It has been a dream of mine for many years to go to New England and visit the area my ancestors lived two hundred years ago. In 2007 I was contacted by the current owner of my third great grandfather's home and that only solidified my wish to visit...
The original family came from England and are now known as part of "The First Settlers to America." They arrived in Roxbury in 1635 and were mention by Reverend John Elliot in his record of the church.
"John Cheny (-1666) he came into the Land in the yeare 1635. He brought 4 children, Mary, Martha, John, Daniel. Sarah his 5th child was borne in the last month of the same year 1635, cold February. He removed from or church to Newbury the end of the next suer 1636. Martha Cheny the wife of John Cheny." (Cheney Genealogy, Charles Henry Pope, 1897)
Four generations of the Cheney family lived in Newbury, Massachusetts. Records show land belonging to the family was sold in 1765 and Timothy Sr.(1713-1772) moved "west" to Needham, Massachusetts. His son, Timothy Jr. (1745-1807), moved several times in his early married life including to Lancaster, Massachusetts, where four of his children were baptized. After 1780 and before 1783, Timothy Jr. and his family moved to Rutland, Vermont. He was a brick and stone mason and it has been reported he built the first brick house in Rutland (although as of this date I have not been able to find proof in this statement).
It was in Rutland, Vermont, my third great-grandfather, Prentiss Dana Cheney (1786-1842) was born. He was the youngest of eight children. Seven of these children were boys and Timothy Sr. would joke he had "forty two feet of boys."
Prentiss Dana married his wife Betsey Murray in 1807. Her father, Joseph Murray was listed as living in Addison when the first census was taken in 1790 so one would believe PD arrived in Addison some time before 1807. He bought 15 acres of land in Addison in1810 and participated in the War of 1812 as a surgeon near Addison.
1800-1812 The farmers in Addison became more and more thrifty; the log house gave way to the frame dwelling, or the more costly brick mansion; the wilderness to cultivated fields. The clarion blast of was showed that the sons of worthy sires had not degenerated. Two companies were raised to repel the enemy from Plattsburgh, and under General Samuel Strong, of Vergennes, did essential service. Dr. P. D. Cheny, of Addison, was surgeon of the regiment, and rendered material aid to the wounded after the battle on the lake. (Vermont Historical Gazetteer, Edited by Abby Maria Hemenway, Volume 1, Published by Miss A.M. Hemenway, 1867)
He was listed as a member of Addison Medical Society in 1813 and bought 35 acres bordering John Strong's land in 1814.
His wife Betsey Murray Cheney died in 1821. The doctor then married Lucinda Goodale in 1822, his next door neighbor.
In 1833 PD built the stone house know as Graystone. The date the house was built and his initials are above the front door.
The home is across the street from the one room school house built in 1820.
The property six acres in size. It is narrow, the typical width of a city lot, but is very deep and ends at the shore of Lake Champlain.
After PD's death in 1842 Lucinda continued to live in the house until her death in 1875 at which time her daughter Livia Mercy Cheney Hoyt (1832-1913) took possession of the property intending on living there, however, the house remained empty until the 1940's.
Although the house was uninhabitable it was bought by the Nefflin family. It was renovated and they lived in the house until 1975 when it was bought by Robert Hamilton who continued renovations including an additional bathroom and copper roof. The current owners have built a beautiful addition to the back of the house facing Cake Champlain. With the loving care of these three generations this family home once again has brought back to its original grandeur .
Not far from the house is Chimney Point State Park. Two hundred years ago it was the center of the community. At this point it is a short half mile to the other side of Lake Champlain and New York.
The building consisted of a tavern, and post office. The tavern was visited by Washington, Madison, Jefferson and Ethan Allen and P.D. worked as a postmaster in 1841 shortly before his death.
The original family came from England and are now known as part of "The First Settlers to America." They arrived in Roxbury in 1635 and were mention by Reverend John Elliot in his record of the church.
"John Cheny (-1666) he came into the Land in the yeare 1635. He brought 4 children, Mary, Martha, John, Daniel. Sarah his 5th child was borne in the last month of the same year 1635, cold February. He removed from or church to Newbury the end of the next suer 1636. Martha Cheny the wife of John Cheny." (Cheney Genealogy, Charles Henry Pope, 1897)
Four generations of the Cheney family lived in Newbury, Massachusetts. Records show land belonging to the family was sold in 1765 and Timothy Sr.(1713-1772) moved "west" to Needham, Massachusetts. His son, Timothy Jr. (1745-1807), moved several times in his early married life including to Lancaster, Massachusetts, where four of his children were baptized. After 1780 and before 1783, Timothy Jr. and his family moved to Rutland, Vermont. He was a brick and stone mason and it has been reported he built the first brick house in Rutland (although as of this date I have not been able to find proof in this statement).
It was in Rutland, Vermont, my third great-grandfather, Prentiss Dana Cheney (1786-1842) was born. He was the youngest of eight children. Seven of these children were boys and Timothy Sr. would joke he had "forty two feet of boys."
Prentiss Dana married his wife Betsey Murray in 1807. Her father, Joseph Murray was listed as living in Addison when the first census was taken in 1790 so one would believe PD arrived in Addison some time before 1807. He bought 15 acres of land in Addison in1810 and participated in the War of 1812 as a surgeon near Addison.
1800-1812 The farmers in Addison became more and more thrifty; the log house gave way to the frame dwelling, or the more costly brick mansion; the wilderness to cultivated fields. The clarion blast of was showed that the sons of worthy sires had not degenerated. Two companies were raised to repel the enemy from Plattsburgh, and under General Samuel Strong, of Vergennes, did essential service. Dr. P. D. Cheny, of Addison, was surgeon of the regiment, and rendered material aid to the wounded after the battle on the lake. (Vermont Historical Gazetteer, Edited by Abby Maria Hemenway, Volume 1, Published by Miss A.M. Hemenway, 1867)
He was listed as a member of Addison Medical Society in 1813 and bought 35 acres bordering John Strong's land in 1814.
His wife Betsey Murray Cheney died in 1821. The doctor then married Lucinda Goodale in 1822, his next door neighbor.
 |
| (The Enterprise and Vermonter (Vegennes, Vermont 2 February 1842, pg 2) |
Comments
Post a Comment