Washington

MARSH, James

Vermont Historical Magazine, No. XI, October 1867, pp 835-838
(extracted from a section on the history of Jericho, Chittenden County, 
Vermont)

James MARSH was born in 1775 in Canaan [Litchfield County], Connecticut. His 
father having been bound for a friend was much embarrassed in his pecuniary 
affairs, and after living a short time in Cornwall [probably Cornwall in 
Litchfield County Connecticut, not Cornwall in Addison County, Vermont], 
removed to Haverhill [Grafton County], New Hampshire. After having become 
apparently well settled, he found his claim covered by a prior title and was 
compelled to surrender it, getting no compensation for his improvements beyond 
help to move his family to Corinth [Orange County], Vermont. Leaving his 
family there, Mr. MARSH proceeded to Waterbury [Washington County, Vermont], 
and making as much clearing as was necessary for the purpose, he raised and 
gathered a crop of corn. The only companionship he had this year was with 
one Col. THATCHER from New Milford [Litchfield County], Connecticut, who was 
employed making surveys and proposing to bring in thirty families the next 
season. Encouraged by this prospect, in the spring of 1783, Mr. [James] 
MARSH, with three children: Elias, "Rene," and James, went to Waterbury, 
having a horse to carry provisions and help them in fording the streams, to 
find his corn all gone and himself and children with no provisions, except 
what they had brought with them. Using these as sparingly as possible he 
planted his corn, and leaving the children with provisions for a week, he 
returned to Corinth for the rest of his family.

At the end of the week, not having provision for another day, Elias proposed 
to go down to the Falls to catch some trout. On their way they found a large 
bear sitting directly in their path and unmistakably disputing their passage. 
Elias had a gun loaded with shot, and a large dog. Fearing to discharge the 
gun at the bear, the dog was set loose upon him, he attacking bruin in the 
rear and dodging out of the way when bruin turned to repay the compliment; 
thus by a cautious advance on the part of Elias and the worrying of the dog, 
the bear was backed out of the way and the children allowed to proceed. The 
next obstacle was Waterbury River, the only means of crossing which was a 
small tree lying across. Elias carried James over on his back; but "Rene," 
trying to walk across with Elias to steady her, became dizzy and fell into 
the stream. She sunk twice, but was finally rescued by Elias, yet so nearly 
drowned as to require the utmost effort to resuscitate her. James was brought 
back across the river, and the two, supporting their sister on either side, 
they slowly made their way to a pile of driftwood, which being set on fire, 
enabled them to dry their clothes; after which, the day being spent, they 
returned to their camp for the night. The boys surrendered the remaining 
food to their sister and went supperless to sleep.

The next morning they started for the nearest neighbor, Thomas McFARLANE, in 
the corner of Jericho, ten miles down the valley. This time Elias carried 
each of the others across Waterbury River. They were received by McFARLANE 
with the hospitality usual among new settlers and kept about a week, when 
they learned that their father had returned to his cabin and was almost 
distracted at the absence of his children. He had brought the rest of the 
family, with the help of a horse, on either side of which he slung a kettle, 
placed the feather bed and bedding on top of which his wife was mounted with 
one child in her arms and one lashed to her back. Himself and three other 
children came on foot, bringing what provisions they could, and driving a cow.

Arriving at Waterbury and finding his cabin deserted, Mr. MARSH feared his 
children were dead, and could not rest a moment. He walked the round of his 
cabin all night, and the next day wandered about the woods like one 
distracted, returning occasionally to the house to see if perchance they had 
returned, then wandering again. He was absent when the children returned. 
Learning from his mother that "father was in the woods almost crazy," James 
started out to find him. They met suddenly, Jimmie exclaiming, "Father, 
we've come!" Mr. MARSH caught him in his arms and dropped on the ground 
saying simply, "O my child!" This was the commencement of the permanent 
settlement of Waterbury. Thus the first family there had come together.

After hoeing his corn, Mr. MARSH, his provisions now almost exhausted, went 
to Colchester Falls [Chittenden County] to work for Ira ALLEN, who was then 
building his dam, and agreed to furnish provisions for Mr. MARSH's family 
until he could raise them; said he was expecting them every day from 
Skenesboro [now Whitehall, Washington County, New York]; that a boat must 
arrive within a week. After working for three weeks, waiting day after day 
for the promised boat to come, alarmed by dreaming that his family had 
starved, at daylight Mr. MARSH told ALLEN that he must go and look after his 
family, hoping that he might be able to carry them a back load of provisions. 
But ALLEN was hurrying on his work and had installed MARSH as foreman of his 
dam builders; he was, therefore, unwilling to lose his services for a day, 
refused to release him, and said that if he left he would never pay him for 
what he had done. Mr. MARSH then asked for some food before leaving, and was 
told to wait until breakfast. He did not wish to go hungry to a starving 
family, so waited for breakfast, then started on an Indian trot for 
Waterbury, where he found they had lived, nine of them, on boiled leeks and 
the milk of their cow for two weeks.

When he asked for food and his wife produced an unsavory mess, he could not 
eat it--he had not starved long enough. He drank a little milk and started 
for New Hampshire, obtained a bushel of corn meal, which he brought on his 
back to his family. This, with what they could pick up in the forest, kept 
them along until early autumn, when the father again trudged to Coos [New 
Hampshire] and brought back a bushel of wheat flour. This year he raised a 
good crop of corn, but a fresit [flood] just at the harvest time robbed him 
of the greater part of it. Famine, therefore, hung round them another year. 
Moose, however, abounded, and though shy, occasionally one was shot. At such 
time the family had thanksgiving. The famished children cut off pieces of 
the flesh and hastily roasting it, by throwing it upon the coals for an 
instant, ate as much as their parents would allow.

Such an incident occurred the next summer which was made memorable to them by 
the presence of a New Hampshire acquaintance, a Col. PORTER, on his way 
homeward from a visit to the ALLENs at Winooski. He stayed overnight to help 
them enjoy their fresh treat of moose meat, and having his saddle bags well 
filled with bread, when the meal of moose was ready, the Colonel spread it 
upon the table and invited the children to share it with him. They huddled 
around with eager appetite, but their father interposed, saying that as Col. 
PORTER had two nights before him to lie in the woods he would need all he 
had, and the children must not eat a morsel; quite a tantalizing trial.

In the second autumn Mr. MARSH went again to Coos, New Hampshire, for a 
bushel of what, and afterwards began a trade of exchanging moose beef for 
corn with the settlers in Jericho, by which he kept starvation at arm's 
length. In the spring after Hon. Ezra BUTLER settled in Waterbury, Mr. 
MARSH, thinking he might do better in Jericho, started to go there to make 
arrangements for moving. On his way he went to Mr. BROWNSON's in Williston, 
now near Richmond Center, to cast some spoons in Mr. BROWNSON's spoon moulds, 
which done he said he thought he had better go to Mr. RUSSELL's across the 
river that night, as it was thawing and the ice bridge insecure. He carried 
a pole in one hand and his spoons in the other. The ice failed under him, he 
lost hold of the pole, and nevermore was seen in life.

His body was found the next Sunday. Intelligence was carried to Waterbury by 
Capt. DEWEY of Bolton and communicated to the family by Gov. BUTLER. Before 
the day chosen for funeral , a heavy snow fell, which made snowshoes 
necessary. But the second daughter, Anna, could not walk on snowshoes, and 
still wished to be at her father's funeral. Her grief and anxiety to go 
prevailed. Gov. BUTLER offered to carry the poor child part of the way, and 
Elias, always ready to do his part, carried her the rest of the way to 
McFARLANE's, from which place there was a path. Mr. MARSH was buried on the 
farm of Capt. Joseph HALL, then in Jericho, now near Richmond Corners 
[Chittenden County].

Anna stayed at Mr. RUSSELL's after the funeral. Indeed, both of the girls 
mentioned above, Irene and Anna, generally lived in Jericho until they were 
married, and Anna most of her life. In June, James, a lad of about twelve, 
got permission of his mother to go to Jericho to find a place. He lived with 
Leonard HODGES until autumn and returned to Waterbury. The next year he came 
to Jericho to remain until this time, living at different places until 
twenty-six years old, when having a farm, house, and barn, he [James MARSH] 
married Lucy MORGAN, with whom he has lived on the same farm, raised a large 
family, and is enjoying life well in his old age.

From him we derive the only authentic information of the first schools in 
town. He had not been at school in his eighteenth year, his life so far 
having been an unbroken series of hardships. At this time, however, he 
persuaded his guardian to let him provide for himself. The next winter the 
first school was opened in Jericho, between Mr. MESSINGER's and Mr. 
CHITTENDEN's. The teacher was an Englishman, a "Master" HENRY, who became 
probate clerk for Dr. Matthew COLE, beyond which his history is unknown to 
us. James this winter commenced learning to read, boarded at Capt. Elon 
LEE's, three miles from the school, and took care of Mr. LEE's "chores" to 
pay for his board, the Captain being the "singing master" of this vicinity, 
and consequently absent from home much of the time.

The ancient Yankee "singing master" was one of the institutions. His modus 
operandi ought to be commemorated. He was expected to know how to "learn 
tunes from a book," to have a book, a good voice and a "pitch pipe." He 
boarded round and for those who were ambitious to learn the mysteries of 
written notes he copied tunes to be learned; his book thus sufficing for his 
diocese. His office, therefore, was no sinecure; it was busy. James 
afterward boarded at Mr. BROWN's, in Church Street, and attended the school 
of Master David FISH. [Nothing further is said about Mr. MARSH in this 
section on the history of Jericho; the end of this Jericho account can be 
found in the biographical notes for David FISH.]

Submitted by Cathy Kubly