Gazetteer and business directory of Windham county, Vt., 1724-1884, Part 24

Author: Child, Hamilton, b. 1836
Publication date: 1884
Publisher: Syracuse, N.Y., Printed at the Journal office
Number of Pages: 805


USA > Vermont > Windham County > Gazetteer and business directory of Windham county, Vt., 1724-1884 > Part 24


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William Nourse, of Framingham, Mass., married Lydia Bruce, and with his wife and three sons and five daughters located in Windham in 1807. Mr. Nourse was a Revolutionary soldier, served in the battle of. Stillwater, and died in 1828. His son Joel married Mary Baxter, of Massachusetts, their family consisting of three sons and one daughter, of whom A. C. Nourse married Sarah Stiles, of Peru, and has one son and one daughter, who reside with their parents in Houghtonville.


Simeon Conant came to Grafton from Lunenburg, Mass., about 1808, locating with his family just west of road 36. Luther, his third child, spent his life in Grafton. He married Mary Hill, who bore him two children,


191


TOWN OF GRAFTON.


Mary (Mrs. S. S. Bailey), and one son, Simeon D., residing on road 36. The latter represented the town in the legislature of 1867-'68, and has held other offices.


Dr. John Butterfield came to Grafton from Rockingham in 1808, succeed- ing Dr. Amos Fisher, who was probably the first resident physician in the town, and who died about 1808. Dr. Butterfield married Zilpha Pierce, of Windham, their family being Mary, born in 1815, and died in 1827; John L., born in 1820; and Sophia, born in 1826, now the wife of a Mr. Duncan, of Boston. John L. married Jane Smith, of Saxton's River, and with Charles Smith is successfully engaged in quarrying and manufacturing soapstone. He occupies the homestead where his father dwelt, in Grafton village.


Levi Fairbank, front Massachusetts, came to Grafton with his wife and eight children, in 1810, locating where Chillson C. Fairbank now resides. Of this family Cornelius married Sarah Philbrook, and had two sons and one daugh- ter, Chillson C., Charles and Christina B. Chillson C. married Fanny L. Evans, of Grafton, and has two sons, Edwin and Everett.


Luther Tenney, born at Marlboro, N. H., located in Windham about 1810. He married Fanny Fay and reared two sons and three daughters, of whom Ellery C. married Fanny Stoddard and is proprietor of a shingle and planing mill and a teacher of vocal music, at Grafton village.


David Blood, of Amherst, Mass., born in 1760, was a Revolutionary soldier, and was at the battle of Ticonderoga. In 1815 he settled in Grafton, mar- ried Jane Gilson, and reared three sons, of whom A. Luke married Marcia O. Woolley, and has one son, Herbert C., a member of the police force at Providence, R. I., and one daughter, Bertha M., resided with her parents at Houghtonville.


Samuel Walker, born November 11, 1791, came to Grafton in 1817, and resided here until his death, in 1864, having taken a prominent part in the public affairs of the town, holding many of the town offices. He mar- ried Mercy Smith, March 26, 1815, who died March 14, 1837. For his second wife he married Ulepsa Briggs, sister of Gov. George P. Briggs, of Massachu- setts. By his first wife he had seven children, the eldest of whom, Romanzo,' born March 8, 1816, studied law with Gen. Daniel Kellogg and practised his profession until his death, in 1850. His second son, Lewis S., born May 5, 1817, is a successful lawyer in Grafton, where he has always resided. He has represented the town in the legislature and for many years held town offices. Of the remaining children, Samuel M. and Alden have resides in town from their birth, engaged in farming.


Samuel Bailey, a native of New Hampshire, born in 1787, came to Rock- ingham in 1817. He married Susannah Britton and reared four sons and six daughters, of whom Samuel S., born in 1813, married Mary Conant, rearing one son and three daughters-Ossian F., of Brattleboro; Marcia A., (Mrs. George M. Taylor), and Rosetta F., (Mrs. Joseph C. Page). Samuel S., with Peter W. Dean and others, erected a woolen factory here in 1839, which was in successful operation until 1854.


192


TOWN OF GRAFTON.


Nathan Wheeler built a grist-mill at the lower village in 1828, and also a saw-mill about the same time. They were run by William Whitcomb many years and are now owned by Wilder Burnap and run by R. W. Bullard.


Willard L., son of Stephen White, married Elisabeth D. Ross, of Walpole, N. H., and located on the Erastus Burgess farm, in 1846. He had three sons and one daughter, as follows : Elbridge W., a graduate of Hamilton col- lege, now a Baptist clergyman at Castile, N. Y. ; Willis, a merchant of Green- ville, N. Y .; Stella, and William. Mrs. White died in 1872, and Willard sub- sequently married Josephine Parker.


Stephen Sherwin was born in Amherst, N. H., October 14, 1795, married Rhoda Chapman, of Grafton, and settled in this town. His family of eight children were all born in Grafton. He was one of the leading carpenters of the town, a prominent member of the Baptist church,and also owned a grist and saw-mill, located about half a mile below Grafton village. He moved to Brattleboro in 1864, though he remained but about a year, when he returned to Grafton, and died here. His wife died in Manchester, N. H., in April, 1875. Only two of their children are living, Stephen P, in Brattleboro, and Rev. Alden, a Baptist clergyman, of Manchester, N. H.


Amos Puffer, born at Keene, N. H., in 1757, enlisted as a Revolutionary soldier, served two years, received a pension, married in 1785, reared four sons and five daughters, and died in Chester, in 1832. Amos, Jr., married Lena Baker, located in Grafton, and now resides with his daughter, Mrs. A. P. Holden, on the old Puffer homestead, on road 37.


Almon F. Wetherell was born in Massachusetts, in 1809, and when two years of age, came to Westminster with his parents. In 1833 he married Betsey N. Lee, daughter of Rev. Richard Lee, of Springfield, Vt., and in 1840 removed to Winhall, Vt., where he resided forty years. In 1881 he came to Grafton, and died here in 1882. His widow, his son, S. L. Wetherell, and his daughter, Mrs. L. L. Kingsbury, resides on road 28, in this town.


Ebenezer Burgess, born in 1743, married Hannah Gibbs. Of his family, Ebenezer, Jr., born in Massachusetts in 1768, married Mary Hale, of Grafton ; Ambrose, born in 1798, married Abby H. Goodridge, of Grafton, and had two sons and four daughters, Eben H., Clara G., Elizabeth S., Johnson, Lucy A., and Ambrose H. The latter married Fanny A. Steele, of Springfield, Vt., and now resides on the old homestead.


Willard Dean came to this town, from Chester, Vt., married Lydia Rice, and reared six children, one of whom, Willard A., resides on road 51, carrying on a farm with his son, Myron A.


Peter W. Dean, a native of Massachusetts, born in 1797, came to Grafton, from Manchester, Vt., in 1827. He married Philinda Willey, of this town, and reared two sons and four daughters, one of whom, Lemira M., married Isaac L. Clark, who was for many years a prominent lawyer of Illinois. He was Lieut .- Col. of the 96th Ill. Vols, and was killed at the battle of Chica- mouga, in 1863, at the age of thirty-nine years. His widow and one son, Elam L., a student in Dartmouth college, reside in Grafton village.


193


TOWN OF GRAFTON.


Uziah Wyman, born in Townshend, Mass., in 1764, married Lydia Nutting, in 1787, and reared ten children, of whom Uziah, aged ninety-four years, John, aged seventy-nine years, and Rhoda, widow of Philemon Holden, now reside here. John's daughter, Martha E., married Clark L. Torrey, of Cam- bridgeport, and has four children.


Thomas Davis came to Grafton in 1789, locating on the easterly side of Bear mountain, about a mile south of Grafton village. He married Sarah Richmond, of Taunton, Mass., the union being blessed with sixteen chil- dren, of whom Thomas married Lucy Woolley, and lived and died in Graf- ton ; Micah married Abigail Woolley, and settled and died in Athens ; Sally married Benjamin Farmer, and removed to the State of New York; and Simon married Josepha Putnam, of Windham, and removed to Florence, Oneida county, N. Y., in 1820, and died there in 1853. Of his family, one son, L. S. Davis, resides in Rome, N. Y., and a daughter, Mrs. Celian M. Knox, resides at Knoxboro, Oneida county, N. Y. Anna married Eber Chaffee, and removed to the West. Amos married Eliza Chaffee and settled in Athens. Florilla married Simeon Oaks and removed to Jefferson county, N. Y. Mrs. C. W. Fairbank, a granddaughter of Thomas Davis, now occupies the old homestead, which has never been owned out of the family since first settled.


The following named soldiers from Grafton lost their lives in the late civil war : F. D. Whipple, Henry Cambridge, Solon Holmes, C. A. Sherwin, Erastus Tarbell, A. H. Rice, J. H. Ayers, R. F. J. Grout, P. A. Chapman, E. Reed, F. T. Harris, H. C. Spring, J. M. Howard, A. Park, H. Eastman, Austin Blood, and D. C. Gould, all of whom are buried in Grafton, while the burial place of the following are unknown : C. L. Taylor, M. C. Chapman, J. R. Bothrick, George Roundy, D. Perham, C. H. Howard, D. A. Hough- ton, William Graves, O. G. Gibson, F. Blood, B S. Howard, and H. C. Hadley.


The First Congregational church in Thomlinson, located at Grafton village, was organized June 20, 1785, with seventeen members. In 1786 Mr. Bullen, also a Mr Smith preached each a short time, but the people were not agreed to hire either, and in 1787 Rev. William Hall, after preaching a few weeks on trial, accepted a call to settle as pastor of the church, upon a salary of thirty pounds for the first year, and to be increased ten pounds a year until the sum amounted to sixty pounds, to be paid in rye, at four shillings per bushel, or wheat, at five shillings per bushel. The subject of erecting a church build- ing was agitated in town meetings as early as 1786, but final action was not taken until 1792, when at a town meeting held at the house of Ensign Jonathan Gibson, it was voted to build a meeting.house. The spot selected for the site was near, if not the same spot where the last meeting-house stood at the center of the town. It was voted to sell the pews on the ground floor to raise a fund to build with. Ensign Jonathan Gibson was allowed fifteen shillings and nine pence for flip furnished the 13th day of February, 1792, at


18


194


TOWN OF GUILFORD.


the selling of the pews. This building was used until 1834, when the present brick structure was built, at a cost of $3,000.00. It will seat about 300 per- sons and is valued, including grounds, at $6,000.00. The society now has seventy-four members, with Rev. Earl J. Ward, pastor.


The Grafton Baptist church, located at Grafton village, was organized in 1803. Rev. Elijah Shumway, installed February 10, 1810, being the first reg- ular pastor. The church building, which will seat about 500 persons, was built in 1814. The society now has 130 members, with no regular pastor.


G UILFORD lies in the southestern part of the county, in lat. 42° 47' and long. 4° 26', bounded north by Brattleboro, east by Vernon, south by Massachusetts, and west by Halifax. It was originally chartered by New Hampshire, April 2, 1754, to fifty-four proprietors, principally of Massachusetts, containing an area of 23,040 acres. Relative to this grant, etc., Thompson, in his Gazetteer of Vermont, says :-


"When granted, the town was a perfect wilderness, yet by the charter, the grantees were to hold their first meeting for the choice of officers, etc., on the first of May, 1654, and on the first Tuesday of March, ever afterwards. It seems the town was first organized by and under the very grant itself. Power was given to the grantees to transact the business of the town as a inajority shall see fit, subject only to the control of the parliament of England. This little enterprising band, composed of Samuel Hunt, John Chandler, David Field, Elijan Williams, Micah Rice, Ira Carpenter and others, having little to fear from the nominal power of parliament, in the wilderness of Ver- mont, assumes the title, which was virtually created by their charter, of a lit - tle independant republic. By the records of their first meetings they appear to have been governed by certain committees, chosen for the purpose of sur- veying the lands, laying roads, drawing the shares or lots, taxing the rights, etc., but their greatest object was to procure and encourage settlers. Their meetings were held at Greenfield, Northfield, Hinsdale or Brattleboro, until 1765, when their first meeting was held at Guilford. There was a condition which, if not performed, went to defeat the grant. The grantees were to set- tle, clear and cultivate, in five years, five acres for every fifty, in said town- ship. Although much time and money were spent in making roads and clear- ing lands, yet on the 20th of March. 1764, the grantees, by a special commit- tee chosen, petitioned the governor of New Hampshire for a confirmation of their grant, and an extension of the time, stating that the intervention of an Indian war had made it impracticable for them to fulfill the conditions of their charter. Their prayer was granted and the time for settling the town was extended to the ist of January, 1766.


" From the time the charter was confirmed in 1764, the town began to be rapidly settled by emigrants from Massachusetts and other New England States. Through the policy of the original proprietors, the first settlers began upon lots of fifty acres, in order to fulfill the condition of the grant. So rapid was the increase of population, that the town soon became the largest in the State as to numbers. Yet there was not a single village in the township, or rather the whole township was a village-all the hills and vallies were smok- ing with huts. By the charter 350 acres were called a share, and all the


195


TOWN OF GUILFORD.


proprietors shared alike. The reservations in the charter consisted of one whole share to the society in England for propagating the gospel in foreign parts, one to the first settled minister of the gospel, and one whole share for a glebe for the ministry of the church of England, as by law established. The governor was not unmindful of his own interests. He reserved 500 acres, to be located by itself, for his own. The town was laid out into fifty and one hundred acre lots. The public rights were fairly located, but that of the royal Governor fell upon the only mountain in town, which still bears the name of authority, 'Gov. Mountain.' Although no reservation was made in the grant for the use of schools, yet one whole share was located for that purpose. This was a just and generous act of the proprietors, but it was not the same liber- ality that governed them when they located, sold and settled one whole tier of hundred-acre lots north beyond the extent of their charter. That was the case, however, and the same is held by the town to this day. All the pine trees suitable for masting the royal navy were reserved to his Majesty. This shows the attention the English paid to the navy. One hundred miles from the ocean, where no such timber grew, was that reservation made, What has been related, with a little 'proclamation money,' was the price of the charter."


In 1765, soon after the settlement of the boundary line between New Hampshire and New York, application was made to Lieutenant-Governor Colden of the latter province, for a re-grant of the township. This he prom- ised to give as soon as the petitions for lands in the new territory should conie under consideration. Another petition on the same topic was presented to Gov. Moore, in the year 1766, but, like the former, was "either neglected or mislaid." A third representation, made in the year 1767, experienced a sim. ilar fate. The subject was then allowed to rest, the proprietors hoping that they should, in the end, receive their just deserts. Meantime, however, a patent comprehending 1,200 acres of the township, was issued by New York to a certain Col. Howard, and by which grant a number of the inhab- itants were deprived of all of their property. Redress was earnestly sought in a memorial to the governor of New York, dated May 11, 1772. Among the means proposed to restore confidence and create satisfaction for this mal- appropriation of that tract, was a re-charter for the land in Guilford, outside of the bounds of Howard's tract, and a grant in some other locality as a compensation for the loss occasioned. But the inhabitants were unable to obtain redress until by the war of the Revolution the possessions of loyalists became the property of the rebels.


The surface of the township is hilly, but not mountainous, the only moun- tain, being " Gov. Mountain." East Mountain, so-called, extending the whole length of the town, north and south, is the largest hill. It is about one mile wide, descending gradually to the east and south. The soil is naturally rich and deep, with a sufficient mixture of earth to make it warm, and, at the same time, prevents its leaching. The lower lands and plateaus form excel- lent farms for tillage, while the hills afford fine grazing lands. The natural growth of timber is principally maple, hemlock, walnut, beach, birch, ash, basswood, butternut, and elm, while occasionally black oak, locust and syca- more are found.


196


TOWN OF GUILFORD.


Green river flows a southerly course through the western part of the ter- ritory, while broad brook, a smaller stream, flows easterly through the northern part. There are two small streams, branches of Broad brook, which run north, on through the center of the town, and the other at the foot of East mountain, on the west side. On both of the former are fine mill-sites. The rocks of the town are mica slate, lying in light ledges, interspersed with strata of quartz, and running from north to south. Impure garnets are plentiful in the former, and some good specimens of rock crystal are found. Quartz and schrol, in various mixtures, are found, some having the appearance of lava. On the east side of the town is a range of argillaceous slate, which has been wrought into roofing slate. Rolled rock of granite, from huge masses to small pebbles, appear on every hand. In some localities are limestone and bog iron ore, but neither sufficiently pure or plentiful to warrant manufacture. gneiss and hornblend slate, with those above mentioned, comprise the prin- cipal rocks of the town.


In 1880 Guilford had a population of 1,096, and in 1882, had fourteen school districts and fourteen common school, employing ten male and eighteen female teachers, to whom was paid an aggregate salary of $2,223.74 There were 247 pupils attending common school, while the entire cost of the schools for the year, ending October 31st, was $2,375.79, with Frank E. Ward, superintendent.


GUILFORD, a post village located in the northeastern part of the town, con- tains two churches (Congregational and Episcopal), one hotel, a grist-mill, baby carriage manufactory, saw-mill, blacksmith shop and about twenty dwellings.


GUILFORD CENTER (p. o.) is a hamlet located near the central part of the town. It has one church (Universalist) and about fifteen dwellings.


GREEN RIVER is a post village located in the western part of the town on Green river. It has one church (Methodist Episcopal), one store, a saw- mill, blacksmith shop, and about twenty dwellings.


HINESBURG is a hamlet located in the northwestern part of the town. It has one church (Baptist), and about six dwellings.


A. S. Gallup's saw-mill, located on road 42, built in 1869, has the capacity for sawing 1,600 feet of lumber per day.


The Green River grist and saw-mill, Henry Stowe, proprietor, was built in 1871. The mill has one run of stones, cuts 5,000 feet of lumber per day, 2,000 butter boxes per month, and also a considerable amount of chair-stock.


Martin Akeley's cider mill, located on road 4, has the capacity for turning out five barrels of cider per day.


The Jinks grist and saw-mill, located on Green river, has one run of stones and the capacity for cutting 1,500 feet of lumber per day.


F. F. Cook's saw-mill, located on road 18, has the capacity for turning out 1,500 feet of lumber per day. He has, also, at another point, a manu- factory where he turns broom and hoe handles and cuts 5,000 per day.


197


TOWN OF GUILFORD.


Charles B. & E. J. Carpenter's saw-mill, located on road 39, was origin- ally built by Jedediah Ashcraft about 1800. It turns out about 12,000 feet of lumber and 15,000 shingles per day.


Isaac A. Weld's cider and shingle-mill, located on road 39, manufactures eight barrels of cider and 5,000 shingles per day.


Henry N. Wilder's carriage manufactory, located on road 52, turns out about $ 12,000.00 worth of goods per annum, employing six hands.


W. J. Wilder's cider-mill, located on road 38, has the capacity for turning Out twenty barrels of cider per day.


East Guilford grist-mill, H. J. Richmond, proprietor, located at Guilford, on Broad brook, has two runs of stones.


Jane E. Gale's cider-mill, located on road 15, has the capacity for manu- facturing 500 barrels of cider per annum.


J. L. Bullock's cider-mill, located on road 7, has the capacity for manufac- turing ten barrels of cider per day.


J. M. Houghton's brick yard and lime kiln, located on road 11, employs eight men, turning out about 300,000 brick and 1,200 barrels of lime per year.


The first land cleared in the town was in 1758 by the Hon. Jonathan and Elisha Hunt. The first settlement was made by Micah Rice and family, in 1761, who was soon after followed by Jonathan Bigelow, John Barney, Daniel Lynde, William Bigelow, Ebenezer Goodenough, Paul Chase, Thomas Cutler, John Shepardson and others. They came into town by the way of Broad brook. Beginning at the mouth of that stream, on Connecticut river, in Ver- non, and passing up its banks they found their way into Guilford. 'That was then the only road, and even that was impassible with teams. The first settlers had either to boil or pound their corn, or go fifteen miles to mill with a grist upon their backs. The settlement increased rapidly, so that in 1771, according to the census of Cumberland county taken at that time, there were 436 souls here, the enumeration being as follows: 124 white males under sixteen years of age, ninety-two males between the ages of sixteen and sixty, five over sixty, 116 females under sixteen, ninety-four over sixteen, three black males and two black females. In 1772 there were 586 souls in the town, their names and the number in their families being as follows :-


NAME.


NUMBER OF CHILDREN.


NAME.


NUMBER OF CHILDREN.


David Field,


9


Abijah Rogers.


3


Silas Barnard,


5


Daniel Grew,


7


Thomas Cutler,


I


Hezekiah Howell,


I


Asa Rice,


7


Shubeld Bullock,


3


Francis Rice,


6 Joel Biglo,


2


Peter Rice,


4


Michael Rice,


Silas Cutler,


II


Nathaniel Carpenter,


8


Jotham Biglo,


9


Daniel Boyden,


6


Alijah Rice,


4


*Joel Cutler,


7


* Had no wife.


198


TOWN OF GUILFORD.


NAME


NUMBER OF CHILDREN.


NAME.


NUMBER OF CHILDREN.


Samuel Mellendy,


6


John Curtis,


6


Jedediah Woods,


9


Benjamin Curtis,


7


.Moses Bixby,


6


*George Price,


James Cutler,


5


*Thomas Woolsley,


8


Gersham Rice,


7


William Larkin,


6


Enoch Stowell,


5


Joseph Jackson,


5


William Nichols,


8


*David Ayers,


9


Ebenezer Goodenough,


5


*David Ayers, Jr., . .


David Stowell,


4


*Jonathan Penney,


David Goodenough,


1


Zephaniah Shepardson,


4


Paul Chase,


2


Benjamin Carpenter,


5


William Biglo,


3


Benjamin Preston,


4


Nathaniel Smith,


5


Daniel Whitaker,


6


John Barney,


4


Caleb Cole,


3


Edward Barney,


I


*John Tifft,


Levi Goodenough,


4


Daniel Lynds,


4


Ithamer Goodenough,


6


Joshua Nurs,


2


*Jonathan Hunt,


William White,


5


*Seth Dwight,


Zaccheus Farnsworth,


7


*Samuel Field,


Giles Hubbert,


3


. William Morris,


Jedediah Woods,


7


*Matthew Clesson,


Barnabas Russel,


2


*Eleazer Hawker,


*Oliver Wilson,


*Joseph Barnard,


Bononi Smith,


*Obadiah Dickenson,


Josiah Scott,


*Samuel Barnard, Jr.,


Henry Hicks,


*Charles Coats,


Abel Torry,


" James Morris,


Amos Whiting,


5


"Samuel Partridge,


Ephraim Whitney,


3


*David Wells,


Samuel Bennit,


*Aaron Scott,


David Weeks,


3


*John Allen, Jr.,


Seth Whitaker,


5


.Richard Crouch,


John Gates,


3


"John Chaddick,


Samuel Melody,


*James Boyd,


William Ramsdall,


2


*Elijah Williams,


William Bullock,


9


*John Curtis,


Josiah Allen,


6


"John Chaddick, Jr.,


:


James King,


5


*Nathaniel Willard,


:


Aquelo Cluelan,


4


Benjamin Green,


5


Samuel Allen,


3


*Nathaniel Green,


David Joy, Esq.,


6


Timothy Paine,


2


James Dennis,


3


*Benjamin Egar,


Menassa Bigsby,


2


Peter Green,


3


Jasper Partridge,


1


Samuel Williams, 4


It appears, from what records can be found, that the town was . wholly governed by a set of officers chosen annually by the people, under their char-


Had no wife.


Edward Bennett,


3


John Camps,


John Shepardson,


Samuel Nickols,


5


*Ebenezer Barnard,


Merodock Zelloden Smith,


199


TOWN OF GUILFORD.


ter, until the toth of May, 1772, when the inhabitants, at " a district meet- ing assembled," in the district of Guilford, voted, that Guilford was in the county of Cumberland and province of New York, and chose officers of the town, agreeable to the laws of that province. At that meeting a record was first made in a regular town book, which was purchased by the original pro- prietors, some years before. By, that record it appears that John Shepardson was chosen "district clerk, John Barney, supervisor," etc., and the meeting was then adjourned to a day after the annual meeting of the charter. Hav- ing renounced their charter, and there being no government which really exercised over them, they continued to legislate for themselves, and tradition says that good justice was done, yet one principal of the charter was still adhered to, for none but proprietors, or those who held under them, had a right to rule or vote in their meetings. Thus was this little republic regulated by a town meeting, which was adjourned from time to time, without inter- ruption from abroad, or contentions at home, until the year 1776. Then the town was beset by violent Tories and Yorkers on the one side, and brave Whigs and New-States men on the other. The Whigs, united with those opposed to the claims of the State of New York, that and the succeeding year,. out-voted the Tories and the Yorkers. In 1776 the town voted to pay the expenses of Benjamin Carpenter, their delegate to the Westminster conven- tion, in 1775. They voted to raise nine soldiers for the continental army, equip them with arms and powder, give them a bounty of £4 "boy money," by a tax upon the inhabitants of the town, which was done. They also resolved, that " no man should vote for town officers, who was not qualified according to the direction of the Continential Congress." Under that reso- lution their committee, chosen for the purpose, 'excluded Tories from the polls, vi et armis, and the poor, if qualified, participated in the government. The title of the town, as belonging to the State of New York, was left out of the records.




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