Waterford's Earliest Map, 1787, plus the 1875 Map

The earliest history of Waterford is under its original name, which was Littleton (Vt.). According to the Vermont State Archives & Records Administration (VSARA), "Littleton was created by a Vermont charter in 1780. The town name changed to Waterford in 1797." 

VSARA offers through its website a selection of "lotting plans" of Vermont's earliest years, as investors and potential settlers divided up land that had been by custom held by the Abenakis. (There was no agreement from the tribe for this, so the lands today are called "unceded" -- that is, never actually "given up.")

This map of the town's lots shows many familiar names. When I (BK) find a good explanation of the "divisions" referred to, I will add it to this post. Meanwhile, here is the fascinating map!

For comparison, here is the 1875 Beers Atlas map of the town (can be purchased today from www.old-maps.com):

Farewell and God Bless, to Rosalie Vear

What a loss this town has felt with the September 1 passing of Rosalie Vear, whose creative and kind spirit brought so much to so many. With permission from her daughter Kate, we share pages from her memoir here, as she wrote about her years growing up in Waterford.

Also here, with her photo, is the beautifully written obituary that celebrates her life:

 

Rosalie T. (Rancour) Vear

Aug. 19, 1926 - Sept. 1, 2024

Anyone who was fortunate enough to know Rosalie T. (Rancour) Vear had the privilege of knowing a woman who was unequivocally selfless and kind. They also knew she had many passions including gardening, baking bread, and quilting (just to mention a few) and that she possessed a wonderful sense of humor and a remarkable artistic talent. She was also a great storyteller and wrote several books chronicling her life and family. At the age of 90, she wrote her first memoir, From Start to Finish. These are her words taken from the epilogue of that book, and they portray perfectly how truly thoughtful and loving she was:

“My life is like a tapestry filled with bright colors showing the happy times and the dark colors outlining the bright colors, depicting the sad times of my life. The contrast is what makes it beautiful. And my life has been truly beautiful. [The people I have deeply loved and lost] are the dark colors [woven into] my tapestry, [adding] a dimension, a beauty to my creation. I have dearly loved being the mother and grandmother of such an interesting and wonderful group of people. I wish I had worried less and laughed more. That I had trusted my instincts and forgotten about the experts.”

Rosalie married Donald Vear, the love of her life, who predeceased her in 1998. Together,they created and nurtured the “interesting and wonderful” (and let’s be honest and also add “fun and sometimes crazy”) group that was their family: William (Linda) Vear, Kathryn (Robert) McGill, Margaret (Michael) Hale, Donna (David) Coker, James Vear, and many grandchildren and great-grandchildren. That family is forever indebted to her for setting an example of what a good human is and teaching the invaluable lessons of life that helped to shape them into the people they are today.

Rosalie felt so fortunate to start a second chapter and find happiness again when she reconnected with her old friend Frank Landry. They married and enjoyed nearly two wonderful decades together before Frank’s passing in 2019.

Rosalie died on September 1st, just two weeks after celebrating her 98th birthday with family and friends. At 98, she was still the same wonderful person she had been her whole life. If you want to learn about all the amazing things she did throughout her life, you can find her wonderful life story in her books.

Rosalie, your family is sending you off with love and gratitude. We will miss you, but we know we will see you again. Please hug and kiss everybody up there for us, especially Dad and your beautiful great-grandson Gunnar.

In lieu of flowers, please plant a flower in your own flower garden in memory of Rosalie.

[Calling hours were held at Sayles Funeral Home, 525 Summer Street in St. Johnsbury on Thursday, Sept. 5, from 4 – 6 p.m. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Friday, Sept. 6, at 10 a.m. at St. John the Evangelist Church in St. Johnsbury, Vt., with Fr. Lance Harlow officiating.]

And here, again with Kate's help, are two pages of from the manuscript of her writing about Upper Waterford and its changes:

 

The Rabbit Hill Inn: Dottie Starin, Working in 1962, Visiting 30 Years Later

A big thank you to Dottie Starin, née Dorothy Jean Chase, who provided a 1988 New York Times article on the Rabbit Hill Inn, as well as her own photographs from a 1992 visit there.

Dottie wrote, "I worked there the Summer of 1962 after graduating from Concord High & only worked mostly in the motel rooms through October since I remember they were not heated rooms & Fall foliage was ending. The photos were from the 90’s. Probably 1992 as that would have been when I would have been up there for a reunion with my classmates when we got together on our own." She worked with Lola Bullock, whom she recalls as a very sweet person.

Dottie also has strong connections to the nearby churches, especially the Congregational church in East St Johnsbury village. She wrote, "I was married there in June 1963 [to William Thresher] and we had my mom & dad's 50th anniversary in the Church basement in December 1990."

Here are the gems that she mailed here, from her home in Texas. Click on each image to see them better. Thank you so much, Dottie!

 

Jonathan Ross, One of Waterford's Noted Residents (Chief Justice, Vermont Supreme Court)

When Waterford Began Its Kindergarten

These pages from 1970 give a good view of the issues at stake as Waterford's school expanded to include kindergarten. For today's readers, it may be surprising to learn that kindergartens weren't common in northeastern Vermont in the 1960s and early 1970s. Concord's collaboration in this presentation is also interesting, as this preceded the movement to tie together education across town lines.

Waterford's 1963 Cookbook -- Three Sample Pages

 

1970: The Year Waterford Voted on a Kindergarten