Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1879-08-08
NO. 30.

names Of the town The latter l am ready
to believe, was the original State ancestor Of
our late well-known eccentric Chicago old set
tier and abolitionist, Dr. G. V. Dyer The
first settlements were made Just before and in
the period Of the revolutionary war. num-
Der of the very few went over to help fight
the battle of Bennington. The towns ''up
here, not higher than Newfane hill in the
southern part of Vermont, are only half the
age of their progenitors down below"
Among the carly settlers of this portion Of
the State, who came from the utmost far be-
low, are two families that bring 10 us another
historical Significance. These are the Hayes
family, that came from New Haven and Bran
ford, and the Birchard family from Norwich
all from Connecticut. The records of the
Centre church Of New Haven show the Trow-
bridges, the Rutherfords and the Hayeses to
be historical families The former claim to
be relatives of our president and the latter,
with the two branches of his family, the faith
er's and the mothers side, he carries in his
name, which, if he were no more modest than
some men, would, ere this often have append
ed to his veto messages Rutherford Birchard
Hayes.
Rutherford Hayes, the grandfather of the
president, removed from Connecticut with the
tide of emigration that set to Vermont as the
promised land at the period have described,
and settled in the village of West Brattleboro
in the tavern-keeping and blacksmithing busi-
ness Rutherford Hayes, Jr, the father of
the president followed his father in the tav-
ern-keeping in the same place, but, dropping
the blacksmithing lie added to il storekeep-
ing. He was one of the storekeepers for the
village of West Brattleboro in the beginning
of this century, while the old courthouse
was on Newfane hill and if he sued anybody
for a sum above the capacity of a Justice Of
the peace TO manage, he had to take his cred
itor TO that most exalted station of the EARTH
and there he could have shown him fifty town
ships of woody and mountainous laud as a
temptation to pay that little bill he owed be-
fore lie brought him before the Judge. But
there is no sure record that Rutherford Hayes
ever had to serve any of his delinquent Gus
toners in that way. But there is this record
that in the month of September 1913, he WAS
married to Miss Sophia Birchard of the neigh
boring town of Wilmington-a town further
up on the hill than even Newfane, and one
whose hills could have been seen from the old
courthouse. We see here where the name of
Birchard came in, apd where the union of the
two streams begins that now flows in the veins
of our chief magistrate. Sophia Birchard
was the daughter of the country store keeper
at Wilmington, union in the mercantile line.
Her father was Roger Birchard, and he and
her grandfather we're soldiers in the revolu-
ton, and came from Norwich, Conn, which
was the land of steady habits, from which
neither of the families departed. Her elder
brother was named Austin, second brother
named Roger, and the younger Sardis and
she had a sister intervening, who was married
in Newfane, and who some years ago died
from being struck by lightning. During the
period of the Shareholders war her brother
Roger, the presidents uncle was burnt up in
his old store of goods at Dummerston, in this
county. The youngest Sardis, born at viii
mington about 1902, removed with her aud
her husband, Rutherford, when they emigrat
ed to Delaware o., in 1917 he at that time
being pretty well-grown lad, casting in his
lot with his sister in the new country to
which they were removing. His brother-in-
law dying in 1922, and Rutherford Brchard,
born a posthumous child three months after
his fathers death, Sardis Birchard became his
foster-father and it seems he fostered him
well having the care of his education and the
main responsibility of his youthful training
beyond his mothers own watchfulness; and
he (the uncle) dying in 1873, left to the nephew
whom he had adopted the bulk of his large
estate, accumulated i'll prosperous career of
business in the western part of Ohio.
The presidents mother is also dead The
only survivors of the Birchard family of VIII
mington, besides the president, are the Hon.
Austin Birchard and his only surviving son
and daughter, of this charming and quiet vii
lage from which l address this letter. Mr..
Brchard was the eldest brother of the family
and yet survives at the advanced age of SO, he
having been born in Wilmington in 1913. He
is totally deaf, the impairment of his hearing
having come on in comparatively early life,
and followed him through a long period of
active business and public life. He is now in
feeble health, from advanced old age, but
hardly yet shows much evidence of the i'm
pairment of his intellect. He attends to the
minutiR Of his business, reads the newspapers
daily, is deeply interested in all public mat
ters, and reads and comments favorably upon
the veto messages of his nephew, the presi-
dent. have seen the late messages upon his
table, addressed TO him in the autograph hand
of r. b. Hayes.
Mr. Birchard always had great love and re-
gard for his elder sister, who early removed
to the West. After the death of her husband
she would occasionally visit her relatives in
Vermont and she used to bring with her her
promising son Rutherford. He became q
great favorite with mis- Vermont Uncle Bir-
chard, as he was also of his Uncle Sardis, in
Ohio. The writer of this remembers seeing
him in this village with his mother in 1884, he
then young lad, well dressed and well gov
erned. He was favorite in his uncle's store,
where the clerks used to pay him much atten
ton. The president has visited this village
since his election to the presidency.
z. EASTMAN.
Fayetteville, July s, 1879.