The Windham County reformer. (Battleboro, Vt.) 1876-1897, 1895-11-01
tin This is a historic fact.

uD This Is a historic fact.
l2) Samuel knights, whose descendants
still live in Bratteboro, was one OF the great
men of the day and later note will treat of his
career.
Qs) wantastiquet, to whose beauty as it
stands by the river edge and as sentinel over
our village, Fanny Fern well as Judge
Thompson paid such eloquent tribute
40 a mistake. The vilage-there was no
village at that time and but u sparse settle
ment of the town-was not under the auspices
of Col Brattle." He was not here then and
there Is no evidence that he was ever In town.
Brattleboro, Putney and Dummerston were
what were called the Equivalent Lands" which
Massachusetts, supposing her northerly line
reached here. gave TO Connecticut in part return
for lands which she had granted and settled but
which were afterward found to belong within
Connecticut. They were then sold at auction at
Hartford In l116. by Connecticut, and Judge
Wheeler has had In his hand the original paper
Of the sale at the secretary of states office at
Dummer, VIM Brattle, Anthony Stoddard and
Mary Saltostall and - others. Bratte, Dummer.
stoddard and John White to this tract for
their part of the purchase. For a long while
this whole tract of equivalent lands was known
as Dummerston, and Fort Dummer, built and
manned by Massachusetts, was also named after
came into the hands of New Hampshire the
three towns were granted Putney, Fuham NOW
Dumerston), and Brattleboro. all on the same
day, and to these original grantees under Mas
sachusetts with the addition of other names.
Though he was not here himself at the time of
this story, Col Brattle did own land here
and his heirs held II for some time after. IL was
in the southwest corner Of the north half of the
town. the tract which atterward camd to Arms,
and was northwest of what is now the
west village. The town was divided
into two parts by a line which ran though the
center through the north and south parts
were divided entirely differently.
Col Brattle belonged to family distinguished
In Massachusetts for three generations, and ne
was the most versitie OF ALL His father was
Rev VIM Brattle, long minister at Cambridge
and after whom Brattle square In Boston Is
named. Col Bratte graduated from Harvard IN
l722. represented Cambridge and was for many
years a member of the Massachusetts, council,
and besides rose to be a major general In the
old colonial militia. He was clergyman, ply
stefan and lawyer by turns and was highly sue
cessful in all these professions. In the early
part of the trouble with the mother country he
was among the remonslrants against British
measures. hut when the Revolution opened he
stood by the king" and when Boston was
evacuated he sailed among the other Tories
with the British troops for Halifax and died
there in Is7d.
He married for his first wife a daughter Of
Gov Safonstall, and his son, Thomas Brattle, a
graduate from Harvard in lstsl, was n notable
man for his culture, his scientific Attachments
ami his liberal views. He had to nv with the
other Tories when Boston was evacuated, went
10 England and travelled several years In
Europe, and while in London eNerted
himself mucn to amelorate the condi-
among them Ethan Allen lie returned
TO Rhode Island in Is7s and in - Massachusetts
repealed her enactments against his family a.
Tories and he took possession Of hl- patri-
mony. He died at Cambridge IN lsol, and with
him, 20 tar as can learn, died out the family