Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1874-07-17
IHistoricsI Notes Prepared by !. j.


To me, IT seems, that in order to under
stand aud fully appreciate the history even
of our own town, we must take it to a Ger
tain extent i'm connection with the contem-
porary history of the surrounding towns.
our several charters were all originally OH
tanned from one Governor, and the DIM
cultes met and overcome in one town were
common to all the towns so that in cele-
brating the centennial of Newfane and
making that the central theme, afound
which all things else cluster, we fluid this
subject thoroughly permeated with inter
| ests, whose ramitications extend through
out the county Of Windham, aud, we may
say, the state and the nation. Else why do
we find this multitude assembled as by
common consent, on this, the 0Sth birth
day of John Bulls most mobile daughter,
that child. Miss Columbia, who, as you all
know, was born into the family as ID
FOUNDER aud has lived and grown as none
other child ever did, until to-day her eagles
cover the seas, her strong arm buoys mp
the young and steadies the aged to their
final rest. Now from figures of speech, 60
with me to the recorded facts and figures
OF history; and know yo that the English
began the first permanent settlement, with
in the present limit, of Vermont l5O years
ago by the erection of Fort hummer in
| l12i, in the southeast corner of the present
town OF Brattlcboro. Settlers established
themselves across the river in Hmsdalc AT
the same time. These people came from
the province of Massachusetts. They de-
rived their title to their lands from Massa-
| chusetts In fact. they supposed they
were In the Province of Massachusetts,
and for sixteen years there was contest
between the authorities Of Massachusetts
aud New Hampshire IN regard to the CON
| troll OF this territory. Finally, on the Jth
| OF March, 1910, George the II. decrecd that
| the line between New Hampshire and
| Massachusetts should be surveyed in ac.
| cordance with certain special instructions,
aud in 174l the line was run by Richard
| HAGEN. and found to leave Hmsdalc and
! Fort hummer 10 the north; whereupon
! the King recommended the assembly of
| New Hampshire to care for aud protect the
settlers about Fort hummer. From this
| royal recommend. GOV. Wentworth natur-
ally supposed that the King recognized the
| ing to the same point west as that Of Mass
achusctts; namely point twenty miles
east of the Hudson river aud accordingly
on the application OF Williams and sixty
one others. Jan. 81, 1919. he chartered
township SIX miles square in what he ron
ceived 10 he the southwestern corner of
| New Hampshire The town was named
Bennington, u honor of GOV. Beunine
! Wentworth. bennington then is the first
town in the state that ever received a royal
charter There is nothing I'm history 10
show That the original propr,etor- ever at
tempted to settle the town but ON The close
! OF the French war IN 17G1, Capt Samuel
! Robinson. while ON his return from Lake
| George to Hoosic, lost his route and went
down the Woolamsic river instead Of the
| Hoosic valley. lie was 80 well pleased
with the country that he went 10 Ports
| mouth the following winter and bought
out the Old proprietor. and began the set-
| tiement Of the town June Is, l7Gl Here.
then, we find that Brattleboro is the hrst
| town that was settled in Vermont and Ben
nnGton the first one 10 hold royal char-
| ter.
In following up this clain of historical
facts, we find that HALIFAX is the first town
within the limits of the present county Of
| Windham that ever received charter from
| the King. This charter * dated MAY I'm.
! 1850. The town was first settled by Abnor
| Rice from Worcester County, Mass.
| in the summer of I7Gl Wilmington j,
the second town in the county. CHAR
/
third, chartered April 10Th, 175l; West
! minister the fourth, chartered Nov. Q, 1852 (;
! Rockingham fifth. chartered Dee. .. 1852 I:
| Newfane the sixth An application was
made to Gov. Wentworth, by ADner Saw
| yer aud others, on the llth day Of April.
| 1853, for a charter of township six miles
| square in that portion Of the Province Of
| New Hampshire lying west of the Con-
necticut river. On the 18Th day OF June
following the town was chartered, to he
! known as the town of Fame Tnwnshoud
was chartered the next day after Newiane,
June 10th, 1853; Vernon, Sept. 9th. 1888.
| Dummerston was first chartered to Josiah
| Willard, Dec. %, 1853. and re-chartered bv
| GOV. Trvon in 17GG. Erattleboro aud Put
| new were both chartered Dec. %, 1888
| Guiliord April ., 1884, Grafton April q,
| 1854. Londonderry was chartered Feb 20
| ITO. Athens was chartered MAY =. 1850.
| Wardsboro was chartered b. William Ward
| and Others Of Newfaue, Nov. :, 1850 and
| divided into two sections. north and south
| Wardsboro and in Isl0the south part was
| incorporated as the town Of Dover. ia
maica was chartered Nov. y, 1850. Brook
line was set of from Newiane and Putucv
| in 1894, and was organized March 3. 1873.
and WAS first represented in the legislature
! by Benz. Ormsbee in lS23. We have not
been able to find the exact date OF the first
charter Of Whtingham.
| The French and English war broke ont
about this time and the Connecticut river
valley and Lake Champlain were the two
great natural highways for the marauding
| parties of both armies. so that to the usual
dangers and hardships Of pioneer life were
added the terror Of Indian massacre and
captivity. The result was that the origin
| al proprietOrs of many OF these towns nev-
er compiled with the terms OF their char
ter, and on the close of the war in 1850,
new charters were issued to new proprie-
| tors. This town was rc-chariered TO Luke
Brown and others in 1861, and such was
the demand for the unappropriated lands
| at this lime that GOV. Wentworth charter
ed more than 60 towns west of the Connect
icut in l7Gl. The date of the settlement OF
Halifax has already been noted as began
in l7dl and here let us add that Joseph
Tyler and John Hazellon passed, as they
supposed, through Fame in 81. and took
up their lots in Townshend hut we learn
from descendant Of Ebenezer Dyer that
Hazelton actually settled within the limits
of Fame, on the farm now owned and nccu-