The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1900-05-30
Eight Survivors of the "319."

OF the "immortal 319" who voted the
Liberty Party presidential ticket in Yer
mont in 1910, eight have been found
now living. Their names and present
residence are as follows:
Jonathan S. Perham, Brook6eld,
Joel G. Stimson, Norwich,
Lewis Holmes, Sutton,
Alonzo Chamberlain, Spencer, Iowa,
G. w. Seaver, Barton,
Alonzo Moore, Lyme, N. H.,
F. E. Bell, st. Albans,
Timothy Peters, Westminster.
MIR. Chamberlain voted at Glover,
and some of the first colored people
which his family ever saw were fugitive
slaves brought to his home while he
was an active conductor on the "under-
ground railroad" He is now suffering
the disability of total blindness, but has
never missed presidential election
nor failed to vote the straight line of
Republican Presidents. He lives with
his son, H. G. Chamberlain, a lawyer, of
Spencer, Iowa. Mr.. Seaver was born
in Glover and voted in Albany with the
319. He has always been Republi-
can. Alonzo Moore is still Yer.
monter to the extent OF his post.office
address at East Thetford, but resides
across the river in Lyme, N. H. He was
born in Chelsea, April, 1916. His life
business has been milling, farming and
numbering, always for the Liberty and
Republican parties, and March -, 1900,
writes that he is in good health "for an
old boy"
Another of these famous veterans is
Timothy Peters. He was born in Bur-
lington, Dec. 3, 1915, and has lived in
that city and Shelburne the most of his
life, having voted for Birney in 1910 at
the latter place. Two others voted
with him at the same time, viz: Asahel
Nash and Elihu Russell. He was a
witness to the underground passenger
traffic on many occasions. He enlisted
in the union army but was rejected on
account of his age, and then given a
situation in the commissary department
where he served three years. He now
resides with his daughter, Mrs. W. S.
Fem, at Westminster.
st. Adams cast ten votes for the Lib
erty Party of 1910. She led with a
strong name, name which stood at
the head of the first Republican State
organization in Vermont in 1854, and
was also our State representative on
the first national Republican committee
of 1856-Lawrence Brainerd. OF these
ten the only survivor is Mr.. F. E. Bell.
He was born in St. Adams in 1916,
where he voted in 1910. He remem-
bers that among those who voted with
him at that time were Lawrence Brain
erd, Eleazer Jewett, Robert Loud,
Maria S. Keimer and Alva s. Keimer.
In this connection a word more as to
Lawrence Brainerd. When a young
man he was sought for sheriff because
OF his courage and bravery. Once, in
the face of a mob at Washington, he
accompanied Joshua r. Giddings to a
Jail on visit of sympathy to two men
charged with melting slaves to escape.
True, faithful and firm, though ma
tive of Connecticut, he was a grand
American and Vermonter, and the
writer hereof must be pardoned the
conceit that when he gave him his first
vote for Governor he had the same
feeling that he had started right as
freeman as when he afterwards cast
his first presidential vote for John P.
Hale.
In the first of these articles the pro-
liability as to whether the late Daniel
Roberts OF Burlington was one of the
original 319 was mentioned. The Lib
erty Party was organized in this State
in a few weeks after the presidential
election of 1910, and State ticket was
nominated for council OF censors head
ed with the name of Daniel Roberts,
Jr., and in March he received more
than 1000 votes, being Liberty Party