Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1893-09-22
HON. JAMES H. PHELPS,
HIS DEATH AT sUFFIELD, CONN
Sketch of his Life and Unique Career---
His Work In Various Departments Of
History, Law and Literature.

Sketch OF MS Lie ana unique Career--~
His Work In Various Departments Of
History, Law and Literature.
James Houghton Phelps was born Sept 6, 1917,
at West Townshend His father was Charles
Phelps lawyer and a son of Timothy
Phelps of Marlboro, whose father was Charles
Phelps the first lawyer of Vermont, and whose
mother was Zipporah Williams daughter of Capt.
Joseph Williams distinguished merchant of
Norwich, Conn, who died in Brattleboro. His
mother was Eliza daughter of James Houghton
of Guilford. after whom he was named. He was
fitted for college partly at Chesterfield academy,
and was graduated from Mddlebury college in
1885. before he was lS. He read law in his fathers
office and was admitted to the bar of Wndham
county at the April term, 1889. He appoint
ed register of probate for the district of West
minister by Judge Ellery Albee in 1872, and con-
tinued in that Office while the latter was Judge.
which was until 1876. He was elected second as
sistant judge Of Windham county court by the
general assembly in 1916, and first assistant in
1S47 and filled those offices respectively in each
year. He was representative from Townshend in
the, general assembly in 1913 and 1S49. He was
made president of West River bank at Jamaica
when it was organized in 1854 He was a senator
from Windham county in 1854 and 1856, and was
representative from Townshend again in 1867. He
filled all these offices with marked faithfulness,
statement of Offices held and official duties per-
formed by no means expresses the funess and
usefulness of his life.
He married Miss Sophia A. Robbins, daugh-
ter of Loren Robbins of Jamaica, November Z,
1874, and lived in the house at West Townshend
built by his father, who had moved to Cincinnati
There he lived constantly until within very few
years and there he kept his home until after his
wife died in 1890. They had two daughters, Eliza
S., now Mrs Albert r. Pierce of Suffield, Conn.
and Sarah j., now lately deceased, who were
reared and educated with tenderest care.
His learning in the law was great, extend
| ing to the sources and the foundation of the
common law, and the Roman civil law. His
learning in science and literature was also great;
and he well equipped for the practice of his
| profession in any forum. He translated Fleta
| and part Of BractOn, and wrote upon some le
gal topics, but of this work has been printed
But he was too modest and distrustful of himself
to engage in the conflicts of active practice at the
| bar: and his field had not population and wealth
to give full scope to his abilities an adviser.
Still he kept pace with the progress of the law in
science and enactment; and his counsel in legal
| matters was much sought. The advantages of
his learning were freely given to younger mem
| bers of the bar, or Others who came in the way
| of receiving them.
He was a great student of history. and partic-
| ularly of the early history of the state. and of
the local history of the county, and of his own
| and neighboring towns. DR.. OCalaghan ac-
knowledged his assistance about the Documenta-
| ry History of New York; Benjamin H. Hall ac-
| knowledged it about his history of eastern Yer
| mont, and Mr. Walton, about the Governor and
| Council of Vermont. He wrote a sketch of his
| town for Miss Hemenway's Gazetteer; prepared
the list of county officers for the Windham Coun-
| ty Gazetteer; and wrote very complete history
| of his town which he had printed. He was many
years auditor OF the town, and almost always at
| tached some historical data to his reports which
| were printed. He not only sought learning for
! himself, but sought that others might have it.
| His greatgrandfather had many books for
| his time, and brought them with him to Marl-
boro; and had much to do with the public af-
| fairs, and accumulated many books, documents
| and papers. These came to his grandfather, to
his father, and, with additions, to him. He was
| anxious to place these where they would be pre-
served and accessible. The building of the
| Brooks library offered place of which, on con-
ference with Mr.. Brooks he availed himself for
| that purpose. and placed them there under such
conditions, carefully framed, that they should
not be lost or destroyed, and, several times va
| red, that they should not be out of reach
| To bring the sources of the common law within
| reach of all he bought translations from the law
| French, the language in which they were writ
| ten, of the earliest record of common law
courts; and to show its most complete -devel-
opment bought a full set of the United States
supreme court reports, and placed them with
| the law books of the collection. And be-
| lieving that the study of the lives and times of
| great men is most useful, he bought the CO.
| lonial records of Massachusetts, Bay and of New
| Plymouth Peter Forces American Archives the
| works of Washington, Jefferson, Hamilton the
Adamses and Madison, among other such books
| and placed them with the miscellaneous colec-
| ton He wrote this introduction to this part of
the catalogue:
Placing upon this catalogue the books named
| therein is mainly due TO the active interest taken
| UJ MY WIe III making tne StsecIlOn. Sne was
profoundly impressed with the belief that oppor-
tunity for constant access to noblest thoughts
would, If not neglected, make the head wiser and
the heart purer. Fully sympathizing with this
cherished opinion of hers so often and so kindly
expressed to myself also from the feeling which
made me realize that light divine was shining up
on my pathway, and that the heavenly vision
should not be disobeyed, most willingly carried
into effect every one of her suggestions.
JAMES II. PHELPS,
West Townshend, Vt. July 30, $780,"
He took great interest and spent much
time and care in this work. and the result is
an appropriate monument to his labors and mo-
tives. West Townshend is a small village upon
bluff within circle of hills about bend of West
river. He took much interest in its one church:
he was fond of music, and for long time took
the lead in the singing. From his long continued
residence there, he well known, and for his
absolute and fearless integrity he was much re-
spected by all the people for wide distance
round about. With reluctance he gave up
his home there to be with his daughter, her
husband and children. She returned the kind
care she had received He died at about midday
of the 10th of this September at her home In
Sufheld, and was buried at West Townshend.
H. II. W.