USA > Vermont > Franklin County > Gazetteer and business directory of Franklin and Grand Isle counties, Vt., for 1882-83 > Part 4
USA > Vermont > Grand Isle County > Gazetteer and business directory of Franklin and Grand Isle counties, Vt., for 1882-83 > Part 4
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The Missisquoi railroad, extending from St. Albans to Richford village, where it connects with the Southeastern Townships railroad, which connects New Port, Vt., with Montreal, was leased or mortgaged to the Vermont Central road, September 26, 1870, as follows :---
" The Missisquoi Railroad Company have organized under their charter, and have concluded a contract with George F. Harris & Co., to build their railroad from its point of junction with the Vermont and Canada railroad, in the village of St. Albans, in the county of Franklin, to the village of Rich- ford, in said county, being a distance of about twenty-eight miles, about nine miles of which railroad has been graded, and about five miles thereof has
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the iron laid thereon, and which railroad is, by the contract with said Harris & Co., to be completed in the month of July, 1871, and the said railroad company have found it necessary, in order to procure funds to furnish iron and complete their railroad, and pay land damages and other necessary ex- penses, to issue its bonds to the amount of $500,000.00, payable in twenty years from date, at seven per. cent interest, payable semi-annually, and to exe- cute a mortgage of their said railroad, to secure the payment of said bonds and interest ; and it being deemed for the best interest of said railroad com- pany to make arrangements with the trustees and managers of the Vermont Central and Vermont & Canada railroads, to run and operate their said rail- road, when completed, in order that said railroad may be run and operated in a prudent and economical manner, and that the payment of the said mort- gage bonds as it shall accrue, may be assured to the holders thereof."
The St. Johnsbury & Lake Champlain railroad, extending from Maquam Bay to St. Johnsbury, passes through the towns of Swanton, Highgate, Shel- don, Fairfield, and Bakersfield. It was formerly called the Lamoille Valley railroad, and was completed through to Swanton, and the first train of cars passed over it on Tuesday, July 17, 1877. Soon after this the road was com- pleted from the village of Swanton to the Bay, about two miles, where docks and ware-houses have been built. The first freight train passed over this portion of the road, August 23, 1877, loaded with coal for Messrs. Fairbanks. The first passenger train from the lake to the East, passed over the road in July, 1877. The train which took the first canal-boat load of marble from Swanton Falls to load a boat at Maquam, was shipped by George Barney, of Swanton. The marble was used for the floors of the State, War, and Navy Department Building, at Washington, D. C.
The Southeastern Townships railroad, extending from Newport, Vt., to West Farnham, P. Q., is a part of the railroad line from Montreal to Boston and New York city. It extends through only the northern portion of the town of Richford.
The Canada Junction railroad, now being constructed by Hon. Bradley Barlow and his associates, is completed from the South Eastern Townships railroad to East Franklin, and is expected to be finished through to Sheldon Junction by June, 1883.
NEWSPAPERS.
During the first part of the present century, the first newspaper was established in the county, or counties,-for Grand Isle has always depended on Franklin county for this advantage,-an important era in the history of any community, for it marks the sure progress of enterprise. Since that time the county has not been without a paper, except at intervals of a few years cach, and it now supports six ably conducted sheets.
The St. Albans Adviser was the first paper published in the county. It was a small sheet, published at St. Albans, by Rufus Allen, in 1807, and con- tinued about one year.
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The Champlain Reporter was next commenced, in May, 1809, issued from the office of Ambrose Willard, "in the new brick store on the southwest cor- ner of court-house square." The sheet measured 24 by 19 inches, and was printed on coarse, dingy paper, though edited, however, with considerable ability, by Abner Morton, a lawyer of some eminence, and a leading politician of the Federal party. He removed to Michigan after a time, and died there in September, 1863, . aged ninety years. The paper was continued until the. spring of 1811, when it was discontinued from want of patronage.
The Repository followed next in order, though for a period of twelve years, succeeding the demise of the Reporter, the county was without a publication of its own. In the winter of 1823, an energetic movement for the establish- ment of a newspaper in St. Albans was made, and Colonel Jeduthan Spooner, who had commenced the publication of the Repertory at Burlington, Oc- tober 1, 1821, was invited by the citizens to remove his paper to St. Albans. After a visit to the town and a conference with the leading business men, he decided to comply with the request, and in May, 1823, the publication of the Repository was commenced in St. Albans. It became one of the ablest papers of the State, but the anti-masonic excitement operated against it, and its proprietor, having determined to emigrate to the West, closed its publica- tion April 26, 1836.
The Franklin Journal was started at St. Albans, as an anti-masonic paper, May 1, 1833, and was edited a short time by Samuel N. Sweet. After this it was conducted by Joseph H. Brainerd, until December 7, 1837, when it was sold to Enoch B. Whiting, who changed the name to the St. Albans Messenger. The publication of the paper under this name was commenced December 14, 1837, and continued under the proprietorship of Mr. Whit- ing, who, in 1863, made it a daily and weekly, changing the name to the St. Albans Daily Messenger, until August 1, 1870, when it came into possession of Albert Clarke and J. Dorsey Taylor, by purchase. They also bought the Vermont Transcript and consolidated it with the Messenger, and enlarged the weekly paper from a folio to a quarto. In 1874, Mr. Clarke became sole proprietor by the death of Mr. Taylor. In 1878, he erected the present Messenger Building, on Kingman street, one of the finest and best arranged newspaper offices in the State. In September, 1880, Mr. Clarke sold the paper, S. B. Pettingill becoming nominal proprietor, and the latter also ob- tained the St. Albans Advertiser and consolidated the two, since which time it has been called the ST. ALBANS DAILY MESSENGER. AND ADVERTISER. The weekly MESSENGER is published on Fridays. In May, 1882, S. B. Pettingill retired, and was succeeded by D. W. Dixon as chief editor, and A. J. Lang as business manager. Dixon had been editorially connected with the Messenger most of the time since 1869, and Lang since 1874. The paper has a large influence, an extensive circulation, and, as previously mentioned, one of the best equipped offices in the State.
The Franklin Republican, a weekly, was published at Sheldon, by J. W.
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Tuttle, editor and proprietor, during the greater part of the years 1837, 1838, and 1839. It is said to have been a creditable sheet, and would compare favorably with many of the papers published in the State at the present time.
The North American, published at Swanton, was commenced in 1838, the first number being issued April roth, and was continued in weekly numbers until August 13, 1841. It was published at first by H. P. Thomas, and edited by Americans and Canadians, the latter being at Swanton as refugees during the continuance of the so-called " Patriot War" of Canada. The last year or more it was published by J. B. Ryan.
The Vermont Republican, published by C. G. Eldridge, at St. Albans, was commenced July 16, 1839. Some time afterwards Mr. Eldridge left, and D. A. Danforth became its, editor and publisher. He continued the paper until April, 1846, when it was suspended.
The Loco Foco, a small political sheet, was issued at Swanton a few weeks in the autumn of 1839, the first number appearing on the 15th of August.
The Swanton Herald, at Swanton, was begun by Ripley & Chamberlain, in 1852, and continued by them until the spring of 1853, when Rev. A. J. Samson began to publish and edit the paper, and continued it one year.
The Democrat, by M. F. Wilson, was started at St. Albans in August, 1852. In the spring of 1853, Darwin Mott became its proprietor, and con- unued the paper for more than two years. It was then discontinued until August, 1858, when it was revived by M. F. Wilson and George Church, who continued its publication until the autumn of 1861.
The Franklin County Herald, issued at Swanton Falls, appeared Novem- ber 5, 1853, under the management of the Drury Brothers, Lucius H. Drury being editor. This paper was intended to support the Democratic party, and was continued until some time in the winter of 1855.
The Vermont Tribune was commenced at St. Albans, by Sampson & Som- erby, January 5, 1854. In September following, Z. K. Pangborn became its editor. It was discontinued in 1855.
The American Journal, at Swanton, was issued March 10, 1855, by H. N. Drury, with Revs. William A. Miller and A. J. Samson, editors. It was in reality, however, published by an association of the citizens of Swanton for the express purpose of establishing a good family paper, sound in its morals, and calculated to benefit the community, in which respects it was by no means a failure. Messrs. Miller & Sampson ceased to act as editors March 14, 1856. Albert Sowles then became its editor and H. N. Drury publisher. The fifty- . first and last number of the second volume appeared March 27, 1857.
The Swanton Journal, of Swanton, appeared May 15, 1857, under the direction of H. N. Drury, as editor and proprietor. It was continued until November 6, 1857, when it was suspended, and Mr. Drury went to Burlington to reside.
The Synchronist, also of Swanton, was edited and published by John Sawyer, Jr., at first as a bi-weekly, and afterwards as a weekly. The first number appeared in September, 1859, and the last in 1860.
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ويضربانه
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FRANKLIN COUNTY.
The Franklin County Herald and Swanton Advertiser was started at Swanton in 1862, the first number being issued March 7, by J .- Ketchum Averill, editor and proprietor. It was continued in Swanton until August of the same year, when it was removed to St. Albans, where its publication was continued only a short time, when Mr. Averill gave up his paper and enlisted in the 7th N. Y. Vols., and died at Morris Island, S. C., in December, 1863.
The Vermont Transcript was established at St. Albans in March, 1864, by Henry A. Cutler. May 20, 1866, it became the property of Wilbur P. Davis, who, in May, 1868, commenced the publication of The Daily Transcript. In 1868, C. H. Baker and J. H. Montefiore became its proprietors. In 1870, the paper was sold to Clarke & Taylor, who merged it with the daily and weekly Messenger.
Le Protecteur Canadienne, a paper published in the French language, was commenced at St. Albans by Rev. Z. Druon, in 1869. Mr. Druon was succeeded by A. Mousette, with Fred Houde, editor. In 1872, it was sold, and removed to Worcester, Mass.
The St. Albans Transcript was commenced in August, 1870, by J. H. Montefiore and A. N. Merchant. In November of the same year A. N. Merchant became sole proprietor, by purchase, and continued the publication until 1872.
The Franklin Journal was commenced at Swanton, in February, 1870, by A. N. Merchant, publisher and proprietor. After about one year the press on which it was printed was removed from Swanton, and the paper continued to be issued at another place, under the above name, for about four years, when it was purchased by C. S. Kinsley & Co., of Burlington.
The Vermont Temperance Advocate was established at St. Albans, by Clarke & Taylor, in 1871, taking the place of a smaller paper of that name published at Springfield, Vt. It was edited by W. H. H. McAllister, as the organ of the Good Templars of the State, and was continued about one year, when it died from want of patronage.
The St. Albans Advertiser, a morning daily and weekly, was established by a stock company in the autumn of 1873, with A. J. Samson, business man- ager, and Lucius Bigelow, editor. Several changes occurred from that time down to September, 1880, when it was consolidated with the MESSENGER. Hiram S. Hart, A, P. Cross, and J. F. McGowan, were successively business managers, and Stephen E. Royce and Edward S. Sears, editors. Before consol- idating with the MESSENGER, S. B. Pettingill was editor. The morning edition was discontinued after about two years, and the daily issued at noon, then at 5 P. M. Once or twice the daily was discontinued altogether, and a semi. weekly edition substituted. When the daily was finally re-established, the weekly was discontinued, and the semi-weekly issued.
THE SWANTON COURIER, published at Swanton, was commenced by its present editor and proprietor, T. M. Tobin, March 10, 1877. This paper is a live weekly, and though not a large sheet, contains much well-edited news,
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a particularly interesting feature being the great variety of local items it furn- ishes its readers.
The Fairfax Advertiser, a small, half sheet bi-weekly, was commenced in Fairfax, by F. H. Sanborn, about 1879, and continued a little over a year.
The Enosburgh Reporter, a weekly, was commenced at Enosburgh, by W. S. Roberts, in 1879, and continued by him until the spring of 1880.
The St. Albans Home Journal was established by Charles H. Hibbard, October 1, 1881, and issued weekly by him until September, 1881, when it was purchased by J. H. Montefiore, and consolidated with the VERMONT RECORD.
THE VERMONT RECORD, a weekly, published at St. Albans, was estab- lished by J. H. Montefiore, June 29, 1882. The RECORD is a neat, twenty- eight column paper, published each Wednesday.
THE VERMONT SENTRY was established at Swanton, by its present editor and proprietor, C. R. Jamason, February 2, 1882. This paper is a large, eight-page sheet, ably conducted, and its sturdy infancy gives promise of a hardy old age.
The Frontier Sentinel was established at Richford, by M. F. Wilson, about 1866, and issued by him until he sold it to J. B. Bowditch, who continued it eight years. In March, 1875, it came into the hands of William F. Scott and Carmi C. Brown. On October 16th, of the same year, Mr. Brown sold his interest in the sheet to Charles L. Reed, of Enosburgh Falls, and the firm name was changed to Scott & Reed. The following January Mr. Scott retired from the enterprise, and from that time until March 16, 1876, Mr. Reed conducted the paper alone ; but on that date he sold the office to L. P. Bailey, and retired from the business. Bailey continued the paper until the 22d of the following October, when he sold it to C. R. Kent, of St. Johns- bury. Mr. Kent retained the office one week, when he gave it up and left the town, and the property reverted to the hands of Bailey again, who suffered the publication to die out and become extinct. The Sentinel was a little less than ten years of age, when it died, and during its brief life had endured many trials and afflictions. In 1878, the office, fixtures, etc., were sold to L. H. Goff, who, with his son and son-in-law, established the RICHFORD GAZETTE, which is now a popular sheet.
The Green Mountain Journal was established by Charles L. Reed, Octo- ber 15, 1878. It was then issued as an eight-page, thirty-two column paper, but in November, 1881, Mr. Reed enlarged it and changed its name to the RICHFORD JOURNAL. The JOURNAL has steadily increased in prosperity, and now stands on a firm basis.
ABORIGINAL OCCUPANCY.
The whole territory of Vermont, previous to its settlement by Europeans, was claimed as a hunting ground by several tribes of Indians who were hostile to each other, and consequently was often the scene of their savage wars,
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whose constant invasion prevented its being made the permanent home of either of the tribes. Still there are abundant evidences that at some period the Indians must have resided here in large numbers. A branch of the Abenaquis tribe were the aboriginal occupants of this section of the country ; and, indeed, they lingered upon their rightful soil, at the mouth of the Lamoille river, and thence north along the Missisquoi bay, for a long time after the French and English had taken possession of the country to the north and south of them. When Mrs. Howe and others were taken at Bridgeman's fort and carried into captivity, in 1755, the northern parts of Lake Champlain were in the possession of the St. Francis tribe of Indians, who wintered there in large numbers and subsisted by hunting and fishing ; and as late as the time of the Revolutionary war, a branch of this tribe had a village at Swanton, consisting of about fifty huts, with a church, Jesuit mis- sionary, and had some land under cultivation. About the year 1798, the Caughnawaga Indians advanced a claim to most of the lands lying between Lake Champlain and the Green Mountains, and importuned the legislature of Vermont, at several sessions, for remuneration for the same, but without success.
Aside from the relics of the village in Swanton, arrow-heads, spear-points, and other weapons of offense and defense have been found in nearly every town throughout the county. These relics, however, seem to exist in the greatest numbers in the vicinity of Franklin pond. Mr. Edward Powers, of Franklin, has a collection of from 200 to 300 arrow-heads that he has found upon the shores of this pond. Still, as we have stated before, neither this nor any other locality in the State seems to have been the Redman's home ; at least not within historic times. Vermont was rather a territory to which all laid claim, and was used in common as a hunting, fishing, and battle-ground, by the St. Francis tribe on the north, their principal settlement being at Montreal, or Hockhelaga, as it was then called; the Narraganset on the east, with their principal settlement on the Merrimac river ; the Pepuquoits on the south, inhabiting the northwestern part of Connecticut ; and the Iro- quois, or Mohawks, as they were commonly called, on the southwest, their principal settlement being at Schenectady, N. Y., on the Mohawk river.
The origin of the Indian cannot be determined by history, nor will cal- culation ever arrive at a probable certainty. Some writers have declared that they were indigenous, while others maintain the opinion of their migration ; and both classes, with perhaps a few exceptions, consider them the extreme of human depravity, and outcasts of the world. Now, while we do not dis- pute this sentiment entirely, let us, in justice, glance at the other side of the question. Criminations have been thrown upon them, they have been driven from their possessions, then in turn driven from others they had obtained, and thus, over and over again, the quietness of their dwellings has been interrupted by insolent invaders. But above all, dissipation, introduced among them by their civilized neighbors, has plunged them still deeper into
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wretchedness and barbarity. Might they not, had other treatment and other circumstances been brought to bear, be other than the degraded people they now are?
WHEN FIRST SETTLED BY THE WHITES.
The first settlement of the county, of which we have any record, is sup- posed to have been in Swanton, as previously mentioned; though most of the relics of the old mission have been found just over the river in Highgate. During the many years that Lake Champlain and its environs were in the possession of the French, nearly the whole of the present county was granted to different French parties, and was actually mapped out, and the several grants named after their respective French proprietors. The land now com- prising the towns of Swanton, Highgate, St. Albans and Georgia, was granted to M. de Bauvis, fils, and to M. Douville. According to a map of this section published at London, in January, 1779, a copy of which may now be found in the first volume of the " Documentary History of New York," Swanton, or the greater portion of it, is called Prattsburgh ; in the vicinity of what is now known as Sheldon, there is exhibited a concession to Lord George Town- send & Co. ; south of this there lie grants made to Nathan Stone & Co., in St. Albans ; to Josiah Willard & Co., and C. H. Gordon, in Fairfax, Fairfield and Georgia ; to Samuel Ashley & Co., in Bakersfield; Kellybrook township, in Fairfax, and to W. O. Huddleston and E. Robinson, John Gordon and the Governor of King's College, in Fletcher. No attempt at settlement, however, was probably ever made under any of these grants.
The first settlers were emigrants from New England, and for the most part of English origin, a hardy, enterprising people. At the time of their settle- ment the territory was an unbroken wilderness, and but lately released from exposure to the cruelties of Indian depredations and warfare. Hence, none but the spirited and enterprising would place themselves in a situation so lonely. The character of the people, like the roughness of their native mountains, was bold and unyielding. Acquiring by their own exertions and ascendency over the perplexing difficulties that beset them, high notions of liberty and independence were entertained, and great confidence placed in their own abilities. Such were the forefathers of the present people of Frank- lin county.
A very few settlers came in previous to the Revolution, whose settlement will be spoken of in connection with the sketches of the towns wherein they dwelt ; but all left with the advent of the war, and until after peace was de- clared, no settlements were again commenced. Immigration became rapid then, however, and grants were rapidly taken up, so that at the taking of the first, census, in 1791, the county had a population of 1,372.
LAND TITLE CONTROVERSY.
As the county had no large population to take an active part in the scenes of strife that occurred between the people of the New Hampshire Grants
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and New York, we shall give this subject but a passing notice. It must be remembered, however, that many who ultimately became early settlers of the county, came from the southern part of the State, where they had taken an active part in the quarrel with their New York cousins.
The grant of Bennington, made in 1749, gave rise to the controversy, as New York soon after laid claim to the territory as far east as the Connecticut river. The question in dispute was settled by the King, July 20, 1764, order- ing that the Connecticut river, from the line of Massachusetts to 45º north latitude, should be the boundary between the two provinces fror that time forward. But the government of New York did not accept the full intent of this decision, and called upon the settlers to take out new grants, declaring those of New Hampshire illegal. Those who did not obey this call, found their grants contested by new claimants, whom the New York courts declared lawful owners. Thus the quarrel continued, producing more irritation, until, in 1769, the King prohibited the Governor of New York from issuing any more grants "until his majesty's further pleasure should become known." Meanwhile civil disturbances and open defiance to the New York authorities continued to such an extent that, in 1774, a law was passed by New York, ordering the surrender of offenders under penalty of death. In reply, Ver- mont returned a public letter, threatening death to any who should aid in arresting any of her leading citizens. About this time a plan was made for the formation of a royal province, but the Revolutionary war soon absorbed every other interest. In 1789, New York acknowledged the independence of Vermont, and endeavored to adjust all matters of dispute, having pre- viously made grants to those who had suffered by adhering to her allegiance, while Vermont in turn paid into the treasury of New York thirty thousand dollars.
REVOLUTIONARY WAR.
With Vermont, the Revolutionary contest possessed a double interest, and while she lent her aid to redress national grievances, she also maintained a spirited contest on her own account, resolving to secure her independence from New York. The territory treated of in this work, however, has none of the romantic stories and traditions of this period that grace the annals of localities earlier settled. The people of the New Hampshire Grants, as may well be supposed, entered with an especially hearty zeal into this contest. Their schooling had been such as to render them an exceedingly undesirable foe to meet, as a large portion of the settlers had served in the French and Indian war, and during the twelve or fifteen years that intervened, had been almost continuously at strife with New York, and entertained a feeling of deadly hatred against King George and the British Parliament. It is not strange, then, that the Green Mountain Boys were soon both feared and respected by their adversaries. The few who had settled in Franklin county, left, as previously mentioned, on the approach of Burgoyne.
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