KIANTONE

November 16th, 1853, Kiantone, with an area of 11,288 acres, was formed from Carroll. The first town meeting was held February 21st, 1854. Ezbai Kidder was chosen supervisor; Levant B. Brown, Charles Russell, Martin C. Grant and Aaron C. Phillips, justices of the peace; Levant B. Brown, town clerk; Francis M. Alvord, town superintendent of schools; Simeon C. Davis, Stephen C. Rhinehart and Smith Spencer, highway commissioners; Nathan A. Alexander and Joel Scudder, jr., assessors; Stephen Norton, collector; Stephen Norton, George A. Dorn and Miles Van Namee, inspectors of election; Stephen Norton, Abram Martin, James Griffin and Joseph Davis, constables, and Joshua Norton and Eddy Wetherby, overseers of the poor; Ezbai Kidder was re-elected supervisor in 1854. The successive supervisors since that year have been Lucien Hall, 1855, 1856; Charles Spencer, 1857; Delavan G. Morgan, 1858; Russell M. Brown, 1859, 1861; George A. Hall, 1860; Wellington Woodward, 1862-65, 1868, 1877; A. J. Phillips, 1866, 1867, 1873; Joel Scudder, 1869-72, 1879, 1880; J. H. Russell, 1874, 1875; C. W. Creal, 1876, 1878.

Settlement was begun in what is now Kiantone on Stillwater creek, near the west boundary, by Joseph Aiken, from Rensselaer county, in 1807. Solomon Jones located on lot 21, and Benjamin Tubbs on lot 31 in 1810. Purchases were made and in some instances settlements, in 1811, by William Sears, on lots 11, 3 and 12; James Hall, on lot 19; Ebenezer Davis, on lot 28; Ebenezer Cheney, on lot 27, and William and Isaac Martin, on lot 23. Among the early settlers were several relatives of Joseph Aiken, George Sloan, Samuel Anderson, Jasper Marsh, Benjamin Jones, Ebenezer and Roderick Chapin and Nathan A. Alexander.

The progress of settlement in Kiantone is shown by the following table of original purchases and purchasers:

Date.                Name.                          Lot.

1808, March    Robert Russell            1

    "    Sept.       James Slade                 30

    "      "            Hezekiah Seymour      30

1810, May       Solomon Jones            31

1811, April       William Sears              11

    "    June        Elijah Braley                10

    "      "            William Sears              3, 12

    "    Sept.       James Hall                   19

    "      "            Ebenezer Davis           28

    "    Oct.        Ebenezer Cheney        27

    "      "            Wm. and Isaac Martin 23

    "    Dec.        John Blowers               31

1812, Oct.       Ebenezer Cheney        13

1813, Sept.      Jonathan Cheney         1

1814, ---          James Akin                  15

1815, Feb.       William Sears              19

1815, Nov.      Levi Jones                   3

    "      "            Gordon Swift               18

1823, Feb.       David C. Jones            17

1824, Jan.        Richard Covell 6

1825, Oct.       Joel Marsh                  27

1826, June       David Price                  25

    "      "            George Snyder            25

    "    July         Roderick Chapin         26

    "      "            David C. Jones            17

    "      "            Ora Davis                   17

    "      "            Elias Woodcock           17

    "    Dec.        Silas Axtell                  3

    "      "            Levi Davis                   13

1827, June       James Hall                   3

    "      "            Rufus Greene              18, 26

    "    Sept.       Nathan Kidder 31

About the time Judge Prendergast laid out the village of Jamestown, Joseph Aiken laid out a village, which he named Aikensville, in Kiantone, which never grew to contain more than two houses and a blacksmith shop, on account, it is said, of the illiberal policy of the proprietors, who refused to sell lots, only offering them on long leases, in the hope that they would be improved.

The population of Kiantone in 1855 was 490; in 1865, 574; in 1875, 519; in 1880, 567.

The Congregational Church of Kiantone was organized May 6th, 1815, at the house of Joseph Aiken, by Rev. John Spencer, a home missionary sent out by the Connecticut Home Missionary Society. The original members were John Jones, Levi Jones, Abner Jones, Samuel Garfield, William Deland and Anna Cheney. Meetings were held from time to time in school-houses or private dwellings until 1830, when it was determined to erect a permanent house of worship. The site was donated by Mrs. Ruby Sears, and the structure (of wood) was completed and dedicated in the fall of the same year, being substantially the same in its exterior as now, though interiorly it has been somewhat altered.

Up to 1830 the church enjoyed the ministration, more or less frequently, of Revs. John Spencer, Amasa West, Marshfield Steel, Seth Burt and perhaps others, when Rev. Isaac Eddy was resident minister for about two years; then Rev. Joseph Emery, about seven years, 1835; succeeding him in the order herein named were: Revs. O. D. Hiffard, S. W. Edson, T. A. Gale, E. M. Spencer, W. T. Reynolds, N. H. Barnes, A. Hallock, E. C. Hall and E. A. Hazeltine.

The first deacon was John Jones. He was followed by Asa Moore, James Carey, John Chandler Jones, Ebenezer Chapin, E. P. Sherman, Clinton Perry and H. H. Jones.

A Sunday-school was established in 1820 or 1821. The number of enrolled Sunday-school scholars is about 100. The number of resident church members is about 60.

The First Christian Church of Universalists in Carroll was organized in Kiantone village, December 30th, 1853. A place of worship was built in 1845. A church was organized November 26th, 1853.