Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1901-08-09
A MINUTE MAN OF 1875.
Something About Jeremiah Rockwell,
Formerly of Cornwall, VT.

Formerly of Cornwall, VT.
In fine old farm house in Brandon,
Franklin county, N. Y, about the year
1915 lived jeremiah Rockwell, formerly
of Cornwall, VT, then oyer 80 years old.
He died in 1852, aged 81. This old SOL
der was a short, thick-set man, full OF
dry Yankee humor; man Of action
rather than of words. He was pleased
to rehearse old army scenes by motion
as well as speech. Generally a tiny
fair-haired daughter was his audience,
and she would stand big-eyed with awe
while he went through the manual OF
arms. When he came to the climax, the
aged soldier would shout "fire' at the
top of his voice and throw his cane
across the room. Then, laughing, would
call in merry tone, "Bring it back, Free
love-" This play with her aged father
was her part and memory of the Reyoiu-
tionary war in which her father fought
seventy years before.
This sunny-haired child playing soldier
with genuine hero of our war for Tree
dom was his daughter, Victoria Rock
well. and is Victoria ACKNOWLEDGMENT
of Holvoke. Mass, the Youngest "real
Daughter of the American Revolution
Her father inherited the bold, adventurous
disposition of those hardy pioneers who
settled Connecticut. He was born IN
Ridgefield. Conn. but in his early life
went with his father to Lanesboro, Mass,
where he married and lived until 1879,
when he bought farm in Cornwall, w.,
where he lived until 1887. He was very
religious man, being member of the
Congregational church in Cornwall. 1t
was his invariable custom to attend
family worship, both morning and
evening, even down to extreme old age,
and would often close the evening service
by singing some appropriate hymn. A
favorite one was:
"The day is passed and gone,
The evening shades appear
o, may we all remember well
The day of death draws near"
He was true specimen of the men
who went from that colony to settle and
gain fame as Green Mountain Boys. He
! lived in Cornwall. where he cleared a
| fine farm, half a mile north of Cornwall
village. on the road to Middlebury. now
known as the DR.. Porter place; but fin.
! ally settled for life in Brandon, in north
ern New York.
This old soldier was married three
times. Mrs. Blanchard mother was his
third wife, then a widow with seven
children, the oldest of which, Claudus B
Smith, is now living in Washington, d
c.. aged 50 years, a graduate of Middle
| bury college in the class of 1915; and the
youngest of the seven is Otis F. smith OF
Brandon, Vt, now 20 years old. At the
time of jeremiah Rockwell's third mar
rage he was the father of eleven child
rem. all now deceased.
This old Revolutionary soldier wa
only nineteen years old when he first Ell
listed as a so-called "minute man." for {
short service: but afterwards enlisted
twice and was at the battles of Bunke
Hill, Dorchester Heights, saltwater an(
Saratoga. When Lewis Cass was com
missioner of pensions, Mr.. Rockwell
name was placed on the roll of United
States pensioners, and when he died il
1852 was one of the few survivors of tn,
Revolutionary war. 1t is possible Their,
may be few old citizens of Addison
county who remember jeremiah Rock
well, sixty years ago, a resident of Corn
wall, Vt. OTIS F. SMITH.
Middlebury, VT, July %, 1901.