History of Orange, (Orange County) Vermont United States of America

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Local History Notes:

ORANGE, a county in the E. part of Vermont, has an area of about 640 square miles. It is bounded on the E. by the Connecticut river, and is watered by the First, Second, and Third branches of White river, and other smaller streams, which furnish motive-power to numerous mills. The surface is uneven and mountainous in the N. part. The soil is fertile, but more adapted to grazing than tillage. Indian corn, potatoes, wool, and grass are the staples. In 1850 this county produced 176,586 bushels of corn; 599,925 of potatoes; 70,549 tons of hay; 869,042 pounds of butter, and 248,715 of wool. There were 2 woollen factories, 2 foundries, 4 flour mills, 2 paper mills, 13 saw mills, 1 manufactory of chemicals, 3 of farming implements, and 7 of boots and shoes. It contained 57 churches, 3 newspaper offices, 9212 pupils attending public schools, and 1356 attending academies or other schools. This county abounds in iron ore, slate, and granite, and some lead ore has been found. The Connecticut river, (navigable by means of canals round the falls,) and the Connecticut and Passumpsic Rivers railroad run along its border, and the Vermont Central railroad crosses its western extremity. Organized in 1781. Capital, Chelsea. Population, 27,296.

Biographies:

Benjamin Franklin Fifield, lawyer, was born in Orange, Vt., Nov. 18, 1832; son of Col. Orange and Melissa N. Fifield; grandson of Samuel Fifield, and a descendant of Samuel Fifield, first man over the British entrenchments at the battle of Bennington. The name is derived from the union of the word Field and the county Fife, Scotland, the Fields in Fife being called Fifield. The first Fifield in America settled in Massachusetts in 1634. He was graduated at the University of Vermont in 1855 and was admitted to the bar in 1858. He was U.S. attorney for the district of Vermont, 1869-80; representative in the state legislature, 1881; commissioner to the World's Columbian exposition from Vermont, 1891; delegate to the Republican national convention, 1884; president of the Vermont bar association, 1884, and trustee of the University of Vermont from 1898, He was married in 1865 to Lucy, daughter of Erastus Hubbard of Montpelier. On Jan. 7, 1899, he was appointed by Governor Smith U.S. senator, as successor to Senator Morrill, deceased, which appointment he declined.

From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor