I was born on August 28th, 1852. In the Town-ship of Compton, Canada East, it was then called, now Province of Quebec. The first I remember was brother Orville being bitten on the leg by a dog. Orville was two and a quarter older than myself. Not long after I was terribly burned in passing the stove. I some how caught the tea kettle in my collar and the boiling water poured down my left side leaving. a great scar. I remember no pain, all I remember was seeing my father jump over the table and catch me. I was two or three years old at the time. My father was a great wrestler, "collar and elbow", was all the kind used then. My folks took boarders where a railroad was being built, the boss of the gang was a big strong Englishman larger than father. One night he and father got to wrestling and greatly to his surprise father threw him.
The next thing I remember was when I was five years old. We had moved to Grantham, Sullivan County. N.H. The north part of the town was called "Northroad, " the village which we called "Grabville" was in the southern part. It was town meeting day and was held that year in the school-house at the Northroad. I was very fond of raw oysters. Some man had arranged to have a table where he sold oysters, stick-candy and gingerbread. The oysters were sold in a saucer with vinegar, pepper, and salt. I remember I was set up in a window and when an extra large oyster was found it was given to me. Yes, they also sold oranges. I had one and that was all till the next town meeting day. They were very scarce at least in our town. I never had a peach until I was fifteen or sixteen years old, I dont care much for them now. I had much rather have a good apple.
My father was a good man but, he had the wanderlust. He would be at work and suddenly drop his tools and start for Canada, perhaps on foot. Once he went to Wisconsin where his brother George lived, when I was nearly seven he took Orville and me to Canada. The railroad went only to Barton, Vt. Father walked to Lebanon, twelve miles, Orville and I rode on a load of lumber, the engine frightened me when it came to the station depot, it was called then. After getting aboard I was all right. The engines were small compared with those we now have, wood was burned instead of coal. We left the train at Barton and got on a four horse stage coach, and started for Newport, Vt. where we changed horses and then went to Stanstead, I remember well that night ride from Barton. The coach was full, there was a Dartmouth student on board, full of life and fun. Father was a good singer and sung O Susanna Oh dont you Weep for me in traveling on to Canada where colored man are free". When he had finished the college boy said "If you will sing that again I'll give you five cents," So he sang it. When he had finished the young fellow said "Now if you will never sing that again in my hearing I will give you a quarter". How they all shouted father as well as the rest.
We got to Newport, changed horses and went on. We had no breakfast and I was awful hungry. We went through Stanstead and into Hatley. There the coach with the mail took another direction so we got out and walked. Can you imagine how hungry I was a little boy not seven years old with nothing to eat? I remember I would run along a few rods and sit down till Father and Orville came up, I thought it was a little easier that way. Oh I was so hungry! Finally we came to fathers Aunt Roxy Adams. She gave us a piece of maple sugar, how I wanted some bread but didn't dare say so, however the rest did me some good.
After a little we went on and soon came to Uncle Horace Hovey's, his wife, Aunt Mary, was fathers sister. She understood the case and went right about getting us a good dinner, I don't remember much about uncle Horace, I don't think he paid much attention to Orville and me. I don't think Aunt Roxy had any children. If she had she would have given us something besides maple sugar. Uncle Horace lived in a large two story white house. They seemed to be in very comfortable circumstances. I thought they were rich. We stayed there one or two days and then went on a mile or so to Uncle Alonzo Hoveys.
He was a butcher and ran a meat-cart two or three times a week into Sherbrooke. He was a brother to Uncle Horace, Aunt Amanda was aunt Mary's sister. We had all we wanted to eat at Uncle Alonzos but, there was so many children that I was a little afraid of them at first but soon found out that they were all right; but such a noise as they made tearing through the house and shooting. Uncle Smith Barnes'es, Uncle Smith was some relation or fathers. I dont know what, we called him Uncle Smith.
We stayed there a while and want to school, father worked peeling hemlock bark. We were down where he was working one Saturday I was fooling with an axe and split one or my toes, at some time I had split another but don't remember when or where. The Summer term or the district school began the first Monday in June, the same as it did in N.H. I remember we went to Sunday school each week at the old Advent Church. There was no preaching there then. One Sunday, while we were at prayers a large piece of plastering came crashing down, fortunately, there was no class where it struck. We went to the district school a few weeks and then father started back with us for N.H.
I have no recollection of our return trip until we reached Barton. There we stopped for a few days and father worked in the hayfield, I presume to get money to take us back home, one of the men at the hotel where we stopped called me Wax-le-bum. I never heard the word before or since that I remember. There was a fierce thunder storm one night there with hail that broke the windows, and the rain paired in on our bed and all over the floor, rather went down to get some one to come and wipe it up. He then came back and got into bed with us. Pretty soon a maid came up with a candle, pail and mop, but when she saw there was a man in the bed she screamed and ran out. How father laughed!
I dont remember any thing about our ride from Barton. I recollect a bright comet in the Western sky Simatur shaped. People said it was a sign of war. The first thing I remember after getting home was having my sister Ella go out doors to see me throw stones. I could throw pretty high for a little fellow. In the winter term 1859-60 I and another boy studied geography. Where examination day came the teacher handed the book to the Superintendent and told him to ask any question in the book. The fact is we could repeat the entire book from beginning to end. The hardest thing for me to learn was the names of the Presidents and Vice Presidents in their order.
I remember being down in "Grabville" one time and in passing a house I heard some one playing a seraphim. Oh! I thought the music was heavenly! All the musical instruction we had in those days was by some man in town. Some one would go round and get subscriptions, and there would be as many evenings as there was money raised to pay. We usually had Merrill Clough. Some thought he didn't know much about it but he was the one we had. I will tell more of him later. I remember the alto singer in our church passed by where Orville and I were sitting, she said "You little boys sing like Nighthawks" She meant "Nightingales". Naturally, we snickered.