Aaron (or Aron) Rising was one of three brothers who were among the earliest settlers of Warren, Vermont. He was born into a family of eleven children, the son of Amos and Lydia Rising of Southwick, Hampden Co., Mass. (His father descended from James Rising, who arrived in the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1662 and later removed to Suffield, Conn., where he died in 1688.)
According to an early history of Washington County, Aaron moved to Warren in 1802, a few years after his brothers Amos and Tehan. He remained a bachelor farmer for many years. Finally on July 21, 1828 in Warren, Aaron married 40-year-old Mary Bragg. The couple had no children. He died at the age of eighty-eight, having long out-lived his brothers.
An amusing story is found in an early history of Washington County:
AARON RISING GOING TO MILL
Mr. Rising related to me that when 16 years old, the family having had nothing to eat but pumpkin and potatoes with milk for 2 weeks, they made some salts, and sent him to Randolph for grain. His brother gave him 25 cts. to buy his dinner. He went to Waitsfield, and crossed the mountain to Roxbury. The road through the woods was a bridle-path, and the roots of the trees so thick the horse had to step pretty long sometimes. He stopped at Roxbury for dinner, but finding they had nothing to eat but potatoes and milk there, and that he would have to wait for the potatoes to be cooked, he pushed on to Braintree, finding nothing but potatoes and milk there again, and deferred dining until he should reach Randolph. Having arrived, he went straight to the mill. The miller weighed his salts, and let him have 3 bushels of grain, and paid him the balance due in money. He would not let him have more grain, saying that he must divide among the people or they would starve.
Our "boy sent to mill," said he turned out his horse to feed while his grist was being ground. They had plenty to eat there, but he was so bashful he did not dare to ask for anything. He was very hungry, but hoped when he got back to Braintree he could get some potatoes and milk, at least. He reached Braintree, and then concluded to go on to Roxbury, as he could stay there over night, and by starting early in the morning, reach home in time for the family to bake for breakfast; but when he arrived at Roxbury, the inhabitants had gone to bed, and not seeing any lights, it made him homesick, and he concluded to go on a little farther to a Mr. Sampson's, who lived up close under the mountain. When he got up to Sampson's, it was so dark there he could not stay there possibly, and he kept on. He was very tired and hungry, but he led the old mare along with the 3 bushels of meal on her back. When he got about half way up the mountain, he heard a wolf howl behind him, and pretty soon, another one answer ahead of him; soon, another one in the north, then in the south. He stopped to rest the old mare and himself. He was so hungry and tired, he thought that if he had got to live to be an old man, and always fare as hard as now, that he did not much care if the wolves did take him; that they would tear him to pieces in about two minutes, he considered, and it would be over with; but he started along pretty soon. He could hear the wolves in the bushes close by. They did not howl now, for they could see him, and were only watching when to spring upon him. He scrambled up on to the old mare's back. He thought that he would let them take her first. It soon began to grow a little light. He kept urging the old mare along, and when he got out of the woods, it was so light the wolves left him. He got home about sunrise. He dragged the meal into the house, and went up stairs to bed, so tired and exhausted that he could hardly get up there. When breakfast was ready, he was called up, but when they gave him a piece of bread only about half as large as his hand, and a small quantity of milk, he said the tears rolled down his cheeks, and it was harder than all he had endured; but they told him that it was more than the "galls" had, and that they must be very saving, for they did not know when they should get any more.
Mr. Rising lived to become quite wealthy, but was blind for the last few years of his life. He narrated these facts to us in his 85th year. He was blind at this time, but his memory was very good.
[Abby Maria Hemenway, The History of Washington County, in The Vermont Historical Gazetteer, Vol. 4 (1882), 802-03.]
According to an early history of Washington County, Aaron moved to Warren in 1802, a few years after his brothers Amos and Tehan. He remained a bachelor farmer for many years. Finally on July 21, 1828 in Warren, Aaron married 40-year-old Mary Bragg. The couple had no children. He died at the age of eighty-eight, having long out-lived his brothers.
An amusing story is found in an early history of Washington County:
AARON RISING GOING TO MILL
Mr. Rising related to me that when 16 years old, the family having had nothing to eat but pumpkin and potatoes with milk for 2 weeks, they made some salts, and sent him to Randolph for grain. His brother gave him 25 cts. to buy his dinner. He went to Waitsfield, and crossed the mountain to Roxbury. The road through the woods was a bridle-path, and the roots of the trees so thick the horse had to step pretty long sometimes. He stopped at Roxbury for dinner, but finding they had nothing to eat but potatoes and milk there, and that he would have to wait for the potatoes to be cooked, he pushed on to Braintree, finding nothing but potatoes and milk there again, and deferred dining until he should reach Randolph. Having arrived, he went straight to the mill. The miller weighed his salts, and let him have 3 bushels of grain, and paid him the balance due in money. He would not let him have more grain, saying that he must divide among the people or they would starve.
Our "boy sent to mill," said he turned out his horse to feed while his grist was being ground. They had plenty to eat there, but he was so bashful he did not dare to ask for anything. He was very hungry, but hoped when he got back to Braintree he could get some potatoes and milk, at least. He reached Braintree, and then concluded to go on to Roxbury, as he could stay there over night, and by starting early in the morning, reach home in time for the family to bake for breakfast; but when he arrived at Roxbury, the inhabitants had gone to bed, and not seeing any lights, it made him homesick, and he concluded to go on a little farther to a Mr. Sampson's, who lived up close under the mountain. When he got up to Sampson's, it was so dark there he could not stay there possibly, and he kept on. He was very tired and hungry, but he led the old mare along with the 3 bushels of meal on her back. When he got about half way up the mountain, he heard a wolf howl behind him, and pretty soon, another one answer ahead of him; soon, another one in the north, then in the south. He stopped to rest the old mare and himself. He was so hungry and tired, he thought that if he had got to live to be an old man, and always fare as hard as now, that he did not much care if the wolves did take him; that they would tear him to pieces in about two minutes, he considered, and it would be over with; but he started along pretty soon. He could hear the wolves in the bushes close by. They did not howl now, for they could see him, and were only watching when to spring upon him. He scrambled up on to the old mare's back. He thought that he would let them take her first. It soon began to grow a little light. He kept urging the old mare along, and when he got out of the woods, it was so light the wolves left him. He got home about sunrise. He dragged the meal into the house, and went up stairs to bed, so tired and exhausted that he could hardly get up there. When breakfast was ready, he was called up, but when they gave him a piece of bread only about half as large as his hand, and a small quantity of milk, he said the tears rolled down his cheeks, and it was harder than all he had endured; but they told him that it was more than the "galls" had, and that they must be very saving, for they did not know when they should get any more.
Mr. Rising lived to become quite wealthy, but was blind for the last few years of his life. He narrated these facts to us in his 85th year. He was blind at this time, but his memory was very good.
[Abby Maria Hemenway, The History of Washington County, in The Vermont Historical Gazetteer, Vol. 4 (1882), 802-03.]
Aaron (or Aron) Rising was one of three brothers who were among the earliest settlers of Warren, Vermont. He was born into a family of eleven children, the son of Amos and Lydia Rising of Southwick, Hampden Co., Mass. (His father descended from James Rising, who arrived in the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1662 and later removed to Suffield, Conn., where he died in 1688.)
According to an early history of Washington County, Aaron moved to Warren in 1802, a few years after his brothers Amos and Tehan. He remained a bachelor farmer for many years. Finally on July 21, 1828 in Warren, Aaron married 40-year-old Mary Bragg. The couple had no children. He died at the age of eighty-eight, having long out-lived his brothers.
An amusing story is found in an early history of Washington County:
AARON RISING GOING TO MILL
Mr. Rising related to me that when 16 years old, the family having had nothing to eat but pumpkin and potatoes with milk for 2 weeks, they made some salts, and sent him to Randolph for grain. His brother gave him 25 cts. to buy his dinner. He went to Waitsfield, and crossed the mountain to Roxbury. The road through the woods was a bridle-path, and the roots of the trees so thick the horse had to step pretty long sometimes. He stopped at Roxbury for dinner, but finding they had nothing to eat but potatoes and milk there, and that he would have to wait for the potatoes to be cooked, he pushed on to Braintree, finding nothing but potatoes and milk there again, and deferred dining until he should reach Randolph. Having arrived, he went straight to the mill. The miller weighed his salts, and let him have 3 bushels of grain, and paid him the balance due in money. He would not let him have more grain, saying that he must divide among the people or they would starve.
Our "boy sent to mill," said he turned out his horse to feed while his grist was being ground. They had plenty to eat there, but he was so bashful he did not dare to ask for anything. He was very hungry, but hoped when he got back to Braintree he could get some potatoes and milk, at least. He reached Braintree, and then concluded to go on to Roxbury, as he could stay there over night, and by starting early in the morning, reach home in time for the family to bake for breakfast; but when he arrived at Roxbury, the inhabitants had gone to bed, and not seeing any lights, it made him homesick, and he concluded to go on a little farther to a Mr. Sampson's, who lived up close under the mountain. When he got up to Sampson's, it was so dark there he could not stay there possibly, and he kept on. He was very tired and hungry, but he led the old mare along with the 3 bushels of meal on her back. When he got about half way up the mountain, he heard a wolf howl behind him, and pretty soon, another one answer ahead of him; soon, another one in the north, then in the south. He stopped to rest the old mare and himself. He was so hungry and tired, he thought that if he had got to live to be an old man, and always fare as hard as now, that he did not much care if the wolves did take him; that they would tear him to pieces in about two minutes, he considered, and it would be over with; but he started along pretty soon. He could hear the wolves in the bushes close by. They did not howl now, for they could see him, and were only watching when to spring upon him. He scrambled up on to the old mare's back. He thought that he would let them take her first. It soon began to grow a little light. He kept urging the old mare along, and when he got out of the woods, it was so light the wolves left him. He got home about sunrise. He dragged the meal into the house, and went up stairs to bed, so tired and exhausted that he could hardly get up there. When breakfast was ready, he was called up, but when they gave him a piece of bread only about half as large as his hand, and a small quantity of milk, he said the tears rolled down his cheeks, and it was harder than all he had endured; but they told him that it was more than the "galls" had, and that they must be very saving, for they did not know when they should get any more.
Mr. Rising lived to become quite wealthy, but was blind for the last few years of his life. He narrated these facts to us in his 85th year. He was blind at this time, but his memory was very good.
[Abby Maria Hemenway, The History of Washington County, in The Vermont Historical Gazetteer, Vol. 4 (1882), 802-03.]
According to an early history of Washington County, Aaron moved to Warren in 1802, a few years after his brothers Amos and Tehan. He remained a bachelor farmer for many years. Finally on July 21, 1828 in Warren, Aaron married 40-year-old Mary Bragg. The couple had no children. He died at the age of eighty-eight, having long out-lived his brothers.
An amusing story is found in an early history of Washington County:
AARON RISING GOING TO MILL
Mr. Rising related to me that when 16 years old, the family having had nothing to eat but pumpkin and potatoes with milk for 2 weeks, they made some salts, and sent him to Randolph for grain. His brother gave him 25 cts. to buy his dinner. He went to Waitsfield, and crossed the mountain to Roxbury. The road through the woods was a bridle-path, and the roots of the trees so thick the horse had to step pretty long sometimes. He stopped at Roxbury for dinner, but finding they had nothing to eat but potatoes and milk there, and that he would have to wait for the potatoes to be cooked, he pushed on to Braintree, finding nothing but potatoes and milk there again, and deferred dining until he should reach Randolph. Having arrived, he went straight to the mill. The miller weighed his salts, and let him have 3 bushels of grain, and paid him the balance due in money. He would not let him have more grain, saying that he must divide among the people or they would starve.
Our "boy sent to mill," said he turned out his horse to feed while his grist was being ground. They had plenty to eat there, but he was so bashful he did not dare to ask for anything. He was very hungry, but hoped when he got back to Braintree he could get some potatoes and milk, at least. He reached Braintree, and then concluded to go on to Roxbury, as he could stay there over night, and by starting early in the morning, reach home in time for the family to bake for breakfast; but when he arrived at Roxbury, the inhabitants had gone to bed, and not seeing any lights, it made him homesick, and he concluded to go on a little farther to a Mr. Sampson's, who lived up close under the mountain. When he got up to Sampson's, it was so dark there he could not stay there possibly, and he kept on. He was very tired and hungry, but he led the old mare along with the 3 bushels of meal on her back. When he got about half way up the mountain, he heard a wolf howl behind him, and pretty soon, another one answer ahead of him; soon, another one in the north, then in the south. He stopped to rest the old mare and himself. He was so hungry and tired, he thought that if he had got to live to be an old man, and always fare as hard as now, that he did not much care if the wolves did take him; that they would tear him to pieces in about two minutes, he considered, and it would be over with; but he started along pretty soon. He could hear the wolves in the bushes close by. They did not howl now, for they could see him, and were only watching when to spring upon him. He scrambled up on to the old mare's back. He thought that he would let them take her first. It soon began to grow a little light. He kept urging the old mare along, and when he got out of the woods, it was so light the wolves left him. He got home about sunrise. He dragged the meal into the house, and went up stairs to bed, so tired and exhausted that he could hardly get up there. When breakfast was ready, he was called up, but when they gave him a piece of bread only about half as large as his hand, and a small quantity of milk, he said the tears rolled down his cheeks, and it was harder than all he had endured; but they told him that it was more than the "galls" had, and that they must be very saving, for they did not know when they should get any more.
Mr. Rising lived to become quite wealthy, but was blind for the last few years of his life. He narrated these facts to us in his 85th year. He was blind at this time, but his memory was very good.
[Abby Maria Hemenway, The History of Washington County, in The Vermont Historical Gazetteer, Vol. 4 (1882), 802-03.]
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GONE HOME / ARON RISING / BORN / June 9, 1786, / DIED Sept. 22, 1871. / ...
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