McAllister history in Whiting

While wandering around the Web, I spotted an interesting family history website that relates to Whiting. The site author, Ed Galvin, tells of his ancestors, the McAllisters. He notes that some of the McAllister clan, originally from New Hampshire, settled in Whiting in the 1800s. (A few remain in the Whiting Community Church cemetery.)

Some of the family history relates to the former Henry Wells farm on South Main Street approaching Murray Road. According to Galvin, William Ira McAllister moved to Whiting in the 1820s and became a successful farmer of merino sheep. On Oct. 1, 1835, he purchased an 86-acre farm in Whiting from Amos E. Walker. (The farmhouse was built quite near to a blacksmith shop, just to the north. Amos Walker retained ownership of a large farm north of the McAllister farm, and the Walker family expanded its land holdings northward toward the village over the years.) By 1860, McAllister had expanded that parcel to 100 acres and was producing significant amounts of wool, oats, rye, potatoes and corn.

The "Henry Wells homestead" - once the William Ira McAllister home.

The farm was sold to Fanny Sweet on Aug. 18, 1864. It was later sold to Henry Wells. The Henry Wells homestead, still in use as a farm today, played a role in the preservation of Whiting history. It was at that location that Harold and Elizabeth Webster (Elizabeth was a granddaughter of Henry Wells) authored the local history, Our Whiting, in 1976.

Galvin also discusses Lyman and Isaac McAllister, brothers, who purchased 164 acres in southwest Whiting on April 8, 1865. A few years later, Lyman and his wife Frances sold the large farm and purchased a home on 13 acres near the South School (Murray and West Roads), as well as 58 acres of farmland nearby in Orwell. They mortgaged their properties in 1871 and lost them to foreclosure in 1880.

Home once owned by Lyman and Frances McAllister.

Note: I believe both of the homes discussed here are included in the Vermont State Register of Historic Places. The William Ira McAllister home is believed to have been built around 1845, which was during the McAllister's ownership of the farm. The Lyman McAllister home dates from about 1850 and would have been approximately 20 years old during the McAllisters' ownership.

See: Ed Galvin's McAllister Genealogy Page

Town charter of 1763

Today, I posted the text of the original Whiting town charter of 1763 and the related list of original land grantees. I pulled the text from the excellent local history, Our Whiting, written by Harold and Elizabeth Webster back in 1976. Visitors may access the text at this location:

1763 Whiting Town Charter

"Our Whiting" book

I've really enjoyed reading the book, Our Whiting: Facts and Fables, by longtime Whiting residents Harold and Elizabeth Webster. I'd very much like to figure out a way to share the book online. I'm not certain who would hold the copyright for the work, however.

Harold and Elizabeth Webster both died back in the 1980s. The book's publisher, Russell Farnsworth of Burlington, died in 1980. I have not had any luck finding a living descendant of the authors or the publisher. (There is some indication that Harold and Elizabeth's son Donald moved to Arizona and died in 2001. I believe a surviving great granddaughter may have relocated to the South - I'm working on this.) If any visitors to this site have any relevant information about the Websters or Mr. Farnsworth or the book, please leave a comment.