The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1865-02-17
From the Vermont Record.
Jonathan ArnOld.
THE FOUNDER OF ST. JOHNsBURY.

To commemorate the founders of states
and nations has always been favorite
,, employment of poets and historians MOI
is the pen unworthily employed which
l does justice to the memory of those, who,
within a narrower range of action, have
laid the foundations of the towns whose
aggregate composes the state; and more
especially if they We're men with some IT,
tie TO notice aside from and above the
mere tact of their laying such foundations.
Such were the pioneers in several of ouI
Vermont towns; as Barton, for example,
which has its origin and name from Gen.
William Barton, famous in revolutionary
history for having "gobbled up" the
British Gen. Prescott, after much the
same fashion in which certain rebels in
our day "gobbed up" one of our Yer
mont generals; and as Danny, where
Thomas Rowley, the earliest of Green
Mountain poets, was one of the early set
tiers. The founder of ST Johnsbury, al
50. had other claims to consideration, be-
sides his being the father Of the town.
His pedigree was considerably longer
than Americans generally are able to
show, it being traceable back for six gen
erations to an English ancestor. He was
the second son of Josiah, (of Richard, OF
Richard, Of Thomas, of Thomas,) and
Amy Phillips) Arnold, was born in Prov
idence, r. l., 3 Dec, l74l, O. S. The
first incident in his life of which there is
any record was his marriage, 10 June,
1863, to Molly Burn, by whom he had
four sons and three daughters. (These
were Amy, b. March, l764, d. % Oct,
l165; Amaziah, b. 5 Feb, 1866, d. 8
Nov, 1867 Josias Lyndon, b. II ApriI,
l16S, d. July, 1886; William c., b.
"A March, l770, d. 8 March, 1918; Pol
ly, b. , Sept, l772, d. 5 Oct, IT'S
Sally, b. 3 March, III; Abby, b. II
March, l7S0.) In l777G he was mem
Der Of the legislature of Rhode Island,
and as such was the author of a bill
which was enacted into law, declaring
that colony independent of the British
crown. That act was as follows:
IAN act repeating an act entitled, AN
act for the more etfectually securing to his
majesty the allegiance of his subjects, in
this his colony and dominion of Rhode
Island and the Providence Plantations,
and altering the forms of commissions, OF
all writs and processes in the courts. and
of the oaths prescribed by law. where
as IN all states, existing by compact, pro.
lection and allegiance are reciprocal, tn,
: latter being only due in consequence of the
former: and whereas George the Third,
King of Great Britain, forgetting his dig
nifty, regardless of the compact most sol
emnly entered into, ratified and consigned
to the inhabitants of this colony by hit
lllustriouS ancestors. and till of late. fully
recognized by him-and entirely depart
ing from the duties and character of z:
good King. instead Of protecting, is en-
deavoring to destroy the good people O
this colony, and OF all the united colonies
by sending fleets and armies to America
to contlscate our property, and spread fire
sword and desolation throughout our coun
try, in order to compel Us to submit to thu
most debasing and detestable tyranny
whereby we are obliged by necessity, ant
it becomes our highest duty, to use every
means with which God and nature hav,
furnished. in support Of our invaluable
rights and privileges, to oppose that pow
er which is excrted only for our destruc
ton.
BE it therefore enacted bv this genera
assembly, and by the authority thereof i
Is enacted, that an act, entitled, 'An ac
for the more etfectual securing of his maj
esty the allegiance of his subjects, in thi
q his colony and dominion of Rhode Islam,
and Providence Plantation be, and tn
same is hereby repealed.
And be it further enacted by this gcner
q al assembly, and 10y the authority therec
it is enacted, that in all commissions fo
I officers, and in all writs and processes il
law, whether original, judicial OF exccu
q tory, civil or criminal, whenever the nam
and authority of the said King is mad
n use OF, the name shall be omitted, and i
: room thereof, the name and authority @
the governor and company of this colon
n shall be substituted, in the followin
words, to wit: The governor and com
pany of the English colony Of Rhode Is
: land and Providence Plantations Thu
, in all such commissions, writs and process
es,-shall be otherwise of the same torl
> and tenure as they heretofore were,-tha
the courts of law be no longer entitled
as they We're, the Kings court and thu
o no instrument in writing, of any natur
= or kind, whether public or private, sha
as the date thereof mention the year ,
the said Kings reign: provided, neverth,
less. that nothing in this act contained
A shall render void or vitiate any commi:
a sion, writ or process or instrument hereto
ID fore made or executed, on account of tt
r name and authority of the said King b
" ING therein inserted.''
IN The original draft of this remarkab
m document is still extant in the handwriti,
lie OF Jonathan Arnold Had he never az
is complished anything more than the al
" thorship OF that law, it would have er
re titled him to honorable mention on IL
a pages of history. 1t became law
is May, 1776, two months before the decla
a alton of independence by the continent:
10 congress and by its operation the ltt
+ cOlony of 6 Rhode Island and pro,.;I,