The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1894-10-24
NUMBER 43.

26, 1918. In 1920 he went with his father's
family to Marshfeld, Vt. His education
was acquired in the district schools in
Marshheld and Washington County Gram
mar School at Montpelier. lie taught
three terms OF the district school in Marsh
held, two terms in Cabot village, one term
In Peacham, and wo terms in Can joharie,
N. " working during the time, when not
engaged in teaching, on his fathers farm in
Marshfeld La 1885 he entered o store
OF George ID. Dana lin Cabot as a clerk,
ana remained there tnrough the following
winter until the spring of 1886, when he went
TO the West and settled at Kenosha, wis.
There he was b0okkeeper in the store Of
De ming q Durkee until the spring VI 1887,
when he went to Fox River (now Burling-
tom, Wis., and opened a store there in COM
p9ny with Deming & Durkee. He was one
of the very hrst settlers of Burlingt N and
named the village in honor OF Burlington,
VII. He traded there until the following
December when he closed his business and
returned 10 Marshield. In 1916 le bought
the store and goods of II. Mclean, Jr, &
Co., at Marsl field, re naming there In trade
for fourteen years.
In 1913 he was elected to represent
Marshfield las whig in str )ng demo.
cratic town. in the legislature, and the
same year was elected assistant Judge of
Washington county court, and was re-.
elected in 1919. In 1858 he was elected one
of the senators from Washington county
non. u JStpu IDlduu OF Montpelier was his
collie lgueJ and was reelected ia 1859
" While in Marshfeld he engaged in the
manufacture Of potato starch in connection
with his mercantile business, and carried
on that business seven years. Ia 1854 he
$ I'D his store and real estate to Orlando
Carter, and in the spri1g of 1856 formed
partnership with his nephew, a. f. Sprague
lin Cabo which was continued thirteen
years, until 1868. In 1868 he removed to
Montpelier and assumed charge of Vermont
Conference Seminary boarding house, which
position he occupied two years
In July, 1871, he went to Boston as a
partner of r. Tute and William Bancroft,
under the firm name of Tute, Putnam q
Co., wholesale grocers, at No . Chatham
Row. There he remained two and one-half
years, travelling part Of the time selling
goods in Vermont and Maine. In the fall
OF 1873, he exchanged business with l.. w.
Jones of Montpelier, and, in company with
his son.in law, Thomas Marvin, founded the
firm of Putnam & Marvin [now Marvin &
Sherburn J. In the great fire of 1875, the
entire stock, amounting to about ST, 900, was
consumed. The business was suspended
only about three weeks, when temporary
quarters were secured on the present site of
the store of L, p. Gleason & Co., until the
completion of the French block.
" He married, March 26 1915, Mary Ann
Stone Of Cabot and had four children, all
/ living but Clara, who died when about
twelve years of age. He is still at this time
(NOv. ~, l6SI) in business, and has been in
the mercantile business more than fifry.two
years. and is still in the enjoyment of good
health"
Thus ends the record, and it only remains
to record that he retired from business in
1883. One omission should here be sup
piled. He was postmaster OF Marshtield
somewhere about the year 1852, and again,
for t vo or three years, Of Cabot in the clos
ing years of the war.
To give in detail the salient points of his
| life and character is a difficult task, and if
done, would be inadequate. 1t may be
tersely summed up, as IL was in the hear
ing OF the writer just before his death, in
the words, 1T is the end of a well-spent
! life" Whatever of angularity there may
| have been in his character is amply atoned
! for by his answering integrity. In all his
transactions with his fellow-man he ever
| but whenever in doubt as to right and JUS
tice, he ever decided against his own see m-
| ing interest Indeed, in his endeavor to
stand erect in his integrity, he sometimes
seemed to lean backward. Though kin d
and charitable to a fault, his charity was
| bestowed in an unostentatious manner. He
stunned publicity of his good deeds. Many
poor man and woman has had few
ounces of tea, or an extra half-yard of
! CLOTH more than he was paid for, and the
| beneficiary was never the wiser for it,
though the writer has witnessed it hundreds
OF times. A stiff whig AMI anti-mason, in
the days of whiggery and anti-masonry, he
easily became a stiff anti-slavery man and
republican, and, at times, seemed to be a
little intolerant of others opinions. But
this only proved what this inadequate no.
tice will close by saying, he was man."