Phineas Ward Eddy

Phineas Ward Eddy , son of Abel and Abigail Eddy, was born at Warwick, Massachusetts, on May13, 1790. He married Lois Goddard, daughter of Asa and Lucy Goddard, on April 18, 1812.  Lois was born on April 4, 1790, at Orange, Massachusetts. Soon after their marriage, the Eddys left Warwick and settled at Orange, Massachusetts, for a short  time, then according to family tradition, the Eddys settled at Stratton, in the summer of 1817. The Eddys settled on the east half of 1L2R that was owned by Stratton Families 95 John and Lydia Sanderson of Petersham, Massachusetts, at that time. Lydia may have been Lois’s aunt.  The Sandersons had purchased land in Stratton from John Goddard of Orange. This John was apparently a brother of Lydia (Goddard) Sanderson and Lucy (Goddard) Goddard, Lois’s mother. Upon this lot, Phineas cleared a farm and built a sawmill. The site of their home  was located on the southwest corner of the  Stratton-Arlington Rd. and Willis Cemetery Rd. The remains of the sawmill’s dam can be seen just a few yards up the brook from the road, and the old millpond is still obvious beyond the dam. The Eddys home burned to the ground one cold winter night, with the snow six feet deep. Phineas began at once and rebuilt.  This house still stands, and is often referred to as the Wheeler house after a more recent occupant. The town records, however, do not mention the Eddys until 1825, when the Eddy family was placed in the third school district. They also were not shown in the 1820 census of Stratton. Phineas was first noted in the land records as paying taxes on part of 1L2R in  1829. Then, in 1832, he purchased this land, (80 acres) at a tax-sale. In 1837, Justus Eddy purchased this same lot from the original owners, the Sandersons, although legally, they no longer owned it. This implies that the Sandersons were relatives-and it appears that they were. On August 20, 1844, Justus deeded the land to his father (83 acres of the east half of 1L2R). Justus had resettled at Warwick, Massachusetts, before the sale.  Lois died on March 20, 1836, at Stratton, and was buried near their home. She was the first burial within the family plot, located behind the Eddy home. It later became known as the Eddy Cemetery. Phineas then married Lois' half-sister, Amanda, on September 18, 1837, at Stratton. Amanda, daughter of Asa and Mary Goddard, was born on April 28, 1807, at Orange, Massachusetts. In 1850, Phineas’ sons, Henry and Erastus, along with a 12-year-old girl, Lucy Rider, daughter of Samuel and Ama Rider, were living with Phineas and Amanda. On February 3, 1853, Phineas and Amanda sold the 83-acre lot to Phineas’s sons, Albert and William Henry, for $1000.00 with an agreement that the boys would take care of them for the remainder of their lives. Just after 1850, Amanda’s mother, Mary Goddard, came to live with them. Mary died on May 19, 1855, aged 89, and was buried in the Eddy Cemetery. Phineas and Amanda lived on the farm for several more years. In 1855 Lucy Rider and Silas Pike were living with them and attending school in district #5. By 1860, the Eddys were living alone. They resettled in South Londonderry, Vermont, before Stratton Families 96 1869, with their son, David’s family. Phineas died on August 2, 1878, and Amanda died on June 11, 1883. Both were buried in Rest Haven Cemetery in Londonderry. Phineas and Lois's children were: 1)Sophronia, born September 28, 1812, at Orange, Massachusetts; died December 14, 1812, at Orange, Massachusetts. 2)Justus, born April 7, 1814, at Orange, Massachusetts; died May 9, 1880, at Millbury, Massachusetts; married Lucy Maria Smith on June 8, 1842, at Grafton, Massachusetts. 3)Orrin, born May 22, 1816, at Orange, Massachusetts; died December 26, 1893, at Stratton, Vermont; married Mary Jane Moran on May 12, 1850, at Putney, Vermont. 4)David Goddard, born November 15, 1817, at Stratton, Vermont; died November 27, 1878, at Londonderry, Vermont; married Rosina Lovina Rice on November 19, 1845. 5) Lucy E., born January 22, 1820, at Stratton, Vermont; died March 28, 1851, at Londonderry, Vermont. 6) Francis W., born March 30, 1822, at Stratton, Vermont; died January 16, 1905, at Townshend,  Vermont; married Susan T. Bartlett on June 6, 1849 (Francis qualified as a Freeman of Stratton in September, 1843). 7) Asa Goddard, born August 14, 1824, at Stratton, Vermont; died October 15, 1894, at Wardsboro, Vermont; married Mary Maranda Barrett on September 17, 1848, at Wardsboro, Vermont (Asa qualified as a Freeman of Stratton on August 16, 1845). 8) Albert, born December 9, 1826, at Stratton, Vermont; died May 19, 1899, at West Brattleboro, Vermont; married Chloe Ann Rice on October 20, 1851, at Somerset, Vermont. 9) William Henry, born February 4, 1829, at Stratton, Vermont; died February 24, 1908, at Townshend, Vermont; married Sarah Ann Hartwell on October 8, 1854, at Wardsboro, Vermont. 10) Phineas Emery, born May 15, 1830, at Stratton, Vermont; died February 29, 1880, at Townshend, Vermont; married Francena M. Haynes (Phineas qualified as a Freeman of Stratton on September 2, 1851). 11) Erastus Alcetus, born June 12, 1832, at Stratton, Vermont; died May 28, 1911, in Minnesota; married Henrietta A lthoff on March 23, 1866, in Minnesota (Erastus qualified as a Freeman of Stratton in September, 1853).

Source: http://townofstrattonvt.com/uploads/Echoes_in_the_Forest.PDF

• Reference: MyHeritage Family Trees - SmartCopy: Oct 15 2023, 21:25:52 UTC