USA > Vermont > Grand Isle County > History of Franklin and Grand Isle counties, Vermont : With illustrations and biographical sketches of some of the prominent men and pioneers. > Part 56
USA > Vermont > Franklin County > History of Franklin and Grand Isle counties, Vermont : With illustrations and biographical sketches of some of the prominent men and pioneers. > Part 56
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The church is of wood, and altogether cost between $5,000 and $6,000, contributed mostly by Miss Hyde, aided by contributions of friends. It seats about 125 persons. The costly chancel window is in loving mem- ory of the Rev. Dr. Hicks, who died in November, 1869. The large opposite window was put in as a gift from and in behalf of the children. This beautiful and commodious church, with its Sundy-school annex, is itself a memorial of its illustrious founder. Among her efficient helpers and pioneers in this church enterprise we note the names of Mrs. Mary B. Post, A. Hyde Grinnell,. Phineas Spencer, and others now de- ceased or moved away. Her venerable sister and companion in good works, Mrs. Emily (Hyde) Grinnell, still survives (December, 1890) at the advanced age of some ninety-four years. Miss Hyde herself died, after a long sickness, at the house of her brother, on August 17, 1882,
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TOWN OF HIGHGATE.
aged seventy-eight years. The overflowing church at her funeral, and the memorial sermons afterwards preached in several parts of the town and elsewhere, testified to the deep and general regard in which she was held and the irreparable loss sustained. The Sunday nearest the date of her death is annually kept as her memorial day, with service, appropriate sermon, holy communion, offerings for missions (which cause was very dear to her heart), and flowers for the altar and chancel, which latter are afterwards carried in procession and laid on her grave. She left a leg- acy to help pay its current expenses after her decease.
CHAPTER XXXI.
HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF HIGHGATE.
0 N the 17th day of August, 1763, Benning Wentworth, governor of the province of New Hampshire, made a charter of a tract or town of land in the extreme northwest portion of his supposed jurisdiction, to which was given the name of Highgate. This charter was not un- like the great majority of those made by Governor Wentworth during the period of his authority over this region, which commenced in 1741 and terminated in July, 1764. As the reader must have learned from the perusal of earlier chapters in this work the right of authority and jurisdiction over what is now Vermont, by Benning Wentworth, was questioned and opposed by the provincial governor and authorities of New York, they claiming that the jurisdiction of the latter extended east to the Connecticut River. To settle the dispute both governors agreed to refer the question to the king, with the result of an order and decree to the effect that the province of New York did extend east to the river above mentioned. This order was made on the 20th of July, 1764, and thereafter Governor Wentworth did not presume to make further grants or charters of towns within the region of what is now this state. But this subject is so fully discussed in one of the general chap- ters of this volume that no further mention of it is necessary in the pres- ent connection. 75
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HISTORY OF FRANKLIN AND GRAND ISLE COUNTIES.
The charter made by Governor Wentworth, by which the town of Highgate was brought into existence, contained conditions that were to be complied with on the part of the grantees therein named, and if not so fulfilled the grant was to become void; but as the authority of the grantor was terminated before the limit of fulfillment had expired there was no power to which the town could revert, for the New Hamp- shire jurisdiction had then ceased, so far as this region was con- cerned, and the Green Mountain Boys and the New York authorities were then contending for the mastery, and so continued, in one charac- ter or another, until the year 1791, when the independence of Vermont as a state was recognized by the United States, and she was formally ad- mitted into the Federal Union.
One of the several provisions and conditions of the New Hampshire charter was to the effect that the town should be occupied and settled within a specified time; but, as a matter of fact, it was not so settled as required, nor is it understood that any settlement was made, of a per- manent character, until more than twenty years after the charter was granted. This long delay of course worked a forfeiture of the charter, but there being no power to accept the surrender the same was not made; and subsequently, in the year 1791 or 1792, the town was or- ganized and officers chosen under the same general provisions as laid down in the original charter. The New Hampshire charter also pro- vided for the creation of a town which should contain six miles square of land; but viewing the town of Highgate as it is to-day one cannot but express surprise at the gross violation of all propriety shown in estab- lishing the town on its present lines. Yet this condition of things is not single to Highgate alone, but to nearly every town in this county that was chartered by New Hampshire in the first instance, and some chartered by Vermont as well, a result brought about in great part by the operations of Ira Allen and some other surveyors, they being inter- ested parties, who, in their efforts to include the choicest lands within certain grants, distorted and twisted the lines into all conceivable shapes and directions, and were only careful that they included not less than thirty-six square miles within a town, particularly in instances where they had personal interests in the grant. This was done at the very outset, and when subsequent surveys of other towns were made the
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more recent surveyors were obliged to conform themselves to lines already established as the boundaries of other towns previously sur- veyed.
It appears that the town now known by the name of Highgate was at one time known as Woodbridge, though the period of its existence as such was quite brief. The General Assembly of Vermont, on the 26th of October, 1781, passed a resolution, of which the following is a copy :
" Resolved, That there be and hereby is granted unto Major Theodore Woodbridge and company, and unto Mr. Joseph Jones and company, to the number of sixty-five, a township of land containing six miles square, in some of the unappropriated lands within this state. And the Surveyor-General is hereby directed to survey township to the said Ma- jor Woodbridge, Jones & Companies as soon as may be on some part of the unappropriated lands as aforesaid. And the Governor and Coun- cil are hereby requested, as soon as the returns of the Surveyor-General be made as aforesaid, to make out a Charter of Incorporation of said township to the said Woodbridge, Jones & Companies equally ; provided they pay the fees in Lead, Flints, or hard money, under such restrictions, reservations, and upon such Conditions as they shall judge best.
" Resolved, That the proprietors of the township granted to Major Woodbridge, Mr. Jones & Companies pay nine pounds lawful money for each right."
Theodore Woodbridge was a citizen of Rhode Island, was major in the Continental service, and in the list of officers entitled to half pay under the acts of Congress. Concerning Joseph Jones but little is known, except that he must have been in Congress from Virginia, for such an one was not unfriendly to the independence of Vermont.
A charter of a town called Woodbridge was subsequently executed, but the grantees failed to comply with the prescribed conditions, and the charter was given by Governor Chittenden to Ira Allen as security for the indebtedness of the state to Allen at the time. From what can now be learned of the matter the charter of Woodbridge describes a town bordering on the east of Alburgh, apparently Highgate, which had been chartered by New Hampshire in 1763. The charter to Woodbridge and company was forfeited for non-payment, and thereafter was regarded and called by Governor Chittenden and others "a flying grant." Oc-
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HISTORY OF FRANKLIN AND GRAND ISLE COUNTIES.
tober 23, 1783, the House passed an act giving the Governor and Coun- cil " authority to take such measures as to them appear eligible, in the recess of the legislature, to procure such stores, or money to purchase stores, as may be found necessary to enable the surveyor-general to complete a survey of the towns of this state, and to give the surveyor- general such advice and directions as they may think necessary from time to time in the prosecution of his business." On the next day in the execution of this trust the Governor and Council empowered and di- rected Ira Allen, as surveyor- general, to dispose of the town granted to Major Woodbridge, together with other lands, and use the proceeds in the surveys ; also to hire money or purchase stores for the surveys, "and to pledge the faith of this state for the discharge of any such debts contracted by him ; and this state will be accountable for the fulfillment of all contracts made by him in behalf of this state." Allen went on with the work, and as he failed to dispose of the town of Woodbridge he was compelled to use his own funds in purchasing stores. That Allen continued to furnish funds for the work is shown by the final settlement of his accounts. In September, 1786, Allen was defeated as state treas- urer, which so alarmed him that he called on Governor Chittenden to deliver to him a charter of Woodbridge. The act of October 23, 1783, and the resolutions of the council of the preceding day were still in force; under these Allen had a legal right to dispose of Woodbridge and thirty- five rights in Jay ; and the governor himself, with one-half of the councilors, had already given the opinion that Allen was entitled to them on conditions which at this time had been complied with. The legislature met October 12th and the charter of Woodbridge was prob- ably delivered on the 10th, as on that day it was recorded in the sur- veyor-general's record. But the charter seems never to have been re- corded by the secretary of the Governor and Council or the secretary of state, yet it was entered by Allen as surveyor-general, and is now in the office of the secretary of state, in a book erroneously marked Volume 2 of town charters. All the town charters in this book, Woodbridge ex- cepted, are in the official record. The book was in Allen's possession when he died, and was given away by his son, Ira H. Allen, to be used as an account book. It came into the possession of Joseph Beeman in 1824, and was deposited by him in the office of the secretary of state on
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TOWN OF HIGHGATE.
the supposition that it was an official record of charters. The charter of Woodbridge given to Allen was dated October 26, 1781, the date of the grant to Major Woodbridge, and it was recorded by Allen on the 10th of October, 1786, in this book, which probably was originally intended for a state record, but was withheld on account of the questionable char- acter of the town of Woodbridge.
Although this is a subject which has not been discussed by past writ- ers of Highgate town history, and the present writer may possibly be treading on slightly dangerous and uncertain ground in putting forth the foregoing narrative, there can be no reasonable doubt as to the main fact that at least a part of the region now included within the limits of Highgate was formerly, and as above stated, granted to Major Wood- bridge and his associates, and was known by the name of Woodbridge. But there is evidence tending to show that after the failure of the grant of the town known as Woodbridge, by reason of the forfeiture on ac- count of non-payment of the granting fees, Ira Allen transferred the name of Woodbridge to the town now known by the name of Troy, in which region he also had interests by reason of the enforcement of his extraordinary claims as surveyor-general of the state. On account of his services Ira Allen became a creditor of the state to a vast amount, something like $15,000, for the collection and enforcement of which he brought suit, and prosecuted the same to judgment (so it is said), and for the payment of which a tax was levied on the several towns. This not being paid in every instance the lands were sold and "bid in " by Allen, or in his interest. In 1792 Caleb Henderson sold nearly the whole town of Highgate for taxes, for the sum of £93, to Ira Allen, and in pursuance of the sale a deed was executed February II, 1794, and appeared upon the record in 1803. Again, and still later, Sheriff Noah Chittenden sold the town to Ira Allen for £9, the deed for which was also recorded in 1803. And for a third time in 1798, by authority of the selectmen, for the collection of a tax of one cent, the town was sold by Timothy Winter, as officer, to Isaac Bishop, for $3. 15 for each share. Whether the latter sales were subject to those preceding is uncertain, but they probably were, for it is understood that Ira Allen substantially owned the town, and afterward leased and sold it in parcels. It is a fact that to-day there are titles in Highgate held under the Allen leases,
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HISTORY OF FRANKLIN AND GRAND ISLE COUNTIES.
and it is understood that the reversion rests still with the Allen heirs. A history of the land tiles of Highgate alone would form an exceedingly interesting chapter, but such a subject is hardly within the province of this work; however, should such a chapter be fully and correctly written, it might have the effect of quieting some uneasiness in the town on ac- count of the possibly uncertain quality of some titles. Concerning the land sales for taxes Judge Robinson has given the town much valuable history, and as well on other material subjects, for all of which the peo- ple will hold him in grateful remembrance.
But whether Highgate was settled and organized under the New Hampshire charter, or under the Woodbridge grant, or the subsequent Allen titles, is of no material importance ; yet it is a fact that the town does not exist within the boundaries as prescribed by either of these cre- ating powers, nor according even to the intention of the grants, or either by them. On November 1, 1792, a part of Alburgh was annexed to the town, and on October 23, 1806, Marvin's Gore was likewise joined to the town; but on November 3, 1836, a portion of the territory which has long rejoiced in the delightful appellation of Hog Island was taken from Highgate and annexed to Swanton.
Concerning the early settlement of Highgate the papers of the late Amos Skeels gives us the reliable information that the pioneers of the town were Joseph Reycard, who settled on or near the Canada line; John Hilliker on the Missisquoi, north of Swanton; Jeremiah Brewer and Thomas Butterfield on the west side of the Rock River, near the lake shore. The persons above named settled during the years 1785 and 1786. In 1787 Conrad Barr, John Saxe, John Steinhour, John Shel- ter, George Wilson, John Hogle, Peter Lampman, and Peter Waggoner also made settlements in the town. As the names of some of these seem to imply, they were of Dutch ancestry, and are said to have made their settlements here under the belief that they were locating in the province of Canada. At this particular period the British authorities were claim- ing the right to jurisdiction in Alburgh to a point fully as far south as where any of those just named were located; and the British troops were then in possession of Alburgh and other points on the lake, and were encouraging settlement therein as a part of Caldwell's Manor. As a preceding chapter in this work will show, Alburgh was claimed by
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TOWN OF HIGHGATE.
the English government by virtue of titles dating back to 1744 and originated by a grant from the King of France; and, by the grantee thereof, regularly transferred and descended to the Caldwells, under whom the claim was made ; and from the Caldwells the title finally passed to Heman Allen, of Highgate, and in him became extinguished for lack of proper foundation.
In this same connection it may properly be stated that the territory now included in the town of Highgate was itself originally granted by the King of France, in or about the year 1744, to one Monsieur Lusig- nan ; but in common with the great majority of the French seigniories, for such they were called, the title to this grant was vested in Great Brit- ain by right of conquest, the results of the last French and English war. In the same manner the results of the Revolution, so called, merged the title in the United States, and finally, by the acts of Congress in 1791, was ceded to Vermont on the admission of the latter to the Fed- eral Union.
Returning to the subject of early settlement, from the same authority as heretofore mentioned it is learned that the first children born in Highgate were Henry Steinhour, Abram Reycard, and Catharine Shelter, all during the year 1787; also in the same year the pioneer, John Saxe, built the first grist-mill in the northeast part of the town, a locality that then became established by the name of Saxe's Mills, and has been so called even to the present day. Between 1789 and 1791 other families were added to the town, among whom were those of John Stinets, Jonathan Butterfield, Elias Bessy, H. Sisco, - - Teachout, Henry Hoffman, James Bopee, James Moulte, and Thomas Best. In 1791 Catharine, the wife of John Saxe, died, which event is supposed to have been the first death in town. In this same year the first school was established, in a house on Conrad Barr's farm, near Saxe's mill, and taught first by Simeon Foster and afterward by Thomas Thorp and Abram Hyatt. In 1797 Andrew Potter built the first saw-mill at the falls, followed soon after by a grist-mill addition. In 1799"Conrad Barr and W. Moulte built the first frame barns, and in 1801 Matthew God- frey and Peter Saxe kept the first store and tavern. The first frame dwellings in the town were built in 1802 by Elijah Rood, - New- comb, and Conrad Barr. Dr. Joseph B. Cutler was the first physician,
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HISTORY OF FRANKLIN AND GRAND ISLE COUNTIES.
settled in 1806, and lived in the town until his death in 1861. The first furnace was built in 1807 by Abel Drury. Thomas Best built the first brick house in 1811. In this year the first tannery was started by Jon- athan Loudon ; likewise Nehemiah Sabin and John Clough were pio- neers in blacksmithing in Highgate.
In 1791 the town of Highgate was credited with having a resident population of 103 souls, a number sufficient to warrant the full organi- zation of the town by the election of officers, which was accordingly done on the 3 Ist of March of that year, and resulted as follows : Moder- ator, John Waggoner; town clerk, Jonathan Butterfield; constables, Isaac Asseltine and Minard Teachout; selectmen, John Waggoner, Mi- chael Lampman, and John Hilliker; fence viewers, Jacob Hilliker and Peter Lampman. It appears that no representative to the General As- sembly was elected in September of this year, but at the election in 1792 John Knickerbocker was chosen to that office. A list of the represent- atives from Highgate will be found on a succeeding page of this chapter.
Notwithstanding the embarrassments and difficulties that hindered the settlement of the adjoining town of Alburgh, growing out of the dis- putes and controversies concerning the right to authority and jurisdic- tion over its territory, the people of Highgate were not similarly affected, although the town lay in close proximity to the scene of disturbances. The subject which most seriously affected the people of this town was the uncertain character of their land titles, but this was satisfactorily over- come, and settlement continued to progress rapidly and the growth itself was permanent. As has been stated the whole population of the town in 1791 numbered but 103 persons, while the year 1800 found it to contain 437, and by 1810 the number had increased to the aggregate of 1,374, it being then fifth in population in Franklin county. But unlike the majority of the towns of the county the early settlers had among their number a fair proportion of sturdy, determined Dutchmen, who at the time of their settlement supposed they were locating within the province of Canada, and who, on learning to the contrary, neverthe- less remained contentedly where they were, and built up for themselves excellent farms and comfortable homes. And among the whole people of the town at an early day there was a number who were leaders, and as such took a prominent part in the affairs of the town and of the
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O. G. SKEELS.
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TOWN OF HIGHGATE.
county. In this connection there may be recalled the names of Corne- lius Wilson, Jonathan Butterfield, John and Matthew Saxe, Timothy Win- ters, Hercules Lent, Sylvanus Cobb, Gordon Cray, George Steinhour, Shadrack Norton, Andrew Potter, Thomas Best, James Welch, Nathan Olds, Henry Hughman, Asa Holgate, Thomas Butterfield, Jacob Elmer, John Waggoner, Jacob Cray, John Hilliker, Peter Lampman, John Sti- nets, John Cray, Jeremiah Brewer, Jacob Hortot, Conrad Barr, Samuel Foster, Levi Hungerford, Minard Teachout, George Wilson, John Clow, Elias Berry, Abraham Asseltine, Solomon Percy, Peter Moulte, Noel Potter, Peter Saxe. These men were not only leaders in holding the principal offices of the town during the first ten or twelve years of its organized history, but as well they were leaders of public opinion, of popular sentiment, and the molders of the action of the town with ref- erence to the questions being agitated during the period of their time.
While the people of the town were substantially exempted from any disturbing factor during the period of the British occupation as much cannot be said of it during the five years immediately preceding the War of 1812-15, or even during the course of the war itself. The people of the town were peculiarly situated; they were many of them former residents of the province, and had many things in common with the province inhabitants ; they were accustomed to transport their lum- ber, pot and pearl ashes into Canada, where they were sold, or else ex- changed for clothing, salt, or other commodities, perchance a jug of good rum, which were needed for the comfort and enjoyment in the locality in which they lived and were not there readily obtainable. Therefore when Congress passed the obnoxious embargo and non-in- tercourse laws, and endeavored by the presence of armed troops to en- force them, the people of Highgate as well as of other localities regarded the measures as extremely oppressive, and a direct attack against the liberties they had ever enjoyed, an attack which created intense indig- nation throughout the town, and one which many persons were disposed to resist. Their privileges being denied them, the comforts of life being taken away from them, it was but natural that many persons should re- sort to the secret process of smuggling. This was indulged in to a con- siderable extent, and as the town lay abutting the Canada line it was not difficult to evade the vigilance of the customs officials ; and as for
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HISTORY OF FRANKLIN AND GRAND ISLE COUNTIES.
the militia they were mainly from the county, and themselves in partial sympathy with the distressed people, and were not, therefore, so alert and active in the matter of apprehending offenders as their duties would appear to demand. So secretly indeed were the smuggling operations conducted that there was a noticeable infrequency of arrests in the town, while collisions between officers and violators of the laws are not to be found mentioned in any of the publications of writers of that period. There were three men of Highgate, however, who operated in connec- tion with the somewhat notorious smuggling vessel Black Snake, which fell into the hands of the militia on August 30, 1808, The three High- gaters who were indicted for the offenses charged to have been com- mitted at the mouth of Winooski River were William Noaks, Slocum Clark, and Truman Mudgett.
. But during the period of the war which followed these operations there was no charge of disloyalty or want of patriotism brought against the people of Highgate. The records show that the militia of the town formed a part of the Second Company of the First Regiment in the First Brigade of detached militia of the state; and although this company was credited with but eleven men from the town the captain was chosen from the town's contingent, being Conrad Saxe. The eleven were Chester Miller, David Stickney, Samuel Hubbell, Moses Martindale, David Herrick, Nathaniel Johnson, John Carman, Henry Chappell, Da- vid Moore, David Sagar, and Peter Brewer. The remainder of the com- pany was comprised of men from the towns of Swanton, St. Albans, Georgia, Milton, and Westford. In 1814, when Plattsburgh was the ob- jective point of the British advance, the commander of the American forces called for volunteers to come to his assistance ; and in response to this call Conrad Saxe quickly mustered a company and proceeded as far as Grand Isle, but could not find transportation across the main channel of the lake, much, it is said, to the chagrin and disappointment of his men.
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