John Dewey - Ancestors From Fairfax

[Henry]

In today's Burlington Free Press there is a story about John Dewey.  Al Daniels called me tonight to see what I had on his ancestors and I do have 27 individuals with the name Dewey in my records.  He wondered if I knew where the family farm was and I gave him the name of one of our experts here in town on the early land records.  Here is the part in the article that refers to Fairfax:

“I want to make people aware of his legacy,” Gonzalez said, acknowledging that parade watchers routinely ask him if he’s commemorating the person who devised the Dewey Decimal System. “He was well known throughout the world but his hometown — oh, boy!”

Dewey’s kin were once quite well known hereabouts. His father, Archibald Sprague Dewey, decided to opt out of becoming the fourth generation on the family’s Fairfax farm. He headed south to Burlington, opened a grocery store and, at 44, married a woman — Lucina Artemisa Rich — who was 20 years younger. Together they spawned four sons, one of whom died in infancy. She was involved with philanthropy on behalf of the region’s impoverished factory workers.

As an adolescent, John sold newspapers and labored at a Burlington lumber yard. During the Civil War, Archibald fought with the Union Army in Virginia. A veteran in the late 1860s, he ran a Burlington cigar and tobacco shop.

To read the whole article, click on the link below and should we find anything out on John Dewey's ancestors, I will add it here:

http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/article/20111016/ARTS04/111014022/-1/ARTS/John-Dewey-changed-how-Vermonters-learn-remains-an-important-part-state-s-cultural-heritage

[Henry]

Donna Meunier went to the Town Office and researched the following information on the Dewey Family here in Fairfax - Many Thanks Donna:

I went to the Town Office today and looked for Archibald Dewey. The original Charter lots went up for tax sale and the conveyance to the first owners after the tax sale are near impossible to find because they are not indexed. it would appear however that Archibald Dewey purchased Lot 1 in the 1st division, a 100 acre lot. What was  Dick McNall's farm is an original 100 acre parcel. Lot 1 is above what was Dick's farm off of Wagner Road. I f you look at the 1857 map I believe it shows up as the Daniels farm.  The lot goes all the way to the Georgia Town Line.

On April 2, 1808 Archibald Dewey sold the lot to Benjamin Gale. I didn't try to follow the lot from there. Benjamin Gale purchased several of the original lots and it would be a lengthy search.  There were no other entries in the index for Archibald Dewey, I went up to the 1850's

There were numerous entries for a Rueben Dewey. I couldn't tell from the genealogy if Reuben could have been a child of Archibald Dewey. It appears Rueben owned several properties around the village. I have a map that shows he lived in the approximate area of the Ivan Langelier farm. He was involved in  the pottery shops, he may have financed and foreclosed on several properties including the pottery shops.  Looks like he was a wheeler & dealer. He had several dealings with Hiram Bellows and the Lovegroves.

I also found a conveyance of six acres, in original lot 56 from Buck Gould to a John Dewey of Milton, dated 4/09/1833. Buck Gould owned what is now the John Collins Farm and that lot is part of the farm next to Cedar Swamp.

I would have to do further research but at this point I might dispute the fact the Dewey's owned a farm for 3 generations in Fairfax.  It appears there may have been some decedents here but not sure they were on the same farm.

I could do further research if someone is interested but these are my findings at this point.

Donna