Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1890-10-31
HISTORICAL.
BRATTLEBORO IN l748-l79O,
The First Settlements Away From Fort
Dummero

The First Settlements Away From Fort
Dummero
Where the First Settlers Lived--Location
ofTheir Farms---Whe the First Bride
Paths and Roads Ran---the First Law
yer, First Store, Mills, etc.
Probably the first clearing of land in
Brattleboro outside Of what belonged to
Fort Dummer was done by Oliver Willard
on the meadow about there but the earliest
settler to live outside of the fort was Lieut..
John Sergeant He was son Of Digory
Sergeant, who was killed by Indians in
10l at Worcester, and whose wife and
five children, Martha, John Daniel, Thorn
as and Mary were taken captive. The
mother was killed before they had gone far
towards Canada, where they wer jaken.
John remained there twelve or ,hirteen
years, and was urged to remain longer but
returned, and was in service under Capt.
Joseph Kellogg as a soldier and interpreter.
He was married to Abigail Jones Of Spring
field, July 4, 1921 The truck house inside
the fort was burnt in 1877 and he lost con
siderably by the fire. The general court of
Massachusetts, Bay granted him POO acres
Of land above Mortified, which was located
at the lower end Of, and probably below
the meadow He built house upon it and
resided there while he was lieutenant at
the fort. He was in charge of the party
that went from the fort for paddles on
March 20, 174s His son Daniel, Moses
Cooper, Joshua Wells and another man,
went with him out the scout path little
over a mile, where they were fired upon
by Indians in ambush. Cooper was shot at
the first fire but was helped to the fort 10y
the other men. and died there the next day.
The others retired slowly, firing as they
went. Wells was soon killed Lieut. Ser
peant encouraged his son that help would
come from the fort, aud called to the In.
dians to come out and fight like men. No
| help came, and he was killed and Daniel
taken prisoner to Canada. His children
were Daniel, Abigail, Rufus, Thomas, John
and Mary His widow and heirs sold tn,
land in 163 to Capt Samuel Hunt of North
field
The next settlement away from the fort
was begun by Benjamin Moor, son Of Capt
Fairbank Moor, in l'j1, near where th'
asylum farm house now stands. He wa
married ON May II, l1jj, to Margare
Kathan. daughter Of John kathan, wh'
lived near where Putney depot is in Fullum
Her mother was his fathers sister hi
mother was a sister Of Col Benjamin Bel
lows Of Walpole He was in Capt. Elijal
Williams company in the Crown Point ex
pedItion, in 1853, and soldier at For
Dummer in 1856. They had two children
the Youngest was born December :, l1j1
Capt Moor lived with them and slept be
low and they and their children above il
their loS house. In the night Of Marcl
q, 1853, Indians came and made "A nois
and Capt Moor went to the door. The
attacked him, and his son went TO help hr
aud both were killed with hatchets. Mrs
Moor put on some Of her clothes and i
her confusion drew on three pairs OF Capt
Moors long stockings, took her childre
and fled 10y the back door up IA sled roa
where her husband had drawn wood tn
dav before The Indians brought theI
back, found some lard which they melte
in a kettle some beans which they put int
the lard. and when that was cold they pit
it into bag and started with her and he
children for Canada. They went up We
river, across the mountain to Otter creel
down that to the lake, and down the lax
At first they kept the children from her bl
soon let her have the Youngest and assistt
in carrying it. They were ten days in e
ing, and lived principally on the beans al
lard She and her children were redeemt
bv Col. Peter Schuyler in the fall of l16
and returned TO her parents in Fullur
who had not heard from her till then. III
Youngest child had not been named VIII,
they were taken, and was afterward calf
Mary Captive Col. Josiah Willard
Winchester gave Mrs Moor a deed of
No. ) 50 acres in the fifth range Of LOT
in Bratteboro, Feb. lG, 1863. This lot Ii
southeast of the cemetery on the hill nor
of Centreville The house where Deac'
Gilbert Smith lived stands on it. She W
married to Moses johnson Of Putney ia
uarv 26, 1864. They sold the land Nov.
1867, to Abner Scovel for lOe 3d in none
note of go, aud another note of | { lis
ito be left at Major John Arms's."
John Sergeant, son of Lieut.. John, "
born at Fort Dummer, in 1892, He wa
soldier in Capt. Williams's company in
Crown Point expedition in 100 and "
married to Mary Kathan, sister of Wild
Margaret Moor, Dec Ii, 1860. He liy
in Fullum in 17Gl and in 1852 commend
a settlement in Brattleboro on the road
Dummerston, where his grandson, Jan
II. Sergeant, and great grandson now Ii
next south of the road leading to the 5
pension bridge. His brother Thomas Y
married May 20, 1854, to Ann, daugh
of Joseph Stebbins of Northiield. He liz
then at Fort Dummer afterwards at F
um. and soon settled ON the west side
the road at the foot of the hill north of
brother John They bought their land
gether, probably of Col. Josiah Willard
Winchester. Judge Wells conveyed
acres of land in the northeast corner of
town, covering both these places, to I'll
April 20, l770, probably to add New y
title to prior title The widow of Th'
as aud guardian of his children, and j.
divided the land between themselves
%, 1887. In a deed dated October %, /,
the southeast corner of the same land
described as being 20 rods south of Herl
brook.
John Arms, then about 40 years old
Samuel Wells. then about 30, came f
Deerfield in l169, and settled, Arms on
Sampson tract, where the asylum ia
house now is, and Wells on lot next no
where the first asylum retreat is, +
had wife aud several children when I
came, and each soon built large no
Arms the one removed to make room
the asylum farm house, and Wells the
now standing and used for the asylum
treat. which is probably the oldest hous
town. They owned the land on which
e lived together for several years, a
e which they divided their farms betw
i themselves.
! The passage of persons and horses II
were no wagons up and down the ri
/, made a track about where the road no
y