Chapter 7

Winsor Goolden was born in Newbury, MA in 1761.  Being in his forties and having had experiences in other church matters, he was made a Deacon in the church immediately. Winsor was a veteran of the Revolutionary War and at his death, his second wife Ruby applied for his pension.

Asahel and Laura Culver Stone were farmers.  Laura and her two children were baptized early in the meeting on Feb 17, 1807.  He was a good farmer and was the first of our charter members to finish paying for his farm and receive his title deed on Sept 29, 1807.^[1] 

Cyrus Abernathy moved to the area in 1802.  He was active in the founding of the town, and at one time was fence viewer and assessor. He died in 1810

Uel Gray came to Madrid from Salisbury, Vermont in 1800.  His house burned and he lost  two of his daughters in 1806.  He joined the church “for he believed that God would lead his family, as He had marvelously in the past.”^[2]   Mr. Gray’s sons went on the do great things.  One founded the Cleveland Plain Dealer, one was a Union Colonel during the Civil War and one was an architect.  His grandson, A. Barton Hepburn, endowed our communities with libraries and a hospital.

Salmon Gray and his wife, Azubah Bartlett, also came to Madrid about 1800 with brother Uel. 

Clemma Loomis Root was the wife of Gad Root.  They moved to Madrid shortly before 1807.  Their son Noble was baptized on the day that these people became a congregation.  Sadly, the Root family was short lived in Madrid, and moved back to Vermont  by 1810.  Clemma died in June of that year.

Miriam Benton was the wife of Andrew Benton, Jr.  Their son, Orsen was also baptized on that day. 

Dorothy Field, being a young 18 year old teacher, came to Madrid in 1806.  She was called elsewhere and left Madrid in July of 1808.

There were also ten founding members in the Methodist Church.  The first being Stephen F. Palmer and is wife Harriet.  Mr. Palmer was born at Hubbardton, Vt., on the 6th day of March, 1812.  When he was a lad, Mr. Palmer’s parents moved to the vicinity of Whitehall,  N.Y., where he learned the trade of a blacksmith, and came to Colton, St. Lawrence county, with Silas Hawley in 1832. He married Harriet J, Cowles of Parishville, N. Y., in 1835 and two sons, Samuel H. Palmer and Stephen F. Palmer, Jr., both of Ogdensburg, were the result of that union. In 1841 he went to Madrid to reside and that was his home during most of his active business life. After the death of his wife in 1879, he came to Ogdensburg to live with his sons. He was a genial, companionable man, a fond parent and a good citizen. For many years he filled the office of justice of the peace in Madrid and was highly esteemed as a just man whose opinions were worthy of respect and acceptance.  He lived, a quiet and temperate life, and reached a good old age.^[1]  Mr. Palmer died at the age of 95.

Mr. Erastus Bibbins was born in the state of Vermont August 25 1809 and died in Madrid March 21st 1902.  He was a millwright by trade and carried on his occupation in the cities of Kingston and Belleville, Canada. While he was a young and single man he earned money enough to buy a farm in the town of Potsdam four or five miles from Madrid. Nov. 19th, 1839 he married Miss Sophronia Carpenter, and at this time he quit his trade and moved onto his farm, and continued there until 1866, when his wife’s health having failed he moved into the village of Madrid where he continued to live until the time of his death.

His wife never regained her health and died March 21th 1875. Soon after this his own health failed and he has never had firm health since. He was a man with a very fine intellect and was highly respected by all who knew him.^[2]

William Read and Cynthia his wife, lived in the village of Madrid and he was listed as a farmer.  They had three children, two boys and a girl, all of whom died in early adulthood.

William Lockwood was born May 22, 1821, in Madrid and lived here all his life with the exception of one year which he spent in Brockville, Ont.  He was a man of positive Christian experience, and was a charter member of the M. E. church in this place nearly 50 years ago. He held every office of a layman in his church. He married on Nov. 13, 1844, Lucretia P. Clark, who lived but a few years, and died leaving him with two sons, Ira L. C., and Perkins S. , and on March 21st, 1853, he married Catherine Maria Loucks,  with whom he lived very happily until death called her home.

She died leaving two sons, J. Horton and Rev. W. W. Lockwood, with their father to mourn her loss.  In 1884 Mr. Lockwood invented and patented the celebrated Lockwood buckboard.^[3]   Mr. Lockwood carried on the wagon shop here for many years and was the inventor of the celebrated Lockwood wagon spring and still owned the wagon shop.^[4]

Jacob Vroman was a farmer and lived with his wife Charlotte Dailey, son Benjamin and daughter Marinda.  The couple were both born in New York and were living in Madrid according to the 1880 census.  Jacob’s mother and father are buried in Norfolk.  His son, Benjamin, moved to the west and eventually into Canada, where he is buried. 

Horace Powell and his wife Laura were farmers in the town of Potsdam, at  approximately the corner of what is now State Route 345 and the Baker Road. In the 1850 census they were listed as owning 60 “improved” acres and 40 “unimproved” acres. Together they raised 5 children.  Andrew, the oldest, was listed as owning the farm in 1870. Horace had died before 1860 and Laura in 1861.  Their daughter Caroline was one of the original members also.  She married Lorrin Tuttle in 1853 and they moved to Illinois.

Cleora Mack Sweet, was born in Vermont.  On July 29, 1822, she married Ezekiel Sweet.  They had 11 children all born in Vermont.  She was Ezekiel’s second wife. In around 1848, the couple and several of their children moved to Madrid. Ezekiel died in 1849.  Cleora lived with her son Henry until her death in 1886.  Their farm was located on most appropriately, the Sweet Road.

^[1] The Ogdensburg Journal, Ogdensburg, NY, Monday, April 8, 1907, p. 4.

^[2] Courier-Freeman, Potsdam, NY, Wednesday, April 9, 1902, Vol. 50, No. 44, p. 1.

^[3] Ogdensburg Journal, Ogdensburg, NY, Tuesday, March 2, 1897, p. 2.

^[4] The Ogdensburg Advance & St. Lawrence Weekly Democrat, Thursday, March 4, 1897, Vol. XXXII, No. 9, p. 1.

^[1] A History of the First Congregational Church of Madrid, NY 1807-1957, Edward G. Nichols, Pastor, June 7, 1957.

^[2]  Ibid.