Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1896-10-30

the troops from Boston. He died in I'LL,
aged As, and was buried in Kings Chapel
churchyard on fremont street. His son
Royal was born in Boston in 1851. The
young man entered Harvard college and
graduated in 1776, in his 10Th year, "while
the country was in a delirum of mingled
hope and fear of its first month of indie
pendent existence" He began the study
of the law, but left his studies to join in
the unsuccessful attempt TO drive the Brit
ish army from Newport, X. l. He was adj
mitted to the bar in 1879 and began prac-
tice in Falmouth, now Portland, Me. He
returned TO Boston two years later. In
l7SS he made his first visit TO Vermont I'M
der commission from Gen. Lincoln to ne
gotiate for the arrest and return of the fu-
gitives from Shay's rebellion, the legisla-
ture being then in session at Bennington.
Soon after his return TO Boston he wrote
the play, 1.-THE Contrast" which has be-
come famous as the first American play
ever acted upon the stage. 1t was brought
out in the John street theatre, New York,
April Is, 1856.
In the summer of 1890 Mr.. Tyler made
his second visit TO Vermont, going up the
Connecticut river as far as Windsor. The
next year he settled at the ''middle of the
lous town in Vermont, and soon found
himself in the enjoyment of a large prac-
tice in all this section. He remained in
Guilford about ten years and during this
time performed much literary work, produc-
ing several plays and farces, and contrib
uting to the periodical literature of the
day. His most pretentious work was a
novel, 1.-The Algerine Captive" In 1901
Mr.. Tyler moved to Brattleboro and the
same year he was elected an associate judge
of the Vermont supreme court. In 1907
he was promoted TO be chief Judge and this
Office he held until 1912. After his retire
ment from the bench he resumed practice
of the law and continued it while health
permitted. He died in 1926.
On their removal 10 Brattleboro the
family first lived on the farm on the hill
above Centreville, now owned by Mr..
Thurber, and best known as the Gilbert
Smith farm. This house stood a little TO
the rear and TO the west of the present
farmhouse. In 1918 they moved from this
farm TO house which stood on the site of
the present Marsh building" of the Brat
tleboro Retreat. They afterward lived in
two other places in the village. Finally
Judge Tyler bought the house at the top
of North Main street hill, now owned by
$. w. Kimball, and here the last years of
his life were spent.
Chief Judge Tyler's son Royal, the
third of the name, and the subject of this
sketch, was born in the farmhouse on the
hill April 10, 1912. He was the ninth in a
family of IL children. His boyhood was
spent in this village, and at IS he went To
Boston as a clerk in the store of an elder
brother. While there he was persuaded
to take a college course. He fitted at Phil
lips Exeter academy, entered Harvard as a
sophomore in 1881 and graduated in 1884.
he studied law in the office of Charles c.
LoTing, leading Boston lawyer of his
time, and was admitted TO the bar in 1897.
The following spring he returned to Brat
tleboro, where his mother and sisters were
living. In 1889 he was admitted to the
Windham county bar on a certificate from
the Massachusetts courts. Within the year
following he became the law partner of
Asa Reyes, the firm name being Keyes &
Tyler. Soon after this Mr.. Tyler went to
Newfane to take charge of the business of
Charles X. Field during Mr.. Fields alb
sence in the West. A year later he re-
sumed his law practice in Bratteboro. In
the meantime he had been elected state
attorney of the county. In 1874 he was
| appointed register of probate. In 1916 he
was elected judge of probate for the dis
trict of Marlboro, the election 10 this office
being then by the legislature and not by
| the people direct as now. This office he
has since held continuously. In 1851 he
was appointed county clerk, and this office
he also held until his death. Upon his APP
pointment as county clerk Judge Tyler re-
| linguished his law practice and during all
the years which have interviewed he has de-
voted himself to the duties connected with
his two offices. Life has gone on with
him in a remarkably equable course; he
has never sought other preferment, and
has refused the suggestion of any which
might draw him away from the work which
he loved, and had grown to be an essential
part of his life.
Judge Tyler married April 20, 1910,
Laura B. Keyes, the daughter of his law
partner, who was for many years a promi-
nent and venerated resident of this village.
Judge and Mrs. Tyler first lived in house
which they built on the common on the
site of the house now owned by j. T. Hill
dreth and l.. E. Holden. When that
house gave way to the present more pre-
tentious dwelling it was moved to North
street, and is now the home of North street
school. In 1855 the house ON Tyler street,
at the junction with Terrace street, was
built, and here Judge and Mrs. Tyler have
lived ever since. Three children were
born to them. One died in infancy. The
elder daughter, who became the wife OF
Commander Allan ID. Brown, died in 1877.
The younger daughter is Mrs. G.. W. Plat
of Great harrington, Mass. Beside his