Eli Waste was born June 12, 1746 in Rochester, Plymouth County, Massachusetts. He was the son of Charles and Deborah Waste and an uncle to Bezaleel Waste.

Eli was christened in the First Congregational Church of Rochester. He married Jemima Babcock on Nov. 21, 1771 in Dartmouth, Bristol County, Massachusetts. They lived in Dartmouth after marriage.

"The Waste Family Genealogy", by the late Dr. John M. Waste, says he served under Capt. Benjamin Dillingham in the American Revolution.

On Feb. 7, 1780, Eli became the owner of his brother Bezaleel's property in Wilmington, Windham Co., Vermont. See more about this property on Bezaleel's page. Evidently, Bezaleel moved to Hague, New York around that time. At least some of the property stayed in the Waste family until 1827.

In 1805, Eli married Eunice Freeman.

The 1810 census listed Eli Waste as a resident of Wilmington, Windham Co., Vermont. The "manufacturing schedules" section of the same census gives the following details about Eli's business: "owns one loom, fabrics produced during the previous year (in yards): 60 woolen, 50 linen, 10 cotton, 50 mixed fabrics."

Eli Waste died on Sept. 7, 1833 in Wilmington, Windham County, Vermont. He was buried in River View Cemetery, Wilmington, Windham County, Vermont.

River View Cemetery, Wilmington   Click on the image for larger version

He married Jemima Babcock on Nov. 21, 1771 in Dartmouth, Bristol Co., Mass. She was the daughter of George Babcock and Elizabeth Waste. Jemima's parents were from Dartmouth, Mass., and later of Wilmington, Vermont. Elizabeth Waste was born about 1705. She married George Badcock about Sept. 1729 in Dartmouth, Mass. (more Elizabeth Waste info is located here).

Jemima was born Nov. 28, 1747 in Dartmouth, Mass. and died Feb. 6, 1821 in Wilmington, Windham County, Vermont. She was buried in River View Cemetery, Wilmington.

The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) website actually uses my relative, Eli Waste, as an example in 2 (!) sections of their website.

Clues in census records

Nonpopulation Census Records

Here's one of the examples using Eli Waste

Here is the 2nd example:

"The information will be found as annotations on the regular census schedules found in National Archives microfilm publication M252, Third Census of the United States, 1810 (71 rolls). Examples of these annotations are:
James Weston [sic, Westurn], Orwell, Rutland Co., VT, p. 179: 7 sheep, one spinning wheel, one little spinning wheel.

Eli Waste, Wilmington, Windham Co., VT, p. 409: owns one loom; fabrics produced during the preceding year (in yards): 60 woolen, 50 linen, 10 cotton, 50 mixed fabrics."

Richard Waste was born Oct. 6, 1789 in Wilmington, Windham Co., Vermont. He married Clarissa Parmelee on Oct. 1, 1812. She was born on June 8, 1786 in Somerset, Windham Co. Richard built the first lumber mills in Wilmington about 1828 on the west side of the river. The Old Red Mill Inn today stands to that site. Here is the history of the Old Red Mill Inn. Richard's son Eli Parmalee Waste was born on Aug. 13, 1819. Clarissa Waste died on Dec. 3, 1851.

Note: I am still trying to verify the details of Richard's life, the main question is whether this is the same Richard Waste as the founder of the mill. I think it is.