Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1892-05-13

ne GIT from oscar y, mdISudll, ESVss
to the Brooks Library Of the original agree
ment for the support of the gospel in this
town excites interest in its history. The
colonial New Hampshire charter of the
town may be found in Mr.. Henry Burn
hams valuable work. 1t was twice eX-
tended. Here is a copy of the last extern
sion:
PRovINcE OF New HAMPSHIRE.
George the Third by the Grace of God of Great
Britain. France 4 Ireland King Defender of
the Faith &c:
To all whom these Presents shall come
Greeting:
Whereas our Late Royall Grandfather King
George the Second Of Glorious Memory did of his
Special grace and mere motion for the Encourage,
ment Of setting a New Plantation within our said
Province of New Hampshire by his Letters Pat
ent or Charter under the Seal of our said Province
dated the 18th day Decemr 1853 & in the 9th year
of his Maiestys reign Grant IA Tract of Land equal
to five q Is miles square Bounded as therein eX-
pressed to Number Of our Loyal Subjects whose
Names are entered on the same to hold to them
their Heirs or Assigns on the Conditions therein
Declared to be a Town Corporate by the Name of
Brattleborough as by Reference to the said Char
ter may more fully appear
And whereas the said Grantees have Represent
ed that by the Intervention of an Indian War
since making We said Grant it has been lmpract-
cable TO comply with and fulfill the Conditions
humbly Suppicated us not to take Advantage of
the Breach of said Conditions but to Lengthen out
4 Grant them some Reasonable time for Perform
ance thereof after the said impeachment shall
Cease.
Now Know Ye that We being willing to Pro
mote the end Proposed have of our further Grace
& Favour Suspended our Claim of the forfeiture
which the said Grantees may have Incurred & by
these Presents do grant unto the said Grantees
their Heirs & Assigns the Term of one Year for
Performing & Fulfilling the Conditions Matters
& Things by them to be done which Term is to be
Renewed Annually if the same impeachment Re
mains until our Plenary Instructions shall be Re
Relating Incident
a Compliance with the said Charter according to
the Intent meaning of the same
In Testimony whereof we have Caused the Seal
of our said Province to be hereunto affixed.
Witness Benning Wentworth Esq. our GOVERNOR
and Commander in Chief of our Province afore-
said the 9th day of july in the Year OF our
Lord Christ 1861, and on the first Year Of his
MaieStyS Reign.
BY his EXceency's Command
with Advice Of Council
THEoDR. ATKINSON, Secy. b. WENTWORTH.
Next the proprietors had the town sur
veyed into lots, and plan made. Those
not fixed by the charter were drawn by
chance Five acres of the north end of
lot six in the fifth range of 80 acre lots
were reserved on the plan for a common
and burying place. This tract included the
southern part of the cemetery as now it is,
and part of the open level field south of
the cemetery on the top of the hill north
of Centrevile
The permanent settlement of the town
away from Fort Dummer meadow began
in 1862 beyond where the asylum is and
extended westward and northwestward
and over West river Burials from Fort
Drummer were made in the old cemetery at
North Hinsdale; but "Susan, wife to
Lieut.. Wilder Willard, who died Nov. goth
1853 in the 2Sth year of her age was
buried in the meadow near where the di-
rect road to Vernon is. Her gravestone
was ploughed up and thrown away by a
farmer; another farmer set it up on the
little knoll where it now stands, southwest
of her grave, and across the road north
ward from Col. John Hunts. Elizabeth,
daughter of Samuel and Hannah Wells,
who died October 8, 1865, was probably
the first person buried in the cemetery on
the hill At that time there was no set
Element in town so far westward; and no
road past there but trail to Abel Stock
wells and Charles Phelps's in Marlboro.
This little grave was alone there in the
great forest.
A Westinghouse was built on the COM
mon in 1868. AS the date and place of
this house have been variously given, the
proof of them may be interesting. The
town was organized on the first Tuesday
in March, 17GS under the laws of the
Province of New York. No mention was
made in the records of any Westinghouse.
At the next annual meeting, on the first
Tuesday in March, 1869, the town chose
'Israel Field, Surveyor & overseer of the
highways, to inspect & oversee that the
Meeting House q from the aforesaid Road
to the Road which passes by Saml Knights
to Esq. Wells's to be kept in good order
& repair" etc. This shows the meeting
house to have been built before that; and
as it would not be built in the winter, it
must have been built as early as the fall
before. Nathaniel Church lived on the
west side of the road where the asylum is.
A road was laid June %, 1774, from the
Westinghouse to Ebenezer Haws's. 'Be-
y
line, from thence running with the centre
line on the south side of said line the
north side of the Westinghouse to William
Cune's land" etc. The centre line was the
north side of the common; and as the road
was on the south side of that line, and the
Westinghouse was south of the road, it
must have been on the common, little
west of where the southwest corner of the
cemetery now is. The road up the hill
northward did not then go on the east side
of the cemetery, but went westward across
the common and then turned north and
went west of the cemetery. Some of those
who signed this agreement probably built
the Westinghouse, as the laws of New
York, which then prevailed here, made no
provision for it. They held meetings be-
fore the date of this agreement, agreeably
to some of its provisions The first was
held April Is, 1863, at which committee
was chosen to confer with Guilford COM
mittee about hiring a minister on probation
and the meeting was adjourned to April
81, when it voted:
l. That a minister he procured TO preach for
the term of three months upon probation for set
Ting him, and the town of Guilford pay for one
month and have preaching one third of the time
q That the sum of 10 pounds, York currency
be raised for the purpose aforesaid, the une-hali
TO be levied on the polls and the other half upon
the real and personal estate.
g. That Saml Wells, ESD John Arms, Esq
and Henry Wells be assessOrs
A. That Henry Wells he collector
s. That Henry Wells be the person to sue foI
and recover the money that shall be assessed Of