Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1915-05-14
HISTORICAL
SKETCHES
OF ESSEX co.
Continued from last week.
BRUNSWICK
BY MRS. MARGARET G. MARSHALL

/
The town of Brunswick is bounded
S. by Maidstone, E. by Connecticut
river, N. by Bloomfield, and w. by
Ferdinand, formerly Wenlock. Most
of the meadow land bordering on the
Connecticut river is annually in
undated by its waters, increasing the
fertility of the soil, by the ailuvial
deposit left upon the land when the
water subsidies. With the exception
Of the land bordering on the river,
the town is broken, hilly and stony,
and poorly adapted to purposes Of
agriculture. The town was charter
ed in the usual manner, by Benning
Wentworth in 1761, to Stephen Noble
and 63 others, and embraces a little
more than $4,000 acres. There is
quite a discrepancy in the charter of
Brunswick, which can only be ac-
counted for on the supposition that,
the course of the Connecticut river
was not correctly understood. The
charter says, containing by admeas-
urement about twenty-five thousand
acres, which tract is to contain some
thing more than six miles gquare
and no more;;" then after some pre-
liminary remarks, proceeds to de-
scribe the tract by courses and dis
tances, and says, ''butted and bound
ed as follows, viz: at the most east
erly corner of Maidstone, from thence
northwesterly up Connecticut river
so far as to make six miles upon
straight line, thence from srid
river N. w. six miles and one-half
mile, from thence southwesterly on
parallel line with that on the river to
the northerly corner Of Maidstone
aforesaid; from thence S. E. by
Maidstone aforesaid to Connecticut
4 river, to the bouhds first above men
| toned" /" If the course of the river
had been N. E. and S. W. in accord
ance with the general course, the
survey as described in the charter
would have embraced the amount Of
land contemplated; but as the river
runs N. and S. by Brunswick, and
the other lines we're run as described
in the charter, the shape Of the town
was not square6r nearly so as they
seemed to have supposed, but took
the form of a rhombus, which very
materially diminished the area, and
deprived the original proprietors of
about two-fifths of the quantity of
land designed to be embraced in the
charter. 1t does not appear that any
of the original proprietors ever oc-
cupieG the soil, or commenced any
improvement or operations within its
limits. Arthur Wooster is supposed
to have made the first clearing Of
some three or four acres, on the up
per side of the Wait Bow; but for
some cause abandoned his improve
ment, and never became an inhabit-
ant of the town. The first survey
and allotment of the town was made
by Eben w. Judd, in 1888, making
two lots to each original proprietor,
and were called the first and second
division comprising nearly tWo-thirds
of the town. The first divisions con-
tanned only eight acres each and were
laid out on the lands bordering on
the river. The design in making the
lots so small was, that each proprietor
might have piece of meadow land.
The second division lots contain lis
acres. The allotment of the remain
ing portion of the town was made in
1923, by Rich Stevens, and containing
II acres to each lot.
i Notwithstanding the forbidding
} condition of the lands not immediate
ly bordering on the Connecticut
river for purposes of cultivation,
probably mn town in Essex county
originally contained more white pine
| timber than Brunswick, and the
natural facilities of conveying the
same. to the seaboard might have rem
dered it verygreat source of wealth
to the early settlers, or their de-
scendants and successors, provided
they had possessed the means of OBJ
/ tanning its ownership, or fully APP
! preciated its coming value; but fail
, ing perhaps in both of those prerequi-
: sites, they suffered most of the
timber to be removed by others with
r but little pecuniary advantage to
t the first and present occupants Of
the soil.
David HiX and Abram Gile were
the first settlers in Brunswick. Hix
commenced on the farm afterwards
owned and occupied by Joshua h.
: Lamkin, he was cooper and did not
: make much improvement in clearing
: and otherwise subduing the natural
hindrances in the way of civilized
life. He was taken by the Indians
while hunting sable in the woods, and
carried to Canada, where he remained
two years and three months.