Horatio Hibbard in Bolton area

This is a portion of a book where Bolton is the focus entitled Contributions to the history of the eastern townships: a work containing an account of the early settlement of St. Armand, Dunham, Sutton, Brome, Potton, and Bolton; with a history of the principal events that have transpired in each of these townships up to the present time a region in Quebec. This book was published in 1866 by John Lovell in Montreal and the author was Cyrus Thomas. What is given below are pages 340--347. What interested me is on p. 344 where Horatio Hibbard is noted as snowshoeing from St. Armand, QC to Bolton area, apparently asked to look for an ill-prepared traveler who had left the day before despite protests against him leaving unprepared. I am 99% certain this  Horatio is my 3g grandfather, who can be found at https://www.familysearch.org/en/tree/person/details/G3WX-K2Y . The full book (as images) can be found at https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=hvd.32044074309568&seq=341&q1=Bolton 

The man was trying to travel this path.

Below are the pages 340--347 and then the transcribed text, so you can choose to read the context of the other discussions, or go to p. 344 for the story described above, or go to the text after the pages and look about in the middle of the text; he is in the paragraph starting with "Two years after this...".

340 History of Bolton

...on his premises, in which to catch bears. It was so constructed that when Bruin had entered, and commenced devouring the bait, a door would fall effectually, closing the entrance, and thus imprison the bear to be dispatched by the hunter at his leisure. Many bears were caught in this way. A story is told of an encounter which he had with a panther, some years after coming to the place. He went to Montreal in the winter for a load of salt, and was returning with it and a few cows, purchased in the "French country," and had nearly reached the place in Bolton, now known as Willard’s Mills, when he met Mr. S. Wadleigh, on horseback; his horse at full speed. The equestrian halted on meeting Mr. Austin, and gave as a reason for his hurried riding, that he had just passed a panther, partially concealed behind an upturned root in the valley below. He tried to dissuade Mr. Austin from the design of going forward, assuring him that if he escaped with his own life, one of his cows must pay the price of his temerity ; but his advice was unheeded.

Mr. Austin was a strong athletic man, possessed of an indomitable will, and his familiarity with wild animals since he had lived in Bolton, made him fearless in their presence. He pursued his course, and on reaching the valley, found, as he had been forewarned by his neighbor, that a huge panther was there, crouching behind an old root.

The animal thrust his head out, when he heard the cattle approaching, and cast a wistful look toward them, thinking doubtless of the dainty meals their steaks might furnish, but the presence of their owner seemed to awe him, and he did not move from his covert.

Finding that the panther did not seem inclined to molest him, the courageous quaker* determined to assume the offensive himself. Halting his team, he got out of the sleigh, and savagely hurled his axe at the monster. This was dodged, and he then picked up a lever which had been used in rolling logs from the road, and threw it violently against the side of the animal, which then leaped from his hiding-place and made off. The leaps he made in departing measured twenty-two feet.

Mr. Austin then went on his way. The next day in company with one of his neighbors, he went in quest of the panther, and they shot him a few miles from the place where Mr. Austin first formed his acquaintance.

*Mr. Austin and his uncle belonged to the Society of Friends

This pioneer died October 19th, 1853, in the eighty-fourth year of his age. His son, James Austin, sen., now living in Bolton, is a man respected for his Christian integrity. He has in years past taken an interest in the affairs of the township, and discharged the duties of several public offices.

His own son, James Austin, jun., resides near him, and is one of the prominent citizens of the township. He has held various municipal offices, and once ran as candidate for representative of the County of Brome. His brother, Amos Austin, who died in August, 1865, also held different municipal offices. He was postmaster for several years at East Bolton.

About 1796, Jeremiah Page made Bolton his home. He settled near the Lake, on the lot now owned by his grandson, William Page. He cleared much land here, and in process of time became a wealthy farmer.

In 1796, Simon D. Wadleigh, from Hanover, New Hampshire, became a resident of Bolton. He also settled near the Lake, on the lot owned at present by his grandson, Henry Wadleigh.

Mr. Wadleigh owned the ferry from Bolton to Hatley, twenty years. He and his three sons often went to Missisquoi Bay for grain, and sometimes even to Burlington, Vermont.

The path by which they reached St. Armand at this early period, led in the same direction in passing the mountain that the road now does that leads from South Bolton to Knowlton; and so little was it travelled that its course could be ascertained only by the aid of blazed trees. The travelling here, in winter, was done wholly on snow-shoes.

In the winter of 1798, Mr. Wadleigh, being one day in St. Armand, started, in company with one Dr. Collins, for home. The distance was more than thirty miles, and must be travelled on foot with the aid of snow-shoes. On the route they were to pursue, there was but one house, and this was near St. Armand. All the provisions they could procure at the house where they started, was a pound of pork, and taking this and a pint of rum, they commenced their toilsome journey. For miles they travelled along, through the deep snow and howling wilderness with cheerful spirits : but becoming weary after awhile from their long march, their spirits began to flag. Both were strong, hardy men, but they found themselves hardly able to endure such excessive physical exertion, and at times almost despaired of reaching their destination. Still they encouraged each other and pressed on, and had arrived within two miles of the settlement near the Lake, when Mr. Wadleigh sank down exhausted. Finding that he was unable to go on, his companion completed the journey alone, and sent men with food back to Mr. W., who was thus saved from an untimely death.

Two years after this, a stranger from the States, undertook the foolhardy task of accomplishing the same journey on horseback. He desired to go to Stanstead, and, notwithstanding the expostulations of the people in St. Armand where he started, he set out on his perilous jonrney—the last he ever made. The next day, a man named Horatio Hibbard, departed from St. Armand to go over the some route, on snowshoes. He had reached the east side of the mountain in Bolton, when he found the traveller---who had started the day previous-—-in the snow, frozen to death. The bridle reins were tied around his thigh, and his horse stood by, keeping vigil by the body of his master, in this dreary desolation. Mr. Hibbard went forward to the Lake, notified the inhabitants, and then came back with four or five men, to point out the spot where the traveller lay. Owing to the quantity of snow on the ground, and the absence of a road, they knew that he could not be removed, and consequently took with them a few pieces of boards, a hammer and nails, to construct a coffin; with the design of interring him at the place where he died. They erected a rude slab to mark his burial-place, and on it was this simple inscription:

DR. LEVI FRISBIE,

Jan. 28, 1800

After they had performed this sad duty, they were too weary to return the same day, therefore they kindled a fire and remained all night.

The spot where the traveller was buried, is about forty rods from the hotel of J. McMannis.

Mark Randall, from New Hampshire, settled at the place now called Peaseley's Corners about 1797. He settled on the lot where Mr. Bryant new lives. A few of his descendants live in Bolton.

A year or two after the arrival of Randall, Moses Peaseley, also from New Hampshire, settled here, on the lot now owned by the heirs of Nathan Randall. He lived here till his death, which occurred in 1852. When roads were laid out in this section, Mr. Peaseley happening to live nearer than any other man to the place where the roads intersected, his name gave name to the place.

Not far from 1800, a man named Fraser settled on a lot about a mile west of this, and which is now owned by D. P. Powell. He did not long remain here. Enoch Reynolds, about the same time, settled on the lot at present owned by Peter Williams. Mr. Reynolds lived here till about 1830, when he sold his farm, and went to the States. He had a large family, and a number of his descendants live in this part of Canada.

Mills were erected here in 1820, and this became a place of considerable business. A mill for carding and cloth dressing was built at the period named above, by L. Huntley. At or about the same time, a carding mill was built by Nicholas Austin, jun., and Curtis Phelps. Both were in operation several years. Nicholas Austin built a saw-mill here in 1828. These mills have all gone to decay, and portions of the old mill-dam are the only relics of them now remaining.

A store was built in 1841, by John Austin. This has been occupied by different traders. Alexander Sargent has traded here for eleven years.

A post-office, with the name of East Bolton, was established here in 1852.

This place is situated at the head of the Bay, where the steamer "Mountain Maid" calls on her trips through the Lake.

A mile and a half north-east of this is another inconsiderable village, called Thomson's Mills, where business was done in former years. Alexander Thomson was the first settler here. He came from Barnet, Vermont, but was formerly from Scotland. He settled in Bolton in 1794, on a lot new owned by a grandson of the same name. A favorable mill-site was the chief inducement for the selection of this lot.

About 1796, he built the first grist and saw-mill erected in Bolton. They were burnt down a few years subsequently, but others were immediately erected. He and his son Alexander kept these mills in operation till his death, which occurred in 1832. After this, his son built a stone grist-mill, but it is now in a tumble-down condition. Mr. Thomson was an enterprising and industrious man. He had four children—three sons and a daughter. His son Alexander was brought under the influence of the Gospel, and converted at the age of sixteen. He united with the Methodist Church at the age of twenty-one, and was licensed as a local preacher, and labored in this capacity in Bolton and occasionally in adjacent townships for a period of thirty years. He was a faithful and-consistent Christian; one who was always at the post of duty. There are Christians who labor at times with the utmost zeal; and then, as if exhausted with their efforts, degenerate into a state of passive inaction, that seems almost to denote indifference to the Christian...