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THE SECOND REPORT
OF THE
MISSISQUOI COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY
ILLUSTRATED
1907 NEWS TYP., ST. JOHNS, QUE.
F
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ILLUSTRATIONS.
SIR JAMES MC?HERSON LEMOINE. DR. ARTHUR GEORGE DOUGHTY.
E. R. SMITH, Esq. LATE JOHN HUNTER, Esq. HOMESTEAD LATE JOHN HUNTER. LATE JUDGE SOLOMON BIXGHAM. RESIDENCE S. B. DERICK, Esq.
M. E. FILER, Esq., (Caldwell Manor House.) ANTHONY DERICK HOMESTEAD. W. M. PATTISON, Esq. CATHOLIC CHURCH, Clarenceville. R. B. DERICK, Esq. U. T. CHILTON, Esq. T. H. DERICK, Esq. CHAS. DARBY, Esq. J. ROBINSON, Esq.
COWANSVILLE FLOURING Ml LI,.
MRS. F. U. DERICK. TRUMAN B. DERICK. OLD BLOCK HOUSE, Philipsburg. D. B. MEIGS, Esq., M. P. J. J. B. GOSSELIN, Esq., M. L. A. LATE HON. THOS. WOOD, M. L. C. LATE HON. PHILIP H. MOORE, M. L. C. LATE GEO. CLAYES, M. P. LATE CALVIN DERICK, Esq. LATE REUP.EN H. VAUGHAN.
of
iit00iaqw0t (Eowttg iftatonral
for 190B-0r.
Honorary Presidents,
HON. W. W. LYNCH, J. S. C.
HON. J. C. McCORKIIJ,, J.S.S.
HON. vSKNATOR G. 11. BAKER, K.C.
JNO. P. NOYKS, Esq., K. C.
President, CHAS. (). .TONES, Esq.
Vice-President, E. E. SPENCER, Esq.
Secretary-Treasurer,
CHAS. S. MOORE, Esq.
President of Woman's Committee,
MRS. S. A. C. MORGAN.
WOMEN ' S COMMITTEE.
Mrs. E. I.. Watson, Dunham.
Miss E. I,. P>aker, Dunham.
Mrs. C. I,. Cotton, Cowansvillc.
Mrs. Hiram C. Blinn, Stanbridge.
Mrs. E. Sornberger, Bedford.
Miss Ine/. Watson, Pike River.
Miss C. M. Derick, Clarenceville.
Mrs. F. X. A. Giroux, Swettsburg
Miss D'Artois, Farnham.
Mrs. Hugh Montgomery, Philipsburg.
LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS.
St. Armand East— Secretary, John Krans ; Directors, J . H. Burley, Ed. Spencer, A. Carpenter, A. J. Ingalls, H. J. Ingalls.
St. Armand West — Secretary, I.oftus
M I S S I S Q U () I CO U X T Y H I VS T O R I C A L S O C I E T V
Smith ; Directors, J. C. Bet-man, H. X. Sigsby, C. E. Tittcmore.
Freliglisburg — Secretary, K. E. Spen- cer ; Directors, H. C. Blinn, T. N. Shep- herd, Rev. Canon Davidson.
Philipsburg — Secretary, Andrew Somer- ville ; Directors, H. B. Streit, Rev. A. A. Ireland, E. E. Burke, Gco. S. Jones.
Bedford — Secretary, A. J. Stevens; Directors, Fred. C. Saunders, X. C. Da- vis, Geo. Capsey, J. H. Gough, J. J. Mullin, P. J. Boisseau, M.D., J. Ed. I,e- beau, X.P.
Dunham— Secretary, E. I/. Watson ; Directors, R. I'. Small, David Westover, Major J. G. Gibson, Jos. I,ec.
Dunham Village— Secretary, Asa Ry- kert ; Directors, Joseph Baker, Joseph Selby, Dr. A. D. Stevens, Wm. Baker.
Cowansville — Secretarv, P. C. Du-
Boyce ; Directors, Rev. W. P. R. Lewis,
M. O. Hart, X.P., H. F. Williams, W. U. Cotton.
Sweetsburg— Secretary, W. H. Lynch , Directors, P\ X. A. Giroux, F. H. Pickle, M.D.C.M.. W. F. Shufelt, C. S. Boright.
Stanbridge — Secretary, C. H. Hibbard ; Directors, P. C. Moore, C. E. Blinn, E. H. Eaton, Col. A. II. Gilmour.
Clarenceville — Secretary, Wm Meade Pattison ; Directors, John A. Hawley, A. W. Strong, M.D.C.M., Samuel Adams, Rev. Wm. Robinson.
St. Thomas — Secretary, Jas. Collins ; Directors, Stephen Derick, B. V. XTaylor, R. L. Derick. Jas. Cochran.
Farnham— Secretary, W. S. McCorkill ; Directors, A. E. D'Artois, Mayor, D. B Mcigs, James Scott, \t. A. Bcriau, X.P.
SIR JAMES MCPHERSON LEMOINE, OF SPENCER GRANGE" CITY OF QUEBEC, D.C.L., F. R. S. C.
Born January 25, 1825, now Life Member of Missisquoi County Historical Society.
Missisquoi County Historical Society,
SPECIAL MEETING,
A special meeting of the Missisquoi County Historical Society was held in the Parochial Hall, Stanbridge East, on Friday afternoon the I3th July, 1906, at which were present among many others : Chas. (). Jones, President, and C. S. Moore, Secretary of the Society, Hon. J. C. McCorkill, J. P. Xoyes, K.C., A. L. Oilman, School Inspector, Cowansville ; E. R. Smith, Editor of The News ; Messrs. Giroux, Baker, Lynch and W. U. Cotton, Advocates, Sweetsburg ; Rev. R. T. Overing, C. H. Hibbard and others Stanbridge East ; Asa Rykert, Miss Ry- kert and Miss Baker, Dunham ; Andrew Somerville, Philipsburg ; N. H. Davis, Bedford ; Madame Giroux, and Miss Eilie Baker, Sweetsburg ; Miss Cote, St.. Hya- cinthe ; George Robinson, Westmount ; Mrs. S. A. C. Morgan, Mr. Moorehouse, and Mr. and Mrs. Sornberger, Bedford ; Miss Chandler, New York, and Mesdames Theodora Moore, C. II. Hibbard and others, Stanbridge East.
The President, Mr. Chas. O. Jones, in opening the meeting stated its principal object to be a discussion of the proposed excursion to Isle-aux-Noix where the Vermont Historical and kindred societies hoped to join in an international cele- bration on a day to be fixed. Mr. E. R. Smith, editor of The News, J. P. Noyes, Esq., K.C., the Hon. J. C. McCorkill, and F. X. A. Giroux, Esq., in the order given, made remarks bearing upon the different aspects of the proposed trip. It
was finally moved by Hon. J. C. McCor- kill, seconded by Mr. Giroux, that the following committee be appointed to make all arrangements, vi/,., Messrs. E. R. Smith, J. P. Noycs, C. O. Jones and C. S. Moore. — Carried.
Mr. C. H. Hibbard then read an excel- lent paper, carefully prepared, upon the St. Albans Raid. To bring out the inter- national .importance of the events con- nected with the arrest of the raiders here he gave the causes which led up to the final act, with consequences which caused gravest anxiety to British and American statesmen, and brought renown to the Canadian Bar, where the case was ably conducted.
Hon. J. C. McCorkill, in his usual pleasing manner, supplemented Mr. Hib- bard's paper with interesting remarks upon that remarkable raid, closing with references to the change and development in Canadian national feeling.
Excellent short speeches were made by the Rev. R. Y. Overing, Messrs. W. H. Lynch, F. X. A. Giroux, W. Cotton — the three latter rising barristers of Sweets- burg, who have already given evidence of being something more than an ornament to their profession.
Lieut. -Col. Gilmour had kindly written notes on the Canadian artists, Eaton
Missisquoi County Historical Society,
SPECIAL MEETING.
A special meeting of the Missisquoi County Historical Society was held in the Parochial Hall, Stanbridge East, on Friday afternoon the I3th July, 1906, at which were present among many others : Chas. (). Jones, President, and C. S. Moore, Secretary of the Society, Hon. J. C. McCorkill, J. P. Xoyes, K.C., A. L. Oilman, School Inspector, Cowansville ; E. R. Smith, Editor of The News ; Messrs. Giroux, Baker, Lynch and W. U. Cotton, Advocates, Sweetsburg ; Rev. R. T. Overing, C. H. Hibbard and others Stanbridge East ; Asa Rykert, Miss Ry- kert and Miss Baker, Dunham ; Andrew Somerville, Philipsburg ; N. H. Davis, Bedford ; Madame Giroux, and Miss EHie Baker, Sweetsburg ; Miss Cote, St.. Hya- cinthe ; George Robinson, Westmount ; Mrs. S. A. C. Morgan, Mr. Moorehouse, and Mr. and Mrs. Sornberger, Bedford ; Miss Chandler, New York, and Mesdames Theodora Moore, C. H. Hibbard and others, Stanbridge P7ast.
The President, Mr. Chas. O. Jones, in opening the meeting stated its principal object to be a discussion of the proposed excursion to Isle-aux-Noix where the Vermont Historical and kindred societies hoped to join in an international cele- bration on a day to be fixed. Mr. E. R. Smith, editor of The News, J. P. Noyes, Esq., K.C., the Hon. J. C. McCorkill, and F. X. A. Giroux, Esq., in the order given, made remarks bearing upon the cliflercnt aspects of the proposed trip. It
was finally moved by Hon. J. C. McCor- kill, seconded by Mr. Giroux, that the following committee be appointed to make all arrangements, vi/.., Messrs. E. R. Smith, J. P. Noyes, C. O. Jones and C. S. Moore. — Carried.
Mr. C. H. Hibbard then read an excel- lent paper, carefully prepared, upon the St. Albans Raid. To bring out the inter- national importance of the events con- nected with the arrest of the raiders here he gave the causes which led up to the final act, with consequences which caused gravest anxiety to British and American statesmen, and brought renown to the Canadian Bar, where the case was ably conducted.
Hon. J. C. McCorkill, in his usual pleasing manner, supplemented Mr. Hib- bard's paper with interesting remarks upon that remarkable raid, closing with references to the change and development in Canadian national feeling.
Excellent short speeches were made by the Rev. R. Y. Overing, Messrs. W. H. Lynch, F. X. A. Giroux, W. Cotton—the three latter rising barristers of Sweets- burg, who have already given evidence of being something more than an ornament to their profession.
Lieut. -Col. Gilmour had kindly written notes on the Canadian artists, Eaton
I S S I S O U 0 I COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY
and Eclson, both natives of this co-unty, but was prevented from attending the meeting by the serious illness of his' son, Mr. Arthur Gilmour. Through the court- esy of both of these gentlemen, the mem- bers of the Miss. His. Society had re- ceived a kind invitation to visit their
picture gallery — of which they availed themselves — to the great pleasure of all. The day was a fine one ; there seemed to be a lively interest in the Society and the proposed excursion and pic-nic seem- ed to be favorably looked upon.
DR. ARTHUR GEORGE DOUGHTY, M.A., LIT D., C.M.G., F.R.H.S. Born in England and came to Canada in 1886. Private Secretary of Provincial Minister of Public Works in 1897, and Secretary to the Treasurer in 1899. Appointed Dominion Archivist in 1904, now Life Member of Missisquoi County Historical Society, has pub- lished several works.
Annual Meeting.
Bedford, August 24, 1906.
The annual meeting of the Missisquoi County Historical Society was held in the town hall at 2.30 p.m., the president Mr. C. O. Jones, in the chair. Among those present were Hon. Judge Lynch, Knowlton ; J. P. Noyes, Esq., K.C., Rev. W. P. R. Lewis, Major J. G. Gib- son, Mr. W. M. Shufelt, Cowansville ; Mr. Wm. Mead Pattison, Rev. Rural Dean Robinson, Clarenceville ; Messrs. F. C. Saunders, Geo. Capsey, Nelson Davis, Bedford ; Messrs. Asa Rykert and E. L- Watson, Dunham ; Mayor A. E. D'Ar- tois, Farnham ; Mr. Andrew Somerville, Philipsburg ; Chas. S. Moore, Stanbridge East ; Mrs. W. A. Moore, Mrs. S. A. C. Morgan, Mrs. G. Freligh, Mrs. Robert Butler, Mrs. Palmer, Miss Palmer, Miss B. A. Noyes and other ladies were pre- sent.
The first order of business after rou- tine was the president's report, which was as follows :
President's Address.
An annual address before such a Socie- ty as ours may be likened to a mile- stone erected by the wayside, not only io mark progress, but to direct the fu- ture course. It has been said by some one, that the past is the principal means by which we may judge the future and,
as interest in the Society increases it will be a matter not only of interest but no doubt, of value, to note our periods of buoyancy and depression as reflected in these annual a'ddresses of your officers. It is not my intention, however, to en- ter very fully into details of our work during the year but to present rather, a brief general aspect of its progress since cur last annual meeting, leaving to the Secretary the duty of going more fully into the particulars of administration, contenting myself with an expression of my personal views an.l conclusions, and making such suggestions as I may deem of possible value in furthering the work undertaken by our Society.
In endeavoring to widen our sphere of influence I have heard the usefulness or necessity of the Society questioned by thoughtless people. It is well we are not all of that frame of mind. What is useful and what is necessary depends much on the point of view. I think there can be no question, for it has been generally conceded too long to be ques- tioned, that a love of ancestry tends to ennoble, and it is reasonably certain that a knowledge of deeds accomplished and difficulties surmounted by our an- cestors "strengthen the feeling of content- ment and satisfaction with our own lot in life. As the toil and hardships un- dergone by our immediate ancestors, the primitive settlers of this community, be- come more familiar to us we cannot fail to become more 'reconciled to existing conditions. To many a narrative of the
10
M I S S I S Q U O I COUNTY HISTORICAL S O C I E T Y
descendant of the old pioneer have I listened, the narrator an old man, per- haps, who told of his grandfather's com- ing to this then new anjc.1 unknown land, following the lakes and rivers, then the only feasible means of access to this re- mote locality, of the innumerable hard- ships suffered, of the primitive home with its meagre outfit and of the constant daily struggle to* provide sustenance of the simplest character for the little household, and I have often wondered if we now occupied the lands formerly be- longing to those pioneer worthies and if, by any chance, we were their un- worthy descendants. We scarcely ever hear their names mentioned. Their self sacrifice and sufferings are forgotten, al- though we now en;oy the 'benefits re- nuliting from their arduous la-bors. These tales of a by-gone day are interesting and, in many instances, border upon the sensational . It is strange, when one comes to think about it, that the sense of human gratitude, which is akin to that great love which is embodied in the greatest) of ail the commandment, has not led us to interest ourselves more deeply in preserving at least the memory of that goodly race of pioneer heroes whose struggles meant, and still mean so much for us. There can be no question but that the records cf early hardships, uv- plete as they are with " woe and wear- iness," are much under, rather than over-drawn. I now recall the case of me pioneer, whose first furniture consisted of the smooth sawn top of a stump for a ta/Me, a rough bench made from a plank hewn from a log, and a few blocks of wood sawed to a proper length for seats. For the purpose of heating the domicile and cooking the food, a circle of stones was built at one end of the cabin, with a rude chimney of sticks and clay. Contrast this witth our equipment of to-day and enumerate, to accentuate the difference, the articles of utility, net to speak of comfort or luxury, to which we are accustomed. Such contrast should lead us to more fully appreciate our pre- sent? sutrounding^ and induce a state of
mind replete with contentment, which is the essence of true living.
Immediately following the last annual meeting steps were taken looking, to the is siting of an annual report intended to be the initial number of such a publica- tion for our Society. Its issue was de- layed through various causes, but Messrs. 10. R. Smith & Son, who had the mat- ter in hand, finally produced a work 7/hich was not only creditable to them as publishers but also to the Society for which it was published. The appear- ance as well as contents called forth fa- vorable comment from the press as well as in oth^r quarters. I ta'<e the liberty of quoting an editorial which appeared in the Montreal Gazette of the 5th of May last. Writes the Gazette :—
" It is interesting;, in these clays, when Canadian history has so widened its scope as to be associated, sometimes conspicuously, with the history of the Empire— to which, indeed, it is central— to read the gathered data of such a so- ciety as this, data dealing mainly with a single county. There was a movement once begun to write the history cf every cmnty in older Canada. Several coun- ties have fj'ich a record already, and it would not be a bad idea if some plan were adopted of complet'ng the series. In the old countries, q\ich local histories — histories of counties, cnoceses, towns, parishes— have often been published, and some of them are elaborate in prepara- tion and beautifully illustrated. Whether or not such a society as this would find in the formal undertaking of such a his- torical task a responsibility adapted to its energies, the members cannot help contributing to the general result. If that .result were only kep>t definitely in view, we do not doubt that, in a few years, the goal would comie into sight and the strong united endeavor would have its rewartl. And if every county had its historical society and adopted, though without rigor, a like gale or pur- pose, what a mass of material the gen- oral historian would be able to consult.
E. K. SMITH, Editor of "The News,"
St. Johns, P. (I Life Member MissUquoi County Historical Society.
M I S S I S 0 1" O I COUNTY HIST O R I 0 A I, S O C I E T Y
Meanwhile, it must surely give pleasure to Eastern Townships people and espe- cially to Missisqiuoi people, wherever they may 'be to .see in this report the first fruits ef what is sure to prove a credit- able harvest."
So just, appreciative and impartial a commendation of our purpose as a Socie- ty is decidedly an encouragement for a continuance in well doing.
Early in the summer a correspondence began embodying a proposition to the effect that we should hold our annual outing in conjunction with the Vermont Historical and Patriotic Societies and a conference with the officers of those so- cieties was held in St. .Johns at which- were present Messrs. J. P. Noyes, E. R. Smith and myself representing our So- ciety and Gel. Forbes and W. H. Crockett representing the Vermont Societies. Arrangements were proposed and discuss- ed, mainly to cover difficulties of trans- portation, and a day was chosen for the gathering. To decide upon our arrange- ments in connection with the subject a meeting of the Society was held at Stan- bridge East— the only one since our an- nual meeting— at which the matter was discussed favorably and our co-operation decided upon. But in the meantime our Vermont friends found such difficulties ;n the way that thay suggested a post- ponement until another year when it is to be hoped that circumstances will fa- vor the carrying out of the project suc- cessfully.
I am sure it will not be out of place for me to make a few suggestions along the line of what I consider a feasible and proper manner of successfully prosecut- ing our work. I do not wish, however, to be understood as mapping out <a course for my successor, even by suggestion, but simply to place my own views upon record. Our principal object as a society is to" produce at as early a date as pos- sible, an accurate and creditable history of our county. As the best means to at- tain that end I would suggest that we concentrate our attention and energies
upon some single municipality for the year. I am convinced that a diligent prosecution of such work would result in a creditable history of such municipality. The following year we could take up an- other municipality and so on from year year to year until all are exhau'stod. A beginning might be made with, say, St. Arm-ami West, and continuing on in the successhe years following the order of priority of settlement. All this I am aware, requires money, more than we have at present, or possibly may have in the near future. The officials cannot do this work alone or furnish the funds 1o carry it on. They cannot give their entire time to the affairs of the Society or supply the money which should come from the members. It. is obvious we cannot by our present system, or lack of system, prosecute this work successfully. Our efforts lack concentration and defi- niteness through want of money to put matters in a practical shape. By bring- ing our energies to bear on some single point, with the judicious expenditure of a reasonable sum of money, a great deal more could be accomplished, in fact, I am sure, we could complete a creditatble history of the entire 'County.
Another suggestion I think of impor- tance is to make an attempt to interest the children in our work, hoping better things of the coming generation when it assumes control of the society in the fu- ture. The lack of means has prevented us from offering prizes to the pupils of the various Academies and schools in the County for the best papers on local his- torical subjects. By such a policy I think we might instil in the minds of pupils a liking for research work as well as some knowledge of the events which have gone before. . In the years to come the Society would reap the benefit of such effort for, whilst we have the pre- sent in mind, we should also look to the future of our Society.
And, what is of greater importance we should secure the cooperation of the older people in every community to effect
Missisgroi COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY
whicL the local officials of the Society should act with zeal and promptness. In a few years many of our older residents must, in the natural course, pass away. Many cf them possess knowledge, accur- ate or traditional, of some interesting event of the earlier development of their community. This work may be done without much outlay and only requires systematizing to become practicable. While the question of a museum and li- brary building for the Society, which is so often broached, may be held 'in abey- ance until such time as the Society has given further evidence of its usefulness and vitality, the other work mentioned should he attended to at once. We ate wont to reproach our forbears with ne- gligence in this respect but, whether true or not, I do not well see how we can excuse our cwn presrnt neglect and indifference with regard to this phase of the work.
In concluding I whh to say a few words in appreciation of the cordial re- lations existing among the officers of the Society. The perfect harmony between them has tended to greatly increase the effectiveness of the work. While it was not my intention to refer to any one by name, I feel that in strict justice I should do so. Mr. Moore, who has dis- charged the exacting duties of Secretary- Treasurer, is certainly entitled to t-he fullest measure of our regognitdon, and I take this occasion to acknowledge not only an official but also a deep sense of personal obligation for the aid he has always so willingly rendered. I would also thank the many friends, both with- in and without the Society, who have shown their interest and have given us aid, many o-f whom I have had the pleas- ure of meeting personally and others with whom I have conducted a correspon- dence which has been not only a source of pleasure to me but, I trust a benefit to the Society, as well.
I thank you, ladies and gentlemen, for the sympathy and interest which you have shown by your presence here to-day
and if I may for the moment assume the role of a prophet, I will forecast a grow- ing future for the Society, for the main- tenance and increase of yoftir interest can only result in its permanent good, and, as the years pass, each one bringing some added element of usefulness, until thL- accomplishment of our objects will result as the reward of our continued eft'ort.
The Secretary-Treasurer, Mr. Chas. S. Moore, then read his report showing the condition of the Society from the busi- ness point of view. It was as follows :
Secretary's Report.
In presenting results of the work of the year which closes with this meeting to- day, lei me say, at the outset, (lest you, Mr. President, and I receive more than our share of glory) that the very satis- factory condition of this society, finan- cially and otherwise, is in a large meas- ure, due to the untiring zeal of our ex- officers, to the president of the woman's branch, to Mr. \Vm. Mead Pattison, of Clarenceville, Mr. E. R. Smith of The St. Johns News, and to many other friends.
Special mention should be made of Dr. George McAleer, of Worcester, Mass., who, though absent many years, has never lost interest in his native land. The well bound and illustrated volume which many of you received as a per- sonal gift from Dr. McAleer, dealing iiv a most interesting and scholarly manner with the derivation of the name of Mis- sisquoi, was, in itself, a fine gift to our society and to the literary productions of our native country.
Another happy surprise was the re- ceipt of ten dollars from the Eastern Townships Bank, through the General
JOHN HUNTER, ESQ.,
Born at Belfast, IreLind, June 12th, 1805, died at Olarenceville, Que., August 2lst, 1884, aged 79 years. Very prominent man and faithful public servant, influential member of Anglican church, Trustee of Claranceville Academy, Model Farmer.
MISSISQUOI COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY i
Manager, James McKimion, Esq. May other banking institutions follow this noble example !
We regret exceedingly the absence of the Hon. Mr. McCorkill. He was called away by telegram on official business. as he was about to leave his home in Cowansville to attend this meeting in Bedford. His patriotism for his native county and the whole Eastern Town- ships, is a source of inspiration for those of us who are living and working in this part of the Province of Quebec ; and his deep interest in the welfare of this so- ciety is most encouraging to its officers and members, who will miss to-day the eloquent words of patriotism with which he is want to address us.
The unavoidable absence of one of our officers, Mr. F. X. A. Giroux, is also deeply regretted. Mr. Giroux is a most helpful and courteous friend of this so- ciety, and his bright, kindly words we shall miss to-day.
Perhaps the most important work of the past year was the compiling and publishing of our first annual report. The distribution of circulars, especially to the non-resident sons and daughters of Missisquoi, calling attention to the society and its first publication, has been a most productive means of advertising ; adding many names to the list of mem- bers, thus aiding to place our finances upon a sound footing. Seven hundred and fifty reports were issued. Of these, 100 copies were purchased by the Prov- incial Secretary of Quebec, to be used as prizes for the public schools. Three hun- dred and sixty-two copies have been sold, exchanged, and distributed to members of the society (each member receiving a copy with his membership card) leaving a balance of 288 reports in the hands of the secretary.
At present writing we have 150 sons and daughters of Missisquoi upon our service roll — 97 of these residing in the county and 53 beyond its borders. The different municipalities of the county are represented as follows : Cowansville and Sweetsburg 42, Clarenceville and St. Thomas 16, Farnham 14, Bedford 7, Dun-
ham 7, Stanbridge 7, Frelighsburg 2, and Philipsburg 2. From Dan even unto Beersheba, have we drawn our non-resi- dent members. Montreal and St. Lam- bert have given us 7, St. Johns 15, Sherbrooke i, Knowlton 2, Huntingdon ], Mansonville i, the Province of Onta- rio 5, Alberta i, and the United States 20 — representing 14 different states. I might say, in passing, that ten members of the family of Mr. Pattison are enlist- ed in the Missisquoi Historical Society — no other family in the county ap- proaching this record.
Only one special meeting has been held by the society during the year, namely that of July I2th at Stanbridge East. The meeting was called by the officers for the purpose of arranging a picnic at Isle-aux-Noix-, if possible joining our friends, the Vermont Sons of the Revo- lution, at or near that point. Unfortu- nately this arrangement was found to !K; impracticable on account of unsatisfac- tory transportation facilities. After the transaction of business, a most interest- ing paper, dealing with the St. Albans' Raid of 1864, was read by Mr. C. H. Hibbard, of Stanbridge. This was fol- lowed by short impromptu addresses by the Hon. J. C. McCorkill and other gen- tlemen.
Perhaps some mention should be made of the Secretary's correspondence. Let- ters to the secretary have come from the length and breadth of our land, and from nearly every state in the Union ; from interested individuals, and from officers of similar societies. A few of these let- ters dealt with the danger we incurred in considering the proposition of an American society, " The Vermont Sons of the Revolution," to cross our borders and mark the resting place of one Capt Remember Baker who was killed at the beginning of the Revolutionary war, at or near the mouth of the Lacolle river. The officers of the society failed to ap- preciate any danger from this action. We should have been glad to meet the "Sons of the Revolution," or any other society of like character, and to join them in a friendly picnic, if this had
M I S S I S Q U 0 I COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY
been possible. As to erecting a monu- ment on our soil to the memory of a brave man (for he must have been brave to venture within our borders) — marking a spot where the American troops were defeated by our own — surely this should in no way incur the resentment of the Canadian people. The strong man, con- fident of his power, smiles good natured- ly at small liberties taken by others. We, as a nation, are becoming too big and strong to notice such trifles as the erection of a monument on our side of the line, to a Revolutionary hero, even were such an event to take place to the tune of " The Star-spangled Banner '' and with " spread-eagle " speeches. Let us, as a society, encourage the most friendly relation with all societies of si- milar aims, either in this country or in the great republic to the south.
The important work of interviewing the aged residents of the county has, I regret to say, been neglected, or only carried on in an unsystematic and de- sultory way. This work should be done at once, if the society ever hopes to col- lect all known facts relating to the early settlement of this county. We iind by experience that individual members can- not be relied upon to interview those in their immediate vicinity. Some plan should be adopted for canvassing each municipality, in a systematic and busi- nesslike manner, thereby gathering ma- terial for a history of the county.
FINANCIAL STATEMENT FOR YEAR ENDING AI:G. 1 8, 1906.
RECEIPTS.
•77
Balance from 1905 $
From membership fees and sale
of annual report 172.36
4 photo plates 10.00
Total receipts
EXPENDITURE.
Copying manuscript for report i oo
Postage and stationery 10.55
Printing annual report 95-OO
Printing circulars 3.32
Printing cards 2.00
Incidentals 1.15
Total expenditure $113.03
Balance on hand $70.11
Since the books were audited I have received $2.00 in cash. Outstanding ac- counts amount to $100.00 receivable, and 534.30 payable, leaving a balance of $67.70 to the good. This added to ba- lance of cash on hand gives, for net assets of the society, the sum of $137.81.
This was followed by the address of Mrs. S. A. C. Morgan, President of the Women's Committee of the Society, which was as follows :
Address Women's Committee,
MISSISQUOI HISTORICAL SO- CIETY.
In the case of a society so aibly officer- ed as is the MissisquoiCounty Historical Society, it would seem as if the Women's Committee of the same were almost a supernumerary, though as yet it remains in the state of " arrested development."
However, we respectfully acknowledge the honor conferred on us as help-mates without questioning whether it be from courtesy or from acceptance, of woman's adjudged proclivity for ferreting and re- \caling.
Happily, there are a few things to re- cord of women's special work during the past year, showing a lively interest in the society at home and abroad,
- In January we received from Mrs. E. Sorn'-jerger, of Bedford, a very ably wriit- ten article entitled " The Life History
HOMESTEAD 01- THE LATE JOHN HUNTER, Ksy., Clarenceville, Qiu
M I S S I S 0 IT O I COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY
of Rev. V. X. Jersey." It was published in the Alissisquoi Historical column of The News and must have 'been very glad- ly received by those who still cherish the memory of that Christian gentleman whose sterling common sense, humor and kindliness appealed to the hearts of all who knew him.
In March we received a highly valued letter from Mrs. Henry D. Post, daugh- ter of Mr. John Coatsworth, secretary of the late Bishop Stewart, whom he ac- companied to America in the year 1807.
Although Mrs. ' Post has t.een a resi- dent of Holland, Mich., for many years, she says : "I am a loyal daughter of Missisquoi," and announces her wish to become a member of this society. She also enclosed in her letter some currency of the " Confederate .States of America " for our proposed museum and library. Such marks of interest shown are very encouraging. \Ve have received them from many quarters whence it was least expected, and for all of which we offer grateful acknowledgement.
Mrs. E. L. Watson, of Dunham, in a letter to the Secretary, expresses pleas- ure at becoming a member of the Missis- quoi Historical Society, and shows her interest in its work by sending a series of articles entitled " Sketches o*f Cana- dian Villages," written in 1867 for the " District of Bedford Times," one of which, re -published in The News, March 1 6th, 1906, gave a vivid account of the early settlement of Dunham <by the Loy- alists, one of whom was Mr. Joseph Baker, grandfather of Mrs, Watson and of Hon. G. B'. Baker, 'Senator, and for many years the representative for Mis- si sq-uoi Co.
Among others whom we have heartily welcomed during the past year, is Miss Whitwell, of Philipsburg, the only sur- viving daughter of the late Rev. Richard Whitwell, who was among the early pion- eers of Church of England in the East- ern Townships.
The Rev. gentleman crossed the ocean in 1821 in company with the Hon. and Rev. Dr. Stewart.
The lives of our venerable members of eighty years and upwards almost bridge the space covered by our history with all its marvelous progress. All honor to them.
At the suggestion of Mrs. Theodora Moore in her thoughtful address before this society last year, that a prize be offered by individuals, singly or combin- ed, for the best paper on local history, contributed by a pupil of our schools, a prize of five dollars was offered by Mr. J. P. Noyes and was won by Miss Jessie Baker Ruiter, fourteen years of age. It is an admirably written article, entitled The Histo y of Cowansville, and was published in The News Historical col- umn.
Ht is a precedent which we hope to see followed by other schools. It depends largely, however, on the parents and teachers, who naturally enough establish the ideals that their children and pupils are expected to strive for.
We are particularly fortunate in hav- ing as' enrolled members of our society several of the leading educationists of the Province of Quebec, among whom are Miss Carrie M. Derick, of MoGill University ; Miss E. L. Baker, of Dun- harm Ladies College ; Mr. N. C. Davis, of Bedford Academy, and others high in the ranks of their profession.
We are indebted to Miss Chamberlain, of Ottawa, for an interesting account of her grandfather Knapp's early settle- ment in Dunham, which was published in The News and duly acknowledged by let- ter of appreciation. A letter of. thanks was also sent to Dr. McAleer for the la- test contribution by him to our histo- rical work.
And an open letter was also addressed to the women of Missisquoi through the columns of The News urging them to
i6
MISSISQUOI COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY
unremitted activity in enlisting the in- terest of the young in the work of this society.
The women's work of the past year is soon recorded, therefore the paper that I am required to read before you, to-day, according to the by-laws of the Women's Committee, is mainly a pica for the ex- istence of this society.
In ' The Simple Life ' by Chas. Wag- ner, we read : " The history of humanity
is the history of indomitable hope
To press forward under his burdens, to guide himself in the dark, to retrieve his faults and his failures, to escape despair even in death, man has need of hoping
always that form of confidence that
turns toward the future."
Such was the hopte of our forefathers, as they gathered before their blazing hearths where they made sanctuaries for themselvfcs, reverently reading the word of God from their Dutch or English Bi- bles, their children listening with hushed and respectful attention.
There they hospitably entertained; their neighbors after the day's toil ; an& all joined in the rude jokes, folk-scngs, le- gends and ghost stories handed ctown to them from the Fatherland.
The children inherited the simple cre- dence and kindliness of the fathers, while they absorbed the vigor and the genuine and unpretentious life of the woods in which they were matured.
Thus they grew to true manhood and womanhood, " holding league of heart to heart," while they— fathers and sons- advanced with indomitable energy against the serried army of forest giants— the towering pines and hemlocks — that con- fronted them, and whom they conquerred without 'bloodshed, occupying their coun- try and proving themselves veritable masters of the soil, since bequeathed to us as Missis .jii'Oi County, the garxjen of our province.
Our esteemed and lamented friend, the
late Mr. Erastus Chandler, in his quaint little volume, entitled " Poems and Es- says," says in his characteristic way : — " All honor to our brave pioneers who, often with very limited means, courage- ously faced the rigors ' of a Canadian winter and disputed with the bear and the wolf, the right of possession. And often too, when the wolf hunger was at his door, the wolf lupus was de- vouring his little flock ; and while bear bruin was destroying his little crops, bare naked half exposed his limbs. It was by the sweat of his brow that these fields were cleared, on the income of which we riot and surfeit ourselves."
Let us ask those who -smile derisively at or who are indifferent to the work of this society, and yet who are justly proyd of the bravery of our volunteers— to whom is the greater honor due ? to the makers of our homes, who spent their lives in untold hardship and self-sacrifice? or to the defenders of our frontier dur- ing a few days of threatened invasion — net by a hostile nation — but by a fren- zied horde ?
Grateful remembrance is due to the patriotic zeal of our defenders, as has already been substantially attested hy this society. But how vastly superior were the obstacles surmounted and the benefits achieved by the former, honor to whom should be heartily endorsed, not only hy their ctescendants, but by all who have the happiness to be resident in the County of Missisquoi.
In rescuing from oblivion what re- mains of the past bearing upon the per- sonality of our ancestors and their pro- ceedings in opening tip the country, we find a valuable book of reference in " The Eastern Townships " by Mr. Cyrus Tho- mas— information gleaned by the author forty years ago ; therefore, so much in advance of us. May I ask, has the au- thor a place of honor in the Missisquoi County Historical Society ?
In the late Mr. Chandler's " Poems and Essays " we find further light thrown
JUDGE SOLOMAN UINGHAM
Graduate of Darmouth College, N. H. Born at Tinmoth, Vt. June 18th, 1793.
MISSIS QUOI COUNTY H I S T 0 R I C A I, SOCIETY
upon the humorous incongruities that were often met with in the early days.
We are greatly indebted to Dr. Mc- Aleer for the impetus that our society has received by his valuable gift, " The Etmiyology of Missisqiuoi," which has al- ready won the unstinted praise of the public and the gratitude of this society.
Another pamphlet of Dr. McAleer's de- serves mention here. It is entitled " Re- miniscent and Otherwise." The reminis- cence of old customs and conditions is very faithfully and happily expressed. But I must confess that the unpatriotic senti'ments expressed on page 5 of the lit- tle 'brochure are a blot on the fair page, and not in harmony with the aims of this society, nor with the doctor's gen- erous and painstaking acts in behalf of his native land. The " Otherwise " in the title must have indicated the doc- tor's mood at the time of writing.
May the above mentioned, books be like the seed grain from our own soiL From them as starters we hope to reap; an abundant harvest in the future.
It was once quite the fashion for the grandmothers of the present mature gen- eration, to make what were called " al- bum quilts," composed of patchwork blocks contributed by the personal friends of the lady chiefly interested. Each block contained the autograph of the donor written in indelible :ink on a white cen- terpiece. These bed quilts are in exist- ence to-day, an interesting memorial of the past.
So each county by contributing its own block of patchwork history will enable some future historian to compile an au- thentic and comprehensive history of our country, which already attracts the ad- miring attention of the whole world.
Its history from the beginning will lie read with interest by future generations at home and abroad. Let us gather up the broken threads before they run into oblivion.
present day, like a spring freshet, spreads everywhere without depth or destination, and regardless of its source, swishes and swashes till its proper channel is well nigh lost.
It is the aim of this society and of si- miilar ones to 'deepen the sentiments of the people and keep them within their na- tural bounds for the forming of a na- tion. This is done by taking a point of view above the every-day furrows to see where we started and whither we are tending ; then by holding our course till we, as a people, attain the position among nations that is predicted for us.
Allow me to. present for the considera- tion of this society the advisibility of preparing for the pupils of our schools a leaflet of questions relating to the Coun- ty of Missisquoi ; to be pasted on the fly-leaves of their geographies or his- ries ; the answers to be found 'by their own research. The idea, if accepted, can be expanded to make it effective.
As other societies show no scorn for decorations and badges it has occurred to me that it would give ours a more distinctive character were we to adopt a membership badge ; let us say, of some form suggestive of the meaning of Mis- sisquoi.
Our ex-President, Mr. Noyes, in his ad- dress to us last year, remarked : — " Per- sonally, I have reason to feel gratified during my official term, for many pleas- ant acquaintances which otherwise, L never would have made."
So, while endeavoring to throw light upon those who have gone before, we are at least, broadening our view concerning Ihose who live in the present, and strengthening our social fellowship.
Last year the Women's Committee of this society was reprerentcd by Stan- brkl^e East, tLris year by Bedford ; therefore I beg that the honor be passed along to another municipality, hoping it may equalize the interest of the work.
The restless and superficial life of the
Gentlemen, allow me to remind you
i8
M i s vS i s g r o i COUNTY HISTORICAL s o c i K T v
that the Women's CommRtcc is still in an undeveloped state. To-day, would it not be well to appoint a member of that committee in each municipality, with power to select her own helpers if more are needed.
If miy suggestions savor of1 audacity1 it, is because, as the ideas have arisen in my mind I have hastily advanced them before my light is extinguished.
Respectfully submitted,
S. A. C. MORGAN, Pres. of Women's Committee.
of thanks on behalf of the society to them respectively was carried.
Moved by Mr. Noyes, seconded by Mr. Pattison, that the report of the secreta- ry-treasurer be accepted, and that a bo- nus of $£5 be voted by the society to him. — Carried.
Moved by Mr. Noyes, seconded by Mr. Rykert, that seeing the generous action of Hon. J. C. McCorkill, Provincial Tresurer, in subscribing, on behalf of his government, for 100 copies of our first annual report, that the sincere thanks of the society be respectfully conveyed to him. — Carried.
ihe Hon. Judge Lynch then addressed the meeting in his usual felicitous man- ner, closing his encouraging remarks by offering a pri/,e of $10 to any boy or girl in any school in the county lor tli.- best historical essay on any one of tl.^ six original townships. At this uoiat the secretary read a letter from D: . George McAlecr, of Worcester, Mass , who offered $30, to be divided into three prizes of $15, Sio and §5 respectivelv, for the three best historical sketches of the County of Missisquoi.
Mr. E. I/. Watson to supplement the first proposition generously offered $5 for a second prize in the competition for the prize of $10 offered by Judge Lynch
Mr. Pattison offered a copy of Herbert Spencer's Philosophy of Style for the best essay on local history written by a female pupil of any high school in the county, either Catholic or Protestant.
It was stated by each of the generous donors of these prizes that the competi- tion was open to all schools in the coun- ty, French and F^nglish, whilst Dr. Mc- Aleer did not limit his prizes to school pupils alone.
On motion of Mr. Noyes, seconded by Rev. Mr. Lewis, the kind offers of Judge Lynch, Dr. McAleer, and Messrs Watson and Pattison were accepted and a vote
On motion of the Hon. Judge Lynch, seconded by Mr. E. I/. Watson, all the ollicers of the Association were declared re-elected.
Mr. J. P. Noyes, ex-president of the society, who had contributed to the last annual report of the society a paper on the etymology of Missisquoi, in which he had dissented from the conclusions taken by Judge Girouard on the name and meaning of Missisquoi read a letter which he had written to the Hon. Judge, recanting his former views. This letter appears on another page
Concluding remarks on the etymology of Missisquoi, was then made by Mr. An- drew Somerville followed by a short ad- dress touching upon aie interesting f*?t. hitherto unmentioned — the landing at Philipsburg in 1759 of the famous Brit- ish Ranger Rogers and his party.
On motion of Mr. Pattison, seconded by Mr. Capsey, the following gentlemen were elected honorary life members of onr society : — Sir James Macpherson Le- inoine, of Spencer Grange, Quebec ; Dr. Dr. Arthur George Doughty, M.A.; C. M. G. Lut, D.F. R.H.S., Dominion Archiv- ist, Ottawa, and E. R. Smith, of The News, St. Johns.
The Secretary read a letter from the
STEPHEN B. DEIUCK HOMESTEAD, 3rd Con. Xoyan.
M I S S I S Q U O I COUNTY HI S T () R I C A L S O C I E T Y
Rev. E. M. Taylor, of Knowlton, ex- pressing regret at his inability to be present and inviting our officers to be present at the Bronie annual meeting on the ,-'oth inst.
Mrs. H. D. Post, of Holland, Mich., sent the following message : — " Not want of interest in the Historical Society but necessity prevents me from being present the 24th inst. May success attend al) your efforts."
The meeting then adjourned.
CHAS. S. MOORE, Secy-Treas.
NOTE.
The officers of this society brought the matter of the above mentioned prizes before the public at the teachers' insti- tute held in Bedford Oct. 8th. The Rev. Ernest Taylor, secretary of the Brome Co. Historical Society, the inspector of schools, showed a keen interest, and is ably assisting to further our efforts. Also at the suggestion of the President of the Woman's Committee, Mrs. S. A. C. Morgan, a list of questions on the geography and history of this county is being prepared for the schools.
Members of the Missisquoi County Historical Society.
HONORARY MEMBERS.
Sir James McPherson Lemoine, of Spen- cer Grange, Quebec.
Dr. Arthur George Doughty, M.A., D.C. L., C.M.G., F.R.H.S., Dominion Arch- ivist, Ottawa.
Edgar Rfissell Smith, St. Johns, Que.
LIFE MEMBERS.
Hon. W. W. Lynch, L.L.D., Knowlton,
Que. Hon. J. C. McCorkill, Cowansville,
Que.
Dr. George McAleer, Worcester, Mass. Walter Lynch, Esq., Mansonville, Que. Arthur Meigs, Esq., Jacksonville, Fa.
ANNUAL MEMBERS.
Abbott D. E., Huntingdon, W. Va.
Aver A. A., Montreal.
Ayer Henry A., Columbus, Ohio.
Baker A. S., San Francisco, Cal. Baker Miss E. L., Dunham, Que. Baker Hon. Senator, Sweetsburg, Que. Baker G. H., Sweetsburg, Que. Beach Geo. M., Cowansville, Que. Bell Walter J., Cowansville, Que. Bingham Amherst W., New lTlm, Minn. Black Henderson, St. Johns, Que. Blinn H. C., Frelighsburg, Que. Bonneault G., St. Johns, Que. Boright C. S., Sweetsburg, Que. Brown E. Nelson, Calgary, Alta. Burke Everett A., Toronto. Burnet Thomas E., Farnham Centre,
Que. Buzzell Enoch, Cowansville, Que.
Cadorette F. X., Clarenceville, Que. Chandler Linus L., Oowuisville, Que.
Chilton Major, Clarenceville, Que. Choquette Ed., Farnham, Que. Choquette W. F., Farnham, Que.
M.D.C.M., Farnham, Que. Cedric L., Cowansville,
Corneau J. B. Cotton, Mrs.
Que.
Cotton C. S. Cotton H. H
Sweetsburg, Que.
Cowansville, Que. Cotton Miss, Cowansville, Que. Cotton W., Cowansville, Qne. Cornell M. S., Stanbridge, Que. Cousins Charles R., St. Johns, Que. Curley Robt., Cowansville, One. Currie E. F., Bedford, Que. Curtis C., New Haven, Conn.
Darche Rev. Father, Clarenceville, Que. D'Artois A. E. Mayor, Farnham, Que. Derick Miss Carrie, M.A., McGill Univer- sity, Montreal. Derick Lucy, Pasedena, Cal. Derick R. B., St. Thomas, Que. Derick Stephen B., Clarenceville, Que. Desautels Alph., Farnham, Que. Dickinson Mrs., Bedford, Que. Dion J. A. E., Montreal, Que. Donaghy John, St. Johns, Que. Duboyce P. C., Cowansville, Que. Duvernet E. E. A., Toronto.
Fortin J. A., Bedford, Que.
Foster G. G., K.C., Montreal, Que.
Freligh Mrs., Bedford, Que.
Fuller Geo. L., M.D., C.M., Cowansville, Que.
Fuller H. Leroy, M.D., C.M., Sweets- burg, Que.
Gervais Alphonse, St. Johns, Que. Gibson f John G., Major, Cowansville,
Que. Gilmour A. H., Lieut. Col., Stanbridge,
Que,
Giroux F. X. A., Sweetsburg, Que. Gleason E. S., Sweetsburg, Que.
HON. AND LIEUT. COLONEL HENRV CALDWELL'S MANOR HOUSE On tlie 1st Con. of Noyan, Richelieu River, present owner Merrit Filer.
M I S S I S 0 U 0 I COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY 21
Goddard E. W., Sweetsburg, Que. Gool'd R., St. Johns, Que. Goyette Ed., Cowansville, Que.
Haines F. S., vSt. Lambert, Oue.
Haines Win. Mead Pattison, New Lis-
keard, Out. Harris Wm., Rev. Rural Dean, Farnhaiu,
Que.
Hawley John A., Nutt's Corners, Que. Hawley J. C. M., Nutt's Corners, Que. Hibbard C. H., Stanbridge, One. Hopkins F. I,., Franklin, Vt. Hunter Thos., Venice, Oue.
Ireland A. A., Rev., Philipsburg, Que.
Johnston G. M., Cowansville, Que. Jones C. O., Bedford, Que.
Kemp A. E., M.P., Toronto.
Krans Mis. Charlotte Sheaf, New York.
Lambkin Mrs., Knowlton, Que. Lamoureux Emile M. J., Sweetsburg.
Que.
Lander John, Dr., Cowansville, Que. L'Ecuyer Gilbert, Clarenceville, Que. Lewis Wm. E., Clarenceville, Que. Lewis Rev. W. P. R., Cowansville, Que. Longeway G., Dunham, Que. Loud George, Farnham, Que. Lynch W. H., Sweetsburg, Que.
McKinnon James, Sherbrooke, Oue. Martin J. E., K.C., Montreal. Martin J. H., St. Johns, Que. Macloughlin J., St. Johns, Que. McClatchie James, Cowansville, Que. McConkey E., St. Johns, Que. McConnell Rev. J. H., Clarenceville,
Que. McCorkill R. C., M.D., C.M., Farnham,
Que.
McCorkill W. S., Farnham, Que. McNamara Mrs. M., Bedford, Que. Miltimore E. S., Scottsmore, Que. Mitchell A. E., K.C., Huntingdon, Que. Montgomery Geo., Montreal. Moore C. S., Stanbridge, Que. Moore Mrs. Theodora, Stanbridge, Que. Morgan Mrs. S. A. C., Bedford, Que.
Noyes J. P., K.C., Cowansville, Que. Nye Clarence, Cowansville, Que.
O'Halloran James, K.C., Cowansville,
Que.
Oliver Dr., M.D.C.M., Cowansville, Que. Overing Rev. R. Y., Stanbridge, Que.
Pattison Albert Mead, Montreal. Pattison Miss Charlotte E., Asuza, Cal Pattison Miss Charlotte Harriet, Clar
enceville, Que.
Pattison Eugene T., Tacoma, Wa. Pattison George S., Toronto. Pattison Rev. Thomas, Baltimore, Md. Pattison Wm. Bingham, Detroit, Mich., Pattison Wm. Mead, Clarenceville, Que. Payette J. A., St. Johns, Que. Perchard H. G., St. St. Johns, Que. Pickle F. H., M.D.C.M., Sweetsburg,
Que.
Pinsonnault J. L., St. Johns, Oue. Post Mrs. Henry D., Holland, Mich.
Rice Windsor V., Salt Lake City, Utah. Robinson Rev. Rural Dean, Clarenceville,
Que. Rodger D. A., M.D.C.M., Cowansville,
Que. Ross A, E., Cowansville, Que.
Ruiter Eli, Cowansville, Que. Rykert Asa, Dunham, Que. Rhicard Percy, Stanbridge, Que.
Sails Herman B., Fort Smith, Ark. Saunders Fred C., Bedford, Oue. Sawyer Charles H., Burlington, Yt. Sawyer W., Clarenceville, Que. Scott J. E., Farnham, One. Seguin J. A., Farnham, Que. Short Geo. E., Cowansville, Que. Shufelt Wm., Sweetsburg, Que. Simpson Geo. D., Janesville, Wis. Slack Geo. E., M.D.C.M., Farnham, Que. Small E. P., Dunham, Que. Smith L. Lewis, Montreal. Smyth Joseph, Cowansville, Que. Spencer E. E., Frelighsburg, Que. Strong N. A., M.D.C.M., Clarenceville,
Que. Struthers R. B., M.D.C.M., Sudbury,
Ont.
M I S S I S 0 U O I COUNTY HISTORIC A I, S O C I K T V
Tippings James A., Clarenceville, Que. Townsend Heber, Hartford, Conn. Trescott R. B., Williamantic, Conn. Truax Geo. A., Farnhani, One.
Vaughan David, Slanbridge, Que. Vilas Win. F., Cowansville, Que.
Watson K. I/., Dunham, One.
Watson Mrs. E. L., Dunham, Que. Watson Rev. W. H., Cowansville, Que. Wilkinson Geo. H., St. Johns, Qut. Whitfield Mrs. Goo., Cowansville, Que. Whit well Miss M. A., Philipsburg, Que. Wood Dr. II. W., St. Johns, Que.
Yeats J. S., M.D.C.M., Dunham, Oue.
ANTHONY DKKICK HOMESTEAD, South Street, Clarenceville. (Over 100 years old.)
Contributions
To the Museum of the Missisquoi County Historical Society during the year ending in August, 1906, held by WM. MEAD PATTISON, corresponding secretary for Clarenceville.
From Sir James M. LeMoine, Spencer Grange, Quebec. Cabinet sized photo- graph of himself.
From Weber Townsend, Hartford, Conneticut, United States. "A Fam- ily Record of Henry Townsend, first, who emii'graited fromi Oounty Norfolk, England, about the year 1630, and some of his descendants." Pub- lished in Birkenhead,, England, in 1893.
From Henry T. Ayer, of Columbus, Ohio, formerly of Abbott Corners, St. Armand East.
Pamphlet. Abbott's Corner, continu- ed after first Baptist church in the county, held in September, 1899, at Ab- bott's Corners.
From George McAleer, M. D., of Worcester, Mass., U. S. Five volumes eatjtled "A Study of the Indian place name Missisquoi," with all the author- ities who have written on the subject.
From John D. Johnson, Esq., of St. Thomas. "Original Deed of the Hon. Henry Caldwell to Daniel Colton,, of Coldwell Manor, 1789. Original minutes at the organization of the first agricul- tural society of the County of Bedford (now Missisquoi), held in the village of Philipsburg, March 15, 1828. The gift of Orin Baker Kemp, Esq., of Water- loo, Que.
By direction of the Hon. Sydney Fisher, minister of agriculture of Can- ada, through the Dominion Archivist, Ottawa, Ont., -Arthur George Doughey, M. A., C. M. G., Lt. D. F. R. S. U., Ottawa, various copies of documents and letters in the archives of Canada relating to the fortifications on the River Richelieu as far back as the year 1775, principality relating to Fort Len-
nox, Isle Aux Noix, St. Johns and Chambly. These copies were obtained by Dr. Doughty at the ex- pense of much labor and research at a time when the Archives were in the course of removal to their new quar- ters at Ottawa.
From Mrs. Daniel Billings,, of Clar- enceville, daughter of the late George W. Johnson, lieutenant in the Clarence- ville Rangers at the Battle of Odell- town, in the Canadian rebellion of 1837-38.
Plan of the battlefield and disposi- tion of the forces at Odelltown Stone Church, Lacolle.
From Albert Mead Pattison, of Hutchinson and Wood, architects,, Montreal. Two charts.
First. Plan of outbuildings and grounds, Fort Lennox, Isle Aux Noix, 1905.
Second. Plan of fortification. Fort Lennox, Isle Aux Noix, 1905.
Antiquities presented to the society and the donors. From Sir James M. LeMoine( City of Quebec, iron cover of peephole of door of cell No. 6, of military prison, Fort Lennox, Isle Aux Noix, 1819.
From Rodney Reynolds, of Clarence- ville, Powder Horn, once the prop- erty of the late Hon. Philip H. Moore, of St. Armand West, bearing date 1763.
From Major Claude B. Jamieson,, of Venice, Clarenceville. Indian stone implements found in vicinity of Jamie- son Point, on Missisquoi Bay, 1880.
From Wm. L. Scott, of Clarenceville.
MISSISQUOI COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY
Cavalry Horse Pistol, bearing the stamp of the Tower of London, Eng., carried by the late Robert Wright, of the Huntingdon Squadron, in the Can- adian rebellion of '37-38.
From the same donor: Indian pipe and hatchet combined, bowl in head of steel hatchet, handle two feet long, bored through so as to be used in smoking. Evidently made in France and sold to the Indian.
From Wm. Mead Pattison: Cord of seventeen buttons worn by the Im- perial regiments stationed on Isle Aux Noix.
Canon Balls from the camp of Mont- gomery and Scuyler, opposite Isle Aux Noix, in siege and capture of the Island in 1778.
Twenty musket flints from same camping grounds. Bullets from Queen Bess muskets of the period.
Flint lock musket, carried by G. W. Johnson during the Canadian rebel- lion of 1837-38.
From same donor: Piece of cast iron canon captured from the Canadian rebels of 1837-38 by Lieutenant G. W. Johnson in the engagement at Odell- town church, Lacolle, and when firing a salute on the Queen's Birthday at Clarenceville in 1865, exploded on ths> square and Lieutenant Johnson in charge of it, narrowly escaped. The fragment passed through the roof of a building near by and was found in the attic.
Portfolio of Newspapers, published in Canada and the State of Vermont during the war of 1812-12 and Cana- dian rebellion of 1837-38.
Copy of the New York Herald of April 15th,, 1865,, with accounts of the assassination of President Lincoln and the taking of Richmond, Va., by Gen. Grant and surrender of Gen. Lee.
Programme at presentation of colors by the county council of Missisquoi to the 60th Battalion Volunteer Militia at Bedford, May 24th, 1871, and Order of Exercises thereat.
The secretary at Stanbridge East has the following articles contributed for a future Museum : *
Given by Mrs. Philo Lambkin, of Knowlton, just before leaving her home in Riceburg, where she had resided many years. A pair of cards for card- ing wool or cotton, brought from Hoi- den, Mass., nearly one hundred years ago by Mrs. Martin Rice, mother of Mrs. Lambkin, and a bayonet which was found by Mr. Ernest Lambkin in the vicinity of Eccles Hill immediately after the famous Fenian raid.
A pamphlet, being "A sermon preach- ed in Trinity Church, Seigniory of St. Armand East, Lower Canada, on the 21st day of May, 1816, being the day ap- pointed by proclamation for a general thanksgiving to Almighty God for His great goodness in putting an end to the war in which we were engaged against
France," by the Rev. James Reid,. Montreal, printed by W. Gray, 1816."
Mrs. George Walsh, of Waterloo, pre- sented two volumes of the American Magazine of Useful and Entertaining Knowledge. Published in Boston in 1835.
Mr. Robert Burleign, o." St. Armand, gave an ancient volume of the "His- tory of the State and Sufferings of the Church of Scotland by William Crook- shank, A. M. Published in London in 1869."
Several old American and Canadian newspapers from Mr. Wm. Mead Patti- son.
Mr. Fred C. Wurtele, librarian of
'EASTVIKW" RKSIDENCE OK WM. MEAD PATTISON, former Custom House, Modern.
i\I I S S I vS 0 U O I CO U X T Y HIS T O R I C A I, VS O C I E T V 25
the Literary and Historical Society of Quebec. A volume of the "Seventh Series of Historical Documents, 1905. Blockade of Quebec in 1775-76 by the American Revolutionists. (See Boston- ians.)
Edited by Mr. Fred C. Wurtele.
Mrs. Post, from Holland, Mich., daughter of the late John Coatsworth, Esq., who was secretary of the revered Lord Bishop Stewart, contributes sev- eral confederate bills of different de- nominations and two ancient letters, addressed to her father, Mr. J. Coats- worth. Dunham, District of Montreal,
Lower Canada, from his brother in England. These letters are dated 1835- 1836, written before the time of en- velopes and stamps.
Many would-be contributors are waiting for a safe and permanent de- pository for valuables.
Mr. Fred Saunders' reference to the collecting- of all books and pamphlets written by residents of this county should be kept in mind. The county will gladly keep in trust for the society any that may be sent for a colllection —that in a few years will be highly prized.
Etymology of Missisquoi.
Letter of Mr. Noyes to Hon. Judge Girouard.
' Cowansville, P. Q., 8th Aug., 1906. Hon. D. Girouard,,
Judge Supreme Court,, Ottawa.
Dear Sir,— It may not matter much, and you may not care much, but still I think I ought, in all fairness, to tell you that I have come to the conclusion that your view of the etymology of Missisquoi is, to my mind, the nearest correct, despite my having written in a contrary sense not only to you, but in my paper on the word in the first report of the Missisquoi County His- torical Society.
I had never doubted that the name was Indian and was connected with some peculiarity which led to its ab- original adoption. The difficulty with me at the outset of investigation, and all along, was to find the Indian tribe most likely to have used the name at that particular place. When I came to put down upon paper my particular reasons for adopting the theory I did and compared them with those given by you and others, mine did not seem so absolutely clear and conclusive as I anticipated. I had, among other things, carelessly taken for granted that Missisquoi river emptied into Missisquoi Bay, and confounded river and bay as having some significance in connection with the name. I was and am sure the Indians never used that river for any purpose whatever. As a matter of fact, the river empties into Maquam Bay further up the lake, as well as into Missisquoi Bay. I was also under the impression that the Abenakis Indians never halted for any length of time at or around the bay, but were only casual visitors. I also find that impression wrong. All the information as to name centres around the bay, and the river may be put aside as affording no assistance, as well for the reasons given in my paper
before referred to as from information since gained.
That the Abenakis were about the bay at an early day is shown by your two letters in the Bulletin des Recher- ches Historiques as well as by Dr. Mc- Aleer's booklet. They were there ap- parently when the map-makers had placed Lake Champlain on their maps, but left the bay nameless. And it is little likely that the Abenakis would have been about the bay so long a time and for so many and such continuous periods, and for special purposes, be- tween the time which intervened from the making of the maps and the first white settlements, without giving it a name.
The letter from Chief Laurent of the Abenakis tribe, quoted by you in your second letter, and which I had not seen when I wrote my paper, has the greatest weight with me. He seems an educated and intelligent man. 'His knowledge of his people and their lan- guage make him the best posssible wit- ness. He tells us the word is Abenakis, and gives its meaning. Taking this in connection with the presence for so long a time about the bay of that par- ticular tribe; that no other Indian name has such strong evidence to sup- port it; that there is no proof in favor of any other name — the difference being as to the meaning — with such convinc- ing reasons for acceptance, and the reasons I give further on forces me to adopt his name and meaning, which are practically yours,, making allow- ance for the difference between the French and English of it. He says the name was "Mesipskois," meaning "the place where flint is to be found."
I am not unmindful of the fact that he gives Dr. McAleer another possible name, "Messsemskikoik," meaning a place where there is an abundance of tall grass or hay, but the doctor seems to lead up to and invite the tall grass
'St. JACQUES" CATHOLIC CHURCH AND PRESBYTERY, Clarenceville, erected 1905-0.
i s vS i s o r o i c o u x T Y HISTORICAL s o c i E T v
naine, and while ton courteous to dis- courage him the chief seems after all to prefer the flint stone name. It ia obvious that it is not so easy to meta- morphose Missisquoi out of "Messsem- kikoik," as out of "Messipskois."
Dr. McAleer has zealously exhausted all the other Indian words containing the "Missi," or "Messi," used by other tribes in other places. It is, to my mind, a fatal objection to them, even if the Abenakis were not in question, that none of those tribes are known to have frequented bay or river, whilst the Abenakis were there and have a name which, in its evolution, fits the nearest, and best in sound and could the most easily be formed from the word "Mes- sipskoik." I think we have the best reason for that name. If it is expert evidence we want, the Abenakis have the best, in fact, the only qualification.
When I was studying the question after seeing your first paper, it seemed to me that the weak spot was as to there having been flint stones in or about the bay or river. I believed there were none. Shortly after our Historical Report was issued it was reviewed in the St. Johns News by E. L. Watson, Esq., of Dunham, an English Univer- sity man who settled there about half a century ago — a gentleman of culture, and reading interested in research work. His opinions on such subjects have great weight with me. He wrote before Dr. McAleer's book was pub- lished. Upon this question he said in his review: "The patriarch, Mr. Law- "rence, whom I saw on first arriving in "this country forty-seven years ago "(in 1859), who was then about 90 years "old, told me he had often camped with "the St. Francis Indians (Abenakis) on "his trips from Lawrenceville to the "bay in fly time, for the advantage of "their smudges. This drew my atten- tion to John Wadso, the very intelli- "gent St. Francis Indian of whom Mr. "R. E. Robinson, the Vermont histor- "ian says he told him the derivation of "Missisquoi was from the Mas-seep- "kee, signifying land of arrow flints. "There is certainly at the embouche- "ment of Pike River into Missisquoi "Bay. not far from the ferry to "Venice, a bed of gravel in which one "can without much trouble fill one's "pockets, as I have myself done, with
"defective Indian flint points. And I "have somewhere read of this place "having been a source of supply to In- dians living considerably distant."
I wrote Mr. Watson after reading Dr. McAleer's book, for information as to the spot where flint stones were found to discover their proximity to the bay. He wrote me as follows:
"You ask where the sand-gravel- flint bar from which I collected the de- fective arrow heads and spear points "is situated. It is close to the ferry to "what goes by the name of Venice. I "think Parkman mentions this arrow "and spear-head factory and its ex- "tensive distributive supply, but I am "not sure. At all events, I had at the "time of my visit recently read of it, "and was greatly surprised at coming "upon it and at the abundance of de- fective, rejected points there to be "gathered without search. I could not "find a perfect one. The material is "a black flint, not so silicious as the "Lake Superior semi-transparent, nor "the more opaque Lake Manitoba, nor "of such capacity for chipping down "to shape as either, which may account "for the amount of refuse. I am mail- ing you one.'"
And this sample I am now mailing you as an exhibit in support of your view.
Apart from all this, there are topo- graphical features which add strength to that name theory. Pike river, where the flint stones were found, empties into Missisquoi Bay on the north towards the Abenakis country. It is navigable for canoes quite a dis- tance up stream, in fact,, lumber was rafted down it for a large area of country up to less than half a century ago. The Abenakis or St. Francis In- dians could come in their canoes up the Yamaska river to Farnham. It is only a short distance from there over an unobstructed 'country to Pike river, and that river, as pointed out, contains near its mouth the flhit stones so much desired by aborigines as mentioned by Mr. Watson. If you look at the map facing page 78 of Dr. McAleer's book you will find the spot marked 14, Pike river, near the place called Venice to be about the place where Mr. Watson found the flint stones. In the explana-
23
MISSISQUOI COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY
tions of the map 14 is callled "du Rocher," a significant name in this connection. Evidently the stones at that point were the flint stones in ques- tion. Thus, as Mr. Watson's flint stom-s were found at or near the spot marked 14 on that map, and there designated as a rocky place on Pike river near where it empties into Missisquoi bay; as it was not only at a place which the Abenakis frequented, but where, if there was no proof of their having fre- quented it, the circumstance that it was on a feasible route for them in their expeditions, and the further cir- cumstance that flint stones were a necessity for them in the early time, convinces me that we must look to the Abenakis for the name and its mean- ing. So I think we may fairly conclude that the word came through the changes which time would naturally make in the pronunciation of Mes-sips- koik by successive generations of white men not all speaking the same langu- age and unfamiliar with the written word, to be the name as we now have it. You have already pointed out some of those changes made by French, Eng- lish and Dutch in the evolution of the modern statutory word.
I have already given my reasons for attaching no importance to the river as having- any connection with the name of the bay, because there is no- thing peculiar about the river to war- rant the name being extended to a bay into which it did not al- together empty, and .because it was altogether outside of any ordinary or feasible route for the In- dians by canoe, or on their routes for hunting or war. There is the further reason that there is nothing in or about the river to suggest the appropriate- ness of a single name of the many given by different persons and in dif- ferent ways, and catalogued by Dr. Mc- Aleer, as distinguished from that given to the bay. ' As to abundance of tall grass or as to marshes, all the lakes and streams of the Province frequent- ed by the Abenakis had them in as great and some in greater abundance than Missisquoi bay or river, whilst only the bay in question had flints in its vicinity. There could bo an.l there is no marked or controlling reason for specializing that place as a grassy
place, or as having an unusual abund- ance of tall hay or grass, or as a marsh, or any of the other names put for- ward for acceptance, whilst there are special and exceptional reasons as re- spects flint stones. Nowhere else in our Eastern Townships waters were flint stones found, so far as T can "carr, at least, not in sufficient quantity to attract attention.
To sum it all up:
1. Before Missisquoi,, unJev any form of its name, was on a map, the Abenakis Indians were there.
2. It is an Abenakis word and the meaning that Indian tribe gave is the one best entitled to acceptance.
3. The Abenakis word Mes-sips-koik means the place where flint stones are found.
4. The Abenakis manufactured spear- heads and arrow points from the flint stones they found where Pike river empties into the bay.
5. It is reasonable to suppose that those Indians would have an appro- priate name for the place of an indus- try so important for them in war and in hunting.
6. When their name substantiallly agrees with that given to the bay it is a reasonable presumption that it was given for the purpose mentioned.
7. In the evolution of the name from the aboriginal tongue to its present statutory shape, Missisquoi would in the 'Course of time be more easily formed from Mes-sips-koik by dropping the p and final k which the Indians did not pronounce, and taking q in- stead of the first k as pointed out by Chief Laurent, than from any other name given. No other Abenakis word given is so easily worked over into Missisquoi.
Other reasons might be given, but my only present concern is to confess my error and accept your view of the question. I shall take an early oppor- tunity to submit this recantation to our Historical Society.
Yours truly,
JNO. P. NOYES.
R. H. DERICX'S RESIDENCE, 3rd Con., Xoyan.
Parliamentary Representation
Of Missisquoi from the Beginning of Parliaments
in Canada.
By the Imperial Act of 1791 the Prov- ince of Lower Canada was given a legislature and, for such purpose, was divided into counties mostly named after English counties or shires. Mis- sisquoi was thereby included in the limits of Bedfordshire, which then com- prised what is now Missisquoi, Iber- ville, Rouville and so on to the St. Law- rence river and so continued until 1829, when new counties were created and Missisquoi was constituted, but not covering the same territory as now. It then comprised only St. Thomas, St. George de Clarenceville,, St. Armand, Stanbridge, Dunham and Sutton. The list of members here given are taken from Christie's History of Canada for the period prior to the union of 1841.
Legislature of Lower Canada.
1792— J. B. M. Hertel de Rouville.
1796— Nathaniel Coffin.
1800— John Steele.
1804— W. S. Moore.
1807— W. S. Moore.
1809— John Jones.
1810— Alexis Debleds.
1814 — Henry Georgen.
1816— Thomas McCord.
1820— John Jones,, jr.
1824— Jean B. R. Hertel de Rouville.
1827— The same.
It will be observed that the old fel- lows were kept pretty busy voting, the elections toeing frequent. Tak-
ing into consideration that there was only one polling place in the county and that was probably in the vicinity of St. Hyacinthe, the electors in the remote parts of Missisquoi probably did not take much interest in elections. The poll then lasted for a couple of weeks.
After the Act of 1829. Under, this act Missisquoi was given
two members, which continued until the union in 1841.
1829 — Ralph Taylor and Richard Van Vleit Freligh.
1831 — Ralph Taylor and Stevens Baker.
1834— William Baker and E. Knight,
There were no more elections until the union with Upper Canada in 1841] when the representation was restricted to one member only.
After the Union of 1841.
1841— Robert Jones.
1844— Hon. Jas. Smith, Atty. Gen.
1846— Hon. Wm. Badgley, Atty Gen.
1847— Hon. Wm. Badgley, do.
1851— Seneca Page.
1854— James M. Ferris.
The county was then divided into two ridings during the next parliament.
1857 — Jas. M. Ferris, for East Riding; Hannibal H. Whitney, for West Rid- ing.
1861 — Jas. O'Halloran, K. C.
1863 — Jas. O'Halloran, K. C.
Members After Confederation— House of Commons.
1867 — Browne Chamberlain.
1870— George B. Baker, K. C.. for un- expired term.
1872-«eorg€ B. Raker, K. C.
1874— William Donahue.
1878— George B. Baker, K. C.
1882— George B. Baker, K. C.
1887— George Clayes.
1888— Daniel B. Meigs, for unexpired term.
1891— George B. Baker, K. C.
1896 — Daniel B. Meigs.
1900 — Daniel B. Meigs.
1904— Daniel B. Meigs.
i s s i s g r o i c o u x T v n i s T o R i c A L vS o c i E T Y
Members of Legislative Assembly. Quebec.
1867— Josiah S. Brigham.
1871— Josiah S. Brigham.
1875— George B. Baker. K. C.
1876— George B. Baker, K. C., on ap- pointment as Solicitor General.
1878 — Ernest Racicot, K. C.
1881— Elijah E. Spencer.
1886— Elijah E. Spencer.
1888— Elijah E. Spencer, after election trial.
1890— Elijah E. Spencer.
1892— Elijah E. Spencer.
1897— J. c. McCorkill. K. C.
1898 — Dr. Cederic L. Cotton.
1900— J. B. Gosselin.
1904 — j. B. Gosselin.
Legislative Council.
Prior to the union of Upper Canada and Lower Canada in 1841, the only distinctive local Legislative Councillor
for Missisquoi as part of Bedfordshire was the Honorable Paul H. Knowlton.
After the Union of 1841.
1841— Hon. Paul H. Knowlton, life member, to 1863.
1841— Hon. Philip H. Moore, life mem- ber, to 1867.
1860— Hon. Asa B. Foster, elective member, to 1867.
After Confederation in 1867.— Senators.
1867— Hon. Asa B. Foster.
1876 — Hon. Gardner G. Stevens.
1896— Hon. George B. Baker.
After Confederation, Quebec Legisla- ture— Legislative Councillors.
1S67— Hon. Thomas Wood. 1898— Hon. John C. McCorkill. 1903— Hon. E. F. de Verennes.
MAYOR URIAH TRAVER CIIILTON, former Townsend Homestead.
The Missisquoi German or Dutch.
Nearly a century ago Washington Irving began his Knickerbocker His- tory of New York with an address to the public in which he stated his pur- pose to be "to rescue from oblivion the "memory of former incidents, and to "render a just tribute of renown to the •'many great and wonderful transac- tions of our Dutch progenitors, Died- "rich Knickerbocker, native of the City "of New York, produces this historical "esssaj'. Like the great father of his- "tory, just quoted, (Herodotus), I treat •'of times long past, over which the "twilight of uncertainty had already "thrown its shadows, and the night of "forgetfuhiess was about to 'descend for- "ever."
This paper is not so pretentious, nor will it be so amusing as that of the gifted writer just mentioned, its ob- ject being the more modest one of spurring up investigation as to an im-. portant class of the early settlers of Misssisquoi county, whose posterity has exercised a more or less dominant influence therein. For the twilight of uncertainty and more regretfully the night of forgetfulness lingers to some extent about those first settlers, at least in the popular mind,, and al- though the time is not markedly dis- tant there are circumstances which make present investigation in a mea- sure difficult for one not of the race or generation. The records are few and incidental, and the traditions so lightly thought of as not to have inspired suc- ceeding .generations to follow the ex- ample of other classes of settlers and give those records and traditions to the public. Is this due to modesty, ig- norance or indifference? The records are few and incidental because they seem less connected with the antece- dents or history of the people than with their urgent needs and, on the part of the government, the necessi- ties of administration in their behalf. It is in vain one looks to the public archives for an explanation of deter- mining value as to the racial origin of
the people who first settled in Missis- quoi in the Parishes of St. Thomas, St. George de Clarenceville and St. Ar^ mand. One gathers there, mostly through incidents connected with de- tails having little bearing upon their past, that immediately after the disast- rous campaign of Gen. Burgoyne they began to drift towards Canada and, at the close of the revolutionary war, came in larger numbers. It is through their requests for land grants, com- pensation for losses and clashes with the government as to location that their presence is made known in the public records. It is rather to direct, attention to those early settlers to the end that further investigation of a more special character may show their merits and their historical place than with the expectation of saying the last and indisputable word about them, that this paper is written. Obviously, its value, if any it may have, must be local.
There has been from the earliest days a prevalent notion in the Eastern Townships that the early settlers in question were Dutch. They were called Dutchmen,, just as the descendants of other peoples there were called English or Scotch, Irish or French, meant not so much as a term of reproach or dis- paragement as a quick means to lix racial descent in a period when the worries of living were more pressing than accurate definition. Besides, the difference in language between Dutch and German was not so marked as to enable people, who knew neither tongue, to distinguish the true racial type. In a generation or so the original language had mostly disappeared and English had become the common one. In later days it became a matter of conjecture to those not of the blood, how there could have been so many Dutchmen in America at the time of the Revolutionary War, taking into consideration that the Dutch only be-
MISSISQUOI COUNTY HISTORICAL S 0 C I E T V
gan settlement in New York in 1623; that in 1628 the population was only 270; that there was no rush of emigra- tion from Holland; that the settlements were rather for trading posts with the Indians than for permanent location; that in 1646 there were scarcely 100 men left in all the settlements and that in 1664 the colony passed from Holland to England, when Dutch emigration practically ceased and Englishmen came. It seemed improbable that in little more than a century later,, when the Revolutionary war occurred, there could have bg£n any considerable num- ber of descendants left of those early Dutch settlers of Manhattan, par- ticularly as intermarriages with Brit- ish immigrants would, in the natural course, tend to obliterate the original paternal name. Even to-day there are but few of those old Dutch Manhattan names in existence there. So, it would be little likely that the Misssisquoi people in question were of the original Manhattan stock. And then, the Missis- quoi ''Dutchmen" were loyalists, whilst the American records .show that the des- cendants of the early Dutchman of Man- hattan were nearly all rebels.
"The twilight of uncertainty" as to origin has been largely dispelled through the efforts made to discover the antecedents of the U. E, Loyalists. In the ferreting out of information as to those worthies it has been made reasonably clear that the early settlers in those Misssisquoi parishes were of German and not of Dutch origin. When the Revolutionary war ended there was a large emigration from the Mohawk Valley of New York and vicinity to the Niagara frontier and to Dundas county in Ontario, and other points. It is through the investigation of those emigrants by historical stu- dents in that Province that the Ger- man descent can best be traced. The history of their starting point in the old world prior to emigrating to this continent and, later, their proximate starting point for Canada, as set forth in numerous historical papers of On- tario's historical workers of recent years, is exceedingly interesting and through them the following trace of the Missisquoi people in question is gath- ered. That part, of the German Palatinate
of which Heidelberg was the capital was the scene of many devastating wars of old, particularly the long wars of Louis XIV. The population had early embraced the Protestant cause and had subsequently excited the enmity of that ambitious monarch through having kindly received the French Pro- testants who had fled from France after the revocation of the Edict of Nantes. The country was the scene of many battles; was over-run many times; villages and towns were destroy- ed and the inhabitants suffered the greatest privations and the most piti- ful miseries. They emigrated to Eng- land by the thousands, where they were hospitably received, naturaliza- tion laws changed to make them Brit- ish subjects offhand, and public measures taken to afford them relief, but which proved inadequate, the num- ber being so large and the needs so great. In the spring oi 1709, 7,6-00 reach- ed London alone and by October the number had increased to 15,000. and they kept coming. An attempt was made to scatter them throughout Eng- land and finally to send them to the colonies, whither most of them desired to go. At about that time four Mo- hawk chiefs were paying a visit to England and out of generosity, or through sympathy for a landless peo- ple, they gave a grant of a tract of land on the Schoharie, a tributary of Mohawk river, for the use of the un- fortunate exiles. Governor Robert Hunter of New York furthered their emigration to this colony, conceiving the idea of employing them to make tar from the pine there growing for Brit- ish navy use, but as there was little pitie near the Schoharie and the Mohawk, land was obtained for them mostly on the east side of Hudson river, in what is now Dutchess county. It was sup- posed that their former residence near the Black Forest had given them special aptitude for tar manufacture. In March, 1710, the first contingent of those German Palatines sailed for New York to the number of 3,200, in ten ships, a couple of which were lost by the way. Other contingents follow- ed, not all landing in New York colony. Those who were settled as tar makers on opposite banks of the Hudson in Dutchesss and Ulster counties were
CLAKENCEVILLE HOUSK, THOMAS 11. DEKICK, Modern.
M I S S I S 0 U 0 I COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY
33
bound by contracts which they con- ceived a species of slavery; the land was p*or and the tenant tenure not rel- ished; they were badly fed, housed, clothed, and poorly paid, and, to cap all, the tar business pro>ed a disas- trous failure. Germans, as a general rule, do not take kindly to what they conceive to be injustice aand oppres- sion. They murmured and then went on what would be called to-day a strike. There was a clash with the authorities, and they were finally told to shift for themselves, but only in the colonies of New York and New Jersey, outside of which they would be considered deserters, a condition little likely to terrrify them. A portion re- mained in the original tar belt sec- tion; a number of families secured land further south where they founded the town of Rhinebeck; others settled near by on both sides of the Hudson; others went to New Jersey and Pennsylvania, the latter a prohibited colony, but a greater number went to the Schoharie grant in the Mohawk country. There in addition to severe hardships,, in founding their settlements,, they were persecuted with law suits by an Albany clique with the result that many of them accepted an invitation from the Governor of Pennsylvania and settled in that colony. Those who remained prospered and had acquired fine prop- erties when the revolution came, after enduring hardships which would have discouraged men of weaker mould. Many English and Irish settled among them there, as well as along the Hud- son, and intermarried, whereby came Germans with the Celtic names of Moore, Savage and Mitchell to trouble future genealogists. The land tenure imposed on those Germans ^along the Hudson led to trouble about a century later. There were political parties called Hunkers and Barnburners and state elections were fought under those vulgar But significant titles. It was the counterpart of the old seigniorial battle of this province and, in the end, the lords had to give way there as here. The Palatine people were lucky in finding near where they settled Sir William Johnson, who had extraor- dinary influence with the Indians. The revolution brought about a division among the settlers, but the great ma-
jority remained loyal despite the ill treatment they had received from the English colonial officials. In the fall of 1775 or winter of 1775-76, Gen. Schuy- ler, whose family had had litigation with the Schoharie Germans about their lands, invaded their country with a strong force and disarmed the in- habitants. Under sundry pretexts, among others that all the arms had not been given up,, he again invaded the locality, giving to his followers free license to plunder the suspected dis- loyal inhabitants. There was great destruction of property and the sacri- fice of many lives. The thrifty Ger- mans offered many temptations for easy spoliation to the lawless soldiery who indulged in little discrimination between the assets of friend or foe. That was the prelude to what was called on the one side reprisals and, on the other, outrages, during the war. It was not a comfortable country ror eas$ living in those days. Sir John Johnson, the son and successor of Sir William, with 200 men escaped to Montreal, which he reached after many hard- ships, in June, 1776,, and from there he sent scouts to the Mohawk to show the way to those who wished to cume to Montreal or the British posts at Isle aux Noix or Chambly. It was a trying position to remain and a hazaardous one to follow Sir John Johnson with their families. They were harassed by their opponents and by Indians bribed to espouse the American cause. Their property was boldly taken or destroyed and their lives and liberty put in con- stant peril. East and west they were hemmed in by their opponents; the west was an unsettled wilderness, whilst Canada on the north had just been released from capture and was neither easy of access nor beyond sus- picion as a place of safety. The route taken by Sir John and his party in their hurried journey to Montreal is said by Mr. Ernest Cruikshanks in his story of "Butler's Rangers," to have been through the Adirondacks Mountain region to St. Regis and thence to Caughnawaga, where they arrived hungry and exhausted with fatigue and hunger. In the spring of 1776 the Seneca and Cayuga Indians started from the German settlements to go to Montreal to open a passage for traders
34
M I vS vS I S 0 IT O I COUNTY HISTORICAL vS O C I E T V
and to make a path for Col. Johnson, whom they expected to return.
It is tolerably clear from subsequent events that but few, if any, of the people who later settled about Missis- quoi bay,, or between the bay and the Richelieu river, came in by the route indicated by Sir John Johnson, if the one he pointed out was the one which he had followed. And the reason for so thinking is, that most of those who settled there came only at the close of the war and had been enrolled in the loyal corps of that part of New York where they lived, which were formed subsequent to the time he had pointed out the road to the British posts in Canada. Among those German loyalists of the Hudson, Mohawk and Schohario valleys there were formed battalions and corps known by the name of the King's Royal Regiment of New Tork, sometimes called "The Royal Greens:" the Queen's Rangers; the Loyal Rang- ers and Butler's Rangers,— the latter the most formidable fighting corps of all, perhaps because the best led — most of whom had been accustomed to In- dian warfare. It has been remarked by an investigator that there is scarcely a name of Dutch origin on the roll of those corps and that they were almost exclusively descendants of those Ger- man Palatines. Included in one or the other of those corps were the Germans of Dutchess county and the Hudson Valley, from whom came most, if not all, of those who settled later in Missis- quoi. In a memorial to the Canadian government dated at Misssisquoi bay in February, 1785, a number of those Germans therein stated that they had joined the British forces in 1777, and had lost all they possessed at or prior to their departure. They pointed out in that memorial that they had been struck from the provision list of those receiving government aid, part in May and all in October. 1784. They were at the fray in October, 1783, and were bound to stay, the date showing that they came at once when the war ended. The reason why their names were struck off the provision list, and they were cast off for the moment by the government, was because they stub- bornly refused to remove from where they then were to the places pointed out for them by Gov. Haldimand in another
part of the province. Coming at the close of the war they could journey by Lake ChanKplain w:th less inconven- ience than by Sir John Johnson's route, and would land near where they locat- ed and \vrestled with the governor for provisions and land, and where many of their descendants now live. They had learned in the troubles and vicis- situdes of their old home in the Pala- tine the value of pathetic appeal, resis- tance and migration. In the new world the lesson was many times repeated and in the end they mostly had their own way. It was a sturdy and a stub- born race. Most of those who had espoused the loyal cause, and probably all who bore arms, came with their families to Canada when the war was over. Their old home was no place for men who had fought the rebels so zeal- ously, particularly if they had property to exi-ue the cupidity of the thriftles* •and mercenary. The relations and friends of the expatriated loyalists, who had remained behind, soon found the conditions not only uncongenial, but dangerous, and came drifting in at intervals for some years after- wards. The great majority of those from the Mohawk Valley, as already mentioned, went to Ontario, where generous grants of land were given and material assistance furnished by the government for many years. But it may be said that the bulk of those Germans who settled in Missisquoi, as before pointed out, were descended from the Palatine Germans, of Dut- chess County, N.Y., and places along the Hudson river, who would find the route by way of Lake Champlain the most feasible and the shortest by which to reach safety and homes on British soil in Canada.
It is no part of the purpose of this paper to discuss the U.E. Loyalists. They have been written about until there is an abundance of literature on the subject, much of which unduly extols a spurious, non-combative kind. But there has been much less said and written about the loyalists of German descent. It is clear the Missisquoi loyalists were of German descent. They and their descendants
CHARLES DEUBV HOUSE, Clarence ville.
MISSIS OUOI COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY
were and are <an industrious, thrifty class of people, though of the old stock it might be said, as Washing- ton Irving' said of the early Manhat- tan Dutch, that they were given to frequenting- "the fostering nurseries of politics, abounding with those gen- ial streams which give strength and sustenance to faction." ,Some, indeed, many of the descendants of those old Mi?sisqoi Germans have attained pro- minence in various useful and scholar- ly walks of life. It is greatly to be regretted that none of them have felt the kindlings of ancestral pride in- spiring them to gather up the history mid traditions of their people, whose struggles and trials, borne with in- domitable courage from the terrible
days when they left the Palatine and started out into the \vorld to find a safe and permanent abiding place until success crowned their efforts in a distant corner of the world, are as adventurous, as romantic and as in- teresting as those of any people, who, in like numbers, settled at any time in North America. It is time they were exploited. They are as worthy of it as the old Puritans of New Eng- land, but, unlike those old Puritans, they have produced no historian to recount their deeds, no poet to sing- their praise, nor eulogist to portray their virtues, or commend their merits.
JNO. P. NO YES.
Paper of Mr. Somerville
ON ROGER'S RANGERS IN MISSISQUOI.
As early as 1759, the spot on which the village of Philipsburg stands ap- peared in Canadian history, for it was there that the famous British Rang- er Rogers and his party landed on their way to attack the Abenaki? Indians, on the St. Francis river, who lived somewhat north of where the city of Sherbrooke is now built.
Of all the Canadian Indians, none had comimiitted greater depredations upon the New England settlements than had these savages of the St. Francis. The Seven Years' War, which finally ended in the conquest of Canada, was then being waged, and the British Commander-in-Chief, Gen- eral Amherst, resolved to turn the tables on the Abenakis, and teach them such a lesson that hereafter they would never venture into New Eng- land. Rogers and his Rangers, were selected for the dangerous task.
On September 13, 1759— the very day on which was fought the battle of the Plains of Abraham before the walls of Quebec — Rogers and his .party left Crown Point, on Lake Champlain. in whaleboats, for the headwaters of Missisquoi Bay. Ten days later they landed in the little cove down to whose shores the Main or Day street of Philipsburg now runs. At that time the beautiful hills which rise from the shores of the Bay, were densely wooded, and to the east and north, as far as the eye could see, there was an unbroken forest.
Rogers concealed his boats and a large portion of his provisions on the shore of the little cove, and left two Indians on guard. In case the boats
were discovered by the enemy, these Indians were to follow Rogers and give him information of the fact.
Rogers then set out through the forest for the St. Francis River, but he had not proceeded far when the two Indians overtook him, bearing the news that the boats and provisions left at Missisquoi Bay had been burn- ed. This cut off Roger's retreat, and made almost certain the clanger of pursuit.
The remainder of the s>tory ( f the exi edition is not part of the history of Missisquoi, and those who wish to read it in de- tail will find it related in Parkman's "Wolfe and Montcalm."
It will be remembered that on the night of October 5th, Rogers and his men fell on the Abenakis, sleeping in their village, when upwards of 200 of the Indians were killed. Twenty women prisoners were taken, of whom fifteen were at once released. The In- dians' corn was taken, and then the village was burned. Five English captives were released, and six hun- dred scalps, taken from the heads of New England settlers, were found in the village.
Rogers then decided to retreat by way of the Connecticut river, and after a few days, his force broke up into small parties, so as to be better able to sustain themselves by hunt- ing. On the retreat all suffered the pangs of hunger, and the hardships of a toilsome march. On the expedi- tion, Rogers lost 49 men, or about o,ne- third of his total force.
JOHN ROBINSON, St. Thomas, Que., on site of McClellan Homestead, Modern.
The Early Settlement of Cowansville,
By Miss Jessie Baker Ruiter.
The following interesting account of the early settlement of Cowans ville, won the $5.00 prize offered by John P. Noyes, Esq., K.C., for the best es- say on local history to be competed for by the pupils of Cowansville Acad- emy. It was written by Miss Jessie Baker Ruiter, aged 14, who was in Grade No. 3, Model .School, She is a daughter of Mr. P. Arthur Ruiter. Esq., and grand-daughter of Stevens Baker, Esq.
The critic to whom this essay was submitted for perusal, kindly remarks: "The scholar who wrote this essay is to be congratulated on her production. It evinces not only knowledge of early local history, but an interest in it." Again 'The young person who wrote this composition shows a commendable knowledge of the earlier history of our village, which no doubt will lead her. as years go by, to take an interest in the history of mankind. I hope that her creditable effort will induce other pupils at the Academy to make a response next year, should the op- portunity be given them."
Early in the year 1802, Captain Jacob Ruiter sailed from the State of New York, up the beautiful Lake of Champlain, with his young wife. He landed at Missisquoi Bay, at the vil- lage now known as Philipsburg. Leav- ing his wife there, he made his way through the forest to prospect a grant of land given him by the Canadian Government, this section of land com- prising what is now the village of Cowansville, and running westerly nearly to Fordyce 'Corner. Having _ located his claim, he proceeded to erect a temporary dwelling-house on the lot which is now at the rear end of the Ottawa Hotel, nearly back of the small building occupied by James 0. Dean's confectionery and bicycln shop. Cold weather coming on, he
returned to Philipsburg to spend the winter there with his family. In the spring he returned to this village, bringing his wife and infant son on horseback, this being the only way of travelling at that time. As there were no roads, they had to follow the marks made on the trees the previous year, commonly known as the "blazed trail." Mr. Ruiter then commenced to hew himself out a home in the forest. On March 29th, 1804, another son was add- ed to the family, which was the first white chiM born in Cowansville, and was afterwards known as the late Philip Ruiter. In the course of time, four sons and three daughters were, born, thus making a family of nine children. Game was very bountiful at that time, so that their larder was well filled. It is also said that fish was then abundant in the Yamaska River, so plentiful in fact, that the mother of the young family often used to start her fire in the morning, and go down to the river's edge and catch a salmon large enough to give the family a breakfast by the time the kettle on the stove was boiling, but other provisions were scarce. About the only grain was Indian corn, and as there were no mills nearer than Frelighsburg, they had to tie their bag of corn on the back of an ox, and lead him through the woods, which meant a two days' trip. At that time a trip to 'Montreal by oxen on a sled in summer took from four to six days, instead of two hours as at the present time.
The only way the pioneers had of securing money to buy the necessaries of life was when clearing up their land they gathered the ashes which remained, leached them, and boiled the lye down to a kind of salts, or potash, for which they found a mar- ket in Montreal. One of Captain .1.
MISSISQTJOI
COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY
Ruiter's sons, Jacob, settled near Adamsville, and built a mill, the first on record in these parts. His oldest son, John, had the land farthest west, now owned by Messrs. John and Henry Jones. He built a house, now occupied by John Jones, after his first wooden house was burned to the ground. Another son, Philip, had the next farm east towards Cowansville. To his daughter, Eliza, who married William Stevenson, he gave fifty acres of land adjoining and east of Philip's, while Nelson, another son, owned and cleared up the farm on River street now owned by Arthur Ruiter. He was always interested in things tend- ing to the welfare of the village of Cowansville, and when it was incor- porated, he was for many years a councillor. He died at a ripe old age on the farm where he started life, leaving a family of three sons and four daughters.
His son George, owned the south nde of the river, and his house was where the residence of Mr. G. K. Nes- bitt now stands. He also gave the present site of building to Trinity Church. He was one of the first to open a store and harness shop. The late Hiram Traver, married another daughter, Evelina, and built the white houise Apposite Mr. 'Nesbitt's, now owned by Dr. Oliver and used as a tenement house. Some years later he built a shoe shop between that and the residence of Mr. F. P. Arsenault, which he also built. He was the first one to open a shoe shop, which he attended for a number of years. Later he built the brick building used as a tenement and owned by Mr. W. S. Cotton, on the corner of the south side of the bridge, and opened up a store which he kept for a few years, finally selling his stock to a young firm. He retired to i>. farm near Mansonville, where he died some years ago.
Captain Ruiter's youngest son, James, owned the land on the north side of the river, keeping hotel for a time in his brother George's house, on the present site of Mr. Nesbitt's residence. He built the brick building now owned by Messrs. Strange and
Nye, and kept hotel for many years. By this time Cowansville was begin- ning to be quite a little village. -It boasted of two hotels, one owned by James Ruiter, and the other by Mr. W. H. Kathan, on the site of a por- tion of the present Ottawa Hotel.
Mr. Peter Cowan was the first post- master and storekeeper in Cowans- ville. He was a Scotchman by birth, and came to this place about seventy years ago, a young man, with his young wife, a Miss Hackett. They started life here, amid the hardships of a new country, his first home be- ing in the house now owned and oc- cupied by Mr. Charles Gleason. He built the old Eureka Block, the south end, as far as the tower being used for store and post office, Avhile the north end was used for a horse-shed. Mr. Cowan was a good, influential and upright man in his dealings with the public, and was connected with the young town's welfare.
Quite a number of prominent men started their business career in Mr. Cowan's employ; for instance, the late Col. A. B. Foster, who built and op- erated our present railway; also the late David Brown, who was after- wards Sheriff of the county, and many others later. Mr. Cowan retired from bis store, anl far-a^i for many years on the farm known as Willow Brooke, now owned by his son-in-law, Hon. G. B. Baker. He built the present house which was lately occupied by Mr. S. S. Swasey, and spent his last days Mere. He was Sher.fi of the District for several years, which office he held until his death. His family consisted of four sons and two daughters. The daughters are now living, the eldest, Mrs. George B. Baker (Senator), the younger, Mrs. Charles Ruiter. The sons are all dead. The town was named after Mr. Cowan, changed from Nelsonville, which was the name of the town originally called by Captain Ruiter after Lord Nelson, of whom he was a great admirer.
The first church in .Cowansville was built by the Congregational denomina- tion, on the site of their present church, in the year 1852, fifty-four
COWANSYILLK FLOfHINCi MILL.
Containing part (if the old Cowan Mill.
MISSISQUOI COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY
39
years ago. The land was donated by Captain Ruiter for a church, either a Presbyterian or Church of England, whichever would take advantage of the offer .and build first. As neither had taken any steps at the above date, Rev. R. D. McConnel, a Congre- gational minister from Brome Corner, took advantage of the offer, and se- cured the services of the late Freeman Eldridge, who was a builder and con- tractor.
Andrew Cowan built the first grist mill, a part of which still stands, and is owned by Mr. Nelson Buzzell. He also built the residence now owned by Mr. L. L. 'Chandler, our present post master, while Mr. Carter, a bro- ther-in-law of Mr. Cowan, built the residence now owned and occupied by Hon. J. C. McCorkill, our present Pro- vincial treasurer. A writer in the Bed- ford Times in 1867 when Cowan & Car- ter were both living says the grist mill was fount by Messrs. Carter & Cowan.
The first doctors in Cowansville were the late Doctors Charles Cotton and Charles Brown. Dr. Brown lived in the .house which is. now the Methodist parsonage, and he built the store oc- cupied by W. J. Bell and Co., where he kept the post office, and was also postmaster for some time.
*See footnote.
The only public building that Cow- ansville boasted of sixty years ago was what was known as "the old court house," used as court house, dwelling house, public hall, church, school and council chamber. It stood on the site of our present Academy and Town Hall. j
Among the first teachers were Miss Lalanne and the Rev. J. C. David- son, father of Canon Davidson, of Frelighsburg. Mr. Davidson was also the first Rector of Trinity Church, Cowansville.
Mr. O'Halloran was the first law- yer, and lived in the white house near- ly opposite Mr. Nesbitt's, and is the oldest living resident of that time in Cowansville to-day. The late Hon. A. B Foster, was clerk for some time in Mr. Peter Cowan's store, when he was a young man. There was a little in- cident occurred in the store, but I can- not say for sure whether it was in Mr. Foster's time, or Mr. Alexander McKenny, who also clerked for Mr. Cowan for some years. When the clerk and the late James S. Ruiter, both young men of about the same age, were fooling with some gunpow- der around the stove, the gunpowder exploded, and Mr. Ruiter was sudden- ly thrown or blown through the side of the building and landed in the mid- dle of the street minus considerable hair, but not seriously hurt, strange to say.
Col. Foster was the clerk in the incid- ent. See his life in " Some Early Shef- t'ord Pioneers."
After Mr. W. H. Kathan gave up the hotel business, he kept store for some time, after which he retired and built the house wehere Mrs. A. B. Foster now resides, which he occu- pied until he left Cowansville twenty or twenty-five years ago, when he moved to Ohio to live with a son, where he died a few years ago.
Mr. John Carr was one of the first furniture makers in Cowansville, using the house now occupied by Mr. M. Vail, next to the telephone office, and living in the house where Miss Stine- hour now resides. Another one of the old settlers was Mr. .Gilbert Wells, who built the house now owned and occupied by Miss Stuart. He was a farmer, tilling the land now owned by Mr. Henry Cotton, and also as far north and including the farm owned by Mr. Beattie.
"The writer of _this essay is in error as to first Cowansville doctor. The first was Dr. Newell, who was
mentioned.
Jacob Ruiter must have come to Missisquoi Bay with the other Baiters' in 1783. and later returned to New York for bi« family. As he was an officer in one of the loyal corps he could not have comfortably remained so long in his old home. He was one of the grantees of the Township of Dunham in 1796, and must have been here prior to that.
:\i i s s i vS o r o i c o u x T Y H i s T o R i c A
s o c i K T Y
Before closing, it might be interest- ing to many of our citizens, who seern to think that our present indus- tries, such as the Dairy Supply Com- pany, and W. F. Vilas Implement Works, were the only industries Cow- p.nsville ever had, to know that fifty
years ago, we had three sawmills, a large tannery, a woollen factory, and two shops within a mile of Cowans- ville, employing as many men as are employed in the present industries mentioned. Cowansville. June 1st, 1906.
RESIDENCE OK Mits. F. U. AND Miss CARRIE M. DERICK, M. A. South Street, Clarenceville.
Brief Sketch of Dunham.
(From Historical Society's Notes Column in News.)
These valuable notes, taken from one of a series of articles written in 1867 for the District of Bedford Times, entitled "Sketches of Canadian Vil- lages," have been sent for publica- tion in this column, by Mrs. E. L. Watson, of Dunham, who is a grand- daughter of Mr. Joseph Baker, herein mentioned, and niece of Col. Stevens Baker, who was one of the two who first represented this county in Par- liament. Incidentally, it might be mentioned that the Hon. G. B. Baker, Senator, so many years a Conserva- tive member for Missisquoi, is a dis- tinguished descendant of Mr. Joseph Baker, this noble pioneer, whose wife, Molly Stevens, has been mentioned in the "History of the Eastern Town- ships" as "a woman of energy and strong mind, and possessing much love for British institutions, "and "her fam- ily espoused the cause erf the loyalists at the beginning of the American Rev- olution." In a kind letter to the Sec- retary, Mrs. Watson, expresses pleas- ure at becoming a member of the Missisquoi Historical Society, and feels a deep interest in the work, and writes heLpful, encouraging words that stim- ulate one to renewed energy, and makes one hopeful for the future.
The sketch of Dunham opens with an excellent description of its "geog- graphical position and aspect." The writer then says:
"The date of the beginning of the settlement of the township will not be stated with precision, because the dates have not been definitely ascer- tained. The cutting down of the first trees in the profound forests was done incidentally, and not as a clearing for tillage. Elias Truax had made a be- ginning in St. Armand, and, in cutting out a sled road to a beaver meadow, to get hay for his cow and two oxen, he cut through a corner of Dunham.
He was born July 4th, 1772, and it is said that apparently he has years of health and enjoyment before him.
"Joseph Baker, and Molly Stevens, his wife, from Petersham, Mass., ar- rived in December, 1799, bringing their family of seven young children. They came to Georgia, Vt., with a wagon. It had a canvas top and was drawn by four oxen. Th? country was s^ new that there was not a wagon road only part of their way from Georgia to their destination, and they waited for a change of weather, and proceeded with a sled, and were three days on the way, near 40 miles from Georgia to Dunham. Before they arrived at Georgia, there was one day that they could not get through to a stopping place, and they passed the night in the wagon.
"George Adam Shufelt and Henry Church, frpm Caldwell's Manor, came in March. 1799. Isaac Gleason, from Graf ton. Vt, settled in 1799, and about 1801, brought two bushels of corn at one load on his back, about 24 miles, from Philipsburg to his home near Cowansville. And he pnid three dol- lars a bushel for it. This toilsome event is mentioned as it suggests what is sometimes needful to be done in a new country. Roads through the for- est cannot be made in a day. In sparse populations i( is the work of years. Captain Jacob Ruiter, from Hudson, and Captain John Church, from Claverack, N.Y., who came into Canada at the time of the American Revolution, moved into Dunham a year or two later than those who have been mentioned.
"In 1799, Lorenzo Dow, of Connecti- cut, young in years and young in the ministry, was sent from a Methodist Conference in Massachusetts to make a new circuit in the northwest part of Vermont. That circuit embraced
M I S S I S 0 U O I COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY
Sutton and Dunham, and probably the accolents of Missisquoi Bay, in Can- ada. Coming from Connecticut on horseback, at the rate of thirty miles a day, his horse was disabled, and he arrived at his destination with a borrowed horse that had to be sent back, and with only one cent in his pocket. Another .minister was sent tq the same circuit, who favored Mr. Dow with the use of a horse some of the time; but he travelled mostly on foot, and in October, the same year, and without leave of the Bishop, he left the circuit and sailed from Que- bec for Ireland. Whether anybody had preached in Dunham before Mr. Dow, the writer has not been in- formed, nor has he met any person who remembers his preaching there, or can tell w.here his preaching places were. Besides school houses, one of th« early preaching places was a barn in Dunham village. There are now (1867) in the township, 9 houses of public worship, 4 post offices, 3 academies, a suitable number of district schools, a court house, jail and town hall. By the census of 1861, the population was 3,903, of whom 687 were of French ori- gin. Thomas Selby, Dunham, is the Mayor, and P. S. Armington, Dun- ham, (Secretary-Treasurer. Stevens Baker, of Dunham, (son of Joseph Baker from Petersham) and Ralph Taylor, of St. Armand, were the first representatives of Missisquoi County in the Provincial Parliament, and were elected in 1829, and Col. Baker still lives in Dunham.
After describing the pretty village of Dunham, and giving some hints for its improvement, and mentioning for special care, a beautilful elm in front of All Saint's Church, the writ- er mentions minutely all the buildings and industries the village contained. He states that Mr. P. Dunning's tan- nery was established in October, 1829. In the notes from Dunham which were published in the News dated March 16th, it should read -.ie tan- nery in Dunham was established by Orrin Dunning (not by P. Dunning) in October, 1829." It should also be added, that at his death, his eldest son, Edward, succeeded to the bus- iness; and after a few years he gave
up the business to his younger bro- ther, also named Orrin. Later it passed out of the family, and Mr. George England, from Knowlton, car- ried it on. At his death the old build- ing was demolished.
Just now, when the interest in the dairying business is so keen, the ag- riculturists may be pleased to be in- formed that the first cheese factory was established and worked by E. E. Hill, in 1S65 (Was this the first one in the province?) In July, 1866, the quantity of cheese made was 1,600 pounds per day. The number of cows furnishing the milk was 800, mostly belonging to 25 'persons.
The first post office in the township was in Dunham village, Sylvester Arm- ington was the first post master, and was succeeded by Edward Baker. The writer continues: — "A mail-stage goes from this office to Stanbridge Rail- way Station and back, and the mail- stage from Sweetsburg to St. Alban.s passes both ways every day except Sunday. It is probable the post office was established in 1826. The first mail was carried on horseback and sometimes in a one-horse vehicle by Timothy Smith, of Philipsburg, and he was succeeded by John Brill, of Pigeon Hill. In 1834 or 1835, Levi Stevens, of Dunham, amd Stephen Chandler, of Stanbridge, began to run a two-horse stage from St. Johns to Stanstead, and back twice a week. The route was via PrilLpsbur^, Stanbridge Dunham, Churchville, Brome and Georgeville. The contract was for £100 a year, and it ought justly to have been more than double that sum. There had been no stage on this route before, and Stephen Maynard, of Dunham, succeeded them in the spring of 1837, and continued about six years. .Sections of the road, both in mud and snow, were a dread to the driver and a study to the traveller."
The following incident, related by Mrs. Watson, supplements the refer- ence to Lorenzo Dow, in the above narrative. "In speaking of the ear- liest religious services held in Dun- ham by Mr. Dow, my father told me . an amusing story of his mother's ex- perience at one of these meetings held
ivUMAN B. DEIIICK, Noyan. (Very old.)
MISSISQUOI COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY
43
in a barn. I cannot say of what de- nomination they claimed to be( my grandfather was a member of the Church of England.) At these meet- ings they were exhorted and prayed over, and the new converts became so excited that they often fell down and had hysterical symptoms, which were called the work of the Holy Spirit wrestling them from Satan's powe:. At this meeting th? preacher and his converts were in that part of
the barn where the cattle were tied up, and my grandmother was on the barn floor. One man had fallen down in a "fit," and the preacher was pray- ing over him in a loud voice, when seeing my grandmother looking through a crack in the partition wall, he stopped and shouted, "Woman! you had better be looking after your own sins, than peeking after the ' slain of the Lord.' "
A Stanbridge Incident of the Troubles of 1837.
(From Historical Notes Column in News.)
The following touching incidents during the Canadian Rebellion of 37— 38, should arouse more than passing interest. .Several items have been published in this column from the old Missisquoi Post. We were anxious to know something about the editors, who, it was remarked, must have been
men of unusual attainments. Thus we are greatly pleased that "A Daugh- ter of H. J. Thomas," who is well known and highly respected by a large circle of friends, and who evidently inherits ,her father's talent, has con- tributed this pathetic story and the introductory reflections.
(See next two pages.)
Incidents of the Canadian Rebellion of
1837-38.
Rebellion presupposes either criminal neglect or high-handed authority — sometimes both— on the part of the "powers that be."
(iru-vanoe.s there \vm- at that time in the administration of law, and the absence of needed laws, in Upper and Lower Canada, the nature and the result of which have passed into his- tory, always from a partizan stand- point.
The proverb, "the truth is not to be, spoken at all times," has become a political axiom. The infallibility ol rulers, temporal and spiritual, must be upheld.
A, crisis had come when nothing less than wrath and violence would bring about the reforms needed, especially in rural districts. After suppressing the rebellion, in many cases by hang- ing, government virtually acknowl- edged the justice of the belligerents' claims, not only by granting the measures for which they contended, but even honored those leaders who had returned to the country by giv- ing them high positions in the Legis- lature, as if by way of atonement to their party.
It is the established policy of all the governments to suppress the lawless uprising of their irate subjects before adjusting their claims. They must first be taught loyalty. If they are hanged, they will know better next time.
The Tories held office and opposed the "Patriots," hundreds of whom proved their claim to the title by free- ly sacrificing their lives, homes and property, that municipal and other de- layed forms of justice might be estab- lished.
To-day, we are the inheritors of the concessions that they obtained.
Many were the thrilling scenes in that two years' struggle, some of which were enacted at Stanbridge East.
A paper entitles th-i Missisciuoi Post had been established at that place by two enterprising young men—Sol Bing- ham. son of Judge Mayro Bingham, of Vermont, and H. J. Thomas, son of a widow whose husband, George Thomas, died in the British army at Quebec.
Their paper was the organ of the Patriots— Radicals or Rebels— named according to the political leanings of the. speaker. When the troops were called out, one of their first acts was to suppress the Missisquoi Post, which they did by drowning the press in the mill pond, and dismembering the of- fice furniture ai d casting it into the street. The .proprietors, Bingham and Thomas, were not at home that day. Business had called them through the woods to Vermont.
The youthful and attractive Mrs. Thomas, who was Emily, third daugh- ter of Mr. Martin Rice, sr., of Rice- burg, was ill with consumption.
After her husband's proscription, She was renoved with her infant daughter, to her father's home, say- ing to her sorrowing parents as she entered the house, "I have come home to die."
As the end approached, Mr. Rice communicated with her husband, then at Montpelier, Vt.
Shortly afterwards, Mrs. Thomas re- ceived from her husband the affecting letter that follows:—
Montpelier, Jan. 17th, 1838.
Beloved Emily,
Your kind father has given me news which has filled me with the deepest
aiissisgroi COUNTY HISTORIC A i, s o c i E T v
sorrow. Kind and affectionate wife, when I left home you thought you could not allow me to bid you adieu. You begged of me to go away as I had done every other morning.
But I can no longer refrain from ad- dressing you— I fear, for the last time, in this world of trouble.
What shall I say? Words have for- saken me. So far, our hearts have been united by the strongest ties of nature, and can it be supposed we can now resign ourselves to the separa- tion which seems about to take place?
You have fortified your mind for the trial, but I have not. You may have passed the trying moment, but to me the trial yet seems beyond en- durance. Would that providence might permit us to journey together to the yet unseen world!
But our child — the dear innocent? God may have wisely decreed that one of us shall protect and cherish it in its helpless youth. Should it survive its mother, it will be a comfort to me if I live, and also to all surviving friends.
My feelings will not permit me to write much more. I have no intimate friend to sympathize with me, nor to. whom I can unbosom my sorrow— yet all are friends and friendly.
Under all these trials, I am in a measure supported by the certainty that I am still in kind remembrance by you. While life remains, your af- fection is unchangeable.
Must I— can I — bid you adieu, no more to meet you in time! Would to God that our spirits could at this mo- ment hold sweet communion in the everlasting and happy abode prepared for us by the Almighty Ruler of Heav- en and Earth!
God has promised to wipe away all tears. "Whom he loveth, he chasten- eth."
Most amiable wife, forever we are destined never again to meet in this vale of tears. I must be permitted to
bid you a solemn adieu! God be with you!
While life remains, I am Your most affectionate husband,
HIRAM J. THOMAS.
To Mrs. Emily A. Thomas, Stan- bridge.
P.S. — I have written to father Rice that I will return immediately if Col- onel Jones will give a written permis- sion, and he must be an unfeeling man if he will not.
The permit was granted, but a com- pany of soldiers guarded the house with the intention to arrest Mr. Thom- as soon as his wife had breathed h.-r last.
Shortly before her death Mrs. Thom- as requested the attendance of the captain at her bedside, begging him to allow her husband to remain with her while she lingered, as the end was near.
The captain, a former friend of hers, was deeply moved and kindly granted her request. She passed away at 8 o'clock on the evening of February 12th, 1838.
At the early dawn next morning, the sentry on guard near the "Line," at Pigeon Hill, called out to a passing team with two women, "Who goes there? Give the pass-word.' "I do not know the pass-word. I am taking a woman home who has been watch- ing with Mrs. — mentioning the name of a sick woman in that neigh- borhood. "Pass on," was the order.
So the quarry was lost at daylight.
The offending press of the Missis- quoi Post, after lying for sixty years or more at the bottom of the mill pond, was resurrected, and is now in the possession of Mr. Matthew Cor- nell, of Stanbridge East.
DAUGHTER OF H. J. THOMAS. Bedford, June 7th, 1905.
Impressions of a New Comer Fifty Years Ago.
I have been told that a paper re- counting the impressions of one coin- ing to this place (Dunham) 50 /cars ago, might prove of some interest to the readers of the "Historical Notes," and perhaps bridge the way for some- thing better from them. When a lad of 17, having determined to emigrate, in the spring of 1859, I started to join the working staff of the late Col. Stevens Baker, than whom, never was a more kindly gentleman, and as iar as circumstances permitted, a more scientific and practical agriculturist. I had been recommended to this part of Canada by a patient of my fatner's, whose nephew, Frederick Dampier, had spoken most highly of the ad- vantages and the hospitalities ho had received.
After a fifteen days passage in the Nova Scotian, not then consider*;! to be unduly prolonged, I n-ii.-hoJ Port- land, not at that time, before its great fire, the substantial, well devel- oped city it now is, but ra nice an en- larged New England vilk'yc of white painted rectangular ediik'es, unlike anything to be seen in the old land, but rather reminding one of ihe loy- box or the daub-pictured edifices at that time used to adorn the A-:i'-rican clocks. Though the Grand Trunk Railway had been established there for many years, yoked oxen were to be .seen trucking in the main streets.
The road bed of the Grand Trunk was then in a very shaky state from the recent thaw, and I was not too soon warned that it was not safe to view the novel objects from, the plat- form. The jolting and swaying iaen experienced, though only travelling at the rate of twelve miles an hour, I have never since experienced. There- was an hour's stop at Island Pond for refreshments, but not being prepared for the fierce dive-in assault amongst
the "fixings" of the experienced trav- ellers, I had to be satisfied with some excellent dough-nuts within my reach, and as good as they were novel to me at that time. The resumed progress through the night being very slow, we did not reach Longueuil until daylight. There was a hearse waiting to receive the body of a prominent merchant of Montreal, named Bruiere, which we had brought across with us. He had been drowned when landing from the packet at Calais. He must have been a man of some importance at that time, for all the bells' of the French churches in the city, including the big "Bourdon" of the parish church, were tolling for him through- out the morning, and at his funeral, the parish church was crowded to the doors.
The state of the depot at Longueuil \vas both dirt-grimed and ramshackle, not likely to impress an emigrant with the idea of a progressive and pros- perous go-ahead country. The cros- sing on the ice, between hummocks of ice twenty-five feet high, and pools of water quite eighteen inches deep, was experienced, as you may suppose, by a newcomer, not without some ap- prehension as well as interest. The ride on the stage through Hochelaga also, was not very cheering, so early in the morning, until the St. Law- rence Hall was reached. There was a most comfortable, semi-European hotel, much frequented by the officers of this then well garrisoned station. The monstrous stove was replenished with four-foot maple, and we soon partook of a cheering, and comfort- ing, well-served meal. At dinner we lingered, in a marked contrast to our late meal snatched at Island Pond. The officer, who seemed from his rank to be looked upon as the head of the table, remarked that he had heard "they were ploughing at Lachine."
MISSISQI/OI COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY
From the appearance outside of the dining hall, we were disposed to take his observation rather as an evidence of a desire to 'be polite, than as a re- cord of fact. The weather changing for the better, I started to find out the house of the one of the officers to whom I had brought a parcel, then quite a favor, and passed through the Roman Catholic cemetery, which is now Windsor Square, to upper Sher- brooke street. There, from the upper windows of Gen. Ord's house, I beheld the finest view I had then ever be- held, taking in the unfinished Vic- toria bridge, the St. Lawrence, partly free of ice up to Laprairie, with the mountains of the Eastern Townships, my future home. Montreal was then a city of only 75,000 inhabitants, and the military element was much to the forefront, and greatly contributed to the gaiety and life of the place. The change to fine weather, and the drip- ping eaves of the houses, warned me that to safely cross the river and reach Dunham, I must not linger. So, returning across some open fields skirted by buildings in course of erec- tion, I engaged a carter to take me to the station of the Stanstead, Shef- ford and Chambly Railroad, leaving St. Lambert. I had made a precau- tionary bargain with my French Can- adian driver, but notwithstanding what I supposed was a settled agree- ment, my youth and exigencies had to yield to a further demand put forth to my surprise, in most emphatic and forcible English. I found the depot at West Farnham merely a rough shed upon tall upright cedar posts, but there was a good plank road down to Bucks Hotel. I admired its excel- lencies, not then being in the secret of its very necessary existence to bridge over the floating swamp which I experienced the next day. At Bucks Hotel, I roomed with Mr. Landsberg, then a fresh arrival like myself. He soon after was taken into the service of Mr. Whitfield, then the chief mer-
chant and mill-owner of the place. The hotel proprietor's single team, by which he was to forward me to Dun- ham, not being able to take myself, two packages, and driver through the clay roads, the driver had got the stage to take the heaviest package, and put it off by the side of the road where it turns off to Brigham, then on the stage route to Dunham. The mud in the neighborhood of Bowker's Hotel was just a pool of liquid slush, and the people came out to see us "go through" which, owing to our horse being a good one and fresh, we successfully accomplished. I rode as far as the place where we took up the trunk, but from thence I had to walk, sometimes accompanied by the driver, until we came to the house, then recently built, of the Martin bro- thers. .Somewhat cheered by the bet- ter road and the appearance of better buildings, I remember I began to feel more encouraged, especially as Mr. John McElroy, splitting wood in front of his stone house, told us we were in Dunham. But here again, the road became almost impassible, and we had to walk close to the rails until get- ting to Mr. William Baker's piece of macadamized road, opposite Mr. Wood's stone store, the horse came to a halt. Had the horse been only an ordinary one, we should never have got to our destination that night, but we did, and I was most kindly receiv- ed and refreshed after my long tramp with soaked feet. Here was then a sick child. My ears being attentive. I had heard Dr. Gibson say to Mr. B., "I gave it to your Stewart" (his son.) I thought he said steward. I so con- cluded that I had come to an extensive farm, for where I lived none but very large farms employed a steward. This was on March the 26th. I found that spring in England and Canada were not as contemporaneous as I had ex- pected.
EDMUND L. WATSOX. Dunham, Feb. 2, 1906.
A Brief Dunham Chapter.
THE CHAMBERLAINS.
It was fromt this family came Browne Chamberlain, Esq., at one time editor; of the Montreal Gazette, the first member of the House of Commons at Ottawa, after Confederation, and sub- sequently Queen's printer. His bio- graphy should some time be publish- ed in these reports, though it is not likely any one in the county has the facts to draw upon.
Among the papers of the late Dr. Smith was found the following inter- esting document, which helps to fill out the history of Dunham. It was an extract from a letter written by Miss Chamberlain, of Ottawa.
'.Dr Browne Chamberlain went to Dunham in 1810. He was married to Miss Diana Knapp b\ the Rev. Mr. Cotton. Dr. John Chamberlain was in Dunham before that time, and had al- so resided in Frelighsburg, but left the latter place in 1814 and went away to Upper Canada, and Dr. Browne Chamberlain succeeded him. Dr. Jos- hua Chamberlain came to visit his brother in 1824 and settled first in Nel- sonville, practicing with his brother, Dr. Browne Chamberhiin till the lat- ter's death, when he moved to Fre- lighsburg in 1829, and lived till his death in 18S3. They had a large range of practice, including Brome, Sutton, Farnham, Granby, Shefford, St. Ar- mand, Potton, and along the line in Vermont. Dr. Calvin May went to Missisquoi Bay, as it was called at that time, in 1800, and practiced there for years, his son, Dr. Horatio May, assisting, him, and succeeding to the practice at his father's death. Dr. Brigham studied under Dr. Horatio May, and succeeded him.
In 1798, my Grandfather Knapp went to Dunham, and bought land there. I have an old mortar which he made from the knot of a tree at that time. He also made milk bowls, chopping and bread bowls of the same mater-
ials. I remember seeing some of them but the old mortar is the only one left. My grandfather and .-jrandmother were of the old Tory or U. E. Loyal- ist stock, and came to America early. He had the first mill in the country. In those days they made barrels of methoglin which took the place of cider. He also had one of the earliest orchards in the Townships. Capt. Knapp, who was a cousin of my grand- father, got a grant of land from the Government for his services, the same as the Wells' got in Farnham,. Mr. Baker did not go to Dunham till after my grandfather, and bought land next to him, where Mr. Joseph Baker used to live."
THE OLD BLOCK HOUSE AT PHILIPSBURG.
This old Block House was built in 1838-39 as a protection against the Canadian rebels, as they were called. It was garrisoned in 1840 by Colonel Dyer's corps of Volunteers, followed by a squadron of the Queen's Light Dragoons. The Fenians who were captured near Pigeon Hill in 1866, had their preliminary examination in the old Customs House at Philipsburg, and were confined for safe keeping in the old Block House, guarded by a company of the Royal Canadian Rifles —regulars.
Several years ago, the Numismatic Society, Montreal, offered to repair the old fort or Block House, but permis- sion could not be obtained from the so-called owners, although several at- tempts were made by citizens of Philipsburg. The picturesque old house, with its historic associations, was finally demolished three years ago by the present owners of the land upon which it stood, to the great re- gret of all lovers of such interesting landmarks which mark a period in history.
TIIK OLD BLOCK HOCSK, J'liilipslmnj, CJue.
MISSISQUOI COUNTY HISTORICAL S O C I E T Y
49
THE FRELIGH FAMILY.
FROM WHOM FRELIGHSBURG IS NAMED.
Abram Freligh, who was a physic- ian, came to what is now known as Frelighsburg, from Clinton, Dutchess County, New York, in the month of February, 1800, bringing- with him his wife and family of twelve children. It is reported that Mr. Freligh, who was a irqan of means, required a cav- alcade of twenty-one teams to haul the goods that he brought with him. Mr. Freligh was a man of means and position in New York, and held sev- eral slaves, all of which he freed prior to his departure for Canada. He pur- chased the grist and saw mills and fulling mills, together with 200 acres of land, paying $4,000 for them. He died the following July, and was suc- ceeded by his son Richard, who died in the 50's. There was located at Frelighsburg what was known as a "trip hammer shop," as early as 1802, in which most of the mill irons used in the early saw mills of Brome and Missisquoi were made. The founder of thjs industry was one Isaac Smith.
Of the sons of Abram Freligh, one Galloway moved to Bedford, in 1826, and became the first postmaster, open- ing the post office in the building re- cently occupied by Leander Gosselin, as grocery, and burned on the 10th of March 1905. This building wag built by Hon. Robert Jones on the site of the present Hotel Tarte, and remov- ed by the late Abel L. Taylor to the place where it burned. In 1844, Mr. Galloway Freligh, together with Na- thaniel Brown, John Chandler, Abel L. Taylor and C. Martindale, were ap- pointed a commission to try inferior cases. This commission was recorded in Kingston, Ont., in the first regis- ter of commissioners.
THE RICE FAMILY. STANBRIDGE.
Among the pioneers of Missisquoi County was Mr. Martin Rice, who, with his wife, Lucy Wheeler, and their three children, Horatius, Seraph and Irving, emigrated from Leicester,
Mass., to Canada in 1809, settling first at Philipsburg, where three more chil- dren, Allen, Lucy and Martin, were added to the family.
During the war of 1812, Mr. Rice served as horse-shoer for the militia of his adopted country at Isle-aux- Xoix.
Next the family resided in the vic- inity of St. Armand Station, where another daughter, Emily, was born.
Subsequently, the family removed to Bedford, where Mr. Rice became the owner of the water privilege now owned by the Bedford Mfg. Co. Here he built a trip-hammer shop, which he afterwards sold to Hon. Robert Jones, who replaced it by a grist mill.
From Bedford, Mr. Rice removed to Stanbridge East, where he built another shop and bought the farm now owned by Mr. Matthew Cornell. Here four more children were added to the family circle, namely, Mary, Charles, James and Jane.
For many years Mr. and Mrs. Rice led 'the choir of St. J antes' Church, Horatius, Seraph and Lucy assisting. This was during the pastorate of Rev. James Reid, Rt. Rev. Bishop Stuart being in charge of the bishop- ric.
His lordship, who was by birth an English or 'Scottish nobleman, was a frequent visitor to Mr. Rice's house, and at one time paid a pretty compli- ment to his hostess by saying that when he heard Mrs. Rice sing, it re- minded him of angels.
Mr. Rice was one of the chief pro- moters and the largest contributor, with one exception, to the erection of the first church at Stanbridge East.
When the church was dedicated — about 1832— Mrs. John Corey, a pro- tege of Rt. Rev. (Bishop iStuart, and Mrs. Rico were the sponsors, giving the name St. James in compliment to their pastor, Rev. James Reid.
During his residence at Stanbridge East, Mr. Rice bought from Mr. Sen- eca Page the farm since known as the "Rice Farm," at Riceburg, where he erected another trip-hammer shop and
MISSISQUOI COUNTY rl I . S T O R I C A I, SOCIETY
his sons built a foundry, machine- shop and an iron smelter.
Here his active life was brought to a close, May llth, 1852.
His widow survived 'him till the close of 1857. Their ashes rest with those of their children in the family cemetery, "River View," Riceburg, in the spot which he admired and upon which he 'bestowed extra care, intending some day to locate a resi- dence and a garden in that place, whose sweet repose and tender asso- ciations now exceed anything that he had contemplated.
The large-hearted hospitality, the intelligence and musical talent of the Rice family contributed largely to the refinement and pleasure of the social circle in which 'they moved.
Stanbridge, June 9th, 1905.
THE ARTHUR FAMILY IN STANBRIDGE.
(The well known local historian, Mr. iHenry Ross, Stanbridge 'East, has furnished the following important bit of history. — Ed. Notes).
/
Amongst those whose name is still
revered by some of our oldest inhab- itants, there is none perhaps more Nvorthy of remembrance Ithan Wm. Arthur, who arrived here from Ireland in the summer of 1820. Young Ar- thur was a person of highly polished manners and fine education, and was immediately engaged 'to teach a select school here for the term of one year, which was duly conducted to the ad- vantage and interest of all. After teaching a second term he was en- gaged by the people of Dunham to open a school in that place, at a greatly increased salary. While teach- ing in Dunham, he became acquaint- ed with the daughter of Mr. George Washington Stone, to whom he was afterwards married. Mr. and Mrs. Arthur subsequently removed to Fair- field, Vt., where they were placed in charge of the county high school, but after the lapse of a few years they
returned to .Stanbridge with the in- tention of making this place their permanent home. They did not re- main here very long, however, Mr. Arthur's friends in Vermont, during his absence, secured his appointment as ipastor in the Baptist 'Church, at Fairfield. Soon after leaving Stan- bridge a son was born, whose name subsequently occupied a conspicuous place in history as Chester A. Arthur, President of the United States. From Fairfield :Mr. Arthur removed to Bur- lington, Vt., where he continued in the service of the Baptist Church for many years.
B1NGHAM FAMILY RECORD.
Made by the late May Winch Bing- ham Krans, who died at Clarence- ville, January 2nd, 1900, at the resi- dence of her daughter, Mrs. Pattison, and was buried in Trinity Church Yard, Frelighsburg, Que.
The first of the family was Sir Per- cival Bingham, a naval officer during the reign of Mary and Elizabeth, was Governor of Curragh, Ireland, died in 3598, and whose 'monument may be seen in the South Aisle of Westmin- ster Abbey, London England.
Thomas Bingham, said to be the first to emigrate to America, from Sheffield, England.
'Solomon Bingham, graduate of Dart- mouth College, N.Y., born at Tin- moth. Vt., June 18th, 1793, married Silvia Dickinson. Issue: —
1 — Ma.ro V.
2. — 'Sappho — married Arnold Baker.
3. — Moore — Now in Cambridgeport, Mass., U.S.
1.— Stella— Peter Smith's mother.
5.— Nathaniel.
6. — Am'herst Willoby — Now in Berk- shire, Vt.
7. — Hannah — Mrs. Ebenezer Martin.
8 — 'Solomon.
9. — Algernon — died at two years of age.
10.— Mary Winch (mow at Berkshire, Vt., Mrs. S. L. Krans.)
11.— Julia— born at Brookville, St. Sebastian.
HON
>IP H. MOOHK. M. L. C.
MISSISQUOI' COUNTY HISTORIC A L SOCIETY 51
1. — Maro Bingham — only child, Jos- eph.
2. — Sappho— Children, Moore, William S., Olive and Thomas.
Moore Baker's children— Olive and Thomas.
4.— Stella— Children, Peter, Charles, Mary, Ellen.
5.— Nathaniel— Nil.
'6.— A-mherst - - Children, Willoby, Bingham, Frances, Adelade, Edna, Horatio, Emily, Lydia, Ellen, Alice and Eugene.
7. — Hannah — Mrs. Ebenezer Martin — children viz: Sappho, Stella, Silvia and Frank.
10.— Mary Winch— Mrs. S. L. Krans viz: Harriet (Mrs. Wm. N. Vaughan), Edward H., Charlotte (Mrs. Pattison) Bingham and 'Charles.
Harriet Vaughan's children —
George Edward, born in St. Johns, January 8th, 1874.
Charlotte Edith, born in St. Johns, January 17th, 1875.
Married Hugh Thomas, of Wolver- hampton, England, in 1904, and resid- es there.
Edward Horatio Krans, born June 5, 1S39; died in - — , April 5th, 1890, aged 51 years.
Children— Horatio 'Sheef, M.A., voca- tion, professor.
Edward Sheef, medical student, N. Y. City.
Mrs. Pattison's Children.
1.— Mary L., born Septem 4th, 1866.
2-— William Arthur Bingham, born February 18th, 1870.
3. — George Alexander, born Sept. 3rd, 1872— Issue : Gertrude Beatrice, aged S years.
4. — Eugene Thomas, born Dec. 12, 1874 — Issue: Eugenie Maud, Born Jan- uary, 1905.
5.— Charlotte Edith, 'born April 25th, 1877; single.
6.— Albert Mead, born April 9th, 1880; single.
Harriet Lydia, born March 19th, 1885; single.
S. — Charles Harold, born May 20,
1.— Mary L., B.A., at home; single. 2. — William, at Detroit, Mich.; sin- gle.
3 —George, Montreal and Toronto; married.
4.— Eugene, Tacoma Wash., U.S.A., married.
5. — Edith, music teacher, Azum, Cat., single.
6.— Albert iMead, Montreal; course in Arts and Architecture, McGill Univ- ersity, Montreal.
7.— Harriet Lydia, at home; McGill Ncrmal iSchool.
8. — Charles Harold, at home; course in Architecture; our farmer pro tern!
More Krans than Bingham!
>HON. P. H. MOORE.
The following sketch is an extract from an historical paper read before a literary society at Knowlton, P.Q., in December, 1904. The accompanying portrait scarcely does Mr. Moore jus- tice. He was a tall, large, well-pro- portioned man, of dignified bearing, in fact, a man of striking appearance.
HONORABLE PHILIP HENRY MOORE.
Was born at Rhinebeck, Dutchess County, N.Y., the 22nd February, 1799, the son of Nicholas Moore and Cath- erine Streight, who moved an 1802 to Moore's Corners, 'St. Armand West, now known as St. Armand Station. From the names of his parents and the place of his birth, it Avas evident that he was of Irish-Dutch parentage. Apart from the district school he at- tended an Academy at St. Albans, Vt. On reaching his majority he farmed for a short time and then was in mer- cantile business for a few years at Bedford. He was named a Justice of the Peace when 22 years of age, an office at that time of honor and re- sponsibility. He retired from "business at Bedford to the ancestral farm, where he took a prominent part in the Moore's Corners battle of the re- bellion of 1837, for which he was of- ficially thanked by Sir John Col- borne, Commander in Chief. He was the predecessor of the late Richard Dickinson as registrar of Missisquoi and on the union of the Provinces in 1841, was appointed a Legislative
52
MISSISQUOI COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY
Councillor of Canada, an office which he held until Confederation in 1 In the early years of his Parliamen- tary career, he was chairman of the Rebellion Losses Committee, the .pay- ment of which losses subsequently, led to the 'burning of the Parliament House, in Montreal. As the Parlia- mentary library was burnt at that time Mr. Moore was deputed by Par- liament to visit the United States, as well as the Federal Government, as those of the different States, to. pro- cure public documents to replace those lost. He met the then President of the United States, as -well as Govern- ors of many States, and was highly successful in his efforts. He was in- strumental in securing the charter of the Montreal and Vermont Junction Railways, and was president until his death. 'He was also President of -the Missisquoi Agricultural Society, and a member of the Municipal Council of his parish at different times.
When Confederation took place in 1867 under the rule adopted at the time by the Government of the day, the position of Senator for the dis- trict passed to the elected Legislative Councillor— the Hon. A. B. Foster. Mr. Moore was offered the position of Legislative Councillor in the Provin- cial Parliament, but declined to he- come a candidate for the Dominion House of Commons. He was defeat- ed, and thereupon retired to private life. He died on the 21st of Novem- ber, 1880. He took a prominent -part in the debates in the Legislative Coun- cil while a member, and with his col- league, Hon. F. H. Knowlton, labored ardently for decentralization. He was a zealous worker in every way to pro- mote the interests of the Eastern Townships, and the 'welfare of its peo- ple.
HONORABLE THOMAS WOOD.
The Honorable Thomas Wood, whose portrait appears on another page, was a member of the Legislative Council of the Province of Quebec from Confederation, in 1867 to 1898. He was born in Dunham, in March, 1815. His parents were Thomas Wood and Mary Skeele, who came from the
United States. After following agri- culture up to early manhood, he went to Montreal, where he was in the em- ploy of John Baker, who kept the Commercial House, at that time much patronized by Eastern Townships peo- ple.
After a few years commercial exp.er- ience in Boston, he returned to his native Township, and married Ann Jane, daughter of Capt. N. S. Stevens, and sister of the late Levi Stevens, of Dunham Flat. She died in 1841, leaving one son, Hannibal, who, after practicing medicine in Knowlton and St. Johns, became collector of Cus- toms at the latter place. In 1845 he marriejl Elizabeth, daughter of Capt. W. B. Seeley, also of Dunham, by whom he had three children, Charles, dying young, Frank, who died a year afier his father, and a daughter, Mrs. Frank Baxter, now living.
He was a successful merchant for many years, and through his Montreal connection, was helpful to the early settlers, by turning over much coun- try produce for them. He had been Mayor of the Township, and, after its incorporation, of the Village of Dunham. He was a Justice of the Peace for many years, when it was a mark of credit and a sign of dis- tinction. He was Chairman of the Trustees of Dunham Academy; Presi- dent of the Missisquoi Junction Rail- way; President of the District of Bed- ford Rifle Association; President of the Missisquoi Agricultural Society, and also of the 'Horticultural and Fruit Growers' Association, and was Warden of the County Council of Mis- sisquoi. In the promotion of the Hor- ticultural and Fruit Growers' Asso- ciation he was most practically in- terested and was a constant and var- ied contributor.
He was a member of the Episcopal Church and for many successive years represented the congregation of All Saint's Church in the Diocesan Synod. He was a Conservative in politics, and in 1861 unsuccessfully contested the County for the old Canadian Par- liament. In 1867 he was called to the Legislative Council, in which he sat for upwards of thirty years, becoming
HON. THOMAS WOOD, M. L C.
LATK GEOKUE CLAYES, M. P Bedford, Missisquoi.
MISSISQUOI CO U X T Y HISTORICAL S 0 C I E T V
53
one of its most useful members. He died November 13th, 1898, aged 83.
GEORGE CLAYES, Esq.
There was a time when Mr. Clayes was a prominent man in Missisquoi, and nis fame even extended beyond its borders. He has not been dead a long time, and yet it is difficult to- day 'to obtain much information about him. This may be due to the fact .that he left no children or family to .perpetuate his memory, and political memories die when mutual help ceas- es. His portrait, appearing- herewith, shows him to be an alert, wide-awake man. He was born at Meriden, N.H-, in 1828, the son of Rev. Dana Clayes, married his cousin .Sophia L. Clayes, in 1855, settled in Bedford in 1861. where he was engaged in mercantile life for some years, and then retired with a competency. He died in March, 18SS. In early life he lived for a time in Minnesota, where he was elected to the State Senate. He early took an active part in politics, after he became a resident of Missisquoi County. He ran for the local Legislature in 1871, and was defeated, and again in 1881, with a like result. In 1882 he contest- ed the seat for the House of Com- mons with Senator Baker, and was again defeated. He was successful in the general election of 1887, defeating his old opponent. He did not long continue in public life, dying after only one session and while his sec- ond was in progress. He was a stud- ious man, of vast information on all sorts of subjects, a polished speaker with a knack of saying cutting things in an epigrammatic way, and a strong debater. It was sometimes thought his facility in the use of criticism was a cause of weakness. It was generally conceded that the resurrection of the Liberal party in the County was due to his hard fights for many years and his dominant influence in organiza- tion. Whether that was a good thing or not depends from the party point of view, but does not detract from his capacity as a leader of men.
DANIEL BISHOP MEIGS, Esq., M.P.
On another page will be found a portrait of Mr. Meigs, and here will be given a few brief facts as to his personality and career, to satisfy the possible curiosity of those who, years hence, may read these pages and want to know something about Par- liamentary representatives of the County. It is the intention to pur- sue a like course for the future ;in our reports in respect to those who may have represented the County of Mis- sisquoi in any legislative capacity. It was not done in our first report through lack of experience and haste in preparation, but that can be sup- plemented later. Obviously, such sketches must be a bare, brief state- ment of facts, so far as possible, in order to avoid the suspicion of politic- al partizanship on the one hand, and the possibility of exciting personal jealousies on the other.
Mr. Meigs was born in Henryville, P.Q., on the 1st day of June, 1835, and his age may easily be reckoned at any time from that epoch. His father was Daniel Meigs and his mother was Caroline Laselle, of -Swanton, Vt. It is not claimed that his father was a U. E. Loyalist, or started in life with only loyalty as caipital, or was any- thing else than a hard-headed man of good sense, who obeyed the laws of the land 'where he lived, worshipped God without fringes on his faith, and was thrifty in making an honest dollar and turning it to good account. His son received a good business educa- tion ,and whilst a young man started in business at West Farnham, now the town of Farnham. He acquired mills there and engaged largely in the ex- port lumber 'business as well as in mercantile pursuits. By business cap- acity and foresight, thrift and square dealing, he acquired a handsome fr - tune and retired to private life a num- ber of years ago, since which time ho has travelled a good deal.
In 1888, on the death of the late George Clayes, he was elected member of the House of Commons for qtioi to replace the deceased mem- ber, after a sharp contest. At the gen- eral election in 3891. he was defeated
54
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by his old opponent, now Senator Baker, but at the general elections of 1896, 1900 and 1904, he was successful, and is now the member for the Coun- ty,, after a hot contest on each occa- sion. Thus he 'has faced the electors on five occasions, in four of which he was a winner. Mr. Meigs does not claim to be an orator, in fact, thinks the supply is larger than the demand, yet he can make a plain, (practical, ef- fective business speech when the occa- sion requires. He talks business, ren- dered more telling at times by a dry humor, of which <he appears to be unconscious, and it is this, with other qualities, which makes 'him strong with his electors and popular in the House. iHe looks carefully after the interests of his constituents, never goes back on a friend and has never crowded any of his relatives or their understudies into the public service.
He has often been Mayor of Farn- ham, and filled other local offices of trust and responsibility. He has never seemed hungry for office, not even at first, to be a member of Parlia- ment. That with him was an acquir- ed taste. He has been twice married, but has no children.
More might be said, but Mr. Meigs is, despite his long career in politics, a modest man, inclined to look upon
praise, even that which is merely fair appreciation, as flattery with an ob- ject. With his characteristic dry hu- mor he admonished the writer — who tried to get some facts from him for this sketch under the threat, in case of refusal, to manufacture the facts, and in reply got barely thirty words — "now if you make up any lies, make good ones. Hence, there has been a strict adherence to facts.
JOSEPH J. B. GOSSELIN,Esq. M.L.A.
Mr. Gosselin was born in the <par- ish of St. Alexandre, in the County of Iberville — the native parish as well of the late Hon. Mr. Mercier and Charles Thibault, advocate— in the year 1848. He was the son of Francois Gosselin, of that parish, now living, at the ripe age of 90 years. After a practical edu- cation, Mr. Gosselin engaged in bus- iness, locating in 1886 at Notre Dame de :Stanbridge, where he has since been prosperously engaged in commercial life. After filling some local offices, he was elected to the Quebec Legisla- ture in 1900, after a sharp contest, and was re-elected in 1904 by acclamation. He has never taken a prominent part in debates in the House, 'but has serv- ed dilligently on many Committees. His portrait appears on another page.
]). B. MKIUS, M. P
.1. .1. H. (iOSSELlN. M. L. A.
The St. Albans Raid, 1864.
The eventful years of 1861 to 1865 are familiar as embracing the period of the Civil War in the United States. Reference to that national calamity vividly recalls interesting reminiscen- ces associated therewith which awaken an admiration and a sympathy for the heroes and martyrs of those troublesome times, for the frequent evidences of their untiring devotion to duty, for their patient endurance in long-suffering and hardships, and the keen disappointment at unwelcom- ed reverses and defeats, which, how- ever, are for the time, almost forgot- ten in the hour of their unspeakable joy at the sound of victory. These and many other equally thrilling ex- periences peculiar to war, are embod- iec in the story of that memorable struggle.
An incident of more than ordinary local significance and one directly identified with the hostile operations of that critical period in the United States, should command some special interest and attention from the peo- ple of the 'County of Missisquoi, but more particularly from the members of this Historical Society, not on ac- count of the close proximity of the scene of its occurrence to our Cana- dian border, but in consequence of the visit of the authors and perpetra- tors of this incident to this and other localities in the County, together with some interesting features attending the same and the circumstances which compelled these men to seek refuge upon Canadian soil. An act, which for a time, threatened most serious com- plications of an international nature, between Great Britain and the United States, a brief account of which I shall endeavor to give under the title of the St. Albans' Raiders.
It is a well recognized, historical fact that, during the great civil struggle, detachments from both the Northern and Southern armies were frequently
sent into the enemies territory, to re- mote and isolated localities, for the purpose of rapine anc, marauding, upon which occasions, defenceless and peaceful citizens were subjected to most harsh and cruel treatment, fre- quently resulting in death, or even (something infinitely 'worse, in the event of offering resistance as a just protest against such violence These offensive expeditions are recognized by the laws of nations as legitimate acts of war, but, it ds nevertheless most earnestly and universally con- demned from a moral standpoint as emphatically in direct discord with en- lightened ideas and conditions of nine- teenth century citizenship. When one belligerent, however, resorts to such nefarious methods, under the erronious impression, no doubt, that the end jus- tifies the means, it is but natural the other should be fired with a spirit of retalliation.
The thought is here suggested: Did the then 'President of the United State, Mr. Lincoln, sanction or endorse such tactics? We are naturally prompted to believe he did not, be- cause the history of the Wai- tells us that such a spirit was quite at variance with the high and noble •principles pervading the whole life and character of one whose name is dear to every generation of his coun- trymen as embodying only what stands for purity in heart, in mind and in statesmanship. We may, per- haps, reasonably assume that the President was powerless to prevent it.
It is an expedition of this nature, and the acts and experiences of those comprising the same, which forms the subject of this paper, the desire being to refer more particularly to certain incidents of sufficient ^importance and interest to this Society, as to merit consideration from a purely 'historical standpoint, in so far as those incidents transpiring upon Canadian soil, are
M I S S I S 0 U 0 I COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY
concerned, but which derive their im- portance irom circumstances leading up to the same, and the threatening serious consequences which were, for- tunatelv averted.
In accordance with a desire of the Confederate Government to harass and loot Northern towns and villages in close proximity to the Canadian bor- der, in retaliation for similar acts on the part of the Northern or Federal army in the South, a certain young of- ficer, Lieut. Bennet H. Young, was commissioned to organize and take command of a -small company, consist- ing of about twenty Confederate sol- diers, ex-prisoners of War, who had escaped from the Northern lines, for this purpose. Having secretly .secur- ed the desired compliment of men at Chicago, 111., Lt. Young submitted his proposed plan of attack for approval to Messrs. Clay and Thompson, the Confederate Government Agents, at Montreal, suggesting as a first point of operation, the little town of St. Albans, Vt. Receiving the sanction of these agents to said plan of cam- paign, he proceeded accordingly on the 19th day of October, 1864, to the execution of the same, when the ap- pearance of this little band of mar- auders on their streets was the first intimation of such intentions receiv- ed by the surprised and very much alarmed citizens of that town. About 3 o'clock in the afternoon, attacks were simultaneously made upon the three banking institutions, namely, the St. Albans Bank, the National City Bank and the National Bank. Being fully armed, this little band of intruders experienced no difficulty in holding the (people in the streets at bay, and forcing the surprised and frightened bank officials to a state of unwilling submission to their demands for the contents of the safes, consisting of many thousands of dollars in .paper currency and valuable securities.
During the excitement created by this episode, several shots were ex- changed between citizens and raiders, resulting in one of the former, named Morrison, being fatally wounded. Strange to say, this man Morrison, was a -'copperhead," a term applied
to .Southern sympathizers, and almost the only one in the community. In ad- dition to this raid upon the banks, it was the intention of these Southerners to set fire to the town, but becoming alarmed, they almost immediately de- camped, remaining long enough only to secure for themselves sufficient horses upon which to escape to the Canadian border. These horses they took from livery stables and from ve- hicles in the streets. After their de- iparture from the town a pursuing party was immediately organized by the citizens, which followed the fugi- tives, but failed to overtake them be- fore they had reached the imaginary line between the .State of Vermont and the County of Missisquoi, in Canada, which territoryy once reached, they were immune from arrest by United States authorities, in accordance with the neutrality laws of nations.
We could perhaps better imagine than describe had we been witness of .this flight along the route from St. Albans, to the Canadian border, the ajtonishment and dismay of the farm- ers inhabiting the districts through which the raiders travelled, as they paused in their work to look upon the rapidly passing riders in their eager- ness to reach British territory, fully realizing that capture by the victims of their day's episode 'meant to them, certain death.
I am indebted to a prominent mem- ber of this Society for an article from the pen of one of St. Albans leading ladies, Mrs. J. -Gregory Smith, wife of the then 'Governor of Vermont, the late Hon. J. Gregory Smith, which was published in "The Vermonter" Magaz- ine, not long since, giving a most in- teresting and graphic account of this raid, extracts from which I here give.
Mrs. Smith says: "During the last year of the great Civil War, a start- ling event occurred in the town of St. Albans, Vt., that caused great ex- citement all over the country and brought our quiet little town into na- tional notriety. A band of .Southern ruffians who had fled into the neu- tral territory of Canada, concocted a scheme to wreak their vengeance upon the towns situated upon our Northern
LATE CALVIN DKRICK, ESQ.,
Second son of Philip Deiick, loyalist, who came to Canada March 17th, 1776, prominent in Church and Municipal affairs.
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border. This conspiracy having fail- ed in the State of New York, they turned their attention to Vermont. On October 10th, 1864, three strangers made their appearance at the Tre- mont House, in St. Albans, two others registered at the 'American Hotel at the same time. Their manners were peaceable, and under a pretence of a desire to hunt in the wooded parts of the county they borrowed or bought firearms and ammunition. One man of a religious turn apparently, spent faours in reading the Bible, often aloud to his companions. For a week these advance scouts of a band of thieves were studying the habits of the people, the situation of the banks, noting the livery stables and other places where horses were kept, also examining the more prominent resi- dences. On the 19th of October, the day of the raid, several more stran- gers registered at the hotels. It so happened that on. this particular day about forty of our most active citi- zens were at Montpelier, whecg the Legislature was then in session. The afternoon was cloudy, rain threatened, almost everybody was indoors. As the town clock struck three, the hour for the banks to close, four of these strangers entered the St. Albans Bank where the teller was counting money to place in the safe. The teller, see- ing pistols in their hands and mur- der in their eyes, sprang into the back room, and with the assistance of another clerk, tried to close the door. It was burst open, and the robbers, levelling pistols at their heads whispered "Not a word. We are Confederate soldiers. We have come to take your town. We shall have your money. If you make the least resistance we shall blow your brains out." Certainly an astonishing threat in our law-abiding community. While two of the raiders held the unarmed clerks at bay, the others gathered all the money they could find, and turned to go just as some belated merchants came in with deposits. These they seized, pushing the astonished owners into the back room. With pistols pointed at the cashier's head, the rob- bers demanded the United States bonds and other valuables, but his coolness kept them waiting till shots
were heard outside the building, and fearing arrest, they decamped with less money than they left in the vaults, blundering, no doubt, in con- sequences of oevrdose-s of whiskey, with which they had fortified their cour- age. Two other St. Albans' banks wrere simultaneously attacked. Five men entered the National City Bank and Four others robbed the National Bank. Thirteen raiders in all were engaged in robbing the three banks. Bennet H. Young was the leader. He rode up and down the street on a stolen horse, shooting right and left as he directed the operations of his men. There were many narrow es- capes. A ball passed through the shawl of one woman. There was one fatality, Elias Morrison, a contrac- tor, who was building the Weldon House, received a bullet in ihis bowels and died soon afterwards."
Anticipating an attack from these raiders upon the Governor's residence, Mrs. Smith, who was alone at home with the .servant maids only, Mr. Smith being away at the time in Moiit- pelier, tells how she barricaded the house with the assistance of her ser- vants, and armed them with what firearms were available in the house, awaited the coming of the enemy; re- solved to protect her home and that of her husband and children, even, if necessary, at the cost of her own lives.
Having reached Canadian territory in safety, as already stated, Lieut. Young's command separated into smaller units to more effectively avoid detection and capture, taking differ- ent directions; some going to Frelighs- burg, others to Dunham and Waterloo, and one party of four to Stanbridge East, where they were arrested by the local authorities, by orders of the Canadian Government, in compliance with a request of the United States Government, who demanded their ex- tradition on a charge of robbing the St. Albans' banks, also citizens of that town. Upon receipt of orders to look out for and arrest the raiders, the local magistrates, Nelson H. Whitr man and Manly BUnn, and Edward C. Knight, bailiff, proceeded to Stan- bridge East village, upon the night of the day of the raid, where they
MISSISQUOI COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY
found two of their men comfortably quartered for the night in anticipation of the much desired rest after a day full of excitement and tragic experi- ences, and immediately arrested them in their beds. A search of their clothes revealed rolls of greenbacks amount- ing to several thousands of dollars, which were, of course, taken from them. These prisoners gave their names as .Spurr and Bruce, and con- fessed to the charge of being implic- ated in the St. Albans' raid under Lieut. Young, and in reply to a ques- tion stated that they were Jeff Davis' boys. They were armed with Colt's revolvers, but evidently did not carry these weapons with the intention of resisting arrest by the Canadian au- thorities. It is a matter of record that the above named .gentlemen were ably assisted in this arrest by Mr. C. W. Martindale, Mr. Irving Briggs, and a Mr. Cross. The prisoners were afterwards put in charge of Messrs. C. H. Baker and Irving Briggs. An- other raider named" Thomas B. Col- lins was arrested in the other hotel of the village owned by Henry Ba- con, and a fourth, named John E. Lackey, was taken . charge of while standing on the sidewalk opposite Bacon's Tavern. The prisoners were all dressed in civilian clothes, but claimed to be soldiers of the Confed- erate army.
Upon the following night, October 20th, news came to the village that two strange men, presumably raiders also, were seen to enter a barn sit- uated on a farm occupied by Mr. Mal- colm Ross, in the first concession of (Dunham, about two miles east of Stanbridge East. Scyiire N. H. Whit- man, with a number of citizens, pro- ceeded thither immediately, and find- ing the two men as reported, concealed in the hay in said barn, took them into custody without any resistance upon the part of these raiders, as they acknowledged themselves to be. These prisoners gave their names to the magistrate present as James A. Doty, and Joseph McGrority. They also, were armed with revolvers, and had in their possession, sums of money amounting to several thousands of dollars, chiefly in greenbacks, which
they unhesitatingly handed over to Squire "Whitman, confessing at the same time, to having taken it, with the other raiders, from the St. Albans' Banks, upon the day previous. This completes the list of St. Albans raid- ers taken prisoners by the local au- thorities of Stanbridge.
Lieut. Bennet H. Young, with some of his men, were arrested in St. Ar- mand East, by Bailiff George H. Wells, of Frelighsburg, and were taK- en to his home pending their removal to Montreal by the Provincial author- ities, where they subsequently were brought to trial upon the charge pre- ferred against them by the United States Government, which \vill be re- ferred to presently. It may here be stated, incidentally, that several rolls of U. S. greenbacks were found hid- den away in various places by the road side in the vicinity of Stanbridge East, placed there undoubtedly by the raiders of the St. Albans Banks, from which it had been taken. One roll of this description, containing the sum of $500 was found a few days of- ter the capture of the prisoners by Mr. Joseph Pratt, of Stanbridge, on the farm now owned by Mr. Orvill Stan- ton, near the road leading from Stan- bridge East to Riceburg, which was later handed by the finder to J. C. Baker, Banker and E. C. Knight, Bail- iff, for delivery to the proper author- ities. Two Colt's revolvers were also found by local residents, near to what is known as the Pru'ddledock bridge, evidently thrown there by some of the raiders. Our venerable townsman, Mr. Samuel Rhicard, of Stanbridge, in- formed the writer that he found a sim- ilar weapon upon the evening of the 19th October, the day of the said raid, in the road directly opposite Elder's tavern. Another member of this band, Dudley Moore, who had made his way to Waterloo, apparently undetected, was arrested in that village while seated in a railway car, .upon a war- rant issued by R. A. Ellis, Esq., and which warrant was prepared by J. P. Ncyes, Esq., then law student, and at the present time an Honorary Presi- dent of the Missisquoi Historical So- ciety. George Scott, also a member of Lieut. Young's command, was arrested
REUBF.N H. VAUGHAN, of St. Thomas, Que.
One of the earliest settlers on the Richelieu River anil Ferry- man across Richelieu to Lacolle. Died at Noyan, Jan. 26th, 19i)5, ageil 101 years.
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about the same time, in the village of West Farnharn, Missisquoi County, by John O'Leary, a police officer from Montreal.
The prisoners, thirteen in all, were immediately taken to Montreal, under- charge of officers of the Government police force, and arraigned before the judge of sessions, his Honor J. C. Coursol. for preliminary trial for ex- tradition to the United States, on the charge of robbery. After a careful review of the evidence the judge de- cided that having no jurisdiction in ?uch cases, he could not try the pris- oners who were consequently dis- charged by the Court. It transpired at this juncture of the proceedings that Chief of Police Lamothe, of Montreal, having in his possession the money taken from the prisoners when arrested, comprising several thousand dollars in U. S. currency, upon hear- ing of their discharge, immediately returned this money to them without authority of the Court, an act for which he was censured by the City Council.
The raiders, including Lieut. Young, were again immediately arrested and subsequently brought to trial before Judge .Smith, of the Superior Court, which event was a protracted and cer- tainly anxious experience for these daring sons of the Confederate South, for upon the judge's final decision hung the lives of these thirteen men. In the event of the application for their extradition being granted by Judge Smith, their fate was most cer- tainly a foregone conclusion and they would have met with instant, and, perhaps untimely death at the hands of those who sought to avenge the wrong that had been done the people of 'St. Albans. upon that .memorable occasion. Happily, however, for the prisoners, the application for the ex- tradition was refused by the Judge, who uses the following words in the closing remarks of this trial.
"I have endeavored to guide myself by what is recognized by the civilized world instead of suffering myself to be swayed by popular cries by the passions and influences which the proximity of this lamentable convul-
sion has stirred up among ,us. And I have come to the conclusion that the prisoners cannot be extradited be- cause I hold that what they have done does not constitute one of the offences mentioned in the Ashburton Treaty, and because I have consequently no jurisdiction over them. I am of the opinion therefore, that the prisoners are entitled to their discharge."
The conclusion of the learned Judge's remarks, we are told, was greeted with loud cheers in Court, which the officers were unable to sup- press, and which were taken up and repeated by the crowds in the lobbies and outside the building.
The most eminent legal counsel in Canada was employed upon this case, which had assumed an importance that created an interest intense and widespread, in consequence of its in- ternational character, and threatened grave complications of a nature from which might have emanated results involving two of the world's greatest powers in a war of that magnitude, sufficient perhaps, to have materially changed the political map of the world at that ti'mje 1 A fact which gives to the St. Albans' Raid of October 19th, 1864, a significance worthy the atten- tion of this Historical Society, by vir- tue of what transpired in that chain of events terminating in the arrest of the authors and perpetrators of the same by the citizens of the County of Missisquoi, and within the 'County lim- its, the particulars of which, as relat- ed above, I was able to obtain from the printed records of the trial of the raiders, in the Government Library at Ottawa, through the kind courtesy of George F. O'Halloran, Esq., Deputy Minister of Agriculture.
In concluding, it will be interesting to mention the names; of the late memjbers of the Montreal Bar, who were connected with the case, and the capacity in which they were employed, as an evidence, beyond question, how ably the interests of those chiefly concerned were protec- ted. The United States Government were represented by Bernard Devlin and Strachan Bethune. The prisoners by the Hon. J. J. C. Abbot, and E.
6o
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Carter, Q.C. ; and the Canadian Gov- .ernment by J. C. Kerr, all of whose individual efforts in behalf of their clients were strained to the utmost, and called forth an eloquence in their arguments, and appeals for justice, in the sense in which that justice was
interpreted by each one of them, per- haps seldom equalled in our courts of law.
L. H. HIBBARD,
Stanbridge East. August, 1906.
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