Essex

DeFOREST, Mills (with history of Lemington)

Vermont Historical Magazine, No XI, October 1867, p 1015 (excerpt from a 
section on the history of Lemington, Essex County)

Mills DeFOREST came to this town [Lemington, Essex County, Vermont] from 
Huntington [Fairfield County], Connecticut, about 1781, and was chosen town clerk at 
the first town meeting in 1796, and held the office for many years 
afterwards. He was also chosen representative several times, and died in 
1844, aged seventy-nine years. An edited version of the history of 
Lemington, which contains several references to Mr. DeFOREST, authored by 
Arthur T. HOLBROOK, follows.

Lemington is situated on the Connecticut River, near the northeast corner of 
the state; first surveyed by Eben W. JUDD in 1786, and contains about 24,000 
acres, about six hundred of which were later annexed from Canaan. It is 
bounded north by Canaan, east by New Hampshire, south by Bloomfield, and west 
by Averill; chartered in 1762 by Benning WENTWORTH to Samuel AVERILL and 
sixty-three others. The first proprietors meeting was held at Matincook, 03 
August 1762, and the first town meeting 28 March 1796; James LARNED chosen 
moderator; Mills De FOREST, town clerk; and Noah BUFFINGTON, James LARNED, 
and Ward BAILEY, selectmen.

The surface of the soil is generally pretty rocky and uneven, with the 
exception of intervals on the Connecticut River. Monadnoc mountain [about 
3,000 feet] is situated in this town. A great portion of this mountain has 
been burned over at different times, the fire destroying large quantities of 
fine spruce and cedar timber; a spring, strongly impregnated with iron and 
sulphur issues from the easterly side of the mountain, considered valuable 
for its medicinal properties, having proved itself effacious in several cases 
of salt-rheum, scrofula, etc. A slide from the easterly side of this 
mountain took place one night in the summer of 1805. It filled a large pond 
at the foot of the mountain, and afforded a chance for building the country 
road. Lewis SMERRAGE lived on the banks of the Connecticut, at a short 
distance from the slide at the time it took place. He was so frightened by 
the tremendous noise made by the great quantities of rocks, trees, etc., 
which cam down from the mountain, that he jumped out of his bed and scrambled 
under it, thinking as he afterwards said, that the day of judgment had come. 
The next morning he found his meadow nearly covered with water, which had 
been forced out of the pond by the slide. At the present time, pieces of 
timber may be found among the rocks which came down in the slide. A few 
years ago Mr. Thomas HOLBROOK attempted to dig a well in the vicinity of the 
slide, and after he had dug to the depth of about six feet, he came across a 
huge hemlock log, and was forced to abandon the job.

The early settlers of Lemington had to endure many hardships and privations. 
They were obliged to carry their grain to Guildhall, twenty-five miles 
distant, to be ground. Their chief article of manufacture were salts, which 
they were obliged to carry to Lancaster, about thirty-six miles distant, to 
sell. The first inhabitants were forced to depend partly upon hunting and 
fishing for a living. Fortunately for them game was abundant. Moose were 
plenty, and salmon have been caught in the Connecticut that would weigh 
twenty pounds. The first framed house was built by Mills DeFOREST, in 1790, 
on the site where the house owned and occupied by Abdiel BLODGETT now stands. 
The first saw mill was built by Mills De FOREST in 1795, and the first grist 
mill in 1810 by the same person. There are four school districts in town 
with the same number of schoolhouses; about sixty pupils; average attendance 
five months. The population of Lemington is 189, and the grand list is about 
$600. The men who have gone from this town to help suppress the rebellion of 
1861 are Joseph WATSON, Manlius HOLBROOK, Carlos WILLY, and Alfred HARRIS.

Submitted by Cathy Kubly