Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1892-02-25
Centennial cong'I Church, Tunbridgei
VI, Feb. 3, 1892.
HISTORICAL DISCOURSE.
BIZ Rer. James Ramoge.

l.. H..
member the DAYS of old; we consider lhe
years OF many generations.
What have been the experiences ana
achievements OF this church during the
century? Let us trace its history;
The town OF Tunbridge was chartered
Ssntember 2. 1861 in the reign OF George
the Ard. lust five days before His Males
Tvs marriage, by Governor Benning
/ Wentworth OF New Hampshire, to Abram
Root. Timothy Bronson and So others.
The first permanent settlements were
made in 1776 (the year in which the lhas-
pendence Of this country was prociaiInsssoJ
/ nv Moses Ordway, James Lyon Eilhs
| Curtis. Hezekiah, John and Abijah Hutch
inson, three brothers. These settlers pre-
coded their families, cleared the land,
/ built houses and returned Tor their Iami-
lies.
In those days there were no roads and
the settlers found their way by aid OF
marked or ablazed'' trees. In 1850 the
first child James Lyon Jr, born in town
arrived. The event occasioned great re-
| ioicing. The houses OF the settlers were
/ built in a plain and primitive fashion, and
partook somewhat of the strong sturdy
| character OF their builders. They were
constructed OF hewn logs, resting upon
one another, with one window ana door,
the latter formed Of bark. The roof was
covered with bark and the floor was one
/ OF Natures own providing.
Heck iah Hutchinson was one OF the
/ first and one OF the most prominent ana
influential Of the settlers. He was man
of strong mind and warm heart. man
whose religion bore transportation and
! fiourished in the wilderness. He brought
with him his Bible and a stalwart faith in
/ God that showed itself by works. He first
pitched upon the lot where Amos r Farm
| ham lives near the town farm. There he
sowed four bushels OF wheat in the spring
OF 1875. The wheat he brought upon
horseback to point near what Is called
ssthe needles eye" mile and one-half be-
| low this village, then he with his brother
shouldered il and tramped through the
woods TO his pitch l. IL mile distant.
-Four years later a disaster occurred which
4 gave the young settlement a severe blow
/ from which il did not recover for years.
Saturday, Oct. IL, 1850 Hezekiah Hutchin-
son and Capt. Solomon Cushman left the
settlement for their families in Connecti-
cut, for whom they had made prepare
lions. During their absence, Monday
morning October 10, band Of Indians
numbering 300, led by two British sol
diers, came stealthily upon the settlers.
They had encamped over Sunday, on a
| hill near the present site OF Caleb Haynes
and Elmer A. Woodlands residences. Sal
| lying forth from their place OF conceal
ment under cover OF the darkness, they
hurled themselves like destroying ava
lanche upon the little settlement. Houses
and barns with their contents were burn
/ ed. Everything valuable was consigned
TO the flames. Two persons were slain by
the Indians. The houses of John and
Abijah Hutchinson were the first to be
burned and they with Elias Curtis, their
/ brother in-l law were taken captive. The
horde OF savages leaving in their rear ruin
and starvation, advanced with fell pur-
pose upon Royalton and burned il. The
| three families who spent the following
winter in town endured great hardships.
The captives given up for lost returned
after an absence OF five years, with the
marks of the privations endured indelibly
engraved upon them.
Hezekiah Hutchinson built, il is
thought, the first frame house in town,
upon the site of the house owned by Mr.
/ Freeman Tucker, the first house south of
| the church. The house had Just been
completed, his family had taken possess
/ sion OF il, and he had gone 90 Connecticut
/ for money to pay the bills due for its
| construction. The day on which he re-
| turned the new house was burned TO the
ground; when he came around the bend
/ in the road near where the brick school
1 house south OF the village now stands, his
house was in flames. One OF his children
narrowly escaped losing his life in the
| burning building. With commendable
N1hIhht anu AnAAaIAtIASAAN tDtIEN ne AT
once erected another house around the
old chimney which alone had survived the
1 fury of the flames. IL is said Of him that
he offered prayer over the first child bur
led in town.
The settlers were men Of sturdy physi-
cal and moral manhood, and they had
warmly at heart the social and religious,
as well as the temporal interests of the
| little settlement.
II was the custom in Vermont in those
early days, a custom that obtained in the
states whence the early settlers had come.
to make provision for the support of the
gospel ministry and the erection OF meet
ing houses. The charter OF this town
provided that certain "proprietary rights
should be sacredly and forever set apart
for religious and educational purposes.
All financial matters relating to the main
tenance of religious worship, were voted
upon in town meetings. Provision was
made for preaching the gospel Just as
much as for building and repairing the
| highways. Further the concurrence of
the town with the church, in calling. set :
ting or dismissing pastor was necessa-
ry. The charter of Tunbridge gave one
whole share to the Episcopal church for
the propagation of the gospel in foreign
lands; one whole share for glebe for the
church Of England; one whole share for
the first settled minister of the gospel,
anu one NnOle snare lOr the Denenf OF
schools in town. At present | am in
formed, the income from 800 acres of land
goes in accordance with the provision of
the charter to the Episcopal church. The
church at Montpelier is the recipient of
this income. SO that the churches that
are conserving the religious interests OF
the town derive no benefit from the land
that was originally set apart for religious
purposes.
In 1871, the year Washington took
yorktown, the state authorized the towns
TO levy tax upon taxpayers for the pur-
pose of erecting houses of worship. In
1888 am act was passed by the state allow
ing towns to levy tax upon polls and all
ratable estate for the purpose OF erecting
houses of worship. In 1901 any person
could secure exemption from paying re-
hgious taxes by declaring that sthe did
not agree with the majority of the inhab-
itants OF the town in religious opinion
This declaration to be lodged with the
town clerk. Not until 1907, the year of
the first steamboat on the Hudson, did
there come a dissolution OF the union be-