Lamoille newsdealer. [volume] (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1860-1877, 1874-10-28
Life in The Log Cabins Of Vermont.

tY OF this state al lts lale mee'uS !" -'
heller BY L. l.. butcher Of St. Adams.
He sail:
There has boon lie long going that the
early Vermonters were fugitives from JUS
tice. The territory ofVermont was main
ly chartered by Bonnie Wentworth, Gov
ernor of New Hampshire. One hundred
and twenty charters were granted. Lieut.
Couker. of New York, trumped up claim
that the last named Colony, owned this
territory, and begun to regrant lands al
ready occupied under New Hampshire
charters. The settlers resisted the sur
vcyors and new grantees, aud administer
ed the beach.seai-especially near the Jc-
rusalem of Vermont-the town Of Bennig-
ton. This discipline by the twigs of the
wilderness gave the sufferers poor opin-
Jon Of the civilization of the men Of the
New Hampshire grants. and they took
means 10 express their opinions freely, and
so stated the lie above referred to. OF
course scapograces came, but they we're
not those who feled the forest, and COM
posed very small portion of the popula-
tion.
| propose to descend to the particulars
of life in those days. The proprictors
first opened bride paths, over which with
kuapsack and bundle came the young men,
who came to build the cabius. The bass
wood was of great value to them in max
ing their floors, tables and the like the
handler wood forming the walls. These
latter were chinked and plastcrel and
were comfortable. A ladder gave access
to the chamber and trap door the cellar.
The settlers were orthodox in this one thing
at least-they believed it twas not good
for man to be alone" The young man
who came alone and built his cabin, as
winter came went down country, married
his sweetheart and took passage by an OK
team towards the last OF the winter for
home in the wilderness
The home thus sought when made was
entered by Eastwood slab door, whose
wooden latch was lifted by string hung
outside. On one side hung the mop-in
one corner was the bed, in another the
pantry--and then the family chest, the
gourds for bringing water and the gun for
more earnest work, with many other
things, made up the show of household
goods.
The speaker described the logging bees
and the bountiful provision made by the
good dame of the house Of the helpers /;
N oose. meat bear. stake aud the like began
the course and the inevitable pumpkin pie
closed it, lu those years there was less
ardent spirits used than came to be the
order OF somewhat later day. Preach
ers came through the settlements on tours.
Schools we're established.
Weddings in these cabins were great
events, but infrequent because the girls
were scarce. Nathan Green, Of St. Al
bans used to boast he had his pick Of all
the girls in town, but questioned. said it
was true there were but three and one Of
those was squaw. The speaker descrlb-
ed an early wedding, where the BRIDE
groom went with his oxen through three
feet of snow and, after a jolly wedding
took his bride home through the dark
woods upon the COX sled."
Tn. dress of the period was something
like this: Coat of wooden, colored with
butternut bark, fastened by belt; breech-
es of buckskin cap of wooden or fox-skin
and moccosins of moose hide.
The old.fashionod quilting frolc was de.
scribed. The women began to assemble
for the finishing Of the quilt soon after
noon and tongues and needles moved live
ly. Towards night the lords of creation
began to assemble in their best; aud their
"best" worn on only rare occasions would
las: indefinitely. When they were done
with the quilt they went to dancing, and
they made downright physical cxcrtion of
their rendering Of good old contradance.
The speaker evidently doesn't fancy mod.
ern waltzing and his audience by their
applause testified their approval of his
description of the old-fashioned fddler's
m yvement and words.
Frequently people were lost, and it is
told Of lost children that they were visit.
ed and untouched by big black dogs with
shaggy hair that stood on their hind legs.
Grist.mils were scarce. The eatamounts
plenty and terrible animals. 1t is unlike
other fierce beasts, was not afraid of fire.
The speaker told Of hunter whe one night
cncamped by STRAIN across which was
log and was about to lie down for the
night, when he heard the leaves rustling
on the opposite side Of the water. He