Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1891-01-16
HISTORICAL.
BrattlebOrO School Districts.
DETAILS OF THEIR
EARLY HISTORY

Suggested by the Recent Removal of
the Old Brick Schoolhouse in District
No. Ia List of All the Heads of Fam
lilies in Town in 1889.
The removal of the old brick school
house west Of West Brattleboro suggests the
early history Of the neighborhood. After
Judge Wells acq tired the New York title to
the town in 1866 he sold and decided 800
acres in the west part Of the south half 10
William Smith, Thomas Smith and Nicho.
las William Stuyvesant Of the city of New
York This tract extended from near the
top Of the hill west of West Brattleburu to
Marlboro aud from near the centre line TO
Guilford. They laid it out into lots cover
ing the lots in the five ranges in the south
half Of the town from numbers five to four
teen inclusive, with a tier of four lots end
to end POO rods long and 80 wide to the
east of them, aud divided the lots among
themselves 10y partition deed William
Smith was chief justice of the piov-
ince uf New York No settlement was
made upon the tract, nor in the valley
Of MILESTONE brook west Of where the vii
lage Of Brattleburo is before liGS The
meeting house was built ON the hill north
Of Centreville in that year, and u road ran
from there, passahe for horses and carts
wagons we're not then III use or known
through the woods ON to Ames hill. where
Abel Stuckwell then lived m Marlboro. In
that year " lillian Harris from Holden.
Mass, bought Of Judge Wells lot No. , IN
the fourth range OF Original lots of 100
acres each when covered the " est part of
where West Brattleboro village is. His
house stood ON the west side of v here
the road goes northwardlS through the vii
lage, and when the road coming dow the
hill was laid out 1t was located five rods
north ui IT. Reuben Field bought land
northeast ot the brook IN ,6g aud Israel
Field west ui his, on both sides of the
brook, III lIiO. In the latter year John
Houghtun, afterwards captain. bought of
Thomas smith the northeast corner lots of
the large tract mentioned Between then
aud liI4 he must have built n saw mill and
grIst mill where the mills west of
the schoulhUuse now are, for he sold the
land and mills IN the latter year to Aaron
Nash. This as the first grist-ruil " est of
that hult by 'toV. Wentworth near the
mouth oi NhetStohe brook III 'd2, aud
the hrsl sa" -mlll west ot the one built
10y Esquire Stephen Greenleaf. where the
Estey mill is, IN l112 or l173 ESQUIRE
treehleHt bought land aud lived on top Of
tne MT ON the north side "t the road east
of the schoulhuuse lie Is understood to
nave been The hrst merchant III Brattleboro
ana III erniont. In all article on Brat
tlehorO IN l'il, his store Is mentioned as
having been where brattleboro village is,
nut iurther Information shows that vas er-
roheous. original notes dated IN liii aud
ana "S payable IN good wheel, at Mr..
Nhsh NM or Esquire 'ireenleafs there,
indicate that at that time lie lived at this
pace anu That bls store may have been
there. The province OF Massachusetts
bay Kept truck house at Fort Dunmer
%hile Tor trading with the Indians and
soldiers aside from that probably this
store oi Esquire Greenleai's was the first
III the state The town clerks office was
kept theTe many years.
Lieut. Israel smith came about 100
from hadley. Mass, aud bought land ad-
joining h"ughton's. Rutherford Hayes
married his daughter Chloe. " illiAm Elias
settled south here West Brattleboro Is in
Lax samuel arrlner where Henry War
rlner no" hvts IN Ia: Peter Briggs
southwest OF where Henry Akley lives IN
lao Daniel Frazer west Of the brook be
yond the Nchoolhouse IN 1876 Artemas
no" southwest OF Frazer IN li11 Thorn
as Akiey where Henry Akley lives IN 1880;
Peter houghton on top OF the hill south of
west brhttle6oro IN l'S2 John Plummer
al Tue RUNNER place and Samuel Mixer
west OF INN IN ~ Samuel Nohles east
oi hlm III 80; Lew Goodenough south OF
MOBILES IN $50, aud Jonathan Stoddard
northeast OF Akl-ys IN 49, These are
names oi nut part OF the settlers. In l,i2
OF l''' ROAD was laid out under acts OF the
provincial assembly OF New York through
fownal' Ne" Stamford and Readesborough
IN Albany county, and Nottingham, Ora
per, New Marlborough aud Brattlebornugh
IN cumberland county, aud all ireeholders
IN the towns through which 1t passed were
by the law OF New York required To work
ON 1t three days IN each year. Samuel An
derson OF Albany county and John HUugh-
ton and Malachi Church of Brattleborough
we're commissioners To see To- 1t and alter 1t
as they should see fit. This resulted in the
improvement OF the road through Marbo-
rough past the meeting house to Connect
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