St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1907-05-29
History of the Grange.

| In 1870 Jonathan Lawrence con-
sidered the establishment of the secret
society among the farmers of the coun'
try known as the grange At the close
OF the civil war agricultural conditions
were at such a demoralized condition
| throughout the south that Isaac New
| ton, at that time commissioner OF agri-
culture in the administration of Andrew
Johnson, appointed 0. H. Kelley of the
bureau of agriculture special agent of the
| department of agriculture OF the south
| to investigate and collect statistical in
| formation for publication with a view of
| interesting farmers in the north to emf
CRATE to the south to take up farms
which had been abandoned there either
on account of ravages of war or the
death of their owners in the war
While engaged in this work Mr.. Kelly
conceived the idea of forming a secret
fraternal organization among the far
mers of the country. His plan was re-
ceived with favor at Washington, and
conference was held Nov. Is, 1867, when
the organization was formed under the
name of patrons.of husbandry.
. The term grange, derived from the old
English word grange, meaning farm or
homestead, was applied to the subordi-
nate organizations and to their places of
meeting.
1t was the idea of Miss Carrie A. Hall
of Boston, that women should be given
the same rights and powers in the or
ganization that men should have. She
was niece ofO. H. Kelly.
There were but SO subordinate and
three state oranges in 1871. Since that
time the growth has been more rapid
and the expansion has reached to every
state in the United States and also
spread into Canada,
In the year 1870 Jonathan Lawrence
of ST. Johnsbury became interested in the
work of the national grange, which he
had read about in various Washington
papers, and began communication
with the officers of the national organi-
cation to found oranges in northeastern
Vermont. The first grange in Vermont
was founded at St. Johnsbury, July 4,
1871. under the name of Green Noun
tain grange and later in the same year 0.
II. Kelly of Washington came there to
instruct the charter members in the
secret work of the order.
Jonathan Lawrence, the first granger
in Vermont, was man of Puritan ances-
try, and one of the most progressive of
the farmers of his day. He held many
public offices. He died in 1892 at SO.
The state grange in Vermont came
into being July A, 1879, at St. Johns
bury At that time there were but 10
in the state and delegates were
present at the state convention from but
eight of the 10. E. P. Cotton of Iras-
burg was elected master. He was after
ward lieutenant governor of the state.
Eben P. Cotton continued in the office
until 1876, when at the state meeting
held at Windsor he declined a reelection
and Col. A. B. Franklin was elected in
his place. At that meeting the attend
ance was so large that hotel accomoda-
tons were inadequate and the people of
were called upon to entertain
many guests, which they did Hospitality.
There were 221 subordinate oranges
in the state, and the number at that
time reached its high water mark. The
from that time began to de-
crease, and in 1885, when Alpha Messer
w do ClSSlSd ~ aoulNSCd wi.
there were but Sc oranges with total
of about 1900. The depres-
sion continued until 1894, when there
were but 46 oranges, but the member
ship of these was $3.50. At this meet
ing change of administration was
effected whereby the ebbing tide of the
affairs of the grange was stemmed and
the grange launched upon a wave of
Charles ]. Bell of Walden
was elected master, with an able corps
Of assistants. Later Mr.. Bell was elected
governor of the state, assisted largely by
the votes of his brother grangers.
He held the office of master until last
fall, when he was relieved at his own re-
quest, and the state grange elected
George W. Pierce of Brattleboro master
in his stead. Under his administration
the grange has been increased and en-
larged until it bids fair to carry out the
original scheme of it's founders and have
a charter in every town in the state.
The organizers have established 81
new oranges. with a total membership
of 1141. At the present time there are
in the state 147 oranges with member
ship Of II ,941, the largest single mem
bership being that of Protective grange
in Brattleboro, with an enrolment of
400 Rutland News.