Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1907-12-13

p A 4
which has te-a .- course q preparation
t-r upward -t ,ar== years 7as- z-5 %
V-.c- reference has frequently been made
Sc --r columns has been --u-.sts5 ana
--- upon sale within the rzs- two resl,s.
---s IS undoubtedly che most careful
and comprehensive history which has
been prepared t1- am Wi-d1z- comfy
--7--. and v= th-1E there are few towns
-1 Vermont 50 fortunate as % have had
--e.- histories gathered a-- r-- in -s--
----@-t fem .- such cc-u.e.e ana
satisfactory way. L ls impossible 70
s1@ak from ones ov- knowledge Z the
s-nz-a-ua. accuracy u all ne facts
gwen. though 4 this We have I'd doubt
1-- ne ian o. tie work and The way in
Which .t has been carried on: ~oc,5 seem
90 meet every reasonable -e--.-s-e--
il the early chapters 'the-e are given
description q --e general geological and
t7F-E-ar r1i-al features q the ,.v-. is
-rs- charters. The srst settlements By
white M :ts Indian occupancy. the
earliest written records the o-ra-izs-
;!'1 u the town government. the frs;
O. ~1 meetings tEe earliest settlers. their
homes and how they lived From thsss
tHere follow Il 1aturz, sequence the BE-
ginning o. th= towns manufacturing il
a-s-r.es. the first churches. meeting
houses, a-t ministers. the towns -ar- IN
the Revolution and In the states 5rEs--
.za'-'1. rs schools and roads the first
bridge across the Connecticut and is Sc
-essc-s. the ol5-ti-e navigation ot the
Connecticut. the stage--ozch davs. the
construction @: the canal which furnishes
the power to- TIE towns leading indus
tres. a2d finally the coming of the rail-
r1ad and rhe telegraph. and al the ra-!6
change and development q The s. years
v1.-1 have t--e-rsret
Ever hing which pertains - the act
-z- history n t-e town appears 20 have
-@@- gathered and T-t in form with coz
s--e1tt'-s care. b-t there is In the his
-a-E ---1 1.-e than a mere skeleton o.
frame wa.k -t names and dates =-s
chronological events Ire skeleton has
'ee1 a-ed out and given LIE 5y ab---
cz-t narrative. incident. z-e-sots a-s
-@7-.--s-s--a. There are many -zres in
t1e volume which any reader would f,5
O.; --ie-es; though re might know or
care nothing about t14 town ot Rocking
han 50 fa- as any personal connection
vas concerned. bct which wo-ld zprezl 10
nm because they contained a. entertain
-1g word picture ~ bvgone times. A vzl-
-ao.e feature y the vo-k Is It's couulets
Isl @: town officers from the FIST o.
ea-!zat!on OF the town. its list ot soldiers
IN the War t7r the Union a-d b-iet -e--
so1al record Of each. followed b. list
q - r-
Tie LIST ot business ren and their oc-u-
pations in the year Of Publication -i1l b
a feature q interest when another cen
trTy has gone by. TIE history u-one-
covers - pages. Following thes4 there
are * pages Of geaezioEies-and one
would rather a3t think Of the mental
ton and confusion which mus. have bee-
endured II getting these lists even sp-
proxinateiy correct
a d.sti1g gushing feature o. This his
'o-y seems - Is 70 6e that through its
text and its Illustrations one may gather
an Intelligent mental p.cture u The -5v,.
is .nHa a.;a1ts, occupations and conditions
- almost any given period in the 81
years which are covered. Ike all s-ch
Tcrk which Is vel do-e il ts evident
tsat the preparation q this history was.
III Ye-E large p1r-. q labor @. love and .
matter q personal interest n the us-t
e is author. Ly-a- Simpson HAYES. to-
10 such history as this ca1 ever Be IRE
pared or purely commercial bass. Is
Foundation must = IN personal .ntsres;
a-d personal enthusiasm in the work
The town q Rockingham is fortunate il
having the large number and great variety
~ illustration which have been gathered
for the illumination q these pag=s. as
vel IS Il TIE maps ot The town AZ dif-
Cs-e1- p=-iods. Among these Illustrations
are several bird 's-eye views. halt-tors
ot the e-st bridge which was built over
the Great FANS II l7s+-S5. an engraving
q o-e q TIE fat boats used in tAe rzv!-
cation q the Co1-eccic--. and I.-strs-
t.1-s Ike those q the swinging s.Elbosri
O.: TIE old Morgan Tavern IL ~, Bl,
Bikes Forest NH il ls1+ the Island
House. the blizzard scenes u -s$ and
ve-y many poT-raics-1ot forgetting,
from the newspaper paint q view. that
n -he author which forms the t-oltts-
place and the very excellent ha-t-tones. q
Alr and Ms \ y swain. who made AZ
=
i-g their = years connection with the
Bellows FANS Tines.
The contents ot the history are made
readily available and do1bly valuable b.
classified indexes. The history has been
prepared and published under = town aP-
preparation a-d in the general charge OF
a committee named az the annual March
meeting in Ls4
Il is interesting 70 note ir conclusion
that This history had It's Inception in q
series q sketches and short historical
articles which NJ. Hayes contributed 70
the columns ot the Brsttleboro Daily
Evening PhRaix, which vas printed dur
Ing the months OF the war with Spain IN
the sumner % 1sse