Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1908-07-22
EARLY HISTORY OF CHARLESTON.
BY Bertha M. Crawford.

tude a degrees, 81 minutes. bounded
northeast by Morgan, southeast by
Brighton in Essex county, southwest
by Westmore and Bloomington, and
northwest by Derby, was granted by
Vermont November 6, 1850, and char
tered November 10 of the same year,
to the Hon. Abraham Whipple, his
shipmates'' and others. It consisted |
of %, 040 acres.
Commodore Whipple was a distin-
guished naval officer in the Revolu-
tionary war, and named the town
Navy, in honor of the American navy. |
This name was retained until 1925,
when it was changed to Charleston.
The first settlement was COM
menced by Abner Allyn. In June,
1902, he felled the first trees in town,
OF lot No. 4, first division, where Levi
Driver now lives, he also planted pota-
toes the fifth of August, which he
brought from Barton on his back dis
tance of II miles, they yielded we'll
and were kept that winter in an out
of-dOor cellar; the next spring he
planted them and raised an early crop
of potatoes. The first death in town
was that of Mrs. Andrew McGatfey.
October 80, 1903. Luther Leland OF
Derby preached the funeral sermon,
this was the first service IN Charles
ton. The first birth in town was that
of Albro Allyn, July 16, 1904. The
grand list of the town of Charleston
in 1906 was 1914. There were nine
voters, and the property consisted OF
six oxen, 10 COWS. two three-year- Odds.
two two-year-olds, six horses, and one
watch. In 1907 there were % acres of
improved land.
Stephen Cole came here in the early
part of 1910, and built log house in
West Charleston it was situated on
the school road between Norman
Browns and Henry Calkins' houses).
After he had bought his land and
completed his house he went back to
Waterford for his family, which con-
sisted then of wife and five sons
y
months. They had travelled through
the six miles of woods from Brown
ington by Saturday evening and stayed
with neighbor until Monday morning,
when they started for their shanty.
When they reached there the snow was
between three and four feet deep,
and some of the bark was gone from
the roof, the room was filled more than
halfway to the beams over the door
with snow. The drift was slanting
and frozen. Mrs. Cole slid down into
the room and the baby was handed
down to her. The first frame house
was built by Stephen Cole in 1911.
The first marriages were those Of
Ebenezer Bartlett and Eunice Cole,
Elisha Parlin and Elizabeth Warren,
February 8, 1915. The wedding cere-
mony was performed by Ira Leavens
Of Morgan, w. P. Leavens' great
grandfather.
The first school was kept in Orrin
Percival's barn on lot No. IL, where J..
schoolhouse was built in 1922 at the
West village.
The first military company was
formed in 1922 and Ira Richards was
first captain.
The first physician was Ezra Gushing
at West Charleston, in 1922.
Ebenezer Bean moved his family
here in 1923, into log house without
door or floor. He was away one
evening and Mrs. Bean had put his
supper in large kettle beside the
fireplace, covering it with the water
pail to secure it from any depreciation
of cat or dog. Having all thing:
arranged, she retired to rest with hel
infant child. Some time after she
heard footsteps, and supposing it wa:
her husband, was undismaved until 6
stick of wood upon the fire. vel
charred, broke in two; the two end:
+ kindled up so as to give light, BY
which she discovered a heavy blacl
bear walking majestically about
tracing with its olfactories her SAVIOR,
food. He just placed his huge paw
upon the pail of water, upset it
helped himself to all the food in tn
kettle, Tapped his jaws and walked
way without making the acquaintanc
of his hostess.
The first sawmill was erected b.
Jonas Allyn in 1924, at East Charles
ton.
The first shoemaker was Chaunce
Fuller, who moved from Waterford t
West Charleston in 1924.
First store and hotel was kept b
= Ira Richards, on the farm where Berni
Gray now lives.
First blacksmith was Timothy Hazel