Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1877-01-19

The Westminster convention OF January,
lit, adjourned on the seventeenth. to meet
at Windsor on the first "Wednesday of June.
and on the fourth day Of June. 1777, the
convention reassembled, the official record
thereof commencing as follows: "New
Hampshire Grants (0lias) New Connecti-
cut" There were present seventy-two del
egates representing fifty towns, Joseph Bow
ker, of Rutland, being president Of the con-
vention, and Jonas Fay, of Bennington,
clerk.
The first business Of the convention was
the adoption ola preamble and resolution,
setting forth the proceedings at Westmin-
ster, and then proceeding as follows
lind iphsrsas, This convention have been
informed that district Of land lying on the
Susquehanna river, has been heretofore and
and is now known by the name Of New Con-
necticut, which was unknown to them until
some time since the declaration at West
minister aforesaid and as it would be in
Convenient in many respects for two seps-
rate districts on this continent to bear the
same name: Resolved. Therefore, uDani-
mously. that the said district described in
the preamble to the declaration at Westmin-
ster, aforesaid, shall now hereafter be called
and known by the name Of Vermont"
For this name the infant State was in
debted, upon the testimony Of Ethan and
Ira Allen, Thomas Chittenden, and others of
the pioneers of the Commonwealth, to DR..
Thomas Young, of Philadelphis. DR.. Young
was distinguished philsnthropist and pstri-
OF. Of Pennsylvania, who took great interest
in the original formation of this State, urged
them to organize as State, assured them that
Congress would not refuse them admission,
and commended to them the Constitution OF
Pennsylvania as q model for their Constitu-
ton, it being. he declared with very little
alteration, as near perfection - any thing
yet concocted by mankind"
To DIR. Young. probably, the delegates
owed the information that there was district
on the Susquehanna kno wn as New Connec-
tout, and it was his advice to change its
name to Vermont.
In April IL. IVY, some weeks before the |
formal adoption OF the name, DR.. Young
letter &" to the inhabitants of |
Vermont" The delegates adopted his sug-
gestions. both as to the name and the Consti-
tuition Of the State. 1.-THE name of Ver-
mont" says Ira Allen. in his History of
Vermont, published in London, in 1873, twas
given to the district Of the New Hampshire
drants, as an emblematical one, from the
French Verd-mOnf, Green mountain, intend
ID to Ierpetuate the namo of the Green
Mountain Boys. by DIR Thomas Young"
The Vermonters have no reason to be
ashamed of the origin of so many of the
ounders Of the Sta to, who came hther from
Connecticut and were naturally inclined to
ecognize their relation to their mother
state, in the name of their new home; but
III must now be glad that the name Of New
Connecticut was thus early exchanged for
he tasteful and appropriate name which
ur Commonwealth bears. New York, New
hampshire and New jersey are welcome to
heir monopoly Of the word new" in their
tiles. The State Of the Green Hills is salts
ed with her name. VKRxosT and may her
DDS, for the century to come, 50 conduct
that the name shall be, o. it has
cen in the past, synonym for homer. pat
otism, bravery. Independence and honesty.