The Brattleboro reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1907-1912, 1910-05-27
BruttlebOrO Local
OLD nRArTLgB0RO RECORDS.


The LEGAL yo,sn d Rratiieboro al Their
annual townmsstins GA March ,, isas.
passed resolution on motion 81 sAiaas'
clarl. insirue,ins the ssledmen TO pro
cure a book and cause the early tseo'as
AZ the town, which were IN manuscript,
10 be Transcribed therein With JUG eais
snd attention, also sundIy unGecotlea
JssJ. found among the old papers, The
nr.i mage Of the book reads a. ioiloMs'
a tsanseript Of the old records ~ the
town clerks Office, Battlebofo, which siof
ihe want Of proper books ior reoofdinsl
we're made al the time IN manuscript on
such paper AZ could then be pioeutva,
and according have sinov suffered nu.n
I,om wear. are becoming daily more "
iss,hl. and liable TO disorder aud iossi
they have therefore been collected and ar
ranged In the best possible order rasss
i to az az this book contain The iv."ius
AZ nrattleboro from March 10, l.si' 70
IJnly la. 1872, which were recorded ny
stenhen Gfeenlcai, town clerk oi bi-iue'
hora In lSf2 In this same book IRON
nae. az 20 M i contained accounts Tran
ser,bed February, 1866, by Lafayette
Clark. town clerk Of Braitieboro, when
are records Of events which TOOK plaoe
from ls6s 10 isl. The iollosine iniro.
duetion was made by MT. oiaik Mheh nc
transcribed them: The following '
comics of old records, much worn and torn,
rcsently found among the loose papetss o.
The late town clerk. stephen Grecnieai,
Esn.. and are hereby carefully copied TOT
preseryation." The first thing recordea
I a marriage intention, which reads as ioi'
lows: These are 10 certify that y inteh
tion marriage between David Church OF
marlborough and Damaris Church oil
Sunderland hath been made pubhek ac-
cordinr TO custom. Henry Wells, town
clerk, marlborough. Dec. 9th, l.os.
On the back OF this certificate Is written:
"These are TO certify J, persons within
named were joined IN Marriage ~ o me-
Bunker GAY Hinsdale, Dec 29th, l1os;
ner,,sal Of the Transcribed record OF
these early days reveals many interesting
things. The annual meeting. was then
held on the inst Tuesday in March, as AZ
present. Among the officers elected al
the town.meeting in lI6s there were three
commissioners for laying out and reguia-
ting highways. These officials probably
correspond 10 the selectmen OF the pres
emit time In l770 three trustees were
elected whose duties might have been OF
a similar nature. The first record found
of three selectmen being elected was on
March 81, 1881. Another interesting thing
town.meeting is the fact that four con-
stables were elected, while only two are
elected now with several times greater
population, There were also two over
seers OF the poor. At this town'meeting
the highways of the towns were divided
nm into six districts and the freeholders
OF the town were divided among the six
oyerseers of the highways elected at his
town.meeting, and in this way the roads
of the town were cared for. This system,
which began then, was used In tins state
for l24 years until it changed to the pres
ent town system.
Even at the early date four fence view
ers were elected and four other freehold
ers were chosen, whose duties, As the
records state, were ito take care that no
unruly cattle or horses or any that be-
long to other towns, or any swine I'M
yoked or unringed run at large on the
highways or unfenced, unimproved lands
in this town the year ensuing. Two
freeholders were chosen in demand, sue
for and receive all penalties and forfeit
ures incurred by the breach OF the orders
at this meeting. These officials cores
pond to some extent with the present
town agent II was voted at this town
meeting to raise fl2 York currency on
the poll and estates for defraying the
necessary and contingent charges OF the
town. This is all the money that there
seems to be any record Of being raised at
this meeting, but it is evident that money
was obtained for other purposes, for the
resolution raising this amount provides
that the assessors are ordered to tax the
inhabitants and freeholders in equal pro-
portion as other taxes are raised. This
money was discussed by the town clerk
giving orders on the treasurer. He was
authorized to give orders for the whole
or as much as was necessary of the fl2.
Brattleboro was granted a charter in 1853
by George II, and Josiah Willard received
an appointment at the first town-meeting,
but there are no available records now
concerning the meetings which might have
been held from 1853 to l76S., At present
it seems to be an unsettled question
whether there were any regular town
meeting previous to the one recorded in
l76S. There is feeling about the town
among the old residents that the records
of the town were burned at an early date,
though this book contains records continu-
ously from 1858 to l792.-Brattleboro let
Tor in Springfield Republican