Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1881-08-26
JAMAICA.
An historical sketch OF the Town.
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Tobn Dodd, Daniel Mann and Samuel Sever.
ens. had lain buried on the fiat where the de.
not is since the I'd day of June, 174s, near
where they were killed in a skirmish with In
dians the day but one previous. Another.
Ioseph Petty, wounded in the same skirmisb'
had fingered and died in the near vicinity
A large part of the territory extending east
TO the Howard brook had been chartered by
the governor Of New York by the name of
Camden, and the northeastern part by the
name of Warrenstown. Nothing was ever
actually done upon the land under these char
ters If they ever had any force they were
oyerthrown by the constitution of Vermont
adopted July I'd, 1777 Some persons bought
rights of grantees in the New York charter.
supposing il to be valid, and were favored by
the legislature of Vermont by being made
grantees when the land was re-granted, but no
Strict right under the New York charter was
recognized. The earliest settlement was
probably at the Darling place, in the saddle
shaped hollow between the hills west of West
Townshend village, by Silas Hayward His
place was supposed to be in Townshend, and
be was the representative from Townshend.
although living at that place, in 1880 The
earliest attempt at settlement in what was
known to be this territory is said to have
been on the eth OF June, 1875, the day of
the battle of Bunker's Hill, at the Caleb
Howard place, which is the farm next east of
the Wardsboro depot and it is said that the
men at work heard the noise of the battle.
although it was about l15 miles distant This
would seem to be incredible were il not for
the fact that the noise of that battle was
heard by students OF Dartmouth college, one
of them afterwards the Rev. Laban Aims
worth, at Hanover N. H., 125 miles distant.
The charter was granted by act of the legis.
lature Nov. 9TH, 1880, to Col. Samuel Fetch
t., ut,vta n. -.
in number, for a township, with a blank for
the name. The price per share was seven
pounds lawful money in silver or other cur
rent money equivalent The original char
ter would have left gore next to Stratton
and Winhall but by resolution of the gov
ernor and council, on the 23d of June. 1881.
that gore was added to the territory and ten
persons were added TO the proprietors. The
proprietors held their first meeting at the
house of Capt Benjamin Fuller in Fame, as
the record says and as New Fame was then
called. on the 9th of June, 1881, before the
charter was taken out, and chose James Mack
surveyor to lay out the town into lots. The
charter was taken out soon after, but bore
date as of the day of the grant, Nov. T. 1880.
It is in the usual form of such charters and
runs in the name of
"The Governor, Council and General Assembly Of
tie Representatives. Of the Freemen Of Vermont:
10 All leAsohs ~ "hoih ehOHe hndH Conlet
Greeting:
Know ye that whereas it has been represented to us
by our worthy friends, Col Samuel Fletcher of
lownshend, County of windham and in this State
and Company to the number of si1ty-seven, that
there tract Of vacant land within this State which
has not heretofore been granted, and which they
pray may be granted TO them: We have therefore
thought fit for the due Encouragement Of settling
new plantation within the State and other valuable
considerations us thereunto moving: And do by
these Presents in the name and by the Authority Of
the Freemen Of Vermont give and grant unto the
said Col Samuel ElRlnhaF and
hereinafter named his Associates viz, his Excellen-
cy Thomas Chittenden, Esquire"
Then follow the names of the rest of the
grantees which included, besides that of the
governor, those of the judges of the Superior
Court, several prominent representative from
towns in different parts of the state, several
prominent men in various parts of the state,
the settlers upon the land, and some ofthepur-
Chasers from the grantees in the New York
charter; and there were five public rights !;
one for the use of Seminary or College
within the State" one for county grammar
schools, one for the first settled minister, one
for the support of the Ministry" and one
for the benefit of schools within the town.
Then follows the description Beginning at
the northeast corner of marlborough, then
north twenty degrees east in the westerly
line of Townshend and continuing the same
course about five miles TO the southerly line
Of Londonderry, then north sixty-three de-
grees west in the southerly line of London
derry and continuing the same course about
SIX miles and ne-quarter to the easterly line
of Winhall, then south ten degrees west in
the lines of Winhall and Stratton about seven
miles to the northwest corner of marlborough
then south eighty degrees east about six
miles in the line of Marlborough to the
bounds begun at" The grant was upon con-
ditiOn that each proprietor should plant and
~ Lao ,.,Nl L., k.,sl IA
house at least eighteen feet square on the
floor, or have one family settled on his share
within -four years next after the circum-
stances of the war will admit of it with safe
ty, on the pain of forfeiture of his respective
share" The charter was signed by Thomas
Chttenden, who was governor, and counter
signed by Joseph Fay, secretary, and is un-
der the seal of state. The war whose circum-
stances were to control was the revolutionary
war then going on.
At the time of the organization of the town,
Sept. Sd, 1881, there were ten families and
eleven voters. The settlers all lived along
the river except Silas Hayward His lot in
Guided part of the Robbins place where
Charles Robbins now resides, as well as the
Darling place, now owned by A. NJ. Butler.
There were less than seventy acres of cleared
land in the town, and that was in small
patches about the settlers houses, and the
furthest clearing west was at the Isaiah How
ard place. now Mr.. Blocher's, next west
Of the middle river bridge, and was owned by
Imam sometimes called Stephen Saben, and
sometimes Stephen Wilcott, in the record,
and whether he finally became a Saben or a
Wilcott is not known. Peter Hazeton lived
OF the place where Abel Kidder now lives,
next to the Townshend line, which is the first
farm from towards West Townshend Caleb
Hayward brother of Silas, on the farm be-
fore mentioned, next east of Wardsboro de-
pot; and William Hayward, father of Caleb
and Silas, at the farm next west; Nathan
Hayward where Aaron M. Butler now resides,
next to William and Benjamin Hayward,
second cousin to William, with his youngest
son Calvin, at the mouth of the Howard
brook, also called Turkey Mountain brook.
Paul Hayward, oldest son of Benjamin, lived
On the farm next west of where his father
did, and a few rods west of where Dea. Bur
nap now lives, and on the same side of the
road; William Harrison Church on the Thay.
er farm at about the middle of the meadow
where the railroad runs below the rockcut at
tue middle river bridge. John Wellman,
who had bought of John Wright the next lot
below that of Stephen Saben or Wilcott, the
18th of July previous, had a house at the
back side of the meadow west of the river
and Amariah Taft at the place where the old
mill was, and whore Mr. Densmore now lives
west of Wardsboro bridge. All the rest OF
the town was an unbroken wilderness. The
record of the meeting at which the town wa
organized runs
JAMAICA, Sept Sd, A. d. 1881.
>, AW a Leagal town meeting Called and opened pl
MS Homer Lucas Wilson Esq'r Agreeable to an &C
Past by the General Assembly OF the Representa-
ives Of the freemen Of the State of Vermont at the
Sessions at Bennington Octr. A. ID. 1850 Met at tn
house Of Mr.. William Hayward in Jamaica to Orgen
use sad town with Lawful Authority then and Their
VOTED as follows
that the Honnered Lucas Wilson Esqr should b.
moderator to govern said meeting:
Iown Clark VIM. Harrison Church-Chosen ant
sworn
seleetmen: Benin Hayward, VIM. Hayward an'
hn Harrison Churoh-Chosen and sworn.
Town treasurer: Peter Hazelton, Chosen and
constable: Calvin Hayward, Chosen and sworn.
Lister: Paul Hayward Chosen and sworn.
and e-"'''
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