St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1897-08-20


meant that Peacham would sec one oil
the biggest gatherings in her history.
The crowd began to arrive early, and at
10 o clock 1 900 people were in the tent
waiting for the morning exercises to
begin The tent was made to seat 1 $50
people, and before noon every seat was
occupied. About 1900 is probably not
too high an estimate for the number
who heard the afternoon exercises. At
10 o'clock the large gathering was called
to order for the exercises OF the
Morning.
Rev. DR.. E. L. Strong performed the
duties OF chairman in most pleasing
manner. After selection by the Sher-
man orchestra prayer was offered by
Rev. S. S. Martyr. An address of wei
come was made by Rev. ]. K. Williams,
who, in few appropriate words, ex-
tended cordial greetings to the many
who had come to Peacham to assist
and help make successful the one hun
dredth anniversary of the old school so
dear to all. Then came
The Historical Address.
Prot c. A. Bunker gave the historical
address and we give below copious ex.
tracts
According to the old records, the town
of Peacham was originally granted by
George Ill. of England, through Gov.
Benning Wentworth OF New Hampshire,
to seventy.six grantees, natives OF New
Hampshire, Connecticut and Massachu-
sets.
The language Of the charter is, "Six
miles square and no more" The town
contained 90 ,040 acres. A gore between
Peacham and Danvllle, in the shape Of a
rhomboid and called Dewesburg was
afterwards divided between these two
towns and this increased the area to
25,695 acres.
The charter gives His Excelency, Ben
ming Wentworth, Esq, tract of land to
contain Five Hundred Acres as marked
B. w. in the Plann-which is to be ac-
counted two OF the within shares One
whole Share for the incorporated Society
Tor the Propagation of the Gospelin For.
eign parts-One whole share tor Glebe
tor the church of England as by Law
Established One sharei Tor the first Settled
minister of the Gospel and one Share Tor
the Benefit OF School in Said Town
Forever"
The charter goes on to specify, "IIIdlv,
That before any Division Of land Be
made to and among the Grantees Tract
OF Land as near the Centre OF the Said
Township as the land will admit of Shall
be reserved and Marked Out Tor town
Lofts one of which shall be allotted to
Each Grantee of the Contents of one
acre fourthly Yielding and Paying there
for To us our Heirs and Successors for
the Space of Ten Years to be Computed
from the Date Hereof the Rent of one Ear
OF Indian Corn only on the twenty fifth
Day of December annually if lawfully
Demanded the first Payment to be made
OH the twenty-fifth ofDecember A D 1864.
V Every Proprietor Settler or lnhab tant
shall Yield and Pay unto us Our Hers
and Successors yearly and Every year
forever from and alter the Expiration OF
ten years from the aforesaid twenty.6ft tn
Day OF December-whch will be in the
year of our Lord one Thousand Seven
Hundred and Seventy four one Shilling
Proclamation money tor Every Hundred
acres he so owns Settles or possesses"
The first town meeting of the grantees
was held, by charter direction, in Hadley,
| Ia Al
Revolutionary War, the bitter contro.
versy between New Hampshire and New
York, the severity of Vermont winters,
and the distance between Hadley and
Peacham greater than the entire length
OF Vermont, the settlement OF the town
was exceedingly slow For ten years it
remained an unbroktn wilderness. The
proprietors occasionally held meeting
with William Chamberln, one OF the
early settlers, as their clerk, and did some
surveying.
The first meeting held in Peacham was
Aug. 20, 1888, twenty years after the
granting of the charter and only six
months before the first regular town meet
ing OF which we have any record.
The town was laid out in lots of one
hundred acres each, in the form of par
allelogram. Portions of an cid map anc
records lett by Gen. William Chamberlir
speak OF "the square," but what or wher,
the square was could not be ascertained
Fortunately Col. Jonathan Elkins, Jun.
who came to Peacham when he wa.
fourteen years old, with his father Dea
Jonathan Elkins, kept a memorandum o
those early years, and that document
now in the possession of his son, Henri,
Elkins, Esq, OF Chicago, throws mucl
light upon all our early history.
According to this memorandum Gen
Jacob Bailey OF Newbury, the most notice
man in this part OF the country at that
time, in 1774 sent his son Joshua will
several men tosurvev a tract in Peacham
Starting with the western boundary o
Barnet, he surveyed a tract nearly west
about three miles square. All within thi.
boundary was said to be in 1.-THE Square; ,
all without in 1.-THE Ranges"
The surveyors pitched" them some
lots and, on their return to Newbury
gave glowing accounts of the new
Canaan. In September of this same veal
Dea. Jonathan Elkins OF Haverhill, N. H.
with some Others visited Peacham ant
Elkins was so much pleased that h,
pitched him lot" and, returning to
Haverhill, Immediately sold his farm.
In May, 1775. Dea. Elkins and his sor
Jonathan, who kept the memorandum
with two hired men came to Peacham
There was no road. They found Their
way by spotted trees. They were Joined
this same spring, by John Skeele, Col
Frye Bailey, John Sanborn, Archey Nc
Laughln, and some others. They cleared
some land, but all returned in the fall.