Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1911-04-19
Vermont Pioneers
and Their Families.
Edited by "SHAWSFIN"
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VERMONT PIONEERS
Care of The Monitor, Barton, Vt.

associates and chartered August
23rd, 1881, she was given the name of
Minden and retained it until October
9th. 1870, when it was changed to
Craftshury in honor of Colonel Eben
ezer Crafts.
Early in the summer of the year
1913, Col. Crafts opened road from
piece of land, on the Trout brook a
little above the present mill of Luman
F. Smith. Tradition has it that Col.
Crafts then erected house and saw
mill and laid the foundation for
grist mill. This piece of land was
known as the Mill Lot and was given
to Crafts by the other Proprietors on
condition that he build sawmill
in one year and gristmill in two.
1t was not, however till the 21st of
May, 1889, that the families of Nathan
Cutler and Robert Trumbull arrived
and located; Cutler on the farm late
ly owned by Hamilton z. Hartman
and Trumbull on the north side of the
road, east of the old French farm
now owned by Judge Button. AS the
cold weather set in, Trumbull, fall
ing sick. went with bis family to Bar
HC6 LII Vic WlutCI dlu Juliet re-
NAMED alone. Thus began the set
Element Of Craftsbury and of Orleans
county. With spring Col. Crafts and
Trumbull returned.
True to their New England instinct,
! first and foremost was the town meet
ing. The warning for this bears date
February Oath, 1892, and is signed by
John McDaniels, Justice of the
peace of Hyde Park It was called
at the house of Col. Crafts. March
18th, 1892. and the town was organ
lied with Col. Crafts as Moderator,
his son Samuel c.. as Town Clerk,
to which office he was elected annual
ly until 1929. Crafts, Lyon and Cut
Ter were chosen Selectmen and Jo-
seph Scott, Sen. Constable. 1t was
voted that all notifica tons for town
meetings for the future be put up at
the house of Col. Crafts until some
more convenient place be appointed.
The first Freemen's meeting was held
at the house of Col. Crafts, Septem-
Der 4th, 1892 and he was CHOSEN to
represent the town in the General
Assembly that year to be held in Rut-
land.
At the March meeting of 1893. the
first town. Treasurer, Daniel Mason,
and the first Grand Juror, Robert
Irumbull, were elected. The town
was divided into two highway dis
tricts, all lying east of the Trout
brook to be one, and all on the west
the other. The selectmen were d.
rected to survey by compass such
roads as shall be thought necessary
BY the 18th Article, it was voted that
any person, after the present season,
who shall attempt to drive an OK sled
less than four feet wide in any public
road shall forfeit the sled to be sold
at Public Vendue and the money so
arising shall be given to the poor. At
the adjourned meeting of June 10Th,
, of that year, the selectmen reported
that they had laid out road from the
abutment of the bridge on the Trou t
: brook to the Greensboro line. This
| was the first highway. Before this
there existed only military road built
from Peacham to Lowell in the latter
part of the Revolution by Col. Hazen.
) This highway entered the town near
what is now the East Village crossed
between the Hosmore Ponds and into
Albany known then as LutterIoh. On
June Gath, 1893, Col. Crafts was elect
ed member of the Constitutions
Convention about to be held at Wind.
; sor. At the meeting of March 3rd, il
was voted to expend Is bushels OF
: wheat in schooling the children and
in 1896, committee was appointed tC
select spot for a schoolhouse and
give an estimate of it's cost They
> reported that the location that seemed
to them the most suitable was 40 rods
north of the dugway on the road tc
Nehemiah Lyons and that they hac
set stake there, and had estimated
the cost at 80 dollars. This house
was never built. but on October Oath
two school districts erected, similar
to the highway districts. Thus early
was evinced that care for the cause
-, of education which has been so promi
nent in the history of Craftsbury.
These meetings were held first a.
. the house of Ebenezer Crafts and af
terward at that of Joseph Scott unit
the freemen's meeting of September
1902, which was held at the Meeting
!. house that had been erected at tn,
b Center, now known as the Common
Soon after the warnings were direct
ed to be posted at saiu Center Meet
ing house instead of at Royal Corbin'
MILL
>, At the first meeting of the proprie
tors held in Sturbridge. Decenbe
9Th, 1887, Lot No. Z, in the 9th Rang
. had been reserved for a meeting
house plot, common, &C. Since tina
:, day the Common has been diminishe
in size either by sale in accordanc
with the vote of the proprietors or o
- the freemen in town meeting.
(To be continued.)
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