Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1890-11-21
HISTORICAL.
PUTNEY IN EARLY TIMES
When the Great Meadows were a Pine
Forest.

The First White Inhabitants and Their
Contests with the Indians---the Early
Courts and the Summary Treatment of
one of the Judges---the First Framed
Houses in Putney Street
Putney was not known bv that name till
after it was chartered by Benning Went
worth, royal governor Of the province Of
New Hampshire, December 90. 1853 Its
principal meadow is: so ,much larger than
any other on the Connecticut river above
Mortified that it was called the great mead
ow.' The northeast corner Of the Equiva.
lieut. lands as laid out November 10, 1918,
was "the mouth Of the brook at the north
ward end Of the Great Meadow where sd
brook emptieth itself into Connecticut Riv-
er att the foot Of Taylor's Island -
Putney included what remained of the
Equivalent lands after five miles in breadth
across the south end was taken off for
Brattleborough, and five more next north
for Fullum now Dummerston. The heirs
Of John White, as owners of shares in the
Equivalent lands, were intended to be pro-
vided for in the charter Of Putney In
| 1861 Isaac Dana Of Pomfret, Conn, repre-
scented to Gov. Wentworth that the rights
Of himself and other heirs had not been
considered whereupon a township, now
| Pomfret, Vt, was on the Sth Of July in
that year granted to them in compensation
Shortly after William Story Of Boston
appeared and made the same claim for 9th
er heirs and a township, now Barnard,
was on the 9Th Of July in that year grant
ed to him and others in further rompensa
ton.
The Indians kept the large meadows be
low West river burnt over for raising corn.
hut not these above. The great meadow
was covered with large yellow pines, which
were very valuable for masts for vessels.
Merchants at New London began to send
there for them as early as 132 aud enough
| t. load a vessel were noated down the riv-
er in l1.i3. At one time 20 men were in
the woods there cutting another shipload
| This prepared the land somewhat for being
cleared In l142 or l143 Nehemiah How
of Grafton, Mass, William Phipps, who
!
| Hiusdale. now Vernon, afterward the fair
captive" and Daniel Rugg ot Lancaster
| Mass, with theiI families and Robert Ba-
| ker aud some others, settled there and
| made further clearing a French and
| Indian war broke out soon after and they
built fort for their protection On the
9TH Of July, l7lj, when Phipps was hoeing
| corn in the southwest corner Of the mead
ow, two Indians surprised him and took
him about half mile, where they stopped
for one to 20 back down a steep hill to get
something they had left He seized one of
their guns, shot one of them and knoc ked
down and chopped the other with his hoe.
| Three other Indians came up Just then and
shot and killed and scalped him He left
his widow with one child, Mary, and an
other named Submit was born afterwards
Caleb How, a son of Nehemiah, married
Mrs. Phipps and went to live with her at
Sartwell's fort in IInsdale The daughters
were taken with their mother captive from
Bridgman's fort in Hinsdale in 100 to Can
ada, where she had TO leave them Mary
was carried TO France and there married to
Cron Lewis their mother went back to
Canada and got Submit who was after
wards married to Nathan Willard Of Brat
tleboror On October II, l14l. Nehemiah
How was surprised at work short dis
tance from the fort by Indians and taken
captive. David Rugg and another man
were coming down the river in canoe at
the time The Indians fired upon them and
killed Rugg the other man escaped. Some
French soldiers with the Indians attacked
the fort without success they killed some
cattle Of which a considerable stock had
been raised, and carried How to Canada,
where he died May p, l741, Joseph Alex
ander was soldier at Fort Dummer many
years HIS son Philip was at Winchester.
n. II in l143, aud removed to the great
meadow in probably l74j; and had a son,
Aaron, born there April 6, l746, who was
the first white child born in the town The
general court of Massachusetts, Bay, April
%, 1916 proportioned two Of the ninety
three men distributed on this frontier for
its protection to Great Meadow.
The settlement dwinded at the begin
ming of li5j to Philip Alexander, John
Perry and John Averill with their wives
: and families, and Capt Michael Gibson with
his mother and two sisters The inhabit-
ants Of Westmoreland and Westminster
with them built a fort where Col Thomas
Whites house afterw ards stood, for their
mutual protection, about 100 by 80 feet, of
yellow pine timber, hewed six inches thick
and laid up about ten feet high, with watch
towers on the northeast and southwest cor
ners Fifteen dwellings were built within
against the walls, and great gates opened
south ami west. Several inhabitants of
Westmoreland moved into the fort and
stayed till the close Of the war Dea. Sam
uel Minott stayed longer, aud afterwards
married Capt Gilson's mother Joseph
Lord, son of Rev. Joseph Lord of Dorches-
ter, Mass, was born about 1904, educated
at Harvard college, settled at Athol and
became preacher. In 1853 Col Ebenezer
Hinsdell paid him e3 Is lOl for preaching
moved to Putney. In 1860 the fort was
turned into dwellings In 1862 Joshua Hide
purchased a large tract of land in the east
ern part of the town and settled there. In
1864 Joshua Parker from Canterbury,
Conn purchased land where the upper end
the street is and drove the first ox-cart
in town to it. Henry Walton James Cum