William Adams, Henry Felch, John Taylor, Nicholas Ide

Adams Family

WILLIAM ADAMS came from Edinburgh, Scotland to this country some time previous to 1795. He had been educated for the ministry and was very proficient in the classical languages. He decided, however, not to follow this profession and spent some time in the South as a teacher. He came to Vermont about 1795-7. In June 1797 he was admitted to the church at Barnet Center and the following year was chosen Clerk of the session. He married Lois Clark of Newbury and in the year 1800 bought the farm on Joe's Brook, which still remains in the Adams family.

At this time there was only a bridle path on the south side of the brook and up this path he came leading an ox upon which his wife was seated. He built a plank house below where the present house stands and nearer the brook and spent the rest of his life there. Upon his death in 1842 he was buried in Barnet Center Cemetery beside his wife and his daughter Nancy.

The children of William and Lois Adams were James 1799, died 1804; William 1801, died 1804; John 1803, died 1848; James 1805, died 1896; Nancy 1808, died 1847; William 1811, died 1896. John kept the home place and in due time passed it on to his son, John Francis, and later it was taken over by his son, Glen A. James married Mary Parker and their children were William, Frank, Jane, and Alice.

The youngest son, William, was the fourth in direct descent to bear the name — two living in Scotland and two in this country — and he was a successful farmer, able in business and friendly in bearing. He married Mary Felch and bought the large farm settled by her father, Joseph. Two children were born to them, Mary 1841, died in infancy, and Cynthia Lois 1844, married Elmore T. Ide of Passumpsic and St. Johnsbury.

Felch Family

HENRY FELCH came to this country from Wales in 1641 and was one of the earliest settlers of Gloucester and Watertown, Mass. He had one son, Henry, who was born in Wales in 1610 and died in 1699. His wife, Hannah, was also born in Wales and lived to be nearly one hundred years old. They settled and lived in Reading, Mass. Their children were Hannah 1650-1668, Mary 1653, Elizabeth 1655-57, Samuel 1657-61, John 1660-1746, Samuel 1662-1683, Joseph 1664-1727, Elizabeth 1666-1686, Daniel 1668-1752, Hannah 1672, Ruth 1675.

Doctor Daniel lived in Reading, married Deborah Dean, second wife Sarah, and third Hepsibah. He had by his last marriage five children: Curtis, Joseph, Sarah, Samuel and Henry.

Joseph, born 1725 at Seabrook, N. H., married Mary Hoit about 1756 and moved to Weare, N. H. Their children were Annie 1757, Jabez 1759, Curtis 1761, Molly 1764, Joseph 1765, Jonathan 1768, John 1773, Benjamin 1775.

Joseph, 1765-1846, came from Weare, N. H. to Waterford, Vermont in 1786 and located on the farm now owned by Frank Hastings, then a wilderness to which he was guided only by marked trees. He brought with him only an axe and a blanket but he became in time one of the most successful farmers and most prominent men in that section. He was elected to most of the town offices and served faithfully. The three farms adjoining his were owned by his three sons and their families. He first built a log cabin on the upper side of the hundred-acre field across the road from where the Hastings house now stands. The woods were full of bears and game, and the brook with trout. He was a Universalist in religious belief and a Jeffersonian Democrat.

Joseph married Sarah Ayer and by that marriage his children were Samuel 1789 to old age, Sarah 1791-1860, Carlton 1793-6, Ira 1795-1879, Ithamar 1797. The second wife was Abigail Manchester and their children were Cynthia 1799-1874, Joseph 1801-1880, Carlton 1803-1835, John 1805-1896, Mary 1807-1897, Lucinda 1809-1893, Hannah 1810-1874, George 1812-1897, Curtis 1816-1844. Sarah married Thomas Fenner Sherman of Lyndonone son (adopted) Francis Sherman, his son Frank Sherman. Ira lived in Brownington, Vt. Cynthia married Henry Sherman. (Our mother, Cynthia Lois, was named for her and for the wife of William Adams.)

John married Frinda Powers and they lived for some years on the farm later owned by Narcissus Moreau and F. H. Shepherd. From there they moved to Passumpsic and lived in the brick house with William and Mary Adams. Their children were Mandana 1839-1862, (married Oscar Daggett), and Leander 1841-1865.

Lucinda married Samuel Church of Waterford. Their children were Lorina, Allen, Curtis, Lyman. Lyman had one daughter, Stella, who married Ernest Powers. Celia married Stewart Horr.

Hannah married Archibald Lackie of Waterford. Thirteen children were born to them. Of these Milo and his son Elmer have made their homes in this locality.

George Washington lived on the farm below the home farm. He married Phoebe Richardson. Their children were Isadore, Isabelle, Albert, Lydia, Curtis, Phoebe, George, and Charles. Isadore married George Goodell of Passumpsic. Albert married Ellen Lawrence and left one daughter, Ida, who married Martin D. Gibson, and has one son, Milo. Albert died in the Civil War and his wife married Hiram Russell. Lydia married Olin Harvey; later married Asa Livingstone of Newport. Curtis married Abigail Powers and they had one daughter, Abbie Felch 1844-1923. She married Wallace Morse and they had two children, Fred W. and Esther. Esther married W. H. Clifford of Danville and they had two children, Wallace H. and Edith. George lived for many years in Hyde Park and Winthrop, Mass.

Mary married William Adams. They lived on the original Felch farm for years then moved to the brick house in Passumpsic. Their daughter, Cynthia Lois, married Elmore T. Ide of Passumpsic and St. Johnsbury.

Taylor Family

JOHN TAYLOR was one of the Puritans who sailed from England with John Winthrop in 1630. He settled in Lynn, Mass. where his wife and child died soon after their arrival. In 1640 he moved to Windsor, Conn. and there married Rhoda – (a widow) and had two sons: John, born about 1641; and Thomas, born about 1643. He was lost at sea on a voyage to England in 1645-6.

John settled in Northampton, Mass., married Thankful Woodward, and had thirteen children: Thankful 1663, Johannah 1665, John 1667, Rhoda 1669, Elizabeth 1672, Mary 1673, Jonathan 1675, Mindwell 1677, Lydia 1678, Thomas 1680, Elizabeth 2nd 1682, Experience 1684, Samuel, Aug. 30, 1688. He was a Captain and was killed by Indians in 1704.

Samuel settled in Deerfield, Mass. and married Sarah Munn of Springfield, Mass. She died in 1716. They had one son, Samuel 1716. He again married and had four children: Othniel 1719, Mary 1721, John 1722, Jonathan 1724. He died from a wound in 1735.

Samuel was a soldier for many years, and was in command of Fort Massachusetts, (now Williamstown, Mass.) He married Ann Alexander and had nine children: Sarah 1739, Anna 1741, Mary 1743, Asa 1746, Oliver 1748, Oct. 22nd, Solomon 1751, Susanna 1754, Elias 1756, Joanna 1760. Settled in Hartland, Vt., about 1780 and died in 1780.

Oliver was probably born in Fort Massachusetts. He was in Northfield, Mass. in 1771 and settled in Hartland, Vt. He was a farmer, and also ran a sawmill on Quechee River. He married Abigail Sprague, and had eleven children: Oliver, Feb. 18, 1776; Anna; Abigail, Nov. 1777; Vine, Feb. 8, 1780; Azubah, Jan 12, 1782; Philina, May 1, 1784; Mary, April 23, 1786 ; Mehitable, Mar. 11, 1788; Sally, April 9, 1790; Levi, May 5, 1792; Sprague. He died May 19th, 1797, the result of a log rolling upon him in his mill yard. His widow married a Mr. Bean of Plainfield, N. H. whom she outlived, and passed her last days with her daughter, Mrs. Stevens of Enosburg Falls.

Azubah married Joseph Knights, Jr. (born at Fitzwilliam, N. H., April 2nd, 1780) at Hartland, Vt., February 18th, 1806. They had nine children: Lodoska, Feb. 5, 1807; Oliver, April 10, 1810; Horace, Aug. 16, 1812 ; Alphronos, Nov. 1, 1814; Roswell, June 28, 1817; Laurette, Nov. 24, 1819; Hiram, April 6, 1822; Abigail, Oct. 1, 1824; Joseph Jr., March 19, 1827; all born at Waterford, Vt. Azubah died July 2nd, 1835. Joseph married the widow Mary Gaarland April 25th, 1836; she died May 4th, 1841, no children. He again married Nancy Lang, no children. Joseph died Nov. 30th, 1855. Horace went early in life to California. Alphronos lived in Boston and Melrose, Mass. Roswell spent his life in Franconia, N. H. Laurette married Daniel Jackson, and had one son, William Jackson. She afterwards married J. C. Bingham who for many years kept a drug store in St. Johnsbury, Vt. They had two sons, Charles and Henry. Charles married Mary Ellen Higgins and they had one daughter, Katherine Bingham. Abigail married Merrill Hazeltine of Polo, Illinois. Joseph Jr. was lost at sea while rounding the Horn on his way to California. Lodoska married Jacob Ide and lived for many years in Passumpsic, Vt.

Ide Family

Note:—The name Ide in records is variously spelled Hyde, Hide. In the earlier years: Iyde, Ide, Iyd, and Jyde.

NICHOLAS IDE III, son of Nicholas II, who was the son of Nicholas I, came from Belstone in Devonshire, 195 miles from London, 2 miles east or southeast of Okehampton, to Braintree in 1636 with his stepfather, Thomas Bliss of Belstone, and his mother. They settled first at Hartford and then removed back to Braintree, from here they went to Rehoboth in 1643 where they settled permanently.

In 1689 Nicholas Ide was one of the proprietors of the town. He married Martha Bliss. In 1669 he was appointed to settle a dispute with King Philip the Indian chief. Died in 1690 in Rehoboth and buried there. His children were Nathaniel 1647, Mary 1649, John 1652, Lieut. Nicholas 1654, Martha 1656, Elizabeth 1658, Timothy 1660, Dorothy 1662, Patience 1664, Experience 1665.

Timothy gained fame as an Indian fighter and took active part in the wars against the Indians. Born 1660, married Elizabeth Cooper October 20th, 1687. He was one of the proprietors of the town and was among the Representatives in 1710 to the General Court of Massachusetts. He is recorded as Captain. He died in 1735. His children were Lieut. Timothy 1688, Elizabeth 1690, Mary 1692, Sarah 1694, Rachel and Experience, twins, 1696; Josiah 1698, Daniel 1701.

Lieut. Timothy, born 1688, married 1716 Mary Daggett. He died in 1768. His children were Ichabod 1717, Timothy 1719, John 1728, Peleg 1731.

The children of Ichabod were Molly 1741, John 1742, Sarah 1744, Elathan 1746, Hannah 1750, Joseph 1753, Ichabod 1755, Israel 1757, James and Jesse (twins) 1760. The children of John 1742, were Abigail 1766, Hannah 1767, Sarah 1770, Timothy 17172, Elathan 1773, Rev. John 1775, Molly 1777, Rev. Jacob 1779, Lydia 1781, Susanna 1783, Deborah 1785, Betty 1787. The children of Rev. John 1775, were Rev. George B. 1804, and John Calvin 1808. The children of George B. were George O. 1831, Harriet, 1833, William 1835. The children of George O. were Rev. George B. 1862, William K. 1865, Charles 1867, Helen 1869, Arthur 1872. George B. had one son, George G. 1891. Also in this family, from Jacob, were descended Joseph, Betsy 1813, Harriet 1816. Joseph had two sons, George H. 1839, Edward M. 1841. George H. was for twenty-two years pastor of the Grand Avenue Church in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. His children were Carrie Sanborn who married Robert Cooley, and Dr. Charles Edward. Edward M. had one daughter, Minnie, who married George Alvord of St. Johnsbury and later George R. Ide of Washington, D. C. Betsy 1813, married Edward Mason of Passumpsic and her children were Rev. Edward, Francis and Susan. Susan married Curtis Harvey of Passumpsic. Harriet 1816, married in 1841 the Rev. Eleazer C. Eager, who was born in Swanton, Vermont. They went to Mississippi where they made their home for many years and established the Eager branch of the family in the south.

It was John Ide 1742, who came to Vermont from Rehoboth about 1790 and settled on Crow Hill, and it was his son, Timothy, who purchased the grist mill and water power at Passumpsic and thus determined the family destiny for more than a century. John Ide served as a Lieutenant in the Revolutionary War.

Timothy married Esther Armington, the daughter of Squire Armington, who settled the large farm north of Passumpsic, known as the Parks or Gray farm. Their children were Joseph 1798, Sally 1799, John 1800, Willard 1801, Olive 1803, Ellie 1805, Jacob 1806, Sally 1809, Esther 1810, Marcy Ann 1815, and Fanny 1817. Of these Willard went to Rahway, New Jersey. His daughter, Mary, married John Pierce and Annie married A. H. Brown. Ellie married John Higgins and was the mother of William, Clark and George Higgins. Fanny married Harris. Esther married - Tyson. Jacob married Lodoska Knights of Waterford and their children were Ellen 1830, Esther Amanda 1833, Amanda 1836, Elmore Timothy 1839-1923, Horace Knights 1842-1897, and Henry Clay 1844-1921. Ellen, Esther and Amanda died in infancy. Horace Knights entered the Civil War as a private, gave distinguished service and was mustered out in 1865 with the rank of Major. He married Margaret Chamberlain of Danville and had one son Dr. Philip Sheridan 1868, of Wayland, Mass. His children are Nicholas, and Patience.

Henry Clay practiced law in St. Johnsbury, was U. S. Commissioner to Samoa, member of the Taft Commission in the Philippine Islands, and Governor General. Later he served as Minister to Spain. He married Mary Melcher of Stoughton, Mass. and their children were Adelaide Melcher 1872-1898, Harry Joseph 1875-1882, Anne 1876, and Mary Marjorie 1880. Anne married Hon. W. Bourke Cockran of New York and Marjorie married John Randolph Leslie (Shane Leslie) of Ireland, and London, England. Their children are Anne Theodosia 1913, John Norman Ide 1917, and Desmond 1921.

Elmore Timothy 1839-, became eventually President of the Ide family business and was a man greatly respected and trusted. He married Cynthia Adams and their children were Katharine 1863, George 1867, Dr. Henry Clay 1869-1907, Mary Ellen 1871, Fanny 1876, William Adams 1881.

Katharine married George M. Gray, Secretary of the Ide Corporation and had one daughter, Helen 1888, who married Harold Gates Powell of Franklin, Vt. They have two children, Donald Gray 1922, and Katharine 1924.

George married Margaret Borden of Alabama and they have one adopted son, Richard Knox, who married Sarah Harris of Alabama and they have one daughter, Sarah Ann.

Dr. Henry Clay married Harriet Baxter of Highgate, Vermont and upon his death in 1907 left two sons Robert Elmore 1901, and Paul Armington 1902. Robert is a government engineer living in Washington. He married Virginia Royall of Maine and their children are Allen Baxter, Henry Clay, Ann Roberta.

Mary married ex-Governor Charles W. Gates of Franklin, Vermont.

Fanny Knights married Dr. Oliver M. W. Sprague of Harvard, authority on Economics, adviser to the Bank of England. Their children are Katharine Ide 1906, and Theodore Wentworth 1911.

William Adams is President of the Ide Corporation which has extended until it has branches in many surrounding towns. William married Harriet Rouse and their children were Mary Elizabeth 1906, John Rouse 1909, and Richard Elmore 1913. Later William married Blanche Koch of New Jersey. Elizabeth married Stanley De Jong Osborne of Guatemala, and they live in Cohasset, Mass. Their children are Mary Ide 1931, Richard De Jong 1934, and Cynthia Adams 1937. Richard Elmore 1913, is Vice-President of the Ide Company. He married Margaret Pearl of St. Johnsbury and they have one son, John Timothy 1939.