In the late spring of 1846 Moses C. Jewett hitched his team of horses to his Democrat wagon, and he and his wife loaded their dearest possessions at last lifted little Laura, their only child, about four years old at that time, into the wagon. After helping his wife to a seat, he placed himself beside her, started the team and was off on a great adventure. He was going west to seek a new home in a new section where land was cheaper.

Moses C. Jewett lived at Windsor, Vt., which is on the Connecticut river, south of White River Junction. He could look over the river into New Hampshire, but now he was headed, with his family, for York state, the Black river country as it was sometimes known. He had been a school teacher in Vermont, had saved up some money for just such an enterprise as this and now he was heading west on a journey that would require nearly ten days to complete. It was 110 miles to Burlington and just how far it would be to Redwood in York state he didn’t know. During his school teaching days he had married Miss Mary Ann Wakefield of Reading, Vt. and she knew a little of York state, for a relative, Ceylon Wakefield, had gone west to learn the foundry business. Later Mr. Wakefield was manufacturing in Theresa, the Indian River Clipper plows and the stoves that one can yet see about the north country. The trip west was one of unfolding surprises and the little daughter, Laura, stood up mile after mile, hanging on the dashboard, seeing new sights every moment.

Moses Jewett was born Feb. 11, 1815. After his arrival he bought the Chaffey farm, a mile and a half north of Redwood, with a comfortable log house already built, but the land mostly wilderness. There were 188 acres and it bordered a large flat, abounding in muskrats and other wild life. Another road joined the Redwood highway at this point and soon the place was known as Jewett’s Corners.

Over the half mile of flat land there had been built a crossway or dyke on which the road was located. Many a traveler in early days halted at night to find lodging with Mr. and Mrs. Jewett rather than make the trip over the crossway in the dark with water overflowing the track. Moses Jewett became a leader in his community and we find him in the fall of 1858 elected to the New York state assembly. He served during the years of 1859 and 1860. There were six children, four of whom grew to maturity. They were Laura A., Henrietta A., Marion I. and Marcus J. Jewett. Moses Jewett became a leader in the Masonic lodge, serving some twelve years as master and a member of the chapter. He built the fine farm home located at Jewett’s Corners, still owned and operated by members of the family.

It was from a grandson of Moses, Morris Jewett that this story was obtained. At his home in Redwood he told of the incidents, as he had heard them from his ancestors.

“My grandfather,” said Morris, “was never interested in the fur business but my father, Marcus J. Jewett, had a longing to secure some of the resources of that rich flat land by our place and began trapping when he was young. More and more he became interested in the fur business until he became an expert in fur values and was soon buying and selling fur in a small way. The business grew and father made trips to Canada to buy fur, returning with large consignments. Later he did considerable advertising in magazines of a national circulation and the business grew by leaps and bounds. I guess that Redwood became known as a fur buying center.

“Maybe I should have mentioned that father was born April 21, 1855. He married Libbie M. Markley Sept. 10, 1879. Mother is still living and only this week was speaking about hearing my grandparents tell about that trip from Vermont to Redwood and Laura standing up mile after mile by the dashboard. There are five children in father’s family, Frank, born Nov. 4, 1882; I was the second child, born Aug. 14, 1888; Ina, who was married to Earl Wheeler, now of Huntington, W. Va.; John, Carl, and Ray L. here at Redwood.

“We shall continue the fur business but not in such a large manner as did father before his death. The fur business is a little better this year and we still get consignments from far off places. Just last night a considerable amount of fur came to us from a trapper in Alaska. We like to get this northern fur for it is choice stuff. Of course, we get quite a lot of fur shipped to us from the south and that is a different proposition as their fur is of a different type.,

“There is not the amount of native fur that there was when I was a boy. Muskrats, foxes, mink and other animals were more plentiful then, it seems to me. Fur prices are higher this year and that has caused more people to trap and we are probably getting more native fur this spring than last because of this.