The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1898-11-30
st. Johnsbury


An incident of more than usual or local in |
terest occurred here last Friday afternoon,
when an oil portrait of the first settler of St |
Johnsbury was presented to the town to be |
kept in the art gallery connected with the At
haneum library. The first settlement OF this
town was made in 1877 by DIR. Jonathan Ar
mold and his associates who received a grant
of thirteen town rights of 300 acres each to
which he added by purchase eighteen more.
The first grants were given by the state OF
New York, and afterwards confirmed by
the independent government set up in what
afterwards the present State OF Vermont
AT first the town and surrounding region
was known as Dunmore, Gloucester County,
State of New York The old name of Dun
more was soon set aside and the name st,
Johnsbury substituted. DIR. Jonathan Ar
mold was a surgeon in the revolutionary war
and at one time was a member OF the Contin-
entail Congress from the colony OF Rhode is
land He was man of distinction in the COM
munity, as the records show, and man of
consdera lie wealth. The motives influencing
him to seek a home in the then far away will
derness of Northern Vermont were various
Having lost considerable of his patrimony by
trusting unworthy men he became morbdly
dissatisfied with his surroundings and having
received his pay as a surgeon in the army in
Confederate money, which was fast deprecat
ing in value, he conceived the scheme of in
Vesting what remained of his small property in
wild land, intending TO induce settlers to come
to this part of the country. and recoup himself
by selling his extensive domains to them, thus
originating the first land boom" in Vermont.
HI came here with ten associates and the first
year he cleared seventy acres, forty of them
being on what is now st Johnsbury Plain, and
built a saw mill III what is now known
as Paddock's village. He lived here six
years, dying at the age of fifty
DR.. Jonathan Arnold was a person of great
character and refinement as shown by his
picture which painted from a miniature
taken 1l6 years ago when he was Al years old.
We naturally looked for man of stern and
austere aspect, clad in plain and homely garb,
but he is represented as clad i'll the sumptuous
garments of the colonial aristocracy. fine
plum colored coat, and dainty lace neckerchief,
his hair powdered and tied in neat queue
behind, in fine, the dress of gallant gentle
man of the olden time A curious incident of
his migration to this State was that he was
accompanied by full blooded negress who
was held by him under the laws of Rhode
Island as his bond slave. She, Ruth Farrar
by name. offered her liberty by her mas
ter b chose voluntarily to soiourn with the
family, and remained with them until her
death as their slave probably being the only
slave ever held in Vermont. She died here in
this town and was buried in the family lot
where her master reposes. The presenter of
the portrait is Mr., Lemuel Hastings Arnold
a lawyer in New York city. He is the great
grandson of DR.. Jonathan Arnold, he being
the third to bear the name of Lemuel Has
tings while his oldest son is named. The
Il
good audience collected in the art gallery. The
giver introduced by Rev. Edward L. Fair
banks. ID. d., and after his remarks, Dr. Fair
banks in the name of the town accepted the
gift with timely and appropriate remarks.
The whole affair was of great interest and
brings most wildly before eyes reminder
of the old times in the settlement OF the State
Chelsea.
Charles W. Lyon is quite sick with jaun-
dice.
Emma F. Flint visited last week in Clare
mont, N. III.
Mrs. Irwin Bowin is seriously ill, and her
sou, John D., has returned from Virginia.
Charles A. Luce broke his arm few days
since while at A. T. Newman's in Washing
ton.
There were eleven candidates at the
teachers examination on Friday and Satur-
day.
George II. Hardy and wife spent Thanks
giving with their daughter at White River
Junction.
Mrs. M. H. Corwin returned home on
Saturday alter an absence of several
months.
Court opens next Tuesday, Judge Rowell
presiding, j. M. Grant and W. E. Bacon
as the jurymen from this town.
There will be union temperance meet
ing at the Methodist church next Sunday
evening, conducted by the pastors.
William S. Chaplin and Harold d. Com
stock were here from MeIiden, N H, over
Thanksgiving, returning on Monday.
Rev. Carl Ii. Corwin, now of Geneva,
H., has accepted call to the pastorate of a
Congregational church at Calumet, Mich,
and Is about to remove there. Calumet is
in the upper peninsula, in the copper min
ing district, and is city which has rapid
growth in the past few years.
The opening entertainment Of the Chelsea
L., =
week, will be lecture by Rev s. A, Steel,
D. D., OF Nashville, Tenn, ON Home Life
in Dixie During the War" Dr.. Steel is de.
scrbed as a brilliant speaker, and the
evening should be one of rare interest.
Major Charles X. and Emma l.. Darling
have been here from Boston for few days.
The town hall was well filed on Saturday
evening at a campfire given by the Sons of
Veterans in honor of Major Darling. There
WAS singing by W. s. Goss, II, n. Madison,
G n. Dearborn and II. E. Slack, and briei
remarks by Rev. A j. Eastman and Col. g.
S. Emery. The main speech of the evening
was made by Major Darling, who gave q
very vivid and intensely interesting account
OF The connection of himself and his regi
ment, the Sixth Massachusetts, with the
Spanish war,
East Warren.
The Ladies' Mite society will meet mex
Thursday forenoon with Mrs. j. l.. Gleason
All are invited. - Mrs. A. Nj. DickensoI
returned to Burlington last week - Mrs
Hattie Hudson of Hancock, is visiting friend
here. 80 Rev. Fred Daniels from Mont
pelier is spending his vacation with his brother
II. b. Daniels. - S. Il. Van Densen i
convalescing slowly. 80 Schools commences
next week.
WHAT TO EAT and enjoy it and feel com
Portable after it, is the all day, everyd a,
wall Of the Indigestion patient. Advice
eat all wholesome things, don't worry, anc
take DR.. Won Stan's Pineapple Tablets t,
aid Nature in doing the stomachs work
THEY'RE a mild tonic, act gently on th
bowels, tLey prevent Al d relieve distress
Pleasant and positive. 80 -50-Sol,
by w. e. Ter.ill & Co., and Q. Blakely.