his life has been a
of it was spent in Caledonia county.
DR.. Phineas Spaulding of Haver-
hill, N. H, is the son of Reuben
Spaulding, a revolutionary soldier,
and was born at Sharon, VT, Jan.
IA, 1899. His father was a farmer
in a new country, with large fam
lily, and the young man had to de-
pend on his own exertions for sue
cess. He began to study medicine
after he was of age, and graduated
from the medical college al Hanover,
N. H., in 1923. He is now the oldest
living graduate of Dartmouth Col
lege in any of its departments and
has enjoyed that distinction for sew
eral years. In the same year he
went to st. Johnsbury, expecting to
succeed to the practice of DR.. Bag
ley, who was then very sick, and
not expected to get well. He did
recover, and young Spa ulding had
to look for new place. This proved
to be Lyndon, and he remained there
three months without single call.
He was on the point OF leaving the
town, very much discouraged, when
he was called to attend a case, with
which he had such success that he
soon had all the business he wanted.
He remained there sixteen years and
his practice was very extensive, his
being that of a skillful
practitioner: His trea tment Of Gov.
Cahoon for fracture of the hip
joint, introduced method Of deal
ing with such cases which was en-
tirelv new and successful. Lyndon
Academy owes its origin largely to
his influence and energy. He was
also one of the pioneers in the tenn
perance cause. In Lyndon he was
married in 1926 to Miss Caroline
Lothrop, who taught in that place the
first ladies' school in Caledonia coun-
ty. This school, she removed to Dan
vile. They Joined the Congrega tional
church in Lyndon, and were very
active in religious circles.
There must be people in Lyndon
who can remember DR.. Spaulding,
who may be surprised to learn that
he is still living. He removed to
Haverhill in 1889, and, although
long retired from practice, is still, in
his Goth year, an active man. He
has vigor of intellect which a
younger man might envy, and a
memory which is an encyclopedia of
events for the past 80 years. At the
age of SS he prepared The Spauld-
ing Memorial" volume of family
history and "reminiscences and still
wields facile and vigorous pen in
aid of any good cause.
Such is the brief and imperfect
sketch of a long and useful life. Few
indeed, live to such an age, and re.
tain that something of youth which
enables this venerable man to enjoy
the society of his children and
grandchildren, as if he were still
young. 1t is given to few to bring
to old age the rinened grain of q LIE