The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1895-03-29
FIRST SETTLEMENT,

: The first settlement was mad
by Thomas Chamberlain, on 10
No. 8, upon the east side of tn
town in 1871. He was soon join
ed by Thomas McKeith, a Scotch
man to whom he gave home
stead of 40 acres for settlement
and by Samuel Farnham. Tw'
years later they were joined b,
Robert Mum, Samuel Thomp
son, and John Crown, who ap
pears to be the only one of tn,
original grantees that settled il
town. In 1884 the town received
a notable acquisition in the per
son of Lemuel Tabor, who bull
the first saw mill that year, OF
the site of one of the present
saw mills. Tabor was gooc
mechanic, and received from the
proprietors of the town, tract
of about 200 acres (now occupied
by the village of Topsham) to
build saw and grist mill, and
kept the same in repair fourteen
years. Until he built the first
grist mill in 1887 Ca structure
still standing and about to be re-
occupied) the first settlers were
under the necessity of going to
the easterly part of Newbury to
mill, some ten or twelve miles.
The Tabors owned and carried
on this grist mill until just before
the civil war. Levi Tabor, son
of Lemuel, built the first hotel,
the house now occupied by Mr..
Currier as a hotel. Isaac Tabor
built the store now occupied as
post Office. J. Peter Tabor,
grandson of the pioneer, an ac-
tive minded gentleman of nearly
four score is the sole representa-
tive in town of this once numer-
Gus and influential family. Rev.
Lemuel HI. Tabor, an able and
jealous Universalist preacher,
and most familiar to the writer,
was a member of the family.
ORGANIZATION.
The town was organized by
Samuel Hazeltine, Esq, of Cor
inth, at meeting held for that
purpose at the dwelling house of
Lemue1 Tabor, March Is, 1870,
when Lemue1 Tabor was elected
town clerk; Lemuel Tabor, Rob
ert Mann and William Carter, Sc
1ectmen; Samuel Carter, consta-
BILE. The town was first repre-
sented in the General Assembly
by William Thompson in 1901.
The first child born was Polly
McKeith, Oct. 1, 1888, a daugh-
ter of Thomas McKeith, and
mother of the venerable William
Rogers of Topsham.
After the organization of the
town the town meetings were
held at different dwelling houses
until 1906 when the town built a
town house at cost
of S203.86, as is shown by re-
ceipt of Edmund George, collec-
tor. The tax bills show that the
early settlers were not very ex-
travagant in their expenditure of
public money. In 1903 they vot-
ed to raise $73.29, the same being
a tax of .015 on the dollar; one
cent on the dollar of which was
to pay current expenses, and the
five mills to pay for guide boards
and weights and measures.
The west part of the town was
settled about 1898 to 1901, by
Nathaniel Mills, Dea. David Bag
ley, Dea. Jonathan Sanborn, John
Mutt and others. Nath aniel
Mills built the first saw mill
about the last of the century,
near where the present grist mill
IF West Topsham now stands.
The first grist mill in this part
IF the town was built by Jona-
-han Jenness soon after his ar
rival in town in 1907 on the site
If the present mill. The first
store in town was opened by Da-
lid Barnett near Newbury line.
he came to town from London
Jerry, N. H., about 1876, and
continued in trade about twenty
years. The first store at East
ropsham village was probably
hat opened by Messrs. Micah
md VIM. Barrow of Bradford,
luder the superintendent of
Noses Wallace, about 1911,
hough some of the old people of
he town are quite sure that Eli
ah Blake was the first store l
,eeper. Mountain" Carter of
built and run a hotel
n this village. James London is
redited with building and con-
Iucting the first tannery.