Bennington banner and reformer. (Bennington, Vt.) 1903-19??, 1903-09-03
How Bennington's Early Settlers
Made a Good Swap.
ROCKS FOR FINE FARMS
Traded Strip on the East Side Of Their oria.
lnal Grant For Better Strip on
the West Side.

-W-
We hear every now and then that
the center of the town Of Bennington
has been moved one half or three
quarters of a mile west since the char
ter was granted by Benning Went
worth, governor of New Hampshire,
January 3, 1749, or the question is
asked, whether such is the fact?
1t is generally understood that Sam
puel Robinson, Senior, of Hardwick,
Mass, who had served as captain of
Massachusetts troops in the French
war in Canada as early as 1855, in
returning from one of these expedi-
tions, followed up the Walloomsac
river bymistake for the Hoosick and
In passing through this, then wilder
ness country, was pleased with the To-
cality and the fertility of the soil and
determined to come with colony and
settle here.
He, with his friends, purchased most
of the township rights of the original
grantees, and in June, 1861, an emf
grant party of twenty-five, including
men, women and children came into
the town on horseback bringing their
effects with them and located near and
in the vicinity of where the old first
church was erected.
The town was chartered six miles
square and was divided into sixty-four
shares or,rights, three fourths OF
mile square each and were numbered
from the west or lower left hand cor
ner of the town plot, which would be
No. l, to theright, the east share being
No. s. The next tier OF rights north
would begin with No. 9 and so on
bringing the last right, No. Ga, at the
right hand upper corner. The place
selected for the settlement was one tier
of rights west of the then center of the
own upon the hill, on high ground as
was usually done in early days, the
real center being in the vicinity of the
James Boardman place on North street
Bennington village.
The land of the east tier of rights on
|Woodford line being of poorer quail
ty and much of it mountainous and
,ocky. 1t was voted at a proprietor's
Meeting September 20, 1862, that the
settlers should have "the liberty of
removing the easterly half mile of
sald rights over to the west side in
said town opposite to them," they,
moving the twenty mile
inc east from the Hudson river which
vas we'll understood to be the limit of
he state of New York on the east,
would not be overlapped. OF course
was not expected they would move
he land itself over, but they could
cave the land on the east and take as
much in exchange on the west.
On May 9th, 1863, it was voted at
broprietor's meeting ''to choose Eben-
Ezer Wood a committeeto perambulate
he lines between towns" After this,
warning for a meeting there was
n article to seeif said propriety would
emove or exchange any rights in said
own, and August 20, 1866, it was
oted "that the request Of Samuel Rob-
nson, Esq, and James Breckenridge
md others, that their rights of land
n the east side of Bennington be re-
noved over to the west side of thetown
IF such a part of their rights as they
hall find vacancy of land on the west
ide of the town" 1t was also voted
that the above said persons shall de-
end the other proprietors from costs
nd charges that may or shall arise by
heir so doing, in case they can find
and that is not already laid out with
the town line"
At a proprietor s meeting three years
more after, December Is, 1863, the
ecords show "that Samuel Robinson,
ieut. James Breckenridge and John
Wood were chosen as a committee in
6dition to the former committee that
as chosen to further the laying out of
Dwn." 1t was also voted, that each
ian perambulate or settle the bounds
etween himself and his neighbors, or
any difficulty arise and prevent their
ettlement that they refer the same to
le committee that was chosen for the
aging out of the town and that their
alignment shall decide it,"
The writer has in his possession a
zap which has been used by one of the
est surveyors of the town, now de-
eased, for seventy.fve years or more,
n which the original easttier of rights
located on the west line, which goes