Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1867-10-04
To the PrOprietOrS of Lands. Land
holders and the Legal Profess
sion in the State.
RUTLAND COUNTY CLERKS OFFICE, !
Senfemher % lS6-

holders anu the Legal PrO1eS-
sion in the State
RUTLAND COUNTY CLERKS OFFICE,
September, %, 1867.
1t is known only to few of the proprie-
tors of lands and land holders in this State,
that the records of lands OF large portion
of the towns, Us well on the east side of the
mountain as on the west, from the earliest
settlement of the State to the Declaration of
Independence of the State in l7777, and even
since that time, are recorded in this office.
The reason for this, without going into
the history of the organization of the State
and in few words, is this -
The territory on the west side of the
mountain, which in 1872 constituted the
county of Charlotte, was in 1919 erected in
to one county, by the name of the county of
Bennington, except small portion of which
for a time styled the county of Albany
and extended on the west line of the State
to Canada line. thence on that line so far on
the east side of the mountain as 10 comprise
most of the towns on that side then settled
The remaining territory on the east side of
the mountain was embraced in Cumberland
County Many deeds also in the towns now
comprised IN the counties of Windsor and
Windham are here recorded. Thus deeds
from almost all parts of the State, from
I7Gl. the date of the earliest, continued TO
bc recorded in this office, until the constitu-
ton in LII and the Legislature. by Act of
I779, made provision requiring conveyances
Of lands to be recorded in the Office of the
Clerk Of the town in which tie land lies.
When these records came into the hands
OF the present incumbent of this Office, they
were in no proper condition for reference :;
the first volume was merely stitched togeth-
er. unbound, with a newspaper cover, and
without any index, and the index OF all the
volumes was very imperfect and not such rs
/ arc now required by law in all Town Clerk 6
/ offices were not arranged alphabetically IN
/ she names of grantor and grautee, but under
the towns. the names Of many of which had
/ been long since changed or become obsolete.
| 1t was absolutely necessary, in order TO refer
10 them with any hope of success, that they
should Ice thoroughly examined page by page.
and make such an index as would enable one
/ TO find not only the grantor of deed. but
| the grantee.
1t Is also known TO but a few of the legal
profession of the State. that the dockets,
records and files of the Supreme Court are
deposited in this Office when such court was
! held alternately on the east and west side of
/ the mountain in almost every important
town III the State. previous TO the established
organization of the Supreme Court in each
county, separately and independent of each
other.
| The dockets came into my hands from ev-
erv county in the State, in every form and
size with paper covers and without indexes.
I The files being promiscuously tied together
/ in bundles. without any form or arrange
msnt, whatever, it was almost impossible to
| find any paper inquired for, however import
4 ant. Ii was only through an index partially
made that two gentlemen from Canada were
enabled 10 find two documents of which they
were in search
/ So valuable were these papers that most of
| the compilation of Mr.. Slade in his State
papers was taken from them, and so loosely
were they held that some of them taken for
public purposes have never been returned
When the attention of Chief Justice Viii
! liams was called to the subject, such was the
I interest he took in this matter. that he i'm
medately procured an order signed by all
! the .Iud yes of the Supreme County Courts
directing the clerk Of this county to make a
general index of all the deeds recorded in
! volumes which has been done.
! Second-The dockets of the supreme and
| County Courts to be arranged and bound
which has been done in volumes.
/ Thirdlv-The files of the Supreme Court
/ to be collected arranged, numbered and
bound, which has been done in ten volumes
and general index of the whole has been
made
| Fourthly-The index of the causes on the
dockets of the Supreme Court has not vet
been completed, although much has been
done and some time vet will be required to
accomplish it.
| All this has beeu done at great labor, and
deyOting such time, for several years. as
could he obtained from the ordinary and dali
| lv duties of the office and some of it has
been procured by the clerk TO be done at his
own expense, finding no more time TO devote
to it.
/ 1t is proposed by those interested in the
early settlement of the State and especially
/ by the land holders, that the index of deeds
/ before mentioned, if the Legislature shall so
direct. be published in a pamphlet form, IN
a cheap manner, and be distributed to every
town clerk in the State, affording thereby an
easy and inexpensive method of ascertaining
! if such deeds as they require are here re-
corded
i Agreeably to such suggestion, notice is
! therefore given, that proprietors of lands,
&c. through out the State, who have hereto
/ fore made unsuccessful inquiries may be in
] formed that any information relative to an
cient deeds and causes, in any county in this
State. in the Supreme Court, if remaining
in this office can be readily furnished AS
to deeds, it is only necessary that they send
the names of the parties, grantor and gran
tee as to Supreme Court files and records
the name of the parties and the nature OF
the order. The index of which, when COM
pleted, will give the names of the parties
and the date of the entry, the time when
Judgment was obtained, the event of the
suit and the page of the docket where found.
F. w. HOPKINS
Clerk Of Supreme Court.
Senator Creswell of Maryland told a good