“Never heard anything just like it,” said one neighbor to another, as he sat outside the log house on some blocks of woods. “Just nicely got here and had built this log house. Such nice people, too. Feel awful sorry for the little boy of theirs. Don’t suppose he senses all of this trouble, but it must have given him a bad scare.”

“Yes sir,” half whispered another, “it came so sudden-like that we can hardly believe it. I was over here just a couple of days ago and they were so happy and making such great plans for the future. Bad enough to have death, but in this way it seems doubly hard.”

It was all because death had suddenly come to the Towne home. That spring Francis and Relief Towne had moved into Rutland to locate upon some of the famed Black River lands and to carve a home for themselves from the wilderness. They were natives of New Hampshire, coming from a place called Ringe. They seemed to be among the finest type of people and everybody liked the nine year old boy, named Gardner. The Towne family had worked hard to get a start and looked forward to a happy future with cheerful and helpful neighbors in this new land.

The summer had been warm with some days when the sun burned with scorching heat. It was in one such a heat wave that there came an ugly looking cloud up from the southwest and the sound of thunder was telling that there was to be a severe storm. It was severe, but over quickly. When it had moved away it left sadness and sorrow in the little pioneer settlement. It had brought death to the home of Francis Towne. His wife had been struck by a bolt of lightning. The neighbors came almost helpless to lend aid and sympathy. It was the year 1804 and not many had yet located there. It was the very first death to come to the entire township and it had come in an unusual manner. It had struck down a woman of great kindness and well it was all so sudden that none of the neighbors could hardly express themselves. And to think that the Towne family had just moved there and they had been so happy and seemed to be getting along so well.

But work seemed to keep everybody busy after the funeral service, simply because of pioneer conditions. But it had brought aid from everybody there which helped to better cement their hearts in good deeds. Now work again claimed their attention and time has a way of healing the wounds of the passing years. Gardner Towne, the nine year old son, grew to be a splendid young man. Quiet studious, religious and progressive. He early won the heart of a neighbor girl. However, they did not hurry into the marriage. It was Miss Dorcas Eames upon whom he bestowed his affection. She was of a progressive family, a sister of Moses and Clift Eames. Gardner Towne was 31 years old when he married in 1826.

It was a happy home they built up. Dorcas knew how to work in a pioneer home. Her father, Daniel Eames, had a family of 13 children. She was born in 1801, being thus six years younger than her husband. The church became the center of their social and religious life. Mrs. Towne became a leader among the women and held the office of president of the Ladies’ Sewing society for a time. Gardner was anxious for good schools. It was his progressive mind that led to the building of the model school of Rutland. His quiet nature never made him a man to say much in meeting. In fact he did not believe in the demonstrations of those who were inclined to be fanatical. But seven days a week he was the same and that was deeply religious. He early took up the cause of temperance. So than was he in his views on temperance. So firm was he in his views on temperance that in the year 1855 his friends urged him to lead a temperance ticket, believing that the time was at hand when the temperance people should begin to show their strength. Mr. Towne was not anxious, but for the sake of the cause consented. It was a strange thing that happened that fall. Mr. Towne expected only to be a standard bearer and not a winner of political victories. But the Whig party endorsed him and election day brought a victory to his banner. He was the senator-elect to go to Albany to represent his district. And a worthy man he made. Not long after he found it best to change his residence and moved from his farm to the city of Watertown, but was always the same quiet, Christian gentleman. He was for years on the board of directors of the Agricultural Insurance company.

And from Rutland came many men and women who have made their mark in the affairs of the county, state and nation for, besides Gardner Towne who represented the district in the state senate, there were Perley Keyes, and A. C. Middleton. Of those who went to the assembly from Rutland were Ethel Bronson, who was in the assembly in 1810, and again in the years 1814 and 15; Amos Stebbins in 1816 and again in 1820-21; Joseph Graves, George White, Curtis G. Brooks and Moses Eames.

The first sheriff of Jefferson county came from Rutland and his name was Dr. Abel Sherman. Perley Keyes was also sheriff and Isaac Munson served as county clerk. But time will not permit the recording of all the men of outstanding ability. Someway the farms of that hill country seemed to give vigor to their thought and from the farm homes went men and women who could take their place in any gathering of notables and keep pace with them in thought and conversation. And these people did read and travel. When the great centennial celebration was held in the city of Philadelphia in 1876 Rutland had her quota of visitors at that exposition. Mrs. Jason Johnson of whom reference was made earlier in this series, the woman who taught school back in pioneer days for a dollar and a quarter a week and had so many scholars, went with her husband to the centennial and wrote briefly of her trip. Among other things she said:

“When the celebration of our American independence came with the centennial at Philadelphia many of our town went. Jason and myself being among the number. We spent two weeks very pleasantly and I think very profitably. We could have spent many times that amount of time and not seen it all. Reluctantly we turned homeward. We went by the way of New York and returned by the way of Binghamton and up across the state.

“After spending a day or two in the main building, where I commenced to keep a record of what I saw, but in a building covering 15 acres and every inch covered with exhibits wholly new and interesting, I soon saw that the rest did not wait for me and I was not having time to look the while I was taking notes. I soon gave it up. Next we went into machinery hall before many were in there and they were just starting the great Corlis (sic) engine. After a while, on looking up I found Jason had gone by himself and the tears were running down his face. It was more than he could stand, such power and so many hundred yards of belting running. So many machines of all sizes, from a needle or pin to a fanning mill or mowing machine. Who could look at it without emotion?

“We visited the several gardens, agricultural, horticultural and botanical. We saw all kinds of animals from every part of the globe, from a guinea pig to an elephant. We went into the snake house where there were many kinds from the red or striped snakes to the huge boa constrictors. We went into the monkey house and saw a monkey dash down from the top of the building and grab a pair of gold glasses from an old lady’s nose and away up in the top of the building, doing it all quicker than we could think. Before we left we went to the pumping station where there were six large engines pumping water from the river into a reservoir which covered 27 acres and this supplied the city with drinking water.”