Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1858-02-12
glistortral.
From the Vcrgenncs Citizen.
LOCAL HISTORY.


land under New York, lying on the Lake
north from Chimney Point; he says he found
five families on his land, (three Of them must
have been Strong. Kellogg and Valance
they the settlers claimed the land under
New Hampshire, but agreed TO take leases Of
him. About this time Col. John Reid com
menced a settlement at Otter Creek Falls,
(now Ncrgennes, the principal settler was
Capt. Gray. Reid built grist-mill, and sew
eral settlers came on under him. These we're
claiming under New York.
1772.--The settlers in Panton and Addi
son turned out and drove off the Workers,
and Joshua Hide and another went into oc-
cupation as New Hampshire men.
l773.-In June Col. Reid learning the fate
Of his settlement, camo on with a number Of
settlers bought out the two New Hampshire
men, that is their crops, and established his
settlers again upon the land III remained
there until the fore part Of August. In the
mean time word had been sent TO Ethan Al
len. and on the 9th of August he with Capts.
Warner and Baker. with about 100 men came
up to make an end of the settlement; they
hoped TO have caught Reid, but he had left
for Crown Point. the day before. Thirteen
Of the Addison, and a number of the Panton
boys joined Allen the morning Of his coming
TO the settlement. Among these from Addi-
son was two Evcrst's Iadock and Benjamin
Valance Pangborn and Strong. Benjamin
Everst here Joined Allen, and returned with
him, and afterwards became noted as a scout
and for some hair breadth escapes from the
Indians and British After tearing down the
MILL burning the dwellings, and crops, the
Addison boys returned to their homes. hav-
ing each placed piece Of the bolt cloth in
their hats as cockadcs Just after passing
the house of. Everst, they mot Capt. Woos-
ter and a Sheriff. They soon found that he
had left copies Of wrts of cjcctment and had
several more 20 serve. Their indignation rose
TO the highest pitch that lust as they were
returning from driving off the Workers, for
their neighhors. their own hoass should be
invaded. They finally took the old man and
his officer, tied them TO a tree, and threatened
30 give them the beach seal" After blus-
tering good deal, Wooster saw they were
in earnest, and that his threats of law did not
ntimidate them. he gave in on condition that
he was to send the sheriff and take up the
copies he had left and leave never to disturb
them again. They returned to Everst's house,
whore keeping Wooster in custody until the
sheriff returned with the writs. and after
stiff mug of flip all round they parted
Wooster was afterwards a Major General in
the Revolutionary Army. and was mortally
wounded at Ridgefeld, in opposing detach-
ment of British troops April 27th, and died
May I'd. l777.)
Probably no settlers in Vermont held their
lands by so precarious title as the settlers
in that part Of Addison within the original
bounds Of Panton In tho first place. Lydi-
us was prosecuting in Washington Co., n.
y, under the Dellus title then there was
the French title on which there had been a
favorable report by the govcfumeit at home:
then there was Wooster's titla. which by suit
he was trying to enforce; and the claim of
the proprietors of Addison cmanating in the
same source as their own, and evidently bet
ter than theirs, as by the surrender Of the
first charter of Panton, Addison was the old
est title About this time the proprietors of
Addison and Panton held a meeting to adjust
their difficulties, to which the settlers were
invited. The settlers submitted a PROPOSE
tion that as by the bend in the lake the pro-
prietors of Addison had gained 5000 acres
more than a six mile township, and so much
more than they had paid for, and that they.
the settlers, had honestly bought and paid
for their land. They were willing if Add-
son would give them free grant ofthat 5000
acres they would withdraw all opposition
This Adson agreed to do, and settled their
dispute at the same time with Panton, which
accounts for the present small size Of Panton
as township. Having satisfactorily settled
this matter, they bid defiance to all comers,
yet notwithstanding, if the war Of the revo-
luton had not broken out when it did. in
evitable ruin would have come upon them
Probably no country ever produced more
hardy, industrious, resolute and fearless race
of men, than those that occupied Western
Vermont at the opening of the Revolution
/ should have stated that when the proprie-
tors of Addison commenced to allot their
township they first laid out on Chimney Point
a town plot of an acre to each proprietors
right, with grounds for public building, COM
mon, &c, with streets at right angles, and a
broad avenue 10 0rods wide leading north thro'
the town. They expected from its vicinity to
the fort that it would be the place of busi-
ness for all the surrounding county.
The legislature of New York having set off
the northern part of Albany County as a new
county by the name of Charlotte County, pc
titions were got up to procure the location of
the county buildings. ! snbion a list Of
few of the leading men in this part Of the
county that signed those petitions, to show
that they evidently felt that sooner or later
they would come under the jurisdiction of n.
York, and at that time the most that they ex-
pected was to secure ho3tifle to the lands
they had paid for.
A petition for the County Buildings at Skeenes-
boro.
Samuel Buck, Joseph Gillet, John Chip
man, Ebenozer Hyde, Ebenezer Allen, Abner
Howe, David Jackson, Frances Ellsworth,
Roswell Hopkins, Zamaliol Painter, Gid Coo
ly, Benjamin Cody, Deliverance Squier, John
White, Jeremiah French, Gideon Sairl, Sam
uel Adams, John North, Benjamin Kellogg
John Strong, John Pangborn, David Val
lance, Jacob Ferris, David Holcomb, Abra-
ham Holcomb, Elijah Grandey, Thos. Spaul-
ding.
These are only few out of the great num-
Der that signed the petition, and still they
were the first to resist the oncroachments of
New York on the titles of their land.
"a. A member Of Congress once sent a
newspaper to an old North Carolinian, whose
name had been furnished him. and, of course,
had never thought Of the thing again. Some
years afterward he happened to be in North
Carolina, and an old man accosted him, say
ing, Hello Mister, got that paper you sent
me, and | cut out all the advertisements and