Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1894-09-07
DUMMBRSTON HISTORY,
The Controversy Over the Glebe
Land or Minister'S Lot.

Crosby, His SuccessOr---The Lawsuit
against MIR. Crosby and How it Ended.
The Information In this article is complied
from the town records and file of documents
kept in a lawyers office nearly ninety years
Tradition claims that Samuel Porter. a
lawyer and Judge of the county court, liv-
ing i'm Dummerston at the beginning of
this century, got possession of the miuiste-
rial lot through fraudulent means and de-
prived the town of all benefit resulting
from the sale of the land; also, that he
stirred up the inhabitants to an angry con
test which resulted in a loss to the church
of the income from the public lot. The
following narrative of events will show
whether Judge Porter was, or was not, un-
justly accused.
-Four lots on the plan of survey made in
1867 were marked Common and one of
them, No. SO, on which the meeting house
was built came into the possession Of the
town. and Rev. Joseph Farrar claimed it
"by virtue of his being the first settled
minister in town He was dismissed from
the church in Dublin. y. H., June 4. 1776,
served in the Revolutionary army for time
as chaplain, and, leaving the army, came
to Dummerston, probably in IT'S. He
made a clearing on the public lot, built a
I must anu Udlu lutItOllg ludl nt lulHul
have a home for his intended bride. Mary
Brooks, whom he married July Is, 1919.
She was probably relative Of Aaron
Brooks, then residing in the town. Mr.
Farrar's usefulness as q minister was i'm
paired by disease, and still more by morbid
| fancies in which he INDUCED; and so much
dissatisfaction arose against him that he
was dismissed from his pastorate May l.,
| ISL On the following day, May -. John
Sessions Hon. Luke kuOwlton of New
fame, and Hon. John Bridgman. Judge of
/ probate, were jointly chosen as referees
/ by Mr.. Farrar on the one part and the
/ church and town committee on the other
| to decide about the ownership of the pub
! lie lot. May 81, 1854 the town voted to
accept the referees. The decision of the
referees is not recorded. but was, doubtless
to the effect that Mr.. Farrar owned the
! public lot; for on July - following, the
! town voted to have the selectmen and their
! investors take the deed of Rev. Joseph
| Farrar in behalf of the town. According
! ~, on Aug. II, 1884, the town bought "his
share of land known as the public lot on
! which the Westinghouse stands, with
| buildings and Improvements thereon, for
! GAO Also, the town voted unanimous
! ly "to secure John Shepard Gates, William
| Boyden and Thomas Clark, the selectmen.
who have taken the deed of Mr.. Farrar in
behalf of the town, and make good all
cost and damages that NAV accrue to them
on account of their obligations given as
aforesaid In September the committee
settled with Mr. Farrar and paid him the
amount due on his salary which was $40
a year After his dismissal from the
church in Dummerston nothing is recorded
of him for - years, until he became the
first settled minister in Eden, this state, in
/ 1911.
Rev. Aaron Crosby was the next hired
preacher that moved into the parsonage on
what may now be called the town lot.
The trouble with the first settled pastor
made the to wn and the church more care
full in the selection and settlement of a
second minister, in order to avoid future
controversies about the town lot. MI.
Crosby was on trial for more than two
years before the town decided TO give him
a call TO settle as their minister. The peo-
pie were so well pleased with his serN ices
that at a town meeting held Oct. % 1856,
they voted unanimously to settle him over
the church, and, at an adjourned meeting
in December, fixed his salary at GG6, to be
paid annually; also to have the use of the
farm on which he lived. The town re-
paired the parsonage in 1857 by laying new
floors, ceiling and glazing two square
rooms, putting up a partition TO make the
house more comfortable, and finishing a
''well fit for use He was also to have
three or four SabOaths in year TO visit
his friends Mr.. Crosby wanted to buy
the farm, but the town decided to keep il
for the use of a minister, and lease it TO
him for three years, beginning May !,
l7S1 at so year, TO be paid in repairing
the house and farm, or deducted from the
annual salary. At the end of three years
the rent was TO be determined from time to
time, as the parties might agree, by disin-
terested persons. In May, 1892. a new lease
OF the farm was given and the rent fixed
at E12 a year. On February ~, 1875,
Lieut.-Gov iona. Hunt and DR.. John
Campbell were chosen arbitrator and 'set
the Rent OF the farm at GIG, los Dur
ing the same year the town voted to sell a
part of the farm, not to exceed $50 IN val
he, and fix the rent themselves. Mr..
Crosby was unwilling that any of the land
should be sold, but the town voted that he
"accede TO the sale Three house lots on
the common near the meeting-house were
sold in 1893 The buildings on the late
Asa Knight estate occupy two of the lots
occupy the other lot. In 1877 it was ex.
pected that building for a county schoo
would be erected on the town lot, and Mr.
Crosby consented that it might be done
'or purchase a convenient situation any
where else According TO the vote of the
town in 1875, about three acres of land
north of the parsonage were sold to Bella
Shaw, Esq, and Martin Miller.
After that the current of events between
Mr.. Crosby and the town did not run
smoothly, but 10 breakers appeared UNI
til Dec. :, 1901, when the town voted tC
hire Rev. Mr.. Edward Goddard to supply
the pulpit until the first day of Marcel
next and pay him at the rate of S22O a
year. War between the contending partie.
had been inevitable for a long time; anC
now that the first shot was fired, hOstilitie.
began Immediately. Mr. Crosby was de
termined to hold the fort, and claimed the
ownership of the farm. The town were a.
fully determined to drive him from his DO
sition and regain possession of what wa.
legally their property. On the next day
after the town voted TO hire another minis
ter, paper was drawn and signed by so OF
the inhabitants of Dummerston who wert
taxed for the support of a Congregations
minister. The petition was addressed L
the Rev. Edward Go lizard of Swanzey, n
H.. and the subscribers AMONG whom Wpr,