The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1921-10-27

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10 England: which eliminated him 70
. nearly three yesrs
: Joseph and Mary Baker Allen o
! Salisbury, Conn, had siR sons, Tn
} oldes, was Ethan, born in 1888. Wht
went 20 the Grants about 1863; IN
. youngest son, who really founded tn
republic. was Ira Allen, born in 1851
His father died when he was thre'
years old and his mother with six boy
and two girls could not, In those days
give any Of them much education. HI
: first went 20 the Grants in ITO anC
was a made lieutenant in the Greer
Mountains Boys when he was 10. HI
studied surveying for seven days anc
then undertook 10 survey this wilder
ness He was engaged in this wori
FOR four years, marking out nearly al
the counties and townships in the
", stern and northwest part OF Yer,
mont His boundary lines have re
mained to this day.
II was about 1772 that Ira made the
important resolve to locate perman-
emily on the Grants, and soon after in
duced his brothers, Ethan, Heman and
Levi, and his cousin, Remember Bak-
er, 20 form a company with him, call
ed the Onion River Co., (0nion being
the meaning Of the Indian name, Win
ooski) for the purpose Of acquiring
large tracts Of land in Vermont.
Ira was TO take charge Of the bust
ness, locating, surveying and buying
the land, and Ethan was TO look after
the political requirements Of the COM
pany. At this time, the political also
included the military, for the lieuten-
ant governor of New York was sur
veying and granting lands which had
already been granted by the governor
Of New Hampshire.
After the taking Of Ticonderoga, all
thoughts Of lands or business Of any
kind in the Grants was given up. As
soon as Montgomery took command Of
the army to invade Canada, he placed
Lieut.. Ira Allen, then "a years old, on
his staff and entrusted him with i'm
portant work at the attack Of Quebec.
In the meantime, matters in the
Grants were not progressing favor
ably. Many on the west side Of the
mountain, where the field Of battle had
been since the controversy with New
York, had either left the Grants or
moved down to the southern part be-
low Rutland and all were greatly con-
cerned for their future. One serious
conflict had taken place between the
settlers on the east side Of the range,
in which one Of them was killed by the
New York court officials at Westmin-
ster, March 13, ITS.
A convention was called in Decem-
Der, ITS, by a few settlers on the
Grants to meet in Dorset the following
January 10. Ethan Allen was not
there, so Heman Allen went up from
Salisbury, Conn, and undoubtedly
prevented that convention from de-
claring in favor Of acknowledging the
jurisdiction Of New York. Heman
Allen was appointed a delegate to go
TO the Continental Congress with
petition. He undoubtedly sent an eI-
press to Ira Allen in Canada, recon-
mending his speedy return and in
forming him how matters stood.
| have given so much Of the history
Of Ira Allen, because the history Of the
republic or the State Of Vermont is his
diary for the next 10 years. II was
his fertile brain and untiring labor
which overcame all difficulties and his
manner Of doing it, hope, will inter-
est you.
With war declared, and the Grants
the northwestern frontier, and being
the only road the British could take
from Canada to invade the colonies,
the settlers having taken the first ag
gressive action and having bitter
enemy, New York, on their western
corner; a weak one, New Hampshire,
on their eastern border, (who had de-
clined to help them against New
York; they were in, what must have
seemed TO most Of them, a hopeless
position.
A meeting Of four men, most likely
held in Salisbury, Conn, in the spring
Of l776, decided in this crisis the fate
Of the so-called Grants. In all proba-
bility, those four men were Heman
Allen, merchant, Of Salisbury; Thorn
as Chittenden, a former resident, who
had gone 10 the Grants in l772. locat- !
ing on a large tract selected for him
by Ira Allen Of whose company he had
purchased il; DR.. Jonas Fay, Of Ben
who was a staunch friend Of
the Aliens and a Republican and had
served as secretry Of most Of the com
mittees and conventions held in the
Grants; and Ira Allen, then 25 years
old, and many years younger than the
others After much discussion on all
sides Of the question, il was decided
10 remain independent and, IL possible,
form a new colony OF State. II is easy
10 understand who decided the ques-
ton, after one considers the interests
u these four men and learns who il
~as that did the work Of making the
Pew republic. 4
After il was decided 70 endeavor to
form a new State, Ira Allen and Jonas