The township is generally uneven and broken in surface, especially in the northern, northwestern, and western parts, though it contains many broad, verdant meadows, level as a house floor, which serve to enhance the beauty of the scenery, as well as the value of the territory.

       The soil, too, like the scenery, is various, though generally rich and productive. Along the Winooski it is a fine alluvial deposit, while in the hilly and other portions it is composed of clay, gravelly loam, and marl. The hilly land is fertile and well adapted to grazing, affording pasturage to many herds. The timber is principally beech, birch, hemlock, pine, spruce, maple and elm, immense forests of which were originally standing, and much is still left, though it is gradually decreasing in quantity before the onslaught of the woodman. The rocks axe principally of the sandrock and slate formation. Many boulders; relics of the drift period, are also resting on the surface. Iron ore has been discovered and worked to some extent, making a very good quality of iron, though it has not been wrought for years. Some fossils, also, have been found, the most notable of which is the tusk of an elephant, now resting in the museum of the University of Vermont, dug up by Col. Rolla GLEASON, from the muck in a swamp on the top of Bryant's Hill. The Winooski forms the watercourse of the township, flowing in a northwesterly course through its center, into which flows numerous tributaries, some of which afford good mill sites. Two small ponds are also found, Jackson and Gillett. Jackson Pond lies in the northeastern part of the town, covering an area of about twenty five acres. Gillett Pond, lying in the southeastern part, is a handsome little sheet of water, about a mile in length by a quarter of a mile in width. Taken all in all, Richmond, though a farming town, will compare favorably with any of the towns in the county in point of wealth and natural facilities. Its products find a ready means of transportation in the Vermont Central Railroad, which passes through the town, following the northern bank of the Winooski, with two stations, one at Richmond and the other at Jonesville.

       In 1880, Richmond had a population of 1,264, was divided into seven school districts and contained ten common schools, employing five male and nine female teachers, to whom was paid an aggregate salary of $11,319.00. There were 263 pupils attending common schools, while the entire cost of the schools for the year, ending October 31st, was $1,470.00, with Mr. C. B. TOWERS, superintendent.

       RICHMOND, a post village located in the central part of the town, on the Winooski River, and also a station on the Central Vermont Railroad, contains three churches (Union, Universalist, and Catholic), one hotel, ten stores, a wagon shop, paint shop, harness shop, etc.

       JONESVILLE (p. o.), a hamlet located in the extreme eastern part of the town, contains one store, a blacksmith shop, spool turning works, and about a half dozen dwellings.

       S. & R. J. ROBINSON's turning grist, and cider mill, located on road 23, was established in 1868, and is now doing a very good business, using twenty cords of wood per month in their turning shop, and manufacturing twenty five bbls. of cider per day during the season, while the grist mill does custom grinding.

       Stephen FRESHETTE's carriage manufactory, located at the village, was established in 1857. Mr. FRESHETTE came into possession of the property in 1881. He employs two men, and manufactures all kinds of carriages, wagons, and sleighs.

       H. H. FRARY's spool turning shop, located at Jonesville, was established in 1866. He now uses 400 cords of wood per annum in the manufacture of his goods.

       MASON's Cheese Factory, located on road 16, manufactures cheese from the milk of 140 cows, making 42,000 lbs. per annum. The factory has gained some little notoriety from the fact of several of the largest hotels in the United States ordering goods directly from it.

       The first effort towards the settlement of the town was made by Amos BROWNSON and John CHAMBERLIN, who came here with their families in 1775, and located upon what has since been called Richmond Flats, on the south side of the Winooski, in the part then included within the town of Williston. Their stay was short, however, as they abandoned the town during the following fall, and did not return until after the close of the Revolution. In 1784, they again resumed settlement upon their farm, being accompanied by Asa and Joel BROWNSON, Samuel and Joshua CHAMBERLIN, James HOLLY, Joseph WILSON, and Jesse McFAIRLAIN.

       In 1786, the first settlement in the southern part of the town, then included within the limits of Huntington, was commenced by Ozem BREWSTER and Daniel ROBBINS. In the tracts along the southern side of the Winooski, between Jonesville and Richmond village, settlements were first commenced by Amos BROWNSON, Jr., Matthew COX, Jesse GREEN, William DOUGLAS, Barley and Comfort STARR, Clement HOYT, James and Peter CRANE, James HALL, and Nathaniel and Asa ALGER. The first in the western part of the town was made by Asa BROWNSON and Nathan and Henry FAY. On the northern side of the river, one of the first settlements was made by Joseph HALL.

       Thus, from time to time, families came in and made improvements on their possessions, until, in 1795, it was considered by the inhabitants that the population was large enough to sustain a proper town government. Accordingly, a meeting was warned and held in pursuance of said warning, in March of that year, at which the following officers were elected: town clerk, Joshua CHAMBERLIN; constable, Constant C. HALLOCK; selectmen, Felen AUGAR, Benjamin FARNSWORTH, and Peter CRANE; justices, Joel BROWNSON, Asa BROWNSON, Jr., and Benjamin FARNSWORTH. Jonathan CHAMBERLIN was the first representative, chosen the year following the first town meeting, in 1796.

       The first deed recorded in the town records is a quit claim of one third of one hundred acres of land, by Amos BROWNSON to Joshua CHAMBERLIN, in consideration of twelve pounds, lawful money, and dated March 7, 1795. The second entry that appears is of 120 acres, deeded to Gov. Thomas CHITTENDEN by Abram SMITH, in consideration of thirty pounds, lawful money, dated April 28, 1795.

       The first physician permanently located in Richmond was Dr. Matthew COLE, who died herein 1809. He was succeeded by Drs. Seth COLE, Sylvanus CHURCH, Reuben NIMS, William FOSS, Carlos ALLEN, James M. KNOX, G. P. CONN, and others.

       The first lawyer was Harry BROWNSON, succeeded by William P. BRIGGS, William S. HAWKINS, Edward A. STANSBURY, Aaron B. MAYNARD, B. E. B. KENNEDY, F. A. COLTON, Joseph W. ALLEN, P. K. GLUD, and others.

       Those who have figured as business men in Richmond -- as merchants, manufacturers, and mechanics, may be mentioned Nathan FAY, who carried on the business of carding wool and cloth dressing, at Fay's Corners, said to have been the first works of the kind in the county. Silas ROCKWELL carried on tanning, currying and shoemaking at the same locality. William RHODES was a blacksmith and manufactured plows about the beginning of this century. Isaac GLEASON was the first merchant, and carried on business for many years near the "old round church." On the north side of the river; near the depot at Richmond village, WINSLOW & GAY were early engaged in trade, and D. P. LAPHAM & Co. were their successors. One DUMFRIES had a hatter's shop here as long ago as 1817, which was destroyed by fire. The first grist mill was built by John PRESTON, about the beginning of the present century, located on Huntington River. A carding machine and clothier's works were built at the same locality by James H. JUDSON, in 1815, which was destroyed by fire in 1819, afterwards rebuilt by Daniel FISK. Joseph WHIPPLE built a saw mill lower down the river, early in the century. Afterwards another cloth manufactory was built by Marcus ROBBINS & Co.

       Jonathan CLOSSIN, from Connecticut, came to Richmond at an early day, and located upon the farm now occupied by W. S. FREEMAN, where he remained but a short time, owing to the unsettled condition of affairs attending the Revolution. He remained away about two years, then returned, but found the land he had taken up occupied by another; so he located on road 5, upon the farm now occupied by J. HUMPHREY, his grandson by marriage. Mr. HUMPHREY came into the town from Brookfield, Vt., in 1800, and located off road 5, with a family of nine children. William HUMPHREY located upon the farm now owned by his son Jesse. He served three years in the American army during the war of 1812, enlisting as a private and subsequently being promoted to a corporalship. He lived to be over seventy five years of age.

       Asa BROWNSON, with his family, came to Huntington in 1786. His daughter, Polly, married Samuel KENYON, and lived and died upon the farm now owned by B. S. KENYON.

       Henry FAY, whose father, John FAY, was killed at the battle of Bennington, was born at Bennington in 1774, and died in Richmond in 1818, leaving a family of ten children, of whom one, Jonathan, now resides on road 11, aged seventy eight years. Henry and Nathan FAY, as previously mentioned, were a number of years engaged in the clothier's business, at Fay's Corners.

       Jesse GREEN, from Gordon, N. H., came to Richmond about the year 1800, and followed farming here during the remainder of his life. He had a family of seven children, only two of whom remained in Richmond. Jesse, Jr., the fourth child, was a resident of the town seventy four years. He also had a family of seven children, three of whom, Oliver, Iddo, and Olive (Mrs. Samuel RANDALL), now reside here.

       Dudley HIGLEY located in the southern past of this town about the year 1800. He reared a family of eleven children, only one of whom, Jerry, settled in the town. Jerry had a family of eight children, of whom Nathan, residing on road 33, was the fourth.

       Ebenezer FLAGG, from Orwell, Vt., came to Richmond in 1800, locating in the southern part of the town, where he resided until his death, aged seventy-four years. Of his eleven children, one only, Artemas, remained here. He died in 1874, aged eighty four years. He had a family of five children, three of whom remained in Richmond. Azariah, the second of these, born in 1830, is still a resident.

       Jesse THOMPSON, an early settler and heavy land owner in Jericho, came there from Alstead, N. H., in 1790. Corey, the sixth of his nine children, has resided for the past twenty six years in this town, upon the farm he now occupies, on road 29.

       Isaac B. ANDREWS emigrated from Connecticut about the year 1785, and located in the southern part of this town, where he remained until his death, in 1849. He had a family of nineteen children, two of whom, Ezra B. and Elisha, now reside here, the latter born in 1808, and the former in 1824.

       Samuel KENYON came to this town about the year 1820, and located where his son, Brazilla S., now resides. Mrs. F. THOMPSON and Brazilla are the only ones of his four children now residing here.

       Solomon BATES, from New Hampshire, came to this town previous to the year 1800, locating in the central part, upon the farm now owned by his. grandson, Martin M.

       Asa RHODES, from North Adams, Mass., came to this town in 1817, with his father, Asa, locating on road 11, upon the farm still in possession of the RHODES family. C. P. RHODES, son of Asa, was born in 1827, and now resides on road 11. 

       John WILLIAMS, from Swanzey, N. H., immigrated to this town in 1814, locating on road 32, upon the farm now occupied by his son, B. A. WILLIAMS. William WILLIAMS now resides on road 6, in the northeastern part of the town.

       E. B. GREEN, born in Cheshire, Mass., in November, 1805, came to Richmond in 1829, and was engaged in mercantile pursuits in company with William RHODES, remaining in the business a number of years. Mr. GREEN still is a resident of the town, on road 17. He has buried four children, one of whom, Everett D., was drowned while serving his country in the late war, at Georgetown, D. C.

       E. D. MASON, from Cheshire, Mass., came to this town in 1830, and located on road 24, where he resided until his death, February 1, 1882. He was one of the prime movers in establishing the Vermont Dairymen's Association, and held the office of president of the same. He did much towards raising the standard of the town in dairy products, with what success may be inferred from the fact that when he came here, the annual amount of cheese manufactured did not exceed one ton, while it now reaches about three hundred tons. Mr. MASON also served the town in many of its public offices, with honor and ability.

       Rev. Thomas BROWNING, the eldest of the thirteen children of Joseph and Lucy (SHERMAN) BROWNING, was born at Rutland, Mass., March 21, 1787, and died in Richmond, Vt., March 12, 1875, thus lacking but nine days of being eighty eight years of age. When Thomas was but eight years of age, his father removed to Barre, Vt. His earliest religious faith was that of the Methodist church, but his inquisitive spirit and eager thirst for knowledge of divine things, were not satisfied until he embraced the doctrine of Universal Redemption. This faith, indeed, he held previous to his formal connection with the Methodist church, and he joined it with the distinct understanding that be should continue to hold to his new doctrine, and was often urged to abstain from advocating it from the pulpit. He began to preach in October, 1823, in Barre, Vt., in his thirty seventh year. He was ordained October 4, 1827, moved to Waterbury, Vt., in May, 1832, and in May, 1834, came to Richmond He held many civil offices during his long life here, and once represented the town in the legislature. He was married January 12, 1812, to Miss Persis ROSS, who bore him ten children, one of whom, Miss Persis W. BROWNING, now resides on road 17.

       The Union Church, located on the south side of the Winooski, at Richmond village, was built in 1813, by the united efforts of four societies. From its polygonal form, having sixteen sides, it has long been known as the "Old Round Church." It has not been occupied as a church for years, and is now used for town purposes. Its original cost was $3,000.00.

       Our Lady of the Rosary Roman Catholic Church, located at the village, was organized by Bishop DEGOESBRIAND, in 1854. Rev. James QUEEN was the first pastor. The church building, a wood structure capable of seating 400 persons, was erected in 1856, at a cost of $4,000.00, and is now valued at $7,000.00. The society has at present 900 members, with Rev. Francis Clavier, pastor.

       The Church of the Restoration, Universalist, located at Richmond village, was organized by its pastor, Rev. S. C. HAYFORD, in 1879, with seventeen members. In 1880, their house of worship was erected, a neat wood structure capable of seating 250 persons, and valued, including grounds, at $7,500.00. Its original cost was $7,000.00. The society now has fourteen members.
 

Transcribed by Karima Allison ~ 2004