Ferdinand
is a sparsely settled township in the central part of the county, and is
bounded northeast by Lewis, east by Brunswick and Maidstone, southwesterly
by Newark, East Haven and Granby, and northwesterly by Brighton. It received
its charter October 13, 1761. On the same day an adjoining township was
granted, under the name of Wenlock. The latter has gone out of existence,
being divided up and added to other towns. Both of these towns were originally
of a diamond shape, like Maidstone and Brunswick, while the adjoining town
of Brighton was similar in shape to the present Ferdinand. The north part
of Wenlock was annexed to Brighton, and the remainder, with the southern
part of Brighton, annexed to Ferdinand.
The surface
of the town in the northern part is comparatively level, while the southern
part is mountainous. The whole territory, except a narrow strip along the
line of the railroad, is densely wooded.
In 1880,
Ferdinand had a population of forty souls. The town has no schools.
Wenlcok
(p. o.), a station on the Grand Trunk railway, the only hamlet in the town,
contains the mills of D.H. Beattie, and about ten dwellings.
David
H. Beattie's steam saw-mill, at Wenlock, is the first of importance that
has been erected in town. Mr. Beattie first began here with
a portable steam mill of forty horse-power, in 1881, to cut the timber
from the large tracts of wild land which he owned in the vicinity. In 1882
another engine was added, and a third in 1885, aggregating 105 horsepower.
The machinery operated was one board-saw, two heading mills, lath machinery
and shingle machine. They cut 35,000 feet of rough lumber, and 8,000 feet
of cedar, or 15,000 spruce shingles, and 24,000 to 30,000 lath per day.
The timber cut is mostly spruce and cedar, employing forty-five men at
the mill, and eighty men in the logging camps. D.H.Beattie's mill was burned
in December, 1886, but it is expected to be re-built this season.
David
H. Beattie, son, of James, was born in Ryegate, October 3, 1816. His father
was born in Antrim, Antrim county, Ireland, but the original stock was
from Scotland. His mother was Margaret J. Gillespie, a native of Londonderry,
Ireland. James Beattie was a linen draper in early life, and coming to
America went first to Virginia, and afterwards to Ryegate, where, in 1805,
he married his wife. Here he became interested in the lumber trade, and
did a large business for those days. He also leased the Passumpsic turnpike,
which was then, and continued until 1838, a toll toad. James Beattie died
December 31, 1866, aged ninety-one years. David R. Beattie has been engaged
in the lumber business since 1848. For several years with his brothers
he was engaged in running logs down the Connecticut. He was, interested
in the South Lancaster mill, which D.H. & T.G. Beattie operated from
1877 to 1881, when it was burned, also in two mills in Brunswick, one from
1864 to 1876, and one from 1853 to 1876. Mr. Beattie served as county sheriff
in 1855-56-57, state senator in 1861-62, assistant judge four years, presidential
elector in 1881, was elected judge of probate in 1885-86, and reelected
for two years at the last election. He married Harriet D. daughter of Thomas
Carlisle, of Lancaster, N.H., and has four sons and two daughters.
(Source:
Gazetteer
of Caledonia and Essex Counties, VT.;
1764-1887, Compiled and Published by Hamilton Child; May 1887, Page 443-444)
This excerpt
was provided by Tom Dunn.
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