Vermont AHGP
Part of the American History and
Genealogy Project
Range 8 ~ Lots
Lots 1 and 2, were purchased and settled by Stephen Perkins, who built a saw-mill in 1812-13. He also had one set of mill-stones. In the summer of 1857, the banks by the side of the dam gave way, and the pond of about 7 acres was discharged in a short time, carrying off every bridge on the Great Brook. It was repaired, but gave way again before the pond was quite filled. It was again repaired more thoroughly, and held until a heavy rain in the spring of 1869 carried off the new dam and all the bridges below. It was repaired, and when the pond was about half filled it burst through the quicksand under the dam, and no more efforts to repair it were made. R. L. Martin then put in a steam-mill, which was burned in 1871, and he removed the remains of it to Harris Gore. Dudley Perkins and Silas Worthen occupy portions of these lots.
Lot 3 was settled by Ralph Chamberlain, of Hanover, N. H., and is now owned by his grandson, Jeremy Stone Chamberlain. Plainfield Sulphur Springs are on this lot.
Lot 4 was settled by David Benedict, of Randolph, who sold the southern part, now owned by Scott and Smith, to Amasa Bancroft, and the northern part, now owned by Goodrich, to Robert Carson. Feb. 29, 18 16, an old house on this lot, occupied by Moses Reed, and used for a school-house, caught fire, and a little son of Reed was burned to death. David, Patrick and Woodman Reed were his sons; Joanna (Mrs. William Parks) his daughter.
Lot 5 was settled by Charles R. Woolson, who sold the northern part to his wife's father, Moses Bancroft, of Ward, Mass., in Nov. 1796. Woolson was not able or willing to pay for his land the second time, and removed to New York, where he became rich. His son Ephraim getting homesick, returned, and bought back the old farm, on which he died. It is now owned by Erastus Batchelder. Mary, wife of S. O. Goodrich, and Sarah, wife of Joseph Lane, are Ephraim's daughters. Moses Bancroft had 4 sons: John, Charles, Chester and Baxter. John had 2 sons: Lewis, of Calais, and Preston, of Marshfield. Charles had a son Charles, and Mrs. Wm. Skinner and Mrs. Lewis Wood are his daughters. Baxter had but one child, Moses.
Baxter has resided in Plainfield longer than any other person, 84 years. He says that as late as Oct. 1804, neither his father nor any of the neighbors had chimneys to their houses. Stones were laid up into some form of a chimney for a few feet, and the smoke allowed to go out, if it would, through a hole in the roof. The roof for years was made of large pieces of elm bark, tied on with strings of the same.
Sometimes a storm in the night would blow off these pieces, and his father would get up and tie them on again. It would often get on fire, and once the house burned down.
One summer they had nothing to eat but milk for a long time, until Willard Shephard gave them a bushel of rye very badly sprouted, but some of this ground and cooked tasted the best of anything he ever ate.
The senior Moses had a brother, Lieut. John Bancroft, a Revolutionary soldier, who began a clearing on Prentice Shephard's farm (lot 5, range 1), but soon removed to the village. Amasa Bancroft was his son. C. Watrous and Carlos Bancroft, of Montpelier, were his sons.
Lot 6 contains the Bancroft Pond, and was purchased by Harvey Bancroft.
Lot 7 was settled by Charles Bancroft, and is now owned by Gardner Heath.
Lot 8 is mostly a swamp.
Source: History of Washington County Vermont, Collated and Published by Abby Maria Hemenway, 1882.
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