Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1880-08-20


right that n Westinghouse should be built. 1t
needed On the 18th day Of March, 1859, the town
"yotcd unanimously that they will build a meeting
house for the beHtht Of said town. Yeas Al, nays
"Noted that the said house shall be built IS feet by 90
tho ground and that said house shall be compeat
ly finished on the outside, painting excepted, and
glazed; lower flowers Leyed, and Door made and
Hung; to bee Well boarded, caboarded and shinged,
and az many and as large Windows in proportion, aud
well set they are in Wilmington meeting-hou
and to be complicated before the first day Of De-
cembcr Next" "Voted that said House shall be erect
ed on the fiat on the top Of the Hill the
East Of the Center School House in said Whingham."
yotpd that the building of said House be set mn by
the Moderator to the Lowest Bider for third cash
and twothirds Neat Stock said cash to be paid the
hrst day Of October next" "Voted that the Town
viii Raise six hundred and ninety Dollars to Defray
the Expense uf building said House, to be Raised
the List Of 1903" 'Noted to underpin the meeting
house with Stone Laid in Lime, TO be complicated
soon as the House is Ready for Raising The con-
tract for underpinning then and there put up at
vendue, and David Eames bid IL of for $3.50
This meetng-house was built during the summer
and autumn Of 1899. Eighty-one years ago to-day,
this very spot was busy with the preparation for the
erection Of this grand old structure and the inhabi-
ants of the town who have permitted the mutilaton
Of its walls and allowed it to be shorn Of its inward
bcauty-its unique pulpit its square pews, its extern
siye galleries. asefully decorated, emblematlc Of
for the desecration Of the altar Of their fatherp
Your modern churches. buit TO crafty the morbid
| tastes Of those who worship fixtures more than
Deity lack that spiritual presence that every per
! son cannot help but feel when he enters this con-
sccraed temple II was built 10y sturdy race Of
men, living entirely by the labor OF their own hands
| science. Two, at least, Of your modern churches
| have had private burial while this ancient build
ing stil stands. II It had been left unoccupled and
Uudsturbed 1t would have outvcd them al, stand
| itErp0n thlshill, monument to the memory Of
our fathers, memorial OF their unfnching integ-
rity, their perseverance under stress Of limited
means, their unfaltering fidelity to the Christian
farm aud their Willingness 10 DO what they thought
! to De right. Uness some prompt and judiciUus
action Is had by tbe town, another eighty years
will make It more dlnicult to tell precisely where
this house stands than to point out with precision
many an inciyidual grave I'm yOnder burial place;
ana yet this IS the spot where the rCEult Cf Industry
and formerly the pride Of the town. must soon per-
ish. After the lapse Of another hundred years this
church, the academy and other historic structures
viii be known only In history. The sEill OF an ar
tist could in 10 way be better employed than in
| pCclG heyOnd the reach OF destruction the form
| Of these important landmarks.
Aftor Vermont had declared her Independence
and begun TO assert her rights as STATE unOccu-
pied lands were graDtedby the Governor and Coun-
not; hut the rights Of actual settlers were general
| ly respected In scme cases these grants were
CtCd into Incorporated districts, under certain
restrictions and fof specified purposes. on the Goth
day Il October 1885, IA grant was made to Amos
| Green and company Of 5000 acres aud eight perch
Of land, described as follows; Beginning at the
| south west corner Of Whtiugham, at maple tree
standing on the north line Of the STATE cf Massa-
chustlts Fay, u ptTchts west OF Inc west bank Of
Dccrteld GlNtr, uul running south 81 degrees and
30 minutes east 200 chains TO spruce tree marked,
| then degrees, ~ MINUTES cast ia chains and 80
linl 10 maple tree marked standing IN the south
| line of Col. Fich's Grant then norh 81 degrees
! and 80 minutes west 100 chains to a stake and
| stones then south degrees and so minutes west
IA chains and 20 links to the bounds began az,
| taiuiuV five Thousand and siXty acres and eighty
pcrches, bounding south on the State Of Massachu-
setts Bay, east On Col. Writings Patent, north on
| Ftch's Patent, aud west On Re adsborough; and
thut the same Is hereby Incorporated into district
| 10y the name # UbitihgAdIa core. Three hundred
acres uf this land was reserved RS follows: zone
Hundred acres for the use and benefit Of Coll,g
| "nhiu ihis STATE one hundred acres Tor the usr
and support Of school or schools within said t.aCi,
and CHe hundred acres for the use and support OF
| The 1rst settled minister OF the gospel Wnhn said
tract of land" Sc 500 acres were 10 be divided
into three equal parts, and laid out in said district
as 10 be equal IN qualify and properly situated
II Will be seen that the town lines as surveyed by
Now York In l'I0 were not disturbedby this grant,
ana II also az pears that the boundaries Of this
town have never Teen materially disturbed. If IL
exists by virtue Of any chatter it is the one issued
March l2 1IIG. There are no records Of Whiting
| ham Gore on the town books. Whether 1t was or
| ganized as Gsttct does not appear. The propr-
etors Of this district were as follows: Amos Green,
| sa ucl Moulton, Thomas Day, Samuel Day, james
| Howard, Seth Howard Benjamin Nelson, BenjH-
| son, Solomon Moultou, AEaph White, William Mel
| son, Thomas BCdgett, Abisha Blodgett and Danit
| Wallace. These propletoIs were each to plant anu
cultivate Eve acres Of land, and build a house Al
least eighteen feet square, tr have enc family on
each respt ctiye right within four years from the
right or share Cf land not so cultivated and built
| upon should revert TO the state. This grant Gov
cred about on, fourth Of the town, and contained
IPrrscntaiion # Chart,r.l
| Persons TO whom land was granted in Whiting.
| ham, by authority OF Ntimont from lIsq to 1885:
l1so-Sias Hamilton, Thomas Sterns, John But
| Ter, james Roberts, hbner Moor, James Angel,
| Charles Dodge, Elphalct Hyde.
| 17sl-Bobert Bratton ana seven others, whose
| names are unknown.
| l1s2-Samuel Wells.
| i5sT-Jonathan Hunt, Arad Hunt.
| 1896 Amos Green, Samuel Moulton, Thomas Day,
| Samuel Day, James Howard, Seth Howard, Benja-
| min Nelson, Benjamin Blodgett, Benjamin Blodg
| EFT, Jr., samuel Nelson, solomon MuultOn, Asaph
| White, VILLA Nelson, Thomas Blodgett Abisah
| Bodgett, Daniel Wallace.
| These grants were supposed TO cover all the IN
| occupied lands In the town.
u1Nrn sfa1 liz
| up from tradition. Historians are too lazy. They
| rely upon tahE and do not examine the records.
| Nhitugham has not over half page of printed
history in tXistence, outside Of the newspapers aud
yet nnd the following hluuders, which have mis-
| lsd the people anu ought 10 be corrected. IN
| It is stated that Whingham was settled hy Sids
| Hamilton and Mr.. Brathn. No man by the name
OF Bratlin resided In Nhtiugham previous TO lIs0,
Lor has there any person resided here hy that name
| up TO this day, that know Of. In Demlngs "Ver-
mont C1iceTs, published in 1881, II is stated thai
| Whitngham Gore was chartered Oct. 20, 1896. The
| author says "hOw 1t became Nottingham have
vet TO learn" II is not necessary TO spend much
| time to learn that lesson. 1t became Whilngham
when that town was chartered by New York in lI10.
The Gore" was a tract OF land covering about one
| fourth Of the town simply chartered us district.
| for specified purposes, but it was within and part
OF the Town. beming also says that There are
| 9OOO acres, TO different persons and at different
dates, by the name of Cumberland, which was form
| Silas Hamilton and Moses Bratton were the hrst
settlers. The facts that there eight grants
| covering q tONltHlp SIX Hlles kQuuIe, WHICH as
chartered March IL. 100, by the name Of Whiting
| ham. No town hy the name Of Cumberland exist
| ing In Cumberland or Nlndham counties, was ever
| chaI tered by New Hampshire, New York or Yer
| mont. No such man as Moses Bratton lived In
| Nottingham previous 10 lIsO. In Haywards Gaz-
etter revised edition. published in 1s41 is stated
| that Whtiupham was tettled In 1873. This is evi-
| IDENTITY incorrect. In Coolidge and hansfeds His
| tory and Description OF New England, the author
states that hut four grants Of territory, amounting
10 1900 acres, are found to have been made by New
York" This wOrk also states that - GA acres COM
| the OF this town. Ile town laid out
six miles square, and probably the extra 1884 acres
| were allowed LOT cOfIugAuohs. inns Dook hhNs lhat
Silas Hamilton and Moses Brlttin were the 1rst set
| tiers.
| We now come 10 the beginning Of the present
| century. The town had been settled 80 years and
| organized 90. The crossroads provided for March
26, 1851, had been built, the school and highway
| districts had been surveyed ana land out OF the
town. a meeting house had been built for the bene
| III Ct the town and for the use OF all religious de
ulauon Of Sos. on the Sd OF March, 1900, the town
| "yoted that all Town meetings in fu, er shall BE
| Warned to be holden at the Westinghouse in Whit
| lngham." on the tlhday OF June me Town voted
| 10 accept the meetinghUuse that Is Built IN Said
| Town for the Town House. Voted 20 accept the
| undtrpinning OF said Heuse."
| The year 1891 was sad time for WhitinghGm.
| There was more sickness in town than had ever
| been known before, and the efforts of the physi-
| clans 10 control it were unavailinR. During the
| year forty adults died OF typhus fever. Daring
| lhis year an event occurred which must not fail
| to mention. 1t was the birth OF Brigham Young.
| He was born in this town June list, 1901. shall
be disputed as TO This date; and | have letter
| from one OF the oldest men In this town, whose eX-
| cellent memory runs back almost TO the blrth OF
| Brigham Young, containing this statement;
| brigham Young was born in June, 1879, the year
| the old church was built" This Is dated Aug. ],
1850. The author was correct about the church,
| and the only person have seen who knew whenl
was hnilt. To say that II was built about $500 Is
| not definite enough for my use. That would be
good tradition, but 1t might not be strictly true.
| The gentleman who gave me the information re-
| ferTed to is not bound 10 believe my statement that
| Young was born In 1901 any more than an his,
| that he was born in l7o9 unless exhibit some
| yertncati0n OF my statement. This propose to
| do, AppletOn's Cyclopeda says that Brigham
| Young, ruler Of the MormoIs, was born In Whit
| ngham, VT, June LIST, 1901. n his was taken from
| the Register in Warrington, probably made when
| Brigham was appointed Governor OF the Territory
| OF Utah In 1850. In 1873 a contention arose both
in this country and England as to the birthplace OF
i rIIrhn INN IN