The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1912-08-23
BENNINGTON COUNTY IN 1885.
Interesting Old Letter Discovered BY
Seymour Van Santvoord.


interesting Old Letter Discovered BY
Seymour Van Santvoord.
In looking over some old family pa
pers | recently came across a letter
written in March. 1855, which, be-
cause of its reference to the New
England of that day and to Benning-
ton county in particular, may prove
Of interest to readers of your paper.
The letter was addressed to my great
grandfather, then in London, by his
brother, Major Harry Van Setback,
who had removed to Berkshire Coun-
ty, Mass, from Undertook, n. Y,
where many years before the family
had settled after emigrating from
Holland. The beautiful old Colonial
house which Major Harry built in
Pittsfield known as Norwood Hail.
is now owned by the Pittsfield Coun-
try Club which has wisely preserved
many of the interesting architectural
features of the building, including the
great hall which runs directly through
the house and still bears intact the
when the house was built. The letter
in part is as follows:
The farm | live on | bought for
four hundred and seventy-four pounds
York money, and contains eighty-six
acres of good land, with tolerably
good house, barn and a young or
chard, and a pleasant lake in sight
of me. In my lifetime, l never lived
among a more civil, obliging people.
During my residence here | never
was a witness to swearing. drunken
ness or a breach of the Sabbath; or,
in short, any fragrant trespass upon
morality. A purse of gold hung up
in the public streets, would be as safe
from our inhabitants as it used to
be in the great Alfred's time. Beg
CARS and Migrants we are strangers
to, as we'll of overbearing purse-proud
scoundrels. Provisions we abound in,
beef, veal, mutton and lamb; in the
spring, summer and fall we buy at
I'd. lawful per pound; in winter, beef
and mutton % and Sd, and every
thing in proportion and very plenty.
| throw out this by way of bait to
get you here, and of caution not to
determine upon residence else
where
have just returned from Vermont
| took your son Harry and F. Silves-
ter in my sleigh, who. as well as
myself, were much pleased with the
jaunt. We met with agreeable soci-
ETY. and very good fare. In Benning-
ton, we lived in style much beyond
what | had any conception Of; and
so we did in Manchester, about %
miles farther. We paid our respects
in going and returning, to His Excel
lency, Governor Chttenden, who is
a conyersant, pleasant old gentleman
and as much superior to what | had
conceived of him as the town of Ben
nington exceeds Undertook in the
elegance and taste of building and
living. In travelling sixty-four miles
and back again. four days out, lived
extraordinarily well all the time, and
among other things, we dined upon
boiled turkey and oyster sauce at
Manchester. The whole expense OF
our bill while we were out (horse-
keeping in the bargain), was twenty
six shillings, eight pence, York mon
ey, a piece. Add to the advantage
of travelling, that your person anw
property on the road and in the inns,
are perfectly safe.
Murders, robberies, burglaries or
petty larcenies are scarce heard of in
this country So perfectly am | sat
isfed with the manners, customs and
laws of this commonwealth, that !
would not exchange it for any other !
know of in the world"
The references to Bennington are
remarkable for the reason that at
the time the letter was written Kin.
derhook was noted for its society,
wealth and fine old manor houses.
/ built on a generous scale with brick
brought from Holland the fire places
laid up in rare old Deeft tile. Sew.
eral of these old houses including
two built by brothers of the Major
are in fine preservation, one of the
latter still in possession of the fam.
lily.
SEYMOUR VAN SANTVOORD.
Bennington, Vt, Aug 6, 1912.