St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1913-03-13
RYEGATE HISTORY
Introduction to Ryegate's Town His
tory Soon TO be Issued


tory Soon TO be Issued
Many hands have contributed to
this history of Ryegate. In one
sense General James Whitelaw, the
founder Of the town, was also a his
torian. To his journals and cor
respondence we owe our acquaint
ance with its earlier years The
towns and session records are our
authorities for the events which they
record. The records and personal
sketches collected by Mr.. George
Mason during several years are a
mine of information concerning its
families and the events of its first
century. He began about 1855 end
continued during several year,. the
collection of such data from the OLD
est people Of Ryesate and Barnet,
hoping TO publish them. But his
death found the projected work not
yet attempted. and tlie collections
Of years we're in a taiI way to be
scattered and lost.
In fact they were about TO be
burned, when, fortunately for US,
they we're rescued and purchased
by Mr.. Edward Miller who was
we'll qualified To complete the work
for which Mr.. Mason had left
abundant materials Mr.. Miller
knew Ryegate thoroughly. His en-
tire life had been spent here, and
under his shreWd observation had
passed sevetal generations of its
people. As a schOolmaster he had
known its families; as town officer
he knew its business affairs and as
a member of one of the churches,
he was familiar with its religious
history. Ii was his aim al hope to
prepare. as the growing work of his
life, a history Of his native town. II
was a labor of love with him to
collect the materials for The work
and TO this end he devoted all the
time he could spare He published
from time to time in various news
papers of the country sketches of
families and of persons which are
noteworthy for their graphic style,
their racy idioms, and the personal
sympathy with which they are filled.
But Mr.. Miller was a very busy
man, and could spare but a small
part of his time to the task, and
failing health compelled him to re-
linquish the work before he had be-
gun to arrange his collections in
suitable form for publication. Ii
was his regret, as it must be of
every reader of this volume, that
he had not laid everything else
aside, and completed his work while
he had health and strength to do it
Mr.. Miller had followed DO system
of arrangement, nor had he yet elias
sifed his collections, and his records
and memoranda, scattered through
score of manuscript volumes, |
diaries, scrap books and loose
sheets of paper, presented a for
midable task to the present editor. |
OF the historical part of his work |
he had not written out any yet;
there were many families whose re
cords he had not secured; and of
his collections much was unavail- |
able for the present purpose. II
has been no light task to select |
from such a quantity of material |
the portions which should be used |
in this work, to supply omissions, |
to verify statements, collect addi- !
tional data, and bring the whole /
down to date.
The full value and effect of what /
he accomplished historically, can
not be easily measured; but, un.
questionably, without it, there would /
not now be published any history
VI bAC LOWhs - AAAAAAANCA use VI III
the Mason and Miller records was
for this history by Mr.
Miller's family without remunera-
ton, Such an opportunity rarely
comes, and it was a vital factor in
at length securing favorable action
by the town.
Others besides Mr.. Miller and
Mr.. Mason have written about the
early history of the town, but a
very important part of this history
was entirely lacking. No one knew
anything about the relation between
the managers of the Company in
Scotland and their agents in Rye
gate subsequent to the purchase of
the south half of the town by White
law and Allen, and there seemed nc
way of supplying the deficiency. But
the unexpected discovery by the
editor among the Whitelaw papers
Of the original correspondence be-
tween Mr.. Whitelaw and the officers
Of the Company, the original Jour
nal of Proceedings, the account
books and much other important
matter, more than supplied what
was lacking, but greatly increased
the labor of preparation. The
papers also gave much