p.133   

Search this site or the web        powered by FreeFind     Site search Web search

proven to be treasonable? Of course, we all now know that the preservation of the Union was better for our national welfare than secession would have been, but I, under the circumstances, can certainly forgive my mother for having been a Democrat.

From what I have siad, you may infer that my mother was "stronger minded" than father was- that she had more positive opinions concerning politics and religion than he did, but you must remember that a family physician could not take part in controversies of this kind. He had patients on both sides of all these questions, and , while no doubt father had as positive opinions as mother did, he never argued concerning them.

But I am neglicting to tell you about mother's domestic life. Modern conveniences enable the women to attend to their household duties so quickly and so easily, that mother's house work seemed drudgery by comparison. All the water had to be pumped from a cistern. All the fuel had to be carried up a flight of stone steps from a woodshed in the yard. The milk was obtained from the old cow in the barn and carried up that filight of high stone steps and churned in an old up-and-down churn, then carried down again to the cooler. The wasroom was also in the basement, so up and down that awful flight of steps again many times a day. Each step was so high and hard that the children had to climb "bely bump" from one to another; and in winter there was ice on them, the steps were almost unnavigable by the children.

Mother's cooking was a joke compared with modern cusisine. Her kitchen stove was a travesty. It just would not bake. In consequence, most of the food was fried. She even fried her pies. A layer of pie doe was spread in the skillet, dried apples that had been soaked over night were deposited in half of the skillet and the rest of the crust was turned over the apples; lard was then dumped in and the pie fried brown on one side, and then turned over and fried on the other side. It was called a "turn over" pie...mother could bake in what was called a Dutch oven. This was a flat iron pot with a top that had a rim around the edge. Into this pot she would place the bread dough and place it among the ashes on the hearth, cover it with the lid and on the lid place hot ashes. You would be surprised to see how well such a contraption would bake bread. The dough was a sort of "potato-rising" dough that had been made the day before and had been left beside the warm hearth to rise all night. Sometimes in the morning the "rising" would swell up till it would be found running over the top of the pan.

Modther did the family washing, of course. Father bought several kinds of washing machines - he was always buying some sort of machine, but since all of them had to be worked by hand, mother preferred to wash in the ususal way. She made her own soap. This washing soap was "soft soap" made by soaking ashes in a barrel and boiling the solution of Potash down into lye and mixing this lye with scraps of fat- grease of any kind -0 and boiling the mixture till it became soap. It was good soap, too. There was a row of barrels in the washroom, each full of ashes from the kitchen stove, and we children would sit down there in the washroom of evenings and pour water into the top of the barrels and let the water slowly dribble through and run out of the bottom of the barrels into a big bucket. We would pour the contents of the bucket into a big iron kettle, set in the top of a furnace and boil the water down into lye.

Father always ahd two or three farms near town. They were not of much account; but on them he always raised a flock of sheep for our own use. The sheep would be kept for meat when we needed mutton. The wool he would save and mother would was the wool, dye it to her notion, card it into rolls, spin it into yarn, use the yarn to knit into stockings or underwear, or have it woven into flannel or cloth, You children will never know what torture that thick heavy red flannel underwear was to us children, nor how we used to wish the suit of jeans would wear out so we could have a new suit. The cloth wore like iron - and was almost as stiff...

My mother would undoubtedly be called somewhat of a flapper if she were living in these days of flapperdom - she liked to smoke. Many ladies, especially the elderly ladies - smoked in those days. Occasionally mother would get out a queer kind of pipe made of clay and fill it with a queer kind of tobacco made out of homegrown tabacco mixed with kinnikinic and take a few puffs. Kinnikinic was what many of the Indians used to smoke. It was usually made out of dried red sumac leaves. During the Civil War we used many things the Indians formerly used....

The house I was born in was the house in the rear of the office and store on the East side of the Square. his was a one story brick house that in very early times was considered a fine residence. It belonged originally to Dr. Foote who built the office and store in front where he and father held forth. I think I was about two years old when a new two story and a half brick house was built for our residence out of the East Part of town on an addition to the town that father promoted. The bricks for this house were made on the premises from clay that was found there. The walls were solid, the ceilings very high, as was the fashion in htose stately days of architecture, the basement extended under the whold house and the house was surrounded by a tract of flowers and shrubs bounded by a hedge of Osage Orange. Entereing the ouse you would enter a hall with a grand stairway. The end of the hall led you into the large living room, with its large, comfy fireplace. A door to the left led to the guest room, used ordinarily for wraps when parties were given, while a door to the right led into the front parlor, from which you entered into the back parlor through sliding doors. The front parlor was used on all ordinary occasions, the back parlor was kept closed for "grand" occasions. It was certainly grand, gloomy and peculiar. It was seldon ventilated since to open it would admit dust to the "finery." Sunlight was kept out since sunlight would fade the gaudy colors of the carpet and draperies, and the carpet was, you may be sure, the envy of the neighborhood. Red cabbage roses greet your astonished gaze underfoot, bordered and intertwined with most wonderful curlicues. Vying with it was a rug in front of the fireplace hearth. It purported to represent Old Rove in Repose, and at the edge of this rug, infront of the fireplace, stood a stately horsehair sofa - a sofa upholstered in woven horsehair, black, shiny and slick. In the middle of the room was a wonderful, round, walnut center table inlaid with mother of pearl. On this table stood a lamp with hand painted globe (sister Annie's handiwork) and red plush album of family photographs at one side and a large family bible, with what, I thought were marvelous golden clasps, at theother. There were only two pictures on the walls fo this back parlor, both paintings executed by sister Mary. One was supposed to represent a bunch of flowers and the other a beautiful, though pensive young lady, the painting was called "Future". ... A Louis XIV black mahogany piano with wonderful curved and carved legs occupied a place of honor at one side of the room while at a corner stood the "piece de resistance" the prize package of the place, a wonderful "what not". Here on the shelved os the "what-not", as I believed were kept specimens of all the wonders of the known world. There was a mysterious thing called a stereoscope into which, if you wuld look just right, you could see deep into a fairy cave in whose glittering depths could be seen gossamer fairies disporting themselves. A large sea-shell gave back the murmurs of the seashore if you would hold it to your ear. Another big shell, called a conch, would give a terrifying toot if you would blow it right. A glass paperweight having in some curious way a picture of Niagara Falls embedded in it, and a wondeful contrivance called a kaleidoscope, a sort of tube into which, if you looked, you could behold curious brilliant colored figures that would change their shapes if you wuld turn the tube, and so on and so on )- I always approached that "what-not" with reverence that would do credit to a shrine.

Joseph and Eliza had children:

    1. Mary Minerva b. March 21-25, 1842, d. 1920. IGI files show her the daughter of Joseph &
    Eliza born in Lawrence, Indiana in 1842. Family records show her birth March 21-25. They also

p.135

    show she married B.B. Baker in 1892

    2. William Reddick b. 1844, d. 1845

    3. Eliza Jane b. July, 1847 and d. about 1857

    4. Sarah Ann b. August 14, 1848, d. 1925 He married Rosa Mathilde
    Bushe in Evansville,Indiana in 1880. The had one daughter named Blanche.

    6. Susie b. 1851. d. 1851

    7. Katharine "Kate" b. 1852, d. 1862

    8. Hamilton Reddick b. Feb. 14, 1857, m. Ida May Westlake on Nov. 25, 1888. He
    d. Jan. 11,1948. THey had two sons: George Hamilton Stillson and Merle
    Osgood Stillson.George Hamilton Stillson was b. in 1890 and d. in 1973. He married
    Priscilla M. Patterson and had chldren George Himilton. Jr., Stilson b. 1916, d. 1960,
    Margaret Merle Stilson b. 1918, d. 1986, Stanley Durrett Stilson b. 1921, James
    Reddick Stilson b. 1926. (See Generation VII for more information)

A family history penned by Hamilton Reddick Stilson in June 1933 writes that all the Stillsons up to and including my father spelled their name with on "l". However my brother, Joseph O., who was the scholar of our family thought it should be spelled with two "l's". The rest of us have spelled it so.

STILSON - SIXTH GENERATION

(Vincent 1; Moses 2; Moses 3; Enoch 4; Beers 5; Alpheus 6)

VI. ALPHEUS STILSON,the son of Beers and Eunice (Dodge) Stilson was b. April 15, 1802, in Monkton, Addison, VT. Beers married Eunice Dodge. He was a carpenter by occupation. Alpheus d. November 22, 1895 in Monkton, VT at the age of 93 years, 8 months and 7 days. Cause of death listed as old age. m. Betsey Ann Follette (Follett) b. 1798, d. April 24, 1879 in Monkton, VT at the age of 81. Betsey Ann was the daughter of Joseph and Elizabeth Follette (Follett). (Note: Robert Mass writes that Betsey d. in Monkton on April 24, 1879 of fever and that she couldn't write her name and signed land leases with an X.)

In the 1840 census the family of Alpheus was living in Monkton, Addison County, Vermont and the house hold included 2 males (5-10 years of age), 1 male (15-20 years of age), 1 male, no doubt Alpheus (aged 30-40 years of age), 1 female (under 5 years), 1 female (5-10 years), 2 females (15-20 years), 1 female (40-50 years). That appears to be a total of seven children.

There is an Alpheus that appears in the 1850 census for the state of New York and lists his place of residence as Augusta, Oneida County, New York. Other Stilsons living in the same town and county at the census time is Asahel, David and Frederick P. Stilson (son of Julius). There is a Frederick P. Stilson who apparently moved to New York for a time and then returned to Vermont. Robert Mass writes that the 1850 census was very difficult to read and shows an Aphious aged 48, Betsey aged 52, Juily age 14, Julius age 14 and Betsey Ann age 12. It could be speculated that Julius and Julia could have been twins, however descendent John R. Burbank notes that he has some records indicated Julia b. in 1835 and Julius in 1836.

Children;

1.Hirenus (also shown sometimes as Hiremus or Hirenas) P. Stilson b. March 5, 1826, Monkton, VT., d. May 21, 1906. He m. 1) Harriet Labore (appears to be Harriet M. Larose in cemetery record) b. February 11, 1828 i Canada and d. May or June 1, 1908. (Hirenas did not m. a second time to Mary Shepard as shown in recods of Bertha Taft Keith,) Source: Statewide vital records. The Gazetteer and Business Director of Addison County, VT. published for 1881-1882 lists Hirenus P. Stilson (Monkton) "r 22, dairy 15 cows, apiary 23 swarms, carpenter, justice of the peace, grand juror and farmer with Martin J. 180."

Hirenus and Harriet had the following children:

    Infant b. April 1848, d. June 9, 1848, age 1 months, 27 days, buried at Monkton Boro.
    Cemetery records show this individual, unnamed, child of Harried and Hirenas.

    Phidelia A. b. about 1849. Listed on the 1850 census (age 3 months), however she is
    not shown in the notes by Ruth Dean Hathaway.

    Augusta b. July 28, 1850 in Monkton VT., d. May 23, 1938 in New Haven, VT. She m.
    December 31, 1868 to Wilbur Whitney of Lincoln, VT and they had children Flora
    Whitney who m. ____ Clark, Maude Whitney and Noble Whitney who m. Myrtle
    Brown.

    Henry H. b. Dec. 10, 1852, d. July 13, 1927. He m. August 26, 1877 to Helen Celestia,

    daughter of Carlton S. & Celestia H. (Frence) Dean, b. December 27, 1858 and d.
    March 24, 1893, and buried in the Monkton boro Cemetery. The 1881-82 Gazetteer
    lists Henry H. Stison of Monkton "3 46, carpenter, h and lot."

        Celestia Helen b. Jan 19, 1883 d. ukn, m. ___Northrop. Had children Helen
        Northrop who m. Rev. Frank Grippin, a Methodist minister. She was living as a
        widow in St. Albans, VT in the early 1990's. John H. Northrop who was living
        in Rutland, VT in 1986, Wendell E. Northrop, living in Rutland in 1986 and
        Dean S. Northrop,living in Proctor, VT in 1986.

        Bertha Octavia b. March 12, 1887 in Monkton, VT, d. Nov. 4, 19__ in Rutland
        Vt, buried South St. Cem. Proctor, VT, m. Carl H. Ranger, b. UKN, d. 1967. She
        graduated from Middlebury College and taught Latin in Barre and Bradfor, VT, and
        later was on the staff of St Johnsbury Academy for 28 years.

        Winona, b. 1889, d. May 15, 1890 age 5 months, 26 days. She is listed as an infant 6
        months in cemetery records.)

     George William Stilson b. May 20, 1857 in VT in Monkton Two., Addison, VT., d. UKN in
     East Monkton Vermont. He m. Linney __. In the 1881-82 Gazetteer for Addison Co. there
     is a George Stilson listed as a resident of Monkton "3 22, farm laborer."

     Ernest P. b. 1863, d. 1940, m. Minnie D. Rogers, b. 1866, d. 1934. Had
        Children Urana, who m. 1)Harry Barnum, 2)Charles Barnum. Mae who m.
        Ferdinand Blanchard and Lulu who m. Charles Jewell.

2. Miranda Stilson, b. unknown. Married November 7, 1850 to Alva Umba of New Haven, VT. Her given marriage in 1850, we have placed her in the second position of this family. Assuming she was about 20 years of age at the time of her marriage, she would have been born between Hirenus and Urania.

3. Urania Stilson b. February or March 18, 1831, d. November 27, 1893 in Middlebury, VT. Married Sgt/Maj. Josiah W. Taylor on November 21, 1853 in Lynn, Massachusetts. Urania d. of pneumonia in Middlebury, VT., aged 62 yrs. 8 months and 9 days. Her burial was in New Haven, Vermont.

Information provided by Richard A. Taylor of Fincastle, VA reports that Urania (sometimes listed as Maria F. Stilson) was married in Lynn, Massachusetts on November 21, 1853 to Sgt./Maj. Josiah W. Taylor, who was b. November 1, 1831 at Exeter, N.H. and d. March 18, 1865 at the Kalorama General Hospital in Washington, D.C., as a result of wounds and small pox received incurred during the Civil War. Josiah served in Co. "I" - 11th N.H. Infantry Regiment. He was wounded at the battle of the Wilderness on May 6, 1864 and is buried at Arlington National Cemetery, section 13, grave 9583, located near the Ft. Myer Chapel. However, Richart Taylor visited the evergreen Cemetery in New Haven and found the burial location of Urania and surprisingly enough it also listed Josiah. It was a common practice to have a local stone in VT. if the son was buried elsewhere.

Children of Josiah and Urania per pension records are:

   Joseph S. Taylor, b. September 29, 1854

p.138

Clarence A. Taylor. b. August 9, 1857, m. Anna (Annie E.) Barton on November 26, 1883 in middlebury, VT.

Frederick "Freddie" Albert Taylor, b. December 26, 1858 in Exeter, Rockingham, N.H. m. Gertrude Burns on October 17, 1885 in Middlebury, VT. Gertrude was b. February 16, 1869 i Middlebury, VT d. December 29, 1939 in Rutland, VT.

   Alfred Harldo Taylor b. August 27, 1889 in Weybridge, VT and m. Genevieve Harriett
   Baldwin on September 4, 1911 in Middlebury. Alfred d. Jan. 9, 1953. Genevieve was
   b. October 23, 1892 in Cornwall, VT and d. Dec. 3, 1955 in Rutland, VT. She was
   the daughter of James S. Baldwin and Annette M. "Nettie" (Doodla) Baldwin.

   Edward Taylor

   Bernard Carroll Taylor b. Dec. 6, 1916 in Rutland, VT m. October 1, 1939 in
   Rutland to Gladys Mae Loso. Bernard d. Dec. 17, 1977 in Rutland. Bernard served
   in World War II U.S. Navy "Seabees" as a machinist mate first class.

      Richard Anthony Taylor b. April 8, 1940 in Rutland, VT. m. Jan. 16, 1960
      in Washington DC to Jane Ann Ford. Children: Mark Michael
      Taylor b. Nov. 21, 1961 in Washington DC who m Sept. 25, 1982
      in Blue Ridge, Virginia to Judy Annd Kirby & they have daughter Kelsey Anne
      b. Aug. 12, 1988 in Roanoke, Virginia. Richard and Jane have a 2nd son
      Daniel Anthony Taylor b. Jan 16, 1964 in Washington DC Richard &
      Jane are both employed by the Commonwealth of Virginia in their respective
      Roanoke regional offices. Richard as supervisor of latent print section of the
      forensic laboratory and Jane as office services supervisor senior of the disability
      determination services office.

      Barbara Ann Taylor b. Sept. 6, 1941 in Rutland, VT. m. Ronald Oberman
      on August 1, 1976. Ronald retired from the USNavy as senior chief aboard
      nuclear submarine.

      Bernard Timothy Taylor b. Aug.14,1947 in Rutland, VT. m Oct. 4, 1969
      to Jo Ann Smatko. Bernard served with the USArmy in Germany & Vietnam
      in 1st armored cavalry regiment and SVC batter-2nd battalion,17th artillery.
      Have two sons Jason and Eric.

   Nellie Clara Taylor, b. Dec. 30, 1861, m. Harry Lawrence Hunt in New Haven,
   VT on Dec 3, 1883. Had four daughters. She d. in 1934 & is buried in the Evergreen
   Cemetery in New haven, VT.

Sources: marriage records, military records and regimental history book published in 1891, pension records, death certificate for Urania. Researched by Richard Taylor.

4. Martin J. Stilson b. September 19, 1832 in Monkton, VT., d. May 5, 1901 in Monkton of cardiac problems. He m. January 31, 1856 in Charlotte, VT to Pheobe Ann Spear, b. June 5, 1837 in Charlotte,

cont. 6th GENERATION
TABLE OF CONTENTS     BEFORE NEW ENGLAND
1st GENERATION     3rd GENERATION
Bible records & cont. 3rd GEN     4th GENERATION
5th GENERATION     6th GENERATION
7th GENERATION     8th GENERATION
9th GENERATION     10th GENERATION

FAMILY PHOTO ALBUM

    

Last Updated Saturday, 08-Sep-2018 08:50:14 MDT