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GENEALOGY 
974.3 
V59EP 
1905-1906 


Ni.U 


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GENEALOGY  COLLECTION 


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ALLEN  COUNTY  PUBLIC  LIBRARY 


3  1833  01092  4485 


GENEALOGY 
974.3 
V59SP 
1905-1906 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

in  2010  with  funding  from 

Allen  County  Public  Library  Genealogy  Center 


http://www.archive.org/details/proceedingsofverOOinverm 


-  ' 


* 


George  Gkenville  Benedict. 


PROCEEDINGS 


:) 


OF  THE 


Vermont  historical 


society^ 


1905-1906 


WITH  LISTS  OF  OFFICERS  AND  MEMBERS 

REMARKS 

By  the  President. 

ADDRESS 

On  Thaddeus  Stevens,  by  Hon.  Wendell  Phillips  Stafford,  Judge 
of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  District  of  Columbia. 

PAPER 

On  Prehistoric  Vermont  and  evidences  of  occupation  by  Indian 
tribes,  by  George  Henry  Perkins,  Professor  of  Natural  History, 
Geology  and  Zoology  in  the  University  of  Vermont. 

APPENDIX 

Containing  additional  lists  of  Revolutionary  Soldiers  buried  in 
Vermont. 

JOURNAL 

Of  Surveyor-General  James  Whitelaw 


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■  i 

^  c^  TABLE  OF  CONTENTS. 

V  Page 

*■  -j     Joint  Resolution  of  Legislature  4 

,3    An  act  to  provide  for  cataloguing  the  Library  of  the  Vermont 
•  ~  Historical   Society    5 

43    List  of  Officers,  1906-7   9 

*^    Standing  Committees   10 

. \j    List  of  Active  Members   10 

£   Corresponding  and  Honorary  Members    16,  17 

2   Constitution  and  By-Laws    18 

V^v    Proceedings,    1905    .24 

.  Proceedings,    1906    29 

*    Necrology    35 

—  J — Address,  Thaddeus  Stevens   49 

<*?     -Prehistoric   Vermont    87 

Life  of  General  James  "Whitelaw  103 

Journal  of  General  James  Whitelaw 119 

George  Grenville  Benedict   161 

Report  of  Managers,   1906    178 

Appendix   178 


General  Assembly  of  the  State  of  Vermont. 

Joint  Resolution. 


Resolved  by  the  Senate  and  House  of  Representatives: 

That  the  Clerk  of  the  House  of  Representatives  be  di- 
rected to  procure  the  printing  of  fifteen  hundred  (1500) 
copies  of  the  Proceedings  of  the  annual  meetings  of  the 
Vermont  Historical  Society,  October  17,  1905,  October  16, 
1906,  and  of  the  adjourned  annual  meeting  November  9, 
1906,  including  the  address  in  the  Hall  of  the  House  of  Rep- 
resentatives by  the  Hon.  Wendell  P.  Stafford,  Justice  of 
the  Supreme  Court  of  the  District  of  Columbia,  on  "The 
Life  and  Services  of  Thaddeus  Stevens,  Statesman  and  Re- 
former," the  paper  by  Prof.  George  H.  Perkins,  on  "Pre- 
historic Vermont  and  Relics  and  Evidences  of  Early  Occu- 
pation by  Indian  Tribes,"  the  Journal  of  General  James 
Whitelaw  and  Sketch  of  his  Life,  and  a  reprint  of  the  life 
of  Ira  Allen  by  D.  P.  Thompson,  said  copies  to  be  dis- 
tributed as  follows : 

To  each  member  of  the  Senate  and  House  of  Rep- 
resentatives, one  copy ;  to  each  town  and  city  clerk,  one  copy ; 
to  each  college,  normal  school,  academy  and  public  library, 
one  copy;  to  the  Governor,  each  of  the  heads  of  depart- 
ments, each  Judge  of  the  Supreme  Court,  and  each  Su- 
perior Judge,  one  copy;  to  the  Vermont  Historical  Society, 
five  hundred  copies ;  and  the  remainder  to  the  State  Library, 
subject  to  the  control  of  the  trustees  thereof. 
State  of  Vermont,  Office  of  the  Secretary  of  State. 
I  hereby  certify  that  the  foregoing  is  a  true  copy  of 
the  Joint  Resolution  providing  for  "The  Printing  of  the  Pro- 


ceedings  of  the  Vermont  Historical  Society,"  as  passed  by 
the  General  Assembly  of  the  State  of  Vermont  at  its  nine- 
teenth biennial  session. 

Approved  December  19,  1906. 

as  appears  by  the  files  and  records  of  this  office. 

Witness  my  signature  and  the  seal 
of  this  office  at  Montpelier,   this   twen- 
(SEAL)         ty-second  day  of  December,  one  thousand 
nine  hundred  and  six. 

Frederick  G.  Fleetwood, 

Secretary  of  State. 


AN  ACT  TO  PROVIDE  FOR  CATALOGUING  THE 
LIBRARY  OF  THE  VERMONT  HISTORICAL 
SOCIETY. 

//  is  hereby  enacted  by  the  General  Assembly  of  the 
State  of  Vermont: 

Section  i.  The  sum  of  twelve  hundred  dollars,  or  so 
much  thereof  as  may  be  necessary,  is  hereby  appropriated 
as  hereinafter  provided  for  the  work  of  fully  and  properly 
cataloguing  the  books,  manuscripts,  maps,  medals  and  col- 
lections of  the  Vermont  Historical  Society,  to  be  done  un- 
der the  direction  of  the  state  librarian,  on  bills  and  vouchers 
approved  by  him  and  by  the  librarian  of  the  Vermont  His- 
torical Society,  and  audited  by  the  auditor  of  accounts,  who 
shall  draw  his  orders  therefor.  Such  appropriation  is  con- 
ditioned upon  the  assumption  by  said  society  of  the  entire 
work  as  above  specified,  and  of  any  additional  expense  neces- 
sary to  complete  the  same,  without  further  cost  to  the  state. 

SEC  2.     This  act  shall  take  effect  from  its  passage. 

Approved  December  18,  1906. 


OFFICERS  1906-7 

OF   THE 

Vermont  Historical  Society 


President. 
GEORGE  GRENVILLE  BENEDICT,  Burlington. 

Viee-Presidents. 

WILLIAM  W.   STICKNEY,   Ludlow. 
FRED  A.  HOWLAND,  Montpelier. 
H.  CHARLES  ROYCE,  St.  Albans. 

Recording  Secretary. 
JOSEPH  A.  DE  BOER,  Montpelier. 

Corresponding  Secretaries. 

THEODORE  S.  PECK,  Burlington. 
CHARLES  S.  FORBES,  St.  Albans. 

Treasnrer. 

HENRY  F.  FIELD,  Rutland. 

Librarian. 

EDWARD  M.  GODDARD,  Montpelier. 

Curators. 

EZRA  BRAINERD,  Addison  County. 
SAMUEL  B.  HALL,  Bennington  County. 
REV.  HENRY  FAIRBANKS,  Caledonia  County. 
REV.  JOHN  E.  GOODRICH,  Cbittenden  County. 
PORTER  H.  DALE,  Essex  County. 


10  THE  VERMONT  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY. 

WALTER  H.  CROCKETT,  Franklin  County. 

NELSON  WILBUR  FISK,  Grand  Isle  County. 

CARROLL  S.  PAGE,  Lamoille  County. 

DR.  GEORGE  DAVENPORT,  Orange  County. 

F.  W.  BALDWIN,  Orleans  County. 

PHILIP  R.  LEAVENWORTH,  Rutland  County. 

HIRAM  CARLETON,  Washington  County. 

BERT  EMERY  MERRIAM,  Windham  County. 

GILBERT  A.  DAVIS,  Windsor  County. 

FREDERICK  G.  FLEETWOOD,  Secretary  of  State, 

HORACE  F.  GRAHAM,  Auditor  of  Accounts.  } 

GEORGE  W.  WING,  State  Librarian. 


} 


STANDING  COMMITTEES. 

On  Library. — Joseph  A.  De  Boer,  E.  M.  Goddard,  John  E. 
Goodrich. 

On  Printing. — Theodore  S.  Peck,  Fred  A.  Howland,  Walter 
H.  Crockett. 

On  Finance. — Henry  F.  Field,  Joseph  A.  De  Boer,  Fred  A. 
Howland. 


LIST   OF    MEMBERS    OF    THE    VERMONT    HISTORICAL 
SOCIETY. 

Alger,  John  L Johnson,  Vt. 

Allen,  Charles  E Burlington,  Vt. 

Allen,  Heman  W Burlington,  Vt. 

Allen,  Martin  Fletcher  Ferrisburg,  Vt. 

Anderson,  George  P Boston,  Mass. 

Andrews,  Wallace  G Montpelier,  Vt. 

Bacon,  John  L White  River  Junction,  Vt. 

Bailey,  Horace  Ward   Newbury,  Vt 

Baldwin,  Frederick  W Barton,  Vt. 

Barnum,  Elmer    Shoreham,  Jft. 

Barstow,  John  L Shelburne,  Vt. 

Bascom,  Robert  O Fort  Edward,  N.  Y. 

Beckett,  George   . . Williamstown,  Vt. 


ACTIVE   MEMBERS.  U 

Beebe,  William  A Morrisville,  Vt 

Bell,  Charles  J Walden,  Vt. 

Benedict,  George  Grenville  » Burlington,  Vt 

Benedict,  Robert  Dewey 363  Adelphi  Street,  Brooklyn,  N.  Y. 

Benton,  Josiab  Henry,  Jr Ames  Bldg.,  Boston,  Mass. 

Bisbee,  Arthur  Brown  Montpelier,  Vt. 

Blanchard,   Fred Montpelier,   Vt. 

Blanchard,  George  Lawrence   Montpelier,  Vt. 

Blanchard,  Herbert  H Springfield,  Vt. 

Bradley,  Charles  H P.  O.  Box  1486,  Boston,  Mass. 

Brainerd,  Ezra  Middlebury,  Vt. 

Brainerd,  John  B 18  Huntington  Ave.,  Boston,  Mass. 

Briggs,   George    Montpelier,  Vt. 

Briggs,  William  A Montpelier,  Vt 

Brock,  James  W Montpelier,  Vt. 

Brooks,  John  Vail  Montpelier,  Vt 

Brown,  George  B Burlington,  Vt 

Buckham,  Matthew  Henry   Burlington,  Vt. 

Burditt,  Dan  Deming  Pittsford,  Vt. 

Butterfield,  Franklin  George  Derby,  Vt. 

Carleton,   Hiram Montpelier,  Vt 

Carpenter,  Henry  Otis  Rutland,  Vt. 

Chandler,  Albert  B Randolph,  Vt. 

Cheney,  Thomas  Charles    Morrisville,  Vt 

Clark,  Osman  Dewey   Montpelier,  Vt. 

Clark,  Henry  O Orange,  N.  J. 

Clark,  Isaiah  R 54  Devonshire  St,  Boston,  Mass 

Colburn,  Robert  M Springfield,  Vt. 

Coleman,  Edward  Park Montpelier,  Vt 

Collins,  Edward  D Barton  Landing,  Vt 

Comstock,  John  M Chelsea,  Vt. 

Converse,  John  Heman 500  North  Broad  St.,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Craig,  William 93  Faneuil  Hall  Market,  Boston,  Mass. 

Crockett,  Walter  H St.  Albans,  Vt 

Crosby,  Francis  Marion Hastings,  Minn. 

Cross,  Lewis  Bartlett   Montpelier,  Vt. 

Cudworth,  Addison  Edward  South  Londonderry,  Vt 

Cushman,  Henry  T North  Bennington,  Vt 


12  THE  VERMONT  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY. 

Cutler,  Harry  M Montpelier,  Vt 

Dale,  Porter  H Brighton,  Vt 

Darling,  Charles  Kimball 294  Washington  St.,  Boston,  Mass. 

Darling,  Hale  Knight  Chelsea,  Vt 

Davenport,  George  East  Randolph,  Vt 

Davis,  Gilbert  A Windsor,  Vt 

Davis,  Edward  Aaron    Bethel,  Vt 

Day,  Henry  C,  M.  D Bennington,  Vt 

Deavitt,  Thomas  Jefferson   Montpelier,  Vt 

Deavitt,  Edward  Harrington   Montpelier,  Vt 

De  Boer,  Joseph  Arend t Montpelier,  Vt 

Dewey,  Davis  Rich Mass.  Inst,  of  Technology,  Boston,  Mass. 

Dewey,  William  Tarbox  Montpelier,  Vt 

Dillingham,  William  Paul   Waterbury,  Vt 

Downer,  Charles Sharon,  Vt 

Dutton,  Walter  A Hardwick,  Vt 

Ellis,  William  Arba   Northfield,  Vt 

Estee,  James  Borden  Montpelier,  Vt 

Estey,  Jacob  Gray   Brattleboro,  Vt 

Fairbanks,  Rev.  Edward  T St  Johnsbury,  Vt 

Fairbanks,  Rev.  Henry St.  Johnsbury,  Vt 

Farwell,  Arthur  Daggett  Montpelier,  Vt 

Field,  Henry  Francis   Rutland,  Vt 

Field,  Edward  Davenport Montpelier,  Vt 

Fifield,  Benjamin  Franklin  Montpelier,  Vt 

Fiske,  Rev.  E.  S.   Montpelier,  Vt 

Fisk,  Nelson  Wilbur Isle  La  Motte,  Vt 

Fleetwood,  Frederick  G Morrisville,  Vt 

Fitts,  Clarke  C Brattleboro,  Vt 

Fletcher,  Allen  M Cavendish,  Vt 

Forbes,  Charles  Spooner  St.  Albans,  Vt 

Foss,  Eugene  N 34  Oliver  St.,  Boston,  Mass. 

Foster,  David  J Burlington,  Vt 

Gates,  Walter  Benton .' Burlington,  Vt 

Gifford,  James  Meacham 319  West  102d  St,  New  York  City. 

Gilmore,  William  H Fairlee,  Vt. 

Goddard,  Edward  M Montpelier,  Vt 


ACTIVE  MEMBERS.  13 

Goodenough,  Jonas  Eli  Montpelier,  Vt. 

Goodrich,  John  Ellsworth Burlington,  Vt. 

Goss,  Frank  Keeler  Montpelier,  Vt. 

Gordon,  John  Warren   Barre,  Vt. 

Graham,  Horace  French   Craf tsbury,  Vt. 

Greene,  Frank  Lester , St.  Albans,  Vt. 

Hall,  Samuel  B North  Bennington,  Vt. 

Hapgood,  Marshall  Jay   Peru,  Vt. 

Harvey,  Erwin  M Montpelier,  Vt. 

Harvey,  John  Nelson  Montpelier,  Vt. 

Haselton,  Seneca .Burlington,  Vt. 

Hatch,  William  Moore    Strafford,   Vt. 

Hawkins,  Gen.  Rush  C 21  West  20th  St.,  New  York  City. 

Hawley,  Donly  C Burlington,  Vt. 

Hayes,  Lyman  S Bellows  Falls,  Vt. 

Hazen,  Rev.  William  Skinner 29  Abbott  St.,  Beverly,  Mass. 

Hines,  G.  A Brattleboro,  Vt. 

Hogan,  George  Maynard  St.  Albans,  Vt. 

Holton,  Henry  Dwight,  M.  D Brattleboro,  Vt. 

Howard,  Charles  Willard,  M.  D Shoreham,  Vt. 

Howe,  Willard  Bean Burlington,  Vt. 

Howland,  Fred  A Montpelier,  Vt. 

Husband,  William  Walter   Montpelier,  Vt. 

Hulburd,  Roger  W Hyde  Park,  Vt. 

Hutchins,  Robert  H 52  William  St,  New  York  City. 

Jackson,  John  Henry Barre,  Vt. 

Jackson,  S.  Hollister  Barre,  Vt. 

Jeffrey,  William  H Burke,  Vt. 

Jennings,  Frederick  B New  York  City. 

Jones,  Matt  Bushnell Ill  Parker  St.,  Newton  Center,  Mass. 

Jones,  Walter  Edwin   Waitsfield,  Vt. 

Kemp,  Harlan  Wesley  Montpelier,  Vt. 

Keyes,  Wade  1040%  Tremont  Bldg.,  Boston,  Mass. 

Laird,  Fred  Leslie  Montpelier,  Vt. 

Leavenworth,  Philip  R Castleton,  Vt. 

Lewis,  Rev.  Alonzo  N New  Haven,  Conn. 

Lord,  Charles  Sumner  Winooski,  Vt. 


14  THE  VERMONT  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY. 

Mansur,  Zophar  M Newport,  Vt 

Mather,  Charles  Duane   Montpelier,  Vt. 

Mathewson,  O.  D Barre,  Vt 

Martin,  James  L Brattleboro,  Vt 

McCulIough,  Hall  Park Bennington,  Vt. 

McCullough,  John  G Bennington,  Vt 

Mclntyre,  Hamden  W Randolph,  Vt 

Mead,  John  Abner   Rutland,  Vt. 

Merriam,  Bert  Emery  Rockingham,  Vt. 

•Merrifield,  John  H Newfane,  Vt 

Merrill,  Olin    Enosburgh,   Vt. 

Michaud,  Rt  Rev.  John  Stephen Burlington,  Vt 

Mimms,  John  H St.  Albans,  Vt 

Morrill,  Charles  H Randolph,  Vt 

Moulton,  Clarence  E Montpelier,  Vt 

Munson,  Loveland  Manchester,  Vt 

Noble,  Robert Burlington,  Vt 

North,  Clayton  Nelson  Shoreham,  Vt 

Osgood,  Arthur  G Randolph,  Vt 

Page,  Carroll  S Hyde  Park,  Vt. 

Partridge,  Frank  C Proctor,  Vt 

Parker,  Myron  Melvin Washington,  D.  C. 

Pease,  Frederick  Salmon  Burlington,  Vt 

Pease,  Mary  Everett Burlington,  Vt. 

Peck,  Theodore  Safford   Burlington,  Vt 

Peck,  Cassius  Burlington,  Vt 

Peck,  Hamilton  Sullivan   Burlington,  Vt. 

Pennoyer,  Rev.  Charles  Huntington Springfield,  Vt 

Perkins,  George  Henry Burlington,  Vt. 

Piatt,  Frederick  S Poultney,  Vt. 

Plumley,  Frank   Northfield,  Vt 

Powers,  Horace  Henry  Morrisville,  Vt 

Proctor,  Redfield  Proctor,  Vt 

Proctor,  Fletcher  D Proctor,  Vt 

Prouty,  Charles  A Newport,  Vt. 


•Deceased  1907. 


ACTIVE   MEMBERS.  15 

Prouty,  George  H Newport,  Vt 

Putnam,  George  K Montpelier,  Vt. 

Putnam,  Ralph  Wright   Putnamsville,  Vt. 

Quimby,  William  Lorenzo Ames  Bldg.,  Boston,  Mass. 

Ranger,  Walter  E Providence,  R.  I. 

Richards,  Frederick  Barnard  Fair  Haven,  Vt. 

Roberts,   Robert Burlington,  Vt. 

Robinson,  Daniel  W Burlington,  Vt. 

Robinson,  Arthur  L Maiden,  Mass. 

Roscoe,  Edward  Mortimer  Springfield,  Vt. 

Rowell,  John  W Randolph,  Vt. 

Royce,  Homer  Charles  St.  Albans,  Vt. 

Sargent,  John  G Ludlow,  Vt. 

Scott,  Olin Bennington,  Vt. 

Senter,  John  H Montpelier,  Vt. 

Shaw,  William  A Northfield,  Vt. 

Sheldon,  Henry  L Middlebury,  Vt. 

Sheldon,  Nelson  Lewis 108-111  Niles  Bldg.,  Boston,  Mass. 

Silver,  Elmer  E Boston,  Mass. 

Slack,  Leighton  P St.  Johnsbury,  Vt. 

Smalley,  Bradley  B Burlington,  Vt. 

Smilie,  Melville  Earle  Montpelier,  Vt. 

Smith,  Charles  Albert   Barre,  Vt. 

Smith,  Clarence  L Burlington,  Vt. 

Smith,  Edward  Curtis St.  Albans,  Vt 

*Smith,  Fred  Elijah Montpelier,  Vt. 

Southwick,  John  L Burlington,  Vt. 

Spalding,  Rev.  George  Burley Syracuse,  N.  Y. 

Stafford,  Wendell  Phillips St.  Johnsbury,  Vt. 

Stanton  Zed  S Roxbury,  Vt. 

Stewart,  W.  D Bakersfield,  Vt. 

Stickney,  William  B.  C Bethel,  Vt. 

Stickney,  William  Wallace   Ludlow,  Vt. 

Stone,  Arthur  F St.  Johnsbury,  Vt. 

Stone,  Mason  Sereno  Montpelier,  Vt. 


♦Deceased  1907. 


16  THE  VERMONT  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY. 

Stratton,  George  Oren  Montpeller,  Vt 

Swift,  Benjamin   Orwell,  Vt 

Taylor,  W.  H Hardwick,  Vt. 

Theriault,  William  Napoleon   Montpelier,  Vt. 

Thomas,  Isaac  Burlington,  Vt. 

Thompson,  Charles  Miner,  care  Youth's  Companion,  Boston,  Mass. 

Tinkham,  Henry  Crain   Burlington,  Vt 

Towne,  Harriet  Belle 100  No.  Willard  St.,  Burlington,  Vt 

Tracy,  Mary  Louise   Johnson,  Vt 

Tuttle,  Albert  Fair  Haven,  Vt. 

Van  Patten,  William  J Burlington,  Vt 

Walt,  Horatio  Loomis 110  La  Salle  St.,  Chicago,  111. 

Waite,  Herschel  N Johnson,  Vt 

Walbridge,  J.  L Concord,  Vt 

Walker,  Roberts 71  Broadway,  New  York  City. 

Watson,  Alfred  Edwin Hartford,  Vt. 

Watson,  Charles  Douglas St.  Albans,  Vt 

Webb,  William  Seward  Shelburne,  Vt 

•Wells,  Edward Burlington,  Vt. 

Wells,  Frank  Richardson    Burlington,  Vt. 

Wells,  Henry  Burlington,  Vt 

Wheeler,  James  R 433  W.  117th  St.,  New  York  City. 

Whitcomb,  Charles  Warren Cavendish,  Vt. 

Wilbur,  Lafayette  Jericho,  Vt 

Wing,   George  Washington Montpelier,  Vt 

Woodbury,  Urban  A Burlington,  Vt 

Wright,  George  M 280  Broadway,  New  York  City. 

Wright,  James  Edward,  D.  D Montpelier,  Vt 

COBBESPOXDDfG  MEMBERS. 

Benton,  Everett  C Boston,  Mass. 

Bixby,  George  F Plattsburg,  N.  Y. 

Canfield,  James  H Librarian  Columbia  Univ.,  New  York  City. 

Clarke,  Albert 77  Bedford  St.,  Boston,  Mass. 

Denio,  Herbert  W Westfield,  Mass. 

Houghton,  Edward  R Riverside  Press,  Cambridge,  Mass. 


♦Deceased  1907. 


ACTIVE  MEMBERS.  17 

Kellogg,  David  Sherwood,  M.  D Plattsburg,  N.  Y. 

Lord,  George  Dana  Hanover,  N.  H. 

Phelps,  James  T 159  Devonshire  St. ,  Boston,  Mass. 

Walker,  Rev.  Edwin  Sawyer Springfield,  111. 

Winslow,  Rev.  Wm.  Copley,  D.  D...525  Beacon  St.,  Boston,  Mass. 

HONORARY  MEMBERS. 

Burgess,  John  W New  York  City. 

Clark,  Charles  Edgar,  Rear  Adm'l  U.  S.  N Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Darling,  Charles  Hiram  Burlington,  Vt. 

Dewey,  George,  Admiral,  U.  S.  N Washington,  D.  C. 

Simpson,  John  W 25  Broad  St.,  New  York  City. 


CONSTITUTION  AND  BY-LAWS. 


As  revised  by  Special  Committee,  submitted  to  the 
members,  and  adopted  October  18,  1904. 

CONSTITUTION. 

ARTICLE  I. 

This  association  shall  be  called  "The  Vermont  Histori- 
cal Society,"  and  shall  consist  of  Active,  Corresponding, 
and  Honorary  Members. 

ARTICLE  11. 
The  object  of  the  Society  shall  be  to  discover,  collect, 
and  preserve  whatever  relates  to  the  material,  agricultural, 
industrial,  civil,  political,  literary,  ecclesiastical  and  military 
history  of  the  State  of  Vermont. 

ARTICLE  in. 
The  officers  of  the  Society,  who  shall  constitute  its 
Board  of  Managers,  to  be  elected  annually  and  by  ballot, 
shall  be  a  President,  three  Vice-Presidents,  a  Recording 
Secretary,  two  Corresponding  Secretaries  of  foreign  and 
domestic  correspondence,  a  Librarian  and  a  Cabinet-Keeper, 
a  Treasurer,  and  a  Curator  from  each  county  in  this  State. 

ARTICLE  iv. 
There  shall  be  one  annual,  and  occasional  meetings  of 
the  Society.     The  annual  meeting  for  the  election  of  officers 
shall  be  at  Montpelier  on  Tuesday  preceding  the  third  Wed- 


CONSTITUTION.  19 

nesday  of  October;  the  special  meetings  shall  be  at  such 
time  and  place  as  the  Board  of  Managers  shall  determine. 

ARTICLE  v. 

All  members,  (Honorary  and  Corresponding  members 
excepted,)  shall  pay,  on  admission,  the  sum  of  two  dollars, 
and  an  additional  sum  of  one  dollar  annually. 

ARTICLE  VI. 

Members  shall  be  elected  upon  the  recommendation  of 
any  member  of  the  Society. 

ARTICLE  VII. 

This  Constitution  and  the  By-Laws  may  be  altered  or 
amended  at  the  annual  meeting  by  a  vote  of  two-thirds  of 
the  members  present,  provided  notice  of  the  proposed 
change  shall  have  been  given  at  the  next  preceding  annual 
meeting. 


BY-LAWS. 

CHAPTER  I. 

RELATING  TO  MEMBERS. 

1.  Members  only  shall  be  entitled  to  vote  or  to  be 
eligible  to  any  office. 

2.  No  member  who  shall  be  in  arrears  for  two  years, 
shall  be  entitled  to  vote,  or  be  eligible  to  any  office,  and  any 
failure  to  pay  annual  dues  for  two  consecutive  years,  after 
due  notice  from  the  Treasurer,  shall  be  considered  a  for- 
feiture of  membership;  and  no  person  thus  expunged  from 
the  roll  of  the  Society  can  be  eligible  to  re-admission  with- 
out the  payment  of  his  arrears. 


20  THE  VERMONT  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY. 

3.  No  person  shall  be  elected  an  Active  Member  until 
he  shall  have  previously  signified  his  desire  to  become  such 
in  writing. 

4.  The  yearly  assessment  is  payable  at  the  time  of  the 
annual  meeting  in  October. 

CHAPTER  II. 

OF  OFFICERS  AND  COMMITTEE. 

1.  The  President,  or  in  his  absence  the  highest  officer 
present,  shall  preside  at  all  meetings  of  the  Society,  and 
regulate  the  order  thereof,  and  be  ex-oiUcio  chairman  of  the 
Board  of  Managers,  and  when  required  give  the  casting 
vote. 

2.  The  Recording  Secretary  shall  keep  the  minutes 
of  all  meetings  of  the  Society  in  a  suitable  book,  and  at  the 
opening  of  each  one  shall  read  those  of  the  preceding  one. 
He  shall  have  the  custody  of  the  Constitution,  By-Laws, 
Records  and  all  papers  of  the  Society,  and  shall  give  notice 
of  the  time  and  place  of  all  meetings  of  the  Society  and  shall 
notify  all  officers  and  members  of  their  election  and  com- 
municate all  special  votes  of  the  Society  to  parties  interested 
therein.  In  the  absence  of  the  Recording  Secretary  his 
duty  shall  be  performed  by  one  of  the  Corresponding  Sec- 
retaries. 

3.  The  Corresponding  Secretaries  shall  conduct  all  the 
correspondence  of  the  Society  committed  to  their  charge. 
They  shall  preserve  on  file  the  original  of  all  communica- 
tions addressed  to  the  Society  and  keep  a  fair  copy  of  all 
their  letters  in  books  furnished  for  that  purpose.  They 
shall  read,  at  each  meeting,  the  correspondence  or  such  ab- 
stracts from  it  as  the  President  may  direct. 


CONSTITUTION. 

4.  The  Treasurer  shall  collect,  receive  and  disburse 
all  moneys  due  and  payable,  and  all  donations  and  bequests 
of  money  or  other  property  to  the  Society.  He  shall  pay, 
under  proper  vouchers,  all  the  ordinary  expenses  of  the  So- 
ciety, and  shall  deposit  all  its  funds  in  one  of  the  Vermont 
Banks,  to  the  credit  of  the  Society,  subject  to  his  checks  as 
Treasurer ;  and  at  the  annual  meeting  shall  make  a  true  re- 
port of  all  the  moneys  received  and  paid  out  by  him,  to  be 
audited  by  the  Committee  on  Finance  provided  for  here- 
after. 

5.  It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  Librarian  and  Cabinet- 
Keeper,  to  preserve,  arrange,  and  keep  in  good  order,  all 
books,  manuscripts,  documents,  pamphlets,  articles,  and  pa- 
pers of  every  kind,  belonging  to  the  Society.  He  shall  keep 
a  catalogue  of  the  same,  and  take  especial  care  that  no  book, 
manuscript,  document,  paper,  or  any  property  of  the  Society, 
confided  to  his  keeping,  be  removed  from  the  room.  He 
shall  also  be  furnished  with  a  book,  in  which  to  record  all 
donations  and  bequests  of  whatsoever  kind,  relating  to  his 
department,  with  the  name  of  the  donor,  and  the  time  when 
bestowed. 

6.  The  Curators,  with  the  President,  Vice-Presidents, 
Corresponding  and  Recording  Secretaries,  Librarian,  and 
Treasurer,  shall  constitute  a  Board  of  Managers,  whose  duty 
it  shall  be  to  superintend  the  general  concerns  of  the  Society. 
The  President  shall,  from  this  Board,  appoint  the  following 
Standing  Committees,  viz. :  On  the  Library  and  Cabinet, 
on  Printing  and  Publishing,  and  on  Finance. 

7.  The  Committee  on  the  Library  and  Cabinet  shall 
have  the  supervisory  care  of  all  printed  publications,  manu- 
scripts and  curiosities.     They  shall,  with  the  Librarian,  pro- 


22  THE  VERMONT  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY. 

vide  suitable  shelves,  cases  and  fixtures,  in  which  to  ar- 
range and  display  them.  The  printed  volumes  and  manu- 
scripts shall  be  regularly  numbered  and  marked  with  the 
name  of  "The  Vermont  Historical  Society."  They  shall 
propose  at  the  regular  meeting,  such  books  or  manuscripts, 
pertaining  to  the  objects  of  the  Society,  as  they  shall  deem 
expedient,  which,  when  approved,  shall  be  by  them  pur- 
chased and  disposed  of  as  above  directed.  They  shall  be  re- 
quired to  visit  the  library  at  least  once  a  year,  officially,  and 
shall  provide  a  book  or  books,  in  which  the  Librarian  and 
Cabinet-Keeper  shall  keep  a  record  of  their  proceedings — 
and  be  entrusted  in  general,  with  the  custody,  care  and  in- 
crease of  whatever  comes  within  the  province  of  their  ap- 
pointed duty. 

8.  The  Committee  on  Printing  and  Publishing  shall 
prepare  for  publication  whatever  documents  or  collections 
shall  be  ordered  by  the  Society;  shall  contract  for  and  su- 
pervise the  printing  of  the  same,  and  shall  furnish  the  Re- 
cording Secretary  and  Librarian  and  Cabinet-Keeper,  with 
such  blank  notices,  summonses,  labels,  etc.,  as  may  be 
deemed  requisite. 

9.  The  Committee  on  Finance  shall  consist  of  at  least 
one  member  of  each  of  the  former  committees,  and  shall 
have  the  general  oversight  and  direction  of  the  funds  of  the 
Society.  They  shall  examine  the  books  of  the  Treasurer, 
vouch  all  accounts  of  moneys  expended,  and  audit  his  an- 
nual report. 


CONSTITUTION.  23 

CHAPTER  III. 

OF  THE  CABINET,  LIBRARY,  ETC. 

1.  All  donations  to  the  Cabinet  or  Library,  when  prac- 
ticable, shall  have  the  donor's  name,  legibly  written  or 
printed,  affixed  thereto. 

2.  All  donations  shall  be  promptly  acknowledged  by 
the  Librarian  and  Cabinet-Keeper  on  behalf  of  the  Society, 
and  shall  be  specified  by  that  officer  in  his  report  to  the 
Society  to  be  made  at  the  annual  meeting. 

3.  The  Librarian  and  Cabinet-Keeper  shall  make  a 
written  report  of  the  condition  of  the  Library  and  Cabinet 
at  the  annual  meeting. 

4.  All  reports  of  Committees  must  be  in  writing,  and 
addressed  to  the  President,  and  shall  be  recorded  by  the 
Recording  Secretary,  unless  otherwise  ordered  by  a  vote  of 
the  Society. 

5.  It  shall  be  deemed  the  duty  of  all  members,  if  con- 
venient, to  contribute  to  the  Library  and  Cabinet  such  pa- 
pers, pamphlets  and  books  (rare  or  out  of  print),  as  possess 
historical  interest. 

6.  There  shall  be  a  public  meeting  of  the  Society  in 
the  year  in  which  the  Legislature  sits.  Such  meeting  shall 
be  under  the  charge  and  supervision  of  the  President,  who 
shall  make,  on  such  occasion,  the  President's  address  and 
shall  also  invite  (with  such  counsel  as  he  may  require  from 
the  Board  of  Managers)  to  address  the  Society  at  such 
meeting,  one  or  more  speakers,  on  subjects  relating  to  the 
history  of  this  State. 

7.  Notices  of  the  deaths  of  such  members  of  this  His- 
torical Society,  and  eminent  Vermonters,  as  may  decease 


24  THE  VERMONT  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY. 

during  the  year  preceding  the  annual  meeting  of  the  Society, 
shall  be  prepared  under  the  direction  of  the  Board  of  Man- 
agers and  be  read  at  the  annual  meeting,  and  be  deposited 
in  the  archives  of  the  Society  for  future  use  and  reference. 


VERMONT       HISTORICAL     SOCIETY 
PROCEEDINGS. 


Proceedings  oe  Annual  Meeting,  October  17,  1905. 

Pursuant  to  printed  notice,  the  Vermont  Historical  So- 
ciety held  its  sixty-seventh  annual  meeting  at  its  rooms  in 
the  State  Capitol,  on  Tuesday,  October  17,  1905.  The  fol- 
lowing members  were  in  attendance :  G.  G.  Benedict,  J.  L. 
Barstow,  J.  W.  Brock,  F.  A.  Howland,  C.  S.  Forbes,  E.  M. 
Goddard,  W.  W.  Husband,  W.  N.  Theriault,  R.  W.  Put- 
nam, G.  K.  Putnam,  E.  D.  Field  and  J.  A.  DeBoer. 

The  meeting  was  called  to  order  at  2:00  P.  M.  by 
President  Benedict. 

The  minutes  of  the  meetings  of  October  18,  October 
27  and  November  15,  1904,  were  read  by  the  Secretary  and 
on  motion  approved. 

The  report  of  Treasurer  H.  F.  Field  was  presented 
and,  on  motion  of  Mr.  Forbes,  accepted  and  ordered  placed 
on  file.  It  showed  a  balance  on  hand  October  24,  1904,  of 
$433.70;  receipts  during  the  year  of  $167.00;  disburse- 
ments, during  the  same  period,  $165.46;  cash  on  hand, 
balance,  $435-24- 

The  Librarian,  E.  M.  Goddard,  read  his  report  and  on 
motion  of  Mr.  Howland  it  was  accepted  and  ordered  placed 
on  file.  Mr.  Goddard  reported  an  increase  in  the  Society's 
library  during  the  year  of  42  bound  volumes  and  61 
pamphlets.  He  discussed  the  needs  of  the  library  and  re- 
newed the  suggestions  of  his  preceding  reports  relative  to 
2 


26  THE   VERMONT   HISTORICAL,  SOCIETY. 

securing  a  larger  annual  appropriation  from  the  State  and 
the  need  of  more  room. 

The  report  of  the  Board  of  Managers  was  presented 
verbally  by  President  Benedict.  He  said  that  the  Society 
had  lost  by  death  during  the  past  year  the  following  mem- 
bers: George  F.  Bixby,  of  Plattsburgh,  N.  Y. ;  Arthur 
Ropes,  of  Montpelier,  Vt. ;  William  N.  Piatt,  of  Shoreham, 
Vt. ;  Wilder  L.  Burnap,  of  Burlington,  Vt. ;  Charles  Dewey, 
of  Montpelier,  Vt.,  and  Martin  L.  Hamblet,  of  Lowell, 
Mass.  An  invitation  was  received  June  29,  1905,  from  the 
Committee  on  Arrangements  for  the  300th  anniversary  of 
"Weymouth's  Voyage  of  Discovery"  at  Thomaston,  Maine, 
July  6,  1905,  and  Prof.  Davis  R.  Dewey  of  the  Massachu- 
setts Institute  of  Technology  was  appointed  a  delegate  for 
the  occasion.  The  President  reported  that  Mr.  W.  H. 
Crockett  had  found  many  names  of  Revolutionary  soldiers 
in  addition  to  those  printed  in  the  last  published  proceedings. 

President  Benedict  presented  an  invitation  from  the 
Geographical  Society  of  Mexico  to  join,  May  20,  1906,  in 
a  celebration  of  the  fourth  Centenary  of  the  death  of  Chris- 
topher Columbus.  The  Society  voted  to  accept  the  invita- 
tion and  referred  the  same  to  a  committee  of  three,  to  be  ap- 
pointed by  the  chair.  F.  A.  Howland,  W.  W.  Stickney  and 
Hiram  Carleton  were  named  as  such  committee. 

President  Benedict  presented  a  copy  of  the  original 
"Declaration  of  Independence"  by  Vermont  Citizens  March 
5,  1776,  which  was  received  from  Hon.  C.  S.  Palmer.  The 
original  of  this  document  is  now  held  at  Bennington. 

Applications  for  membership  were  received  as  follows: 

George  Pomeroy  Anderson,  Boston,  Mass.  Proposed 
by  Charles  S.  Forbes. 


PROCEEDINGS  OF  ANNUAL  MEETING.  27 

Jacob  Gray  Estey,  Brattleboro,  Vt.  Proposed  by  George 
A.  Hines. 

Walter  E.  Jones,  Waitsfield,  Vt.  Proposed  by  Fred 
A.  Howland. 

Henry  C.  Day,  M.  D.,  Bennington,  Vt.  Proposed  by 
Charles  M.  Bliss. 

All  were  elected  by  a  viva  voce  vote  of  the  Society. 

On  motion  of  Mr.  Goddard,  the  President  was  in- 
structed to  appoint  a  nominating  committee  of  three  to  pre- 
sent a  list  of  officers  for  the  year  next  ensuing.  The  Presi- 
dent appointed  Messrs.  Goddard,  Field  and  Barstow. 

On  motion  by  Mr.  Howland,  it  was  voted  to  make  the 
salary  of  the  Librarian  $100  per  year,  payable  quarterly, 
until  further  ordered  by  the  Society. 

On  motion  of  Mr.  DeBoer,  it  was  voted  to  instruct  the 
Board  of  Managers  to  secure,  if  possible,  from  the  Legisla- 
ture of  1906  an  increase  in  the  annual  State  appropriation 
from  $100  to  $500,  as  recommended  by  the  Librarian,  the 
same  committee  to  make  provision  for  any  necessary  change 
in  the  law  for  its  distribution. 

Mr.  Field  presented  the  report  of  the  nominating  com- 
mittee, which,  on  motion  by  Mr.  Forbes,  was  adopted  and 
the  following  were  elected,  without  dissent,  to  serve  as  offi- 
cers for  the  year  ensuing: 

President — George  G.  Benedict,  Burlington,  Vt. 

Vice-Presidents — William  W.  Stickney,  Ludlow,  Vt. ; 
Walter  H.  Crockett,  St.  Albans,  Vt.;  Fred  A.  Howland, 
Montpelier,  Vt. 

Recording  Secretary — Joseph  A.  DeBoer,  Montpelier, 
Vt. 


28  THE   VERMONT   HISTORICAL,   SOCIETY. 

Corresponding  Secretaries — Theodore  S.  Peck,  Bur- 
lington, Vt. ;  Charles  S.  Forbes,  St.  Albans,  Vt. 

Treasurer— Henry  F.  Field,  Rutland,  Vt. 

Librarian — Edward  M.  Goddard,  Montpelier,  Vt. 

Curators — Ezra  Brainerd  (Addison)  ;  Henry  D.  Hall 
(Bennington) ;  Henry  Fairbanks  (Caledonia) ;  John  E. 
Goodrich  (Chittenden)  ;  Porter  H.  Dale  (Essex)  ;  Frank 
L.  Greene  (Franklin)  ;  Nelson  W.  Fisk  (Grand  Isle)  ;  Car- 
roll S.  Page  (Lamoille) ;  Dr.  George  Davenport  (Orange)  ; 
F.  W.  Baldwin  (Orleans) ;  Frank  C.  Partridge  (Rutland)  ; 
Hiram  Carleton  (Washington)  ;  Bert  E.  Merriam  (Wind- 
ham) ;  Gilbert  A.  Davis  (Windsor)  ;  and  ex-ofhcio,  Fred- 
erick G.  Fleetwood,  Secretary  of  State ;  Horace  F.  Graham, 
State  Auditor;  and  George  W.  Wing,  State  Librarian. 

The  President  appointed  the  following  standing  com- 
mittees : 

On  Library — J.  A.  DeBoer,  J.  E.  Goodrich,  E.  M. 
poddard. 

On  Printing— T.  S.  Peck,  F.  A.  Howland,  D.  W.  Rob- 
inson. 

On  Finance — Hiram  Carleton,  H.  F.  Field,  F.  C. 
Partridge. 

On  motion  of  Mr.  Goddard,  the  meeting  adjourned. 

Attest  to  record : 

Jos.  A.  DeBoer, 
Secretary. 


proceedings,  adjourned  annual  meeting.      29 

Proceedings  of  Annual  Meeting,  October  16,  1906. 

The  Vermont  Historical  Society  met  in  accordance  with 
printed  call,  at  the  rooms  of  the  Society  in  the  State  House, 
on  Tuesday  afternoon,  October  16,  1906,  at  2  :oo  o'clock. 

Members  present:  George  W.  Wing,  Edward  M. 
Goddard  and  J.  A.  DeBoer. 

On  motion  of  Mr.  Goddard  the  meeting  adjourned  to 
the  9th  of  November,  1906,  at  two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon. 
A  true  copy. 
Attest : 

Joseph  A.  DeBoer, 
Recording  Secretary. 


Adjourned  Annual  Meeting,  November  9,  1906. 

In  pursuance  to  adjournment,  the  Vermont  Historical 
Society  held  its  sixty-eighth  annual  meeting  at  its  rooms  in 
the  State  Capitol  on  Friday,  November  9,  1906,  at  2  o'clock 
in  the  afternoon. 

The  following  members  were  in  attendance:  G.  G. 
Benedict,  George  Davenport,  F.  L.  Greene,  M.  F.  Allen, 
George  Blanchard,  W.  A.  Shaw,  F.  A.  Howland,  C.  S. 
Forbes,  T.  S.  Peck,  F.  E.  Smith,  G.  W.  Wing,  H.  D.  Hol- 
ton,  W.  W.  Stickney,  J.  A.  DeBoer,  E.  D.  Field,  Lafayette 
Wilbur,  G.  H.  Perkins,  E.  H.  Deavitt,  J.  L>  Southwick,  M. 
S.  Stone,  W.  N.  Theriault,  W.  W.  Husband,  W.  J.  Van 
Patten. 

The  records  of  the  meetings  of  October  17,  1905,  and 
October  16,  1906,  were  read  by  the  Secretary  and  approved. 

The  report  of  the  Board  of  Managers  was  read  by  Sec- 
retary DeBoer  and,  on  motion  of  Dr.  George  Davenport, 
adopted  and  ordered  recorded.     (See  "Appendix  A"). 


30  THE   VERMONT   HISTORICAL   SOCIETY. 

The  Treasurer's  report  was  read  by  Mr.  C.  S.  Forbes, 
in  the  absence  of  Treasurer  Field,  and  on  motion  of  Dr. 
Davenport  it  was  adopted  and  ordered  recorded.  (See 
"Appendix  B"). 

Librarian  E.  M.  Goddard  presented  his  report.  It  was 
accepted  and  ordered  placed  on  file.  He  reported  the  num- 
ber of  bound  volumes  and  pamphlets  added  to  the  library 
during  the  year  as  312  and  called  attention  to  the  following 
historical  articles  and  relics  which  have  been  presented  to 
the  Society  but  of  which  no  previous  mention  has  been 
made: 

(1)  Model   of  a  steam   engine   built  by   Capt.   Samuel 

Morey  of  Fairlee.  This  is  a  model  of  the  engine 
built  by  Capt.  Morey  for  which  he  was  granted 
a  patent  March  25,  1795.  This  model  was 
presented  to  the  Society  by  Mrs.  Amelia  S. 
Kibbey  of  Fairlee. 

(2)  Two  swords  and  six  military  and  society  badges  and 

about  twenty-five  commissions  and  diplomas  of 
the  late  General  Merritt  Barber.  Presented  by 
Mrs.  Delilah  W.  Barber. 

(3)  Two  swords,  epaulettes  and  sash  of  Col.  Oscar  S. 

Tuttle,  6th  regiment,  Vt.  Volunteers.  Presented 
by  Mrs.  Ellen  M.  Tuttle. 

(4)  Wooden  case  containing  a  gavel  and  block  and  other 

articles  made  from  material  secured  from  vari- 
ous historical  places.     Presented  by  the  Bunker 
Hill  Massachusetts  Historical  Society. 

(5)  Case  containing  a  collection  of  hair  flowers  made  by 

Mrs.  John  Floyd  of  Randolph  in  1856-7,  and 
presented  by  her  daughters. 


PROCEEDINGS,  ADJOURNED  ANNUAL  MEETING.        31 

Applications  for  membership  were  received  from  22 
gentlemen  and  3  ladies.  They  were  all  elected  by  a  viva 
voce  vote  of  the  Society.  For  names,  residences  and  en- 
dorsements see  "Appendix  C." 

On  motion  of  General  Peck  the  president  was  instructed 
to  appoint  a  committee  of  three  to  nominate  officers  for  the 
ensuing  year.  He  appointed  Messrs.  Peck,  Smith  and  Al- 
len. 

The  Society  voted  to  accept  the  deed  of  trust  from  the 
Dewey  Monument  Committee  amounting  to  $2,524.18, 
mentioned  in  the  report  of  the  Board;  of  Managers,  and,  on 
motion  of  Mr.  DeBoer,  it  was  voted  to  transfer  the  fund  to 
Treasurer  Field  and  authorize  him  to  invest  the  same  in  ac- 
cordance with  the  terms  of  the  deed  of  trust. 

On  motion  of  Mr.  Goddard,  the  Managers  were  in- 
structed to  procure  whatever  cases  were  needed  for  the  care 
of  articles  or  books  belonging  to  the  Society. 

On  motion  of  Mr.  Goddard,  a  committee  was  appointed, 
consisting  of  Messrs.  Goddard,  Wing  and  DeBoer,  to  se- 
cure, if  possible,  from  the  Legislature  of  1906,  an  appro- 
priation for  the  purpose  of  fittingly  cataloguing  the  li- 
brary and  historical  relics  of  the  Society. 

General  Peck  presented  the  report  of  the  nominating 
committee,  which  was  accepted  and  adopted,  and  the  entire 
list  so  placed  in  nomination  were  duly  elected.  For  list  of 
officers  elected  see  "Appendix  D." 

Mr.  M.  J.  Hapgood  brought  to  the  attention  of  the  So- 
ciety a  suggestion  for  the  erection  of  suitable  memorials 
to  Seth  Warner  and  Remember  Baker.  The  Society  was 
informed  that  a  bill  for  this  purpose  had  been  introduced 
in  the  present  legislature  and,  on  motion  Messrs.  Benedict 


32  THE   VERMONT   HISTORICAL   SOCIETY. 

and  Forbes  were  elected  a  committee  on  the  part  of  the  So- 
ciety to  confer  with  the  committee  of  the  legislature  which 
has  this  matter  under  consideration. 

The  resignation  of  R.  N.  Preble  of  Shoreham  was  re- 
ceived and  accepted. 

On  motion,  E.  D.  Field  was  appointed  temporary  treas- 
urer to  receive  dues  and  remit  them  to  Treasurer  Field  of 
Rutland,  who  could  not  be  present. 

The  matter  of  securing  the  usual  authority  from  the 
legislature  for  the  printing  and  distribution  of  the  Proceed- 
ings of  the  Society  was  referred  to  a  committee  composed 
of  Messrs.  DeBoer  and  Goddard. 

A  memorial  concerning  the  preservation  of  the  Ameri- 
can frigate  "The  Constitution"  was  presented  by  President 
Benedict.  Mr.  Goddard  moved  that,  in  view  of  the  action 
which  had  been  taken  by  Congress  since  the  issuance  of  the 
memorial,  it  be  referred  to  the  Managers  for  proper  ac- 
knowledgment, and  it  was  so  voted. 

The  suggestion  of  Librarian  Goddard  that  a  transcript 
of  General  Whitelaw's  Diary  be  included  in  the  proceed- 
ings for  1 905- 1 906  was  referred  to  the  Committee  on  Print- 
ing with  power  to  act. 

The  Secretary  reported  that  biographical  sketches  had 
been  prepared  of  the  members  of  the  Society  who  have  de- 
ceased since  the  last  report  and  it  was  voted  to  include  them 
in  the  Proceedings. 

The  President  appointed  the  following  standing  com- 
mittees for  the  year  ensuing. 

On  Library— J.  A.  DeBoer,  E.  M.  Goddard,  J.  E.  Good- 
rich. 


PROCEEDINGS,  ADJOURNED  ANNUAL  MEETING.        33 

On  Printing— T.   S.   Peck,   F.   A.   Howland,   W.   H. 
Crockett. 

On  Finance— H.  F.  Field,  J.  A.  DeBoer,  F.  A.  How- 
land. 

The  meeting  adjourned  to  meet  in  the  Hall  of  the  House 
of  Representatives  at  7:30  o'clock  in  the  evening  for  the 
biennial  public  exercises. 
A  true  record. 
Attest : 

Joseph  Arend  DeBoer, 
Recording  Secretary. 


NECROLOGY. 


Hon.  Henry  Ballard. 

Henry  Ballard  was  born  in  Tinmouth,  Vermont, 
April  20,  1836,  son  of  Jeffrey  B.  and  Amelia  (Thompson) 
Ballard.  Obtaining  his  early  education  at  Castleton  Sem- 
inary, he  entered  the  University  of  Vermont,  from  which  he 
was  graduated  with  high  honors  in  1861,  and  was  selected 
to  deliver  the  master's  oration  at  the  college  commence- 
ment three  years  later.  He  was  graduated  from  the  Al- 
bany Law  School  in  May,  1863.  Returning  to  Burlington, 
which  became  his  home,  he  entered  the  law  office  of  Daniel 
Roberts  and  remained  there  until  his  admission  to  the  bar 
in  September,  1863,  when  he  opened  an  office  of  his  own  in 
his  adopted  city.  A  year  later  he  was  admitted  to  practice 
in  the  United  States  district  and  circuit  courts.  Mr.  Ballard 
obtained  the  reputation  of  being  one  of  the  best  criminal 
lawyers  Vermont  ever  had.  He  was  emphatically  a  trial 
lawyer  and  as  a  jury  advocate  stood  among  the  best. 

Soon  after  the  commencement  of  the  Civil  War  and 
immediately  after  his  graduation  from  college,  Mr.  Ballard 
enlisted  as  a  private  and  was  mustered  into  service  as  2nd 
Lieutenant  of  Co.  I,  5th  Vt.  Vols.  He  served  throughout 
the  peninsular  campaign  and  was  present  at  the  battles  of 
Lee's  Mills,  Williamsburg,  and  the  seven  days'  fight  before 
Richmond.  He  was  obliged  to  resign  from  the  army  in 
July,  1862,  because  of  ill  health.  Mr.  Ballard  was  an  ardent 
Republican  and  an  effective  political  speaker.     From  1868 


NECROLOGY.  35 

until  recent  years  his  services  on  the  stump  were  always  in 
demand  during  political  campaigns,  not  only  in  Vermont,  but 
in  New  York,  New  Hampshire  and  Massachusetts. 

Among  the  civil  and  political  honors  which  came  to 
Mr.  Ballard  were  the  following :  State  Senator  from  Chit- 
tenden county,  1878;  City  Attorney  of  Burlington  for  two 
years;  delegate  to  Republican  National  Convention,  1884, 
where  he  served  as  chairman  of  committee  on  credentials; 
delegate  to  National  G.  A.  R.  Encampment  in  San  Fran- 
cisco, 1886;  one  of  the  reading  clerks  at  the  National  Re- 
publican Convention  in  1888;  and  Representative  from  the 
City  of  Burlington,  1888. 

He  was  a  member  of  Stannard  Post,  G.  A.  R. ;  Web- 
ster Historical  Society  of  Boston;  Home  Market  Club  of 
Boston;  American  Institute  of  Civics  of  New  York  City; 
charter  member  Vermont  Commandery,  Military  Order  of 
the  Loyal  Legion,  and  of  the  Vermont  Fish  and  Game 
League.  In  religious  circles,  Mr.  Ballard  was  an  Epis- 
copalian. He  also  took  an  active  interest  in  the  Young 
Men's  Christian  Association. 

December  15,  1863,  Mr.  Ballard  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Annie  J.,  daughter  of  Robert  and  Huldah  (Bailey)  Scott 
of  Burlington.  Five  children  were  born  to  them.  He  is 
survived  by  Mrs.  Ballard  and  three  of  their  children,  Harry, 
Kate  (Mrs.  James  B.  Henderson)  and  Maude. 

He  died  at  the  home  of  his  son,  Dr.  Harry  E.  Ballard, 
in  Hartford,  Conn.,  on  Sunday,  September  23,  1906,  at  the 
age  of  70  years. 

16??0192 


36  the  vermont  historical  society. 

Charles  Miller  Bliss. 

Charles  Miller  Bliss,  M.  A.,  was  born  in  Hartford, 
Conn.,  January  I,  1827,  and  fitted  for  college  at  the  Hart- 
ford High  School.  He  entered  Yale  in  1848  and  was  grad- 
uated in  1852.  After  graduation  he  spent  a  few  months 
at  Hartford  in  miscellaneous  study  and  reading  and  went 
to  Europe  in  May,  1853,  remaining  abroad  till  June,  1854. 
In  September  following  he  removed  to  Woodford,  Vermont, 
where  he  engaged  in  farming  and  lumbering.  After  1870 
his  home  was  at  Bennington,  Vermont.  At  the  beginning 
of  the  Civil  War  he  entered  the  service  of  his  country  as 
Sergeant  of  the  2nd  Vermont  Infantry,  and  a  few  months 
later  was  promoted  2nd  Lieutenant.  He  participated  in  the 
first  battle  of  Bull  Run  and  in  several  of  the  skirmishes  and 
most  of  the  battles  of  McClellan's  Peninsular  Campaign.  He 
afterwards  engaged  in  the  work  of  the  U.  S.  Sanitary  Com- 
mission. He  was  a  frequent  contributor  to  newspapers  in  his 
vicinity,  discussing  educational,  political  and  agricultural 
topics,  and  from  August,  1870,  till  November,  1871,  he  was 
editor  and  proprietor  of  the  Bennington  Free  Press.  In  the 
autumn  of  1875  he  commenced  a  movement  for  a  monument 
to  commemorate  the  Battle  of  Bennington.  In  the  two 
years  following  he  spent  much  time  and  money  in  pushing 
forward  this  movement  and  also  the  celebration  of  the  one 
hundredth  year  of  Vermont's  existence  as  a  state,  and  the 
Centennial  of  the  Battle  of  Bennington,  during  the  week  of 
the  16th  of  August,  1877.  The  success  of  those  celebrations 
was  due  largely  to  his  efforts. 

He  married,  February  15,  1870,  Miss  Sarah  Adell  God- 
frey, daughter  of  Samuel  L.  and  Ruth  B.  Godfrey,  of  Ben- 
nington.    They  had  no  children. 


NECROLOGY.  37 

He  died  suddenly,  December  21,  1905,  aged  78  years, 
II  months  and  20  days. 

He  was  a  writer  of  much  ability  and  well  informed  on 
many  historical  and  public  subjects.  Though  not  a  church 
member  or  a  church-goer,  he  was  a  Puritan  in  his  life  and 
conduct. 


Wilder  Luke  Burnap. 

Wilder  Luke  Burnap  was  born  September  3,  1839, 
in  Canojoharie,  N.  Y.,  where  his  parents,  Luke  and  Abigail 
(Robbins)  Burnap  then  resided.  They  removed  later  to  Gro- 
ton,  Vt.,  and  in  that  town  Mr.  Burnap  spent  his  boyhood 
and  youth.  He  fitted  for  college  at  Leland  Seminary  and 
entered  Dartmouth  College  in  1859.  In  his  junior  year  he 
enlisted,  in  June,  1862,  in  the  company  composed  of  students 
of  Dartmouth  College  and  Norwich  University,  which  be- 
came a  part  of  the  first  Regiment  of  Rhode  Island  Cavalry 
and  has  been  described  as  the  only  company  composed 
wholly  of  college  students  in  the  Union  Army.  The  com- 
pany did  gallant  service  in  the  Shenandoah  Valley  and  in 
Maryland.  After  the  Battle  of  Antietam,  the  company  was 
mustered  out  and  young  Burnap  returned  to  college  and  was 
graduated  with  credit  in  1863.  He  removed  to  Burlington, 
Vermont,  studied  law  in  the  office  of  Wales  &  Taft;  was 
admitted  to  the  Bar  of  Chittenden  County  in  1866 ;  and  soon 
after  opened  an  office  in  Burlington  as  an  Attorney  and  So- 
licitor in  Bankruptcy.  He  soon  gained  an  enviable  stand- 
ing by  his  ability,  care  in  the  conduct  of  his  cases  and  gift 
as  a  speaker.  He  was  State's  Attorney  of  Chittenden  Coun- 
ty 1871-1875.     In  1882  he  was  elected  to  the  State  Senate 


38  THE  VERMONT  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY. 

and  was  a  prominent  and  influential  legislator  in  that  body. 
In  1895  he  succeeded  Hon.  E.  J.  Phelps  as  Professor  of 
Medical  Jurisprudence  in  the  Medical  Department  of  the 
University  of  Vermont,  and  held  the  office  for  ten  years 
and  until  his  death.  He  was  City  Attorney  of  the  city  of 
Burlington,  1885-1887,  was  School  Commissioner  of  Bur- 
lington, 1 898- 1 904,  and  held  several  other  local  offices.  He 
was  a  loyal  son  of  his  Alma  Mater  and  was  President  of  the 
Alumni  Association  of  Dartmouth  College  for  a  number  of 
years.  He  possessed  a  fine  literary  and  artistic  taste.  As 
a  lawyer,  no  member  of  the  Bar  of  Vermont  stood  higher 
than  he  for  legal  learning,  integrity  and  ability,  and  as  a 
citizen  he  commanded  respect  by  his  sturdy  independence  of 
thought  and  action  and  devotion  to  high  ideals  of  life  and 
conduct.     He  was  a  staunch  Republican  in  politics. 

He  died  July  15,  1905,  from  internal  hemorrhage,  fol- 
lowing, after  several  weeks,  an  operation  for  appendicitis. 

He  married  May  11,  1870,  Miss  Fannie  Castle  of  Bur- 
lington, who  survives  him  with  three  sons,  Robert  L.,  James 
W.  and  Clement  F.  Burnap. 


Charles  Dewey. 

Charles  Dewey,  who  died  at  his  home  in  Montpelier, 
Vermont,  August  31,  1905,  was  born  in  Montpelier,  March 
27,  1826,  eldest  son  of  Dr.  Julius  Y.  Dewey,  in  direct  descent 
from  Thomas  Dewey,  of  Sandwich,  County  of  Kent,  Eng- 
land, who  settled  in  Dorchester,  Massachusetts,  in  1633. 

He  was  educated  in  the  local  schools,  fitted  for  college 
in  the  Washington  County  Grammar  School,  and  was  grad- 
uated from  the  University  of  Vermont  in   1845.     ^n  *he 


NECROLOGY.  39 

same  year  he  was  appointed  Assistant  Secretary  of  the  Ver- 
mont Mutual  Fire  Insurance  Company.  In  1850  he  was 
elected  Secretary  of  the  company  and  so  continued  for  twen- 
ty-one years,  and  as  a  director  for  thirty  years.  In  1871  he 
left  the  Vermont  Mutual  to  become  Vice-President  of  the 
National  Life  Insurance  Company,  and  succeeded  to  the 
presidency  on  the  death  of  his  distinguished  father  in  1877, 
remaining  in  that  position  until  his  retirement  from  active 
business  in  1900.  Among  the  other  positions  of  trust  and 
responsibility  with  which  he  was  honored  were:  Director, 
Vice-President  and  President  of  the  First  National  Bank,  of 
Montpelier;  Director,  Vice-President  and  President  of  the 
Lane  Manufacturing  Company,  the  chief  industry  of  Mont- 
pelier; 1864,  Trustee  of  the  Washington  County  Grammar 
School,  and  from  1877  President  of  the  Board;  1867-1869, 
State  Senator  from  Washington  County;  1882,  State  In- 
spector of  Finance  by  appointment  of  Governor  Barstow; 
for  over  half  a  century  a  vestryman  and  for  a  third  of  a  cen- 
tury a  warden  of  Christ  Church,  Montpelier. 

He  was  married  May  3,  1848,  to  Betsey  Tarbox,  of 
Randolph,  Vermont.  To  them  were  born  three  sons  and 
six  daughters. 

Mr.  Dewey  was  an  intense  lover  of  his  state,  his  city, 
his  church,  his  home  and  the  business  with  which  he  was 
identified,  devoting  an  active  and  full  life  to  their  interests 
and  discharging  his  trust  with  fidelity. 


Dwight  H.  Kexton. 

Major  Dwight  H.  Kelton,  U.  S.  A.,  was  born  in 
Montpelier  (now  East  Montpelier),  Vermont,  October  4, 
1843.     Son  of  Stillman  S.  and  Ursula  (Sprague)  Kelton. 


40  THE   VERMONT   HISTORICAL   SOCIETY. 

He  came  of  pioneer  New  England  stock,  two  of  his  ancestors 
being  Mayflower  passengers  and  his  great  grandfather,  Dr. 
Philip  Vincent,  being  the  first  resident  physician  in  Mont- 
pelier,  where  he  located  in  1793. 

His  education  was  obtained  in  the  common  schools  and 
at  Barre  Academy,  from  which  he  ran  away  to  enlist  in  the 
13th  Vermont  Volunteers,  but  was  rejected,  being  under 
age.  He  then  spent  two  years  at  Norwich  Military  College. 
He  enlisted  in  the  98th  New  York  Infantry  January  29, 
1864;  was  commissioned  Captain  of  the  115th  United  States 
Colored  Infantry  October  15,  1864;  and  was  honorably 
mustered  out  February  10,  1866.  He  re-entered  the  serv- 
ice July  20,  1866,  as  2nd  Lieutenant,  U.  S.  A.,  was  commis- 
sioned 1st  Lieutenant  March  26,  1868,  and  Captain  Feb- 
ruary 16,  1885.  He  was  retired  with  the  rank  of  Captain 
March  6,  1888,  for  disabilities  received  while  in  the  line  of 
duty,  and  by  special  act  of  Congress  April  23,  1904,  was 
brevetted  Major.  The  only  extended  leave  had  by  him 
during  the  almost  a  quarter  of  a  century  of  service  in  the 
Army,  was  in  1873,  when  he  spent  nearly  a  year  in  European 
travel  and  in  study  at  Leipsic. 

Although  he  saw  much  active  service  on  the  frontier; 
being  stationed  in  Kentucky,  Dakota,  Texas,  Michigan,  New 
Mexico,  Arizona  and  Colorado,  he  found  time  to  publish  a 
history  of  the  Sault  Ste.  Marie  Canal  and  the  Annals  of 
Fort  Mackinac,  besides  a  volume  entitled  "Indian  Names," 
which  has  a  peculiar  value  because  in  it  are  collected  and 
arranged  in  permanent  form  some  hitherto  unpublished 
facts  and  legendary  tales  of  a  disappearing  race. 

On  July  19,  1889,  Major  Kelton  married  Miss  Anna 
L.  Donnelly  of  Mackinac  Island,  Mich.,,  who  alone  survives 
him. 


NECROLOGY.  41 

He  died  at  his  home  in  Montpelier,  August  9,  1906,  and 
was  buried  in  the  National  Cemetery  at  Arlington. 


Arthur  Ropes. 

Arthur  Ropes,  editor  and  publisher  of  the  "Vermont 
Watchman,"  and  the  "Montpelier  Daily  Journal,"  died  at 
Montpelier,  Vermont,  April  1,  1905. 

He  was  born  at  Newbury,  May  5,  1837,  the  son  of 
George  and  Miriam  (Johnson)  Ropes.  Was  educated  in 
the  common  schools  of  his  native  town,  at  St.  Johnsbury 
Academy  and  one  year  at  Dartmouth  College  in  the  class 
of  1864.  Taught  school  in  Newbury  and  Waterford,  be- 
came an  instructor  in  St.  Johnsbury  Academy  and  for  a  time 
principal  of  the  public  schools  in  that  town.  He  began  his 
business  career  as  bookkeeper  for  a  St.  Johnsbury  lumber 
firm ;  was  teller  of  the  old  Passumpsic  Bank ;  cashier  of  the 
Northfield  National  Bank;  a  surveyor  in  the  Lake  Superior 
region  for  a  year  because  of  ill  health ;  twelve  years  in  manu- 
facturing business  in  Waterbury  and  Montpelier;  in  1880 
entered  the  "Vermont  Watchman"  office  and  from  that  time 
until  his  death  was  actively  engaged  in  newspaper  work. 
He  was  assigned  to  editorial  work  practically  from  the  start 
and  became  editor  and  publisher  of  the  "Vermont  Watch- 
man" in  1888.  In  1899  he  established  the  "Montpelier 
Daily  Journal." 

Mr.  Ropes  was  an  editorial  writer  of  great  force.  His 
pen  was  a  power  in  Vermont  and  was  especially  forceful 
and  earnest  when  he  was  writing  about  forestry,  mineralogy, 


42  THE   VERMONT   HISTORICAL   SOCIETY. 

roadmaking,  public  schools  and  kindred  topics  directly  af- 
fecting her  interests.  An  ardent  Republican,  he  was  one 
of  the  most  earnest  and  able  advocates  of  party  principles, 
both  state  and  national,  that  the  Republican  party  in  Ver- 
mont has  every  had.  Devotion  to  his  family,  state  and 
country  were  marked  characteristics  of  the  man. 

He  was  married  June  28,  1864,  to  Mary  J.  Hutchins 
of  Waterbury,  who  survives  him  with  two  daughters,  Mrs. 
William  E.  Harlow  and  Mrs.  John  P.  Adams. 


PUBLIC   MEETING. 


Public  Meeting,  November  9,  1906. 
The  society  met  at  7 130  o'clock  in  the  Hall  of  the  House 
of  Representatives  and  was  called  to  order  by  President 
Benedict.  Prayer  was  offered  by  Dr.  J.  Edward  Wright. 
Introductory  remarks  were  made  by  the  President  as  fol- 
lows: 

Remarks  of  the  President. 

Members  of  the  Vermont  Historical  Society,  and  Ladies 
and  Gentlemen. 

We  may  congratulate  ourselves  this  evening  upon  the 
facts  that  our  State  Historical  Society  has  reached  its  sixty- 
eighth  annual  meeting  with  a  larger  membership  and  com- 
prising more  leading  citizens  than  it  has  ever  had,  since 
its  organization  in  1838;  and  that  it  enjoys  distinct  marks 
of  confidence  and  approval  on  the  part  of  the  people  of 
Vermont.  We  must  have  noted  with  gratification,  the  in- 
creased interest  in  the  career  of  our  Commonwealth,  as 
evidenced  by  the  recent  multiplication  of  monuments  and 
memorials  erected  to  commemorate  historic  events  within 
our  borders,  or  in  honor  of  history-making  Vermonters. 
Since  the  last  previous  meeting  of  our  Society  in  this  hall 
an  imposing  memorial  tower  of  stone,  has  been  erected  by 
the  Vermont  Society  Sons  of  the  American  Revolution,  upon 
an  eminence  commanding  wide  stretches  of  land  and  water, 
upon  the  farm  in  Burlington,  which  was  once  the  home  of 
43 


44  THE   VERMONT    HISTORICAL   SOCIETY. 

General  Ethan  Allen,  and  upon  which  he  died.  The  tower 
was  dedicated  with  impressive  ceremonies  and  an  imposing 
military  parade  on  the  16th  of  August,  1905.  The  oc- 
casion was  graced  by  the  presence  of  the  Vice-President 
of  the  United  States,  of  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior,  Hon. 
Ethan  Allen  Hitchcock,  direct  descendant  from  the  Hero  of 
Ticonderoga,  who  was  present  as  the  personal  representa- 
tive of  President  Roosevelt,  and  by  Governors,  ex-Governors, 
U.  S.  Senators  and  ex-Senators,  Representatives  and  ex-Rep- 
resentatives, and  many  other  persons  of  marked  distinction 
in  this  and  other  States.  The  addresses  and  exercises  were 
of  high  interest  and  dignity,  and  have  been  published  in  a 
volume  for  permanent  preservation. 

In  July  of  last  year  the  Vermont  Society  of  Colonial 
Dames  unveiled  with  appropriate  ceremonies  a  monument 
to  Ann  Story,  the  heroic  pioneer  woman,  celebrated  in  his- 
tory and  in  fiction,  upon  or  near  the  site  of  her  cottage  in 
Salisbury.  The  massive  marble  block  for  this  was  the 
gift  of  Hon.  Fletcher  D.  Proctor,  and  an  admirable  address 
was  delivered  by  Judge  Stafford  of  the  Supreme  Court  of 
the  District  of  Columbia,  who  is  to  address  us  this  evening. 

A  great  granite  boulder  was  placed  in  the  cemetery 
in  Waitsfield  through  the  interest  and  efforts  of  two  broth- 
ers, Walter  E.  Jones  of  Waitsfield  and  Matt  Bushnell  Jones, 
of  Newton,  Mass.  A  tablet  upon  the  face  of  the  stone 
bears  the  names  of  thirty-one  soldiers  of  the  American 
Revolution,  buried  in  that  town.  The  tablet  was  unveiled 
September  15,  1906,  when  a  valuable  historical  address  was 
delivered  by  Mr.  Matt  B.  Jones,  in  which  he  gave  an  inter- 
esting sketch  of  the  life  of  General  Benjamin  Wait,  from 
whom  the  town  took  its  name. 


PUBLIC  MEETING.  45 

A  tall  and  fine  soldiers'  monument  has  been  recently 
erected  in  Middlebury  as  the  gift  of  Col.  Ilsley,  a  generous 
citizen  of  that  town. 

A  massive  stone  now  stands  to  mark  the  ground  in 
Brattleboro,  upon  which  so  many  regiments  of  Vermont 
volunteers  were  mustered  into  the  army,  during  the  War  for 
the  Union.  And  steps  are  in  progress  to  procure  the  erec- 
tion of  similar  monuments  in  other  towns  at  an  early  day. 

In  arousing  the  historical  interest  which  has  led  to  the 
erection  of  these  monuments,  this  Society  may  claim  some 
share.  It  is  to  be  hoped  that  the  number  of  such  memorials 
for  the  instruction  of  posterity  and  promotion  of  patriotic 
feeling,  may  steadily  increase;  that  we  may  see  monuments 
erected,  better  late  than  never,  in  memory  of  Col.  Seth  War- 
ner and  Captain  Remember  Baker;  that  the  ladies  who  are 
planning  to  mark  the  site  of  the  first  settlement  by  white 
men  on  the  soil  of  Vermont,  at  Fort  St.  Anne  on  Isle 
La  Motte,  may  accomplish  their  worthy  purpose;  that  the 
old  Constitution  House  in  Windsor  may  be  replaced  on  its 
ancient  site  and  be  suitably  preserved;  and  that  other 
similar  projects  may  materialize  in  the  coming  years. 

I  may  barely  allude  to  the  standing  which  this  Society 
has  gained  among  similar  societies,  as  evidenced  by  the 
fact  that  it  was  one  of  the  seven  Historical  Societies  in- 
vited to  be  represented — :as  it  was  represented  by  its  presi- 
dent— at  the  celebration  of  the  200th  anniversary  of  the  birth 
of  Benjamin  Franklin  at  Philadelphia  on  the  17th  to  the  20th 
of  last  April. 

On  the  day  the  celebration  began  the  great  earthquake 
and  fire  which  destroyed  San  Francisco  occurred,  and  the 
dust  and  smoke  of  that  terrible  catastrophe,  almost  blotted 


46  THE  VERMONT  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY. 

out  the  Franklin  Bicentenary  from  the  sight  of  the  public  at 
large.  But  it  was  one  of  the  most  imposing  functions  of  its 
kind  on  record  in  our  land.  One  hundred  twenty-four  uni- 
versities and  Scientific  and  Historical  Societies  of  England, 
Scotland,  France,  Spain,  Germany,  Austria,  Italy,  Holland, 
Mexico  and  other  countries,  as  well  as  of  the  United  States 
and  Canada,  were  represented  by  some  300  delegates,  in- 
cluding many  men  of  world-wide  fame.  The  State  of  Penn- 
sylvania appropriated  $20,000  towards  the  expenses  of  the 
celebration,  and  there  were  other  large  contributions.  The 
arrangements  were  planned  and  carried  out. in  a  most 
sumptuous  and  distinguished  manner  under  the  auspices  of 
the  American  Philosophic  Society,  of  Philadelphia.  Among 
the  striking  features  of  the  celebration  was  the  presentation 
of  the  great  gold  medal,  voted  by  Congress,  to  the  Republic 
of  France,  in  recognition  of  the  sympathy  and  assistance  re- 
ceived by  Franklin  at  the  hands  of  that  Republic.  The 
presentation  of  the  medal  was  made  by  Secretary  of  State 
Elihu  Root,  and  the  medal  was  received  in  a  graceful  speech 
by  M.  Jusserand,  the  French  ambassador  to  this  country. 
Other  features  of  the  occasion  were  of  the  highest  interest ; 
but  I  must  detain  you  no  longer  from  the  addresses  which 
are  the  chief  attractions  of  this  meeting. 

President  Benedict  then  introduced  Judge  Wendell 
Phillips  Stafford,  as  a  jurist  who  had  gained  distinction 
on  the  bench  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  Vermont,  and  was 
winning  national  fame  as  an  orator  and  judge  of  the  Su- 
preme Court  of  the  District  of  Columbia,  who  spoke  upon 
the  "Life  and  Services  of  Thaddeus  Stevens,  Statesman  and 
Reformer." 


PUBLIC   MEETING.  47 

i 

It  was  followed  by  a  paper  by  Prof.  George  Henry  Per- 
kins on  "Prehistoric  Vermont  and  Relics  and  Evidences  of 
Early  Occupation  by  Indian  Tribes." 

The  meeting  attracted  a  distinguished  audience  which 
filled  the  hall.  The  judges  of  the  Supreme  Court  occupied 
seats  near  the  speaker's  desk  and  the  members  of  Marquis 
de  LaFayette  Chapter,  Daughters  of  the  American  Revolu- 
tion, attended  in  a  body. 

The  following  resolutions  were  proposed  and  unani- 
mously adopted  by  a  viva  voce  vote  of  the  Society : 

By  Mr.  W.  W.  Stickney: 

Resolved,  That  the  Vermont  Historical  Society  hereby  tenders 
to  the  Honorable  Wendell  Phillips  Stafford,  Justice  of  the  Su- 
preme Court  of  the  District  of  Columbia,  its  sincere  thanks  for 
his  able  and  scholarly  address  on  "The  Life  and  Services  of 
Thaddeus  Stevens,  Statesman  and  Reformer,"  and  requests  him 
to  supply  a  copy  of  the  same  for  publication  in  the  Proceedings 
of  the  Society. 

By  Mr.  Frank  L.  Greene: 

Resolved,  That  the  Vermont  Historical  Society  express  to 
Prof.  George  Henry  Perkins  its  sincere  thanks  for  his  most  in- 
teresting historical  address  on  "Prehistoric  Vermont  and  Relics 
and  •  Evidences  of  Early  Occupation  by  Indian  Tribes,"  and  re- 
quest him  to  furnish  a  copy  of  said  address  for  publication  in  the 
Proceedings  of  the  Society. 


Mr.  Matt  Bushnell  Jones,  of  Newton,  Mass.,  was  pro- 
posed for  membership  by  Mr.  Fred  A.  Howland  and  he  was 
elected  by  a  viva  voce  vote. 

On  motion,  the  meeting  adjourned. 


THADDEUS  STEVENS 


AN  ADDRESS  BY 


WENDELL  PHILLIPS  STAFFORD 

Judge  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the 
District  of  Columbia 


Delivered  at  the  annual  meeting  of  the  Vermont 
Historical  Society  held  on  the  ninth  day  of  November, 
1906,  in  the  hall  of  the  House  of  Representatives,  at 
Montpelier,  Vermont. 


4  i  -^o 


THADDEUS  STEVENS. 


When  I  was  a  boy  there  was  a  picture  tacked  up  on  the 
dingy  wall  of  my  father's  factory  office,  which  I  used  to 
gaze  upon  with  wonder  and  awe.  It  was  the  picture  of  an 
old  man  seated  in  a  chair.  I  remember  he  had  a  club  foot 
and  seemed  to  be  distorted  with  age  and  pain ;  yet  the  face 
was  one  of  commanding  power.  There  was  scorn  in  the 
firm-shut  lips ;  there  was  a  defiant  glance  in  the  eagle  eyes ; 
and  yet  it  was  a  face  that  even  as  a  child  I  felt  that  I  could 
trust.  "Who  is  that  old  man,  father?"  I  asked.  And,  as 
nearly  as  I  can  remember,  he  replied:  "That  is  Thaddeus 
Stevens  of  Pennsylvania.  He  was  born  over  here  in  Dan- 
ville or  Peacham.  He  was  leader  of  the  House  of  Rep- 
resentatives at  Washington  during  the  war  and  afterwards 
until  he  died.  They  called  him  the  great  commoner,  be- 
cause he  believed  in  the  common  people  and  fought  like  a 
tiger  for  the  rights  of  all  men  rich  and  poor,  black  and 
white.  He  hated  slavery  with  a  hatred  that  knew  no 
bounds  and  he  poured  out  on  rebels  and  traitors  all  the  vials 
of  his  wrath.     When  you  are  older  you  can  read  and  judge 

Note. — The  address  here  printed  brings  to  light  no  new 
facts  concerning  the  career  of  Thaddeus  Stevens.  The  material 
presented  is  all  to  be  found  in  existing  sketches  and  histories, 
and  most  of  it  in  the  admirable  biography  of  Stevens  by  Samuel 
W.  McCall,  in  the  American  Statesmen  series.  My  effort  is  anal- 
ogous to  that  of  a  painter  who  attempts  the  portrait  of  one  who 
has  been  faithfully  photographed  already.  It  may  present  some- 
thing of  the  artist's  personality,  but  can  hardly  be  expected  to 
add  anything  of  historical  value.  For  these  reasons  I  should 
have  been  glad  to  have  been  excused  from  furnishing  a  copy  for 
the  proceedings. — W.  P.  S. 

57 


52  THE  VERMONT  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY. 

for  yourself;  but  I  tell  you,  he  was  a  great  man,  that  old 
Thad  Stevens !"  And  so  when  I  found  I  was  to  make  this 
address  my  mind  went  back  to  that  early  impression,  and 
I  said  to  myself:  "I  will  try  to  draw  the  portrait  of  that 
strong  old  man, — that  true  son  of  Vermont,  who  fought  as 
bravely  and  as  mightily  for  the  Union  in  the  halls  of  Con- 
gress as  any  of  her  sons  fought  upon  the  field,  and  who 
finally  breathed  her  own  implacable  hatred  of  oppression  into 
the  three  great  amendments  to  the  constitution."  That  is 
how  it  happens  that  I  am  speaking  to  you  to-night  of 
Thaddeus  Stevens,  War  Leader  of  the  House  of  Representa- 
tives and  Father  of  the  Constitutional  Amendments. 

Thaddeus  Stevens  was  the  spirit  of  Vermont  incar- 
nate. Even  in  his  faults  and  his  failings  he  was  ours.  He 
came  as  honestly  by  his  defects  as  he  did  by  his  virtues. 
Imperious,  irascible,  he  carried  in  his  breast  a  heart  as  tender 
as  a  child's.  When  he  was  a  child  himself  his  mother  had 
gone  about  among  the  neighbors  nursing  the  sick  through 
a  terrible  epidemic.  Thad  saw  her  sacrifice,  and  never  for- 
got the  lesson.  Human  suffering  never  failed  to  touch  him 
to  tears.  His  own  infirmity  made  him  especially  solicitous 
for  the  halt  and  lame.  He  gave  to  his  physician  this  order : 
"Doctor,  whenever  you  come  across  a  poor  boy  who  has 
any  trouble  with  his  legs,  do  the  best  you  can  for  him  and 
send  the  bill  to  me."  Even  to  the  careless  and  improvident 
he  was  kind  and  generous — that  is,  if  he  had  any  thing  him- 
self. Sometimes  his  own  pockets  were  empty.  If  that  was 
the  case  he  would  never  disclose  the  fact  but  would  put  his 
refusal  to  give  on  the  ground  that  they  were  unworthy 
to  receive,  and  give  them  a  sharp  lecture  on  their  shiftless 
ways.    There  was  never  a  particle  of  sham  piety  about  him. 


THADDEUS  STEVENS.  53 

He  hated  cant  with  all  the  intensity  of  his  nature.  He  had 
a  near  relative  who  was  very  punctilious  to  ask  a  blessing 
at  every  meal.  Thad  said  to  him :  "Morrill,  why  don't  you 
take  some  rainy  day  in  the  fall  and  bless  all  your  garden 
sauce  at  once,  and  save  this  everlasting  repetition?"  Yet 
no  one  loved  genuine  righteousness  in  man  or  nation  more 
than  he  and  no  one  gave  himself  more  resolutely  to  secure  it. 
Nobody  seems  to  remember  much  about  his  father. 
Some  say  he  was  a  worthless  sort  of  fellow  and  ran  away. 
Some  say  he  was  killed  in  the  war  of  1812.  We  know  he 
was  a  shoemaker  and  taught  Thad  to  cobble.  And  tradition 
says  he  was  a  great  wrestler  and  could  throw  any  man  in 
the  county.  But  there  is  no  need  to  inquire  about  his  father. 
His  greatness  is  all  accounted  for  by  his  mother;  and  that 
is  where  greatness  usually  begins.  She  had  four  sons.  The 
others  were  well  and  able-bodied — Thad  was  sickly  and 
lame.  You  can  guess  which  was  the  favorite.  A  poet  once 
wrote : 

These  mothers  are  like  God — they  love 
Ugly  and  fair  alike. 

He  made  a  great  mistake;  they  love  the  ugly  and  mis- 
shapen far  the  best ;  on  them  they  lavish  their  tenderest  care ; 
for  them  they  are  ready  to  labor  and  go  without.  "It  is 
plain  Thad  can  never  make  his  way  by  physical  labor.  He 
must  go  to  the  academy  and  college  and  if  I  have  to  work 
my  fingers  off  he  shall."  And  he  did.  Do  you  wonder 
that  Stevens'  heart  always  melted  at  mention  of  his  mother  ? 
The  greatest  pleasure  his  prosperity  brought  him  was  the 
ability  to  give  her  the  fine  farm  she  wanted  and  the  bright 
gold  pieces  she  loved  to  drop  in  the  contribution  box. 
"Every  thing  I  have  done,  every  thing  I  am,  I  owe  to  my 


54  THE   VERMONT    HISTORICAL   SOCIETY. 


mother."  So  he  said.  And  when  he  died  his  will  provided 
that  her  grave  in  Peacham  should  be  carefully  tended  and 
its  corners  planted  with  roses  "or  other  cheerful  flowers" 
to  the  end  of  time.  Oh,  harsh  and  forbidding  old  man,  we 
have  found  your  secret  out.  Your  sternness  was  only  a 
mask  to  hide  the  over-tender  nature.  How  many  of  the 
softest  hearts  that  beat  put  on  this  appearance  of  hardness 
for  their  own  protection!  When  Jesus  was  on  earth  he 
saw  through  such  disguises,  just  as  he  saw  through  the 
mask  of  hypocrisy  and  pretence  the  Pharisee  put  on.  He 
drew  about  him  such  men  as  this — men  on  whom  the  re- 
ligious world  of  his  day  looked  askance  but  whom  the  Son 
of  Man  saw  to  be  kind  and  true  of  heart.  Thad  Stevens 
never  belonged  to  any  church  but  when  the  "ordained 
hypocrites"  of  his  time  turned  their  backs  upon  the  slave, 
"the  least  of  these  my  brethren,"  Stevens  went  to  him  and 
gave  him  all  he  had.  Whether  he  was  a  Christian  or  not, 
judge  ye !  Once,  later  in  life,  he  was  betrayed  into  a  theo- 
logical discussion.  He  showed  such  a  profound  familiarity 
with  the  subject  that  the  listeners  asked  him,  if  he  had 
not  at  some  period  of  his  life  studied  for  the  ministry. 
Stevens  parried  the  query  with  his  customary  snort: 
"Humph !  I  have  read  their  books." 

No  doubt  he  had  read  them  and  read  them  well.  That 
was  a  habit  he  had.  He  bent  himself  to  his  task  with  an 
iron  will,  and  studied  relentlessly.  He  never  meant  that 
anything  he  set  out  for  should  get  away  from  him — least 
of  all  an  idea.  He  went  through  the  academy  at  Peacham ; 
he  spent  a  term  or  two  in  the  university  at  Burlington ;  but 
he  finally  graduated  from  Dartmouth.  That  was  in  1814. 
Then  he  went  to  Pennsylvania  to  teach  school  and  study 


THADDEUS  STEVENS.  55 

law.  When  he  was  ready  to  take  his  examination  he  found 
that  the  lawyers  had  passed  a  rule  to  keep  him  out.  The 
rule  required  that  the  applicant  should  not  have  been  en- 
gaged in  any  occupation  except  the  study  of  law  during 
the  years  of  his  preparation. 

Stevens  had  been  teaching  school  daytime  and  studying 
law  nights.  So  he  crossed  into  Maryland  and  took  the 
examination  there.  Then  he  came  back  and  settled  down  in 
Gettysburg  where  the  great  battle  was  afterwards  fought. 
He  had  a  right  to  practice  in  Pennsylvania  then,  being  a 
member  of  the  bar  in  Maryland.  But  it  is  one  thing  to 
have  the  right  and  it  is  another  thing  to  get  the  chance.  It 
was  a  long  time  before  Stevens  got  a  chance,  and  in  the 
meantime  he  nearly  starved.  Again  and  again  he  was  al- 
most ready  to  give  up.  One  day  he  said  to  an  acquaintance : 
"I  can't  stand  it  any  longer.  I  have  got  to  go  away." 
The  next  day  opportunity  knocked  at  his  door.  It  was  a 
murder  case.  The  old  story.  He  was  offered  the  chance 
to  defend  because  the  case  was  too  poor  for  any  body  else 
to  touch.  Stevens  seized  the  chance.  He  could  not  win 
his  case  but  he  tried  it  with  such  astonishing  ability  that 
his  reputation  in  that  community  was  made,  and  from  that 
hour  he  never  lacked  for  business.  The  plea  was  insanity. 
In  those  days  it  was  a  new  fashioned  plea  and  very  un- 
popular ;  but  Stevens  believed  thoroughly  in  the  truth  of  the 
defence.  Long  afterwards  he  said  he  had  defended  fifty 
murder  cases,  and  succeeded  in  every  one  but  this;  and 
yet  that  this  was  the  only  man  in  the  whole  lot  that  ought 
to  have  been  acquitted. 

But  Stevens  found  better  business  than  defending  mur- 
derers.    They   were  *  close    by   Maryland.     Fugitive    slave 


56  THE  VERMONT  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY. 

cases  were  common  and  these  enlisted  every  faculty  of 
body,  mind  and  heart  that  he  possessed.  If  he  couldn't 
save  the  poor  wretch  in  court  he  would  buy  him  rather 
than  let  him  be  taken  back.  He  saw  the  wicked,  cruel 
system  close  at  hand.  He  knew  it  in  its  most  hideous  as- 
pect. His  soul  flamed  whenever  slavery  showed  itself. 
He  brought  to  the  borders  of  the  slave  states  the  spirit  of 
the  free  hills  and  mountains  of  the  north,  and  he  never  lost 
it  as  so  many  others  did. 

I  must  tell  you  a  story  to  illustrate  his  method  in  court. 
A  Quaker  miller  in  that  part  of  Pennsylvania  had  been  very 
active  in  assisting  runaway  slaves  to  make  their  escape.  He 
was  put  on  trial  for  doing  so  in  one  instance,  and  the  charge 
was  that  he  had  levied  war  against  the  United  States.  The 
case  was  tried  before  Justice  Grier,  afterwards  of  the  Fed- 
eral Supreme  Court.  When  the  evidence  was  all  in,  the 
district  attorney  made  an  extended  argument  upon  the  ques- 
tion of  law,  reading  from  volume  after  volume  to  show 
what  conduct  might  constitute  the  crime  in  question.  Ste- 
vens listened  in  immovable  contempt,  silent  to  the  end. 
When  the  attorney  had  taken  his  seat  he  rose,  hobbled  over 
to  the  clerk's  desk,  leaned  upon  it,  and  looked  Grier  in  the 
eye.  "I  have  listened  to  this  long  and  labored  argument 
with  the  gravest  anxiety — not  for  my  client,  but  for  you. 
Because  it  is  now  for  you  to  tell  this  jury  whether  a  Quaker 
miller,  white  with  the  dust  of  his  occupation,  and  riding  on 
a  bob-tailed  sorrel  nag,  can  be  found  to  have  been  levying 
war,  under  any  construction  to  be  given  to  the  constitution." 
And  he  sat  down.  He  always  knew  when  to  sit  down.  I 
sometimes  think  that  is  the  hardest  lesson  a  lawyer  ever 
has  to  learn. 


THADDEUS  STEVENS.  57 

The  constitution  declared  that  persons  held  to  service 
in  one  state,  if  they  escaped  into  another,  should  not  be 
discharged  therefrom  but  should  be  surrendered  on  claim 
of  the  owner.  "Very  well,"  said  Stevens,  "then  we  will 
do  it.  But  it  doesn't  say  the  rest  of  us  shall  turn  out  and 
join  the  hunt.  It  doesn't  say  that  a  man  shall  not  have 
a  trial  by  jury  to  decide  whether  he  is  a  freeman  or  a  slave. 
We  will  stand  by  the  constitution  but  we  won't  stretch  it  a 
hair's  breath  in  the  interest  of  slavery."  Case  after  case 
he  defended  for  nothing ;  but  he  was  no  Hessian.  He  never 
let  out  his  sword  to  the  oppressor.  Those  were  the  days 
that  molded  the  great  advocate  of  freedom.  These  were 
the  experiences  that  burned  into  his  soul  the  lesson  the 
whole  country  was  finally  to  learn. 

•  Stevens  didn't  make  the  mistake  so  many  young  law- 
yers make — of  going  at  once  into  politics.  I  think  it  would 
trouble  you  to  name  a  really  great  lawyer  who  did  not  give 
the  first  years  of  his  professional  life  entirely  to  the  law. 
Those  are  the  days  that  determine  what  he  is  to  be.  With 
the  sure  instinct  of  genius  Stevens  devoted  himself  for 
fifteen  years  to  the  mastery  of  his  calling.  In  those  years 
he  laid  broad  and  deep  the  foundations  of  his  massive 
learning  and  acquired  the  accomplishment  of  his  consummate 
skill.  When  he  died  Jeremiah  Black  declared  that  he  had 
not  left  his  equal  at  the  American  bar ;  and  Jeremiah  Black 
was  a  rival,  a  political  opponent — himself  accounted  by  many 
the  greatest  lawyer  of  his  time. 

Stevens  always  went  to  the  heart  of  his  subject.  He 
always  laid  his  finger  on  the  sore  spot  of  his  adversary's 
case.     He   never   wasted   words.     He   had   pondered   well 


58  THE  VERMONT  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY. 

the  Greek  saying,  "The  half  may  be  more  than  the  whole." 
He  never  took  a  note  during  a  trial.  He  trusted  his  memory 
and  his  memory  never  betrayed  the  trust.  He  flew  at  the 
decisive  point  with  all  the  ferocity  of  his  nature  and  fastened 
upon  it  with  a  grip  that  nothing  could  relax.  Airs  and 
graces  he  despised,  but  his  words  quivered  with  the  intensity 
of  his  conviction,  and  his  wit  illumined  the  obscurity  of  his 
subject  as  the  lightning  lays  the  landscape  bare  beneath  a 
midnight  sky.  His  sarcasms  stung  like  hornets  and  his 
drollery  was  indescribable  and  unique.  Senator  Morrill  said 
he  wasted  wit  enough  every  day  to  make  the  reputation  of 
an  ordinary  humorist.  The  most  mirth  provoking  things 
he  ever  said  were  spoken  with  a  face  of  unmoved,  funeral 
solemnity.  When  he  was  leader  of  the  House  at  Washing- 
ton he  could  at  any  time  put  the  chamber  in  a  roar  without 
an  effort.  If  you  read  the  record  you  will  find,  "laughter," 
"great  merriment,"  following  remarks  of  his  which,  having 
lost  the  manner  in  which  he  made  them,  have  lost  their  whole 
significance  and  charm.  After  all  the  great  secret  is  per- 
sonality, and  no  analysis  can  penetrate  to  that. 

Stevens  was  forty-one  when  he  first  went  to  the  legis- 
lature. Instantly  he  took  his  place  in  the  front  rank.  The 
next  year  he  was  returned  and  took  a  hand  in  the  great  fight 
for  free  schools.  I  must  linger  a  moment  upon  that.  Penn- 
sylvania furnished  education  for  the  rich  at  established  rates 
and  if  a  father  was  too  poor  to  pay,  he  was  obliged  to  make 
application  for  assistance  on  the  ground  of  poverty.  Class 
distinction  sprang  up  and  sensitive  parents  kept  their  chil- 
dren at  home  rather  than  send  them  to  be  looked  upon  as 
paupers.  This  year  the  legislature  passed  an  act  provid- 
ing for  public  education   for  rich  and  poor  alike  at  the 


THADDEUS  STEVENS.  59 

public  charge.  But  this  meant  more  taxes  for  the  comfort- 
able people  who  had  no  children  of  their  own.  A  mighty  re- 
action set  in.  The  Pennsylvania  pocket  book  was  as  sen- 
sitive as  any  other  pocket  book,  and  a  legislature  was  elected 
pledged  to  repeal  the  law.  The  Senate  did  its  part  at  once. 
Then  the  repeal  bill  came  before  the  house.  A  test  vote  was 
taken  on  a  preliminary  question  and  showed  a  majority 
of  thirty  in  favor  of  repeal.  Then  Stevens  appeared  upon 
the  scene.  He  had  been  absent  until  now.  The  friends 
of  free  education  gathered  round  him  and  told  him  it  was 
useless  to  oppose  the  tide.  The  mercenary  wave  had  swept 
every  thing  before  it.  Now  one  man  stood  up  against  it. 
Stevens  immediately  moved  to  strike  out  the  whole  bill 
after  the  enacting  clause  and  to  substitute  for  it  a  bill  of 
his  own  strengthening  the  free  school  law.  Upon  this  mo- 
tion he  made  a  speech  which  for  immediate  practical  effect 
upon  its  hearers  has  never  been  equaled  in  a  legislative  as- 
sembly in  this  country.  The  house  was  packed.  The  Sen- 
ate which  had  just  passed  the  bill  crowded  in  to  hear  this 
audacious  argument  against  their  action.  His  biographer 
says :  "Stevens  then  in  the  prime  of  life  was  erect  and  ma- 
jestic. His  form  had  outgrown  the  slenderness  of  youth. 
It  was  not  yet  bent  with  the  heavy  weight  of  years."  A 
witness  declares  "he  looked  like  a  descended  God."  He 
was  inspired  by  his  great  subject.  He  spoke  with  the  fire  of 
a  Hebrew  prophet.  The  house  was  electrified.  It  voted 
as  soon  as  Stevens  took  his  seat  and  carried  his  motion 
almost  two  to  one — and  the  Senate  hurried  back  to  its  cham- 
ber, revoked  its  former  action  and  concurred.  To  under- 
stand the  magnitude  of  his  triumphs  we  must  remember  that 
the  men  whom  Stevens  convinced  and  persuaded  were  not 


60  THE  VERMONT  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY. 

merely  opposed  to  his  motion  when  he  began.  They  had 
been  elected  on  that  very  issue.  They  had  been  commanded 
by  their  constituents  to  vote  for  the  repeal.  Yet  such  was 
the  force  of  reason,  such  was  the  power  of  righteousness  in 
Stevens'  speech,  that  everything  was  forgotten  save  the 
mighty  elemental  truths  he  brought  to  bear ;  and  before  many 
days  Pennsylvania  herself,  clothed  and  in  her  right  mind, 
was  ready  to  praise  and  bless  him  for  the  service.  So  it  is 
always.  No  matter  what  the  hue  and  cry  of  the  moment 
may  be,  no  matter  how  the  multitude  may  be  hurried  away 
to  do  evil,  the  leader  who  dares  to  utter  the  deepest,  noblest, 
truest  word,  he  it  is  who  is  certain  to  be  acknowledged  in 
the  end  as  the  true  voice  and  tribune  of  the  people.  Is  it 
strange  that  Stevens  always  looked  back  upon  this  victory 
as  the  crowning  achievement  of  his  life?  Often  he  said 
that  he  would  be  paid  and  overpaid  for  all  his  labors  if  a 
single  child  of  destitution  who  had  found  the  blessing  of 
education  through  his  help  should  come  to  drop  a  tear  of 
gratitude  upon  his  grave. 

The  speech  made  his  name  a  household  word  through- 
out the  state  and  Pennsylvania  was  proud  to  call  him  her 
son.  But  after  all  he  was  only  an  adopted  son.  He  really 
belonged  to  us.  I  suppose  you  have  all  heard  the  witticism 
that  was  sprung  on  a  banquet  of  Pennsylvanians.  They 
had  been  praising  their  state  ad  nauseam  as  is  apt  to  be  the 
case  at  all  state  meetings.  Finally  a  guest  arose  and  said: 
"I  give  you  a  toast — The  three  greatest  Pennsylvanians, 
Benjamin  Franklin,  of  Massachusetts,  Albert  Gallatin,  of 
Switzerland  and  Thaddeus  Stevens  of  Vermont!" 

A  year  or  two  after  the  free  school  victory  a  conven- 
tion was  called  to  amend  the  state  constitution.     Stevens 


THADDEUS  STEVENS.  61 

was  a  member.  It  was  a  stormy  time  and  Stevens  was  in 
his  element.  Every  attempt  to  carry  class  or  race  distinc- 
tions into  the  organic  law  found  in  him  a  constant  and  de- 
termined foe.  You  can  see  how  early  and  consistent  a 
friend  he  was  of  equal  suffrage.  The  constitution  as  the 
convention  left  it  limited  the  right  to  white  citizens. 
Stevens  having  fought  in  vain  against  the  odious  dis- 
crimination, utterly  refused  to  affix  his  name  to  the  docu- 
ment that  contained  it.     And  that  was  away  back  in  1837. 

About  the  same  time  he  attended  another  convention. 
It  had  been  called  by  the  supporters  of  slavery.  They 
thought  the  only  way  to  save  the  Union  was  to  put  a  stop 
to  the  anti-slavery  agitation.  How  Stevens  ever  managed  to 
get  a  seat  in  such  a  body  no  one  seems  to  understand,  but 
he  did,  and  he  succeeded  in  making  it  so  ridiculous  that 
there  was  nothing  left  for  it  to  do  but  to  adjourn.  Of  course 
he  was  the  champion  of  the  very  views  the  convention  was 
called  to  denounce.  Yet  he  made  himself  the  central  figure 
of  the  scene  and  by  his  mastery  of  parliamentary  tactics,  by 
resolutions,  points  of  order,  by  wit,  eloquence,  sarcasm,  he 
turned  the  whole  movement  into  a  rout.  His  own  self- 
command  was  complete.  His  countenance  was  imperturb- 
able. His  sallies  kept  the  convention  in  alternate  bursts  of 
laughter  and  applause.  Nothing  was  too  personal  or  ad 
captandum  for  his  use.  A  minister  rose  and  bitterly  de- 
nounced him  for  bringing  a  firebrand  into  the  convention. 
Stevens  solemnly  rebuked  the  reverend  gentleman  for  in- 
dulging in  personalities,  gravely  pretending  to  believe  that  by 
"firebrand"  he  was  referring  to  a  member  with  flaming  red 
hair  who  had  come  in  with  Stevens  and  sat  at  his  side. 
Whereupon  the  convention  nearly  exploded.    I  cannot  re- 


62 


THE  VERMONT  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY. 


call  another  instance  where  a  single  unsupported  member, 
hostile  to  the  sentiment  of  the  assembly  and  gaining  ad- 
mittance for  the  sole  purpose  of  defeating  its  objects,  has 
been  able  by  sheer  force  of  personal  address  and  manage- 
ment to  turn  a  serious  gathering  into  a  farce  and  utterly 
frustrate  its  whole  design.  Surely  it  was  only  the  rarest 
combination  of  humor,  eloquence  and  forensic  skill  that 
could  make  such  a  performance  possible. 

After  this  he  devoted  himself  a  great  deal  to  politics  and 
of  course  he  was  an  intense  partisan.  In  the  last  years  of 
his  life,  when  he  was  leader  of  the  House,  he  came  in  one 
day  just  in  time  to  vote  on  a  contested  election  case,  and 
asked  a  member  of  his  own  party  how  the  matter  stood. 
"Not  much  choice,"  he  replied.  "They  are  both  damned 
rascals."  "Very  well,"  said  Stevens,  "which  is  our  damned 
rascal?"  Yet  this  was  only  dealing  with  things  as  he  found 
them.  Partisan  as  he  was,  he  was  wise  and  just  enough  to 
see  the  folly  of  determining  such  questions  by  a  party 
vote  and  advocated  another  method.  He  proposed  that 
they  should  be  referred  to  a  committee  who  should  hear 
and  decide  the  question  judicially  as  is  done  in  England. 

Well,  he  devoted  so  much  time  to  politics  that  when  he 
was  fifty  years  old  he  woke  up  one  morning  and  found  him- 
.self  poorer  than  he  was  when  he  landed  in  Pennsylvania. 
He  had  been  engaged  in  a  large  iron  business  and  his  part- 
ner had  run  him  in  debt  $200,000.  Stevens  went  to  work 
and  paid  it  up  to  the  last  cent.  In  the  course  of  his  life  he 
made  and  lost  three  fortunes  and  yet  left  a  comfortable 
estate  at  the  last.  He  went  to  Lancaster  and  fought  his 
way  to  the  front  in  a  new  field.  He  drew  young  men  about 
him  as  a  magnet  draws  the  steel  filings.    He  had  nine  stu- 


THADDEUS  STEVENS.  63 

dents  in  his  office  at  one  time.  In  politics  the  machine  was 
against  him  but  the  people  were  for  him  and  by  a  great 
majority  they  elected  him  to  Congress.  That  was  in  1849 
and  Stevens  was  fifty-eight  years  old. 

He  had  now  reached  that  chamber  where  with  the  pos- 
sible exception  of  John  Quincy  Adams  he  was  one  day  to 
become  the  greatest  figure  that  ever  dominated  its  debates. 
But  that  supreme  period  of  his  life  was  even  then  some 
fifteen  years  away.  On  his  first  appearance  the  little  com- 
pany of  Free  Soilers  and  Conscience  Whigs  rallied  around 
him  and  adopted  him  as  their  leader.  He  was  their  candi- 
date for  speaker.  It  was  1850 — the  year  of  the  second 
great  compromise  on  the  subject  of  slavery.  The  war  with 
Mexico  was  ended.  A  vast  region  had  been  gained.  New 
territories  were  to  be  organized,  new  states  were  to  come  in. 
California  stood  knocking  for  admission — "California,"  as 
Seward  described  her,  "the  youthful  queen  of  the  Pacific  in 
her  robes  of  freedom  gorgeously  inlaid  with  gold."  Con- 
gress, controlled  by  the  slaveholders,  hesitated  to  admit  her. 
The  Mexican  war  had  been  kindled  and  carried  on  to  make 
more  slave  states  and  behold,  the  first  state  in  the  new 
territory  ready  for  admission  had  spurned  slavery  from  her 
threshold  and  adopted  a  free  constitution.  New  Mexico  and 
Utah  were  to  be  given  territorial  governments.  How  about 
slavery  in  these?  Should  it  be  provided  for  or  prohibited? 
These  and  other  great  issues  arose  and  at  the  bottom  of  each 
was  the  burning  question  of  slavery.  Thirty  years  before, 
Missouri  had  asked  for  admission  as  a  slave  state.  She  was 
finally  admitted  but  upon  the  express  condition  that  through 
the  rest  of  that  vast  region  purchased  from  France  and 
known  as  Louisiana  a  line  should  be  drawn  at  36  °  30' — and 


64  THE  VERMONT  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY. 

north  of  that  line  slavery  should  be  forever  prohibited.  That 
was  the  famous  Missouri  compromise  of  1820.     Now  a  new 
compromise  was  proposed  by  Henry  Clay  and  in  the  end  it 
was    adopted.     Among    other    things    it    provided    for    a 
stronger  fugitive-slave  law.     It  took  away  trial  by  jury  and 
required  the  citizens  of  free  states  to  actively  assist  in  the 
capture  and  return  of  slaves.     On  this  proposition  Stevens 
made  his  first  speech  in  Congress.     It  was  a  topic  where  he 
was  at  home  and  which  roused  him  as  no  other  subject 
could.     For  almost  the  first  time  Congress  heard  the  voice 
of  the  unterrified  north  speaking  the  bitter,  blasting  truth 
on  the  subject  of  slavery  where  it  had  so  long  listened  to 
the  soft  phrases  of  conciliation  and  persuasion.     It  was  a 
new  experience  and  I  am  still  Yankee  enough  to  think  that 
it  was  wholes6me.     "Keep  slavery  where  it  is,"  he  declared, 
"and  it  will  die  of  its  own  poison.     Let  it  spread  and  the 
whole  body  will  become  diseased.     Surround  it  with  a  cor- 
don of  freemen  and  in  twenty  years  not  a  single  slave  state, 
but  will  have  on  its  statute  books  a  law  for  the  gradual  ex- 
tinction of  the  system."     With  merciless  sarcasm  he  handled 
the  pretension  that  the  negro  was  better  off  as  a  slave ;  that 
when  he  had  tried  freedom  he  had  been  known  to  return 
and  voluntarily  receive  the  yoke.     That  delusion  held  its 
ground  even  after  the  beginning  of  the  war.     One  day  a 
Union  officer  happened  to  meet  a  slave  running  away  to- 
wards the  north.    He  had  known  him  in  the  days  of  his 
servitude.     "Why  Sambo,"  he  said,  "why  should  you  run 
away?    You  had  a  good  home,  plenty  to  eat  and  drink  and 
the  most  considerate  of  masters!"  "Well,  sah,"  Sambo  re- 
plied as  he  continued  his  flight,  "yo'  can  put  in  yo'  applica- 
tion— de  situation  am  vacant." 


THADDEUS  STEVENS.  65 

But  Stevens  was  speaking  in  1850,  and  he  was  a  decade 
ahead  of  his  time.  The  fugitive  slave  law  was  enacted. 
The  compromise  was  adopted,  and  once  more  the  slave 
question  was  put  to  sleep.  Stevens  was  not  a  man  to  com- 
promise on  a  question  of  principle.  He  lost  interest  in  the 
politics  of  such  a  period  and  went  back  to  the  law.  When 
he  appeared  in  that  chamber  again  it  was  on  the  eve  of  civil 
war.  The  years  that  had  come  and  gone  had  been  big 
with  events.  The  nation  had  moved  steadily  towards  free- 
dom. ,  If  the  south  had  kept  the  compromise  of  1850  it 
might  have  held  the  scepter  for  another  generation.  But 
it  was  not  in  the  slave  party  to  rest  on  any  ground  it  had 
gained.  It  struck  out  at  every  point.  It  repealed  the 
Missouri  compromise,  held  sacred  by  the  north  for  thirty- 
four  years.  It  disputed  the  power  of  Congress  to  keep 
slavery  out  of  the  territories.  It  flaunted  the  Dred  Scott 
decision  from  the  highest  seat  of  judgment.  It  strove  with 
bullet  and  bowie-knife  to  force  slavery  upon  Kansas;  and 
with  culminating  impudence  it  proposed  a  revival  of  the 
slave  trade.  Meanwhile  a  great  political  party  had  been 
born  pledged  to  resist  the  further  extension  of  slavery.  The 
election  of  i860  was  almost  at  the  door,  at  the  close  of  which 
it  was  to  be  truly  said  that  "for  the  first  time  in  the  history 
of  the  republic  the  slave  had  elected  a  president  of  the  Uni- 
ted States." 

It  was  December,  1859,  and  Stevens  was  on  the  verge 
of  three  score  years  and  ten.  He  had  not  expected  to  come 
to  Washington  again.  When  he  had  retired  a  few  years 
before  he  had  delivered  his  valedictory;  and  now  as  he 
reappeared  he  sadly  confessed  the  consciousness  of  failing 
powers.     "More  graceful  would  it  be  to  retire — for  us  who 


66  THE  VERMONT  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY. 

find  by  repeated  trials  that  we  can  no  longer  bend  the  bow 
of  Ulysses.  Fitting  would  it  be  to  lay  down  the  discus 
we  have  not  the  strength  to  hurl."  It  was  the  new  hope 
for  liberty  that  moved  him  to  put  on  the  armor — that 
marvellous  political  awakening — that  "marshalling  of  the 
conscience  of  a  nation  to  mould  its  laws."  It  was  his  op- 
portunity— at  last  his  hour  had  come.  It  had  come  to  him 
in  his  age.  If  he  had  died  before  he  would  have  been  for- 
gotten. "I  have  no  history"  was  his  melancholy  exclama- 
tion a  few  months  before.  "It  is  my  life  long  regret  that 
I  have  lived  so  long  and  so  uselessly."  It  is  as  a  gaunt, 
infirm  and  aging  man  but  with  the  undying  fire  of  lib- 
erty and  genius  in  his  spirit  that  he  will  be  painted  for  the 
times  to  come.  He  did  not  stand  now  as  he  stood  in  the  days 
of  his  youthful  vigor  fighting  his  way  to  the  head  of  a 
hostile  bar.  He  looked  no  longer  as  he  looked  on  that  day 
in  the  statehouse  at  Harrisburg  when  he  swept  house  and 
senate  by  his  impassioned  speech  and  compelled  them  to  do 
right  by  the  children  of  the  poor  in  Pennsylvania.  He  was 
nearing  the  end  of  a  long  and  lonely  life  that  had  been  child- 
less and  wifeless.  Age  had  bent  his  frame.  Infirmity  had 
crippled  his  gait.  Suffering  had  blanched  his  cheek. 
Thought  and  care  had  plowed  deep  into  his  forehead.  Strife 
and  passion  had  left  the  mark  of  bitterness  and  scorn  upon 
his  sunk  and  withered  lip.  But  with  the  clear  vision  of  a 
prophet  he  saw  that  one  of  the  crises  of  the  world's  his- 
tory was  at  hand,  and  denying  to  himself  the  comfort  and 
quiet  of  age,  he  gathered  up  all  the  remnants  of  his  ancient 
strength  to  strike  his  last  and  mightiest  blow  for  freedom. 
The  house  was  eight  weeks  in  choosing  a  speaker.  The 
question    was    whether   the   new    Republican    party    could 


THADDEUS  STEVENS.  67 

muster  strength  enough  to  organize  and  control  the  body. 
One  day  a  Democratic  member  got  up  and  invited  all  who 
were  opposed  to  the  Republican  program  to  meet  in  one 
caucus  and  act  together.  That  only  meant  that  the  rest 
should  give  up  and  vote  for  the  Democratic  candidate.  Ste- 
vens punctured  the  proposal  with  one  of  his  favorite 
weapons — ridicule.  He  said  it  made  him  think  of  the  happy 
family  described  in  "The  Prairie,"  where  the  owl,  the  prairie 
dog  and  the  rattlesnake  all  lived  in  one  hole.  Stevens 
helped  to  keep  the  contest  lively.  Now  and  then  he  relieved 
the  strain  by  his  humor.  For  instance  he  rose  with  a  seri- 
ous countenance  to  a  quesion  of  privilege — saying  that  one 
of  his  votes  had  been  criticized  in  the  public  press  and  he 
desired  to  make  an  explanation.  He  sent  the  newspaper 
to  the  clerk's  desk  and  asked  that  it  be  read.  The  clerk 
looked  at  it  blankly  and  replied  that  the  paper  was  printed 
in  German  and  he  could  not  read  it.  "Very  well  then," 
said  Stevens  with  unaffected  gravity,  "I  will  postpone  my 
explanation  till  the  clerk  can  read  it."  Finally  the  various 
forces  hostile  to  slavery  came  together  and  the  Republican 
candidate  was  seated  in  the  chair. 

Let  us  come  at  once  to  December,  i860.  Lincoln  has 
been  elected,  but  the  party  that  elected  him  is  terrified  by  the 
consequence  of  its  victory.  Secession  conventions  have  been 
called,  and  Congress  goes  down  on  its  knees  begging  the 
south  to  come  back  and  take  everything  it  ever  claimed.  Both 
houses  pass  a  constitutional  amendment  to  make  slavery  per- 
petual in  this  government.  Yes,  two-thirds  of  house  and 
senate  voted  for  this  horrible  measure.  I  rejoice  to-night 
that  Stevens  opposed  every  syllable  of  the  weak-kneed, 
cowardly  proposition.     "The  time  for  compromises  has  gone 


68  THE  VERMONT  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY. 

by,"  he  cried,  "what  we  need  now  is  courage,  calm,  un- 
wavering courage  that  no  danger  can .  appall.  We  will 
faithfully  execute  the  present  compact,  but  if  it  be  torn  in 
pieces  by  rebels  our  next  United  States  will  have  no  foot  of 
ground  a  slave  can  tread — no  breath  of  air  a  slave  can  ever 
breathe." 

Senator  Dawes,  then  a  member  of  the  House  from 
Massachusetts,  has  left  us  a  striking  picture  of  the  scene. 
"No  one  who  saw  it,"  he  declares,  "can  ever  forget  it.  All 
I  can  say  of  it  or  of  him  is  tame  without  the  inspiration  of 
the  time  and  of  his  presence.  It  was  the  last  of  Buchanan's 
administration.  Lincoln  had  been  elected.  The  House 
resembled  a  powder  magazine  more  than  a  deliberative  as- 
sembly. His  denunciation  of  traitors  to  their  face  was 
terrible,  his  exposure  of  the  barbarism  of  their  pretended 
civilization  was  awful.  Nearly  fifty  southern  members  rose 
to  their  feet  and  rushed  towards  him  with  curses  and  threats 
of  violence.  As  many  of  his  friends  gathered  round  him 
and  moving  him  in  a  hollow  square  in  the  space  in  front  of 
the  speaker's  desk  opened  before  his  assailants  and  stood 
guard  over  him  while  he  arraigned  the  slavocracy  in  an 
indictment  that  surpassed  even  the  great  arraignment  of 
Sumner.  He  was  nearly  seventy.  On  his  form  and  voice 
time  had  made  sad  inroads,  but  he  stood  at  that  moment 
erect  as  at  thirty-five.  Calm  and  self-possessed  as  a  judge 
he  lashed  them  into  fury,  and  then  bade  them  compose 
themselves  at  their  leisure.  The  excitement  beggars  all 
description  and  can  live  only  in  the  memory  of  those  who 
witnessed  it."  The  long  subserviency  of  the  north  was  near 
its  end.  In  that  uncompromising  tribune  of  the  people  the 
old  domineering  south  had  at  last  found  its  master. 


THADDEUS  STEVENS.  69 

But  the  time  had  not  yet  come  for  the  great  radical  to 
lead.  A  little  longer  the  counsels  of  fear  were  destined  to 
prevail.  Bear  in  mind,  state  after  state  had  already  seceded. 
The  president  of  the  confederate  congress  had  declared  the 
separation  perfect  and  perpetual.  A  president  of  the  new 
republic  had  been  elected  and  his  cabinet  appointed,  yet  even 
then  Congress  hugged  the  old  delusion  to  its  heart  that  by 
surrendering  all  it  might  bring  the  rebels  back — and  it  voted 
to  surrender  all.  It  was  only  when  that  full  offer  was 
spurned  that  the  north  sadly  and  reluctanly  took  up  the 
gage  of  battle,  which  was  not  to  be  laid  down  until  the  prin- 
ciples for  which  the  old  commoner  contended  had  been  em- 
blazoned in  the  constitution  of  the  Union  and  in  the  con- 
stitution of  every  single  state  that  had  rebelled. 

You  remember  how  cautiously  Lincoln  began;  how 
tenderly  he  pleaded  with  the  South  in  his  inaugural;  how 
slowly  he  moved  until  Sumter  was  fired  upon  and  he  knew 
he  had  a  solid  North  behind  him.  On  the  4th  of  July 
Congress  met  in  answer  to  his  call.  Union  men  were  in 
the  saddle  now.  In  the  House  of  Representatives  there 
was  no  looking  about  for  a  leader.  All  eyes  were  turned 
on  Stevens.  James  G.  Blaine,  by  no  means  a  partial  ad- 
mirer, declares:  "He  was  the  natural  leader  and  took  his 
place  by  common  consent."  It  was  Blaine,  also,  who  said, 
"He  had  the  courage  to  meet  any  opponent,  and  was  never 
overmatched  in  intellectual  conflict."  He  stood  at  the  head 
of  the  committee  charged  with  the  duty  of  raising  money  to 
support  the  government  and  carry  on  the  war  as  well  as 
the  duty  of  advising  how  it  should  be  spent.  It  was  ex- 
actly the  duty  Milton  described  in  his  noble  sonnet  to  Sir 
Henry  Vane —  / 


70  THE  VERMONT  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY. 

Then  to  advise  how  war  may,  best  upheld, 
More  by  her  two  main  nerves,  iron  and  gold, 
In  all  her  equipage. 

In  three  days  he  brought  in  a  bill  to  raise  $250,000,000. 
He  followed  it  with  another  appropriating  $160,000,000  for 
the  army,  and  for  the  navy  $30,000,000  more.  They  passed 
at  once.  Then  he  bent  himself  to  the  task  of  raising  a 
revenue  to  answer  these  enormous  calls.  With  courage, 
with  tact,  with  patience,  he  brought  Congress  and  the  coun- 
try to  his  plans.  Yet,  burdened  as  hardly  ever  man  was 
burdened,  his  eye  swept  the  horizon,  and  his  capacious  mind 
was  already  busy  with  the  outcome  of  it  all.  He  seemed 
to  see  the  end  from  the  beginning. 

You  remember  the  Crittendon  resolution?  It  declared 
that  war  was  not  waged  for  conquest  nor  to  interfere  with 
slavery,  but  only  to  restore  the  old  order  of  things,  and 
that  when  that  end  was  accomplished  the  war  should  cease. 
Senate  and  House  hurried  to  adopt  it.  Stevens  stood  out 
almost  alone  against  it.  He  did  not  believe  in  apologizing 
for  the  war  or  going  about  to  explain  it.  "Ask  those  who 
made  the  war  what  is  its  object.  The  laws  of  war  must 
govern  our  conduct  now."  He  saw  that  the  struggle  was 
to  be  long  and  bloody.  He  had  a  vision  of  the  tremendous 
price  that  must  be  paid — the  awful  sacrifice  that  was  to  be 
exacted.  He  did  not  believe  in  the  nation  tying  its  hands 
by  resolutions.  If  it  should  become  necessary  to  free  the 
slave  or  arm  him  against  his  master,  if  new  conditions  must 
be  imposed  to  secure  the  peace  hereafter,  he  would  not  pass 
a  resolution  now  to  stare  us  in  the  face.  The  resolution 
did  pass,  but  a  few  months  saw  it  broken.     When  the  next 


THADDEUS  STEVENS.  71 

session  had  to  deal  with  the  same  matter  Stevens  moved  to 
lay  it  on  the  table  and  his  motion  was  sustained. 

Southern  citizens  were  devoting  their  property  to  the 
rebellion.  Stevens  said  "confiscate  it."  Masters  were 
setting  their  slaves  to  build  forts  and  dig  trenches.  "Set 
them  free,"  said  Stevens,  "every  man  that  is  employed 
against  us.  If  the  war  goes  on  the  time  will  come  when 
we  shall  arm  every  rebel's  slave  to  fight  upon  our  side."  The 
bill  failed,  but  the  day  came  when  the  House  was  glad  to 
pass  it. 

At  the  outset  the  south  had  one  enormous  advantage. 
Her  vast  crops  could  be  raised  by  slaves  exactly  as  in  time 
of  peace.  She  could  keep  her  fighting  strength  untouched 
and  send  the  products  of  her  plantations  to  buy  the  sup- 
plies of  war  in  European  markets.  Stevens  would  have 
snatched  this  advantage  from  her.  Even  before  Lincoln 
was  inaugurated  he  brought  in  a  bill  to  do  it.  A  year  later 
he  brought  it  up  again.  "Repeal,"  said  he,  "the  laws 
creating  southern  ports  of  entry.  Then  foreign  nations 
cannot  enter  them.  It  would  be  an  act  of  war  against  this 
country.  A  nation  has  a  right  to  close  its  own  ports.  It 
can  do  so  by  a  law.  That  law  is  better  than  a  fleet.  But 
blockade  them  and  you  must  keep  everybody  out  by  force. 
They  have  a  right  to  enter  if  they  can.  Worse  than  all,  if 
you  blockade  them  you  acknowledge  them  as  belligerents, 
and  foreign  nations  will  do  the  same."  What  would  have 
happened  if  his  advice  had  been  heeded  we  shall  never 
know.  We  proclaimed  the  blockade  and  Europe  acknowl- 
edged the  belligerency  of  the  south. 

From  the  very  beginning  Stevens'  mind  was  occupied 
with  the  great  question  of  reconstruction.     Never  doubting 


72  THE  VERMONT  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY. 

the  ultimate  triumph  of  our  arms  he  was  sounding  the 
depths  of  the  profound  problem  which,  a  few  years  later, 
was  to  engross  the  attention  of  the  people  and  their  leaders. 
He  came  to  his  conclusion  early,  announced  it  boldly,  ad- 
vocated it  without  ceasing  and  adhered  to  it  until  he  died. 
Distrusted,  doubted,  opposed  in  the  beginning,  the  logic  of 
events  confirmed  it  and  it  had  to  be  accepted  and  adopted 
in  the  end.  No  dreamer,  no  speculator,  no  spinner  of  fine 
theories,  but  a  practical  man  of  affairs  and  the  hardest- 
headed  lawyer  of  his  day,  he  wasted  no  time  seeking  to  dis- 
cover in  the  constitution  itself  provision  for  the  steps  that 
must  be  taken  toward  the  seceding  states.  The  constitu- 
tion did  not  contemplate  an  effort  on  the  part  of  its  mem- 
bers to  dissolve  the  union.  The  power  to  preserve  its  own 
existence  against  a  parcel  of  rebellious  states  was  not  to 
be  looked  for  in  its  phrases  but  in  the  powers  of  war  which 
pertain  to  every  nation  fighting  for  its  life.  The  southern 
states  had  repudiated,  spurned  and  spit  upon  the  con- 
stitution; could  they  at  the  same  time  claim  the  protection 
of  its  terms?  Stevens  said,  "You  cannot,  indeed,  destroy 
the  constitution  but  you  can  place  yourself  outside  of  its 
protection  while  you  are  waging  public  war  against  it." 
Already  he  was  grappling  with  the  question  that  would 
face  us  when  the  war  was  closed.  When  the  rebel  states 
should  be  subdued  would  they  have  a  right  to  be  treated  as 
back  again  in  the  old  Union,  under  the  old  terms,  bringing 
the  same  old  sources  of  controversy  with  them,  or  would 
Congress  have  a  right  to  prescribe  the  terms  on  which  they 
should  be  received?  Should  they  come  back  slavery  and 
all?  Should  they  continue  to  hold  seats  in  Congress  for 
themselves  and  for  the  black  race  too?     Should  they  have 


THADDEUS  STEVENS.  73 

power  to  repudiate  the  debt  that  had  been  made  in  putting 
their  rebellion  down?  Should  the  loyal  men  of  the  south 
be  liable  to  pay  the  debts  of  disloyalty  and  treason?  With 
a  mind  that  pierced  like  a  sword  even  to  the  dividing  of 
the  joints  and  marrow,  he  drove  the  question  home.  He 
saw  that  the  whole  case  turned  upon  one  point.  If  the 
trouble  was  only  a  domestic  insurrection  it  was  to  be  sup- 
pressed by  criminal  prosecutions  in  the  courts,  and  the  in- 
surgents were  entitled  to  the  protection  of  the  constitution 
and  the  ordinary  laws.  But  if  it  was  a  public  war,  then 
they  were  subject  to  the  laws  of  war  alone.  He  proved  by 
all  the  oracles  of  the  law  of  nations  that  when  a  republic 
is  broken  into  two  armed  camps  it  is  civil  war  and  while 
the  war  continues  the  two  factions  stand  towards  each 
other  as  separate  and  independent  powers.  Was  this  a  pub- 
lic war?  Europe  had  acknowledged  the  belligerency  of  the 
South.  We  had  acknowledged  it  ourselves.  We  had  blockaded 
their  ports,  exchanged  prisoners  of  war  and  sent  flags  of 
truce.  It  was  not  a  mob,  nor  a  riot  nor  an  insurrection,  but 
war,  public  war,  and  the  greatest  civil  war  in  history.  While 
it  lasted,  no  paper  obligations  could  be  relied  upon  by  the 
south  against  the  north,  and  when  the  rebellious  faction 
should  be  vanquished  it  would  be  for  the  victor  to  lay  down 
the  terms  of  peace.  So  was  he  preparing  the  minds  of  men 
for  the  time  when,  conquered  in  the  field,  the  rebel  states 
should  demand  to  be  restored  as  of  right  to  every  priv- 
ilege under  the  old  constitution  which  they  had  renounced 
and  defied. 

The  shilly-shallying  military  movements  that  marked 
the  early  stages  of  the  war — you  can  guess  what  sort  of  a 

5 


74  THE  VERMONT  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY. 

critic  Stevens  was  of  these.  Here  is  the  way  he  described 
McClellan's  march  to  Antietam:  "The  President  ordered 
him  to  pursue  the  enemy.  He  started  after  them  with  an 
army  of  120,000  men  before  him  and  marched  that  army 
at  the  rapid  rate  of  six  miles  a  day  until  they  stopped  and  he 
caught  up  with  them!" 

Throughout  the  whole  struggle  Stevens  was  bending 
his  best  energies  to  remove  the  cause.  No  man  knew  bet- 
ter where  it  lay.  "Now  is  the  time  to  get  rid  of  slavery. 
There  can  be  no  solid  peace,  no  permanent  union  so  long 
as  it  remains.  Let  our  generals  liberate  the  slaves  that  flee 
to  them  and  arm  them  against  the  enemy.  We  shall  never 
conquer  until  we  adopt  a  new  method.  Southern  soldiers 
are  as  brave  as  ours,  their  leaders  as  intelligent.  The 
swamps  and  mountains  will  be  their  allies.  The  climate  will 
kill  our  armies  off.  We  keep  a  vast  army  at  home  to  till  the 
field  and  run  the  factory ;  but  every  white  man  in  the  south 
can  fight  and  not  a  single  hand  be  missed  from  the  planta- 
tions. The  slave  does  not  carry  a  gun  but  he  is  the  main- 
stay of  the  war.  Call  him  to  your  side  and  let  him  fight 
for  his  freedom.  He  will  not  prove  inhuman.  I  do  not 
look  to  see  the  day  when  in  a  Christian  land  merit  shall 
counterbalance  the  crime  of  color;  but  give  him  an  equal 
chance  to  meet  death  in  battle.  Let  him  find  equality  in 
the  grave — the  only  place  where  all  the  children  of  God  are 
equal."  For  more  than  a  week,  against  every  form  of 
obstruction  and  opposition,  Stevens  stood  on  the  floor  of 
the  house  and  battled  for  negro  enlistment.  Finally  the 
measure  passed,  and  the  humane  valor  of  hundreds  of  thou- 
sands of  black  soldiers  vindicated  its  justice  and  its  wisdom. 


THADDEUS  STEVENS.  75 

Slowly  but  steadily  Congress  and  the  country  moved  to- 
wards the  great  goal — emancipation.  First  the  House  and 
Senate  resolved  that  Federal  aid  be  extended  to  any  state 
that  would  voluntarily  adopt  a  measure  for  gradual 
emancipation.  Stevens  said  it  was  "the  most  diluted  milk 
and  water  gruel  proposition  ever  offered  to  the  American 
people ;"  but  he  voted  for  it.  Then  he  moved  to  abolish  slavery 
in  the  District  of  Columbia,  and  it  was  done.  Then  he  sup- 
ported Lovejoy's  bill  prohibiting  slavery  in  the  territories, 
and  it  passed.  Then  Lincoln  warned  the  rebel  states  that 
unless  they  laid  down  their  arms  by  January  first  he  would 
set  their  slaves  free.  January  first  came  and  he  kept  his 
word.  From  that  hour  the  God  of  Battles  smiled  upon 
our  cause.  The  crest  of  the  rebellion  broke  on  the  field 
of  Gettysburg  and  the  long  refluent  wave  of  confederate 
disaster  and  defeat  began  its  ebbing  course.  The  next  day 
Vicksburg  fell  and  the  morning  of  deliverance  began  to 
break.  But  Lincoln's  proclamation  did  not  affect  the  slave 
states  that  were  not  in  the  rebellion.  There  slavery  still  re- 
mained. His  right  to  issue  the  proclamation  at  all  was  cer- 
tain to  be  questioned  in  days  to  come.  There  was  only  one 
way  to  set  the  matter  at  rest  and  that  was  by  constitutional 
amendment.  The  North  was  ready  for  emancipation  now. 
The  thirteenth  amendment  which  makes  slavery  forever  im- 
possible under  the  Stars  and  Stripes  stands  to-day  almost  in 
the  very  words  in  which  Stevens  cast  his  motion. 

Reconstruction!  Never  since  the  constitution  was 
adopted  had  the  statesmen  of  this  country  been  called  upon 
to  face  so  grave  a  question.  It  had  shown  itself  in  Con- 
gress as  early  as  the  second  year  of  the  war.  We  gained 
a  foothold  in  Louisiana  and  the  attempt  was  made  to  erect 


76  THE  VERMONT  HISTORICAL.  SOCIETY. 

a  loyal  government  there.  Congress  and  the  President  were 
not  agreed.  The  war  was  yet  to  be  fought  out  and  so  the 
question  was  put  aside  for  the  time  being.  When  it  came 
up  again  Lincoln  was  in  his  grave  and  a  president  of  another 
sort  was  in  his  seat.  Congress  and  Lincoln  might  have 
come  together.  Congress  and  Johnson  never  could.  He 
began  by  threatening  to  hang  all  the  rebels.  Ben  Wade, 
you  remember,  advised  him  to  content  himself  with  a  baker's 
dozen  and  kindly  offered  to  name  the  right  ones.  In  six 
weeks  Johnson  had  turned  completely  round  and  from  that 
time  on  was  the  champion  of  the  south.  He  tried  to  go 
on  without  Congress.  He  said  "The  war  is  over.  The 
southern  states  stand  just  where  they  did  to  start  with.  They 
have  all  and  the  same  rights  with  the  rest.  There  is  noth- 
ing to  do  but  repair  their  state  machines  a  little  and  set  them 
going."  He  called  on  the  south  to  do  it.  The  same  men 
who  had  headed  the  rebellion  were  the  ones  that  were  to  do 
the  work.  It  was  soon  done.  New  governments  were 
quickly  running  in  all  the  rebellious  states  and  senators  and 
representatives  were  chosen.  Now  up  to  this  time  there 
was  little  sentiment  in  the  north  in  favor  of  negro  suffrage. 
But  emancipation  was  another  matter.  The  north  could  not 
forget  that  slavery  had  been  the  root  and  cause  of  the  re- 
bellion and  it  did  watch  with  anxiety  to  see  whether 
emancipation  was  to  be  a  theory  only  or  a  fact.  It  did  not 
have  long  to  wait.  As  soon  as  Johnson's  legislatures  could 
put  pen  to  paper  they  had  the  negro  back  in  his  chains. 
Under  the  thin  disguise  of  vagrant  and  apprentice  laws  they 
resumed  over  the  black  race  a  dominion  as  absolute  and  in 
some  respects  more  cruel  than  the  old.  They  did  not  even 
pretend  to  treat  the  races  as  equal  before  the  law.    They 


THADDEUS  STEVENS.  77 

made  one  law  for  the  white  man  and  another  for  the  black. 
Let  me  remind  you  of  a  single  instance.  If  a  white  man 
broke  his  contract  with  a  negro  it  was  only  ground  for  a 
civil  suit.  If  a  negro  broke  his  contract  with  a  white  man 
he  could  be  whipped  with  thirty  lashes  or  put  to  labor  for 
a  year.  Such  was  the  first  fruit  of  the  presidential  plan. 
It  did  not  taste  well  on  the  lips  of  those  who  had  given  their 
own  blood,  or  blood  that  was  dearer  than  their  own,  to 
make  every  foot  of  the  republic  free. 

Congress  came  together.  It  was  December,  1865. 
Would  the  new  members  be  seated  ?  Would  Johnson's  new 
governments  be  recognized?  Stevens  sat  with  a  great  ma- 
jority behind  him,  the  undisputed  leader  of  the  House.  He 
wished  to  gain  time.  He  wanted  the  president's  policy  to 
have  a  chance  to  bring  its  bitter  fruit  to  ripeness  before  the 
contest  with  the  White  House  should  be  on.  Before  the 
President's  message  could  be  received  he  put  through  his 
resolution  for  a  joint  committee.  It  was  to  look  into  the 
condition  of  the  southern  states  and  report  whether  they 
were  entitled  to  representation  in  either  house.  Till  then  no 
member  from  an  ex-confederate  state  should  be  received. 
He  was  at  the  head  of  the  committee  on  the  part  of  the 
House.  Before  the  session  was  two  days'  old  he  had 
brought  forward  a  series  of  amendments  to  the  constitution. 
They  would  have  changed  the  basis  of  representation  in 
Congress  so  that  the  south  would  have  no  seats  there  on 
the  basis  of  her  black  population  unless  she  gave  them  the 
ballot.  They  forbade  the  payment  of  the  rebel  debt.  They 
declared  all  citizens  of  whatever  race  or  color  equal  be- 
fore the  law.  These  he  said  were  the  conditions  on  which 
the  rebel  states  should  be  received.    Even  then,  you  must 


78  THE  VERMONT  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY. 

notice,  he  did  not  propose  to  compel  the  south  to  adopt  negro 
suffrage.  He  would  leave  it  for  her  to  say  whether  she 
would  enfranchise  the  negro  and  have  eighty-three  seats  or 
refuse  to  do  it  and  content  herself  with  forty-six.  If  his 
form  of  amendment  had  been  adhered  to  this  would  have 
been  the  result.  Unfortunately  it  was  changed  and  under 
its  provisions  time  has  defeated  the  old  commoner's  purpose. 
To-day  nobody  in  the  south  pretends  the  negro  is  allowed  to 
vote  and  yet  the  south  holds  nearly  half  her  seats  in  Con- 
gress and  wields  half  her  political  power  by  virtue  of  the 
very  race  that  she  excludes. 

On  the  30th  of  April,  1866,  Stevens  reported  to  the 
House  the  famous  fourteenth  amendment  substantially  as  we 
have  it  now, — that  sublime  guarantee  of  freedom  and 
equality  worthy  to  be  inscribed  in  letters  of  gold  and  sure 
to  be  revered  by  after  ages  with  the  Petition  of  Right  and 
Magna  Charta.  How  was  it  treated  by  these  states  that 
were  demanding  recognition?  Every  one  rejected  it.  In 
some  of  the  legislatures  there  was  not  a  solitary  vote  in  its 
support.  If  such  was  the  temper  of  the  white  people  of 
the  south,  what  hope  was  left  that  free  governments  could 
be  established  there  at  all?  Think  for  a  moment  what  it 
meant.  Consider  the  attitude  taken  by  the  southern  states. 
What  they  said,  in  effect,  was  this:  We  will  not  consent 
that  the  war  debt  of  the  Union  shall  be  paid.  We  reserve 
the  right  to  make  the  country  pay  our  own  debt  when  we 
get  the  power.  We  will  not  give  a  single  black  man  the 
ballot ;  yet  we  claim  the  right  to  send  representatives  to  Con- 
gress for  the  black  as  well  as  for  the  white.  We  have  passed 
these  laws  annulling  emancipation  and  we  propose  to  en- 
force them.     What  are  you  going  to  do  about  it? 


THADDEUS  STEVENS.  79 

Stevens  said,  "There  is  only  one  thing  to  do.  Give 
every  black  man  the  ballot.  Not  otherwise  can  we  protect 
him  in  the  freedom  we  have  given  him.  Without  him  the 
Union  has  not  friends  enough  in  the  south  to  organize  loyal 
government.  With  his  aid  free  constitutions  may  be 
adopted."  It  is  easy  now  to  say  that  suffrage  ought  not 
to  have  been  conferred  upon  the  black  man  all  at  once.  But 
what  should  we  have  done?  That  was  the  condition  that 
confronted  them,  statesmen  as  wise  and  brave  as  ever  sat  in 
council.  It  was  not  a  question  between  allowing  free  gov- 
ernment to  be  set  up  and  carried  on  by  the  white  race  on 
the  one  hand  or  the  black  race  on  the  other ;  it  was  a  question 
whether  there  should  be  free  government  at  all;  it  was  a 
question  whether  the  war  had  been  won  or  lost.  It  was  a 
question  whether  we  were  still  in  the  clutches  of  the  merci- 
less power  that  had  held  free  institutions  by  the  throat  for 
seventy  years, — whether  the  dead  had  really  died  in  vain, 
and  whether  government  of  the  people  by  the  people  and 
for  the  people  had  not  perished  from  the  earth. 

Then  it  was  that  Stevens  made  his  great  plea  for  uni- 
versal suffrage — the  same  ground  he  had  taken  in  the  con- 
stitutional convention  for  Pennsylvania  thirty  years  before. 
It  was  the  speech  that  to  all  appearances  would  be  his.  last. 
He  was  white  and  haggard,  worn  and  broken  by  his  vast 
labors  in  the  cause  of  freedom.  There  was  little  hope  that 
another  session  would  find  him  in  his  place.  The  house  was 
hushed  to  hear  his  farewell  message  and  his  words  came 
with  unparalleled  solemnity  and  power.  "I  desire  to  make 
one  more,  perhaps  an  expiring,  effort  to  do  something  use- 
ful for  my  fellow  men.  It  is  easy  to  protect  the  rich  and 
the  powerful;  it  is  labor  to  guard  the  down-trodden  and 


80  THE  VERMONT  HISTORICAL,  SOCIETY. 

the  poor, — the  eternal  labor  of  Sisyphus,  forever  to  be  re- 
newed. I  believe  we  must  all  account  hereafter  for  the 
deeds  done  in  the  body.  I  desire  to  take  to  the  bar  of 
final  settlement  the  record  I  shall  make  here  to-day  on  this 
great  question  of  human  rights.  It  cannot  atone  for  half 
my  errors,  but  some  palliation  it  may  be.  Who  is  there  that 
will  venture  to  take  this  list  with  his  negative  seal  upon  it 
and  unroll  it  before  that  stern  judge  who  is  the  father  of 
the  immortal  beings  they  have  trampled  under  foot, — whose 
souls  they  have  been  crushing  out  ?" 

Congress  was  not  ready  for  the  measure  then  and  it 
went  over  to  the  next  session.  Meantime  a  political  cam- 
paign almost  without  a  parallel  in  the  history  of  the  country 
had  brought  the  north  to  the  position  occupied  by  Stevens. 
Johnson  himself  had  opposed  the  fourteenth  amendment. 
Three  of  his  cabinet  had  broken  with  him  on  the  question 
and  resigned.  He  had  made  his  appeal  to  the  country 
against  what  he  called  the  tyranny  of  Congress.  The  chief 
humorist  of  the  day  said  the  question  was  whether  political 
power  should  be  concentrated  in  the  Senate  and  House  of 
Representatives  or  whether  it  should  be  diffused  through 
the  person  of  the  President.  The  country  thought  such 
concentration  safer  than  such  diffusion — especially  as  Con- 
gress was  for  saving  the  fruits  of  the  war,  and  the  Presi- 
dent was  for  throwing  them  away.  Stevens  himself  had 
been  too  feeble  to  take  any  part  in  the  campaign.  As  it 
proved,  he  had  little  more  than  a  year  to  live.  But  he 
husbanded  his  failing  strength  and  took  his  seat  once  more. 
He  looked  more  like  a  spirit  than  a  man,  but  he  was  the 
spirit  of  a  united  north  now — a  north  that  had  come  at 
last  to  espousal  of  the  very  principles  for  which  during  more 


THADDEUS  STEVENS.  81 

than  forty  years  he  had  been  as  the  voice  of  one  crying  in 
the  wilderness.  His  theory  of  reconstruction  was  adopted. 
The  southern  states  were  recognized  as  conquered  provinces. 
They  were  divided  into  military  districts  under  generals  of 
the  army  charged  with  the  maintenance  of  law  and  order. 
They  were  not  to  be  recognized  as  states  until  they  should 
ratify  the  fourteenth  amendment  and  adopt  constitutions  in 
harmony  with  it.  In  framing  their  new  constitutions  the 
blacks  must  be  allowed  to  vote  as  well  as  the  whites,  and 
their  constitutions,  when  adopted,  must  wipe  out  all  dis- 
tinctions of  race  and  color  and  guarantee  equal  rights  to 
all.  This  was  that  momentous  reconstruction  bill,  which, 
passing  house  and  senate  over  Johnson's  veto,  became  the 
law  of  the  land,  the  full,  ripe  harvest  of  the  seed  that  had 
been  sown  in  the  proud  ordinances  of  secession. 

The  old  commoner's  work  was  done.  And  yet  we  are 
to  have  a  final  glimpse  of  him  in  another  role,  perhaps  the 
most  dramatic  and  impressive  of  all, — as  he  stood  at  the 
bar  of  the  senate  to  impeach  Andrew  Johnson,  President 
of  the  United  States,  of  high  crimes  and  misdemeanors  in 
office.  It  was  February,  1868,  and  Stevens  died  in  August. 
Already  the  hand  of  death  was  on  him.  Day  after  day  dur- 
ing the  trial  that  succeeded  he  was  carried  to  and  from  the 
senate  in  a  chair.  Such  was  the  tenacity  of  life  in  his 
wasted  frame  that  he  turned  to  the  stalwart  negroes  who 
bore  him  and  asked,  "Who  will  carry  me,  boys,  when  you 
are  dead  and  gone  ?"  The  representatives  of  the  people  had 
been  roused  to  fury  by  Johnson's  long,  bitter,  obstinate 
resistance  to  the  people's  will.  Finally  they  had  voted  to 
impeach  him.  It  was  Stevens  who  had  checkmated  him 
at  every  play.     For  three  years,  almost,  at  the  head  of 


82  THE  VERMONT  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY. 

a  loyal  and  determined  house  he  had  thwarted  him  in  every 
attempt  to  nullify  the  results  of  war.  Again  and  again  he 
had  met  and  over-ridden  his  veto  with  the  constitution  at 
two-thirds  majority.  It  was  fitting  that  it  should  be  re- 
served for  him  to  rise  from  his  deathbed  to  bring  to  the  bar 
of  the  senate  that  unique  and  tremendous  accusation.  He 
did  it  like  the  great  lawyer  that  he  was.  "Who  can  forget," 
said  Charles  Sumner,  "his  steady,  solemn  utterances  of  that 
great  arraignment?  I  doubt  if  words  were  ever  delivered 
with  more  effect.  They  were  few  but  they  will  resound 
through  the  ages." 

When  Congress  took  its  recess  near  the  end  of  July, 
Stevens  was  too  weak  to  be  taken  to  Pennsylvania.  The 
others  scattered  to  their  homes.  He  staid  behind  in  Wash- 
ington, and  there  in  a  few  days  he  died.  Undaunted  to  the 
last  he  said:  "I  am  going  to  die  in  harness.  I  mean  to 
die  hurrahing."  A  few  of  his  kin  were  by  him.  Two  sis- 
ters of  charity  watched  at  his  side.  Two  colored  clergy- 
men came  and  asked  leave  to  say  a  prayer  for  him,  and  he 
gave  them  his  hand.  One  of  the  sisters  took  a  glass  of  wa- 
ter and  tenderly  baptized  him,  and  like  a  little  child  falling 
asleep  in  his  mother's  arms  that  indomitable  spirit  passed 
away. 

It  was  a  sweet  and  fitting  act  to  touch  his  rugged  brow 
with  the  sign  of  our  redemption;  but  I  cannot  think  they 
would  have  missed  it  in  the  world  to  which  he  went.  For 
the  motive  that  inspired  Thaddeus  Stevens's  life  was,  in 
the  profoundest  sense,  a  religious  one.  He  was  not  im- 
pressed by  the  signs  and  symbols  of  religion;  he  was  not 
convinced  by  the  creeds  in  which  the  subtlest  intellects  of  two 
thousand  years  have  expressed  their  belief  in  a  spiritual 


THADDEUS  STEVENS.  83 

world;  he  was  not  a  mystic,  lost  in  solitary  contemplation 
of  the  divine  presence ;  he  was  not  a  poet  captivated  by  the 
beautiful  mythology  that  gathers  about  any  faith  that  finds  a 
home  in  the  heart  of  man.     But  religion  speaks  with  a  thou- 
sand voices;  it  has  its  own  appropriate  appeal  for  every 
human  soul.     To  Thaddeus  Stevens  the  Son  of  Man  came 
in  the  likeness  of  the  poor  and  enslaved  of  his  own  genera- 
tion.    In  their  unhappy  faces,  with  their  beseeching,  black 
and  bruised  hands,  he  made  to  Thaddeus  Stevens  his  ap- 
peal, and  he  did  not  appeal  in  vain.     The  consecration  of 
a  divine,  unselfish  purpose  kindled  his  brain  and  touched  his 
lips  with  the  fire  of  prophecy.     It  is  a  false  and  shallow 
view  that  looks  upon  this  man  merely  as  a  fierce  and  bitter 
partisan,  or  as  a  keen,  determined  lawyer,  or  even  as  a  sound, 
farseeing  statesmen.     He  was  something  more  than  these; 
he  was  a  witness  to  the  truth.     He  was  caught  up  by  a 
breath  of  that  great  spirit  that  is  forever  moving  over  the 
face  of  the  human  deep  lifting  now  one  and  now  another  to 
be  leader  and  a  light  to  the  wandering  and  shipwrecked  race. 
He  felt  himself  upborne  on  the  wings  of  eternal  truth.  The 
words  he  spoke  were  not  his  own  but  the  words  of  justice, 
that  cannot  fail.     Heaven  and  earth  might  pass  away,  but 
its  words  would  not  pass  away .     Apostle  or  martyr  was  never 
persuaded  of  the  necessity  or  the  sanctity  of  his  witness. 
That  is  what  electrified  his  hearers.     That  is  what  gave  him, 
on    his    great    day    at    Harrisburg,    the    appearance  of    a 
descended  God.     That  is  what  forced  Senator  Dawes  to 
say  of  him :    "There  were  moments  when  he  did  not  look 
like    any    other    man    I    ever    saw    and    scarcely    like    a 
man  at  all."      God   gave  him  to   see  with  unobstructed 
vision  the  absolute  equality  in  which  all  men  stand  before 


84  THE  VERMONT  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY. 

their  Maker  and  in  which  they  shall  one  day  stand  before 
the  law.  For  that  ideal  he  battled.  And  when  he  was  near 
his  end  he  pledged  his  friends  to  bury  him,  not  with  the  pros- 
perous and  powerful,  not  in  any  burial  place  that  would 
exclude  the  race  for  which  he  had  labored,  but  in  a  certain 
small  and  obscure  graveyard  where  the  dead  of  every  class 
and  color  were  received.  And  so  they  did.  His  very  grave 
stands  as  a  witness  to  the  principles  he  fought  for  in  his  life. 
To  that  humble  far  off  resting-place  our  thoughts  go 
out  from  this  assembly  with  peculiar  tenderness  and  pride. 
We  think  of  his  boyhood  of  poverty  and  promise,  of  genius 
and  deformity.  We  think  of  the  mother  whose  unquestion- 
ing sacrifice  made  all  his  triumphs  possible.  We  see  him  far 
from  home,  struggling  for  a  foothold  among  strangers, 
forging  his  way  over  every  opposition  to  the  first  place  at 
the  bar.  We  see  him  defending  the  forlorn  and  helpless  fugi- 
tive in  the  court  of  justice,  freely  devoting  to  the  defence  of 
liberty  the  skill  and  learning  and  eloquence  which  all  the 
money  of  oppression  could  not  buy;  and  when  the  law 
claims  its  victim  we  see  him  paying  the  ransom  out  of  his 
own  slender  store.  We  see  him  standing  up  alone  against 
an  unjust  movement  of  the  people  and  by  the  single  might 
of  moral  earnestness  defeating  it  and  putting  it  to  shame. 
We  see  him  refusing  to  put  his  name  to  a  state  constitution 
that  presumes  to  draw  a  line  between  the  sons  of  men  ac- 
cording to  the  color  of  their  skin.  We  see  him  at  last  in 
the  halls  of  Congress  facing  the  fiery  and  despotic  south  with 
a  spirit  as  intense  and  uncompromising  as  its  own.  We  see 
him  returning  to  those  halls  again  after  years  of  silence, 
the  infirmity  of  age  upon  his  body  but  the  fire  of  an  exalted 
purpose  in  his  soul,  determined  to  die  in  harness  now  that  the 


THADDEUS  STEVENS.  85 

battle  is  really  on.  We  think  of  the  marvellous  foresight 
that  took  in  every  element  of  the  problem  and  had  it  solved 
before  his  fellow  statesmen  understood  its  terms.  We  hear 
him  day  by  day  and  month  after  month  expounding  his  prin- 
ciples, preparing  the  way  for  the  measures  that  he  knew 
must  come,  waiting  with  patience  till  the  country  was  ready 
to  adopt  his  view,  and  then  pouring  the  hot  lava  of  free- 
dom into  the  mold  of  unassailable  and  enduring  law.  We 
think  of  his  wit,  his  eloquence,  his  logic,  his  skill,  the  cour- 
age that  never  wavered,  the  resources  that  never  failed, 
all  dedicated  to  a  lofty  and  unselfish  plan — the  iron  will  that 
nothing  could  bend  or  shatter  and  underneath  the  stern 
forbidding  countenance  the  heart  as  tender  as  a  child's ! 
Then,  indeed,  we  are  eager  to  stretch  out  our  hands  and 
claim  him.  Sleep  sweetly  in  your  unfrequented  grave 
among  the  poorest  of  God's  creatures.  If  no  sculptor  has 
given  your  rugged  figure  to  the  eyes  of  men,  if  no  poet  has 
sung  your  praises,  if  the  dark  despairing  multitudes  for 
whom  you  strove  never  knew  of  their  benefactor,  you 
would  not  care  for  that.  Your  work  still  stands  in  the  very 
framework  of  free  government  where  you  imbedded  it. 
Your  spirit  still  lives  in  millions  who  accept  without  a  ques- 
tion the  principles  you  vindicated  against  the  greatest  odds. 
And  here  among  the  hills  where  you  were  born,  where  in 
your  youth  you  girded  up  your  loins  and  went  forth  to  battle, 
men  still  love  liberty  and  hate  oppression, — still  cherish  the 
grand  ideal  of  absolute  justice  and  equal  rights  for  all  that 
made  your  life  heroic.  You  were  worthy  of  Vermont  and 
Vermont  is  proud  of  her  son. 


PREHISTORIC    VERMONT 

Evidences  of  Early  Occupation  by 
Indian  Tribes 

BY 

GEORGE  HENRY  PERKINS,  Ph.  D. 


*<» 


-frS 


PREHISTORIC    VERMONT. 


That  the  area  now  covered  by  the  state  of  Vermont 
was  more  or  less  fully  occupied  by  Indian  tribes  long  be- 
fore it  was  seen  by  white  men  is  conclusively  proved  by 
remains  of  village  sites,  camp  grounds  and  thousands  of 
objects  fashioned  from  shell,  copper,  bone,  earthenware  and 
most  of  all,  of  stone.  These,  now  found  buried  in  the  earth, 
were  in  common  use  when  the  first  Europeans  wandered 
hither.  Village  sites  are  few  and  it  seems  probable  that  for 
many  years  previous  to  the  coming  of  Europeans  the  per- 
manent villages  were  few  and  small. 

The  savage  allies  who  journeyed  with  Champlain  when 
he  made  that  well  known  first  visit  to  the  lake  which  bears 
his  name  explained  this.  They  told  him,  that  because  of 
long  continued  feuds  between  themselves,  Algonquins,  and 
the  Iroquois  who  lived  on  the  west  side  of  the  lake,  the  re- 
gion about  it  was  not  inhabitable.  This  does  not  account 
however  for  the  apparently  similar  absence  of  villages  from 
the  eastern  part  of  Vermont.  Still  there  may  have  been  a 
similar  condition  of  things  in  the  Connecticut  River  Valley. 
At  any  rate,  whatever  was  the  cause,  the  fact  remains  that 
few  evidences  of  long  continued  settlement  have  been  found 
anywhere  in  the  State. 

Camping  grounds,  some  of  which  were  undoubtedly 

occupied  season  after  season  and  for  months  continuously, 

are  numerous.     The  early  inhabitants  of  Vermont  appear  to 

have  been  accustomed  to  spend  the  coldest  part  of  the  win- 
6 


90  THE  VERMONT  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY. 

ters  in  the  dense  forests  and  in  the  spring  or  early  summer 
to  have  moved  from  their  shelter  to  some  pond  or  lake 
where  fishing  was  good  and  near  which  there  could  be 
found  fertile  soil.  Here  they  brought  their  skin  tents  and 
what  few  possessions  they  had  and  settled  down  for 
the  season.  The  squaws  made  such  rude  clearings  as  they 
could  with  the  stone  implements  which  the  men  had 
fashioned  and  scratching  over  the  surface  of  the  rough 
ground,  they  planted  corn,  melons,  squashes,  tobacco  and 
possibly  a  few  other  vegetables  and  waited  for  the  growing 
and  maturing  of  the  crops.  The  squaws  did  the  farm 
work,  all  of  it,  the  men  went  hunting,  fishing  or  on  the  war 
path  or  in  default  of  these  occupations,  lounged  about  the 
camp.  In  the  fall,  the  fruits  of  both  agriculture  and  hunt- 
ing were  packed  in  bundles  and  with  the  other  property, 
carried  into  winter  quarters,  that  is  into  the  thick  spruce 
forests.  Here  the  winter  was  passed  in  idleness  for  the 
most  part,  story  telling,  working  on  stone  implements  or 
sleeping.  All  the  early  writers  tell  us  that  these  people 
were  surprisingly  improvident  and  that  while  during  the 
early  part  of  the  winter,  when  food  was  plenty,  they  gorged 
thmselves  by  continual  feasting,  during  the  latter  weeks, 
the  food  supply  having  usually  given  out,  they  almost 
starved.  Although  only  a  very  small  part  of  what  is  now 
Vermont  was  occupied  for  any  long  time  by  the  Indians  a 
considerable  part  of  its  area  was  crossed  and  recrossed  by 
trails  leading  from  friendly  villages  to  others  of  like  mind 
or,  and  perhaps  more  often,  the  paths  were  the  thorough- 
fares of  war  parties  seeking  plunder,  blood  and  revenge. 
As  it  was  less  laborious  and  much  safer  to  travel  in  canoes 
than  on  foot  the  longer  journeys  were  always  made,  so 


PREHISTORIC  VERMONT.  91 

far  as  possible,  by  lakes  and  streams.  There  can  be  no 
doubt  that  by  far  the  most  commonly  traversed  route  was 
that  which  led  through  Lake  Champlain,  for  here  they  could 
paddle  their  canoes  at  leisure,  while  far  enough  from  either 
shore  to  be  out  of  danger  of  ambush  or  sudden  attack  from 
the  enemies.  Most  of  these  lines  of  travel  led  from  the 
villages  or  camps  about  the  St.  Lawrence  to  those  in  eastern 
New  York  or  southern  New  England.  Hence  the  main 
object  of  the  wandering  tribes  was  to  get  from  North  to 
South  or  the  reverse.  When  the  Algonquins  of  the  north 
set  forth  on  a  raid  upon  the  Iroquois  they  went  through 
the  St.  Lawrence  west  as  far  as  what  they  called  the  River 
of  the  Iroquois  and  paddling  their  canoes  up  this  into 
Lake  Champlain  they  proceeded  as  far  south  as  they  chose 
and  then  landed  and  marched  into  the  Adirondack  forests 
toward  the  villages  west  of  the  lake.  Or  if  they  had  other 
matters  in  view  they  paddled  south  through  the  lake  till 
they  reached  the  mouth  of  the  Winooski.  Then  they  turned 
eastward  and  followed  the  windings  of  that  stream  as  far 
as  they  could  and  if  they  wished  to  go  farther,  they  made 
a  not  long  carry  over  to  the  White  River  and  down  this  into 
the  Connecticut  and  on  to  the  Sound  if  they  chose  to  sail 
so  far.  Another  not  uncommon  route  appears  to  have  been 
by  the  lake  as  far  as  Otter  Creek,  then  up  to  its  head  waters, 
thence  by  carry  to  the  Black  River,  thence  to  the  Connecticut 
and  southward  as  they  chose.  More  easterly  courses  were 
from  the  St.  Lawrence  via  the  St.  Francis  into  Memphre- 
magog  and  south  through  that  lake  to  the  Clyde  or  Barton 
Rivers  and  so  on  by  carries  and  streams  to  the  Connecticut 
or  beyond.     Other  shorter  routes  were  numerous. 


92  THE  VERMONT  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY. 

As  would  be  expected,  by  far  the  larger  number  of 
the  specimens  that  are  in  our  collections  were  found  along 
the  river  valleys  or  in  the  vicinity  of  lakes.  In  number 
and  quality  these  specimens  surprise  one  not  familiar  with 
Vermont  relics.  No  other  New  England  state  has  given 
to  the  collector  such  variety  of  form  and  character,  or  such 
elegance  of  finish  as  may  be  found  in  any  large  collection 
of  Vermont  Indian  relics.  Most  of  the  objects  were  I  make 
little  doubt  made  and  used  by  the  Iroquois  and  Algonquins, 
but  there  are  some  which  appear  to  have  been  obtained  either 
by  trade  with  other  and  distant  tribes  or  to  have  been  taken 
in  war.  Archaeologically  I  think  that  Vermont,  the  Cham- 
plain  Valley  at  any  rate,  is  more  closely  allied  with  New 
York  and  the  west  than  with  the  rest  of  New  England.  I 
do  not  intend  when  speaking  of  the  elegance  of  some  of 
our  archaeological  specimens  to  intimate  that  all  are  of  this 
sort.  Quite  the  contrary  is  true.  By  far  the  larger  part 
of  our  specimens  are  rude,  some  of  them  very  rude,  but  those 
that  are  made  with  most  care  and  of  finest  material  equal 
the  best  found  anywhere  in  the  country.  I  have  mentioned 
evidence  of  some  sort  of  trade  with  other  and  distant  tribes. 
This  is  found  in  objects  made  from  materials  not  occurring 
near  Vermont.  Pieces  of  white  coral  more  or  less  worked 
have  been  found  near  Burlington.  Native  copper  is  not 
found  in  place  anywhere  this  side  of  Lake  Superior  but 
chisels,  gouges,  awls,  beads,  etc.,  of  this  copper  are  found 
in  several  parts  of  the  State.  So,  too,  occasionally,  a  spear 
point  or  a  knife  has  been  found  quite  unlike  most  of  those 
so  commonly  discovered  here,  not  only  finely  formed,  but 
made  from  some  of  the  brightly  colored  stones  of  the  Ohio 
Valley.     Copper  objects  are  nowhere  common,  but  we  have 


PREHISTORIC  VERMONT.  93 

a  dozen  or  two  of  knives,  spear  heads,  bars,  chisels,  etc.,  and 
a  larger  number  of  beads.  For  many  years  no  objects  of 
bone  were  found,  but  we  have  now  a  very  respectable  col- 
lection of  awls,  pottery,  stamps  and  other  objects  made 
from  bone.  Most  of  these  have  been  found  by  one  of  my 
collectors,  Mr.  Griffin,  near  Malletts  Bay  at  an  old  camp- 
ing ground  which  he  discovered  there.  The  big  leg  bones 
of  deer  appear  to  have  furnished  material  for  most  of  these, 
though  the  tines  of  the  horns  were  also  much  used. 

Many  pages  might  easily  be  written  upon  the  pottery 
of  our  former  inhabitants,  but  only  brief  mention  of  the 
many  varieties  of  patterns,  seen  on  the  hundreds  of  fragments 
which  have  been  picked  up  can  be  made  here.  No  painted 
pottery  or  that  ornamented  with  raised  figures  or  made  in 
the  forms  of  animals  such  as  has  so  often  been  found  in 
the  west,  ever  occurs  here.  Our  ware  is  always  decorated 
by  indented  or  stamped  figures  or  lines  in  more  or  less 
geometrical  patterns.  Thus  we  find  lines,  circles,  dots,  tri- 
angles, crescents,  zig-zags,  serrations,  etc.,  arranged  in  end- 
lessly varying  designs.  Without  illustrations  it  is  impos- 
sible to  give  any  adequate  conception  of  the  variety  and 
character  of  these  ancient  attempts  at  artistic  work.  Our 
jars  are  of  all  sizes  from  little  ones  that  would  hold  less  than 
a  pint  to  those  that  hold  12-15  quarts. 

Our  earthenware  is  nearly  always  in  pieces,  only  three 
entire  specimens  found  in  Vermont  being  at  present  in  ex- 
istence, but  many  of  the  fragments  are  so  large  that  the 
form  and  ornamentation  can  be  easily  understood.  More- 
over sometimes,  several  bits  are  found  that  may  be  put  to- 
gether and  thus  a  large  part  of  the  original  jar  be  restored. 
The  form  in  this  region  was  always  globular,  at  least  the 


94  THE  VERMONT  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY. 

lower  part  is,  the  upper  may  be  square  or  even  pentagonal 
and  those  that  are  more  elaborately  shaped  are  always  more 
carefully  ornamented  than  others.  The  paste  from  which 
these  jars  were  made  was  always  the  same  or  nearly  so. 
It  consisted  of  finer  or  coarser  bits  of  quartz,  feldspar,  mica 
and  sometimes  other  materials,  all  obviously  obtained  by 
pounding  up  pieces  of  granite  or  some  similar  stone  and 
mixing  this  with  more  or  less  clay.  Naturally  the  fine  or 
coarse  character  of  the  jar  depends  upon  the  make-up  of 
the  paste.  Finally  the  whole  was  coated  outside  and  in- 
side with  fine  clay  in  order  that  a  smooth  surface  may  be 
produced.  After  the  jar  was  formed  from  a  mass  of  this 
mixture  and  coated  it  must  have  been  allowed  to  dry  par- 
tially and  then  upon  the  soft  surface  the  pattern  was  im- 
pressed. Then  the  dish  was  burned.  In  some  of  the  jars 
there  is  little  decoration  except  around  the  always  thick 
rim.  In  others  the  figures  may  cover  nearly  the  entire  sur- 
face and  some  are  decorated  inside  the  rim.  The  rim  itself 
may  be  dentellated,  scalloped  or  otherwise  worked  into 
ornamental  shape.  Every  now  and  then  some  new  find  of 
pottery  fragments  discloses  new  designs.  I  am  sure  that  no 
one  can  examine  a  collection  of  Vermont  pottery  of  the  olden 
time  without  realizing  the  skill  and  real  artistic  feeling  of 
the  makers  and  also  the  endlessly  varied  designs  wrought 
upon  the  surfaces  of  the  jars.  Not  only  globular  jars  were 
fashioned  by  the  potters,  who  were  usually,  if  not  always 
squaws,  but  pipes  of  earthenware  are  not  very  uncommon. 
These  are  usually  of  the  finest  material  and  often  are  ex- 
ceedingly well  made.  When  such  vases  and  jars  as  those 
the  Indians  made  could  be  so  easily  fashioned  from  the  clay 
paste  it  would  seem  a  waste  of  labor  to  work  stone  into 


PREHISTORIC  VERMONT.  95 

dishes  and  yet  we  do  find  a  few  of  this  harder  material. 
These  are  of  quite  different  shape  from  the  deep  jars  of 
earthenware,  being  more  like  the  modern  wooden  chopping 
dishes,  shallow  and  thick.  All  are  made  from  soapstone. 
As  has  already  been  suggested,  most  of  the  implements  and 
also  weapons  and  ornaments  were  fashioned  from  some  of 
the  harder  sorts  of  stone.  Flint,  quartzite,  white  and 
crystaline  quartz  and  even  agate  and  jasper  were  used  more 
than  any  other  rocks  for  the  smaller  objects,  while  granite, 
greenstone,  trap  or  other  hard,  fine  grained  stones  were 
used  for  the  axes,  celts  and  other  large  objects.  Softer  ma- 
terials were  also  occasionally  taken,  usually  when  the  ob- 
ject to  be  made  was  designed  more  for  ornament  than  use. 
Slate,  talcose  rock,  soapstone  and  the  like  were  all  more  or 
less  in  use.  Some  of  the  pipes,  amulets,  gouges  and  even 
what  appear  to  have  been  used  as  knives  were  made  from 
these  softer  materials  and  many  of  them  are  well  nigh  per- 
fect in  regularity  or  form  and  elegance  of  finish.  No 
modern  sculptor  could  carve  from  the  rough  mass  any 
more  perfect  specimens  of  his  handiwork  than  is  seen  in 
the  best  of  these  slate  or  soapstone  objects.  But  the  above 
commendation  of  the  work  of  the  aboriginal  artist  need  not 
be  limited  to  articles  made  of  soft  stone,  for  some  of  the 
very  finest  examples  of  their  work  are  wrought  from  the 
hardest  material  they  could  find.  It  is  difficult  to  estimate 
the  amount  of  time  and  careful,  patient  labor  which  must 
have  been  given  to  the  fashioning  of  many  a  gouge,  pipe 
or  amulet  which  has  been  thrown  up  by  the  plow  of  the 
Vermont  farmer.  We  can  only  marvel  at  the  untiring  skill 
and  artistic  sense  which  we  find  exhibited.  Perhaps  no 
other  class  of  objects  so  well  shows  this  as  do  the  pipes. 


96  THE  VERMONT  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY. 

While  we  cannot  by  any  means  bring  forward  such  an  array 
of  elaborately  carved  and  superbly  finished  pipes  as  has  been 
taken  from  the  mounds  of  the  Ohio  Valley,  we  are  never- 
theless able  to  show  no  mean  assortment  of  exceedingly 
well  formed  and  finished  specimens  of  this  class.  Steatite, 
slate,  gypsum,  these  and  similar  soft  rocks  were  chosen 
when  a  pipe  was  to  be  made  and  most  generally,  the  work 
was  well  done.  The  form  was  sometimes  that  familiar  to 
us,  but  more  frequently  it  was  quite  different.  Some  of 
them  would  scarcely  be  recognized  even  by  our  most  per- 
sistent smokers.  Besides  platform,  bell  shaped,  trumpet 
shaped  and  other  strange  forms  we  find  certain  straight 
tubes  some  of  which  are  twelve  or  even  fifteen  inches  long 
which  we  should  scarcely  recognize  as  pipes  at  all  did  not 
some  of  the  California  tribes  to  this  day  use  similar  tubes 
as  pipes.  The  small  size  of  most  of  the  pipes  would  quite 
disgust  a  modern  devotee  of  the  weed.  It  must,  however, 
be  remembered  that  among  the  American  Indians,  through- 
out the  continent,  smoking  was  very  largely  a  ceremony, 
not  a  pastime.  A  single  whiff  or  at  most  a  few,  and  the 
pipe  was  passed  on.  Smokmg  for  the  mere  enjoyment  of 
it  was  not  by  any  means  unknown,  but  it  was  not  the  rule, 
apparently.  Far  more  often  smoking  was  a  religious  and 
solemn  ceremony.  A  sort  of  burnt  offering  to  the  spirits 
above.  The  tubular  pipes  just  mentioned  are  noticeably  ex- 
ceptional in  size  and  may  have  been  used  differently  from 
the  much  more  numerous  small  pipes. 

Nowhere  common,  but  always  attracting  attention  when 
found,  are  what,  for  want  of  a  better  name,  are  called  Orna- 
mental Stones.  Even  the  object  for  which  these  were  de- 
signed is  conjectural.     It  is  supposed  that  some  of  them  at 


PREHISTORIC  VERMONT.  97 

least,  were  intended  to  be  worn  as  ornaments,  others  were 
very  likely  amulets  or  charms,  medicine,  as  an  Indian  would 
call  them.  They  are  generally  of  handsome  material,  reg- 
ular form  and  ground  to  smooth  or  even' polished  surfaces. 
The  common  stone  chisel  or  celt  is  found  everywhere 
made  of  a  great  variety  of  material  sometimes  finished  in 
the  best  manner,  sometimes  rudely  flaked  with  no  sign  of 
rubbing  to  an  even  surface.  Many  of  these  celts  were  un- 
doubtedly used  as  chisels  and  therefore  held  in  the  hand, 
but  many  were  attached  in  one  way  or  another  to  a  wooden 
handle  and  thus  they  became  axes.  One  of  the  old  writers 
tells  us  that  a  common  method  of  fastening  the  handle  to 
the  axe  was  as  follows.  After  the  stone  had  been  laborious- 
ly worked  down  to  the  desired  form  and  this  might  have 
been  the  work  of  months,  or  even  years,  the  owner  took  it 
to  the  forest  where  he  selected  a  suitably  sized  and  shaped 
branch  growing  on  some  tree.  This  he  trimmed  somewhat, 
but  did  not  otherwise  injure  it,  except  that  he  made  a  cleft 
in  the  branch  at  some  distance  from  the  tree  to  which  it  was 
growing.  Into  this  cleft  the  stone  axe  was  fastened  and 
left  for  months  until  the  wood  had  grown  about  it  and  be- 
come firmly  fastened.  The  branch  was  then  cut  from  the 
tree  and  worked  into  a  handle.  The  owner's  mark  set  upon 
the  stone  effectually  secured  it  against  removal.  Probably 
few  implements  were  so  generally  used  or  for  so  great  a 
variety  of  purposes  as  was  the  celt.  It  was  of  every  size 
from  those  only  three  or  four  inches  long  to  large  and  heavy 
specimens  twelve  inches  or  more  in  length  and  sometimes 
very  heavy.  Some  were  ground  to  an  edge  at  each  end 
and  a  few  were  celt  at  one  end  and  gouge  at  the  other. 
Gouges  are  almost  wholly  New  England  implements,  being 


98  THE  VERMONT  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY. 

found  only  very  seldom  outside  of  our  territory.  And  in 
New  England,  they  are  far  more  varied  and  more  carefully 
made  in  Vermont  than  elsewhere.  The  names  well  in- 
dicate the  general  form  of  these  implements.  Their 
use  is  quite  uncertain.  Some  of  the  larger  gouges 
are  as  carefully  wrought  as  the  most  perfect  orna- 
mental stone  objects  and  these  finer  specimens  often  do  not 
show  the  least  sign  of  having  been  used.  Many  are  ruder 
and  of  harder  stone  and  these  were  without  doubt  ordinary 
tools,  but  what  can  we  say  of  those  elegant,  highly  polished 
specimens  which  have  been  now  and  then  the  fortunate 
find  of  some  collector?  They  do  not  seem  likely  objects 
for  ceremonial  use  and  yet  it  is  difficult  to  think  of  any  other 
service  which  they  could  have  rendered. 

'  As  the  celt  on  the  one  hand  passes  into  the  gouge,  so 
on  the  other  it  develops  into  the  grooved  axe.  In  the  west 
and  south  these  grooved  axes,  often  of  large  size,  are  far 
more  common  than  in  Vermont.  Apparently  our  forerunners 
here  did  not  make  or  use  many  of  them.  The  grooved  axe 
is  evidently  merely  a  celt  made  short  and  wide,  bearing 
about  its  upper  part  a  shallow  groove  by  which  it  could  be 
more  readily  attached  to  a  handle.  Some  of  these  are  tiny, 
but  most  are  large  and  heavy. 

The  mortar  and  pestle,  articles  of  essential  importance 
in  all  Indian  tribes  were  not  absent  from  the  ancient  Ver- 
mont household.  The  mortars  were  generally  rude,  little 
more  labor,  usually,  having  been  put  into  their  making  than 
was  necessary  for  the  excavation  of  a  shallow  depression  in 
a  large  boulder  or  similar  piece  of  stone  which  was  other- 
wise in  its  original  condition. 


PREHISTORIC  VERMONT.  99 

The  pestle,  however,  always  shows  more  careful  work. 
This  was  hammered  into  a  more  or  less  cylindrical  form  and 
sometimes  its  surface  was  polished.  More  rarely,  the  upper 
end  was  rudely  carved  so  that  it  bore  some  resemblance 
to  the  head  of  a  bird  or  other  animal.  Some  of  our  finest 
pestles  are  over  two  feet  long,  the  longest  that  I  have  seen 
is  twenty-nine  inches.  It  may  be  that  these  long  pestles 
were  rather  clubs.  If  we  may  credit  some  of  the  older 
writers  the  squaws  were  shrewd  enough  to  aid  themselves 
when  pounding  corn  or  whatever  they  wished  to  break  up, 
by  placing  the  mortar  under  the  elastic  branch  of  some  con- 
venient tree  and  fastening  the  upper  end  of  the  pestle  to  this 
by  a  strip  of  buckskin,  secure  its  help  in  lifting  the  imple- 
ment as  they  pounded. 

Occasionally  a  flaked  or  chipped  celt  or  axe  has  been 
found,  but  nearly  all  of  the  classes  of  objects  thus  far  con- 
sidered, though  very  probably  at  first  roughed  out  by  flak- 
ing or  chipping,  were  finished  by  grinding,  or  rubbing  on  a 
stone  with  sand.  This  process  was  necessarily  tediously 
slow  if  the  stone  from  which  the  implement  was  to 
be  made  was  very  hard  as  it  usually  was.  Not  only 
months  or  even  years  were  occupied,  at  intervals  un- 
doubtedly, in  the  making  of  the  best  celts  or  axes  or 
amulets,  but  we  are  told  by  the  old  writers  that  some  of  the 
more  elaborate  objects  were  passed  on  from  one  maker  to 
his  son  and  were  only  brought  to  their  final  perfection  af- 
ter several  generations  had  expended  much  labor  upon  them. 
Of  course  when  people  have  little  to  occupy  them,  neither 
time  nor  labor  count  for  much. 

There  are  other  sorts  of  ground  and  polished  objects 
which  appear  in  our  collections,  but  they  must  be  left  with- 


100  THE  VERMONT  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY. 

out  further  comment.  Many  times  more  abundant  than  the 
ground  and  polished  objects  are  those  that  were  shaped  by 
chipping  or  flaking.  Except  for  a  few  finely  finished  slate 
points,  all  the  spear  heads,  arrow  points  and  most  of  the 
knives  were  made  in  this  way.  Some  of  the  many  forms 
of  quartz  were  used  in  the  manufacture  of  these  objects 
and  many  of  them  are  prettily  colored  and  exceedingly  well 
made.  The  Vermont  points,  while  of  many  sorts  of  quartz, 
are  by  far  most  commonly  made  of  a  grayish  or  bluish 
quartzite  which  occurs  in  many  localities  in  the  State.  This 
is  the  most  common  material  and  the  triangular  outline  is 
most  frequent.  These  of  course,  were  without  haft  or  barbs, 
but  hafted  and  sharply  barbed  specimens,  though  less  com- 
mon than  forms  without  these  are  yet  numerous  and 
some  of  them  will  not  suffer  by  comparison  with. similar 
specimens  from  any  part  of  the  country  or  indeed 
the  world.  Still  these  delicately  pointed  and  sym- 
metrically shaped  points  are  exceptional  here.  For  the  most 
part  our  Vermont  points,  spear  and  arrow,  are  less  finely 
formed  and  regular  than  those  from  the  region  of  the 
mounds.  We  have  some  specimens  as  fine  as  the  finest, 
but  they  are  few,  and  our  average  is  composed  of  specimens 
of  good  workmanship,  indeed,  but  yet  inferior  to  those  found 
in  the  west. 

Not  only  were  the  smaller  points  made  by  flaking  and 
chipping,  but  spear  heads  a  foot  long  have  been  found  and 
still  larger  oval  or  ovate  objects  which  are  supposed  to 
have  been  used  as  spades  or  hoes.  Other  chipped  imple- 
ments are  drills,  long,  narrow  pointed,  scrapers,  with  blunt 
rounded  edges,  knives  of  all  shapes  and  sizes,  and  various 


PREHISTORIC  VERMONT.  101 

nondescript   articles,    the    use    of    which    is    wholly    prob- 
lematical. 

I  have  by  no  means  mentioned  all  of  the  many  varieties 
of  Indian  implements  or  ornaments  which  have  rewarded 
the  search  of  diligent  and  patient  collectors.  The  different 
classes  mentioned  are  those  which  are  most  numerous  and 
therefore  most  commonly  found.  At  the  advent  of  the 
white  man  all  the  tribes  of  North  America  were  living  in 
the  stone  age  but  they  had  most  of  them  advanced  far  be- 
yond what  in  European  archaeology  is  called  the  rude  stone 
age,  and  while  they  were  savages,  they  were  nevertheless 
savages  who  had  in  many  respects  risen  far  above  the  lower 
stages  of  savagery.  This  is  shown  not  only  by  those  ob- 
jects which  we  have  been  considering  but  also  by  their 
political,  social  and  religious  organization. 


LIFE  OF 

GENERAL   JAMES    WHITELAW 

Read  before  the 

Vermont   Historical    Society 

AtlSt.  Johnsbury,  1864,  by  Thomas  Goodville,  of 
Barnet,  Vt. 

From  manuscript  in  possession  oi  the  Vermont  Historical  Society 


JAMES  WHITELAW. 


James  Whitelaw,  Esq.,  of  Ryegate,  in  the  County  of 
Caledonia,  and  State  of  Vermont,  was  the  son  of  William 
Whitelaw,  and  was  born  February  n,  1748,  at  New  Mills, 
in  the  parish  of  Oldmonkland,  Lanarkshire,  Scotland.  In 
his  youth  he  was  well  educated,  especially  in  the  art  ol  land 
surveying,  and  its  kindred  subjects.  His  large  manuscript 
books,  written  while  he  was  studying  surveying,  are  still 
preserved  in  his  collection  of  papers,  and  show  that  he  was 
a  careful  and  diligent  student.  The  large  number  of 
diagrams,  correctly  and  beautifully  delineated,  and  the  long 
descriptions  and  demonstrations  these  large  manuscript 
volumes  contain,  prove  conclusively  that  he  acquired  a  thor- 
ough knowledge  of  the  art  of  surveying.  February  17, 
1773,  140  persons,  most  of  whom  were  farmers,  residing 
in  Renfrewshire,  Scotland,  formed  themselves  into  a  com- 
pany called  "The  Scots-American  Company  of  Farmers"  to 
purchase  a  large  tract  of  land  in  America  for  settlement. 
By  the  members  who  settled  on  their  land  in  Ryegate,  it 
was  commonly  called  the  "Inchinan  Company,"  because 
most  of  the  members  belonged  to  the  parish  of  Lrachinan, 
and  also  to  distinguish  it  from  another  Scots-American 
Company  formed  in  Stirtingshire,  Scotland,  whose  agent 
was  Col.  Alexander  Harvey,  who  purchased  and  settled  a 
large  tract  of  land  for  that  company  in  the  adjoining  town 

7 

j  oS~ 


106  THE  VERMONT  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY. 

of  Barnet.  In  the  books  of  the  Inchinan  Company,  General 
Wnitelaw  is  called  a  ''Land  Surveyor  of  Whiteinch  in  the 
Parish  of  Geran."  Having  become  a  member  of  the  com- 
pany, he  and  David  Allen,  another  member,  were  appointed 
by  the  company  commissioners  to  go  to  America  and  search 
out  and  purchase  a  suitable  tract  of  land  for  the  Company 
to  settle.  They  sailed  from  Greenoch  March  25,  1773,  and 
after  a  voyage  of  60  days  landed  in  Philadelphia,  Pa.,  on 
the  24th  day  of  May  following.  From  the  time  Gen. 
Whitelaw  left  his  native  country  till  1794,  when  his  agency 
for  the  company  ceased,  he  kept  a  well  written  journal, 
which  is  still  preserved,  and  which  shows  that  he  was  a 
man  of  extensive  and  accurate  observation  and  deep  prac- 
tical judgment.  He  recorded  in  the  town  books  of  Ryegate 
the  rules  and  regulations  of  the  company  which  are  numer- 
ous and  lengthy.  The  day  he  landed  he  accidentally  be- 
came acquainted  with  Rev.  John  Witherspoon,  D.  D.,  one 
of  the  signers  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence  and  then 
president  of  the  College  of  New  Jersey,  who  informed  him 
that  he  had  a  large  tract  of  land  in  Ryegate,  on  the  Con- 
necticut River,  and  in  the  Province  of  New  York,  consisting 
of  23,000  acres,  which  he  desired  to  sell,  but  advised  the 
commissioners  to  make  thorough  search  in  the  country  be- 
fore they  bought  lands  anywhere.  The  commissioners  be- 
ing directed  in  their  commission  to  begin  their  search  for 
lands  in  the  Province  of  New  York,  went  to  New  York  City 
by  Princeton,  N.  J.,  where  they  visited  Dr.  Witherspoon 
and  received  information  about  the  lands  in  Ryegate  from 
John  Hindman,  who  had  just  returned  from  viewing  the 


— •  JAMES  WHITELAW.  107 

lands  in  that  township.  Having  obtained  a  description  of 
lands  in  different  places  to  be  sold,  they  sailed  up  ttye  Hud- 
son River  to  Albany,  and  went  and  viewed  the  lands  of 
Sir  William  Johnston,  on  the  Mohawk  River  west  of 
Schenectady.  Here  they  purchased  horses,  and  afterwards 
travelled  on  horseback  in  search  of  lands  to  purchase.  They 
came  by  Saratoga  and  Stillwater  to  Salem,  N.  Y.,  where 
dwelt  Dr.  Thomas  Clark,  who  with  other  Scotchmen  pro- 
cured from  the  Governor  of  New  York,  December  21,  1774, 
a  large  tract  of  land  on  the  head  branches  of  the  Passumpsic 
River,  in  Caledonia  County,  Vt.  From  Salem,  they  came 
to  Manchester,  Vt.,  crossed  the  Green  Mountains  by  a 
spotted  line  in  woods,  and  on  the  26th  day  of  June  they  ar- 
rived at  Charleston,  N.  H.,  where  dwelt  John  Church,  a 
joint  owner  with  Dr.  Wither  spoon  of  the  township  of  Rye- 
gate,  and  who  accompanied  them  to  show  them  the  lands 
in  that  town.  They  arrived  in  Ryegate  June  30th,  at  the 
house  of  Mr.  Hosmer,  who  with  his  family  were  the  only 
persons  living  in  town.  Gen.  Whitelaw  writes  in  his 
journal,  "On  our  way  to  Ryegate  we  lodged  at  Hanover, 
N.  H.,  where  Mr.  Wheelock  has  his  Indian  Academy  or 
college.  We  called  on  him  and  told  him  what  we  heard  before 
leaving  Scotland  concerning  his  lands.  He  said  he  had  about 
as  much  land  left  as  would  serve  about  thirty  families,  which 
he  would  give  to  settle  if  they  would  but  come  and  live  on 
it.  He  said  he  would  prefer  Scotch  people  before  any 
other,  as  he  thought  much  of  their  religion  and  mode  of 
church  government.     He  told  us  that  he  had  at  his  college 


108  THE  VERMONT  HISTORICAL.  SOCIETY. 

about  80  students,  above  30  of  whom  were  upon  charity 
and  17  of  them  Indians." 

The  commissioners  having  examined  the  lands  in  Rye- 
gate  returned  by  Hartford  and  New  York  to  Princeton, 
N.  J.,  where  they  were  kindly  received  by  Dr.  Wither- 
spoon  on  the  15th  of  July.  He  proposed  to  them  that  "if 
they  would  buy  the  whole  township  of  Ryegate,  excepting 
2,000  acres,  they  should  have  it  at  2  shillings  sterling  per 
acre;  if  they  took  three- fourths  of  the  town,  excepting  1,500 
acres,  they  should  have  it  for  three  shillings  and  3  pence, 
York  currency,  per  acre,  and  if  they  took  one-half  the  town, 
they  should  have  it  at  3  shillings,  York  money,  per  acre." 
But  he  advised  the  commissioners  to  take  all  due  pains  to 
find  out  a  better  place  for  their  purpose,  as  he  was  very 
anxious  that  the  company  should  succeed.  Gen.  Whitelaw 
in  his  journal  writes  "Princeton  is  a  handsome  little  town 
and  stands  in  a  pleasant  situation.  The  college  building  is 
said  to  be  the  largest  and  best  in  America.  At  present  the 
•college  contains  more  than  100  students,  besides  about  80 
Latin  scholars." 

On  the  19th  of  July,  1773,  after  dining  with  the  presi- 
dent of  the  college,  they  went  to  Philadelphia,  where  they 
obtained  information  of  lands  for  sale  in  Pennsylvania,  and 
provinces  further  south.  Leaving  that  city  July  26th,  they 
passed  through  Carlisle,  Shippensburg  and  Chamberstown, 
Pa.,  Hagerstown,  Md.,  and  crossed  the  Potomac  at 
Shepardston,  and  went  through  Alexandria  and  Fredericks- 
burg, Va.,  and  arrived  at  Edinton,  N.  C,  on  the  13th  day 
of  August.     In  his  journal  the  general  gives  a  particular 


JAMES  WHITELAW.  109 

description  of  the  places  they_  visited  and  the  lands  they 
viewed,  giving  the  price,  climate,  soil,  growth  of  timber,  ad- 
vantages and  disadvantages  of  location,  distance  from  the 
market,  #and  other  circumstances.  Having  returned  to 
Princeton,  N.  J.,  the  commissioners  bargained  with  Dr. 
Witherspoon  on  the  second  of  October  for  one-half  the 
township  of  Ryegate,  which  was  a  New  Hampshire  grant 
chartered  September  8,  1763,  but  at  the  time  of  the  purchase 
it  was  claimed  by  New  York  as  belonging  to  the  county  of 
Gloucester  in  that  province,  and  is  so  described  in  the  deeds 
given  at  that  time.  The  commissioners  came  by  New  York 
and  Hartford  to  Newbury,  Vt.,  where  they  arrived  the  first 
day  of  November,  1773.  On  the  10th  day  of  the  month, 
John  Church,  as  agent  for  Dr.  Witherspoon,  came,  and  on 
the  19th  of  the  same,  they  divided  the  township  of  Ryegate 
into  two  parts,  by  a  line  running  westerly  from  Dodge's 
Falls,  on  the  Connecticut  River  to  the  west  line  of  the  town. 
The  commissioners  chose  the  southern  half  of  the  town, 
judging  it  for  several  good  reasons  superior  to  the  northern 
half. 

Mr.  Hosmer,  the  first  person  who  lived  in  town,  seems 
to  have  acquired  some  rights  in  town,  as  the  places  he  had 
improved  were  excepted  in  the  sale.  He  had  pitched  his 
camp  nearly  opposite  the  narrows  on  Connecticut  River, 
about  a  mile  and  a  half  from  the  southeast  corner  of  the 
town,  which  is  near  the  mouth  of  Wells  River.  When  the 
commissioners  returned  to  Ryegate,  John  Hindman  with 
his  family  had  just  moved  into  town  and  was  building  his 
house  on  a  lot  of  land  presented  to  him  by  Dr.  Witherspoon 


110  •     THE  VERMONT  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY. 

for  moving  the  first  family  into  town  as  permanent  settlers. 
The  commissioners  lodged  with  him  the  winter  of  1773-4, 
and  after  assisting  him  to  finish  his  house,  they  built  one 
for  themselves  which  stood  a  few  rods  southeast  from  the 
present  residence  of  William  T.   Whitelaw,  the  general's 
grandson.       They  finished  their  house  about  the  first  of 
January,  1774,  and  then  they  cut  down  the  woods  and  made 
a  large  clearing.     Gen.  Whitelaw  then  went  to  Portsmouth, 
N.  H.,  and  Newburyport,  Mass.,  and  bought  and  brought 
a  sleighload  of  such  necessaries  as  they  required.     In  April 
the  commissioners  made  about  60  pounds  of  maple  sugar, 
after  which  they  commenced  the  surveying  of  the  land  they 
had  purchased  for  the  company.     This  is  the  first  surveying 
performed  by  Gen.  Whitelaw  in  America.     On  the  13th  of 
May  ten  of  the  colonists,  one  of  whom  was  accompanied 
with  his  family,  arrived  in  Ryegate  from  Scotland.     Having 
finished  the  survey,  Gen.  Whitelaw  drew  a  chart  of  the  south 
half  of  Ryegate  and  recorded  in  his  journal  the  number  of 
lots,  (400)  and  marked  the  quantity  of  land  in  each.     This 
was  the  first  chart  he  made  in  America.     David  Allen,  the 
other  commissioner,  left  Ryegate  August  1st,  1774,  to  re- 
turn to  Scotland  to  report  to  the  company,  and  lay  before 
them  a  plan  of  the  land  the  commissioners  had  purchased 
for  them  in  America.     All  the  colonists  conveyed  him  to 
Gen.  Bailey's  in  Newbury,  and  one  of  them  went  with  him 
to  Newburyport,  Mass.     In  the  meantime  Gen.  Whitelaw 
had  some  log  houses  and  one  frame  house,  17  by  38  feet, 
built  to  accommodate  the  colonists  as  they  arrived,  till  they 
improved  the  lots  of  land  they  had  chosen  and  built  houses 


JAMES  WHITELAW.  fc  111 

on  them.  They  were  generally  well  pleased  with  their  sit- 
uation. About  the  beginning  of  January,  1775,  Gen.  White- 
law  purchased  a  part  of  a  lot  of  land  lying  between  Rye- 
gate  and  Wells  River  and  containing  the  half  of  that  river 
with  the  great  falls  on  it,  for  the  purpose  of  erecting  grist 
and  saw  mills  for  the  use  of  the  colonists.  About  the  middle 
of  August  the  same  year  he  raised  a  house  for  himself  on 
the  lots  he  had  taken.  This  was  the  first  frame  dwelling- 
house  erected  in  Ryegate,  a  part  of  which  is  now  standing, 
(1864).  It  was  in  this  house  that  the  first  school  in  Rye- 
gate  was  kept.  About  the  same  time  the  frame  of  the  grist 
mill  was  raised.  In  the  beginning  of  October,  1775,  the 
saw  mill  was  raised,  and  on  the  28th  day  of  the  same  month 
the  grist  mill  was  set  going,  and  the  saw  mill  in  the  end  of 
July  the  next  year.  Having  received  an  alarming  report 
that  St.  Johns  had  been  taken  by  the  British  regulars,  and 
that  Indians  would  be  sent  through  the  country  to  lay  it 
waste,  all  the  inhabitants  of  Ryegate  July  1,  1776,  fled  to 
Newbury  for  safety.  After  waiting  ten  days  and  no  In- 
dians appearing,  they  all  returned  to  their  own  houses  in 
Ryegate.  When  Gen.  Whitelaw  came  to  Ryegate  to  settle, 
he  had  travelled  2700  miles  on  horseback  in  this  country  in 
the  service  of  the  "Scots-American  Company  of  Farmers." 
The  colony  he  had  planted  in  Ryegate  was  checked  in  its 
prosperity  by  the  Revolutionary  war,  after  which  trying 
period  it  increased  and  flourished.  In  1794,  being  Surveyor- 
General  of  Vermont  and  otherwise  engaged,  he  resigned 
his  office  of  agent  for  the  company  which  he  had  held  for 
nearly  20  years.     About  this  time  he  opened  a  land  office 


112  THE  VERMONT  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY.        * 

in  which  he  continued  to  do  business  till  his  death  in  1829. 
He  was  early  chosen  to  different  offices  by  the  town  of  Rye- 
gate,  and  was  town  clerk  and  town  treasurer  for  about  46 
years.  It  appears  by  his  accounts  against  the  state  that  he 
Tiad  surveyed  some  town  lines  as  early  as  1780.  In  1783 
after  Great  Britain  had  acknowledged  the  Independence  of 
the  United  States,  he  was  appointed  a  Deputy  Surveyor  to 
the  Surveyor-General.  Messrs.  Whitelaw,  Savage  and  Coit 
petition  the  legislature  October  18,  1787  and  state  that  they 
had  been  engaged  the  most  of  their  time  for  four  years  past 
as  deputies  of  the  Surveyor-General  in  surveying  towns  in 
the  northern  part  of  Vermont,  and  that  they  had  received  no 
remuneration  for  their  services,  or  pay  for  their  expenses, 
-amounting  to  one  hundred  pounds,  and  expressing  their 
-willingness  to  take  grants  of  salable  lands  for  their  pay- 
ment. Accordingly,  the  legislature,  October  26,  1788, 
granted  them  three  tracts  of  land  situated  in  different  parts 
of  the  state,  and  equal  in  the  whole  to  one  township  of  land. 
In  October,  1787,  Gen.  Whitelaw  was  elected  by  the  legis- 
lature Surveyor-General  of  the  State  of  Vermont.  To  this 
■office  he  was  annually  reelected  till  November,  1804,  a 
period  of  more  than  seventeen  years.  He  surveyed  the  town 
lines  or  chartered  limits  of  a  considerable  number  of  towns 
in  the  middle  and  northern  part  of  the  state,  some  of  which 
"he  allotted.  It  appears  from  his  accounts  as  Surveyor-Gen- 
eral against  the  State,  that  in  October,  1788,  he  was  en- 
gaged several  days  in  making  a  plan  of  the  state.  In  1796 
he  drew  a  small  map  of  the  state,  finely  delineated.  From 
this  beautiful  manuscript  map  which  is  still  preserved,  he 


JAMES  WHITELAW.  4  113 

published  the  same  year  a  map  of  the  state  of  Vermont 
which  he  improved  and  republished  in  1810.  These  maps 
are  of  a  large  size,  30  by  44  inches.  He  secured  the  copy- 
right, which  is  dated  November  1,  1796.  In  181 3  he  pub- 
lished a  map  of  the  northern  part  of  the  United  States,  and 
the  southern  part  of  Canada,  22  by  15  inches,  designed  to 
show  the  seat  of  the  war  between  the  United  States  and 
Great  Britain  in  18 12-15.  It  appears  by  a  letter  written 
to  him  by  his  father,  October  23,  1783,  that  he  had  sent 
an  order  to  Scotland  to  John  Gardner  to  make  him  a  sur- 
veying compass,  and  that  Gardner  was  then  making  it,  and 
that  they  expected  to  have  an  opportunity  to  send  it  to  him 
as  soon  as  the  next  spring.  This  surveying  compass  and 
chain,  with  his  magnet,  and  some  of  his  mathematical  in- 
struments, are  in  the  possession  of  Mrs.  Susan  White,  his 
granddaughter,  in  Griggsville,  Illinois.*  If  the  compass 
she  has  in  her  possession  is  the  one  made  by  John  Gardner, 
it  is  probable,  if  not  certain,  that  it  is  the  compass  Gen. 
Whitelaw  used  for  many  years  while  he  was  both  a  Deputy- 
Surveyor  and  Surveyor-General.  If  these  surveying  in- 
struments should  be  obtained  by  the  Historical  Society  of 
Vermont,  they  would  be  a  valuable  addition  to  their  his- 
torical collection. 

By  the  legislature  he  was  empowered  to  settle  disputes 
about  town  lines,  and  appointed  one  of  the  trustees  of  the 
Caledonia  County  Academy,  and  named  in  the  charter 
granted  October  27,  1795.  This  office  he  continued  to  hold 
till  September  4th,  181 1.     When  he  resigned  the  Board  of 


•Now   in   the   possession   of   the   Vt.    Historical  Society. 


114  THE  VERMONT  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY. 

Trustees  "voted  that  the  thanks  of  this  board  be  presented 
to  him  for  his  eminent  services  to  this  Institution."  By 
John  Adams,  President  of  the  United  States,  he  was  ap- 
pointed July  17,  1798,  a  commissioner  for  the  third  district 
of  Vermont  under  an  Act  of  Congress  passed  July  9,  1798, 
"to  provide  for  the  valuation  of  lands  and  dwelling-houses 
and  enumeration  of  slaves  within  the  United  States."  In 
the  General's  collection  of  papers  was  found  a  slip  of  paper 
on  which  he  had  written  the  following,  viz. : 

"The  whole  valuation  of  the  State  of  Vermont,  as  re- 
turned by  the  assessors  and  equalized  by  the  commissioners 

Dwelling-houses  above  $100 $  i,557»339-86 

Land  and  small  houses i5»I57»o83-I3^ 


$16,714,422.99^ 

It  is  the  glory  of  Vermont  that  it  required  no  "enumera- 
tion of  slaves."  In  1800  he  was  appointed  postmaster  of 
Ryegate.  Most  probably  it  was  by  his  exertions  that  the 
mail  was  first  extended  from  Newburyport,  Caledonia  Coun- 
ty, through  Ryegate  and  Peacham  to  Danville,  and  after- 
ward to  Barnet  and  St.  Johnsbury.  He  continued  post- 
master of  Ryegate  till  his  death. 

Dr.  Witherspoon  at  Newbury,  Vt.,  June  17,  1783,  gave 
a  power  of  attorney  to  Gen.  Whitelaw  and  Col.  Harvey  to 
sell  the  land  he  owned  in  Ryegate  and  Newbury.  These 
two  men  were  fellow  pioneers  in  the  settlement  of  Cale- 
donia County.  The  legislature  of  Vermont  out  of  regard 
for  these  two  Scotchmen,  and  the  two  large  and  flourish- 
ing colonies   of  their  countrymen,  they  had   planted  and 


JAMES  WHITELAW.  115 

nurtured  in  Barnet  and  Ryegate,  called  the  county  "Cale- 
donia" the  ancient  Roman  name  of  their  native  country. 

Gen.  Whitelaw  must  be  placed  at  the  head  of  the  list 
of  great  men  of  this  county,  for  he  was  most  probably  the 
first  man  in  the  county  who  held  office  under  the  state  of 
Vermont  and  the  United  States,  and  long  he  held  office  un- 
der both  governments.  At  his  death  he  had  614  volumes 
of  newspapers,  254  of  which  were  bound.  Most  of  these 
volumes  were  destroyed  when  the  capitol  of  this  state  was 
burnt.  Most  of  his  papers  belonging  to  his  office  of  Sur- 
veyor-Deputy and  Surveyor-General,  are  in  possession  of 
Henry  Stevens,  Esq.,  of  Burlington.*  The  remaining  part 
of  his  large  collection  of  papers  is  in  possession  of  William 
T.  Whitelaw,  Esq.,  of  Ryegate,  the  General's  grandson. 
They  consist  chiefly  of  manuscript  books  and  papers  in  his 
own  handwriting,  together  with  more  than  5000  letters  from 
correspondents,  relating  chiefly  to  business  in  his  land  of- 
fice. Four  small  folio  volumes  contain  more  than  8000 
answers  to  letters  received.  Some  of  these  answers  are 
transcribed  in  full,  but  only  the  substance  of  the  majority 
is  recorded.  He  kept  copies  of  his  letters  to  his  relatives, 
and  the  Company  in  Scotland.  These  contain  some  valuable 
and  interesting  information  with  respect  to  the  early  his- 
tory of  Caledonia  County.  In  his  collection  of  papers  are 
some  rare  and  valuable  documents.  One  of  these  is  a  deed* 
beautifully  written  on  a  very  large  sheet  of  parchment 
which  is  signed  and  sealed  by  Dr.  Witherspoon.* 


•Now  in  the  possession  of  the  Vt.  Historical  Society. 


116  THE  VERMONT  HISTORICAL,  SOCIETY. 

In  stature  General  Whitelaw  was  about  six  feet  and  ten 
inches  high,  with  a  large  and  robust  frame.  He  seemed 
to  have  sprung  from  a  strong  and  healthy  Scotch  family. 
His  uncle,  James  Whitelaw,  lived  one  hundred  and  six 
years,  and  walked  ten  miles  to  a  funeral  the  week  before 
his  death.  He  was  generally  very  healthy,  but  three  years 
before  his  death  he  had  a  severe  fever  which  lasted  three 
months.  His  last  illness  was  palsy,  which  continued  two 
weeks,  but  did  not  deprive  him  of  speech.  He  was  a  very 
diligent  man  and  in  his  lifetime  performed  a  great  amount 
of  labor,  manual  and  mental.  After  his  labors  for  more 
than  ten  years  in  settling  Ryegate,  he  was  actively  engaged 
in  surveying  for  12  or  14  years.  He  performed  an  immense 
amount  of  writing  in  his  land  office  and  surveyorship.  He 
had  a  very  remarkable  power  of  resisting  cold.  He  often 
surveyed  land  at  a  great  distance  from  home  in  the  winter 
using  snow  shoes,  and  remained  in  the  woods  night  and 
day  for  weeks  in  the  coldest  weather.  He  very  seldom  used 
gloves  or  mittens  in  working  or  traveling  in  the  coldest 
weather  in  winter.  He  possessed  a  great  talent  for  trans- 
acting business,  which  was  well  done  and  gave  great  satis- 
faction to  those  who  employed  him.  His  fees  as  land  agent 
and  surveyor  were  moderate.  At  one  time  he  lost  $2600 
by  suretyship  for  a  friend.  Though  he  was  never  rich,  he 
always  had  a  competence  and  lived  comfortably  and  respect- 
ably. He  was  hospitable  and  charitable,  and  generously 
gave  away  much  of  his  property.  His  disposition  was 
pleasant  and  kind,  and  he  acted  often  and  successfully  the 
part  of  a  blessed   peacemaker.       He  was   naturally  very 


JAMES  WHITELAW.  117 

modest  and  unassuming,  so  that  he  appeared  to  strangers 
reserved,  but  with  his  friends  he  was  social  and  facetious. 
He  was  uniformly  very  exact  and  prompt  in  performing  his 
work,  and  cheerful  and  faithful  in  performing  the  duties 
of  a  husband,  father  and  friend.  His  moral  character  was 
pure  and  good.  All  who  were  acquainted  with  him 
esteemed  him  highly,  and  had  the  utmost  confidence  in  his 
ability  and  integrity.  He  sprang  out  of  a  pious  family  and 
was  a  member  of  the  Church  of  Scotland.  He  observed 
the  worship  of  God  in  his  family,  and  gave  his  children  a 
literary  and  religious  education.  He  liberally  supported  the 
public  ordinances  of  the  Gospel,  and  attended  the  religious 
services  of  the  Associate  Presbyterian  Church  of  Ryegate. 
The  writer  visited  him  on  his  death  bed  when  the  dying 
man  requested  him  to  pray  for  him  that  he  might  have 
the  Grace  of  Christ. 

He  died  calmly  April  29,  1829,  aged  eighty-one  years. 
He  was  interred  in  the  graveyard  at  the  center  of  Ryegate, 
and  a  monument  has  been  erected  to  his  memory. 

Gen.  Whitelaw  was  married  March  5,  1778,  to  Abigail 
Johnston,  of  Newbury,  Vt.,  by  whom  he  had  four  children, 
two  sons  and  two  daughters,  who  survived  him  but  are  all 
now  dead. 

He  was  married  the  second  time  November  23,  1790, 
to  Susannah  Rogers  of  Bradford,  Vt.,  who  was  a  descendant 
of  the  ninth  or  tenth  generation  from  John  Rogers,  the 
famous  English  Martyr,  who  was  burnt  at  the  stake,  Feb- 
ruary 4,  1555. 


,118  THE  VERMONT  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY. 

He  was  married  the  third  time  August  29,  1815,  to 
Mrs.  Janet  Harvey,  of  Barnet,  Vt,  who  was  the  widow  of 
his  friend,  Col.  Alexander  Harvey,  of  Barnet. 

Barnet,  Vt.,  A.  D.,  1864. 

Thomas  Goodwiuje. 


JOURNAL 

OF 

GENERAL    JAMES    WHITELAW 

SURVEYOR-GENERAL  OF  VERMONT 

FROM  A  MANUSCRIPT 

PRESENTED  TO 

THE 

Vermont  Historical  Society 

BY 

Oscar  L.  Whitelaw  and  Robert  H.  Whitelavv 

1898 


This  journal  is  copied  from  the  original  manuscript 
now  in  the  possession  of  the  Vermont  Historical  Society 
which  was  presented  to  the  society  in  April,  1898,  by  Mr. 
Oscar  L.  Whitelaw  and  Mr.  Robert  H.  Whitelaw  of  St. 
Louis,  Mo.,  great-grandsons  of  General  James  Whitelaw. 

It  is  to  be  noted  that  a  portion  of  the  journal  is  missing. 
Pages  one  and  two  at  least  are  lacking.  The  entries  begin 
on  the  top  of  page  three  under  date  of  April  8th  (1773). 
The  journal  covers  pages  3  to  76  inclusive  of  the  manu- 
script, the  rest  of  the  space  being  taken  up  with  entries  re- 
lating to  taxes  in  the  various  towns  in  Vermont  made 
some  years  later  than  the  others.  There  are  also  some  en- 
tries in  the  back  of  the  volume  dated  from  1790  to  1794 
of  no  general  interest  being  merely  memoranda  regarding 
the  state  of  the  weather  and  items  relating  to  the  care  of 
the  farm.  It  has  not  been  thought  worth  while  to  print 
these  items. 

Montpelier,  Vt.,  January,  1907. 


JOURNAL. 


Thursday,  Aprile  8th,  on  the  morning  the  weather 
turned  calm,  by  which  time  we  were  in  Lat.  40 °  and  Lon. 
about  1 8°  during  which  time  nothing  passed  worth  remark- 
ing, excepting  that  we  saw  the  main  mast  of  a  ship  go  along 
our  side  one  morning. 

It  remained  calm  till  Saturday,  the  10th,  on  the  morn- 
ing of  which  the  wind  shifted  N.  E.,  from  which  point  we 
had  a  good  breeze,  and  continued  a  S.  W.  course  till  Sun- 
day, the  25th,  when  we  were  in  Lat.  300  and  Lon.  460  30'. 

Sunday,  the  9th  of  May,  we  spoke  a  sloop  from  Vir- 
ginia bound  for  Nevis,  John  Robertson,  Master,  fifteen  days 
out,  and  in  Lon.  62  °  30'  by  his  account,  though  by  ours 
we  were  only  in  61  °  48'.  We  had  not  seen  any  other  ves- 
sel since  Saturday,  Aprile  10th. 

We  kept  sailing  between  the  Lat.  of  300  and  330  from 
the  25th  of  April  till  Friday,  the  14th  of  May,  at  which 
time  we  were  in  Lon.  68°.  We  stood  then  to  the  N.  W.,  and 
on  Wednesday,  the  19th,  we  spoke  the  brigantine  Carpenter, 
from  Philadelphia,  bound  for  Lisbon,  Samuel  Williams, 
Master,  35  leagues,  E.  S.  E.  of  Cape  Henlopen. 

Thursday,  the  20th,  about  3  o'clock  afternoon,  we 
had  the  first  sight  of  America,  and  about  9  o'clock  at  night 
we  came  to  an  anchor  in  Delaware  bay  in  order  to  wait 
for  a  pilot. 

8 


122  THE  VERMONT  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY. 

Friday,  the  21st,  about  7  o'clock  in  the  morning,  we 
got  our  pilot  aboard,  when  we  loosed,  and  at  night  we  came 
again  to  an  anchor  at  the  head  of  the  bay. 

Saturday,  the  22nd,  we  loosed  again  about  7  o'clock 
in  the  morning,  and  about  3  o'clock  we  came  to  an 
anchor  about  a  mile  below  Newcastle ;  about  6  o'clock  same 
night  the  wind  springing  up  fair  we  again  loosed  and  got 
as  far  as  the  high  lands  of  Crastine,  where  we  again 
anchored. 

Sunday,  the  23d,  we  had  the  wind  all  down  the  river, 
and  was  obliged  to  turn  up  with  the  tide,  and  about  12 
o'clock  at  night,  came  to  an  anchor  below  Philadelphia, 
where  we  were  obliged  to  stay  till  the  health  officer  came 
on  board  to  visit  the  passengers,  each  of  which  had  to  pay 
to  him  one  shilling  sterling. 

Munday,  the  24,  at  12  o'clock,  we  came  to  one  of 
the  wharfs,  the  whole  distance  we  sailed  being  about  5000 
miles  by  the  log. 

When  we  arrived  here  Alexander  Semple  was  stand- 
ing on  the  wharf  ready  to  receive  us  in  order  to  conduct  us 
to  his  brother's  house,  where  accidentally  we  met  with 
Dr.  Witherspoon,  who  informed  us  that  he  had  a  township 
of  land  called  Ryegate,  in  the  Province  of  New  York,  upon 
Connecticut  River,  containing  about  23,000  acres,  which  he 
was  ready  to  dispose  of,  in  order  to  serve  us,  in  case  we 
thought  it  would  sute  our  purpose,  but  in  the  meantime 
desired  us  to  make  every  other  trial,  and  not  be  too  hasty 
in  making  a  bargain,  and  instantly  desired  us  to  call  for 
him  at  Princetown,  on  our  way  to  New  York. 


JAMES  WHITELAW.  123 

We  stayed  in  Philadelphia  three  days,  where  we  were 
very  kindly  entertained  by  our  friends  and  acquaintances, 
part  of  which  time  we  spent  in  viewing  this  city,  which 
perhaps  is  the  best  laid  out  in  the  world,  the  streets  are  all 
broad  and  straight,  and  all  cross  each  other  at  right  angles, 
extending  itself  upon  the  banks  of  the  Delaware  between 
two  or  three  miles,  and  about  one  mile  back  here  is  an 
excellent  market  for  every  article  that  farmers  or  others 
have  to  sell  and  commonly  ready  money.  We  had  several 
offers  of  lands  in  this  province,  but  deferred  the  viewing 
of  them  at  this  time  as  by  our  commission  we  were  first 
to  begin  at  New  York,  for  which  place  we  set  out  with  the 
stage  on  Thursday,  the  27,  at  six  o'clock  in  the  morning,  and 
arrived  at  Princetown  at  5  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  where 
we  again  met  with  Dr.  Witherspoon,  Robert  and  John 
Hyndman  and  James  Findlay  we  stayed  here  till  the  next 
stage  day,  which  time  we  spent  in  viewing  Doctor  Wither- 
spoon's  plantations,  as  also  receiving  particular  intelligence 
about  the  township  of  Ryegate  from  James  Findlay  and 
John  Hyndman,  who  had  both  been  lately  on  the  ground. 

We  set  off  again  with  the  stage  and  arrived  at  New 
York  on  Tuesday  the  first  of  June  in  the  afternoon.  On 
the  road  from  Philadelphia  to  New  York  we  came  through 
several  handsome  little  towns  and  crossed  several  navigable 
rivers. 

The  country  here  is  generally  well  cleared  &  makes 
a  very  pleasant  appearance  especially  in  the  province  of 
Pensilvania. 


124  THE  VERMONT  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY. 

On  our  arrival  at  New  York  we  were  conducted  to  one 
Mr.  Winter's  house  for  lodging,  by  Mr.  Robert  Hyslap, 
one  of  our  fellow  passengers,  who  had  been  eight  years  in 
this  place  before. 

Wednesday,  June  2d,  we  were  directed  to  Mr.  Mason 
by  the  same  person,  where  we  had  the  pleasure  to  meet  with 
Mr.  Marshal  from  Philadelphia,  and  having  delivered  our 
letters  of  recommendation  to  them,  they  promised  to  do 
everything  in  their  power  to  serve  us,  being  exceedingly 
well  pleased  with  our  plan,  and  went  immediately  along  with 
us  to  several  gentlemen  in  this  city  who  they  knew  had 
lands  to  dispose  of  and  desired  them  to  make  out  their  pro- 
posals to  us  as  soon  as  possible,  on  account  that  we  wanted 
soon  to  leave  the  town. 

We  stayed  here  eight  days,  which  time  we  employed 
in  informing  ourselves  where  lands  was  to  be  got  from 
surveyors  and  others  that  was  acquaint  in  the  country,  and 
several  gentlemen  in  this  place  have  given  us  letters  to  their 
correspondents  in  the  country  to  show  us  their  lands. 

Saturday,  the  5th,  the  Matty  arrived  here  from  Phila- 
delphia, &  on  the  8th  we  wrote  home. 

Wednesday,  the  9th,  having  got  our  business  over  in 
this  place,  we  set  off  in  a  sloop  for  Albany,  commanded  by 
one  Captain  Cuyler,  and  on  Thursday,  the  10th,  about  4 
o'clock  in  the  morning,  the  wind  being  contrary,  we  came 
to  an  anchor  at  a  place  called  the  butterhill  about  66  miles 
above  New  York,  and  on  Friday  night  we  came  to  Pokeep- 
sie  wharf,  which  is  33  miles  from  York  from  whence  we 
loosed  on  Saturday  morning,  and  at  night  we  arrived  at 


JAMES  WHITELAW.  125 

Albany,  and  was  conducted  to  the  house  of  Mr.  Cartwright 
for  lodging  by  our  Captain. 

The  banks  of  Hudsons  River  from  a  little  above  New 
York  to  within  twelve  miles  of  Albany  appears  to  be  very 
barren,  being  mostly  rocky  on  both  sides,  and  in  some 
places  exceeding  high  and  all  covered  with  small  wood. 

Albany  is  much  about  the  size  of  Port  Gasgon,  the 
houses  built  of  brick  and  wood,  and  the  streets  very  broad, 
and  pretty  regular,  and  the  country  on  the  river  side  is 
very  pleasant. 

On  Monday,  the  14th,  we  delivered  the  letters  we  had 
from  our  friends  in  N.  York  to  several  men  in  this  place, 
especially  one  to  Mr.  Campbell,  who  informed  us  that  he 
knew  a  good  many  lands  in  several  parts  of  the  Province, 
but  the  best  he  knew  of  was  on  the  Mohawk  river  belong- 
ing to  Sir  William  Johnston  Bart,  and  was  so  good  as 
to  give  us  a  letter  of  recommendation  to  him. 

On  Tuesday,  the  15th,  we  set  out  for  Johnstown,  and 
arrived  there  on  Wednesday,  the  16th,  about  5  o'clock 
afternoon,  and  lodged  with  one  Mr.  Tice.  From  Albany 
to  Scenectady,  which  is  16  miles,  the  country  is  barren 
sand  covered  with  pine.  Scenectady  is  a  handsome  little 
town,  and  stands  on  the  south  bank  of  the  Mohawk  river, 
at  which  place  we  ferried  over  the  river.  The  flats  upon  this 
river  from  this  to  Johnstown  are  all  very  fine  land,  but 
as  you  ascend  the  country  it  is  very  stoney,  tho  the  soil  is 
good  and  covered  with  oak,  beech,  walnut,  and  hickory  and 
divers  other  kinds  of  wood.  About  an  hour  after  we  came 
to  Johnstown  we  met  with  Sir  William  Johnston  at  our 
lodging,  who  told  us  that  he  had  plenty  of  lands  either  to 


126  THE  VERMONT  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY. 

set  or  sell,  and  appointed  to-morrow  at  9  o'clock  to  meet  with 
him  at  his  house  which  appointment  we  kept,  but  he  being 
taken  ill  of  a  cholic  we  could  have  no  access  to  him  till  Fri- 
day afternoon,  at  which  time  he  ordered  a  surveyor  to  go 
along  with  us  to  show  us  the  lands  of  which  Mr.  Camp- 
bell spoke,  which  is  one  of  the  places  which  he  had  a  mind 
to  sell. 

On  Saturday  morning  we  set  off  along  with  the  sur- 
veyor to  view  the  above  mentioned  lands,  and  having  passed 
over  a  large  patent  of  very  fine  land,  which  he  only  leases 
on  the  following  terms,  viz. :  The  first  five  years  free,  and 
ever  after  at  six  pounds  the  hundred  acres,  York  currency, 
reserving  to  himself  all  coals  or  other  minerals  which  may 
be  found  in  the  ground.  We  next  came  upon  the  lands  he 
proposed  selling  to  us,  which  also  is  tolerable  good  land  tho 
not  so  good  as  the  last  mentioned  tract.  The  situation 
seemed  to  us  not  very  agreeable,  being  about  12  or  14  miles 
from  the  Mohawk  river  and  over  a  high  hill,  and  some 
large  swamps,  also  the  price  we  thought  high,  being  a  dol- 
lar an  acre.  While  we  stayed  here  we  bought  two  horses, 
viz. :  one  from  Dr.  Adams  at  eight  pounds,  and  the  other 
from  Billy  Luckey  at  nine  York  currency. 

On  Munday,  the  21st,  we  set  off  from  Johnstown  by 
the  same  road  we  went  up,  till  we  came  to  Scenectady  from 
whence  we  went  along  the  south  bank  of  the  Mohawk  river 
through  an  old  Dutch  settlement  of  excellent  low  land 
abounding  with  wheat  and  all  other  kinds  of  grain,  and  at 

night  lodged  at  Loudons  ferry. 

(Two  things  very  remarkable  happened  since  we  left 

York,  viz. :  on  the  12th  of  June  the  frost  was  so  strong  that 


JAMES  WHITELAW.  127 

the  ice  in  many  places  was  as  thick  as  a  dollar  and  did  a  deal 
of  harm  to  Indian  Corn,  potatoes  and  other  tender  plants, 
and  on  the  17th  Colonel  Johnston's  house  was  burnt  by 
lightning,  both  things  are  very  uncommon  in  this  place). 

On  the  22nd  we  set  out  from  Loudons  ferry,  and  after 
crossing  the  Mohawk  river  we  came  through  a  large  tract 
of  barren  land,  after  which  we  came  into  a  fine,  large,  well 
inhabited  flat  of  good  land  on  the  banks  of  Hudsons  river,, 
and  going  up  the  river  we  went  through  Stillwater  and 
Saratoga,  a  little  above  which  we  crossed  the  Hudsons 
river,  and  went  along  through  a  large  flat  covered  with 
pines  for  three  or  four  miles,  then  crossed  battenkill,  which 
is  a  pretty  large  river  and  good  land  in  many  places  on 
its  banks,  and  at  night  we  came  to  the  house  of  Mr.  Reid 
at  Whitecreek,  where  John  White  stays,  where  we  lodged 
till  the  23d,  on  which  we  set  out  for  Dr.  Clark's  where  we 
were  kindly  entertained,  and  he  gave  us  many  friendly  ad- 
vices how  to  behave  concerning  our  affairs,  and  several 
letters  of  recommendation  to  his  acquaintances  in  several 
parts  of  America,  and  he  told  us  he  had  some  good  lots 
Of  land  to  dispose  of  but  not  so  much  as  to  serve  our  pur- 
pose. 

On  the  24th  we  set  out  from  Dr.  Clarks  and  came  along 
the  banks  of  Battenkill  a  great  way,  which  is  all  high 
ground,  and  the  settlers  here  apply  themselves  mostly  to 
raising  stock.  By  night  we  got  as  far  as  Manchester,  where 
we  lodged  with  one  Mr.  Allan. 

The  25th  in  the  morning  we  set  out  from  Mr.  Allans 
and  for  ten  miles  we  had  no  road  but  only  the  trees  marked 
and  some  places  it  was  almost  impossible  to  go  through  by 


128  THE  VERMONT  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY. 

reason  of  rocks,  boggs,  high  mountains  and  other  difficultys. 
We  saw  no  house  till  twelve  o'clock  when  we  came  to  one 
Mr.  Uttlies  where  we  dined,  then  set  out  again  on  a  road 
which  was  cut  but  as  there  was  little  repair  on  it,  it  was  all 
choaked  up  in  many  places  by  old  trees  falling  across  it 
which  made  it  little  better  than  the  former.  Here  we 
traviled  16  miles  without  seeing  any  house  (except  two 
or  three  which  were  forsaken  by  their  inhabitants  on  ac- 
count of  some  dispute  which  has  subsided  for  some  years 
between  the  Governments  of  New  York  and  New  Hamp- 
shire concerning  their  boundary  line,  so  that  the  people 
which  settled  under  one  Government  were  so  harrassed  by 
the  other  that  they  have  left  their  plantations  and  got  new 
ones  in  places  where  there  is  no  dispute).  At  night  we 
lodged  at  Chesters  and  on  the  26th  we  crossed  Con- 
necticut river  and  came  to  Charlestown  in  New  Hampshire, 
where  Mr.  Church  lives  who  is  partner  with  Dr.  Wither- 
spoon  in  Rygate,  and  Munday,  the  28th,  we  set  out  along 
with  him  to  view  it  and  arrived  at  it  on  Wednesday,  the  30th 
in  the  morning,  when  we  set  out  from  the  house  of  Mr. 
Hosmar,  who  lives  on  the  town  about  a  mile  from  the  south- 
east corner.  On  our  first  outset  we  went  along  the  River 
side  through  barren,  hilly  land,  the  wood  mostly  hemlock, 
and  we  crossed  two  pretty  large  brooks,  both  fit  for  mills, 
after  which  we  went  westward  over  a  tract  of  pretty  good 
land,  the  wood,  beech,  mapple  and  some  Hemlock  and  birch, 
till  we  came  to  the  place  pitched  on  by  John  Hyndman, 
then  continuing  west  we  went  over  a  small  piece  of  rocky 
land,  then  over  a  large  tract  of  good  land,  the  wood  mostly 
beech  and  maple,  with  some  ash  and  birch,  and  well  watered 


JAMES  WHITELAW.  129 

with  plenty  of  small  brooks,  then  over  about  four  chains  of  a 
rockey  hill,  then  good  land  as  before  for  a  considerable  way, 
then  we  came  to  a  large  pond,  the  banks  of  which  are  steep, 
barren  land  and  mostly  covered  with  hemlock  and  pine.  We 
continued  westward  along  the  side  of  a  large  hill,  in  many 
places  pretty  steep  and  stoney,  tho  good  ground  and  may  be 
excellent  pasture,  the  wood,  beech,  mapple,  basswood  and 
some  ash,  after  which  we  traviled  southward  over  a  very 
large  tract  of  exceeding  good  land,  all  lying  towards  the 
south  and  pretty  level  and  may  be  very  easy  cleared,  as  the 
trees  are  at  a  distance  from  one  another,  and  scarce  any 
undergrowth,  the  wood,  beech,  maple  and  basswood,  after 
which  we  went  east  ward  over  an  excellent  meadow,  then 
over  a  small  piece  of  barren,  sandy  ground  covered  with 
pines,  then  over  good  land  till  we  came  near  the  river  side 
which  is  barren  as  before,  and  so  ended  our  course. 

On  Friday,  July  2nd,  we  returned  and  arrived  at 
Charlestown  on  Saturday  night.  All  this  way  which  is 
about  72  miles  is  filled  with  new  settlers,  and  the  country 
in  many  places  good  land,  but  the  most  inconveniency  is 
its  distance  from  navigation.  Ryegate  lies  more  than  200 
miles  above  Hartford,  which  is  the  farest  that  sloops  come 
up  Connecticut  river,  above  which  it  is  only  navigable  for 
canoes,  and  theire  are  four  falls  which  makes  about  ten  miles 
of  land  carriage,  the  nearest  seaport  to  Ryegate  is  Ports- 
mouth, which  is  about  100  miles  and  the  road  not  good, 
however,  they  can  sell  the  produce  of  their  farms  pretty 
high  in  the  meantime  to  new  settlers,  they  sell  wheat 
commonly  about  four  shell:  ster.  a  bushel,  Rye  about  the 
same,  and  Indian  corn  about  three  shillings.     Beef  about 


130  THE  VERMONT  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY. 

two  pence  and  mutton  the  same,  and  pork  about  five  pence, 
butter  about  6  pence  and  Cheese  about  four  pence  half 
penny  per  pound,  all  ster: 

On  our  way  to  Ryegate  we  lodged  at  hanover,  where 
Mr.  Wheelock  has  his  Indian  Academy  or  College.  When 
we  went  and  called  for  him  and  told  him  what  we  had  heard 
concerning  his  land  before  we  left  Scotland  and  he  said  he 
had  about  as  much  land  now  as  would  serve  about  30  fam- 
ilies, which  he  would  give  to  settlers  if  they  would  but  come 
and  live  upon  it,  and  he  said  he  would  prefer  Scotch  people 
before  any  other,  as  he  thought  much  of  their  religion  and 
manner  of  Church  government,  but  as  the  country  settle9 
so  fast  he  expects  it  will  all  be  settled  in  a  short  time,  he 
told  us  he  had  at  his  College  about  80  Students,  above  30  of 
which  were  upon  Charity  and  17  of  them  Indians. 

On  Munday,  the  5,  we  left  Charlestown  and  got  on 
our  way  to  York,  and  as  the  nearest  and  best  road  is  down 
the  east  side  of  Connecticut  River,  we  came  through  three 
of  the  New  England  Governments,  viz.:  Newhampshire, 
Massachusets  Bay  and  Connecticut,  we  had  the  river  al- 
ways in  our  view,  every  now  and  then  till  we  came  to  Hart- 
ford, in  the  Massachusets  Bay  Government,  and  it  has 
many  shallows  and  rifts  in  it  all  that  way,  but  is  so  deep 
below  that,  that  small  sloops  come  that  length,  we  saw 
nothing  remarkable  all  this  way,  the  part  of  Newhamshire 
government  which  we  came  through  for  many  miles 
below  Charlestown  is  poor,  barren  ground,  but  toward  the 
lower  end  of  it  the  ground  is  good  and  all  well  settled  and 
has  several  pretty  large  towns,  of  which  the  most  remark- 
able are  Northfield,  Sunderland,  old  Hadly  and  South  Had- 


JAMES  WHITELAW.  131 

ly,  then  we  came  into  the  Massachusets  Bay  government,. 
which  has  been  all  settled  for  a  long  time,  and  is  a  well  in- 
habited and  pleasant  Country,  abounding  in  all  kinds  of  grain 
and  has  abundance  of  large  orchards,  and  has  many  towns 
of  Considerable  bigness,  such  as  Springfield,  Suffield,  Wind- 
sor, Hartford,  Weathersfield,  &c,  next  we  came  through 
Connecticut  government,  which  is  likewise  an  old,  settled 
place,  and  pretty  good  land  in  many  places,  tho  in  most 
places  very  stoney,  but  the  whole  road  is  almost  shaded  with 
fruit  trees,  so  that  you  may  pull  as  many  cherries  and  apples 
in  their  season  as  you  please  without  going  out  of  your  road, 
and  it  is  not  uncommon  for  one  farmer  to  make  one  hun- 
dred Barrels  of  Cyder  in  one  year,  each  barrel  containing 
eight  Scotch  Gallons.  There  are  many  large  towns  likewise 
in  this  government,  such  as  New  Haven,  Milford,  Strat- 
ford, Fairfield,  Norwalk,  Stamford  and  Horseneck.  These 
are  all  along  the  Sea  Coast.  Next  we  came  again  into  York 
Government,  which  in  this  place  is  exceeding  stoney,  though 
the  soil  is  in  many  places  pretty  good,  and  they  have  likewise 
abundance  of  large  orchards.  And  after  coming  through 
several  small  towns  on  the  coast,  such  as  Rye,  New  Rochel,. 
East  Chester,  and  Kingsbridge,  we  arrived  again  at  New 
York  on  Munday  the  12  of  July,  after  a  seven  days'  ride 
from  Charlestown. 

The  people  here  are  affable  and  discreet  and  of  a  fair 
Complexion.  The  women  in  particular  are  very  handsom 
and  beautiful.  The  Indians,  of  which  we  saw  plenty  at 
Johnston,  are  of  a  tawny  Complexion,  and  of  an  ordinary 
size,  and  goes  almost  naked  excepting  a  kind  of  blanket  which 
they  wrap  about  their  shoulders,  and  two  pieces  of  skin,  one 


132  THE  VERMONT  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY. 

of  which  hangs  down  before  and  another  behind  to  cover 
their  nakedness.  They  seem  to  be  very  fond  of  jewels,  a 
great  many  of  them  wearing  ear  rings,  braclets  and  nose 
jewels,  which  is  an  ear  ring  which  they  hang  between  their 
mouth  and  nose,  the  gristle  of  their  nose  being  pierced  for 
that  use.  They  have  their  faces  for  the  most  part  painted 
with  red  and  black  Stroaks.  They  have  straight  black  hair, 
which  their  squas  or  women  always  wear  long.  We  seed 
one  man  of  them  in  particular,  which  besides  all  the  fore- 
mentioned  jewels,  had  a  round  piece  of  leather  hung  before 
his  breast,  which  was  all  drove  full  of  white  headed  nails, 
and  had  a  great  number  of  buttons  and  other  trinkets  hung 
round  it.  He  had  a  cap  made  of  some  beasts  skin,  with  the 
hair  on  it,  and  a  long  tail  hanging  down  to  the  small  of  his 
back  and  about  20  or  30  womens  Thimbles  hung  to  the  end 
of  it,  and  as  he  went  along  made  a  mighty  noise  by  the 
tinkling  of  his  Thimbles,  buttons  and  other  jewels. 

They  have  here  an  excellent  breed  of  horses,  black 
cattle,  sheep,  and  vast  numbers  of  hoggs,  and  their  land 
produces  Indian  Corn,  Rye,  Wheat,  peas,  barly,  oats  and 
flax.  Their  Indian  Corn  will  produce  50  bushels  per  acre, 
Rye  and  wheat  from  20  to  30  bushels  per  acre,  barly, 
peas  and  oats  about  the  same  quantity,  the  common 
prices  through  this  province  are  much  the  same  as  those 
which  you  find  before  in  the  description  of  Ryegate.  They 
sow  their  flax  very  thin,  as  their  only  intention  is  to  raise 
seed  and  they  do  not  pull  it  till  it  be  quite  ripe. 

The  weather  since  we  came  to  this  country  has  been 
mostly  dry  and  for  the  most  part  clear.  The  heat  tho 
they  tell  us,  has  been  for  some  weeks  rather  more  than 


JAMES  WHITELAW.  133 

common  is  noways  intolerable,  tho  a  good  deal  warmer  than 
at  home.  We  stayed  at  New  York  three  days,  which  time 
we  spent  informing  ourselves  about  the  Southern  Provinces, 
and  also  to  refresh  our  horses,  which  were  very  much 
fatigued. 

On  the  15th,  at  noon,  we  set  off  for  Philadelphia  and 
come  to  Princetown  on  the  16th  at  night,  here  we  staid 
till  the  19th.  Dr.  Witherspoon  being  so  good  as  to  find  us 
pasture  for  our  horses,  which  was  very  rare  to  be  got  on 
account  of  the  great  drought,  the  like  of  which  has  not  been 
known  these  many  years. 

Doctor  Witherspoon  has  now  made  us  his  proposals 
concerning  Rygate,  and  his  terms  are  these,  if  we  take  the 
whole,  reserving  to  them  2000  acres,  two  shillings  ster:  P 
acre,  if  three-fourths  reserving  them  1500  acres,  3-3  York 
Currency,  and  if  we  take  only  one  half,  three  shillings  York 
money.  But  he  advised  us  to  be  at  all  due  pains,  and  if 
we  should  find  a  better  place  for  our  purpose,  to  take  it,  as  he 
is  very  fond  that  our  scheme  should  succeed. 

Princetown  is  a  handsom  little  town  and  stands  on  a 
pleasant  situation,  and  the  College  is  said  to  be  the  best 
and  the  largest  building  in  America,  and  at  present  contains 
upwards  of  100  students,  besides  about  80  Latin  scholars. 

On  the  19th,  after  dining  with  the  President,  we  left 
this  place  and  arrived  at  Philadelphia  on  the  20th,  in  the 
afternoon.  Here  we  stayed  till  the  26th,  which  time  we 
spent  informing  ourselves  about  this  and  the  Southern 
Provinces,  in  which  we  was  much  assisted  by  Mssrs. 
Semple,  Sproat,  Milliken,  Stewart  and  Marshal,  who  gave 
us  letters  themselves,  and  also  caused  others  of  their  ac- 


134  THE   VERMONT    HISTORICAL   SOCIETY. 

quaintances  to  give  us  letters  to  their  several  correspondents, 
to  give  us  any  assistance  or  advice  that  they  could. 

On  the  26th  in  the  afternoon  we  left  this  place  and  pro- 
ceeded on  our  way  to  Shamokin  or  Fort  Augusta,  and  ar- 
rived there  on  the  30th.  The  lands  on  this  road  are  pretty 
flat  and  also  good  for  the  most  part  for  about  50  miles  from 
Philadelphia,  and  the  houses  mostly  built  of  stone  and 
mostly  possessed  by  Dutch  and  Germans,  but  as  you  ad- 
vance the  country  it  is  mountainous  and  exceeding  rockey 
so  that  it  is  scarce  fit  for  settling,  tho  the  lands  are  all  taken 
up  and  surveyed  till  you  come  within  8  miles  of  the  fort, 
where  the  land  becomes  more  flat  and  very  good.  We  had 
a  good  deal  of  difficulty  to  find  provisions  on  this  road, 
as  at  one  place  we  had  17  miles  without  a  house  and  the 
next  stage  we  had  23  miles,  and  little  to  be  got  when  we 
came  to  these  houses  at  fort  Augusta.  We  lodged  with 
one  Mr.  Hunter  till  the  2d  of  August,  which  time  we  em- 
ployed in  informing  ourselves  about  the  lands  here  and  on 
the  other  parts  of  the  Susquhanna,  which  had  been  much 
recommended  to  us  by  some  people  in  Philadelphia  but  we 
found  that  there  was  no  one  place  large  enough  for  our  pur- 
pose but  plenty  too  large  for  our  money,  as  wood  lands  sells 
here  from  20  to  50  shillings  pr.  acre.  Here  they  have  laid 
out  a  new  town  much  after  the  plan  of  Philadelphia  which 
is  building  very  fast.  Here  we  met  with  some  more  of  our 
old  friends,  the  Indians,  who  spoke  English  very  well,  and 
were  likewise  very  courteous,  particularly  one  John  Hen- 
drick,  son  to  King  Hendrick,  one  of  the  Mohawk  Sachems, 
who  was  much  renowned  for  a  great  warrior. 


JAMES  WHITELAW.  135 

On  the  2d  of  August  we  left  this  place  and  set  out 
for  Carlile.  We  rode  the  Susquehanna  a  little  below  the 
new  town  (which  is  called  Sanbury)  where  it  was  upwards 
of  half  a  mile  broad,  as  it  took  us  22  minutes  to  cross  it, 
and  it  is  about  2  feet  deep  upon  an  average  from  side  to 
side,  and  the  stream  pretty  rapid,  and  at  this  time  it  is  at  its 
lowest  pitch. 

The  ground  along  the  banks  of  this  river  is  very  flat 
and  good  for  about  8  miles,  and  watered  by  two  small  rivers, 
called  Penns  Creek  and  Middle  Creek,  then  it  is  rocky  for 
several  miles,  then  tolerable  flat  and  good  till  you  come  to 
the  Blue  Mountain,  and  well  watered  by  Juniatta  river, 
after  Crossing  the  blue  Mountain  we  came  into  the  County 
of  Carlile,  which  is  pretty  level  and  good  land  about  the 
town  and  all  well  settled.  This,  like  all  other  American 
towns,  is  laid  out  in  squares,  with  straight  streets,  and  con- 
tains a  good  deal  of  inhabitants. 

On  Thursday,  the  5th,  we  set  out  on  our  way  to  Alex- 
ander Thomson's,  and  on  our  way  lodged  with  Allan  Scrogg, 
a  farmer  from  Scotland,  to  whom  we  had  been  rec- 
ommended. Here  we  met  with  an  uncommon  large  spring, 
which  in  the  dryest  season  of  the  year  affords  sufficient  wa- 
ter for  two  breast  milns.  From  this  we  went  to  Alexn. 
Scrogg's,  who  is  brother  to  the  former,  they  have  both  got 
large  plantations,  and  Alexander  in  particular  told  us  that 
about  36  years  ago  they  came  over  young  men  and  he  had 
only  twenty  pounds  of  stock  and  went  along  viewing  the 
country  till  he  spent  a  great  part  of  it,  then  went  to  labour 
for  some  time  after,  after  which  he  bought  a  large  plan- 
tation, and  when  his  old  son  married,  he  gave  him  one  half 


138  THE   VERMONT    HISTORICAL    SOCIETY. 

of  it,  and  bought  another  to  his  second  son  for  700  pounds, 
and  what  he  has  yet  in  his  own  hand  free  of  debt  he  says 
he  will  not  part  with  for  a  thousand  pounds. 

From  this  we  came  to  Shippensburgh  which  is  a  small 
town  containing  50  or  60  houses, — here  we  got  directions 
for  finding  Alexander  Thomson's  which  is  about  seven  miles 
from  this  place,  and  we  arrived  at  his  house  in  the  after- 
noon, where  we  was  kindly  entertained,  as  he  had  been  look- 
ing for  us  a  long  time.  Here  we  stayed  ten  days  to  refresh 
our  horses,  which  was  in  very  much  need  of  it  by  this  time. 
He  has  got  an  excellent  plantation  of  400  acres  of  land  for 
which  he  paid  50o£  currency,  which  is  nigh  30o£  ster:  It 
lies  about  150  miles  from  Philadelphia,  but  their  nighest 
landing  is  Baltimore  in  Maryland,  which  is  only  90  miles 
from  him,  though  they  have  to  cross  the  blue  ridge  in  go- 
ing to  it.  This  is  a  fertile  soil  and  all  lying  upon  limestone 
and  this  valley  continues  through  all  the  Provinces  of  Penn- 
sylvania, Maryland  and  Virginia,  and  lies  between  the  Blue 
ridge  and  North  Mountain,  and  as  it  goes  southward  grows 
wider  till  it  is  so  broad  that  one  can  scarce  see  over  it.  The 
south  side  of  it  is  all  limestone  and  exceeding  good  land, 
and  the  north  part  of  it  is  what  they  call  slate  land  and 
is  not  very  good. 

Alexander  Thomson  had  50  acres  Clear  when  he  bought 
his  plantation,  and  has  cleared  other  50  himself,  he  has 
plenty  of  all  kinds  of  grain,  and  he  seems  to  be  exceedingly 
well  pleased  with  his  situation,  and  they  have  never  one  of 
his  family  been  sick  since  he  came  to  this  place,  and  he  says 
he  thinks  people  are  in  general  more  healthy  there  than  in 


JAMES  WHITELAW.  137 

Scotland.  He  told  us  that  all  the  lands  in  or  nigh  that 
place  was  taken  up  but  he  could  buy  plenty  of  single  planta- 
tions with  improvements  on  them  for  about  three  pounds 
sterling  an  acre,  as  He  told  us  that  many  people  in  that 
neighborhood  was  selling  their  plantations  and  going  back 
to  the  Ohio,  and  he  thought  that  would  be  the  best  place 
for  us.  But  after  we  made  all  the  enquirey  about  it  that  we 
could,  we  did  not  think  it  a  fit  place  for  us.  For  though  it 
is  allowed  by  all  to  be  the  best  land  in  America,  yet  it  lies 
entirely  out  of  the  way  of  all  trade,  being  300  miles  of  land 
carriage  from  the  nearest  navigation,  and  the  river  itself 
is  fit  for  no  other  vessels  but  canoes  or  battoes  of  two  or 
three  tons  burden,  and  the  lowest  settlements  on  the  Ohio 
are  above  2000  miles  from  the  mouth  of  the  Mississippi, 
and  tho  two  men  can  go  down  with  one  of  those  battoes  in 
twenty  days,  yet  twelve  men  will  have  much  adoe  to  bring 
it  up  again  in  five  months,  so  that  there  is  little  probability 
of  ever  having  much  trade  there,  and  though  the  people 
can  have  some  sale  for  their  produce  in  the  meantime  to 
new  settlers,  yet  in  a  few  years  that  market  will  naturally 
cease,  and  though  they  can  raise  all  the  necesarys  of  life, 
they  can  never  have  any  money  for  their  grain,  as  the  price 
of  two  bushels  will  have  adoe  to  bring  one  to  market, 
and  salt  sells  there  just  now  at  20  shillings  a  bushel.  Rum, 
and  all  other  things  which  are  brought  from  the  sea  coast 
sells  at  the  like  extravagant  price. 

The  province  of  Pennsylvania  seems  the  most  desirable 
to  live  in  of  any  place  we  have  yet  seen,  but  it  is  mostly 

settled  where  it  is  good,  and  what  is  to  settle  is  very  dear  as 
9 


138  THE   VERMONT    HISTORICAL   SOCIETY. 

you  cannot  have  an  acre  of  good  land  within  150  miles  of 
any  landing  for  less  than  twenty  or  thirty  shill. 

Here  the  people  are  kind  and  discreet,  except  the  Dutch 
or  Germans  who  inhabit  the  best  lands  in  this  province,  who 
are  a  set  of  people  that  mind  nothing  of  gayety,  but  live 
niggardly  and  gather  together  money  as  fast  as  they  can 
without  having  any  intercourse  with  anybody  but  among 
themselves.  Most  of  the  people  in  this  Province  look  fresh 
and  healthy,  except  the  women  who  have  for  the  most  part 
lost  their  teeth,  with  eating  too  many  fruits  which  they  have 
here  in  great  plenty. 

Here  they  have  plenty  of  good  horses  and  all  other 
kinds  of  cattle,  and  the  ground  produces  wheat,  barley,  Rye, 
Indian  Corn,  oats,  buckwheat,  flax,  peas  and  beans  of  various 
kinds.  They  have  likewise  Melons,  Cucumbers,  squashes, 
gourds  and  pumpkins  growing  in  the  open  fields,  and  their 
gardens  are  well  supplied  with  all  kinds  of  roots  and  other 
garden  stuffs  that  are  to  be  found  in  Europe. 

The  air  is  commonly  clear,  and  the  country  is  as  healthy 
as  any  place  in  Europe,  excepting  only  where  there  are 
large  Marshes  or  ponds  of  stagnated  water,  which  is 
dangerous  for  agues  but  we  have  not  yet  seen  one  have  the 
ague  since  we  came  to  the  Country.  The  summer  is  pretty 
hot,  but  not  to  such  a  degree  as  people  at  home  are  taught 
to  believe.  They  tell  us  the  winters  are  mostly  frosty,  but 
clear,  sun  shine  weather,  which  prevents  it  from  being  so 
cold  as  it  would  otherways  be. 

On  Tuesday,  August  17,  we  left  Alexander  Thomsons 
and  set  out  towards  the  south,  and  after  passing  a  very 
small  town  called  Chamberstown,  we  came  into  the  Province 


JAMES  WHITELAW.  139 

of  Maryland,  and  lodged  at  night  in  a  handsom  little  town 
of  about  150  houses,  called  Heagerstown.  We  left  this  in 
the  morning,  and  came  next  to  Sharpsburg,  which  is  about 
the  same  bigness,  and  about  mid-day  came  to  Potomack 
river,  and  crossed  over  to  Sheepherclstown  in  Virginia. 

This  small  part  of  Maryland  which  we  came  through 
is  part  of  the  forementioned  valley  and  is  very  good  land 
and  all  settled. 

Sheepherdstown  is  upon  the  banks  of  the  Potomack 
(but  about  70  miles  above  the  falls)  and  contains  about  70 
or  80  houses.  Here  we  met  with  Thomas  White,  and  he 
and  us  spent  the  evening  in  viewing  the  town  and  the  coun- 
try about  it,  and  in  the  morning  went  along  with  us  to  his 
acquaintances  through  the  country  to  make  what  inquiry 
we  could  about  lands,  but  could  hear  of  none  in  this  gov- 
ernment without  going  2  or  300  miles  from  navigation. 
The  country  here  is  very  good  and  the  people  healthy. 

We  next  set  out  for  Carolina  and  after  Crossing  Shan- 
adore  river  we  came  over  the  blue  ridge  and  down  to  the 
heart  of  Virginia,  and  we  went  down  the  south  side  of 
Potomack  river  and  came  through  several  towns  such  as 
Alexandria,  Colchester,  Dumfriee  and  Aquaia,  and  then 
across  the  Country  and  crossed  Rappahanock  River  between 
falmouth  and  fredericksburgh  and  next  we  crossed  the  head 
of  York  River  at  Herrs  bridge,  then  over  James  river  and 
so  through  the  country  and  over  Roanoak  at  Taylor's  Ferry, 
after  which  we  came  into  North  Carolina. 

The  people  in  the  lower  parts  of  Virginia  complain  much 
of  sickness  at  this  season  of  the  year,  but  higher  up  they 
are  pretty  healthy.     Here  they  have  excellent  Indian  Corn 


140  THE   VERMONT    HISTORICAL    SOCIETY. 

in  some  places,  but  the  ground  is  mostly  sandy  and  poor, 
and  the  places  that  are  good  are  all  planted  with  Tobacco, 
and  here  is  but  little  wheat  or  other  grain.  The  planters 
here  live  well  and  are  all  quite  idle,  as  none  but  negroes  work 
here,  of  which  some  planters  will  have  several  hundreds, 
which  at  an  average  are  worth  60  or  70  pounds  ster :  apiece, 
and  in  these  all  their  riches  consists,  for  there  are  few  of 
them  but  are  in  debt  to  the  storekeepers,  and  it  commonly 
takes  all  their  Crops  to  Cloath  themselves  and  their  negroes. 
But  those  that  are  industrious  and  labour  themselves,  and 
particularly  they  who  make  grain,  can  make  a  good  deal  of 
money,  as  the  grain  sells  pretty  well  and  does  not  require 
one  half  of  the  labour  that  tobacco  does. 

About  four  miles  from  Roanoak  we  came  into  North 
Carolina,  and  went  right  to  Mr.  Allason's  house.  The  land 
from  the  line  of  the  province  to  this  place  is  for  the  greatest 
part  very  sandy  and  much  of  it  covered  with  pines,  and  in 
some  places  a  kind  of  red  clay  mixed  with  sand,  and  the 
wood  mostly  oak  here.  Mr.  Allason  has  got  a  good  planta- 
tion lying  along  the  side  of  a  creek,  and  he  tells  us  he  has 
bought  two  other  good  plantations,  and  could  buy  plenty 
more  very  reasonably,  but  he  does  not  think  that  our  scheme 
will  suit  this  place  well,  as  there  are  no  tracts  of  good  land  to 
be  had  in  one  place,  as  the  good  lands  lie  mostly  in  narrow 
strips  along  the  water  sides,  and  the  people  settle  on  these 
places  and  keep  the  high  grounds  for  range  to  their  Cattle, 
for  which  they  are  excellent,  as  these  pine  grounds  are  all 
covered  with  excellent  grass.  (We  arrived  here  on  Tues- 
day, August  the  31  in  the  afternoon).  The  lands  here 
sells  from  ten  to  twenty  shillings  P.  acre,  and  we  can  hear 


JAMES  WHITELAW.  HI 

of  no  person  that  has  any  large  tract  in  one  place  to  dis- 
pose of. 

On  Wednesday,  the  8th  of  September,  we  left  Mr.  Al- 
lasons  and  at  night  arrived  at  Bute,  where  we  were  kindly 
entertained  by  Mr.  William  Park,  from  Renfrew  and  after 
telling  him  our  plan,  he  advised  us  to  Call  upon  one  Mr. 
Montfort,  in  Halifax,  who  he  told  us  had  the  best  tract  of 
land  to  dispose  of  that  he  knew  of  in  that  country..  Mr. 
Park  was  so  kind  as  to  give  us  a  letter  of  recommendation 
to  him,  we  had  likewise  a  letter  of  recommendation 
to  him  from  Mr.  David  Sproat  in  Philadelphia. 

On  Thursday,  the  9th,  we  left  Bute  and  arrived  at  Halli- 
fax  on  Friday  forenoon  when  we  went  and  Called  for  the 
above  mentioned  Mr.  Montfort  who  used  us  very  civilly  and 
told  us  of  several  tracts  of  land  that  he  had  to  dispose  of, 
one  of  which  lay  in  Bute  County  and  was  the  one  rec- 
ommended to  us  by  Mr.  Park.  He  told  us  that  it  contained 
nearly  6000  acres,  the  whole  as  well  watered  as  any  tract 
of  the  same  quantity  in  America,  having  many  very  constant 
and  fresh  running  streams  through  it.  There  is  not  200 
acres  in  the  whole  but  what  he  told  us  is  fit  for  tillage  and 
much  of  it  excellent  for  wheat  and  tobacco.  He  told  us 
there  were  4  plantations  Cleared  and  tended  thereon,  per- 
haps the  4  Containing  in  all  about  400  acres  of  cleared 
land,  all  the  rest  wood  land.  He  told  us  likewise  that  there 
was  a  good  grist  miln  on  a  fine  constant  stream,  which  has 
never  too  much  nor  too  little  water,  and  that  there  are  sev- 
eral barns  &  small  houses  on  the  different  plantations  and 
his  price  is  9000^  Virginia  Currency  or  700o£  sterling.  He 
likewise  told  us  that  he  had  a  tract  of  land  in  Halifax  County 


H2  THE   VERMONT    HISTORICAL    SOCIETY. 

of  about  2400  acres,  one  part  of  which  is  within  4  miles 
of  Halifax  town,  and  the  farthest  part  of  it  is  about  7  or 
8  miles  from  said  town.  There  is  in  this  tract  a  great 
variety  of  kinds  of  soil,  it  is  all  level  and  pretty  well  watered, 
is  mostly  wood  land,  some  a  light  sandy  soil,  some  a  very 
strong  Marley  soil,  and  very  stiff,  other  parts  a  mixture  be- 
tween the  two,  finely  timbered  with  Pine,  oak  and  Hickory, 
a  great  deal  of  it  proper  for  making  the  finest  meadows. 
This  land  he  will  sell  for  1000  pounds  ster.  if  taken  soon, 
and  he  says  is  worth  a  great  deal  more. 

He  told  us  also  of  another  tract  of  land  that  he  had 
on  the  head  of  Broad  River,  in  Tryon  County,  Containing 
nearly  7000  acres,  and  all  of  it  as  rich,  fine  land  as  any 
yet  discovered  in  America,  being  all  of  it  Cane  land  or  high 
low  grounds,  which  never  overflows  and  grows  full  of  Cane 
reeds,  well  timberd  and  watered  and  most  excellent  for 
raising  cattle  and  Horses.  It  is  all  naturally  enclosed  by  the 
steep,  high  mountains  from  the  west  side  round  by  the 
north  by  the  east,  and  is  only  open  to  the  southeast  where 
a  waggon  road  may  go  easy  and  level  along  the  river  side 
into  the  land.  This  place  was  formerly  known  by  the  name  of 
the  great  cove  and  is  of  late  years  known  by  the  name  of 
Montfort's  Cove.  This  land  pays  to  the  Crown  four 
shillings  Proclamation  money  of  North  Carolina  P.  hun- 
dred quit  rent  P.  annum. 

He  will  take  one  thousand  five  hundred  pounds  ster.  for 
this  tract  of  land  if  a  purchaser  offers  soon  and  pays  down 
at  the  time  of  agreement  and  receiving  title,  but  unless 
that  happens  within  six  or  seven  months  of  this  time,  he 
says  he  will  not  take  under  two  thousand  that  money.     He 


JAMES  WHITELAW.  143 

says  if  the  whole  is  not  as  good  land  as  to  be  found  in  the 
upper,  he  will  not  desire  any  person  to  be  bound  by  the  bar- 
gain they  make  for  it. 

About  80  miles  from  this  land  there  are  one  or  two 
places  of  trade  on  rivers  Navigable  for  large  Boats — it  lies 
200  miles  to  Charlestown  on  a  fine  waggon  road. 

After  having  dined  with  Mr.  Montfort  we  set  out  on 
our  way  for  Edinton,  where  we  arrived  on  Monday,  the  13th. 
The  country  a  good  way  down  from  Halifax  is  nothing  but 
barren  sand,  and  when  you  go  lower  down  the  ground  is 
low,  flat  and  marshy  and  along  the  banks  of  the  Roanoak 
the  lands  are  very  rich,  but  so  low  and  flate  that  in  great 
freshets  the  river  overflows  it  for  several  miles  and  sweeps 
all  before  it.  The  land  about  Edinton  is  all  either  barren 
sand  or  watery  swamps.  When  we  came  to  Edinton  we 
called  for  Mr.  Smith,  to  whom  we  had  been  recommended 
by  Mr.  Sproat  in  Philadelphia.  He  told  us  of  large  tracts 
of  good  land  upon  pretty  good  navigation,  but  the  price 
high  and  the  Climate  sickly.  As  to  the  soil  of  Carolina  we 
have  told  in  the  beginning  of  our  description  of  it  that  there 
are  strips  of  good  ground  along  the  sides  of  rivers  and 
creeks,  and  the  rest  sandy  and  mostly  Covered  with  pines 
and  fit  for  nothing  but  raising  of  cattle  which  is  the  only 
thing  the  people  in  this  country  depend  upon.  The  grass  in 
the  woods  is  rank  and  good,  and  the  winter  being  short  they 
can  rear  cattle  without  much  cost  or  care.  The  soil  will 
produce  Indian  Corn  pretty  well,  which  is  the  only  grain  the 
people  live  upon.  Some  of  their  ground  will  produce  wheat, 
but  in  small  quantitys  and  it  must  be  thrashed  out  imme- 
diately when  cut,  or  else  they  lose  it  by  being  eat  by  a 


144  THE  VERMONT  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY. 

small  insect  called  a  wevle.  They  have  cotton,  tobacco  and 
some  small  quantitys  of  indigo  and  rice  in  some  places,  but 
the  Culture  of  indigo  is  so  unhealthy  that  they  reason  if 
a  negro  lives  ten  years  and  works  among  it  they  have  a 
good  bargain  of  him. 

As  to  the  climate,  it  is  exceedingly  hot  in  June,  July 
ai-d  August,  and  very  Cold  in  January  and  february,  and 
the  rest  of  the  year  temperate,  and  in  the  back  parts  the 
people  are  healthy,  but  after  we  came  below  Hallifax  we 
did  not  enter  one  single  house  but  we  found  sick  persons, 
and  in  some  we  could  not  find  one  whole  person  to  feed 
our  horses.  As  to  religion,  we  scare  saw  any  appearance 
of  it  in  this  Country,  but  the  establishment  is  Episcopal. 

Finding  that  we  could  do  nothing  there,  we  left  Edin- 
ton  on  Monday  afternoon,  and  returned  on  our  way  to  the 
North  Country  again,  and  in  our  way  passed  through 
Suffolk,  which  is  a  handsom  little  town  in  the  lower  parts 
of  Virginia,  and  on  Wednesday,  the  15th,  we  got  to  Nor- 
folk, which  is  the  largest  town  in  Virginia,  and  stands  on 
a  river  deep  enough  to  bring  large  ships  up  to  the  town. 
This  town  seems  to  be  about  the  bigness  of  Greenock,  and 
seems  to  have  a  good  deal  of  trade.  Here  we  was  obliged 
to  stay  till  Saturday  before  we  could  get  a  fair  wind  to 
Carry  us  over  the  Bay.  This  passage  is  about  60  miles, 
viz. :  from  Norfolk  down  to  the  Bay  25  miles  across  the 
"bay  to  the  eastern  shore  35  miles.  We  crossed  this  bay  (viz. 
Cheesapeak)  within  sight  of  the  Capes  of  Virginia,  and  by 
going  this  road  we  brought  14  ferry s  all  into  one  which 
we  would  have  had  to  cross  if  we  had  gone  by  the  post 
road,  and  we  likewise  shortened  our  road  above  20  miles. 


JAMES  WHITELAW.  145 

After  crossing  at  this  place  we  went  through  several  hand- 
som  little  towns,  such  as  Snowhill,  Crossroads,  Dover,  Wil- 
mington, Chester  and  Derby,  and  arrived  at  Philadelphia  on 
the  26th  of  September,  all  the  way  from  Edinton  till  you 
come  within  about  60  miles  of  Philadelphia  the  ground  is 
light  and  sandy  and  for  the  most  part  does  not  produce  above 
10  or  12  bushels  of  wheat  P.  acre,  but  when  you  come  with- 
in 60  miles  of  Philadelphia,  the  ground  Changes  from  sand 
to  good  brown  earth  and  will  produce  large  crops  of  wheat 
or  any  other  grain,  here  it  is  exceeding  pleasant  traveling 
at  this  season  of  the  year,  as  the  fields  are  all  quite  green 
with  young  wheat  which  makes  a  much  better  appearance 
than  it  does  in  Scotland  at  this  time  of  the  year. 

We  traveled  about  500  miles  (viz.  from  Hallifax  in 
Carolina  to  Dover  which  is  within  80  miles  of  Philadelphia) 
without  seeing  a  stone  of  any  kind,  or  any  sort  of  eminence, 
the  ground  being  for  the  most  part  sandy  and  perfectly 
level,  and  in  all  that  500  miles  we  was  not  in  five  houses 
but  some  of  the  people  was  sick  of  the  fever  and  ague  or 
somes  other  desease,  but  we  have  reason  to  bless  God  that 
though  we  have  traveled  through  such  a  sickly  country,  we 
are  now  arrived  in  perfect  health  at  a  place  where  such  sick- 
nesses seldom  or  never  appear. 

After  having  refreshed  ourselves  and  horses  and  dis- 
cussed what  business  we  had  to  do,  we  left  Philadelphia  on 
the  first  of  October  and  came  to  Princetown  that  night,  and 
next  day  we  bargained  with  Dr.  Witherspoon  for  one-half 
of  the  township  of  Ryegate. 


146  THE  VERMONT  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY. 

We  left  Princetown  on  the  5th  and  arrived  at  New- 
York  on  the  6th,  and  James  Henderson  arrived  here  from 
Philadelphia,  with  his  chest  and  tools  on  the  9th  and  having 
found  a  sloop  to  carry  James  Henderson  with  his  and  our 
Chests  and  what  Tools  and  other  utensils  we  had  purchased, 
to  Hartford,  on  the  Connecticut  river,  and  having  discussed 
what  other  business  we  had  to  do,  we  left  New  York  on 
19th  of  Oct.,  and  arrived  at  Newbury  or  Kohass  on  the  1st 
day  of  November,  and  put  up  with  Jacob  Bayly,  Esq.,  to 
whom  we  was  recommended  by  John  Church,  Esq.,  one  of 
the  proprietors  of  Ryegate,  and  James  Henderson  arrived 
about  a  week  after  us  in  a  canoe  with  our  chests  and  tools 
and  some  provisions  we  had  bought  down  the  Country,  such 
as  Rum,  Salt,  Molasses,  etc.     On  the  30th  of  the  month  Mr. 
Church  came  up  and  we  divided  the  town,  the  south  part 
whereof  has  fain  to  us,  which  in  our  opinion,  and  in  the  opin- 
ion of  all  that  knows  it,  has  the  advantage  of  the  north  in 
many  respects.     1st,  it  is   the  best   land   in  general.     2d, 
nearest  to  provisions  which  we  have  in  plenty  within  3 
or   4   miles   and   likewise   within   6  of   a   grist   and   two 
miles  of  a  saw  miln,  all  which  are  great  advantages  to  a  new 
settlement.     3d,  we  have  several  brooks  with  good  seats 
for  milns,  and  likewise  Welds  River  runs  through  part  of 
our  purchase  and  has  water  enough  for  2  breast  milns  at 
the  driest  season  of  the  year,  of  which  the  north  part  is 
almost  entirely  destitute.     4th,  there  is  a  fall  in  Connecticut 
river  just  below  our  uppermost  line  which  causeth  a  car- 
rying place  for  goods  going  up  or  down  the  river.     5th,  we 
are  within  six  miles  of  a  good  Presbyterian  meeting  and 
there  is  no  other  minister  above  that  place. 


JAMES  WHITELAW.  147 

When  we  came  here  John  Hyndman  was  building  his 
house,  so  we  helped  him  up  with  it  both  for  the  conveniency 
of  lodging  with  him  till  we  built  one  of  our  own,  and  also 
that  he  might  assist  us  in  building  ours.  Having  finished 
his  house,  we  began  to  build  our  own,  and  had  it  finished 
about  the  beginning  of  January,  1774.  Nothing  worth 
noticing  happened  till  the  spring,  only  we  cut  down  as  much 
wood  as  we  could  and  James  Henderson  made  what  wooden 
utensils  we  had  occasion  for,  and  James  Whitelaw  went 
down  to  Portsmouth  and  Newburyport  and  brought  a  slea 
load  of  such  necessarys  as  we  wanted.  In  the  month  of 
April  we  made  about  60  lbs.  of  sugar,  after  which  we  be- 
gan the  surveying  of  the  town,  and  first  ran  lines  from 
north  to  south  (&  vice  versa)  at  every  forty  rods  distance, 
which  lines  are  above  three  miles  long  and  upwards  of  40  in 
number,  one  half  of  which  we  marked  for  the  ends  of  the 
lots  and  the  other  half  we  did  not  mark,  but  only  run  them 
to  know  the  quality  of  the  ground. 

On  Monday,  the  23rd  of  May,  arrived  here  from  Scot- 
land David  Ferry,  Alexander  Sim  and  family,  Andrew  and 
Robert  Brocks,  John  and  Robert  Orrs,  John  Wilson,  John 
Gray,  John  Shaw  and  Hugh  Semple,  and  as  we  had  not 
finished  the  surveying,  Alexander  Sim  went  to  work  with 
Colonel  Bayley  and  all  the  rest  with  the  managers  for  the 
company  where  they  continued  till  the  first  of  July,  when 
we  got  their  lots  laid  off  for  them,  and  David  Ferry  took 
possession  of  No.  1st,  Hugh  Semple  of  No.  2nd,  3rd,  4th 
&  5th,  John  Orr  and  his  brother  of  No.  6th  &  7th  for  them- 
selves, &  No.  8th  and  9th  for  William  Blackwood,  John 


148  THE  VERMONT  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY. 

Gray  of  No.  ioth  for  himself  and  No.  nth.  for  John  Barr, 
John  Wilson  of  No.  12th,  13th,  14th,  15th,  16th  &  17th, 
Andrew  and  Robert  Brocks  of  Nos.  21st,  22nd,  23d,  24th, 
25th,  26th,  27th,  &  28th,  Alexander  Sim  of  Nos.  29th  &  30th, 
and  John  Shaw  of  Nos.  31st  and  32nd  for  himself,  and 
of  33d,  34th,  35th  &  36th  for  William  Warden,  and  of  No. 
37th,  38th,  39th  &  40th  for  James  Laird. 

July  the  5th  we  agreed  with  Archibald  Harvie  and 
Robert  Orr  for  one  year's  work  for  the  company  and  on 
the  nth  we  agreed  with  John  Shaw  and  on  July  30  with 
David  Ferry,  all  for  one  years  work. 

On  Monday,  the  1st  of  August,  after  having  determined 
the  quantitys  of  the  several  lotts  and  drawn  a  plan  of  them, 
and  likewise  a  plan  of  the  town  spot,  David  Allen  set  out 
from  this  place  on  his  way  home  to  Scotland,  when  the 
whole  of  the  Ryegate  Colonists  attended  him  to  Colonel  Bay- 
ley's  and  James  Henderson  went  along  with  him  to  New- 
buryport  where  he  took  his  leave  of  him. 

After  finishing  the  plan  of  our  half  of  Ryegate  we  found 
the  Contents  to  be  as  follows: 


Here  are  inserted  the  tables  covering  pages  51  to  57  in- 
clusive of  the  original  manuscript. 


On  the  first  of  October  John  Waddels,  James  Neilson 
and  Thomas  McKeach  arrived  here,  and  Patrick  Long  and 
family,  William  Neilson  and  family  and  David  Reid  and 
his  wife  arrived  the  7th.  They  were  all  hearty  and  had  a 
good  passage  and  good  usage  from  their  captain. 


JAMES  WHITELAW.  149 

James  Neilson  took  possession  of  lots  41  &  42,  and 
William  Neilson  of  Nos.  43,  44,  45,  46,  47,  48,  49  &  50, 
and  Patrick  Long  of  Nos.  51,  52,  53,  and  54  for  himself,  and 
of  Nos.  55,  56,  57  &  58  for  his  brother-in-law,  and  David 
Reid  took  possession  of  Nos.  59  &  60. 

On  the  8th  of  Oct.  arrived  here  Robert  Gemmil  and  his 
son,  Robert  Tweedale  and  his  wife  an4  Andrew  and  James 
Smiths.  About  this  time  we  began  to  build  a  frame  house 
of  17  feet  wide  and  38  long,  which  will  accommodate  4 
familys  on  occasion.  On  the  13th  we  built  a  small  logg 
house,  as  these  we  formerly  built  could  not  contain  all  the 
people  that  arrived  at  that  time. 

On  the  22nd  of  Oct.  Andrew  Smith  departed  this  life. 
He  was  the  first  Scotsman  that  died  in  this  place.  He  was 
in  good  health  on  the  morning  of  the  21st,  but  about  11 
o'clock  forenoon  he  was  seized  with  a  cholic  (to  which  he 
had  formerly  been  subject)  of  which  he  died  at  3  o'clock 
next  morning.  James  Whitelaw  with  the  rest  of  the  new 
Colonists  made  choice  of  a  spot  near  the  east  side  of  the 
common  for  a  burying  place  where  he  was  decently  interred 
same  evening. 

James  Smith  took  possession  of  lots  No.  61,  62  &  63 
for  himself,  and  of  No.  64  for  John  Gray ;  Robert  Tweedale 
of  No.  65,  66,  67  &  68  and  Robert  Gemmil  of  Nos.  69  &  70. 
Before  the  beginning  of  December  all  the  people  had  houses 
built  on  their  lots,  and  they  were  generally  well  pleased 
with  their  situations. 

About  the  8th  of  December  James  Whitelaw  received 
a  letter  from  Archibald  Taylor  who  was  at  Salem  waiting 
for  an  opportunity  to  come  up. 


150  THE   VERMONT    HISTORICAL.   SOCIETY. 

About  the  beginning  of  January,  1775,  James  Whitelaw 
purchased  the  part  of  lot  No.  120  of  Newbury  that  lies  on 
the  North  side  of  Wells  River  (which  contains  the  great 
falls)  with  one-half  the  privilege  of  the  river  for  the  pur- 
pose of  building  milns  for  the  company.  About  which  time 
James  Henderson  begun  to  block  out  wood  for  building 
them. 

On  the  first  of  February,  Archibald  Taylor  and  his  fam- 
ily arrived  here  and  took  possession  of  Lot  No.  113. 

About  the  16th  of  April  John  Scot  came  here  and  took 
possession  of  Lots  No.  18,  19  &  20. 

About  the  middle  of  August  we  raised  the  frames  of 
the  grist  miln  and  first  frame  house  in  the  town,  and  about 
the  beginning  of  October  we  raised  the  saw  miln,  and  on  the 
28th  of  Oct.  we  set  the  grist  miln  agoing. 

On  the  14th  of  May,  1776,  we  met  in  order  to  choose 
military  officers  for  the  town,  when  we  chose  James  Hender- 
son Capt.  Robert  Brock,  Lt.  Capt.,  and  Bartholomew  Sum- 
mers, Ensign. 

The  third  Tuesday  of  May  being  appointed  for  the 
yearly  town  meeting  for  choosing  the  necessary  officers  for 
the  town,  John  Gray  and  James  Whitelaw  were  chosen  for 
assessors ;  Andrew  Brock  treasurer ;  Robert  Tweedale  and 
John  Orr  overseers  of  the  highway ;  Patrick  Long  and  John 
Shaw  overseers  of  the  poor;  John  Scot,  Collector,  and 
Archibald  Taylor,  James  Smith,  William  Neilson  and  David 
Reid,  constables. 

About  this  time  James  Whitelaw  took  possession  of  lots 
No.    114th,    115,    116    and    117,    and    James    Henderson 


JAMES  WHITELAW.  151 

of  Lots  No.  118,  119,  120,  and  John  Waddle  of  lot  121,  and 
Thomas  McKeach  of  lot  122. 

On  the  first  of  July  upon  the  alarm  coming  of  St.  Johns 
being  retaken  by  the  Regulars,  and  that  Indians  would 
be  sent  through  to  lay  waste  the  Country,  all  the  people  of 
Ryegate  moved  down  to  Newbury,  where  they  had  more 
company  and  foolishly  thought  there  was  less  danger,  but 
after  staying  there  about  ten  days,  and  seeing  no  appearance 
of  danger,  they  all  returned  to  their  respective  houses. 

A  few  days  after  this  we  set  the  saw  miln  agoing,  which 
answers  her  end  very  well. 

Nothing  more  happened  worthy  of  notice  till  the  9th  of 
Jan.,  1777,  when  James  Henderson  was  married  to  Agnes        \^ 
Sym  and  on  the  17th  of  the  same  month  Robert  Brock  was 
also  married  to  Elizabeth  Stewart,  which  were  the  two  first 
marriages  which  ever  was  in  Ryegate. 

Tuesday,  May  the  20th,  being  the  day  appointed  for 
the  annual  town  meeting  for  choosing  officers,  &c,  the 
same  persons  who  were  chosen  last  year,  both  for  civil  and 
military  officers  were  all  unanimously  rechosen  for  another 
year. 

Thursday,  June  12th,  the  inhabitants  all  met  in  order 
to  choose  their  house  lots  in  the  town  spot  when  Walter 
Brock  made  choice  of  lot  No.  357,  John  Orr  of  No.  356,  Rob- 
ert Orr  of  No.  355  for  himself,  and  Nos.  353  and  354  for 
William  Blackwood,  John  Gray  of  319  for  himself,  and  No. 
320  for  John  Barr,  John  Wilson  of  Nos.  2,  3,  4,  321,  322, 
323,  John  Scott  of  Nos.  276,  277,  278,  Andrew  Brock  of 
Nos.  349,  350,  351,  352,  Robert  Brock  of  Nos.  75,  76,  77, 


152  THE  VERMONT  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY. 

78,  Alexander  Sym  of  Nos.  347,  348,  John  Shaw  of  Nos. 
196,  197  for  himself,  and  Nos.  198,  199,  200,  201  for  William 
Warden,  and  Nos.  202,  203,  204,  205  for  James  Laird, 
James  Neilson  of  Nos.  273  and  274,  William  Neilson  of  Nos. 
265,  266,  267,  268,  269,  270,  271,  272,  Patrick  Lang  of  Nos. 
260,  261,  262,  263,  and  for  Wm.  Craig  264,  291,  292,  293, 
David  Reid  of  Nos.  289,  290,  James  Smith  of  Nos.  286,  287, 
288,  for  himself,  and  No.  285  for  John  Gray,  Robert  Tv/eed- 
ale  of  Nos.  281,  282,  283  &  284,  Hugh  Gemmil  of  Nos.  279 
and  280,  for  his  father,  Archibald  Taylor,  of  No.  206,  James 
Whitelaw  of  Nos.  207,  208,  209,  210,  James  Henderson  of 
Nos.  211,  212,  213,  and  John  Waddle  of  No.  214. 
\yS  Friday,  the  13th  of  June,  this  day  John  Gray  is  to  be 
married  to  Jean  McFarlan. 

On  Thursday,  the  2nd  of  Aprile,  1778,  the  inhabitants 
met  in  order  to  choose  selectmen,  and  other  officers,  when 
James  Whitelaw  was  chosen  town  dark,  John  Shaw,  Patrick 
Lang  and  Alex.  Sym,  Selectmen,  John  Wilson  and 
Robert  Orr,  Constables,  John  Gray  and  James  Henderson, 
assessors,  Walter  Brock  and  John  Hyndman,  surveyors  of 
highways,  William  Neilson  and  Robert  Summers,  fence 
viewers,  and  Bartholomew  Summers,  Lieutenant. 

On  Tuesday,  May  18th,  1779,  the  inhabitants  met  and 
chose  James  Whitelaw,  town  dark,  James  Henderson,  Rob- 
ert Brock  and  William  Neilson,  Selectmen,  John  Hyndman 
and  John  Gray,  surveyors  of  highways,  Bartholomew  Sum- 
mers and  John  Orr,  constables. 

On  the  17th  of  May  the  inhabitants  of  Ryegate  met  in 
order  to  Choose  their  Town  officers,  when  they  appointed 


JAMES  WHITELAW.  153 

Robert  Brock  Town  Cleark,  John  Gray,  John  Scot  and  John 
Hyndman  selectmen,  James  Henderson  and  Andrew  Brock, 
surveyors  of  highways. 

The  inhabitants  of  Ryegate  having  met  in  order  to 
consult  of  some  method  of  finishing  the  house  and  barn, 
and  for  Clearing  up  what  is  cut  down,  and  not  finished  in 
the  Common,  and  putting  the  same  under  improvement, 
and  having  Considered  of  the  same,  Concluded  that  the  best 
way  was  to  let  some  person  finish  the  same  and  have  the 
use  of  the  whole  Common  for  such  a  number  of  years  as 
he  and  they  could  agree  upon  for  his  pay,  when  John 
Scot  offered  to  finish  the  clearing  of  what  was  cut  down  and 
put  the  same  under  improvement,  and  likewise  to  board 
the  sides  and  cover  the  roof  of  the  barn  and  lay  a  good 
floor  in  it  and  also  to  finish  the  house  in  a  good  and  sufficient 
manner  and  make  a  Cellar  under  the  whole  of  it,  and  to  keep 
the  fences  in  repair  at  his  own  cost  for  ten  years'  use  of  the 
Common,  viz. :  from  the  first  of  May,  1780  to  the  first  of 
May,  1790,  and  in  Case  the  Company  in  Scotland  wanted 
the  use  of  it  sooner,  they  were  to  have  it  on  paying  him 
what  cost  he  had  been  at,  and  if  any  of  the  Company  here 
that  had  their  house  lots  in  the  Clear  land,  wanted  to  take 
them  up  before  the  expiration  of  the  foresaid  ten  years, 
they  are  to  Clear  as  much  land  in  any  other  place  of  the 
Common  where  the  said  John  Scot  shall  choose  or  satisfy 
him  any  other  way  that  they  can  agree. 

1  June  1783,  Thomas  Clark  took  possession  of  lots  No. 
81,  82,  83  and  84,  and  John  Young  of  No.  85. 
10 


154 


THE   VERMONT    HISTORICAL   SOCIETY. 


Ryegate,  March  26,  1793. 

The  members  of  the  Scotch  American  Company  residing 
in  this  town,  being  legally  warned,  met  and  made  choice 
of  William  Neilson,  James  Henderson  and  Hugh  Gardner 
for  managers,  then  Voted  that  James  Whitelaw,  who  now 
holds  the  Deeds  of  the  Company's  land  shall  deed  it  to 
the  managers  and  their  sucessors  in  office. 

(Here  follows,  on  pages  68  to  72  of  the  original  manu- 
script the  "Rate  Bill  for  the  halfpenny  tax  for  the  Township 
of  Ryegate  to  be  paid  into  the  State  treasury  by  the  first 
of  April,  1794,"  and  it  has  been  thought  best  to  print  only 
the  names  of  the  land-owners  and  to  omit  the  numbers  of 
their  lots,  the  acres  and  the  amount  of  the  tax.  The  names 
of  the  land-owners  are  as  follows)  : 


SOUTH   DIVISION. 


David  Reid. 
Joshua  Hunt. 
Hugh  Gemmil. 
Joseph  Smith. 
George  Ronald. 
Wm.  Neilson. 
Jas.  Neilson. 
Esq.  S.  Heaths. 
Nich.  Chamberlin. 
Jesse  Heath. 
Daniel  Heath. 
John  S.  Bay  ley. 
Wm.  Johnson. 
E.  Johnson  &c. 
Widow  &  J.  Taylor. 
James  Whitelaw. 
Robt.  Brock. 
Jas.  Henderson. 
Benj.  Wright. 
John  Wallace. 


Josiah  Page. 
John  Goodwin. 
Campbell  Sym. 
Thos.  Johnson. 
Andrew  Brock. 
Hugh  Gardner. 
Jas.  McKinley. 
John  Gray. 
John  Orr. 
John  Remick. 
Alexr.  Millar. 
John  Ritchie. 
William   Craig. 
Allen  Stewart. 
William  Harvey. 
Alexr.  Ewen. 
Scotch  American  Coy, 
John  Cameron. 
John  C.  Jones. 


JAMES  WHITELAW.  155 


NORTH   DIVISION. 


John  Witherspoon.  John  Tomas. 

John  Pagan.  Josiah  Page. 

John  Church.  Nathan  B.  Page. 

John  Gray.  John  Buchanan. 

Caml.  Sym.  Alexr.  Simpson. 

(To  the  rate  bill  above  mentioned  is  attached  the  fol- 
lowing certificate),  viz: 

The  preceding  is  the  rate  bill  for  the  halfpenny  tax 
agreeable  to  the  Act  granting  said  tax  passed  by  the  Legis- 
lature of  the  State  of  Vermont  at  their  session  at  Wind- 
sor in  Oct.,  1791. 

JOSIAH  PAGE,  ) 

JAMES  WHITELAW,  [    *electmen- 

The  preceding  is  a  true  copy. 

Attest:    JAMES   WHITELAW,  T.   C. 


(On  pages  73,  74,  75  and  76  of  the  diary  are  the  fol- 
lowing entries),  viz: 

LAND   UNDER    MY   CARE. 

The   land    belonging   to    Franklin    and    Robinson    N. 
York. 


The  land  belonging  to  Mr.  Alexr.  Ewen  of  Portsmouth. 


The  lands  belonging  to  Jeremiah  Harris  Junr.,  Nor- 
wich, Connecticut. 


The  right  of  Benjn.  Libbee  in  Ryegate  belonging  to 
David  Todd  of  Suffield,  Connecticut. 


156  THE   VERMONT   HISTORICAL   SOCIETY. 

The  right  of  Lyman  Potter  in  Groton. 


The  lands  in  Victory  that  Jesse  Gilbert  has  put  under 
my  care. 


The  lands  belonging  to  Capt.  James  Rogers  in  Con- 
cord, East  Haven,  Averill,  Burke,  Caldersburgh,  Calais, 
Woodbury,  Montpelier  and  Walden. 


The  lands  belonging  to  Jonathan  W.  Edwards  of  Hart- 
ford, Connecticut,  in  the  towns  of  East  Haven  and  Mont- 
gomery. 


The  lands  of  John  Titus  of  Greenwich  in  the  County  of 
Fairfield,  Connecticut. 


The  lands  of  Daniel  Marsh  in  Caldersburgh  being  the 
rights  of  Samuel  Burr  and  half  the  right  of  Henry  White. 


The  lands  of  William  Douglass  in  the  State  of  New 
York  being  the  rights  of  Nathaniel  Bartlett  and  Gordon 
Merchant  in  Averill — the  rights  of  Asa  Douglass,  Jr.,  & 
Nathl.  Douglass,  Jr.,  in  Groton — and  the  right  of  Wheeler 
Douglass  in  Easthaven. 


The  lands  in  Newark  belonging  to  John  Moriarty  of 
Salem,  Massachusetts  being  his  own  rights  and  the  rights 
of  David  Ferguson. 


The  lands  in  St.  Johnsbury  belonging  to  Thomas  Denny 
put  under  my  care  by  Col.  John  Hurd. 


JAMES  WHITELAW.  157 

The  right  of  Israel  Noble  in  Minehead  belonging  to 
Isaac  Beers  in  Newhaven. 


The  lands  belonging  to  John  W.  Blake  of  Brattleboro 
in  the  towns  of  Mansfield,  Brunswick  and  Minehead  and  in 
Averys  gore  now  Huntington. 


The  lands  belonging  to  James  A.  Wells  of  Hartford  in 
the  towns  of  Caldersburgh  and  Warren. 


The  lands  belonging  to  Chauncey  Goodrich  of  Hart- 
ford, in  the  township  of  Caldersburgh. 


The  lands  in  Ryegate  belonging  to  Nathaniel  Adams 
of  Portsmouth  being  lots  No.  7,  8  &  16  in  the  1st  Range, 
No.  4,  5,  6,  7,  8,  12  &  17  in  the  2nd  Range,  No.  7,  9,  17  in 
the  3d  Range,  No.  8,  13,  16  in  the  4th  Range  and  No.  15 
in  the  5th  Range  North  Division. 


George  Grenville  Benedict. 


GEORGE  GRENVILLE  BENEDICT. 


George  Grenville  Benedict,  for  54  years  connected  with 
the  Burlington  Free  Press  and  for  40  years  its  editor-in- 
chief,  died  in  Camden,  S.  C,  at  12:45  o'clock  Monday 
morning,  April  8,  1907. 

On  February  4  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Benedict  left  Burlington, 
with  the  intention  of  passing  the  balance  of  the  winter  and 
the  early  spring  in  the  South,  Miami,  Fla.,  being  their  ob- 
jective point.  In  St.  Augustine,  where  they  stopped  with 
the  intention  of  remaining  a  few  days,  Mr.  Benedict  suffered 
on  February  11  a  serious  attack  of  heart  failure,  being  un- 
conscious for  an  hour.  He  rallied  from  the  attack  and 
seemed  to  gain  in  strength,  although  slowly.  The  trip  to 
Miami  was  abandoned  and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Benedict  remained 
in  St.  Augustine  until  April  1,  when  they  started  North 
stopping  first  in  Savannah,  Ga.,  and  reaching  Camden  Thurs- 
day, April  4.  A  letter  written  by  Mr.  Benedict  the  follow- 
ing day  was  received  in  Burlington  Monday  morning,  a 
few  hours  before  the  telegram  came  announcing  his  death. 
In  the  letter  Mr.  Benedict  said  that  he  stood  the  journey 
well,  but  the  final  summons  came  very  suddenly  from  an- 
other attack  of  heart  failure. 

Mr.  Benedict  was  born  in  Burlington  December  10, 
1826,  a  direct  descendant  of  Lieut.  Thomas  Benedict,  who 
came  from  Nottinghamshire,  England,  to  America  in  1638. 
He  prepared  for  college  in  the  Burlington  Academy,  grad- 


162  THE   VERMONT    HISTORICAL   SOCIETY. 

uated  from  the  University  of  Vermont  in  1847  and  three 
years  later  received  from  the  same  institution  the  degree 
of  master  of  arts.  After  leaving  college  he  was  a  teacher 
in  the  Washington  Institute  in  New  York  City  for  about  a 
year,  and  for  the  three  years  following  was  occupied  in 
building  and  superintending  the  lines  of  the  Vermont  & 
Boston  Telegraph  Company,  of  which  company  he  was 
president  from  i860  to  1865. 

In  August,  1862,  Mr.  Benedict  enlisted  as  a  private  in 
Company  C,  12th  regiment  of  Vermont  volunteers.  In 
January  following  he  was  promoted  to  a  lieutenancy  and 
was  subsequently  detailed  as  aide-de-camp  on  the  staff  of 
Gen.  George  J.  Stannard,  commanding  the  second  Vermont 
brigade.  He  received  a  medal  of  honor,  awarded  by  Con- 
gress for  distinguished  conduct  in  the  battle  of  Gettysburg, 
July  3,  1863.  He  was  mustered  out  of  service  July  14, 
1863.  He  later  served  as  assistant  inspector-general  of  the 
State  militia,  with  the  rank  of  major,  and  in  1866  was  aide- 
de-camp  on  the  staff  of  Governor  Paul  Dillingham,  with  the 
rank  of  colonel.  A  close  student  of  army  matters  and  a 
graceful  writer,  Mr.  Benedict  was  in  1878  appointed  State 
military  historian,  in  which  capacity  he  prepared  the  history 
of  "Vermont  in  the  Civil  War,"  in  two  volumes.  He  also 
published  "Vermont  at  Gettysburg"  and  a  volume  of  army 
letters  entitled  "Army  Life  in  Virginia." 

Mr.  Benedict's  interest  in  the  University  of  Vermont 
was  active  and  unceasing  from  the  years  when  he  was  a 
student  there.  His  father  was  for  23  years  a  professor, 
while  three  of  his  brothers,  a  son  and  several  nephews  were 


GEORGE  GRENVILLE  BENEDICT.  163 

students  at  different  times.  For  40  years  Mr.  Benedict  has 
been  a  trustee  and  secretary  of  the  institution  and  for  a 
long  time  one  of  the  executive  committee. 

In  politics  Mr.  Benedict  was  always  a  staunch  repub- 
lican. He  served  at  different  times  as  secretary  and  chair- 
man of  the  State  committee  of  his  party  and  was  a  dele- 
gate to  various  State  and  national  conventions.  He  was 
postmaster  of  Burlington  1861-65.  In  1869  he  was  elected 
State  senator  from  Chittenden  County  and  was  re-elected 
the  following  year.  For  the  next  four  years  he  was  for  the 
second  time  postmaster  of  Burlington  and  from  1889  to 
1893  was  collector  of  customs  for  the  district  of  Vermont. 
In  non-political  offices  he  at  different  times  was  President 
of  the  Vermont  Press  Association,  president  of  the  Vermont 
Historical  Society,  president  of  the  Vermont  Society  of  the 
Sons  of  the  American  Revolution,  governor  of  the  Vermont 
Society  of  Colonial  Wars  and  was  a  member  of. the  Grand 
Army  of  the  Republic  and  of  the  Military  Order  of  the 
Loyal  Legion.  He  was  a  devoted  member  and  for  a  long 
term  of  years  clerk  of  the  College  Street  Congregational 
Church,  a  corporator  of  the  Burlington  Savings  Bank  and 
a  director  of  the  National  Life  Insurance  Company  of  Mont- 
pelier. 

Mr.  Benedict  became  associated  with  his  father  in  the 
management  of  the  Free  Press  in  1853  and  13  years  later, 
in  1866,  took  up  the  duties  of  editor-in-chief,  a  position 
which  he  held  at  the  time  of  his  death,  being  the  dean  of 
Vermont  journalism. 


164  THE  VERMONT  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY. 

Mr.  Benedict  was  twice  married,  his  first  wife  being 
Mary  A.  Kellogg  of  Canaan,  N.  Y.  She  died  in  1857, 
leaving  a  daughter,  Mary.  In  1864  Mr.  Benedict  married 
Katharine  A.  Pease.  She  survives  him,  together  with  a 
son,  Prof.  George  Wyllis  Benedict  of  Providence,  R.  I. 
Two  brothers,  Robert  D.  and  B.  Lincoln,  reside  in  Brook- 
lyn, N.  Y. 


PRESIDENT  BUCKHAM'S  TRIBUTE. 

The  funeral  of  the  late  George  Grenville  Benedict  was 
held  at  the  College  Street  Congregational  Church  at  2:30 
o'clock  Thursday  afternoon,  being  preceded  by  a  brief 
service  at  his  long-time  home  on  South  Prospect  Street. 
The  church  was  filled  with  friends  from  all  walks  of  life  and 
at  no  funeral  ever  held  in  Burlington  have  there  been  more 
societies  and  organizations  from  all  parts  of  the  State  rep- 
resented. Many  places  of  business  were  closed  and  Chit- 
tenden County  Court  took  a  recess  from  two  to  four  o'clock. 

The  honorary  bearers  were  ex-Gov.  U.  A.  Woodbury, 
J.  A.  DeBoer  of  Montpelier,  Charles  E.  Allen,  C.  W.  Wood- 
house,  Prof.  J.  E.  Goodrich,  United  States  Senator  W.  P. 
Dillingham,  C.  P.  Smith,  D.  W.  Robinson,  H.  W.  Allen  and 
ex-Gov.  J.  L.  Barstow,  all  long-time  friends  and  many  rep- 
resenting some  of  the  organizations  to  which  Mr.  Benedict 
belonged.  The  body  bearers  were  members  of  the  Free 
Press  editorial  staff  and  heads  of  departments  who  have 
been  connected  with  the  establishment  for  many  years,  as 
follows :     Business  Manager  W.  B.  Howe,  J.  L.  Southwick, 


GEORGE  GRENVILLE  BENEDICT.  165 

W.  J.  Bigelow  and  W.  B.  Gates  from  the  editorial  rooms ; 
Cashier  W.  H.  Murdock;  A.  H.  Duhamel,  foreman  of  the 
news  room;  J.  B.  Turcot,  foreman  of  the  press  room;  and 
C.  R.  Kent,  foreman  of  the  job  department. 

As  a  part  of  the  funeral  service  the  following  tribute 
to  Mr.  Benedict  was  paid  by  President  M.  H.  Buckham  of 
the  University  of  Vermont : 

One  of  the  most  expressive  emblems  of  the  havoc 
wrought  by  mortality  in  our  human  experience  is  the  pros- 
trate pillar — not  the  broken  column — if  the  words  will  bear 
the  distinction — not  individual  eminence  fallen  and  in  ruins 
— but  the  social  pillar,  removed  from  its  firm  footing  on 
the  foundations,  and  bereaving  the  mass  above  of  its  sup- 
porting strength.  When  the  tidings  come  to  us  of  the  pass- 
ing of  such  a  man  as  Mr.  Benedict,  the  first  thought  is  one 
of  personal  loss — of  friendship  sundered — of  a  great  gap 
in  our  family  and  neighborhood  intimacies  and  affections. 
The  wrench  thus  made,  the  pain  it  brings,  the  soreness  it 
leaves,  is  in  a  good  degree  a  measure  of  the  worth  of  a 
man  to  those  who  loved  him  and  whom  he  has  loved.  And 
the  sorrow  and  sense  of  loss  when  such  a  man  goes  out  from 
among  us,  is  by  no  means  mitigated — it  may  even  be  en- 
hanced— by  the  consideration  that  he  has  lived  out  a  long 
and  full  life,  has  brought  his  powers  to  their  ripest  maturity, 
has  finished  his  work,  and  earned  his  right  to  be  released 
into  the  higher  sphere  where  the  rewards  of  a  good  life 
are  awaiting  him.  But  this  heavy  price  we  pay  for  our 
priceless  human  affections  is  not  the  ultimate  tribute  we 
give  to  the  worth  of  such  a  life  as  that  of  the  man  we  mourn 


166  THE  VERMONT  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY. 

to-day.  The  sense  of  social  deprivation,  the  withdrawal  of 
powers  and  resources  on  which  the  community  relied  for  its 
highest  well-being,  this  most  truly  expresses  our  valuation 
of  a  good  man's  services  to  our  common  life.  That  is  a 
grossly  unjust  figure,  the  product  surely  of  a  dull  imagina- 
tion, and  an  ungrateful  heart,  which  likens  the  life  of  a 
single  individual,  however  great  and  good,  to  a  something 
floating  on  the  sea  for  a  brief  minute,  then  to  be  swallowed 
up  and  forgotten  as  though  it  had  never  been.  Rather  is 
a  good  life  like  the  once  firm  pillar,  which,  shaken  out  of 
its  place,  leaves  the  heavy  load  to  be  carried  by  the  rest  of 
the  cluster,  the  whole  fabric  weakened  and  imperilled,  un- 
til another  pillar  equally  strong,  if  that  may  be,  is  slowly 
built  into  its  place.  The  tribute  we  pay  to  Mr.  Benedict 
to-day  is  not  so  much  that  in  the  past  we  have  admired  and 
loved  him,  as  that  in  the  future  we  shall  miss  him,  and  long 
and  sorely  miss  him.  We  shall  miss  the  editor;  the  his- 
torian; the  clear-headed  and  farsighted  citizen  of  the  city, 
the  State  and  the  nation;  the  devoted  Christian;  the  ex- 
emplary and  honorable  man  in  all  the  walks  of  life. 

As  a  public  man  Mr.  Benedict  was  more  than  anything 
else,  the  publisher  of  a  newspaper.  In  our  times  the  news- 
paper has  come  to  be  one  of  the  elemental  and  all  pervasive 
forces  of  our  civilization.  For  good  or  for  evil,  it  has  come 
to  be  a  power  second  to  none  in  our  social,  political  and 
moral  life.  When  on  the  right  side  of  public  questions  it 
is  a  force  more  than  competent  to  deal  with  all  opposing 
forces,  when  on  the  wrong  side,  it  is  a  menace  to  every 
good  cause  and  every  sound  institution.     What  can  you  ex- 


GEORGE  GRENVILLE  BENEDICT.  167 

pect  of  a  certain  city,  it  is  shrewdly  said,  when  its  morn- 
ing papers  make  vice  attractive  and  its  evening  papers 
make  virtue  odious?  Happy  the  city,  happy  the 
State,  whose  newspaper  press  does  its  utmost  to  make 
vice  odious  and  virtue  attractive!  I  count  among  the  chief 
influences  that  have  made  Burlington  the  city  it  is,  a  city 
in  which  the  prevailing  influences  favor  morality  and  every- 
thing that  is  good  between  man  and  man,  that  for  more 
than  50  years  past,  the  leading  newspaper  has  invariably 
and  persistently  and  bravely  stood  against  what  its  editorial 
conscience  thought  to  be  evil  and  in  favor  of  what  it  thought 
to  be  right,  "uncaring  consequences."  Father  and  son  were 
equally  resolute  on  this  point.  Woe  to  the  evil  that  dared 
to  lift  its  head  in  this  community  while  George  W.  Benedict 
was  in  the  editorial  chair.  With  swift  and  crushing  stroke 
he  smote  it  to  its  hurt  and  often  to  its  death.  With  gentler 
and  defter  and  not  less  effective  work,  the  son  has  made 
the  paper  such  that  he  was  proud  to  see  it  rank  among  the 
best  100  papers  in  the  United  States.  And  may  I  add  as  a  per- 
sonal tribute,  that  I  have  sometimes  trembled  at  the  thought 
of  the  evil  that  might  have  been  done  in  a  university  town, 
with  its  schools,  public  and  private,  if  the  newspaper  that 
everybody  reads,  old  and  young,  had  sympathized  with  the 
baser  side  of  life,  had  sneered  at  religion,  had  frowned  upon 
temperance,  had  sold  its  columns  to  advertisers  of  im- 
morality; whereas  we  have  had  occasion  for  rejoicing  and 
giving  thanksr  that  whether  or  not  we  all  agreed  with  its 
politics  we  were  always  sure  that  its  moral  influence  was 
safeguarded  by  a  man  of  the  finest  spiritual  temper  and  the 


168  THE   VERMONT   HISTORICAL   SOCIETY. 

highest  ideals  of  public  and  private  virtue.  We  were  sure 
too  that  its  endeavors  were  correct,  not  only  in  good  morals, 
but  in  good  literature,  good  history,  good  English,  good 
taste.  Mr.  Benedict's  supreme  faculty  as  editor  was  in 
his  ability  to  take  a  subject  on  which  other  men  had  written 
"about  it  and  about  it,"  and  had  so  confused  and  muddled 
it  that  the  right  of  it  was  hopelessly  obscured,  and  in  the 
course  of  a  column  and  a  half  so  to  clear  it  up  and  settle  it, 
that  there  was  no  more  to  be  said  and  no  more 
was  said.  And  the  secret  of  this  was  that  along 
with  intellectual  keenness  and  good  logical  sense  there 
was  in  Mr.  Benedict  that  passion  for  lucidity,  that 
impatience  with  everything  tortuous  and  evasive,  that 
marks  the  man  of  sound  moral  discernment.  The  pure  in 
heart  not  only  see  God  because  they  are  pure  in  heart,  they 
see  all  truth  with  clearer  vision. 

Of  Mr.  Benedict's  military  career  others  will  doubtless 
speak  as  only  comrades  can  speak,  and  as  ampler  time  will 
permit.  Some  of  us  can  remember  when  the  days  were 
darkest,  and  the  strain  grew  to  be  more  tense  than  young 
hearts  could  bear,  how  Mr.  Benedict  enlisted  as  a  private, 
spent  his  evenings  drilling  with  Captain  Page's  company, 
left  home  and  office  for  the  front  with  no  hope  or  thought 
of  promotion,  received  a  commission  as  lieutenant  and  aide- 
de-camp  on  the  staff  of  the  Second  Vermont  Brigade, 
served  with  distinction  on  General  Stannard's  staff,  at  the 
Battle  of  Gettysburg,  survived  the  perils  of  field  and  camp, 
and  returned  to  serve  and  honor  still  further  his  State  and 
country  by  writing  the  "History  of  Vermont  in  the  Civil 


GEORGE  GRENVILLE  BENEDICT.  169 

War,"  one  of  the  best — it  has  been  called  the  very  best — 
of  the  State  histories  of  the  war,  a  work  through  which 
posterity  will  know  how  glorious  a  part  Vermont  acted  in 
that  great  drama  for  freedom  and  right. 

Of  the  other  relations  in  which  Mr.  Benedict  stood  to 
the  community,  I  shall  speak  of  only  two — and  of  those 
two  because  they  are  those  of  which,  if  of  any,  he  would 
have  wished  me  to  speak.  First,  as  to  his  connection  with 
the  university.  It  was  to  be  a  professor  in  the  university 
that  his  father  came  to  Burlington,  and  of  that  father  four 
sons  and  four  grandsons  have  been  among  its  graduates — 
a  university  family  of  three  generations.  President  Eliot 
has  said  that  a  large  part  of  the  success  of  Harvard  Univer- 
sity is  due  to  the  fact  that  a  sufficient  number  of  capable 
men  can  be  always  found,  residing  within  easy  distance  from 
the  university,  who  are  willing  to  give  without  pay  their 
time  and  their  best  of  service  in  the  capacity  of  trustees,  to 
the  work  of  carrying  on  the  institution.  To  this  class  of 
men  belonged  Mr.  Benedict.  For  42  years  he  has  been  a 
trustee  of  the  university  and  the  secretary  of  the  board  of 
trustees.  He  has  been  the  intimate  and  confidential  adviser 
of  two  presidents,  both  of  whom,  I  may  confidently  say, 
would  testify  that  the  university  owes  to  him  a  large  part 
of  any  successes  which  have  come  to  the  institution  during 
their  administrations,  and  for  which  both  they,  and  the  uni- 
versity, and  all  its  friends  and  well-wishers  owe  him  ever- 
lasting gratitude.  But  it  was  to  him  all  a  labor  of  love  and 
nothing  for  reward.     All  the  mo"re  for  that  reason  will  we 

11 


f70  THE   VERMONT  HISTORICAL,  SOCIETY. 

enshrine  his  memory  in  our  hearts  and  teach  our  successors 
and  our  children  to  remember  him  among  those  whom  the 
university  will  always  delight  to  honor. 

And  lastly  I  would  speak  a  brief  word  of  his  member- 
ship in  the  church  which  meets  for  public  worship  in  the 
house  where  we  are  assembled.  I  have  never  known  a  man 
— I  believe  few  men  exist  anywhere — to  whom  their  church 
means  more,  is  more  dear  and  precious  than  this  church  has 
been  to  Mr.  Benedict.  Outside  of  his  own  family,  I  think 
it  may  be  said  that  here  was  where  he  garnered  up  his  heart. 
I  mean,  of  course,  not  only  this  particular  body  of  com- 
municants and  worshippers,  though  he  did  with  a  special 
Christian  affection  love  these  very  men  and  women,  but 
what  this  church  stands  for  and  represents  and  tries  to  live 
out,  of  Christian  truth  and  piety.  He  was  one  of  the 
original  members  of  the  church,  was  for  many  years  its 
clerk,  and  undoubtedly  knew  personally  more  of  its  mem- 
bers, living  and  dead,  than  any  pastor  or  officer  the  church 
has  had.  He  was  constant  in  his  attendance  upon  both  the 
Lord's  day  and  weekly  services  and  often  contributed  in  his 
delightful  way  to  the  uplifting  and  edification  of  his  fellow- 
members.  He  did  not  profoundly  study  the  new  questions 
which  modern  research  has  spread  out  before  the  Christian 
Church,  but  he  had  an  open  mind  and  welcomed  every  new 
truth  which  brought  with  it  reasons  for  faith  or  help  to  ex- 
perience. But  he  clung  mainly  to  the  essential  and  un- 
changeable truths,  to  the  things  that  remain  because  they 
cannot  be  shaken.  Not  to  overdo  the  figure  of  the  pillar 
removed  from  its  place,  this  audience  room  will  never  be 


GEORGE  GRENVILLE   BENEDICT.  171 

quite  what  it  has  been  now  that  we  see  no  more  his  erect 
and  military  figure  on  which  his  80  years  had  imposed  no 
stoop — and  church  meetings  will  not  be  the  same  now  that 
we  must  miss  his  strong  support  of  every  good  thing  ma- 
terial and  spiritual  for  which  this  church  and  every  church 
stands. 

Fellow  citizens  of  Burlington,  of  Vermont;  friends  of 
Mr.  Benedict,  neighbors,  comrades,  life-long  readers,  you 
who  have  been  associated  with  him  in  politics,  in  business, 
in  the  care  of  the  university;  you,  brethren  of  his  college 
fraternity,  have  I  said  too  much  in  his  praise  ?  Have  I  said 
half  enough  ?  By  gifts  and  opportunities  Divine  Providence 
laid  upon  him  great  obligations.  He  gave  him  good  an- 
cestry, health,  education,  religious  nurture,  family  friends, 
a  versatile  and  well-balanced  mind,  openings  into  almost  any 
career  he  might  choose.  Variously  endowed,  he  was  a  man 
of  many  accomplishments  and  of  manifold  virtues.  The  fruit- 
age of  all  these  gifts,  all  these  attainments,  he  has  bestowed 
upon  the  community,  upon  us.  He  was  not  a  self-seeking 
man.  He  turned  to  his  own  personal  account  only  a  very 
small  share  of  all  that  he  was  capable  of  being  and  doing. 
Take  him  for  all  in  all,  he  was  a  man  in  respect  of  whom 
our  long  remembrance  and  our  lasting  thought  will  be  that 
God  has  crowned  all  His  many  other  gifts  to  our  community 
by  giving  to  us  such  a  man  as  George  Grenville  Benedict. 


172  THE   VERMONT  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY. 

MR.  SOUTHWICK'S  TRIBUTE. 

The  following  appeared  as  an  editorial  in  the  Free 
Press  of  April  9th,  and  was  written  by  J.  L.  Southwick  of 
the  editorial  staff: 

While  the  death  of  the  Hon.  George  Grenville  Benedict 
comes  as  a  distinct  shock  to  this  whole  community,  his 
loss  will  be  so  felt  nowhere  outside  of  the  immediate  fam- 
ily circle  as  on  the  staff  of  the  journal  with  which  his  name 
had  been  inseparably  associated  for  over  half  a  century.  The 
recent  announcement  of  serious  inroads  on  his  health,  com- 
bined with  his  advanced  age,  had  prepared  his  associates 
in  newspaper  work  for  his  practical  retirement  from  active 
service,  but  they  had  hoped  that  with  the  return  of  milder 
weather  they  might  still  enjoy  the  benign  influence  of 
his  presence  as  sage,  counsellor,  friend.  Recent  letters 
written  by  him,  one  of  which  came  to  this  office  on  the 
morning  of  his  death,  had  spoken  of  his  constantly  im- 
proving condition,  and  his  staff,  as  the  members  of  one 
family,  were  looking  forward  to  the  time  when  they  could 
welcome  him  back  to  the  city  he  so  dearly  loved.  He 
passed  away,  however,  as  he  had  hoped,  suddenly  and  with- 
out a  long  period  of  helplessness,  and  he  closed  his  event- 
ful life  rich  in  years  and  honors. 

A  comprehensive  sketch  of  the  life  and  public  service 
of  Mr.  Benedict  is  printed  elsewhere,  but  it  is  fitting  that 
we  should  speak  of  those  charming  qualities  of  person  which 
s  he  possessed  to  an  abundant  degree,  and  which  are  made  so 
manifest  nowhere  outside  of  the  home  life  perhaps  as  among 
associates  in  the  conduct  of  a  daily  journal.     The  newspa- 


GEORGE  GRENVILLE  BENEDICT.  173 

per  is  constantly  coming  into  contact  with  all  phases  and 
conditions  of  life,  and  the  manifold  problems  and  trials 
presenting  themselves  are  well  calculated  to  bring  out  every 
side  of  a  man's  character.  Amid  conditions  like  these  Mr. 
Benedict  ever  remained  the  same  kindly  and  genial  gentle- 
man of  the  old  school,  inflexible  in  his  insistence  on  the 
carrying  out  of  the  high  standards  he  set  for  his  newspaper. 
He  was  sturdy  in  his  advocacy  of  what  he  believed  to  be 
right,  fearless  in  his  championship  of  any  cause  he  espoused, 
utterly  unmindful  of  consequences,  in  his  battle  for  truth, 
good  government,  right  living,  morality,  and  religion. 

It  is  only  a  few  months  since  in  commemorating  the 
observance  of  Mr.  Benedict's  eightieth  anniversary  the 
members  of  his  newspaper  staff  in  common  with  other 
fellow  townsmen  paid  him  a  marked  tribute  of  their  respect 
and  esteem.  Few  know  better  than  the  editor  the  prone- 
ness  of  human  nature  to  err,  and  while  Mr.  Benedict  was 
quick  to  detect  infractions  of  the  rules  he  sought  to  enforce, 
he  was  invariably  the  patient  monitor,  constantly  endearing 
himself  to  subordinates  and  thus  increasing  their  desire  to 
please  him  and  at  the  same  time  attain  to  the  lofty  standards 
he  ever  held  before  them.  Wherever  he  might  be,  in  sick- 
ness or  in  health,  at  home  or  abroad,  his  thoughts  were 
daily  with  his  paper,  and  this  interest  in  the  progress  and 
welfare  of  the  Free  Press  was  kept  up  to  the  very  day  of 
his  death. 

Mr.  Benedict  was  a  versatile  and  many-sided  man.  He 
loved  art.  He  was  an  excellent  musical  and  dramatic  critic. 
He  was  a  thorough  student  of  affairs.     His  letters  of  travel 


174  THE   VERMONT  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY. 

were  the  delight  of  all  who  read  them.  He  possessed  what 
may  be  termed  the  historical  instinct  to  a  degree  that  falls 
to  the  lot  of  few  men ;  and  the  entire  State  of  Vermont  is 
the  gainer  thereby.  Not  only  in  the  press  but  also  through 
his  books,  historical  papers,  pamphlets  and  other  writings 
he  helped  to  preserve  the  records  of  many  events  in  the 
Green  Mountain  State's  history  which  would  otherwise  have 
been  lost  or  left  in  form  or  condition  unavailable  for  library 
reference  or  student  research.  His  history  of  "Vermont  in 
the  Civil  War"  is  regarded  by  good  authorities  as  one  of 
the  most  careful,  comprehensive  and  well  written  military 
works  of  the  kind  possessed  by  any  State.  His  long  con- 
tinued and  efficient  work  in  connection  with  the  Vermont 
Historical  Society,  of  which  he  was  long  president,  is  known 
wherever  lives  a  Vermonter.  His  love  of  the  historical  led 
him  to  bring  down  to  date  and  prepare  for  publication  Gil- 
man's  Bibliography  of  Vermont,  which  is  invaluable  for  the 
newspaper  office,  the  historical  student  and  others  who  need 
to  consult  a  complete  list  of  books,  newspapers,  magazines 
and  pamphlets  printed  in  Vermont  since  the  founding  of 
the  State. 

Mr.  Benedict  pursued  some  elusive  historical  fact  or 
missing  point  with  all  the  ardor  of  the  huntsman  and  the 
patience  of  the  angler  combined,  sparing  neither  time  nor 
effort  to  clear  up  the  matter ;  and  if  his  wearisome  research 
was  rewarded  and  the  record  in  hand  thus  made  complete, 
his  satisfaction  was  a  joy  to  behold.  It  was  this  inability 
to  take  any  important  fact  for  granted  that  accounts  for 
the  wonderful  accuracy  of  Mr.  Benedict's  historical  writings. 


GEORGE  GRENVILLE   BENEDICT.  175 

It  was  his  love  of  accuracy  which  led  him  to  rewrite  whole 
chapters  of  his  military  history,  when  those  to  whom  he 
had  written  for  facts  about  certain  points  neglected  to 
reply  until  he  had  the  first  volume  of  the  work  practically 
completed.  It  was  this  accuracy  which  made  him  the  ex- 
emplar of  reliable  newspaper  writers  and  the  terror  of 
the  shiftless  reporter,  and  rendered  it  so  difficult  to  meet 
his  ideal  of  what  the  daily  chronicle  should  be — a  faithful 
record  of  all  important  events  and  a  reliable  reflex  of  all 
momentous  currents  of  the  day. 

Mr.  Benedict  not  only  wrote  history ;  he  also  helped 
to  make  history.  For  half  a  century  he  was  a  participant 
in  some  of  Vermont's  most  important  councils,  and  his 
voice  and  pen  helped  to  shape  some  of  the  State's  most 
far  reaching  policies  and  measures.  Whether  as  legislator, 
or  as  delegate  to  national  or  State  convention,  or  as  member 
of  civic  or  military  organization,  or  as  a  private  citizen  work- 
ing for  public  welfare,  he  was  ever  thorough,  ever  alert, 
ever  watchful  for  the  right  and  when  he  had  once  satisfied 
himself  on  this  point  there  was  no  shadow  of  turning,  but 
constant  struggle  to  promote  the  right. 

Mr.  Benedict  loved  Vermont.  It  would  be  difficult  to 
find  a  more  zealous  or  loyal  Vermonter  than  was  he,  at  all 
times.  He  was  proud  of  the  Green  Mountain  Boys'  strug- 
gle for  liberty,  and  of  the  existence  of  Vermont  for  a  brief 
period  as  a  veritable  republic,  with  its  own  government  and 
public  service  complete.  He  gave  his  country  the  same  de- 
voted support,  and  when  secession  threatened  the  existence 
of  the  nation,  he   was   prompt  to  respond  to  the  call   of 


176  THE    VERMONT    HISTORICAL    SOCIETY. 

the  Union,  doing  loyal  as  well  as  efficient  service  for  the 
cause  of  freedom.  His  interest  in  all  military  matters  kept 
pace  with  his  patriotism  and  his  love  for  his  fellow  soldiers 
continued  unabated  to  the  end. 

Mr.  Benedict  loved  Burlington.  He  was  never  tired 
of  singing  the  praises  of  the  city  he  did  so  much  to  help 
develop,  and  he  was  fond  of  quoting  praises  of  our  proud 
position  on  Lake  Champlain.  He  gloried  in  our  educational 
progress,  in  which  he  was  so  conspicuous  a  figure,  and  in 
our  institutions.  His  interest  in  the  University  of  Ver- 
mont was  absorbing,  and  his  love  for  his  alma  mater  was 
only  second  to  that  for  his  newspaper.  He  liked  to  watch 
the  city's  growth  and  expansion.  But  above  all  he  loved  the 
people  of  Burlington.  He  was  interested  in  their  welfare 
and  health  and  prosperity  and  if  any  resident  was  afflicted 
in  any  of  these  respects,  none  was  more  solicitous  than  he. 
All  Burlington  was  his  home. 

But  while  Mr.  Benedict  stood  conspicuous  as  citizen, 
soldier,  legislator,  educator,  historian,  Christian  gentleman, 
he  was  best  known  in  his  capacity  as  a  gifted  and  versatile 
editor.  Much  of  his  public  service  was  performed  during 
a  generation  now  passed  away,  but  he  continued  his  work 
as  editor-in-chief  up  to  the  very  last.  His  are  the  traditions 
which  the  Free  Press  is  trying  to  exemplify  to-day. 
His  are  the  policies  that  still  live  though  he  has  passed  out 
from  among  us.  No  one  better  knew  than  he  the  ethics 
of  journalism.  No  one  could  stand  for  more  lofty  ideals; 
none  strive  more  zealously  to  attain  the  ideal.  Though  he 
has  left  us,  his  ideals  and  lofty  standards  remain  and  so  long 


GEORGE  GRENVILLE   BENEDICT.  177 

as  the  Free  Press  is  true  to  the  traditions  he  so  firmly 
established,  it  will  be  true  to  its  own  best  interests  and  those 
of  the  community  he  loved. 


APPENDIX  A. 
report  of  the  board  of  managers. 

Montpelier,  Vermont,  Oct.  16,  1906. 

Hon.  G.  G.  Benedict,  President: 

The  Board  of  Managers,  consisting  of  the  officers  of 
the  Society,  respectfully  submit  the  following  report : 

The  Society  has  lost  by  death  since  our  last  report  the 
following  members :  Henry  Ballard,  of  Burlington,  dis- 
tinguished member  of  the  Chittenden  County  Bar;  Charles 
M.  Bliss,  of  Bennington,  identified  with  the  origin  of  the 
Bennington  Battle  Monument;  Wilder  L.  Burnap,  of  Bur- 
lington, lawyer,  scholar  and  gentleman;  Charles  Dewey,  of 
Montpelier,  financier;  Dwight  H.  Kelton,  of  Montpelier,  a 
loyal  citizen  of  the  state;  Dr.  William  N.  Piatt,  of  Shore- 
ham,  trustee  of  the  State  Asylum ;  and  Arthur  Ropes,  of 
Montpelier,  learned  writer  and  editor.  Brief  biographical 
sketches  of  these  men  have  been  prepared  and  will  form 
part  of  the  Proceedings  of  the  present  meeting. 

The  Librarian  of  the  Society,  Edward  M.  Goddard, 
has  made  numerous  effective  changes  in  the  public  presenta- 
tion of  its  collections,  to  which  your  special  attention  is  di- 
rected, but  it  is  very  evident  that  lack  of  room  and  a  marked 
want  of  working  facilities  continue  to  greatly  hamper  the 
progress  of  the  Society,  as  has  been  pointed  out  over 
and  over  again.  The  fact  that  the  State  of  Vermont, 
by  law  and  by  the  agreement  of  this  Society,  holds 
an  irrevocable  reversionary  interest  in  all  of  its  prop- 
erty should  be  sufficient  reason  for  a  more  decided 
support    and    provision    for    its    well-being    and    extension 


APPENDIX.  179 

by  the  State,  apart  from  the  much  more  cogent  reason 
that  the  Society,  which  now  includes  the  leading  citizens  of 
the  State  among  its  membership,  is  devoted  to  the  conserva- 
tion of  its  material,  agricultural,  industrial,  civic,  political, 
literary,  ecclesiastical  and  military  history. 

The  program  for  the  public  exercises  on  the  evening 
of  November  9th,  in  the  Hall  of  the  House  of  Representa- 
tives, will  include  a  brief  introductory  address  by  the  Presi- 
dent and  an  address  by  Judge  Wendell  Phillips  Stafford  of 
the  Supreme  Court  of  the  District  of  Columbia,  Washing- 
ton, D.  C,  formerly  of  St.  Johnsbury,  on  "The  Life  and 
Services  of  Thaddeus  Stevens,  Statesman  and  Reformer," 
and  a  paper  by  Professor  George  Henry  Perkins  of  Bur- 
lington on  "Prehistoric  Vermont  and  Relics  and  Evidences 
of  Early  Occupation  by  Indian  Tribes." 

There  will  be  presented  to  the  Society  at  this  meeting 
a  considerable  list  of  applications  for  membership,  all  of 
which  applicants  have  had  due  consideration  and  are  rec- 
ommended for  election. 

It  is  pleasant  to  record,  also,  the  fact  that  the  Vermont 
Association  of  Boston  has  seen  fit  this  year  to  include  in  its 
itinerary  to  the  home  State  participation  in  the  public  exer- 
cises of  the  Vermont  Historical  Society. 

It  is  a  matter  of  the  utmost  satisfaction  to  report  that 
interest  in  the  objects  of  our  Society  continues  to  increase. 
We  earnestly  urge  upon  our  members  that  they  lend  their 
influence  to  the  utmost  extent  in  furtherance  of  its  purpose 
and  especially  to  the  securement  in  their  respective  cities  and 
towns,  if  not  already  existing,  of  adequate,  up-to-date  local 
histories,  in  order  that  a  true  record  of  events  and  of  men 
may  not  be  lost  through  local  neglect.     The  present  time  is 


180  THE    VERMONT    HISTORICAL    SOCIETY. 

especially  auspicious  and  opportune  for  the  preservation  of 
much, — in  some  cases,  of  practically  everything — relating  to 
the  origin  and  history  of  Vermont  towns.  It  is  entirely 
reasonable  to  urge  that  such  records  deserve  the  attention  of 
the  localities  to  which  they  appertain,  and  that  individuals, 
public-spirited  and  otherwise  interested  in  general  affairs, 
apart  from  themselves  merely,  should  make  it  their  specific 
duty  to  obtain  a  positive  action  in  this  regard. 

We  also  respectfully  suggest  that  any  member  of  the 
Society  who  has  the  time  and  inclination  would  perform  a 
distinct  service  by  preparing  an  index  to  the  Hemenway 
Gazetteer,  which  work,  while  full  of  useful  information, 
loses  much  of  its  value  because  it  lacks  suck  accessible  and 
ready  index  of  its  contents. 

The  charter  of  the  Society,  dating  back  to  1838,  was 
amended  December  9,  1904,  by  the  General  Assembly  of 
this  State,  authorizing  it,  among  its  other  rights,  to  accept 
"property  loaned  or  committed  to  it  on  trust  or  on  con- 
dition." Acting  under  this  grant  of  powerr  your  officers 
have  undertaken  the  deed  of  trust  described  in  the  following 
correspondence : 

"deed  oe  trust." 

"Whereas  in  1899  the  Dewey  Monument  Committee 
composed  of  Everett  C.  Benton,  of  Waverley,  Mass. ;  James 
T.  Phelps,  of  Boston,  Mass. ;  Levi  P.  Morton,  of  Xew  York 
City;  John  M.  Thurston,  of  Nebraska;  Wallace  F.  Robin- 
son, of  Boston,  Mass. ;  Joseph  W.  Babcock,  of  Wisconsin ; 
John  B.  Corliss,  of  Michigan ;  Rome  G.  Brown,  of  Minne- 
apolis, Minn. ;  L.  L.  Coburn,  of  Chicago ;  and  Stephen  A. 
Foster,  of  Chicago,  was  organized  with  the  object  of  se- 
curing and  presenting  to  the  State  of  Vermont  a  monument 
to  commemorate  Admiral  Dewey's  victory  at  Manila,  such 


APPENDIX.  181 

purpose  being  set  forth  more  fully  in  the  circular  letter 
used  by  said  Committee  in  collecting  funds,  as  follows : 

"  'At  the  porch  leading  to  the  State  House  at  Mont- 
pelier  there  is  now  a  very  appropriate  and  striking  statue 
of  Ethan  Allen,  commemorating  his  heroic  deeds.  It  is  now 
proposed  that  the  natives  of  Vermont  who  have  by  the  for- 
tunes of  time  chosen  other  sections  of  the  country  in  which 
to  reside  erect  a  statue  recognizing  the  brave  and  worthy 
acts  of  one  of  their  number  who  has  brought  great  honor, 
not  only  to  the  State  and  Nation,  but  to  humanity  in  gen- 
eral. As  a  slight  token  of  such  appreciation  they  wish  to 
present  to  the  dear  old  State  a  fitting  memorial  of  Admiral 
George  Dewey.  When  this  is  done  future  generations  will 
observe  that  on  the  left  Ethan  Allen,  denoting  strength,  and 
the  one  on  the  right  George  Dewey,  to  establish.  To- 
gether they  will  always  be  a  reminder  of  God's  promise  that 
in  strength  would  be  establish  his  Kingdom. 

"  'It  is  desirable  that  this  be  done  by  a  general  con- 
tribution from  all  Vermonters  now  resident  outside  of  the 
State,  and  the  Committee  solicits  from  you  a  cash  sub- 
scription, as  your  means  may  permit,  of  from  $1.00  to 
$io.oo.' 

"And  Whereas  said  Committee  has  collected  and 
now  has  in  its  possession  the  sum  of  $2,524.18,  which 
amount  is  considered  insufficient  for  carrying  out  the  ob- 
ject in  view,  and  the  contributors  of  the  small  amounts 
making  up  said  sum  desire  so  far  as  can  be  learned  that  the 
money  collected  be  in  some  manner  devoted  to  the  purpose 
originally  contemplated, 

"Now  Therefore  the  members  of  said  Committee  here- 
by give,  assign  and  transfer  to  the  VERMONT  HIS- 
TORICAL SOCIETY,  a  corporation  organized  and  exist- 
ing by  special  charter  under  the  laws  of  Vermont,  and  an 
organization  devoted  among  other  things  to  preserving 
whatever  relates  to  the  military  history  of  the  State  of  Ver- 
mont, the  moneys  collected  by  said  Committee  for  the  pur- 
pose aforesaid,  amounting  to  $2,524.18,  in  trust  and  upon 
condition  that  the  said  Vermont  Historical  Society  retain 
said  fund  and  invest  the  same  in  such  securities  as  it  is 
permissible  under  the  laws  of  Vermont  for  savings  banks 


182  THE  VERMONT  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY. 

to  invest  their  funds  until  such  time  as  such  fund  with  its 
accretions  and  any  additions  thereto  by  gift  or  otherwise 
may  in  the  judgment  of  the  Board  of  Managers  of  said  So- 
ciety be  sufficient  to  erect  a  statue  of  George  Dewey,  the 
Admiral  of  the  Navy,  in  the  portico  of  the  State  Capitol  at 
Montpelier,  or  if  that  be  not  possible  or  advisable  at  such 
place  in  Montpelier  as  said  committee  may  determine. 

"This  Deed  of  Trust  is  to  become  effectual  and  the 
moneys  herein  described  to  be  paid  over  upon  the  endorse- 
ment on  this  Deed  of  Trust  by  the  President  of  said  Ver- 
mont Historical  Society  of  the  acceptance  of  said  trust  un- 
der authority  of  action  of  the  Board  of  Managers  of  said 
Society ;  and  Everett  C.  Benton,  of  Waverley,  Mass.,  and 
James  T.  Phelps,  of  Swampscott,  Mass.,  members  of  said 
Committee,  are  hereby  authorized  to  turn  over  said  fund 
to  the  said  Vermont  Historical  Society,  and  are  also  directed 
to  deliver  to  said  Society  for  preservation  in  its  archives 
the  original  list  of  subscriptions  received  by  said  Commit- 
tee. 

"In  Witness  Whereof  the  members  of  said  Dewey 
Monument  Committee  hereunto  set  their  hands  this  third 
day  of  May,  A.  D.  1906. 

"Everett   C.    Benton 

James  T.  Phelps 

Levi  P.  Morton 

John  M.  Thurston 

Wallace  F.  Robinson 

Jno.  B.  Corliss 

Rome  G.  Brown 

L.  L.  Coburn 

Stephen  A.  Foster 

Joseph  W.  Babcock 

"20  Kilby  St.,  Boston,  Mass.,  May  10,  1906. 

"To  the  President  and  Secretary  of  the  Vermont  Historical 
Society,  care  of  Joseph  A.  DeBoer,  Montpelier,  Vt. 

"Gentlemen : — Acting  under  authority  of  the  Dewey 
Monument  Committee,  and  in  conformity  with  recent  corre- 
spondence with  Mr.  DeBoer.  it  gives  me  pleasure  to  hand 
you  a  certified  cheque  on  the  United  States  Trust  Company 


Dezcey 
Monument 
Committee.' 


APPENDIX.  183 

of  Boston,  transferring  to  your  Society  the  sum  of  twenty- 
five  hundred  twenty- four  dollars  and  eighteen  cents — ($2,- 
524.18),  with  the  accompanying  deed  of  trust  signed  by  all 
the  members  of  the  Committee,  namely,  Everett  C.  Benton, 
James  T.  Phelps,  Levi  P.  Morton,  John  M.  Thurston,  Wal- 
lace F.  Robinson,  Jno.  B.  Corliss,  Rome  G.  Brown,  L.  L.  Co- 
burn,  S.  A.  Foster  and  Joseph  W.  Babcock, — the  said  deed 
showing  the  history  of  the  fund  and  the  conditions  of  its 
transfer  to  your  Society.  I  also  hand  you  a  statement, 
showing,  so  far  as  it  is  possible  for  the  Committee  to  ob- 
tain, the  names  and  addresses  of  subscribers.  These  sub- 
scribers were  obtained  in  answer  to  a  printed  call,  and  were 
all  voluntary,  without  special  solicitation. 

"The  total  amount  of  money 
received  from  subscribers 
was $2326.35 

As  moneys  were  received, 
they  were  by  the  Treas- 
urer deposited  in  the 
United  States  Trust  Co. 
of  Boston,  total  sum  of  de- 
posits amounting  to....  2326.35 

The    interest    allowances    by 

the  Bank  amounted  to... $303. 53 

The  expense  charge,  which 
was  limited  to  actual  out- 
lay for  printing  and  post- 
age,  amounted   to 105.70 


Leaving  a  gain  on  the  Fund  of.  *  97-83 


Making  total  of $2524.18 

"If  it  is  the  pleasure  of  your  Society,  I  should  be  glad 
to  receive  acknowledgment  of  this  amount,  covering  the 
points  mentioned  in  this  letter,  which  I  can  hold  as  a  dis- 
charge for  the  Committee  of  its  disposal  of  the  Fund. 

"Yours  very  truly, 
"Everett  C.  Benton,  Chairman." 


184  THE  VERMONT  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY. 

We  record,  accordingly,  not  merely  the  acceptance  of 
the  aforesaid  trust  but  further  that  the  sum  named,  $2524.18, 
was  deposited  May  12,  1906,  in  the  Montpelier  Savings  Bank 
&  Trust  Company  under  the  title  of  the  "Dewey  Monument 
Fund,  Vermont  Historical  Society,"  subject  to  the  prevail- 
ing rate  of  interest  from  said  date. 

We  advise  that  said  fund  be  now  transferred  by  vote 
of  the  Society  into  the  hands  of  its  Treasurer  and  that  the 
Deed  of  Trust  and  the  List  of  Subscribers  to  said  fund  be 
passed  to  the  Librarian  for  permanent  care.  We  further 
advise  that  said  fund  be  safely  invested  in  accordance  with 
the  discretion  of  the  Society's  Treasurer  and  that  the  earliest 
opportune  time  be  taken  for  the  consummation  of  the  pur- 
pose and  intent  which  originally  inspired  the  creation  of  this 
fund  and  for  the  effective  discharge  of  this  trust. 
Respectfully  submitted, 

Jos.  A.  De  Boer, 
Recording  Secretary,  for  the  Board  of  Managers. 


APPENDIX   B. 

TREASURER'S  REPORT,  1905-1906. 

Henry  F.  Field,  Treasurer,  in  account  with  the   Vermont 
Historical  Society,  ipoj-ipo6. 


Dr. 

Oct.  16,  '05,  To  balance  last  reported.  . .  . 
To    annual    dues    for    1904 

$435-24 

paid  during  the  year .... 
To    annual    dues    for    1905 

2.00 

paid  during  the  year .... 
To    annual    dues    for    1906 

84.00 

90.00 

APPENDIX.  185 

To    annual    dues    for    1907 

paid   in   advance    6.00 

To    annual    dues    for    1908 

paid  in  advance   1.00 

To    membership    dues    Geo. 

P.  Anderson  for  1905.  . .  .  2.00 

To  membership  dues  Francis 
M.  Crosby,  candidate  for 
1906   2.00 

To  membership  dues  Chas. 
W.  Howard,  candidate  for 
1906   2.00 

To  membership  dues  Chas. 
D.  Watson,  candidate  for 
1906 2.00 

To  membership  dues  Geo. 
M.  Hogan,  candidate  for 
1906   2.00 

To     interest     on      deposit 
with    Montpelier    Savings 
Bank    and    Trust    Co.    to 
July,   1905 9.14 

To  interest  on  deposit 
with  Montpelier  Savings 
Bank  and  Trust  Co.,  to 
July,    1906    942 


Cr. 

Oct.  20,  '05,  by  paid  J.  A.  DeBoer, 

Sec'y.  bill  for  postage   $  4.61 

Nov.  21,  '05,  by  paid  Free  Press 

Ass'n.  bill  for  letter  heads...     2.25 

Jan.  6,  '06,  by  paid  E.  M.  Goddard, 

Librarian,  3  months'  salary  .  .   25.00 

Jan.  6,  '06,  by  paid  Argus  &  Patriot, 
bill,  notices  annual  meeting, 
etc 2.75 

12 


$646.80 


186  THE  VERMONT  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY. 

April  21,  by  paid  E.  M.  Goddard, 

Librarian,  3  months'  salary.  .  25.00 
April  21,  by  paid  E.  M.  Goddard, 

Librarian,  disbursements  ....  6.59 
April  21,  by  paid  Mather  &  Temple, 

bill  material  for  library 10.00 

April  21,  by  paid  Union  Card  Co., 

bill  material  for  library 1.26 

April  21,  by  paid  Pneumatic  Hand 

Stamp  Co.,  bill    1.13 

April  11,  by  paid  E.  M.  Goddard, 

Librarian,  3  months'  salary  .  .  25.00 
April  11,  by  paid  E.  M.  Goddard, 

Librarian,  disbursements  ....  5.55 
Oct.   11,  by  paid  E.   M.   Goddard, 

Librarian,  3  months'  salary  .  .  25.00 
Oct.  18,  by  paid  Tuttle  &  Co.,  bill 

receipt  books  for  Treasurer.  .  2.75 
Nov.  8,  by  paid  Henry  F.   Field, 

Treasurer,    disbursements    for 

postage,   1903-1906    5.36 

$142.25 
Balance  in  Treasurer's  hands.  .504.55 


$646.80 


Rutland,  Vermont,  November  8,  1906. 


APPENDIX. 


187 


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188  THE  VERMONT  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY. 

APPENDIX  D. 

OFFICERS   1906-7 

President. 
GEORGE  GRENVILLE   BENEDICT,  Burlington. 

Vice-Presidents. 
WILLIAM  W.    STICKNEY,   Ludlow. 
FRED  A.  HOWLAND,  Montpelier. 
H.  CHARLES  ROYCE,  St.  Albans. 

Becording  Secretary. 
JOSEPH  A.  DE  BOER,  Montpelier. 

Corresponding  Secretaries. 

THEODORE  S.  PECK,  Burlington. 
CHARLES  S.  FORBES,  St.  Albans. 

Treasurer. 
HENRY  F.  FIELD,  Rutland. 

Librarian. 
EDWARD  M.  GODDARD,  Montpelier. 

Curators. 

EZRA  BRAINERD,  Addison  County. 
SAMUEL  B.  HALL,  Bennington  County. 
REV.  HENRY  FAIRBANKS,  Caledonia  County. 
REV.  JOHN  E.  GOODRICH,  Chittenden  County. 
PORTER  H.  DALE,  Essex  County. 
WALTER  H.  CROCKETT,  Franklin  County. 
NELSON  WILBUR  FISK,  Grand  Isle  County. 
CARROLL  S.  PAGE,  Lamoille  County. 
DR.  GEORGE  DAVENPORT,  Orange  County. 
F.  W.  BALDWIN,  Orleans  County. 
PHILIP  R.  LEAVENWORTH,  Rutland  County. 
HIRAM  CARLETON,  Washington  County. 


APPENDIX. 


189 


BERT  EMERY  MERRIAM,  Windham  County. 
GILBERT  A.  DAVIS,  Windsor  County. 
FREDERICK  G.  FLEETWOOD,  Secretary  of  State, 
HORACE  F.  GRAHAM,  Auditor  of  Accounts. 
GEORGE  W.  WING,  State  Librarian. 


} 


ex-offcio. 


STASDOG  COMMITTEES. 

On  Library. — Joseph  A.  De  Boer,  E.  M.  Goddard,  John  E. 
Goodrich. 

On  Printing. — Theodore  S.  Peck,  Fred  A.  Howland,  Walter 
H.  Crockett. 

On  Finance. — Henry  F.  Field,  Joseph  A.  De  Boer,  Fred  A. 
Howland. 


APPENDIX  E. 


NAMES  OF  REVOLUTIONARY  SOLDIERS  BURIED 
IN  VERMONT. 

Compiled  by  Walter  H.  Crockett,  of  St.  Albans,  Secretary  of  the 
Vermont  Society,  Sons  of  the  American  Revolution,  additional  to  the 
list  printed  in  the  Proceedings  of  the  Vermont  Historical  Society  for 
1903-04. 


Addison. 

Lorain  Evarts, 
Samuel  Pond, 
Jacob  Post, 
John  Strong. 

Albany. 

Marshall   Pillsbury, 
Samuel  Russell, 
Ebenezer  Watson. 

Alburgh. 

Ichabod  Babcock, 
John  Babcock. 


Andover. 

Joseph  Abbott, 
Jonas  Adams, 
Luther  Adams, 
Peter  Adams, 
Hart  Balch, 
John  Barton, 
David    Burton, 
Jonathan  Crane, 
Joseph  Dodge, 
Ebenezer  Farnsworth, 
David  Hazleton, 
Solomon  Howard, 
Daniel   Knight, 
Samuel  Manning, 


Jesse  Parkhurst, 
Peter  Putnam, 
Joseph    Stickney, 
Samson  Walker, 
Moses  Warner. 

Arlington. 

Constant  Barney. 
Ephraim  Blowers, 
Israel  Burritt. 
John   Calkins. 
Capt.  Martin  Deming, 
John  Gray, 
Benoni   Hawkins, 
Simeon  Littleneld. 


190 


THE  VERMONT  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY. 


Athens. 

Ezra  Chaffee, 
Charles  Colton, 
George    Porter. 

Bakersfield. 

Aaron   Barlow, 
'  Joshua  Barnes, 
Jonathan  Farnsworth, 
Foster    Paige, 
Maj.  Elisha  Parker. 

Baltimore. 

Seth  Houghton. 

Barnard. 

Samuel  Bennett, 
William  Bennett, 
Hollan  Blackmer, 
Jacob  Boyden, 
William  Buckman, 
William  Chamberlin, 
Moses  Davis, 
Robert  Dean, 
John  Foster, 
Peter  Foster, 
Elisha  Freeman, 
William  Freeman, 
Sergt.  Charles  French, 
William  Harlow, 
Ezra  Spaulding, 
Samuel  Stewart. 

Barnet. 

Levi  Hall, 
Stephen  Rider, 
John  Waddell. 

Benson. 

Bristol  Bennett, 
Rufus  Ewen, 
Eli  King, 
Timothy  Prince. 

Berkshire. 

Arthur  Danow, 
Levi    Darling, 
John  Perley, 


Ezekiel  Pond, 
Elisba  Shaw, 
Edward  Whitmore. 

Berlin. 

Allen  Andrews, 
Elijah  Andrews, 
Daniel   Hayden, 
Job  Reed, 
Lemuel  Stickney. 

Bethel. 

Jason  Bannister, 
Moses  Bragg, 
Reuben   Brooks, 
Stephen  Cleveland, 
Bibye  Cotton, 
Amos   Crain, 
Stephen  Fisk, 
Joel  Marsh, 
Nehemiah  Noble, 
Ezra  Putnam, 
Benajah  Strong. 

Bloomfield. 

Adin  Bartlett. 

Braintree. 

Edward   Bass, 
Simeon  Curtis, 
Elijah  Huntington, 
Thomas  Kenney, 
Matthew  Pratt. 

Barre. 

Daniel  Averill, 
William  Farwell, 
Elisha  Gale, 
Ebenezer  Putnam, 
Col.  Enos  Walker. 


Barton. 

John  Adams, 
Benoni   Burnham, 
Joseph  Hyde, 
John    Monsam, 
Jonathan  Robinson, 
Lemuel  Sturtevant. 


Belvidere. 

Moses  Brown, 
Eliphalet  Carpenter, 
John  Rosier. 

Bennington. 

David  Avery, 
Caleb  Austin, 
Ephraim  Bowen, 
Cornelius  Bracy, 
Solomon  Clark, 
Charles  Cushman, 
Aaron  Deming, 
Jeremiah  Field, 
Job  Greene, 
Peter   Hardwood, 
Simeon  Harvey, 
David  Hinman, 
Benjamin  Hoadley, 
Jesse  Loomis, 
Abner  Noble, 
Lieut.  John  Noble, 
Martin  Norton, 
Jonathan  Robinson, 
Samuel  Rockwood, 
Samuel    Safford, 
Simeon  Thayer, 
Isaac  Tichenor, 
Col. Ebenezer  Walbridge. 

Bradford. 

John  Putnam, 
Arad  Stebbins. 

Brandon. 

Simeon  Bigelow, 
William  Dodge, 
Stephen  Durkee, 
Zeeb  Green, 
Nathaniel  Harris, 
Solomon  Hinds, 
Jonathan  Merriam, 
Ebenezer  Squires, 
Roger  Smith. 

Brattleboro. 

Elnathan  Allen, 
John  Carpenter, 
Stephen  Greenleaf, 


APPENDIX. 


191 


Ruthford  Hayes, 
Reuben  King, 
George  Loveland, 
Ephraim   Nash, 
Asa  Putnam, 
Daniel  Stearns, 
Reuben  Stearns. 

Bridgewater. 

Isaac  Bisbee, 
George  Boyce, 
Joseph  Boyce, 
James  Crooker, 
George  Denison, 
Sergt.  Sam'l  Denison,' 
Daniel  Dike, 
James   Fletcher, 
Seth  Fletcher, 
'Joseph  French, 
Josiah  Gibbs, 
Elisha  Gilbert, 
Asa  Green, 
Capt.  John  Hawkins, 
Asa  Jones, 
Stephen  Knowlton, 
Rowland  Leonard, 
Amos  Murdell, 
Thomas  Palmer, 
Benjamin  Perkins, 
Nathan  Pratt, 
Eleazer  Robinson, 
Phineas  Sanderson, 
Beriah    Smith, 
Thomas  Southgate, 
Noah  Thompson, 
James  Topliff. 

Bridport. 

David  Cory, 

Asa  Hemenway, 
Jacob  Hemenway, 
Samuel  Hemenway, 
Phineas  Kitchell, 
Sergt.  Abel  Rice, 
Dr.  William  Vaughn. 

Bristol. 

Rufus  Barnard, 
Joseph  Bird, 
Walcott  Burnham, 


Jeriah  Chamberlin, 
John  Corry, 
Ebenezer  Cushman, 
Robert  Dunshee, 
Cyprian  Eastman, 
Asahel   Hall, 
Samuel  Hall, 
Jeremiah  Hatch, 
John  D.  Holly, 
Paul  P.  Holly, 
William  Howden, 
Jeremiah   Mead, 
Asaph  Parmelee, 
Benjamin  Plumley, 
Amos   Scott, 
Abraham  Vreedenburgh 
David    Whitney. 

Brookline. 

Samuel  Bennett, 
Eleazer   Cushman, 
Luther  Newcomb. 


Brookfield. 

Reuben  Adams, 
Barna  Bigelow, 
Experians  Fisk,   Jr., 
Nathan  Fisk, 
Timothy  Kendall, 
John  Paine, 
Noah  Paine. 

Brownington. 

Humphrey  Nichols, 
Joel  Priest, 
Isaac   Smith, 
Samuel  Smith. 

Brunswick. 
Simeon  Wait. 

Burke. 

Seth  Clark, 

Abner  Coe, 

Sergt.  Benj.  Farner, 

Daniel  Hall, 

Sergt.   Isaac  Martin. 


Burlington. 

Alanson  Adams, 
John  Adams, 
Reuben    Bostwick, 
Capt.  Amos  Burnham, 
Daniel  Castle, 
Samuel  Hitchcock, 
William  Kilbourne, 
John  Pierce, 
Nathan  Seymour. 

Cabot. 

Moses  Ainsworth, 
Benjamin    Andrews, 
Eliphalet  Bill, 
Joseph  Hoyt. 

Calais. 

Solomon   Janes. 

Cambridge. 

James  Campbell, 
Amos  Fassett, 
John  Fassett,   Jr., 
Elihu   Grant, 
Benjamin  Griswold, 
Parker  Page, 
Joel  F.  Perham, 
Sergt.  Truman  Powell. 

Canaan. 

Gilman  Clough, 
Oliver   Goss, 
John  Hughs, 
John  Weeks. 

Castleton. 

Joseph  Babcock, 
William    Bromley, 
William  Cushman, 
Sgt.  Jonathan  Deming, 
Daniel   Eaton, 
Preserved  Kellogg, 
Daniel  Lowden. 

Cavendish. 

Benjamin  Adams, 
Timothy  Adams, 


192 


THE  VERMONT  HISTORICAL.  SOCIETY. 


Isaac  Baldwin, 
Samuel  Burbank, 
Capt.  John  Coffeen, 
Joel  Davis, 
Nathaniel  Fair, 
Asaph  Fletcher, 
Nehemiah  Green, 
John  McLane, 
Elnathan  Reed, 
William   Spalding, 
Samuel  Stearns, 
Oliver  Whitney. 

Charleston. 

John  Palmer, 
William  Sawyer. 

Charlotte. 

Isaac  Cogswell, 
Ephraim  Page, 
Stephen  Turrill. 

Chelsea. 

Sherman   Allen, 
Ananiah  Bohonon, 
Abraham  Brigham, 
Daniel  Buck, 
Benjamin  Burgess, 
Frederick  Calkins, 
Asa  Dearborn, 
Hiram  Huntington, 
William   Killown, 
John  Martin, 
Thomas   Parker, 
David  Perry. 

Chester. 

Benjamin  Blaney, 
Nathan  Boyden, 
Thomas  Caryl, 
Joshua  Church, 
Ephraim  Clark, 
Jeremiah  Dean, 
Stephen  Dyer, 
David  Earl, 
Timothy  Eastman, 
Ebenezer   Farrington, 
Daniel  Fletcher, 
Paul  Fletcher, 


Surg.   Laban  Gates, 
Moses  Gile, 
Joshua  Jordan, 
Simeon  Keith, 
John  Kibling, 
Arohelous  Putnam, 
John  Putnam, 
Stephen   Randall, 
Waitstill  Ranney, 
Reuben    Ray, 
Jason  Rice, 
Stephen  Riggs, 
Ezra  Sargent, 
Jabez  Sargent, 
WilJiam    Stoodley, 
John  Thurstoh, 
Amasa  Turner, 
Richard  Ward, 
Amos  Weatheifcy, 
Benjamin  Whitmore, 
Solomon  Wilson. 

Chittenden. 

Asa  Durkee. 

Clarendon. 

Sergt.  Abel   Horton, 
Dr.  David  Palmer, 
Ephraim   Parker, 
Sergt.  Samuel  Parker, 
Isaac   Southworth, 
Jesse  Sprague, 
Lewis  Walker. 

Colchester. 

Alexander   Alford, 
Jeremiah  Fisher, 
Peter    Gale, 
John  Law, 
Amos  Mansfield,  Jr., 
Claud  Monty, 
Amos  Preston, 
Lemuel   Tubbs, 
David   Webster. 

Concord. 

Joseph   Ball, 
Elias   Cheney, 
Jonathan  Corser, 


Josiah   Goodale, 

David  Hibbard, 

Hinds  Reed, 

Noah   Vilas, 

Capt.  Samuel  Wetherbe, 

Capt.  Samuel  Witherell. 

Corinth. 

Jeremiah  Dewey, 
Eleazer   Porter, 
Eleazer  P.  Putnam. 

Comioall. 

Jared  Abernethy, 
John    Alvord, 
John  Boynton, 
Joseph  Cogswell, 
Isaiah    Gilbert, 
■  Reuben    Hall, 
Israel  C.   Jones, 
Gideon  Miller, 
Reuben    Peck, 
William  Pratt, 
John  Rockwell, 
William   Samson, 
Daniel  Scovel, 
William  Ward. 


Coventry. 

Frederick  W.  Herman, 
David  Lathe, 
Joseph  Priest, 
Edward  Welch. 


Crafts  oury. 

Capt.  Ebenezer  Crafts, 
Daniel   Davison, 
John    Hadley, 
Joseph    Scott, 
Sergt.  Rob't  Trumbull. 

Danoy. 

Bradford  Barnes, 
Minor  Hilyard, 
Elijah  Lilly. 


APPENDIX. 


193 


Danville. 

Uri    Babbit, 
Jethro  Batchelder, 
Jesse   Cheney, 
Thomas  Colby, 
Jonathan  Danforth,  _ 
Salma  Davis, 
Benjamin  Deming, 
Stephen   Dexter, 
Samuel  Hawley, 
Thomas  Hoyt, 
John    Rollins, 
Ebenezer  Sawyer, 
Caleb  Stiles, 
Joseph  Tilton. 

Derby. 

Abram  Alexander, 
Simon    Davis, 
John  Healey, 
Isaac   Hinman, 
Timothy   Hinman, 
Simeon    Pope. 

Dorset. 

Peletiah   Dewey, 
Benedict  Eggleston, 
Asa  Farwell, 
Isaac   Farwell, 
Asahel  L.  Fenton, 
Noah  Fuller, 
John  Sargent, 
Benjamin  Tenney, 
James  Wrin. 

Dover. 

Benjamin  -Baldwin, 
Balah   Kendall, 
Capt.   Elijah   Stearns. 

Dummerston. 

Daniel   Bemis, 
John  Bemis, 
Nathaniel   Bixby, 
Thomas  Boyden, 
William  Boyden, 
Ellis    Griffith, 
John  Reed, 


William  Robertson, 
Daniel  Tenney. 

Duxbury. 

John  Colt. 

East  JHontpelier. 

Eseck  Howland. 

Eden. 

Jonas  Harrington, 
Eli  Hinds,  Jr., 
Isaac   Lackey, 
Samuel   Plumley, 
Peter  Wylie. 

Elmore. 

Ebenezer  Copin. 

Enosburg. 

Job   Libbey, 
James   Miller. 

Essex. 

France  Faxon. 

Fairfax. 

James  Bellows, 
Archibald  Cook, 
Joseph   Cross, 
E.  Faxon, 
George  Majors, 
Israel  Richard&on, 
Bradstreet  Sparford.- 

F  airfield. 

Whitmore    Beardsley. 
Jabez   Burr, 
Oliver  Cleveland, 
Abel   Fairbanks, 
Jabez   Hawkins, 
Josiah   Osgood, 
Philip   Priest, 
Silas  Safford, 
•  Dyer  Sherwood. 


Fair  Haven. 
Samuel  Stannard. 

Fayston. 
William  Newcomb. 

Ferrisburg. 

Daniel   Champion, 
Josiah   Johnson, 
William   Kellogg, 
Abel  Thompson, 
Nathan  Walker. 

Fletcher. 

Daniel  Bailey, 
Henry   Campbell, 
Samuel  Danforth,_ 
Rufus  Montague. 

Franklin. 

Paul  Gates. 

Georgia. 

Capt.  Jonat'n  Danforth,  - 
Loammi   Pattee, 
John  Wood, 
Reuben  Wood. 

Glover. 

Paul  Cook, 
Paul    Hardy. 
Jesse  Thomas, 

Goshen. 

Enoch   Reynolds. 

Grand  Isle. 

Capt.  John  Stark. 

Granville. 

Abiathar  Austin, 
Eli    Lewis, 
Abraham  Parker, 
James   Shaw, 
Jeremiah   Snow, 


194 


THE    VERMONT    HISTORICAL    SOCIETY. 


Grafton. 

David  Blood, 
Simeon   Conant, 
Nathaniel  Cutler, 
Henry  Davis, 
David  French, 
Abraham  Gibson, 
David  Gibson, 
Jonathan  Gibson, 
Solomon  Gibson, 
Enoch  Hale, 
John    Kidder, 
Samuel  Spaulding, 
William  Stickney,    . 
Joseph  Thatcher, 
Jonathan  Warner, 
Samuel  Whitney, 
Asa  M.  Wyman. 

Greensboro. 

Samuel  Badger, 
John    Cross, 
Amos  Smith, 
Lieut.  Thos.  Tolman. 

Groton. 

John  Clark, 
Ebenezer  Fisk. 

Guildhall. 

John  Cook, 
Capt.  Benoni  Cutler, 
David  Denison,-^ 
Moses  Hale, 
David   Hopkinson, 
Samuel  Howe. 

Guilford. 

Nehemiah  Andrews, 
Daniel  Boyden, 
James   Boyden, 
Ebenezer  Chamberlain, 
Jeremiah  Graves, 
Thomas   Harris, 
Samuel  Larabee, 
William  Marsh, 
Cyrus  Martin, 
Jasper  Patridge, 


Adonijah  Putnam, 
Micah  Rice, 
Seth   Rice, 
Eliel  Washburn, 
Aaron  Wilder. 

Halifax. 

Thomas   Adams, 
James    Babcock, 
Abner   Bemis, 
Joel   Cutler, 
John  Farnham, 
David   Goodall, 
Jesse  Guild, 
John   Harris, 
Israel   Jones, 
Moses  Larned, 
Francis   Phelps, 
Elijah  Pike, 
Newton   Ransom, 
Hezekiah  Smith, 
Eleazer  Whitney, 
Artemas  Woodard. 

Hancock. 

Charles  Church, 
Capt.  Nath'l  Cushman. 

Hardwick. 

Charles    Bailey, 
Abel   Carpenter, 
Abel   Conant, 
Jonathan  Curtis, 
John   Fox, 

Sergt.  Thomas  Fuller, 
Sergt.  David  Norris, 
Eleazer    Nutting, 
Samuel  Stevens, 
Joseph  Weeks, 
Reuben  Wheatley. 

Hartford. 


Joshua  Dewey, 
Shadrack  Dodge, 
Lieut.  Israel  Gillet, 
John  Gillet, 
Sergt.  Jacob  Hall. 
Willis   Hall, 
Samuel  Harrington, 
Daniel  Hazen, 
Elijah   Hazen, 
Hezekiah  Hazen. 
Capt.  Joshua  Hazen, 
Solomon  Hazen, 
Thomas  Hazen, 
Benjamin   Hoyt, 
Capt.  Abel  Marsh, 
Daniel    Marsh, 
Eliphalet   Marsh, 
Elisha  Marsh, 
John  Marsh, 
Col.  Joseph  Marsh, 
David  Newton, 
John   Paddock, 
Samuel  Pease, 
Daniel  Pineo, 
Eliot   Porter, 
Rowland  Powell, 
Amos   Richardson, 
Thomas  Richardson, 
Amos   Robinson, 
Francis  W.  Savage, 
Seth   Savage. 
Thomas  Savage, 
Darius  Sessions, 
Philip    Sprague, 
Solomon  Strong, 
William  Strong. 
Sergt.  Andrew  Tacy, 
Reuben   Tenney, 
Josiah  Tilden, 
Oliver  Udall. 

Hartland. 


Noah  Aldrich, 
Eldad  Alexander, 
Sgt.  Luth.  Bartholomew,Quartus  Alexander. 
Daniel  Beard,  Simeon  Alford, 

Capt.  William  Bramble,  Wm.  Symmes  Ashley, 
James  Call,  Thomas   Bagley, 

Simeon  Chapman,  Moses  Barron, 

David  Coburn   (or  Col-  John  Billings, 
burn),  Nathan  Billings, 


Eliazer  Bishop, 
Chap.  Daniel  Breck, 
Solomon  Brown, 
Isaiah  Burk, 
Jonathan  Burk, 
Marston  Cabot, 
Nathan   Call, 
Samuel   Capron, 
Lieut.  Ephraim  Carey, 
Capt.  Nathaniel  Cole, 
Melvin  Cotton, 
Thomas  Cotton, 
Holmes  Cushman, 
Ichabod  Cushman, 
\Col.  George  Denison, 
John  Dunsmore, 
Asahel  Doubleday, 
John   Dunbar, 
Robert   Dunbar, 
Elisha  Flower, 
William  Flower, 
Elisha  Gallup, 
William   Gallup, 
Zelates  Gates, 
Peter   Gibson, 
Peter  Gilson, 
Joseph   Grow, 
Samuel  Hearley, 
Thomas  Hoadley, 
Jonathan   Hodgman, 
Maj.  Lot  Hodgman, 
Phineas  Killam, 
Thomas  Lawton, 
Darius  Liscomb, 
Nehemiah  Liscomb, 
John  Lull, 
Timothy  Lull, 
Isaac  Maine, 
Gardner  Marcy, 
Joseph  Marcy, 
Isaac  Morgan, 
Robert  Morrison, 
John  Robbins, 
Eliphalet  Rogers, 
Isaac  Sargent, 
Lemuel  Scott, 
Thomas  Shaw, 
Jesse  Smeod, 
Leonard  Spaulding, 
Lieut.  Daniel  Spooner, 
Eliakim  Spooner, 


APPENDIX. 

Paul   Spooner, 
John   Sumner, 
Asa  Taylor, 
Nathaniel   Waldron, 
Jonathan  Whitney, 
Capt.  Aaron  Willard, 
Oliver  Willard, 
Abel   Wright, 
Zadock   Wright. 

Highgate. 

Philip    Shelters. 

Hinesburgh. 

Moses    Dow, 
Asa  Forbes, 
John  Green, 
Dan  Howard, 
Jonathan  Stearns, 
Eliphaz   Steel. 

Holland. 

John  Bishop, 
Isaac  Clement, 
Qm.  Eber  Robinson, 
Isaac  Sargent. 

Huntington. 

Ebenezer  Cutler, 
Zebediah  Joslin, 
John  Moses, 
Jonas  Shattuck. 

Hyde  Park. 

John    Collins, 
John   McCloud. 

Ira. 
Joseph  Tower, 

Irasburgh. 

Benjamin  Barton, 
Amos  Conant, 
Benjamin  Hardy. 

Jamaica. 

John  Bradley, 
Nathaniel  Cheney, 


195 

Timothy  Fisher, 
Ichabod   Higgins, 
Joel  Hill, 
Bailey  Rawson, 
Gideon   Stoddard. 

Jericho. 

Peter  L.  Allen, 
Isaac  Benham, 
Ichabod  Burnham, 
Benoni  Chapin, 
Ichabod  Chapin, 
Noah  Chittenden, 
Simeon  Davis, 
Azariah  Rood, 
Roger   Stevens, 
J.  I.  Warner. 

Johnson. 

William  Boyes, 
Solomon  Briggs, 
Jonathan  Burnham, 

Chase, 

Elisha  Dodge, 
Ralph  Ellingwood, 
David  Erwin, 
William  Heath, 
Jonathan  McConnell, 
Jeremiah  McDaniel, 
Samuel   Miller, 
Daniel  Perkins, 
Arunah  Waterman. 

Kirby. 

Zebulon  Burroughs, 
Jonathan  Lewis, 
Asa  Parker, 
Stephen  Watkins. 

Landgrove. 

David  Carpenter, 
Hezekiah  Ward  Clark, 
Ephraim  Hildreth, 
Reuben  Holt. 

Leicester. 

Isaac  Atwood, 
Benjamin   Whitman. 


196 


THE  VERMONT  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY. 


Lincoln. 

Joshua  Rugg. 

Londonderry. 

Abraham  Abbott, 
David  Cochran, 
Bithiah  Howard, 
Edmund  Ingalls, 
Lincoln   Stiles, 
Jeremiah  Wheeler, 
Nathan  Whiting. 

Lowell. 

Jonathan  Powers. 

Ludlow. 

Sergt.  Levi  Adams, 
Ephraim   Dutton, 
Jesse   Fletcher, 
Josiah   Fletcher, 
Josiah  F.  Richardson, 
John  Spafford, 
Jesse  Spaulding, 
Thomas    Weatherby, 
Jonathan  Whitcomb. 

Lunenburgh. 

Louis  Cook, 
Zuriah   Marshall, 
Samuel    Martin, 
Samuel   Nash, 
Timothy  Nash, 
Azariah   Webb. 

Lyndon. 

John   Bly, 
Ozias  Caswell, 
Stephen   Eastman, 
Moses    Evans, 
Erastus  Harvey, 
Oliver  Hartwell, 
Sergt.  Henry  Hoffman, 
Jacob  Houghton, 
Ebenezer   Howland, 
Jona.  Locklin, 
John  McGaffey, 
William  Miles, 


Rufus    Moore, 
Ephraim  Niles, 
Job   Olney, 
Sergt.  Gaias  Peck, 
Nathaniel  Phillips, 
Elijah  Ross, 
Moses  Root, 
James  Sherman, 
Jonas   Sprague, 
Jonathan   Swan. 

Maidstone. 

Sergt.  Jacob  Schoff. 

Manchester. 

Samuel  Mitchell, 
Gideon  Moody, 
Sergt.  Eli  Pettibone, 
Samuel   Walker. 

Marlboro. 

James  Cutler, 
Boomer  Jenks, 
Erastus  Mather, 
Phineas  Mather, 
John  Philips, 
Amos  Prouty, 
Jonas  Whitney. 

Marshfield. 

Joshua  Cheney, 
Ebenezer  Dodge, 
Joseph  T.  Eaton, 
Stephen  Rich. 

Mendon. 

Hilkiah   Grout, 
Isaac  Sanderson. 

Middlebury. 

Sergt.  Ethan  Andrews, 
Jonathan  Blin, 
Alpheus  Brooks, 
Justus   Cobb, 
Samuel   Cook, 
James    Crane, 
George   Griswold, 


Calvin  Goodno, 
Robert   Huxton, 
Bela    Manzer, 
Ely  Nichols, 
Elijah    Olmstead, 
Benoni   Shurtleff, 
Jesse  Spencer, 
Seth  Storrs, 
Israel  Wadsworth. 

Middlesex. 

Jeremiah   Clark, 
Jeremiah  Leland, 
Ebenezer  Putnam. 

Middletown  Springs. 

Jedediah   Edgerton, 
Richard   Hoskins, 
David  Parker, 
Gamaliel  Waldo. 

Milton. 

Benjamin  Adams, 
John  Blake, 
Thomas   Dewey, 
Elihu  Herrick, 
William   Hewes, 
Oliver   Howard, 
Elisha   Owen. 

Monkton. 

William   Niles, 
Lieut.  Daniel  Spooner, 
William  Spooner, 
John   Stearns, 
Lemuel  Tracy. 

Montgomery. 

Lieut.  John  Clapp, 
Bliss  Hoisington, 
John  A.   Ripley, 
Joshua  Wade. 

Montpelier. 

Elias  Metcalf, 
John  Putnam, 
Edward  West. 


APPENDIX. 


197 


Morgan. 

Joshua  Bailey, 
Nathaniel  S.  Clark, 
James  Taylor, 
Nathan  Wilcox. 


Moretoicn. 

John  Burdick,- 
Joshua  Freeman, 
Joseph   Haseltine, 
Amos    Spalding. 


Morristown. 

Elisha  Bugbee, 
John   Cole, 
Michajah  Dunham, 
James  Little, 
Joshua  Merrill, 
Comfort  Olds, 
William  Small, 
Adam   Sumner, 
Sergt.  Jos.  E.  Westgate 
Thomas  Youngman. 


Newfane. 

Jacob  Allen, 
Ephraim  Hall, 
William  Hills, 
William  King, 
Nathan  Knowlton, 
Zebediah  Marsh, 
Marshall    Newton. 

Neio   Haven. 

John    Conant, 
John  Coon, 
Elisha  Fuller, 
Ephraim  Munson, 
Joseph  Prime, 
Caleb   Rich, 
Simon  Stickney, 
Benjamin  Taintor. 

Newport. 

Stephen  Barnard, 
John  Jenness, 
Archippus  Wheeler. 

Northfield. 


Roswell   Adams, 
William  Ashcroft, 
Thomas  Averill, 
John   Brown, 
Aquila   Jones, 
Samuel  Richardson, 
Sergt.  Joseph  Daggett,  Stanton  Richardson, 
Gideon  Tabor.  Eliphus  Shipman. 


Mount  Holly. 
Joel  Earle. 

Mount  Tabor. 


Newbury. 

Peter   Bagley, 
Thomas  Eastman, 
David  Haseltine, 
Daniel  Heath, 
Joseph   Herriman,- 
Samuel  Johnson, 
John  Mellen, 
Tarrant  Putnam, 
John  Smith, 
Asa  Tenney, 
David    Tenney, 
William   Tice, 
Charles  P.  Walker. 


North   Hero. 

Samuel   Doty, 
Abram  Woodard. 

Norwich. 

Daniel  Baldwin, 
Nath'l  Boardman,  Jr. 
Capt.  Elijah  Burton, 
Henry  Burton, 
Jacob  Burton, 
Solomon  Cushman, 
Hezekiah  Goodrich, 
John  Goodrich, 
John   Gould, 


Joseph   Howes, 
Jerome  Hutchinson, 
Samuel   Hutchinson, 
Calvin   Johnson, 
Surg.  Joseph  Lewis, 
David  Lyman, 
Timothy  Nichols, 
Daniel   Nye, 
Samuel   Patridge, 
Ebenezer  Percival, 
Jeremiah  Percival, 
Calvin  Seaver, 
Jonathan  Spear, 
Joel    Stinson, 
Mendwell  Strong, 
Joseph  Tucker, 
Solomon   White. 

Orange. 

Nathaniel   Bacheller, 
Sgt.  Jonathan  Conant, 
Samuel  Judkins, 
Samuel   Richardson. 

Omcell. 

Jonathan  Belden, 
Thomas  Eggleston, 
Ira   Kilbourn, 
Billy   Monger, 
Capt.  James  Noble, 
Sampson   Spaulding. 

Pawlet. 

David   Comstock, 
Eldad   Curtis, 
Phineas   Meigs, 
Moses  Porter, 
Jacob   Sacks, 
Nathan  Spalding.  -w_ 

Panton. 

Rupee  Bacheller, 
Dan    Smith, 
William    Shepherd. 

Peacham. 

Abijah  Bailey, 
James  Bailey, 
Hastings  Blanchard, 


198 


THE   VERMONT  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY. 


Henry    Blake, 
Wells  Burbank, 
Abiel   Chamberlain, 
Col.  John   Chandler, 
Edward  Clark, 
Samuel  Davis, 
Jonathan  Elkins, 
Judson  Farrar, 
Capt.  Nathan  Hurd, 
Joab    Kimball, 
Ashbel   Martin, 
David  Martin, 
James    Miner, 
Lemuel   Northrop, 
John   Skeele, 
Ebenezer  Spencer, 
Simeon  Walker. 

Peru. 

Benjamin  Barnard, 
Luther  Barnard, 
Aaron  Dewey, 
Peter  Gould. 

Pittsfield. 

Josiah   Babcock, 
Sergt.  Pennel  Child, 
Joseph  Durkee, 
Elijah    Segar. 

Pittsford. 

Robert  Andrews, 
Davi  Hall, 
Thomas  Hammond, 
Amos   Harwood, 
Amos  Lawrence, 
Ezekiel  Longley, 
Dennis  Miller, 
Zebulon  Pond, 
Peter  Powers, 
Jeremiah  Rann, 
James  Walker, 
Rufus  Wheeden, 
Phineas  Whitney, 
Joel  Willis, 
Oliver  Wolcott. 

Plainfield. 

Isaac  Vincent. 


Plymouth. 

Samuel  G.  Allen, 
Robert  Bishop, 
Sergt.  Daniel  Clark, 
John   Coolidge, 
Henry  Fletcher, 
Benjamin   Green, 
John   Mudge, 
Caleb  Snow. 

Pomfret. 

Elnathan  Allen, 
James  Burnham, 
Josiah  Chandler, 
John   Cheadle, 
William  Child, 
John  W.  Dana, 
Eliphalet  Fales, 
Oliver   Goff, 
Timothy  Harding, 
Elijah  Hoar, 
Seth    Hodges, 
Elijah   Mason, 
Reuben  D.  Massey, 
Matthew   Miller, 
Thomas  Nocnan, 
Lieut.  Ephraim  Peake, 
Abidah  Smith, 
John  O.  Thacher, 
Isaiah  Tinkham, 
William  Whitman, 
Ebenezer   Winslow. 

Pownal. 

John   Downer, 
Louis  Dunham, 
Obadiah  Dunham, 
Benjamin  Grover, 
Moses  Hastings, 
Zaccheus  Hovey, 
David  Jepson, 
John   Magoon, 
Benjamin  Morgan, 
Capt.  Eli  Noble, 
John  Noble, 
Josiah    Noble, 
William  Ray, 
John  Sherman, 
Joseph  Thorp. 


Poultney. 

Samuel    Adams, 
Azariah    Dewey, 
John  Herrick, 
Henry  Hyde. 
Abraham  Kilboume. 
James  Powers, 
William   Ward. 

Putney. 

Lieut.  John  Gates, 
Benjamin   Read, 
Timothy  UnderwoccL 
Joseph  Winslow. 

Randolph. 

Simeon  Belknap, 
Moses    Bragg, 
David  Carpenter, 
Jonathan  Carpenter. 
Jesse  Cogswell, 
John   Cogswell, 
Alvin   Edson, 
Sergt.  Josiah  Edson. 
Isaac  Grow, 
John    Hobart, 
Joseph   Morton. 
Capt.  Samuel  Paine, 
Moses  Pearsons, 
Samuel    Steele, 
Chancy  L.  Temple, 
Nathaniel  Throop, 
Abner  Weston, 
Horace  Wheeler, 
Jonathan   Wills. 

Reading. 

David  Burnham, 
Timothy  Fullam, 
Jonathan  Jones, 
William  Morison, 
Stephen  Rice, 
Thomas  Townsend. 

Readsooro. 

Archilous  Dean, 
Ezra  Keyes, 
Ebenezer  Stearns. 


APPENDIX. 


199 


Richford. 

Daniel   Jones, 
Gideon  Wood. 

Richmond. 

Oliver  Cutler, 
Sergt.  John  Devereaux, 
William  Humphrey, 
Daniel   Robbins, 
Bigford  Spooner. 

Rochester. 

Thomas  Bailey, 
Josiah   Chandler, 
Timothy    Clark, 
David  Clough, 
Sergt.  Enoch  Emerson, 
John  McAllister, 
Seth   Tinkham, 
Sergt.  Retire  Trask, 
John  Young. 

Rockingham. 

Philip  Adams, 
Benjamin   Burt, 
Charles   Church, 
Ebenezer   Clark, 
Nathaniel  Clark, 
Timothy    Clark, 
John  Dudley, 
John  Fish, 
Benjamin  Gould, 
Jacob  Gould, 
Ebenezer  McAlvin, 
Jonathan  Morison, 
Joseph   Muzzy, 
John   Stearns, 
Jonathan  Stearns, 
Sergt.  William  Stearns 
William   Stearns,   Jr., 
Abraham  Tuttle, 
Joshua  Webb, 
John  White, 
Nathan  Wooley. 

Roxbury. 

Dr.  David  McClure, 
Darius   Spaulding, 
Silas  Spaulding. 


Royalton. 

David  Ames, 
Matthew   Atherton, 
Lyman  Bache, 
Stephen  Backus, 
John   Billings, 
Richard  Bloss, 
Lieut.  Benj.  Bosworth, 
Samuel  Cleveland, 
Squier  Cleveland, 
Benjamin  Cole, 
Darius  Dewey, 
Ebenezer  Dewey, 
John  Hutchinson, 
Daniel   Lovejoy, 
Samuel  Metcalf, 
Benjamin  Parkhurst, 
Willard  Pierce, 
Isaac    Pinney, 
Daniel   Rix, 
Jeremiah  Rust, 
Isaac  Skinner, 
Elias  Stevens, 
Samuel  Stewart, 
Daniel    Sumner, 
Zachariah  Waldrow, 
Abraham  Waterman, 
Sergt.  Wm.  Waterman, 
Silas  Williams. 

Rupert. 

John  Blanchard, 
Isaac   Clapp, 
Levi  Doane, 
Enoch  Eastman, 
Israel  Hayes, 
John   Parker, 
Moses  Sheldon, 
Enoch  Sherman, 
Ashbel   Sykes, 
Harry    Sykes, 
Joel  Taylor, 
Daniel    Warner. 

Rutland. 

Sgt.  Tim'y  Boardman, 
Agel  Cone, 
Thaddeus  Dunklee, 
Moses  Head, 
John  Johnson, 


Nathan  M.Loundsberry, 
Nathan    Osgood, 
Sergt.   Simeon  Post, 
Maj.  Israel  Smith, 
Roswell  Staples, 
Artemas  Tatt, 
Daniel   Williams. 

Ryegate. 

Wells  Goodwin, 
Samuel  Johnson, 
Sylvanus  Learned, 
Allen   Stewart. 

Salisbury. 

Stephen  Rice. 

Sandgate. 

Abel  Buck, 
Asa   Cogswell, 
John  Cogswell, 
Adam   Hurd, 
John  Wyman. 

Shaftsoury. 

Hezekiah  Carey, 

Aaron  Denio, 

Capt.  Cyprian  Downer, 

John  Fuller, 

Giles  Olin, 

John  Olin, 

James    Sweet, 

Abiathar  Waldo, 

Prosper  Wheeler. 

Sharon. 

Joel   Barrett, 
James  Carpenter, 
Ebenezer  Currier, 
Seth    Hart, 
Nathan  Hitchcock, 
Asahel  Holt, 
Benjamin  Metcalf, 
Oliver  Sexton. 
Reuben  Spaulding, 
Nicholas  C.  Wells. 


200 


THE  VERMONT  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY. 


Shelburne. 

Phineas  Hill, 
Samuel  Mills. 

Sheldon. 

Ebenezer  Chamberlain, 
Capt.  Barth.  Durkee, 
Elim    Gilbert, 
Uriah  Higgins, 
Ruel   Keith, 
Joseph  Lamb, 
Josiah   Peckham, 
Ebonezer  Stebbins. 

Sherbtirne. 

Joseph  Adams, 
Sergt.  Amasa  Fuller. 

Shoreham. 

Eliakim   Culver, 
Joel  Doolittle, 
Elisha  Kellogg, 
Stephen  King, 
Jonas  Newton, 
Lieut.  John  Smith, 
Samuel   Sunderland, 
William  Watson, 
Jonathan  Wilson. 

Shrewsbury. 

Jeffrey  A.  Barney, 
Abram  Eaton. 

Somerset. 

Elijah   Morse. 

South  Hero. 
Ephraim  Holland. 

Springfield. 

Col.  John  Barrett, 
Josiah  Belknap, 
Capt.  Abner  Bisbee, 
John   Bisbee, 
William  Bragg, 
Elisha  Brown, 
Nathaniel  Burgess, 


Moses  Chase, 
Samuel  Damon, 
Stephen  Dyer, 
Samuel  Dyke, 
Joseph    Ellis, 
Oliver    Fairbanks, 
William  Griffith, 
Daniel    Griswold, 
John  Griswold, 
Levi  Harlow, 
Joseph  Hulett, 
Ephraim  Lewis, 
Jonathan  Luke, 
Lieut.  Isaac  Parker, 
Silas   Parker, 
Jonas  Pierce, 
Sergt.  Asahel  Powers, 
Jacob    Sartwell, 
Oliver  Sartwell, 
Samuel  Shattuck, 
Simeon  Spencer, 
Taylor  Spencer, 
Simon  Stevens, 
Moses   Stickney, 
David   Stinson, 
Isaac  Tower, 
Jed    Ward, 
Lemuel  Whitney. 

St.  Albans. 

Azariah  Brooks, 
Eleazer   Brooks, 
John  Delaway, 
Jehiel  Holdridge, 
John  Mitchell, 
David  Powers, 
Qm.   Silas  Robinson, 
Jeremiah  Virginia, 
Solomon  Walbridge. 

Stamford. 

Ira  Hill, 

Elisha  Raymond. 

Starksboro. 

Abraham   Hall, 
Hebard   Morrill, 
Elisha  Norton, 
Ezekiel  Pease. 


St.  George. 

Joseph  Doane. 

St.  Johnsbury. 

Samuel  Clark, 
Jed'ediah    Coe, 
Comfort  Healey, 
Oliver  Phelps, 
Reuben  Spaulding, 
Isaac  Stowell. 

Stockbridge. 

Stukely  Angell, 
John    Durkee, 
Sergt.  Elias  Keyes., 
Jonathan  Norris, 
Walter    Pollard, 
Daniel  Ranney. 

Stowe. 

Adam   Alden. 
Joseph  Bennett, 
Joseph    Churchill, 
Aaron    Clough, 
Nehemiah  Doane, 
Daniel  Fuller, 
Asa  Kimball, 
Abraham  Moses, 
William   Pettengill, 
Lieut.  Martin  Pitkin, 
Asa  Poland, 
Noah  Robinson, 
Paul  Sanborn, 
Lieut.  David   Thomas, 
Moses  Thompson, 
Elisha  Town, 
James   Town. 

Strafford. 

Jethro  Batchelder, 
Nathan   Cobb, 
Edward  Filch, 
Nathaniel   Morrill, 
Aaron   Pennock, 
Benjamin  Preston, 
John    Reynolds. 

Stratton. 

Jonathan  M.  Bissell, 
Amos   Parsons. 


APPENDIX. 


201 


Sudbury. 

Jesse  Tenney. 

Sunderland. 

Capt.  Lemuel  Bradley, 
John    Rowen. 

Swanton. 

Peter   Barsha, 
John  Pratt. 

Thetford. 

Bethuel  Bryant, 
Asa   Corser, 
Reuben  Dickinson, 
Jeremiah  Dodge, 
Azriah  Faxon, 
James  Lock, 
Beriah  Loomis, 
Bethuel  Newcomb, 
Leonard  Robinson. 

Tinmouth. 

Isaac  Libby, 
Edmund  Luens, 
Col.  Isaac  Putnam, 
Thomas  Rogers, 
David    Spafford, 
Orange  Train. 

Townshend. 

George  Austin, 
Eleazer  Cobleigh, 
Bagalee  Frost, 
Sergt.  Amos  Gray, 
Capt.  John  Livingston, 
Thomas  Lowe, 
Jonathan    Shattuck. 

Troy. 

Cyrus  Allen. 

Tunbridge. 

Benjamin  Adams, 
William  Ballou, 
Jonathan  Foster, 
13 


Daniel   Hackett, 
Enoch  Hoyt, 
Joseph  Hoyt, 
Ichabod  King, 
Nathan  Noyes, 
John    Selly, 
William  White, 
William  Wright. 

Underhill. 

Samuel   Calhoun, 
Asa    Rider, 
Josiah    Sheldon. 

Vergennes. 

Noah  James, 
David  Tyler. 

Vernon. 

Jabez  Clark, 
Benjamin  Lee, 
Jesse   Lee, 
Elijah  Stebbins. 

Vershire. 

Moses  Bartholomew, 
Samuel   Comstock, 
Enos  Flanders, 
Lemuel   Southwick. 

Waitsfield. 

Samuel  Barnard, 
Abijah   Brown, 
Moses  Chase, 
Caleb  Colton, 
Thomas  Green, 
Joseph  Hamilton, 
Ezekiel  Hawley, 
Lieut.  John  Heaton, 
Jesse   Mix, 
William  Newcomb, 
Joseph  Osgood, 
Jonathan    Palmer, 
Bissell    Phelps, 
Samuel  Pike, 
Lemuel   Richardson, 
Phineas  Rider, 
Salma  Rider, 


Amasa  Skinner, 
Jared  Skinner, 
Salah  Smith, 
Daniel  Taylor, 
Elias  Taylor, 
Ezra    Wait, 
Jeduthun  Wait, 
William  Wait. 

Walden. 

Nathan  Barker, 
Elisha  Cate, 
Benjamin  Dow, 
Nathaniel  Dow, 
Nathaniel  Perkins, 
Timothy  Shurtleff. 

WaUingford. 

Asa   Anderson, 
Philbrook  Barrows, 
Eli  Calkin, 

Sgt.  Nathan  Dennison; 
Cyrenius  Dewey, 
Jerathunel  Doty, 
Andrew  Hewitt, 
Nathaniel  Keyes, 
Philip   White. 

Waltham. 
John  Preston. 

Wardsboro. 

Elisha  Allen, 
Pearley  Fairbanks, 
Sergt.  Silas  Gates, 
Daniel  Harris, 
Sergt.  Rufus  Harvey, 
Abner  Lewis, 
Ebenezer  Pierce, 
Aaron  Rawson, 
Thomas  Simpson, 

Warren. 
William  Chase. 

Water  ford. 

John  Chaplin, 
Samuel   Hill, 
Moses  Huntley, 


202 


THE  VERMONT  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY. 


John    Melendy, 
Thaddeus  Potter. 

Waterville. 

Daniel  Morse. 

Weathersfield. 

Jewett  Boynton, 
Col.  John  Boynton, 
Isaac  Brown, 
Oliver   Chamberlin, 
John  Chase, 
Asa  Grout, 
John   Haskill, 
Samuel  Holmes, 
Abner  Jackman, 
Caleb  Litchfield, 
John  Mallord, 
William  Nichols, 
Moses    Peabody, 
Thomas  Prentiss, 
Stephen   Reed, 
Col.  Elijah  Robinson, 
Clark   Toles, 
Benjamin  Worcester. 

Wells. 

Ebenezer   Butts, 
Andrew   Clerk, 
Roswell   Clark, 
Stephen  Clark, 
John   Davis, 
Jonathan  Francis, 
Nathan  Francis, 
Rufus   Glass, 
Daniel  Goodsell, 
Samuel  Goss, 
Joshua  Howe, 
Samuel  S.  Merriam, 
Hallowell  Merrills, 
James  Paul, 
Gould   Stiles, 
Jason   Tyler. 

West  Fairlee. 

Cephas   Child, 
Samuel  Morison, 
William  Morris, 
Maj.  John  Simpson. 


Westfield. 

Medad  Hitchcock, 
Benjamin   Stebbins, 
Bethuel  Stebbins, 

Westford. 

Thomas  Atwood, 
Sylvester  Crandal, 
Isaac    Gale, 
Jesse  Ide, 
David  Sawyer. 

West  Haven. 

Sergt.  Isaac  Cutler, 
Augustus  Pease. 

Westminster. 

Hezekiah   Abby, 
Samuel    Adams, 
Silas    Burk, 
Simeon   Burk, 
Barnabas  Clark, 
Scatto   Clark, 
Joshua  Cone, 
Samuel   Cone, 
Josiah  Eaton, 
Maverick  Eaton, 
Elisha   Johnson, 
Reuben  Lippenwill, 
Jabez  Paine, 
John  Priest, 
Elijah  Eanney, 
Thomas  Ranney, 
William  Ranney, 
Amaziah  Richmond. 

Weston. 

Jeremiah  Blanchard, 
Henry  Hall, 
Nicholas  Lawrence, 
William  Lee, 
Gideon  Pease, 
Thomas  Piper, 
Samuel  Proctor, 
Ezra  Ritter. 

West  Windsor. 

Abel  Adams, 
Isaac  Adams, 
Lieut.  Sam'l  Myrick, 


Jerome    Sawin, 
Joseph  Wakefield, 
Asa  Worcester. 

i 
Weyoridge. 

Samuel  Clark, 
Thomas  Dickinson, 
Benjamin  Hagar, 
John  Halsey, 
Pliny  Stannard. 

Wheelock. 

Abner  Hoyt, 
Edward    Magoon, 
Nehemiah   Phillips. 

Whiting. 

Gershom  Justin, 

Whitingham. 

Nathan  Green, 
David  Jillson, 
Samuel    Parker, 
Stephen   Putnam. 

Williamstown. 

Samuel  Adams, 
Asa   Hatch, 
Elijah  Whitney. 

Williston. 

Joseph    Blish, 
Ebenezer  Bradley, 
Martin  Chittenden, 
Zachariah  Hart, 
Lenard  Hodges, 
Daniel  Isham, 
Stephen  Randall, 
Parce  Stearns. 

Wilmington. 

Calvin  Bill, 
Henry  Chandler, 
Barnabas  Cushman, 
Ezra  Mudge, 
Calvin  P.  Perry, 
Daniel  Rice, 
Col.  Wm.  Williams,  t 


APPENDIX. 


203 


Windham. 

Edward  Aiken, 
Nathaniel  Aiken, 
Peter  Aiken, 
William  Ellis, 
John  Gould, 
David  Howard, 
Samuel  Howard, 
Neil  Noyes, 
Benjamin  Pierce, 
James   Smith, 
James  White, 
Abiel   Whitman. 

Windsor. 

Israel  Aiken, 
John  Blood, 
Briant  Brown, 
Solomon  Burk, 
Nathaniel   Cobb, 
Nathan   Coolidge, 
Sergt.  Thomas  Cray, 
Oliver  Diggins, 
Abel    Fling, 
William   Gilkey, 
Isaac  Green, 
Jonathan   Hall, 

Houghton, 

William  Hunter, 
Stephen  Jacob, 
Reuben  McAlister, 
David    Morison, 
Oliver    Osgood, 
Simeon  Pomeroy, 
Rufus    Root, 
Andrew  Spalding, 
Alden  Spooner, 
Dr.  Thomas  Stearns, 
Henry    Stevens, 
Samuel  Stickney, 
Nahum  Trask, 
Joseph  Willis. 


Winhall. 
Daniel  Benson. 

Wolcott. 
Jabez   Newland. 

Woodford. 

Elkanah    Danforth, 
Ebenezer  Temple. 

Woodstock. 

Jabez  Bennett, 
William  Bennett, 
Sergt.  Jacob  Bevins, 
Moses  Bradley, 
Ephraim  Brewster, 
Lieut.    Col.    Ebenezer 

Bridge, 
Joel  Burbank, 
John  M.  Call, 
Barnabas  Caswell, 
Binney  Cobb, 
Sergt.  William  Cone, 
Nathan   Cook, 
Timothy  Cox, 
Noah  Crocker, 
Standish  Day, 
Asahel  Doubleday, 
Josiah  Dunham, 
Simeon  Dunham, 
Samuel  Dutton, 
Sergt.  Ephraim  Eddy, 
James  Emerson, 
Jonathan  Farnsworth, 
Arunah  Fullerton, 
Benjamin  Green, 
Zebedee  Hackett, 
Edmund  Harvey, 


James  Howland, 
Abraham  Kendall, 
Isaac  Kendall, 
Jacob  Kendall, 
Timothy  Knox, 
William  Labaree, 
George  Lake, 
Jonathan  Lake, 
Elisha  Lord, 
Frederick  Mather, 
William  McCloy, 
Joshua  Nye, 
Gershom  Palmer, 
Oliver  Palmer, 
Capt.  Wm.  Perkins, 
William   Perry, 
Phineas  Powers, 
Stephen  Powers, 
William  Powers, 
John  Ransom, 
Lt.  Richard  Ransom, 
William  Raymond, 
Jason  Richardson, 
Lysander  Richardson, 
Henry  Roby, 
Elijah    Royce, 
Joseph  Safford, 
Philemon  Samson, 
George  Sampson, 
Sylvanus  Shaw, 
Samuel  Slayton, 
Stephen  Smith, 
Abram  Snow, 
Gardner  Spooner, 
Andrew   Thomas, 
Seth  Washman, 
Benuel  Williams, 
Jesse   Williams, 
Phineas  Williams, 
Roger  Williams, 
Eleazer  Wood, 
Joseph   Wood. 


INDEX. 


Active  Members,  1906-7 10-16 

Address,  Hon.  Wendell  Phillips  Stafford   49-85 

Annual    Meeting,    1905    25 

Annual  Meeting,  1906    29 

Adjourned   Meeting,   Nov.,   1906    29 

An  act  to  provide  for  cataloguing  the  Library  of  the  Vermont 
Historical  Society    5 

B. 

Ballard,  Hon.  Henry,  sketch  of 34 

Benedict,  G.  G.,  President's  Address   43 

Benedict,  George  Grenville,  sketch  of 159 

Burnap,  Wilder  Luke,  sketch  of  37 

By-Laws  19-24 

C. 

Constitution    18-19 

Corresponding  Members  16 

D. 
Dewey,  Charles,  sketch  of 38 

•    E. 

Election  of  Officers,  1905   27 

Election  of  Officers,  1906  33 

H. 
Honorary  Members 17 

J. 

Joint  Resolution  of  General  Assembly   4 

K. 
Kelton,  Dwight  H.,  sketch  of 39 


N. 
New  Members,  1906 187 

0. 

Officers,  1905-6    27 

Officers,   1906-7    9-10,   188 

P. 

Perkins,  George  Henry,  Ph.  D.,  paper  by 87 

Prehistoric  Vermont,  paper  on  87 

R. 

Report  of  Managers,  1905   26 

Report  of  Managers,   1906    178 

Reports   of   Treasurer    24,   184 

Revolutionary  Soldiers  Buried  in  Vermont 189 

Ropes,  Arthur,  sketch  of 41 

S. 

Standing  Committees    28,32 

Stevens,  Thaddeus,  address  on   ,49 

W. 

Whltelaw,  Gen'l  James,  Life  of 103 

Whitelaw,  Gen'l  James,  Journal  of 119 


3014