The surface of the town is considerably diversified with hills and valleys, but the soil is generally good. The uplands afford excellent pasturage and produce an abundance of grain, while the lowlands are rich and fertile, affording excellent crops. The timber is mostly hard wood, with some hemlock, spruce, and pine. The maple is quite abundant and from it is made large quantities of sugar. Williams river is the principal water-course. It is formed here by the union of three considerable branches, which unite, nearly in the same place, about a mile southeast of Chester village, affording good mill-sites. The rocks entering into the geological formation of the territory are mostly gneiss. In the western part, however, talcose schist predominates. Two beds of steatite are also found, one in the southwestern and one in the north-western part of the territory The gneiss, at some points, passes into granite, affording opportunities for quarrying granite as well as gneiss. About a mile north of Chester village a mineral spring was discovered in 186o, the waters of which, it is said, contain valuable medicinal remedies, possessing unusual properties for the cure of cutaneous diseases. About a mile north of Chester Depot the railroad passes through a swamp which at one time must have been a pond, and became covered over with vegetable matter. When the road was built, the workmen, after having made quite a heavy fill of gravel from an adjacent terrace upon the muck of the swamp, were surprised one morning after a heavy shower in the night to discover that the road upon which they had been at work had sunk several feet, and was out of sight. Many additions of gravel had to be made to the road before it was sufficiently high and permanent for cars to pass over.

      In 1880 Chester had a population of 1,901, and in 1882 it was divided into seventeen school districts and contained seventeen common schools, employing one male and twenty-three female teachers, to whom was paid an aggregate salary of $2,400.39. There were 450 pupils attending common school, while the entire cost of the schools for the year, ending October 31st, was $7,808.42, with Mrs. H. H. GOWING, superintendent.

      Durastus GOWING & Co.'s grist-mill, located at North Chester, was built in 1883 upon the site of a mill destroyed by fire in 1882. The firm does custom work.

      The Chester Steam-Power Co. was organized as a stock company April II, 1881. Their works are leased by Loring ATWOOD, for manufacturing chairstock.

      The Chester Dairymen's Association's cheese factory, located at North Chester, is conducted by Milton H. BEMIS, and manufactures cheese from the milk of about 400 cows.

      W.L. WARE's grist-mill, located at Chester, is operated by water-power and does custom work.

      Quartus D. GOWING's grist and feed grill, located at Chester Depot, is operated by water-power. He does a large merchant business.

      Loring, ATWOOD's steam chair-stock factory, located at Chester Depot, gives employment to fourteen hands.

      J.D. POWERS's chair-stock factory, located at Factoryville, is operated by water-power, and gives employment to six hands.

      HOLDEN's soapstone mill, located at North Chester, is operated by waterpower, and gives employment to four men.

      Willard BAILEY's grist acrd saw-mill, located on road 33, is operated by water-power and does custom work.

      Russell COBLEIGH's children's carriage factory, located at Chester, gives employent to fifteen hands and turns out 3,000 children's carriages, 2,000 doll carriages, and 2,000 hand-sleds of all kinds, per annum.

      C. WALKER's cabinet shop is located at Chester. He has been in the business since 1832.

      Under the second charter from New Hampshire the proprietors held a number of meetings, but none in Chester until about the year 1764. Their first appointed clerk was John GOULDING, who held the office from 1761 to 1763. Thomas CHANDLER, Jr., was then elected to succeed him, and was clerk until the organization of the town, in 1767. During the year 1763, the elder CHANDLER, with his sons, John and Thomas, removed to the town and were soon after followed by Jabez SARGEANT, Edward JOHNSON, Isaiah JOHNSON, Charles MANN, William WARNER, Ichabod IDE, and Ebenezer HOLTON, from Woodstock, Conn., and Worcester and Malden, Mass. From this time forward the settlement increased so rapidly that on the 16th of January, 1771, the town had 152 inhabitants, the fourth largest in what is now Windsor county, the town of Windsor being the most populous. In 1791, this population had increased from 152 to 981.

      About the time the New York charter was issued, in 1766, the county of Cumberland was organized and Chester was made the shire town. Thomas CHANDLER was appointed chief judge of the county court, and his son, John CHANDLER, clerk. The erection of the courts, building of the jail and courthouse, the riots connected therewith, and the final removal of the seat of government to Westminster, however, have all been spoken of in connection with the county chapter, so it would be superfluous to go over the ground again here. On the first Monday in Tune, 1767, the town was organized. At this meeting a full quota of officers was appointed, though no record is found of any town officers until 1772 ; but all the records to be found made during that time are in the handwriting of Thomas CHANDLER, and he was no doubt the town clerk each year, and the other officers were chosen also. But on the 19th of May, 1772, the inhabitants "met at the court-house in Chester, Cumberland county, Province of New York, and chose Thomas CHANDLER town clerk and supervisor; Charles MANN, David HUTCHINSON, John STONE and Joshua CHURCH, constables; Jabez SARGEANT and George EARL, assessors; Thomas STONE and Josiah JOHNSON, collectors; William GAGE and David HUTCHINSON, overseers of the poor; Timothy OLCOTT, Jonathan TARBELL and George EARL, commissioners of highways; and Moses GILE and John SMITH, fence viewers." The first justices of the peace were Thomas CHANDLER and Daniel HEALD, in 1786. The first representative was Thomas CHANDLER, in March, 1778. The first born was Thomas Chester CHANDLER, son of John and Esther CHANDLER, December 26, 1763. The first death was that of Lucy, daughter of Thomas and Elizabeth CHANDLER, August 28, 1763.

      Among the distinguished 'persons who have resided in Chester may be mentioned Nathan SMITH, M. D.. C. I. M. S., London, a professor in Yale college and lecturer in the Vermont University, who resided here many years in his early life. Col. Thomas CHANDLER, under whose particular influence and agency the charter under New York was obtained, was a man of quick apprehension, hasty in his movements, and dogmatical, and was said to have been instrumental in the massacre at Westminster, and afterwards died there. Thomas CHANDLER, Jr., was also conspicuous in the formation of the State government, being one of the commissioners of confiscated estates, one of the judges of the first supreme court and first secretary of State. Elder Aaron LELAND, in early life, took an active part in politics as well as religion, and filled several offices of trust in town, county, and State, was town clerk, one of the selectman, and representative a number of years, judge of the county court, speaker of the house of representatives, and lieutenant-governor of the State. His portly appearance in person overawed some, while his light and airy deportment sometimes displeased others. Lucius HUBBARD, Esq., educated at Yale college, was for a number of years the only lawyer in the town. He was a man of science and died young.

      Daniel HEALD, Esq., was one of the early settlers from Concord, Mass., where he resided at the commencement of the Revolutionary war, was a soldier in the battle at Concord bridge, and in the service at Cambridge, the same season and also at Ticonderoga. In 1776 he built a log house in Chester, upon the same lot on which he resided until his death, in 1833, in the ninety-fifth year of his age. He shared fully the confidence of his townsmen, being town clerk twenty years, from 1779 to 1799, and represented the town in the legislature thirteen years.

      William ATWOOD, from Rhode Island, came to Chester in 1774, locating upon a farm where Chester village now is. Here he built a log house which was used as a hotel for some time. He reared a family of eleven children, most of whom, however, migrated to distant places. Rufus inherited the homestead, which he occupied until his death. Oliver and Jeremiah spent their lives in the town. Oliver married Miranda BACON and reared twelve children, nine of whom attained an adult age. The daughter of James, (Mrs. Sarah F. THOMPSON,) one of the nine, now resides on road 9. Jeremiah purchased a farm on the South Branch of Williams river, in 1786, the same now occupied by Ransom SHERWIN. He married Zilpha WILLARD, September 18, 1788, and they both died on the old homestead in 1837, he at the age of seventy-three years and she aged sixty-eight years. Seven of their nine children spent their lives in the town, one of whom, Alpheus, still resides here, aged eighty years.

      Abraham SAWYER, from Templeton, Mass., came to Chester in 1778, and soon after built a saw-mill where POWER's mill is now located. About the year 1800 he built a grist-mill near the former. Mr. SAWYER had two sons, Abraham, Jr., and Joseph. Joseph married Abigail MANN and had one son and one daughter. The son, Thomas SAWYER, built a woolen-mill here in 1822 and a grist-mill in 1816.

      John PUTNAM, son of John PUTNAM, of Farmington, Conn., came to this town about 1783 and located on road 20. He married Molly BAKER, by whom he had children as follows: Jesse, Robert, John, Jr., Molly, Betsey, John, 2d, Rachel and Sally. Albert A., son of Jesse, married Mary A. S. Ward and now resides at the South village. John PUTNAM, Jr., located in the northern part of the town, on road 6. His son, Orric, died on the place his widow now occupies.

      Daniel DAVIS, a Revolutionary soldier, served during a large portion of the war for Independence, receiving at its close his pay in continental currency. With this money he purchased of Jesse BURK, of Westminster, 125 acres of land in Thomlinson, now Grafton, Vt. He made this purchase April 7, 1784, without seeing the land, the only stipulation being that it should “not be a lake or a mountain." He built a log cabin on his farm, and September 10, 1786, took Experience SAWYER, daughter of Abraham SAWYER, to preside over it. In 1789 Mr. DAVIS exchanged farms with his father-in-law, thereby coming into possession of the farm on road 49 in Chester, now owned by his grandson, Lemuel H. DAVIS. The house he occupied was built in 1799. Daniel had a large family of children, whose descendants are numerous in this vicinity.

      Hugh HENRY, from Aokworth, N. H., came to Chester prior to 1780, and located upon what is now known as the Henry homestead, about a mile east of Chester village. Here he kept the first tavern in the town, and also kept a store for a long time. Mr. Henry was a prominent man in public affairs, held many of the town offices, and died in 1849, aged seventy-nine years. He married Susan DODGE and reared one son and three daughters. The son, Hugh H. HENRY, was born October 31, 1814, graduated from Dartmouth .college about 1833, married Sarah HENRY, of New Hampshire, and had a family of five sons and five daughters, as follows: Mary, Hugh, Martha D., Julia, Clark, Charles F., Arthur H., Patrick, William and Sarah E., all of whom, except Sarah E., who died in July, 1882, now are residents of the town. Hugh studied law and was admitted to the bar. In 1862 he enlisted as a private in Co. K, 16th Vt. Vols., became a lieutenant, and was mustered out in 1863. He then entered the provost marshal's office and remained a year and a half, and resumed the practice of his profession at Chester in 1866, where he has been since. Mr. HENRY married Alice A. ORDWAY, in May, 1872, and has a son and a daughter, Hugh and Emma C. He represented the town in 1870, '72, '74, and '76, and was in the senate in 1880.

      Major Abner FIELD was one of the early settlers of Chester. He was born in Cranston, R. I., July 5, 1754, and married Rebecca PAYNE, of the same town, February 22, 1779. He was a prominent man, and represented the town when the legislature met in Westminster, and died from a cold, contracted while a member, his death occurring at Chester, December 10, 1792. Abner W. FIELD will perhaps be remembered by some of the older inhabitants, an active and intelligent man who represented Chester two or three times in the legislature. Robert, William and Stephen Field were sons of Major Abner. Robert married Lydia FIELD, daughter of Pardon FIELD. William died unmarried, Stephen married Mary JORDAN, moved to Troy, Wis., and became one of the leading men in that section. Robert FIELD, when quite an old man, moved to Gerry, N. Y., where he died, leaving a numerous family.

      James FIELD, who came to Chester not far from 1787, was born in Providence, R. I., July 31, 1738, and died in Chester in 1827. He married Hannah STONE, by whom he had one son, Pardon. After the death of Hannah he married her sister, Jane, by whom he had several children, viz.: Hannah, Charles, Dorcas, Daniel, Elijah, Diana, Susan and James. Pardon FIELD was born in Cranston, R. I., at Field's Point, April 13, 1761, married Elizabeth WILLIAMS, a descendant of Roger WILLIAMS, and emigrated to Chester about 1786, locating upon the farm now occupied by Samuel ABBOT, and which was occupied for a number of years by James and Henry, son and grandson of Pardon. Pardon had ten children who reached maturity, viz: Hannah, born June 5, 1782, married John KIBLING, went to Ellisburgh, N.Y., and died there. Lydia, born May 16, 1784, married Robert FIELD, before mentioned. James, born March 27, 1788, married Mehitable THURSTON, and died at Chester, July 8, 1850. Jeremiah, born May 8, 1790, married Eliza SIMMONS, moved to Ellisburgh, N. Y., was a lawyer by profession, and died there April 13, 1861. Abner, born November 28, 1793, married Louisa GRISWOLD, and died in Springfield, December 19, 1864. Joseph, born January 22, 1796, married Abigail THURSTON, and has resided in or near Ogdensburg, N. Y., for a great many years. Sarah, born March 27, 1798, married Stephen Austin, and lived and died in Weston. Welcome, born October 14, 1802, married Calista EARLE, and died in Anoka, Minn., August 14, 1883, Pardon, Jr., born April 10, 1805, married Mary HOAR, and at her decease, a Miss FISH. Pardon FIELD, Sr., died in Chester in 1842, and his wife died in 1840, Hannah, half sister of Pardon, Sr., married Joseph WILLIAMS and has three children, Joseph, William and James. Charles FIELD, brother of Hannah, married Mary WILSON, and had children as follows: Fanny, who married a Mr. PEASE; Charles, who married Mary FOSTER and only recently gave up a well-rounded life, and some of whose children still reside in Chester; Betsey, who married a Mr. HILL; Elan, who only a few years since lived and died in Andover; Orrin, who married a Mr. HOAR; and Rest, who became a Mrs. FOSTER. Dorcas FIELD, a half sister of Pardon, married a Mr. WILLIAMS and has three children, Thomas, Arthur and Mrs. Ezekiel DAVIS, most of whom are known to the older inhabitants of Chester. Susan, another half sister of Pardon, married a Mr. CHANDLER, and had three children. James FIELD, Jr., married a Miss TAYLOR and lived for solve time on the farm now known as the town farm of Chester, he afterwards moved to Clarendon, where he died. His children were Moses, who became a Baptist clergyman, Seneca, now living in Fairhaven, Vt., Mary and James.

      Johnson FULLER, from Rhode Island, came to Chester in 1785, when there were only three frame buildings in the South village. Mr. FULLER was in the privateering service during the Revolutionary war and died at the North village a few years since, aged ninety-two years. He had a family of nine children, one of whom, Catharine. married William HOWARD.

      Paul TOBEY, from Massachusetts, settled in Chester about 1788. He married Betsey PARKER and reared nine children, one of whom, Andrew P., married Martha E. BOYNTON, of Springfield, Vt. This union resulted in five children, four of whom, Myron S., Mary E., and Emma E., on the homestead with their mother, and Pauline, wife of Highland CHANDLER, are living.

      Ichabod ONION came to Chester, from Dedham, Mass., about 1790 and purchased one hundred acres of land where the South village is, paying there for $1.50 per acre. He established a tannery soon after and continued the business nearly forty years, and died in 1837. His son Horace, who subsequently changed his name to Horace DEMING, born in 1798, married Julia DEMING, and now resides at the South village. Their children were named Charles, Mary, Riley, Frederick H., Fanny E., Julia, and Maynard F.

      Nathaniel and Thomas S. FULLERTON came to Chester in 1790, with their father, Abram, engaged in mercantile pursuits and accumulated a large property. Nathaniel (lied in 1872, aged ninety-seven years. Thomas S. died in 1824. Henry N. FULLERTON, son of Nathaniel, married Lucretia W. GOWDY and engaged in the wholesale dry goods trade in Boston, where he remained ten years, was in the woolen manufactory at Cavendish twenty years, came back to Chester in 1873, and died here in 1883. Frederick Eugene FULLERTON, son of Nathaniel, married Miss P. A. WENTWORTH, of Bellows Falls, located here in 1848, and reared four children.

      William HOSMER came to Chester at an early date and reared a family of eight children, six of whom were sons, of whom Amasa, Ira, William and Jesse H. spent their lives here, rearing large families. Jesse H. filled the offices of sheriff and constable many years, and died in 1839, aged forty-nine years, leaving four children, only one of whom, Mrs. N. S. LEE, is now living. Jesse H., who now resides on North street, is the eldest son of William P. and grandson of Jesse H.

      Daniel PERRY was born in Sherburne, Mass., January 27, 1767, married Sally WHITMORE in 1793, and came to Chester in 1794, locating about sixty rods off road 40. A few years later, in 1816, the log house was superseded by the frame structure in which the youngest son, Alonzo, now resides. Daniel reared twelve children, most of whom became scattered, and died March 31, 1855, aged eighty-eight years. Mrs. PERRY died October 2d of the same year.

      William CHANDLER, son of Willard, was born on the homestead, on road 10, now occupied by John A., April 4, 1798. He married Louisa ELLISON and reared seven children, viz.: Charles E., Aurilla M., Angelica L. (Mrs. David HAZELTON, of Worcester, Mass.), Adoniram J., a Baptist clergyman of Clinton, Conn.; John A., Gilbert R., who died in 1855, and William, also deceased. Charles E. married Georgiana Whitcomb, of Springfield, and has reared five children, as follows: Henry E., Nora G., Helen W., Grace M., and Eddie, of whom the latter died in 1872. Four now reside on the homestead, which was built in the spring of 1857, a substantial STONE structure, located two and one-half miles from Gassett's Station, and the same distance from North Springfield. William CHANDLER was an industrious farmer, a good citizen, and greatly esteemed by all who knew him. His widow residing with her son John A., on the homestead, at the age of seventy-six years, and who furnished the accompanying engraving of the place, retains an interest in the estate.

      John BALCH, from Francestown, N. H., came to Chester about 1795, locating on road 22, where he purchased a large tract of land. He married Lydia REED and reared a family of eleven children, of whom three daughters reside in Chester, two sons in Springfield, Vt., one daughter in Reading and one in Townsend. Clark, the second son, married Sabrina C. SHELDON and died here May 29, 1882, aged seventy-five years. His widow and nine children survive him.

      Jesse FISHER came from Massachusetts and located in the northern part of the town in 1797. He married Jerusha ARMSTRONG and reared six children. One of these, Jesse, married Abigail M. HARRINGTON and has three children.

      Isaac COLEMAN, from Rhode Island, came to Chester with his family of five children in 1880. Millard F. and Chester F., sons of James and grandsons of Isaac, now reside here.

      John P. BRYANT came to Chester about 1800, with a family of seven children. One of these, William A., became a Methodist minister, and his son, William N., is now a practicing physician in the town.

      Joseph S. HOLDEN located in the northern part of the town in 1800. In 1833 he built a saw-mill on North Branch and did a successful lumber business for many years. Mr. HOLDEN was also a skillful mechanic, and manufactured dentists' tools, etc., for a time. He now resides with his son, George W., at the age of ninety-two years.

      Moses RIGGS located in Chester about the year 1800. He married Esther BILLINGS and reared three sons and three daughters. His grandson, Henry H., son of Franklin, resides in the northwestern part of the town.

      Ephraim INGRAHAM, from Walpole, N. H., came to Chester previous to 1800. He married Sally KIBLIN and reared six sons and three daughters. Hubbard married Betsey CHURCH, and had two daughters, Lizzie and Hannah. Lizzie became the wife of John P. STEVENS, and has one daughter. Hannah is the wife of Warner CHURCH, and has one son and one daughter.

      Isaac ALLEN came to Chester from New Hampshire, in 1804, and engaged in blacksmithing at the North village. Five of his nine children are now living, of whom Mary A. SHERWIN and Rebecca reside on the old homestead.

      Philemon ROBBINS, born at Sterling, Mass. in 1783, came to Chester about 1815. He became a prominent man and served as a justice of the peace for many years.

      Thomas THOMPSON, one of Timothy THOMPSON's seven children, was born here on the old homestead, on road 22, December 16, 1814. He married Sarah F. ATWOOD, in 1839, and reared a family of six children, two of whom, Frederick H. and Forest G., now reside here, and died June 30, 1883. Mrs. Susanna GUILD is the only one of Timothy's children now living.

      Philemon PARKER, a son of one of the victims of the battle of Lexington, was an Early settler in Peru, Vt., and came to Chester in 1820. He had a large family of children, four of whom settled in Chester. John PARKER, the youngest son, married Miss E. JOHNSON about 1833, and erected the house now occupied by his only son, James. John died February 26, 1874, aged seventy-five years.

      Daniel ADAMS, born in Cavendish in 1795, married Catherine HARTWELL, and came to Chester in 1822. Of this family, Ira H. and Alpheus A. became active business men. Alpheus engaged in mercantile pursuits under the firm name of ADAMS & PARK, and died in 1.882. Ira H. is still a resident of the town.

      Ormond W. FLETCHER, son of Jonas FLETCHER, a soldier in the war of 1812, was born in this town, married Frances M. WESTON, of Springfield, Vt., in 1831, and engaged in mercantile pursuits at the North village in 1879, where he now is conducting a successful business.

      David A. SHERWIN, from Windham, Vt., came to Chester in 1838, and engaged in the mercantile business with M. C. RICHARDSON, building up a prosperous trade. He served the town as selectman thirteen years. He died in 1865, aged sixty-five years.

      The First Congregational church of Chester was organized in 1773, and Rev. Samuel WHITING was settled by this town and Rockingham, Windham county, for five years. He officiated one-third of the time at Chester and the remainder at Rockingham, after which the society had no settled pastor for thirty-six year's. In 1825, Rev. Uzziah C. BURNAP was settled here, and continued till 1837, since which time there have been several changes. The first church building was erected in 1789, a structure 40 by 50 feet. The present building was erected in 1729, and is now valued, including grounds, at $10,000.00. The society now has 180 members, with Rev. H. L. SLACK, pastor.

      The Baptist church of Chester, was organized in 1788, and built a house 40 by 30 feet the same season, which they continued to occupy until 1835, when it was removed and the present brick edifice erected, now valued at $6,000.00. Elder Aaron LELAND was pastor of the society from 1788 until his decease, in 1833, a period of forty-five years. Rev. A. R. WILSON is the present pastor.

      St. Luke's Protestant Episcopal church, located at Chester, was organized in 1868. The first Episcopal services held here were in 1867, by Rev. Charles S. HALE, of Bellows Falls. Regular services soon followed and a mission was organized by the name of St. Philip's mission. In 1868 Rev. Mr. FLANDERS was called, the present church organized at Easter, with ten communicants, which number has since increased to eighty-eight. The church building was erected in 1871, and is valued, including other property, at $14.000. The present rector, Rev. Thomas S. OAKFORD, succeeded Mr. FLANDERS in October, 1882.

      The First Universalist church, located at North Chester, was first organized in 1827, and re-organized in 1871. The church building, a stone structure capable of seating 300 persons, was built in 1845, and is now valued at $4,000.00. The society has no regular pastor at present.

Gazetteer of Towns
Gazetteer and Business Directory of 
Windsor County, Vt., For 1883-84
Compiled and Published By Hamilton Child,
Syracuse, N. Y. Printed January, 1884.
Page 113-122.

Transcribed by Karima Allison ~ 2004