Windham County reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1901-1906, 1905-04-14
tNHIT Sc ITEMS UtoCtNUNW
Thomas Knight Grandson Of Samuel
Knight, Who Came Here in t76S.

The death OF the late Thomas ],
knight nj West Brattieboro removes
I a connecting link with one Of the ear
Hest and most prominent Inhabitants
of the town. He was son of John
knight. who was q son OF Samuel
Knight, one of the first settlers. Sam
uel knight was born In Woburn.
Mass February 10, 1870, old style,
which would be February 20, 1881,
new style. lie was married In Kill
ingly, Conn, about 1867, and came To
Rrattleboro In 1868, and settled whore
there Is Il cellar remaining ON an old
road, through the red gate, beyond
the Kane Pine, ON the old road To
Newfane, In the Retreat grounds. He
was then a farmer. and had two chill
dren. Somehow, he studied law, prob
lawyer IN Vermont, who came Ia
Marlboro from Hadley in 1895, and
had a good library. Mr.. knight was
admitted to the bar OF the New York
courts In Cumberland county nj
Westminster I'm t772. He soon after
bought &c acres and three square
rods of land of Esquire Stephen
Greenleaf, i'm the northeast corner of
what was called the Governors farm,
which covered a large part OF the
present village of Brattleboro. The
north line of the Governors farm ran
east and west about through the
Wells fountain ON Main street He
built a house where Dr. Pratts house
stands on Main street and lived
there. At that time ii was the only
house between Esquire Greenleafs |
house where the American house I
stands and the Major Arms place |
where the Retreat farm is. and he |
was the first lawyer of Brattleboro, |
n, ha 70 ]
for the Propagation of the Gospel OF
foreign parts. which was located In
He was naturally with
those who favored the jurisdiction of
New York and was quite familiar
with Charles Phelps of Marlboro, who
was a prominent New Yorker. He
however, yielded to the jurisdiction
If Vermont and when Brattleboro
changed its organization from New
York town to that of a Vermont town
n 1881, he and Col. John Sergeant
we're elected representatives to the
Vermont legislature and he was the
in 1884 and 3. He
vas elected a judge of the supreme
'ourt of Vermont in 1883 and contin-
led until 1875, and a part of the time
vas chief Judge.
In 1890 he sold his land and house
o John Welland Blake, a lawyer, who
vas the father of John r. Blake and
ieorge Beatty Blake. He then moved
o where Stewart Pratt lives on
Western avenue and built that house
When Vermont was admitted to the
lnion and there came TO be United
states district judge. Matthew Lyon
strongly favored his appointment.
iatthew Lyon married the daughter
t Governor Thomas Chittenden. and
'as himself a member of congress
rom Vermont, and they exerted
trong influence In his favor. but did
ot succeed. The reason given
gainst him was that the president
'omd not appoint man over 60
ears old. and who had not had a
ollege education. Samuel Hitchcock
'as appointed.
Judge Knight, after his retirement
'om the supreme court, continued
he practice of law in Brattleboro un-
I the time of his DEATH which oc-
urred Monday, July %, 1904, lat
bout SHUTDOWN" His daughter. Sa-
ra Knight, married, probably, Peter
DWELL, and Samuel Betterly of Dunn
lerston married her daughter. Sam
Ell C. Betterly and James n. Betterly
t Dummerston are her descendants.
Thomas J. Knight was an honest,
orthy man, in his place. a good
eighbor and friend. His first wife
as a daughter of Sibyl Fisher Shep-
I'd. grand daughter OF Ebenezer
Usher. another of the first settlers,
18th the death of George w. Fisher.