Weekly Caledonian. (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1919-1920, 1920-03-03
ST. JOHNSBURY
NAMED FOR
T..
ARNOLD'S SON
Lyndon Arnold Thinks II
Was Not Named for
DeCrevecOeur
Editor Caledonian- Record:

I AM writing this TO correct an
error in the history of this town in
which am interested and | fully be-
lieve that l know as much about as
any one living. am straight line
descendant Of DR.. Jonathan Arnold,
the founder of the town. And l
think | c:n prove to Ill fair-minded
people, especially all who have read
DR.. Edward Fairbanks History of
st. Joh:lsbury, that he has made an
error which ] wish to sec ,ectiliod,
about how the town got its name.
always had great respect for Dr..
Fairbanks and he was one of MY best
friends and think was probably sim
cere in his belief in what Mr.. Stevens
told him and when he got his mind
fixed it was hard to change him. But
l have discovered that many histoli-
ans make history if they don't know
anything about it and they want to
get by, especially if it has never been
made public. And knowing what do
in this natter it looks to me to be n
great bi bluff, to keep up historic
reputation and get by.
DR.. Fairbanks in his preface say:
that h? wrote NJ. Stevens that he
was writing history of the town and
would like to visit him and get what
data he could. Mr.. Stevens invited
him to his place, reciting that old gag
about eating in the dining room three
days, showing that he did know
some ancient history alright.
And later Dr. . Fairbanks went over
and made him q visit. OF course as
a historian ii was necessary to have
a full knowledge of how the town
got it's / anne and as it had not been
publi'he |, he evidently hit upon n
name that looked good to him, and
probably had aged paper to write
nice letter for St. John de Crevecoeur,
unknown to any one this side Of the
state. 1t evidently looked good TO him
il he could only get by with it which
he did with DR.. Fairbanks. Now /
will refer to few things. In Dir.
Fairbanks book on page II he tells
the true history of how the town got
its name, which he calls Tradition,
and it was not only tradition but a
fact. And when DR.. Fairbanks got the
letter from Mr.. Stevens in 1860, my
father, who was born March 81, 1901,
was living and died Feb. Il, 1871. His
father, William c. Arnold, came here
itA 1857 and my grandmother came
with them also, and she lived until
1850; 80 that the tradition did not
have to be carried down many years.
Hut' when the great sclf-styled his
torihn in his important way handed
DR.. Fairbanks the letter, evidently
written for the occasion, probably on
well-a&red paper, and remarked "That
will; tell you where you got your
Name" that evidently settled II with
Dl, Fairbanks.
7 will call your attention to page
"a in DR.. Fairbanks book showing
the date of that letter (plcase keep
dates in mind), May 81, 1855, a little
before the town was settled, also on
pare CT, an item taken from paper
called the Orange Nightingale and
Newbury Morning Star, dated Aug
ust o. '--"' more than eight years
before St. John dc Crcvecoeur wrote
his letter to Ethan Allen. The item
tells OF woman being mutilated and
killed up at st. Johnsborough. This
name is also referred to on page 16,
where one Moses Little who was in
tcrested in the Dunmore Grants in a
petition to the General Assembly Oct
ober, 1887, refers to the more recent
ly acquired land in Littleton, Con
fTnnI;n,o,l ~, nooo Cl