The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1916-09-01
GUILFORD.
A Sketch of Royal Tyler, Condensed
from His Memoirs.

Royal Tyler was the most accom-
plished and the most distinguished man
who ever resided in this town. He was
descendant Of a distinguished Boston /
family, was born in that city in 1857. /
graduated from Harvard college at the
age of nineteen, studied law in Cam /
bridge and Boston, practiced his pro-
fession IN Portland, Maine, and in Bos- /
ton several years and came to Guilford |.
IN January, 1871. lie was then engaged |
to Mary Palmer, a daughter of Gen |
Joseph T. Palmer of birmingham, Mass, |
and married her year or two later,
but was not well enough settled in bus |
mess to bring her TO Guilford until the |
winter of 1874. Their first child was
born in birmingham, three were born
in this town and seven in Brattleboro. |
1t was remarkable that a brilliant |
lawyer, thirty years Of age, should |
leave good city practice and settle in |
a country town. The attractions of n |
new country had much to do with bring
ing him here as they had with bring
ing Stephen Rowe Bradley to West |
minister and Martin Field to Newfane.
The gentle tide of immigration then NOV
ing from Connecticut and Massachu-
sets probably affected him. TYLER had
had some military experience, was ma
jor IN a regiment, and on account of his
liability and address was sent bv Gen.
Lincoln of Massachusetts to visit the
Vermont legislature, then sitting at
Bennington, about matters connected
with the "Shav rebellion - At other
times while on this mission he visited
Windsor when the supreme court was in
session, also other leading towns and
became acquainted with many of Yer
mont s prominent men. GHilford was
then the most populous town in Vermont
and gave the young lawyer promise of
a good law practice, which promise was
| abundantly fulfilled, for his business
teXtended into most of the counties of
Vermont and into adjoining states.
Mr.. Tyler wrote ''The Contrast"
while he lived in Boston, but during
his ten years residence in Guilford he
wrote "'The Algcrine Captive, - ''The
Georgia Spree ''The Duelists' and
several other plays and was large con
tributor to The New Hampshire and
Vermont journal and to other publica-
tions.
The well known "Tyler house." of
which many pictures have been pub
lished, has finally disappeared on ac-
count of age. 1t stood a short distance
from Guilford Center on the south side
of the road leading to Hinesburg. In
1901 he bought and moved to the farm
in Brattlehoro now owned by II. p.
Wellman on Orchard street The house
stood little north of Mr.. Wcllman s
present house at the foot of " Meeting
House IIill" In the fall of that wear
Mr.. Tyler became a Judge of the SUI
preme court and in 1907 its chief Judge,
which position he held until 1913. when
he retired and resumed the practice of
his profession.
In those days there were neither
railroads nor stage coaches and travel
ing up and down the state. from coun-
ty to county, over bad roads. was Sc
we're work for the judges, besides their
work in court.
In 1913 the judge sold his farm and
bought the house known in recent years,
rs the "Kimball house. Mt the corner
of Putney road and Park place, in the
Village Of Brattleboro. lie had large
practice for seven or eight years when
he gave up on account of i'll health. lie
died in August, 1926. and the body
lies buried in Prospect Hill cemetery.
While Judge he wrote the opinions of
the court in,etwo volumes known as
Tyler s Reports which form Part
of the supreme court reports. His liter
airy works would fin several volumes.
He was man of wide learning, a wit
an extensive writer of poetry and fic-
ton, . fine lawyer, an excellent Judge.
His estimahle widow survived him I'M
til 1866, when she died at the age of
81. She was a woman of culture and re-
finement Many interesting letters writ
ten by her from the farm are still pre-
served among the memoirs.