Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1863-03-05

bands or brothers were obliged to leave home
to garrison a fort, repel an attack, defend the
frontier, or on business, they could take proper
care of the stock and of the field crops, or
could bar the doors and windows, and fearless
ly and skillfully handle the musket against
lrowling beasts or murderous Indians
The year l777 is memorable in the history
of Vermont, as the year wherein 1t declared
itself free and independent, its first Consti'u-
ton was formed, the first and last battle was
fought within its limits, with disastrous results,
and another and greater was tot upon It's Dor
ders with results whereat the American eye
gistens with satisfaction. To this County the
year is memorable, not only for the battle, bat
because, for weeks the Briton ana the German
posted at Castleton held insolent sway over
all its borders, domineering so ruthlessly over
the peaceful, that most of the spirited ana
patriotic fed, thereby enduering much pecunI-
ary loss and much personal suffering, prlva-
tion and hardship for themselves anu families
Pawlet claims to be the first settled town IN
the County-pity none of her citizens have life
enough to give US her history.
Dandy and Clarendon were settled before
1868 Rutland, Castleton, Pittsford, Tin
mouth, Wallingford and Wells, as early as
ITO, or earlier, were busy building log huts
and planning about mills Brandon and Hub
bardton contained each few families as early
as IVA or l775.
Pittsford, as early as February l5, III,
depores the loss of her s'former records by
fire" and on the third of September, l77l,
votes to ''give Samuel Crippen fifty acres of
hand, upon his getting good mill to grind by
the first of December them next"
Col. John Henry Lydius, of Albany-son of
an English missionary TO the Mohawks-hav-
ing, on the first of February, 1882, obtained
formal deed from the Great Sachems of that
tribe, of tract Of land extending up Otter
Creek, sixty miles in length, and twenty-four
miles in breadth, and having his title confirm
ed August 81, 1744, by Gov. Shirley of Mass
achuselts, acting under special authority from
George H., about l76l begins to grant deeds
of the premises to citizens of New York, Con-
nee ticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island.
New Hampshire and New York claiming the
sal me territory, their respective Cover nors issue
ch arters and patents thereof with rivalry
tn at gave to the latter large financial profits,
an to the settlers strife and collision, loss of
pr oper.y and personal distress. The New
Ii ampshire charters cost only about 800, and
w ere generally purchased and located first =
the New York charters cost about S23OO,
with Is Cd sterling, annual rent for each 100
Sheriff. with posse c0DitdtatS the first ttlers,
therefore, must either buy off at rulnous rates,
or resist. They generally chose the latter -
Clarendon, chartered by New York, under the
name of Durham, was mainly settled, at first,
by Rhode Islanders, under deeds from Lydius,
but they soon bought also confirmation deeds
from the Workers. Charles Button, of Claren-
don, writes JamesfDuane, in the Fall of l773,
that thirty-five families claimed under New
York and so violent had the Workers be-
come, that during that same Fall, Ethan Allen,
Seth Warner, Remember Baker and Robert
-Cockrane, with about one hundred armed men,
visit the town for the second time in force, and
administer summary justice TO Benjamin Spen-
Ger and others the Durhamites fled and New
Hampshire grant order reigned in Clarendon.
I he New Hampshire Grant Town, Rutland,
nearly corresponding with the New York town
of Scarborough, and the Lydus town of Fair
field, was as decided in its adhesion to the
Green Mountain Boys, as Clarendon was to the
Yol kers. Three of its citizens, viz, John
Sm ith, ,Syl vanus Brown and Peeg Sunderland,
were honored by the New York Legislature,
with special anathemas, with outlawry, and
ESQ each offered for their heads.-The first
AngItD-Saxon whose ''manifest destiny" it
was to be born in Clarendon, was Durham
Sprague, born June 8, 1769 in Rutland,
William Powers, born Sept, %, ITO in
Pittsfold, Alfred Buck, born March %. I'LL ;
in Cast.leton, Israel Buell. born in l77I, and in
Hubbard dton, Elizabeth Hickok, born Aug. L,
1774.
In the Fall of l773, Rev. Benaiah Roots
writes there are thirtv-fve families in Rutland.
In June, VIA, two Rhode Islanders, John
Anthony and jonathan Otis, visiting Rutland,
report fifty or seventy families in the town, and
two churches, with pastors-one Congregation
al and one Baptist
By the Constitution of 1777, each town with
over 'seighty taxable inhabitants" was entitled
to send two representatives to the Legisla-
ture, and in 1878 Rutland sends two repre-
sentatlves whence we infer that the popula-
ton was then at lea st 500.
The State Committee petltioning Congress
in January, l777, for recognition and admis-
sion, say the State can muster more than 5000
hardy soldiers to defend American liberty -
whence we infer the population of the State
then to have been about 10000, or one-thrd
Of it's number in 1890.
In 1890, Rutland County had over $4,000 in
habitants may we not infer that in l777
| she had a third or quarter of that number2
In the Convention at Dorset, September,
| l776, this County was represented as follows,
Roger Rose, Wells by Zaccheus Mallery and
| Og en- Mallery, Poultney by Messrs. Nehemiah
How aud VIM Ward, Castleton by Capt. Jos.
Woodward, Neshobe by Capt. Timothy Bar
ker and Mr.. Thomas Tuttle, Rutland by Capt.
Joseph Bowker and Col. James Mead, Wal
lingford by Mr.. Abraham Ives, Tinmouth by
| Capt. Eben Allen and Mai Thomas Rice, and
Dandy by Capt. Micah Vail and Mr.. William
Gage
j In the Convention at Westminster, January,
| 1777, where the State was declared indepen-
| dent, this County was represented as follows,
viz Castleton by Capt. John Hall, Rutland
| by Capt. Joseph Bowker and Capt. Heman
| Allen.
( IN the Legislature, October, ,l778, this Coun-
'ty was represented as follows, viz: Pollet by
Mr.. Gideon Adams, Dandy by Thomas Row
lev. ESQ.,. Wells by Mr.. Ithamer Hilbert
lPoultney by VIM. Ward, Esq, Clarendon by
lLieut. Abner Lewis, Wallingford by yMr.A bra
Lam jackson, Rutland by Capt. ZebulonMead
and Lieut.. Roswell Post, Castleton by Jesse
Belknap, Esq, Pittsford by Jonathan Fassett
| Esa., and Neshobe by Capt. Josiah Powers.
The Burgoyne map exhibits Fort in Pitts
| for0 West Of Otter Greek, due East of the
battle-ground.
StGlair mentions passing s'picketed Fort
in Ruland.
As o the towns lying East of those ON Otte
Creek we know of no attempt to settle any o
them, except Sherburne, chartered by the nam
| of KiHngton Benjamin Ellery, merchan
of Nesvport, r. l., procured the charter il
l761, aud some of his fellow townsmen, in
cluding Ezra Stiles, afterwards President O
Yale College, purchased large proportion Q
the &c psivate shares, at ST SO per share. Il
June, TIA. Messrs. Anthony and Otis ar