Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1886-07-02

in Clarendon.
The legislature of Vermont at its last
session made an appropriation for the
erection OF u monument to the memory of
Judge Theophilus Harrington The
monument has been constructed and set
up in the cemetery at Chippen Hook, in
the town of Clarendon, where Judge
Harrington was buried 1t is to be dedi-
Gated on Saturday, July 3, by public
service under the direction of the
committee, of which Judge Neazey is
chairman. The exercises will commence
st II o'clock, a. m, when an address will
be delivered by Hon. HOyt IL. Wheeler,
United States district judge. This adj
dress with other addresses and exercises
which are to follow will make the occasion
one of high interest. 1t has been stated
that Judge Harrington was native of
Connecticut; but Hon. Barnes Frisbie,
in communication to the Poultney
Journal, gives strong reasons for bellev-
ing that he was born in Rhode Island
MIR. Frisbie says:
al think he was born in Rhode
Island and will give what knowl-
edge | have pertaining to the place of
his birth. | taught school i'll Chippen
Hook i'm the winter of lS37-3S, and then
became well acquainted with William
Harrington, Il son of Judge Theophilus,
and occasionally met him up TO near the
time of his death, which occurred not
many years ago. Becoming interested in
local history during the last years of the
life of William, | inquired of him. of his
fathers birthplace He replied that he
was born in Rhode Island and came from
there to Clarendon. If he gave me the
name of the town, ! have forgotten 1t. In
al Of 10
positive way, in reference to his decision
of character: "Rhode Island folks always
would have their own way, If the devil
stood at the door
The late Pliuy II. White, in as tull
biographical sketch as have ever seen of
Judge Harrington, published in the Rut-
2and HCruiG many years ago, gave his
birthplace as Rhode Island. Caleb h.
HARRINGTON well known lawyer, several
years in practice at Middletown in this
county, afterwards at Rutland, and now
living at Burlington, Iowa, told me that
the original Harrington families OF Clar-
endon emigrated from Rhode Island.
There were Iheophilus and two brothers ;
I think their names as he gave them to
me were James aud William Caleb Is.
is a grandson of James Harrington The
Clarendon historian III Miss HemenWay 5
Vermont Historical Gazetteer gives the
names of eight heads of families in the
Clarendon Springs school district in 1871,
and the number of children in their eight
families rs lib, and the number attend
ing school &ll,at. the same time 90. Three
Of these eight families or heads We're:
Theophilus Harrington and Betsy Black,
y children II mt school, James iIarring
ton and Polly Bates. ~ children, 10 at
school VIM. Harrington audAmy Briggs
II children, l3 at school. Iheophllus tiar-
rington settled tas tradition has it, ON Il
farm lying between Clarendon springs
and an. "A g. Sr.1ul Tuunlur Irt \NppO
these two places What time he settled
there is not known: at least have never
been able to ascertain the exact time,
though 1t WAS probably not long after the
close of the revolutionary war. Iheophi-
Jus HARRINGTON represented Clarendon in
the legislature of Vermont in the years
i59S, 100, 1900, 1901, 1892 and 1903 six years in
succession, and the last year tlSO3) he was
speaker OF the house. He was elected
chief judge Of Rutland county court in
October, 1900, and was reelected in 1901,
1902 and 1903: but having been elected as
Vermont IN 1903, he resigned his position
IN the Rutland county court and accepted
the position of assistant Judge of the
supreme court. which he held ny success
sive elections until the year OF his death
N 1913.
Judge Harrington was uueducated, but
had strong mind, excellent judgment,
firm and decided in his convictions, bold
in the utterance of his opinions, and,
though not lawyer, with his acute IN
tellect and strong sense of justice he was
seldom in error in his decisions; so | have
been told by those who had attended his
courts. His decision in the fugitive slave
case rendered the name of TheOphllu.
Harrington almost immortal. He WoulC
not surrender the slave on IA hdbedS cor
puS without "a bill Of sale from the Al
mighty Though not learned he was
marked man in his day, and the State o
Vermont is doing an excellent service il
perpetuating his name and fame ant
sterling qualities to future generation
by means of Il granite shaft"
Among the descendants of the Judge liv
ing in Vermont are two granddaughter
Mrs. Flanders of Wallingford and Mrs
Tower of Clarendon; two nieces, Mrs
Daniel Smith and Mrs. Samuel Haywood
of Rutland, "A grand niece, Mrs. Joel {
Baker of Rutland and a grand nephew
Mr.. c. l.. Howe of the same place.