The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1876-03-22


biographical and family history. This, as
we understand 1t, was about the division
of labor, although the handiwork of each,
as well as others, is found in all parts of
the "History of Poutney" The result of
their labors has been to gather up,in COM
pact, readable form, every attanable thread
and shred of the history of the town, and
to 80 present these fragments that there is
no danger of their loss in the future. As a
whole the work is Invaluable to every son
of Poutney, and will, we are sure, speedi-
ly find its way into their hands. 1t will
compare favorably with other contributions
to New England local history. We can
most heartily commend this "History of
g Poultney" not only to those directly in
terested in it, by reason of their connection
with the town, but to the students of Yer
mont and New England history every
where.
Having thus heartily and honestly com
mended the work, We must be permitted
to call attention to some deficiencies there
in-deficiencies necessarily inseparable
from such works, but deficiencies for
which the writers are not, and should not
BE- held, responsible. We take occasion to
| do it in this connection, that other towns
in the county and state may see the danger
Of procrastnating in this matter of gather
ing up, and preserving for those who are
| to come after, what remains of our early
| history.
Without instancing these defects, we
can, perhaps, best illustrate our meaning,
by calling attention to its military history.
1t is known, by tradition, that many, nearly
all, Of the then residents of Poultney took
pat in the revolutionary war After the
evacuation Of Ticonderoga, in l777, an ur-
gent call was made for troops and an old
man, speaking of Poultney, said "The
" call to arms was responded TO by all the
" men in town, save one, and he an inval-
:" i'd" Yet it ia not known where these
men rendezvoused, what service they per-
formed, or even their names. During the
war of 1912, william Miller. afterwards
known as the 'prophet," raised company
OF mlitn for service and, subsequently,
the whole body of militia responded to
call for volunieers-but their names or
length OF service is not preserved. A list
| of volunteers during the rebellion is given,
compiled from the several adjutant gen.
erals reports, but the list is confessedly in
complete, AMI the compiers, after giving a
summary of the losses, as contained IN the
adJutant generals reports, are constrained
to say "but this does not contain all the
" losses, and we cannot now give them
"with entire accuracy"
| AS, at the time of writing, only period
of from eight 10 twelve years had elapsed
from the time of calling the first and last
volunteer, we see how soon matters of cur
rent history, matters that, in the day of
them, almost every boy could narrate, are
buried in an impenetrable oblivion. How
much better off is Rutland? Where now,
can the story Of her part in the war Of the
revolution, of the enforcement of the en-
barge, of the war of 1912, be drawn? Who
is there that can write her history? Who,
even, can now compile an accurate list of
the volunteers furnished by her for the
defense of the Union, and of the number
Of lives aud limbs she contributed 70 the
cause? Yet Rutland is better field TO
garner than Poutney. Our town and
church records are intact, those of Poult-
ney are destroyed. Some of the traditions
of the early days have been gathered up,
but there was no one to do this for Poult-
ney. Poultpey has preserved what re-
mains, but what little ia known of Rut-
lands early history will perish with two or
three lives.
The family histories are not as full as we
should have liked TO see them, although
some of them are models of completeness.
The compilers, however, are not RESPONSE
bic for their want of -fulness. They ex-
hausied every available means of informa-
tion-church and family records, grave
stones, old account books, personal in
quiries, and correspondence, etc.-and yet
they are forced to say: "That our work is
it be otherwise p Yes, show could it be
otherwise ?" with only tradition and the
sources we have referred to TO rely upon,
aud when those most intere,ted-the fam.
lilies hemselves-failed to respond to in
quiries ?
We have called attention to these de-
iciencies, not for the purpose of finding
fault with the work, for when we consider
the scanty supply of straw available for
the manufacture of this particular brick,
we are lost in admiration at the indefatig-
able industry of the compilers aud the
completeness and value of the results. By
referring to these freely acknowledged de-
llciencies, we simply desire to call the at
ten'ion of other towns to the fact that they
are in the same situation as was Poultney,
aud that the materials for history are tad
ing and being lost day by day, and, if pos
sible, to spur others up to the point of fol-
lowing the most excellent example OF our
neghbors.
|
Bristow Still Lives.
The latest attempt to blow up the obiec-