The Press., 1910-02-23
Union Seventy YearsAgO

1840, or about seventy years ago. As she town and people appeared. There had been just before this time quite an exodus of many of the best of the young people to ''York State,' Ohio. Michigan and Wisconsin. such as most of Dea. Ezra Horton's large family, Edward and Charles Foster, with their families, the Strongs, many of the Moores, the Armonrs, the Coyes, Griggses, Fairbankes and others who made the best of citizens wherever they were established. Still there were many substantial citizens left. the population of the town being about double what 1t is at the present time), such as Esq. William Foster and his sons, Burke and Byron, Philip Corbin, with his sons, Capt. Samuel, Healey and Hermon, Calvin Marcy, Jr, Nathaniel Newell and his son, David L. Newell, pr. Hammond. a most worthy man, Q careful doctor, whose charges were so moderate as compared with modern doctors that it would surely put them to blush, Capt. Chauncey Paul, whom everybody knew, with his large family of chil- dren, all school teachers. Prosper Smith, Thomas Moore, Harvey Wal ker, who was just commencing busi- ness at Mashapaug, Elbridge Class, Newman Bugbee. Ira Walker, John B. Hatch, Col. Moses O. Sessions, Samuel Needham, Ichabod Upham, Joseph Town, Samuel Moore and family and his son. Samuel Whiton Moore, with his family, Jospeh She'll, one of Washington's soldiers in the revolution, Linus Wales and family. Dexter Moore, Isaac P. Booth, Dea. Sullivan Booth, Widow Brown and her family, Elias. Elijah and Levi Severy, David Lawson. Nathan Kin ney, Aaron Wales, Nehemiah Hough. ton, Benjamin Oorbin, Paul Lawson, Asa Putnam. Anthony Ooye, Thomas Holman, Judge Ingoldsby, W. Oraw- ford, Dea. Samuel Crawford, Trenck Crawford, John Crawford, with their families, Abijah Sessions, William P. Sessions, George and Daniel Leonard. Silas P. Allen, Eleazer BuRbee and his son, Amos, with their families, Jedeidah Morse, with his large family, Clinton Howard, Squire Augustus Moore and Festus Moore, with their families, Dea Jospeh Burley and his family, and others. There was Will lard Blodgett. with his six fine daugh- ters, MeIrick Marcy, Dr. Ebenezer Lindsay, Russell James, Joseph Wal. ker, Rev Amasa Morse, Capt. Danford Morse and the Rubys Of all these heads of families seventy years ago, none are now living except Rev. Amasa Morse and Mrs. Dexter Moore.
 Most of these had large families living in town at that time. and were we'll -to-do people, although they did not have much money; they owned their farms clear of mortgages and earned their living by the labor of their hands. They did not need much money, as most of the farm produce was disposed of in barter or trade. Each farm, as 1t was said, was "suit- ably divided" into moving, tillsge, pasturage and forest land. In each farm there seemed to be a fine section of timber land, most of which was the old original forest. The west part of the town had been someW hat 1o--1ad oF mood ond kS~,h~-
 count of the great call for charcoal to run the blast furnaces at Stafford for smelting the crude iron ore, which was quite an inustry for many years. Still, there was much fine timber land in town, especially in the Bige. low valley and Breakneck region, large tracts being owned by the Newells. Crawfords and David Law son. There were ten saw mills in running order, but with the old up and down saws they could get out only limited quantity while the water lasted. There were no box shops, and lumbermen from others towns had not come in to destroy the beautiful forests
 Most of the farmers would out a few tres, what they could get sawed, and sell the lumber as best they could, sometimes drawing it mary miles to find a market. Sometimes people frcm long distance, who wished to repair buildings, would come and purchase at the mill. Na- than Kinnty, who owned the hest mill in town, enjoyed quite 8 trade for many years.
 The farms were more productive than at present There were more cattle kept and each farm had one, and often two or three yoke of oxen, several COWS and young cattle, and nearly every farmer had 8 flock of sheep. Each farm had more or less good pasturage on which the stock f1ourished in summer time. These pastures were obtained by clearing a piece of forest and and sowing rye, which was bolted into flour and used largely in place of wheat flour, which was hard to obtain without going some distance for it. It was the GUS. tom of many farmers, after shey had finished planting, to drive to Hart. ford, Providence or Norwich and purchase and bring home a barrel of flour and other necessaries. The bar. rel would frequently last a year, by using rye for the under crust of pies.
 There was usually much wood burned on the new land, which caused the grass to grow luxuriantly.
 There were many fine pastures, es. pecially in the east and northeast parts, where the feed was sweet and good. and it was only necessary to turn cattle in in the spring and they would come out fat enough for the butcher by September. Many oP