Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1891-09-11

Salah Barnard John BOyden
David Wells Elisha Higgins
Richard Crouch Phillip Wheeler
John Chaddich Leonard Jarvis
John Chaddich junr Daniel Warner
His Exceency Bennng Wentworth Esqr |
Tract of Land to Contain five hundred Acres which |
is to he Laid out i'm one body-One whole Share |
for the Incorporated Society for the Propagation
of the Gospel in foreign Parts One whole share
for the first Settled Minister of the Gospel IN SAID
Town one whole Share for a Glebe for the Minis
try of the Church of England as by Law Estab-
lished.
Cabe How William Rawson iunr
Eleazer Williams Joseph Blanchard
John Wentworth and William johnson
A large part of these grantees became
actual settlers, and few if any were land
spectators. Thus it appears to have been
settled principally by its original owners,
descendants of soldiers in the battle at
Turner's Falls and of Capt Gallup's com
pany in the Canada expedition. The
character of the men, and their interest in
the land of the township may account for its
rapid settlement, which was begun in 175S
by Jonathan and Elisha Hunt clearing
land on the Rev. Asa Haynes place. and
occupation in 1861 by Micah Rice and
family on the jeremiah Greenleaf place,
and increased beyond that of any other
town in the vicinity. This rapid growth
has been attributed to its charter privileges,
but these were not different from those of
other towns.
The west bank of Connecticut river
was made by the king in council the
boundary between the provinces of New
Hampshire and New York July 20, 1864,
and this territory became a part of the
province of New York. In 1865 Silah
Barnard, David Field and Thomas Guitar
applied to Lieut.. Gov. Golden of the latter
province for a grant of Guilford to them
selves and other owners and settlers and
again to Gov. Sir Henry Moore in 1866,
without success. Further grants of land
were forbidden by the king in 1867. Col.
Thomas Howard, a reduced officer of His
Majesty's service, procured a royal man
damus for the grant of 1000 acres to him.
William Smith, chief justice of New York,
who had a New York title to a large part
of the southwest quarter of Brattleboro,
advised him to locate it on Connecticut
river below Brattleboro. Gov. Tryon
thought the mandamus superseded the
prohibition and issued a warrant for its
survey. Here is the survey:
Pursuant to warrant from his Exceency
William Tyron Esquire Captain General
and Governor in Chief in and over the
province Of New York and the Territories
depending thereon in America, Chancellor
and Vice Admiral of the same, bearing
date this nineteenth Day of November
l have laid out for Lieutenant Colonel Thomas
Howard in one Contiguous Tract, All that Certain
Tract PARCEL of Land, Situate lying and being
on the West side of Connecticut river in the Coun
ty of Cumberland within the Province of New
York, Beginning on the West Bank of the said
River at the southeast corner Of the township of
Brattleborough and runs thence along the South
bounds of the said Township of marlborough
North Eighty degrees West one hundred and
Twenty chains Then South ten degrees West four
hundred and eighty chains to the line run for the
North bounds of the Province of the Massachusetts,
Bay, Then along the last mentioned line South
Eighty degrees East to Connecticut River and then
along the West bank of the said River it winds
and turns to the South east corner of the Township
of Brattleborough where this tract first began Con
tanning Ten Thousand acres of land and the usual
allowance for highways.
Given under my hand this nineteenth day
of November one Thousand seven hun
bred and Seventy one.
ALExR GOLDEN
SURvEYR GEEI.
1t covered the whole of what is now
Vernon, and about three-quarters of mile
in width along the east side of Guilford.
He Immediately came with two liveried
servants to take possession. Some of the
settlers upon it in Guiford took leases
from him; others refused.
This grant aroused the settlers on the
east side of the mountain more than any
thing else against the claims of New York
authorities to the land. A letter of Charles
Phelps of Marlboro to David Matthews, a
lawyer of New York, condemning it, one
from Gov. Tyron to Lord Dartmouth ex-
planning it, and report of the board of
trade regretting it, were printed with an
article on Vernon in Tire Phoenix of May
%, 1890.
The population of Gulford at this time
was 1876, including Is heads of families,
three black males and two black females.
In 1772, about year afterwards, it had
increased to $50, including 81 families and
81 single men. Some of the families were
large, those of Silas Guitar, Hezekiah
Stowel and John Shepardson having each
II children; those of David Field, lothian
Bigelow, Jedediah Wood, David Ayers,
Samuel Melendy and Merodock Zulloden
Smith, nine each; those of Nathaniel Car
penter, William Nichols and John Camps,
eight each; and those of Asa Rice, Daniel
Drew, Joel Cutler, Gershom Rice, Ebenezer
! Curtis, Zacheus Farnsworth, Jedediah
Woods and Benoni. Smith seven each.
Names were not given so freely then as
now. MerodOck Zullodcn Smith was the
only man in town having more than two !;
and probably but one other in Cumberland
county, John Winchester Dana of POM
/ fret, had three. The prOprietOrs of Gull
ford held meetings under their charter;
but the town was probably never organized
as such under New Hampshire, and il
never became a New York town. On the
9th of May, 1772, the inhabited parts of
Cumberland county, not New York towns
were divided into districts, under law of
New York, with power to choose officers
similar to those of towns. In this divisions
"The nth district comprehends Guilford. a"
"Crean Brush, Gu The district was or
gained May 10, 1772, by choosing John
ShepardsOn clerk, and John Barney super