LAMSON-L Archives

From: "Darrell A. Martin" <>
Subject: [LAMSON] LAMSON in Randolph, Vermont (long)
Date: Sun, 14 Apr 2002 17:49:09 -0500

Greetings:

The following came to me from an indefatigable researcher, Harriet M.
Chase, who found it in a library in Randolph, Vermont. Knowing (from my
being the LAMSON-L list admin) of my interest in the family, she copied the
LAMSON pages and sent them along. This is *not* my branch, so what you see
here is *everything* I have on Vermont LAMSONs. I offer it to both lists in
hopes of it making some connection.

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Title: The Illustrated Historical Souvenir of Randolph, Vermont.

Subtitle: Containing a brief history of the early settlement of the town,
the schools, churches, medical and legal professions, old families,
business and manufacturing interests, together with portraits and
biographies of the citizens past and present.

Publishing data: Compiled and arranged by Nickerson & Cox, Randolph,
Vermont. 1895.

--------------------
page 69
LAMSON
THOMAS LAMSON, born in Denmark, December 8, 1762, was one of a family
of twenty-three children, whose father was married three times. Thomas came
with some of his brothers and located first at Brookfield, Mass. From there
at least two of the brothers enlisted in the Continental army and served as
revolutionary soldiers. The following is taken from the copy of the record
in the Bureau of Pensions at Washington, of the application for a pension
by his wife:
"Anne Martin, whose signature was Anne M. Lamson. In September, 1848,
she was living in Randolph, aged 81 years.
His brother Jonathan served three years, 1777 to 1780 in one
enlistment, and Samuel, another brother, who was over four years younger
than Thomas, (age stated as 75 years March 22, 1842) was a witness to his
service.
Foster Lamson, of Randolph, Vt. aged 45 years, was a son of Thomas and
a witness."
"Thomas Lamson enlisted at Brookfield, Worcester county, Massachusetts,
in the summer of 1780, and returned home in November, 1780, a few days
before Thanksgiving. (The official record is six months from July 1, 1780,
in Col John Brooks, Massachusetts regiment.) He was present at the
execution of Maj. Andre, the Spy, October 2, 1780. He served another tour,
early in 1781, of which the evidence is an order he gave his captain, John
Cutler, for the pay of his service at West Point, N. Y., in 1781. Amount
paid £8, s3, d2." [transcriber's note: 8 pounds, 3 shillings, 2 pence]
Two of these brothers, Samuel and Thomas, came to Vermont in 1785 and
Thomas, the progenitor of the Randolph Lamsons, settled here, while his
brother Samuel went to Windsor. It is recorded that Thomas, while
journeying to Middlebury, Vt., from Ran-

page 70
dolph, with an ox sled, on the way met two men with axes on their
shoulders. He asked them to ride, and conversing with the strangers found
one of them to be his half

[[[ picture of M. Jackson Lamson - middle-aged man with beard ]]]

brother. Thomas shortly after coming to Randolph was married (May 12, 1785,
being the second couple married in Randolph) to Anna, daughter of Gideon
and Rachael (Heath) Martin, and they located on the place where their
grandson, Irvin Lamson, now lives. She was of English extraction and was
born in Hampden, Conn. To show the material of which she was made it is
recorded that she rode on horse-back twice to Connecticut, once before and
once after they were married. Although they had been acquainted but a short
time before marriage, they were both willing to perform their share of the
work conscientiously and became real partners in their labors as well as
their joys. They raised a family of fourteen children, viz: [transcriber's
note: in this and following sections I have listed the children, by line
spacing, rather than running them together as in the original; but have
otherwise left text and punctuation unaltered]

Ira, born February 9, 1786, was killed December 10, 1804, by the falling of
a tree, and was the first person buried in the cemetery south of West
Randolph village;

Lucinda, born August 22, 1787, died in April, 1792;

Achsale, born May 11, 1789, died August 2, 1867, was twice married and
became first Mrs. James Fisk, and afterwards Mrs. George W. Granger;

Nancy, born March 15, 1791, married December 5, 1811, Belcher Salisbury,
and died March 30, 1828;

Catharine, born June 13, 1793, married Richard Lyman and removed to Canada.
She died October 25, 1822;

HARVEY; [transcriber's note: see below]

Foster, born March 15, 1797, died October 7, 1864;

Sabrina, born July 6, 1799, never married, died August 30, 1833;

Lucinda and Anna, (twins) born June 19, 1801, the latter died when three
years old, and Lucinda, (Mrs Amos Stevens) died in 1877;

Anna, (Mrs. Earl DuBois) born August 24, 1803, died January 21, 1893;

THOMAS; [transcriber's note: see below]

Ira, born January 13, 1809, died June 20, 1883;

Eliza C., born March 28, 1811, was twice married and became first Mrs. Wm.
H. Harback, and afterwards Mrs. Samuel Mann.

HARVEY LAMSON, son of Thomas and Anna (Martin) Lamson, was born in
Randolph, Vt., April 29, 1795. He was educated in the district schools, and
like his father was engaged in agricultural pursuits. He carried on the
farm which his son M. J. Lamson sold in 1892 to Josiah Smith.
He married October 16, 1817, Betsey Jackson, who was born October 13,
1799. Their children were:

Michael Jackson, born December 12, 1818;

Azro Darby, born November 13, 1820;

Albert C., born September 15, 1823;

Carrie S., born June 22, 1826;

Eddie H., born August 27, 1836.

MICHAEL JACKSON, son of Harvey and Betsey (Jackson) Lamson, was born on
the homestead, and his education was limited to the district schools. He
worked on his father's farm until he becaue eighteen years

[[[ picture of Julius F. Lamson - early middle-aged man with handlebar
moustache ]]]

of age, when he commenced to drive team between Randolph and Boston. He
married Phebe Wyatt, February 15, 1840, and bought a farm in Braintree,
where he remained four

page 71
years. He then came back to Randolph with his family to reside and took up
again the avocation of teamster between Randolph and Boston, which he
continued for four years, at the end of which he went to work for the
railroad. In 1851 he went into the depot, becoming the second station agent
that Randolph ever had. Here he remained until 1859, when he traded a
residence in the village with his father for his farm and carried it on
successfully for thirty-three years. In April, 1892, he sold the farm and
moved into the residence where he now lives on South Main street. Mr.
Lamson was a selectman during the war from 1860 to 1865, and was lister in
1866. His first wife died May 13, 1849, leaving one daughter,

Helen R., born May 10, 1841, who married July 16, 1865, J. C. Fuller, and
they now live in Oakland, Cal., and have two children, Arthur Lamson and
Carrie Isabel.

M. J. Lamson married May 9, 1850, Lucy Tilson, of Braintree and they have
two children, viz:

Mary Phebe, born January 25, 1853, who married Seldon V. Holman, of
Braintree. He is now a conductor on the Old Colony railroad, and they
reside in Boston;

JULIUS FULLER, second child of M. J. and Lucy (Tilson) Lamson, was born
March 5, 1856. His education was received in the district schools and he
lived on the farm with his father until 1887. He then formed a partnership
with Royal F. Tilson and bought out Willis W. Morton in the grocery
business on Main street. This partnership continued for four years, when he
sold his interest to Mr. Morton, and in March, 1892, he bought out the
grocery store of H. M. Wires on Merchant's Row, which he has carried on
successfully since. He was married November 16, 1875, to Ellen, daughter of
Harrison and Olive (Edson) Ketchum, of Randolph, and they have two
children, viz:

Florence Helen, born September 12, 1877, and;

Isa Ellen, born September 12, 1879, both of whom are now in school.

Mr. Lamson is a member of the I. O. O. F.

Thomas, son of Thomas and Anna (Lamson) [sic: should be, "Anna (Martin)
Lamson", see above] born September 3, 1805, married Esther Mann, August 6,
1809, and they had six children, viz:

Mary H., born April 19, 1830, and died December 6, 1850;

Irvin T., born August 16, 1832, now a farmer on the homestead in West Randolph;

Edwin M., born May 4, 1835, and died January 7, 1847;

Jasper H., born March 28, 1837, now in the hardward business in West Randolph;

Joseph M., born February 28, 1842, and died November 29, 1865; and

Whitcomb E. [below]

Thomas Lamson died February 25, 1888 and his wife died March 11, 1881.

WHITCOMB E. LAMSON, youngest son of Thomas and Esther (Mann) Lamson,
was born in West Randolph, January 24, 1844. After completing a course in
the town schools, he was first employed in the general merchandise store of
H. C. Badger & Co., where he remained three years. He next entered the
employ of Hobart Smith, dealer in dry goods and boots and shoes, where he
remained four years, leaving to accept a position with his former employer,
who had removed to Kansas. One year and six months later he returned to his
home in Randolph, but remained only a few months, going from here to
Boston, where he was employed in the wholesale dry goods store of Sargent
Brothers & Co., until the fire of October 7, 1870, which destroyed this
store and its contents. He again returned to Randolph, and bought of F. B.
Salisbury & Co., the furniture business which he still carries on, having
added many other lines of goods, and now

[[[ picture of Whitcomb E. Lamson - early middle-aged man with handlebar
moustache ]]]

has a large line of carpets, crockery, curtains, paints, oils, etc. Like
his father, he has always been connected with the Christian Church, and one
of its most earnest supporters. He married November 25, 1875, H. Amelia
Philbrick, of Mount Vermon, Maine, and they have four children, viz:

Guy P., born June 20, 1877;

Grace G., born September 18, 1879;

Abby G., born December 31, 1883;

Geneive A. W., born April 29, 1887.

-----------------------------------------

I hope someone finds this to be of use, and apologize for the inevitable
mistranscriptions.

Darrell


Darrell A. Martin
a native Vermonter currently in exile in Addison, Illinois

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• [LAMSON] LAMSON in Randolph, Vermont (long) by "Darrell A. Martin" <>