Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1915-09-10
public land.

plying teams in making bridges, and
that the price of each yoke of good
oxen so employed shall be the same
price per day as a mans labor"
which was IS per day.
NOV. 4, 1871. then surveyed the
road through CRANKY, beginning on
the S. E. line of said town, 3 miles
and 10 rods from the N. E. corner,
and running" &c.
Here follows the courses and dis
tances through the town, the last 2!
miles of the road next t. East Haven
run due N. W.
CRANKY, Nov. II, 1871, then COM
peted the road through the town of
CRANKY, and surveyed the same, ac-
cording to the vote of proprietors.
Attest by us, William Amy,
Joseph Herrick,
Charles Cutler. E"
Voted, I'd, to accept of road
through CRANKY as it is now survey
ed, cleared and bridged."
The bill brought in for building
this road amounted to STA lbs Cd,
and has this certificate appended:
THE within is a true account Of
the labor done on CRANKY road.
Attest: William Amy, }
Joseph Herrick, : Committee
Charles Cutler. J
This road was re-surveyed as a
county road, leading from Memphre-
magog Lake in Derby, Orleans
county,t to Connecticut river in Guild
hall, Essex county, Sept. 1910.
Attest, Nehemiah Wright, Surveyor
Charles Cutler, }
Abner COe, Committee
Joseph Herrick. }
Distance seven miles one quarter
and "a rods.
The first proprietors' meeting as
per record held in CRANKY, was held
at the house of Joseph Herrick, Oct.
9th, 1875. At this meeting they
voted:
That whereas the proprletors at
their meeting holden heretofore,
have given as encouragement to the
twelve settlers who shall first settle
in said town, a tract of public land,
not exceeding $50 acres to each, and
whereas the following persons have
made Improvement according to said
vote, and are considered as settlers,
and to hold and enjoy, to themselves
and heirs and assigns forever in fee,
the lands as hereafter voted to them
respectively, viz: "To Mr.. Nathaniel
Herrick lot No. 6; range 4th, con-
tanning one hundred acres, and the
half of lot No. 5 in the same range
adjoining to the other, to him, his
heirs and assigns forever"
The names of the others and their
aIlotments were as follows: Joseph
Herrick 600 acres), } emf Cheney,
Samuel Ward Nathaniel Herrick ,jr.,
Robert Pike, John Crawford, Joseph
Roberts, Jeremiah Harris, Charles
Curtis, John Cook, and Enos Cook,
and voted to extend the time for
building mills two years from the
meeting.
The last entry upon the pro-
prietors' records bears date April
10, 1902, when the meeting was ad-
journed one month, but here the
curtain falls and the remainder of
the page is blank paper.
After a careful examination of all
within my reach that pertains to the
first settlement, have come to the
conclusion that Joseph Herrick and
Benjamin Cheney moved into the
town in 17O0 or 1871, probably the
| former.
In the first book of town records,
under the head Of Births and Deaths
and Marriages" on page II, is the
following:
Herd Cheney, son to Benjamin
and Eunice Cheney, born September
16, 1871, the first child that was borr
in town"
On page eight Of the same boob
the record says:
Samuel Hart married to Susanna
Herrick March 31st, 1796-also or
page nlne, Anna Pike died July 18th
1875, and these are understood to bt
the first marriage, birth, and death
that occurred in town.
For about twenty years, up tt
1910, the settlement of the town ap.
pears to have gone on favorably i
not prosperously, and there were 2.
or 26 families in town. About 1910
for some cause, to the writer un
known, several families removed t.
Canada, some to northern New Yorl
and some to adjoining towns; and tn
famous "cold seasons" 1913 to 1918
produced general stampede, s.
that III 1916 or 1917 there were blu
three families left in town, viz
Nathaniel PalI Tacbauc Cook an,