Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1913-06-12
THOMPSON
interesting Facts Regarding Dis
tinguishcd BuriingtOnian stated
by Horace W. Bailey.


water VT. The second child in this fam
ily was Hadock Thompson, Vcrmonts
most distinguished historian, who was
born in Bridgewatcr, VT, May %, 1896. /
and whose mortal remains lie buried in
a neglected grave in the Elmwood avenue
cemetery in the city of Burlington, mark
cd by a plain marble slab bearing the
following inscriptions
"Xadock Thompson, died January 10,
1886, aged 80 years, months. Gods will
be done"
Zadock Thompson married Phoebe
Boyce September 4, 1928 They were tho
parents of three children, a son and two
daughters.
The son died in infancy, only one
daughter, Alkaline, living to maturity. She
became Mrs. r. L. Judd. OF the Judd
family there are three surviving daugh-
t.rs, tGranddaughters Of Zadock Thomp-
SOM, now living, Mrs. +. r. Gaynor and
Mrs Allen Judd, both of Iowa, and Mrs.
Sarah Thompson Cushman, residing in
Mortified, VI. IT was in the home OF tho
latter that grandmother Thompson. GA
docks widow, died July 90 1885, and was
buried in Mortified. From Mrs. Cush-
man and Irving Shurtlen I have gained
many items Of historical value about a.
dock Thompson
Sodate and stud!ous as a boy his mind
ran in channels of original and scientific
research. He began his life as a publish
/ or by making an almanac in the year
1919 The same year he entered the L. V.
NJ. as a freshman His sisters sewed the
almanacs and he pcddled them from town
to town, often taking paper and rags in
payment. BY this humble but honest
means Zadocll Thompson paid his way
through college. What a lesson. what an
Inspiration to the boys of to-day who
think they have a hard time of 1t getting
through college. In this business of al
manac peddlcr Mr.. Thompson went on
foot and by horseback into nearly every
town in the State of Vermont gathering
from town records and from the older
: people the valuable data for his history
md gazetteer.
Mrs. Shurtlcff, whose death is above
recorded, testihes that she assisted
Brother Zadock in preparing the aiman-
acs for sale.
! 1t is little wonder that history thus
CLEANED has stood unimpcached for three
quarters of a century. He published sew
cral aimanacs and furnished the astron-
omical calculations for Waltons Regis
tors for thirty four years. He graduated
in 1893 and two years later was
chosen a tutor at his university. In 1898
he edited the Iris and Burlington Liter
. AIRY Gazette and later the Green Noun
tain Repository, both published at Bur-
lington. The year 1893 found him teaching
in Hatley and Sherbrooke, p @, where
/ he published a geography Of Canada. In
! 1895 he was ordained an Episcopal min
I lister by the Rt. Rev. Bishop Hopkins, and
in 1887 became a teacher in the Episcopal
Institute at Burlington. From 1871 to the
! end Of life he was under appointment by
the State as geologist and naturalist as
we'll as curator of the state cabinet,
being commissioned to collect specimens
for the same. In 1851 he was appointed
to the professorship of chemistry and
natural history at the University of YER
mont. During his busy life he found time
TO write and publish the following books
A Cazettaer of the State of Vermont
1924 80 PIP. History of the State of YER
mont from its earliest settlement to the
close of the year 1899. 1893, 262 PIP. A sec
ond edition of this book was published in
1896 History of Vermont. Natural, Civil
and Statistical, in three parts with new
map, and 200 engrav wings. 1912, $50 PIP.
| In 1853 Mr.. Thompson published an ap-
pendix to this history which was bound
into some of the later editions of the
work. This appendix was intended to bring
important historical matters down to the
date of its publication. Natural History
lof Vermont. An address delivered at
Boston before the Boston Society Of Nat
ural History, June 1850, 80 pages. History
of the State of Vermont for the use of
families and schools, 1913. 252 PIP. Geo
graphy and Geology of Vermont with
State and county outline maps. For the
use of schools and families. lSiS, 2lS PIP.
The Youths Assistant in Practical Arith-
metic. Designed for the use of schools in
the United States. 1895. 100 PIP. This text
book was published in several editions.
Thompson's new Arithmetic, 1925, 2l6 PIP.
This book also reached several editions
The Youths Assistant in Theoretic and
Practical Arithmetic, this Is the 10th edi-
ton published in 1887, l6S PIP. Geography
and History OF Lower Canada. Designed
for the use OF schools 1885 1l6 PIP. with
map, First Book OF Geography for Yer
mont children 1919, "A PIP. Journal of a
trip to London. Paris, and the great ex-
hibition in lS5l 1852 IA PIP. Guide to Lake
George, Lake Champlain, Montreal and
Quebec, with map. table of distances and
routes from Albany. Burlington, Montreal
etc. 1915, As PIP.
He also published several other guide
books relating to Vermont and vicinity
some of them reaching several editions
He also published several reports to the
, Legislature of Vermont under his scvera
> appointments previously mentioned. VIVA
a record for one short life.
q Is it not well In this day of sreat educa
q tional unrest. In this day of great educa
tonal commissions, made up of the hes
. men we have, to pause long enough t.
glance back into the years and take no
a tlce of what one modest man accomplish
ed for education in Vermont who was
worker not a theorist. who was thinker
\ not talker.
We talk about educational surveys al
I though they We're modern machine o.
| mighty power for the cause of human
knowledge and the educational uplift o
the masses. Lot us take note of Yer
Y monts first educational survey made b,
- Hadock Thompson nearly 100 years ago
D we quote from the preface to his 1924 Ga
? zeteer:
e The materials for the following page!
= nave been derived principally from per
e sonal observations, and from written com
o munications."
o we have visited most of the township!