USA > Vermont > Windsor County > Royalton > History of Royalton, Vermont, with family genealogies, 1769-1911 > Part 8
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Comfort Sever, Elias Stevens, committee for Royalton, Joel Marsh, David Copeland, Timothy Hibbard, Committee for Bethel."
This record which was to have been inserted in the records of each town is not found in Royalton records. The agents, Comfort Sever and Elias Stevens, were probably appointed by the proprietors. The last record of a prudential committee in- cluded Mr. Sever, but not Mr. Stevens. The town is indebted to Bethel for the preservation of this important history in con- nection with the settlement of her boundary lines. Referring to the diagram showing the boundaries of the town, it will be noticed that the Whitelaw line did not take off so large a tract from Royalton, as this agreement allowed. In all probability there had never been any authorized action granting to Bethel the two tiers which she claimed, and the new survey called the attention of the inhabitants to the possibility of having the origi- nal boundary re-established. The compact of 1778 was ratified by this agreement between the two towns, and Bethel holds a part of her territory by consent of Royalton, and not by charter. Possibly the proprietors never ratified the action of their com- mittee, but it is more likely that the clerk was remiss in not re- cording the agreement.
The eastern line of Bethel was found by Mr. Child, land surveyor for many years, not to be a straight, but a crooked line, varying from S. 38 degrees W. to S. 42 degrees W. He states that the north line of Royalton, and consequently the north line of the two tiers is considered to run 60 degrees E., notwith- standing it is stated on the plan as running 57 and one-half de- grees E.
51
HISTORY OF ROYALTON, VERMONT
The boundary between Royalton and Bethel was at last amicably settled, but there was still some uncertainty regarding the eastern boundary of the town. Some who had built their homes in Royalton, as they supposed, do not seem to have taken kindly to a shift of jurisdiction, especially, as they were living in the same house. This is inferred by finding a petition before the House Oct. 15, 1808, coming from "sundry inhabitants of Royalton and Sharon regarding jurisdictional lines." No evi- dence is found that the town of Royalton authorized the petition, and it probably emanated from a few dissatisfied inhabitants of the two towns. It was referred to a joint committee, came up again Oct. 20, 1809, and once more was referred to a joint com- mittee. These joint committees seemed often to serve as con- venient wells for sinking troublesome bills. If they were never heard from again, the legislators could look their constituents placidly in the face, and say, "We acted on your petition." The Royalton settlers who had lost land from pitches bordering on Sharon had been recompensed by additional pitches in the still undivided land. Nothing more is heard regarding the eastern boundary, and it appears to have been settled as the line was run, and as it stands today.
The Tunbridge Gore was coveted by numerous would-be grantees. Sauthier's Map of 1779 shows no gore between Roy- alton and Tunbridge, and it has been supposed, that, at first, a part or all of this gore was considered as belonging to Royalton. The existence of a gore bordering Royalton was surely recog- nized as early, at least, as 1780. John Hutchinson and others petitioned, Feb. 5, 1780, for the grant of a gore between Sharon, Royalton, Middlesex, and Tunbridge. A petition dated, Nor- wich, Oct. 3, 1778, from Experience Davis, asks for a gore at the S. W. corner of Tunbridge of 1440 acres. He says he had built a house on it and lived there two or three years, and that he would still live there had it not been "dangerous on account of the Enemy of this and the United States." Aaron Stores (Storrs) petitioned the Surveyor General for definite instruc- tions as to the boundary of Randolph, saying that he was like to lose it for want of these instructions. His petition was granted June 27, 1781. Experience Davis was a Randolph settler. Pos- sibly, some of the land for which Mr. Davis petitioned was in- cluded in the gore seen on S. Gale's Map of 1774. This map with its explanation accompanied a petition of James Nial to New York for the gore lettered, CDEF. Thomas Gage attached his certificate, saying that Mr. Nial "was a Capt. of Rangers in His Majesty's service during the War in North America and was reduced in said capacity." There is no reason to suppose that Mr. Nial ever occupied the land, if he got it, and if he favored
52
HISTORY OF ROYALTON, VERMONT
the British, no Yankee would scruple to settle on it. We may conclude, then, that the stiff-spined Experience, who merely winked at the warnings of Governor and Council, cared not a jot for the claim of any British sympathizer, when he fenced in his "Squatter" lot in 1776. Mr. Gale in explanation of this gore, CDEF, says :
"At the Time of the Passing of the Grant for the Township of Middlesex (which has its place of beginning at the point Z) It was supposed that the southeasterly Corner of that Township would have coincided with the southwesterly Corner of the Township of Royalton represented by the point A (which last mentioned Tract has its place of beginning as at M) whereby the Fourth Corner of Middlesex was supposed to be coinciding with the Northwesterly Corner of Royalton represented by the Point a & whereby also the Fifth Boundary line of the Township of Middlesex was sup- posed to be Coinciding with the Northerly bounds of Royal- ton represented by the line aF Till it should meet with the Westerly bounds of Tunbridge as at F. The Township of Royalton was laid out in the year 1770 by Thomas Valentine and the several lines and Corners Marked. The Township of Middlesex was laid out by myself in the year 1772 and Run into Lots by which survey the southeasterly corner of the Township of Middlesex instead of coincid- ing with the Northeasterly Corner of Royalton as at a proved to be at the Point represented by D. And the Fifth boundary line instead of coinciding with the Northerly bounds of Royalton (aF) proved to be as represented by the line DE in consequence of which the space CDEF Remains Vacant.
S. Gale Surveyor."
The grant of the Tunbridge Gore was made by the Assem- bly June 18, 1785. The Council of that date "Resolved that the fees on the Gore of Land Granted to Governor Spooner, and others, be one shilling pr. acre to be paid in hard money within one Month or Revert to the State." The grantees were Gov. Paul Spooner, Hon. Peter Olcott, Rev. Lyman Potter, Robert Havens, Joseph Havens, Calvin Parkhurst, John Hutchinson. Abijah Hutchinson, John Parkhurst, Abel Hendrick, Moses Ord- way, Benjamin Ordway, Elias Stevens, and Widow Lois Button. Nathan Woodbury was not named in the list recorded in Tun- bridge, but is named in the apportionment of acres. The fees were promptly paid, evidently, as on the 15th of the month the Council directed Col. Ira Allen to accept £5 in public securities from Gov. Spooner, and £5 in "States notes" in a "Settlement for the fees of said Gore," and to discharge Nathan Woodbury that sum on the granting fees due from him for his Right of Land between Tunbridge and Royalton. The Chart of Tun- bridge Gore shows the number of acres held by each grantee, but the divisions are disproportionate, as they so stood on the dia- gram filed in the town clerk's office in Tunbridge, and it was not deemed best to change them.
TUNBRIDGE
GORE
1785
No. 13
No. 14 No. 15 110 Acres
Wo. 16 No 17 90 100 83 Aeres Acres Acres
No. 18 83
NO. 19 83 Aeres
No. 20 63 Acres H. H.
No. 21 96 Acres
No 22 83 Aeres
No. 12 121 Acres AbiJah W
200 Aeres
No. 2 183 Acres
No. 3 137 Acres
No. 4 150
No. 5 100 Acres Acres
No. 6 150 Acres
No. 7 54 Acres
No. 8 00 Acres
300 Acres
TO. Havens
100 Acres
100 Acres
100 Aeres
Acres
79 Acres
No. 11 100 Acres
No. 10 134 Acres
Lois Button
Widow
John Parkhurst
Elias Stevens
Ordway
Benjamin
Ordway
Ordway
Ordway
No. 9 105 Aeres
Olcott
Spooner
Potter
Woodberry
Hutchinson
Abijah
Calvin Parkhurst
. Abel Hendrick
Herekich Hutchinson
John Hutchinson
Havens
Robert
Phineas Lyman & Co
Charlotte
Cage borough
Tunbridge
Thetford
Stratford
Royal Town
omporpanlyserk
Newport
Pagne !!
White
Bernard.
Sharon
Norwich
1
O
-
Line
Royalton
Boundaries
S. GALE'S DIAGRAM 1774
Sharon
Royalton
Bethel
Royalton Charter Line
Whitelaw's
I Told corner
Old Corner
Corner
-
Charter
Line agreed on between Royalton and Bethel
O
10571PP!W
8
W
A
LoSKIy TO
No. . y €
66 chains 50 link
Jo. Havens
874:105 34:04005
J
3
Royalton
SAUTHIER'S MAP 1779
N. 54° W.
Acres
54
HISTORY OF ROYALTON, VERMONT
The Grant stated that the Gore hereafter was to be a part of Tunbridge. The boundary began at a beech tree at the cor- ner of Tunbridge marked "Strafford Corner 1783," being the southeast corner of Tunbridge, then N. 58 degrees East six miles in Tunbridge line to stake and stones seven links from a hemlock tree marked Tunbridge "S. W. corner 1783," then S. 26 degrees and 66 chains and fifty links to N. W. corner of Royalton, then S. 60 degrees E. 466 chains in N. line of Royalton to the N. E. corner of Royalton.
At a proprietors' meeting held Nov. 4, 1788, at John Hutch- inson's, Hezekiah Hutchinson was chosen clerk, and Col. Stevens, Moses Ordway, and John Hutchinson, prudential committee. Whether this grant was pleasing to Tunbridge or not can only be conjectured. In June of the next year she appointed a com- mittee to ascertain the "antient" bounds of the town, and placed Elias Curtis on a committee to draft a remonstrance to the Gen- eral Assembly against granting any more land within her bound- ary.
The boundaries of Royalton would now seem to have been permanently established, but there were still restless spirits look- ing, like Alexander, for more worlds to conquer. Some of them were on this very gore. It is difficult to understand just what motives prompted them to meditate the formation of a new town, by taking portions from Royalton, Bethel, Tunbridge, and Ran- dolph. It has not been ascertained with whom the idea origin- ated, but it was evidently hatched, and grew most lustily on this gore. A petition was sent to the Assembly, which considered it Oct. 13, 1809. It was referred to a joint committee. Jacob Smith was the representative from Royalton at that time. The petition was signed by Jonathan Whitney and others. The Coun- cil received from the House, Oct. 16, 1810, a bill providing for a committee to examine the towns of Bethel, Randolph, Royalton, and Tunbridge, which had been referred to a committee of four, and the Council concurred in the reference.
Of course this attempt to found a new town failed, but the question was only dormant, not dead. It revived ten years later, and a petition from the same towns was before the House Oct. 20, 1820, which was referred to a joint committee of six. It went over that session. Unless records are at fault, Royalton took no part as a town, in the earliest project of forming a new town, though some of her citizens did. She was passive, also, as regards the petition of 1820. We may infer that the forming of a new town was left to an expression of the voters of the sev- eral towns concerned. In the warning for the March meeting of 1821 the following article was inserted: "To see if they will agree to have a town formed by taking a part of Royalton, Bethel,
55
HISTORY OF ROYALTON, VERMONT
Randolph, and Tunbridge to be called Munroe." The article was laid over to an adjourned meeting and then they voted against forming such a town. So far as has been ascertained, the other towns that took any action at all in the matter, voted against it. The boundaries of Royalton were still undisturbed and have so continued to the present time. This bill was before the Governor and Council Oct. 21, and Mr. Chittenden was chosen to join the committee from the House. Probably no further action was taken. The petition emanated from "sundry in- habitants," and apparently was not authorized by the towns con- cerned. Royalton, as has been said, had already expressed its disapproval of the scheme.
In 1829 the selectmen of the town were requested to estab- lish the limits and bounds of Royalton village, agreeable to an act of the Legislature passed November 11, 1819. The bound- aries are recorded as "beginning in the center of the turnpike road south of the dwelling house of Solomon Wheeler, Jr., thence up the turnpike as far as the house formerly owned by Jacob Cady, thence extending each way from the center of the turnpike the above distance forty-five rods." Dated March 20, 1829.
No definite limits have been set to the village of South Roy- alton. By the charter of incorporation granted by the legisla- ture Jan. 15, 1909, which will be operative only when a majority of the legal voters in the proposed district shall vote to incor- porate, the bounds extend as follows :
"Beginning at a point in the easterly line of the right of way of the Central Vermont railway opposite the southeasterly corner of the southerly abutment of the railway bridge crossing White River, on the farm now owned by Jessie F. Benson, on the bank of said river, thence southerly on the west bank of said river including lands of G. W. Smith and Mrs. Maxham, the Whitham farm now owned by Caspar P. Abbott (now owned by Charles Southworth), and the N. I. Hale place, to a point opposite the north bound of the A. P. Skinner meadow ground, on the east side of said river, thence across said White river to said Skinner's northerly bound, thence on said Skinner's northerly bound, of said meadow piece, to the highway on the east side of said river, thence northerly on the west line of said highway, to a point opposite the northerly bound of the Riverview cemetery, thence on the northerly bound of said cemetery, and including said cemetery, to the northerly line of said A. P. Skinner's farm, thence easterly and northerly on said Skinner's line to the highway leading to the A. C. Blake farm, thence southerly on the westerly line of said highway to the land of Gertrude Patten, thence on said Patten's line and said highway to a point opposite the westerly abutment of the third covered bridge across the first branch of White river, (from its mouth) thence across said highway to the S. E. corner of said bridge abutment, thence across said Branch river to the S. E. corner of land owned by Albert Waterman and wife, on the easterly bank of said branch thence southerly on said branch river bank to a point opposite the northeasterly bound of W. N. Salter and E. A. Woodward's land, thence across the highway leading to the hill road and C. W. Seymour's farm, to said Salter's and Wood-
56
HISTORY OF ROYALTON, VERMONT
ward's northeasterly bound, thence following the lines of said Salter's and Woodward's property so as to include all the same, and including all of the M. V. B. Adams land, (the property lately deeded to Jesse Cook) the Mary L. Mudgett piece, so-called, the Robinson place and the H. C. Tenney land, to land of Nettie M. Waldo, thence following the southeasterly line of said Waldo land on the height of land called the Elephant, to the corner of land now owned by Frank Fay, thence on said Fay's land to the main highway easterly of White river, thence across said highway to said Fay's line again, and on said Fay's land to the easterly bank of said river, thence crossing said White river at right angles to the land of S. S. Brooks on the westerly bank of said river, thence southerly on said river bank to the line of land owned by O. S. Curtis, including the land of D. W. Blake, and the Flint meadow so-called (now owned by W. E. Webster), thence on said Curtis' land westerly to the easterly line of the public highway, thence on said highway southerly to said Curtis' land again, thence crossing said highway at right angles and following said Curtis' line of land across the railway and over the hill southerly and westerly, crossing the Broad Brook highway, including the lands of C. E. Flint and I. B. Spaulding, the D. W. Blake pasture, and the Lamb pasture, to the L. C. Tower pasture, thence on the S. W. line of said Tower pasture to the M. H. Hazen pasture, and on said Hazen's southwesterly line to the J. W. Woodward land, thence on said Woodward's southwesterly line to the pasture land of C. P. Abbott (Charles Southworth), and thence on his southwesterly and westerly lines to the great ledge and land of W. B. Gould, thence on said great ledge to the land of C. W. English and wife, thence on said English's line to land now owned by C. W. Benson, (formerly the Ellen Woodward land) thence on said Benson and English's lines to the right of way of said Central Vermont Railway Co., thence at right angles across said railway land to land of Jessie Benson, thence on said Benson's northwesterly bound, to the highway, thence across said highway and following said Benson's northwesterly bound again, to the place of beginning."
Under the authority vested in them by legislative enactment the selectmen of Royalton established Fire District, No. 1, in August, 1884. The following bounds were then set :
"Not exceeding 2 miles Sqr., on the highway leading to Sharon from So. Royalton & on the So. Royalton side of White River as far and including the farm of O. S. Curtis, on the highway leading from So. Royalton to Royalton same side of White River as far & including the farm of John Braley, (now owned by Jessie Benson) on the highway leading from So. Royalton to Woodstock as far & including land owned by A. H. Lamb & wife also including the new highway leading from the Woodstock road near Isaac Northrop to the Sharon road near James N. Cloud, on the highway leading from So. Royalton to Chelsea as far & including the new Factory of M. S. Adams, and on the highway leading from the Chelsea Road around by John A. Slack (now C. W. Seymour), as far and including the Ira Pierce place & now owned by M. S. Adams, on the highway leading from P. D. Pierce to Royalton as far & including the James Buck farm, on the highway leading to Sharon as far as P. D. Pierce's southerly line."
In 1885, on petition, all north of the river, the John B. Braley and William C. Smith premises, those of Oliver Curtis, Benjamin Flint, Rufus and James N. Cloud were omitted, bring- ing the southern bound as far north as the new highway laid in
57
HISTORY OF ROYALTON, VERMONT
1885 between James N. Cloud and L. C. Tower, running to the Woodstock road or Pleasant street. In 1893 the district was extended to include all along the new road by Danforth Day's to the river, the P. D. Pierce place, and Charles Vial place be- tween the Pierce farm and the river.
CHAPTER VII.
THE EARLIEST SETTLERS.
The course of settlement from Massachusetts and Connecti- cut was continually northward and westward. Pioneers in one town often remained only long enough to secure title to their pitches, and then moved on further into the wilderness. Thus settlers in Sharon, Vermont, had itching feet for land beyond the limits of the town. There is some difference of opinion as to who were the first settlers in Sharon. A paper of reminiscences prepared by Joel Shepard at the age of ninety-two is very inter- esting reading, and deserves to pass into history. He was the son of William Shepard, one of the pioneers of Sharon.
Sharon was chartered Aug. 17, 1761, by Governor Benning Wentworth of New Hampshire. The first recorded meeting was held in Plainfield, Conn., Nov. 18, 1761, when Lieut. Joseph Parkhurst was chosen Moderator, and John Parkhurst, Clerk. They voted to allow the charges of the committee for their jour- ney to and from Sharon, amounting to sixteen pounds. Town officers were chosen in Plainfield, March 9, 1762. Lieut. John Parkhurst received £6 on Mar. 8, 1763, for going to Portsmouth for the charter. Lots on the first right had been laid out in part, and were drawn by lot Nov. 15th of that year. Capt. John Parkhurst received £1.10 for surveys, riding his horse to Sharon. The committee that went to Sharon to lay out the lots were Capt. Timothy Wheeler, Capt. Silas Hutchins, Jo. Parkhurst, Jr., John Stevens, and Curtis Spaulding. The proprietors offered to any ten or five who would go to Sharon, clear three acres, sow to English grain, and build a house sixteen feet square, by the first of November, 1763, their choice of lots laid out. Evidently no one accepted the offer, and it was renewed to any five on April 12, 1764, with the privilege of selecting any 100 acres in the undivided land, only ten of which could be intervale. In Novem- ber the right was extended to any one. The first town meeting in Sharon was held July 1, 1765, but in December one was held in Plainfield, and also in 1767. In 1766, March 11th, a meet- ing was held in Killingly, which adjourned to Plainfield, and Joel Marsh received for a survey of the town and the 100-acre
59
HISTORY OF ROYALTON, VERMONT
lots £6.2.6, and Robert Havens received six shillings for assist- ing the committee in laying out the town.
The Havens and Shepard families are connected with Roy- alton, as well as with Sharon, and their earliest experiences in this vicinity are related by Joel Shepard as follows :
"The proprietors of Plainfield, Killingly and Canterbury, Conn., bought the number of the town now called Sharon. They were to settle the town in this way-four were to be there through the summer, and one at least in the winter. They met together to see who would turn out, but all appeared loth to go. Then they voted to give the four that would go and settle first-and one of the four to stay through the winter-they gave them three hundred and twenty acres of land where they see fit. This was gratis for settling. Isaac Marsh, my grandfather, Willard Shep- ard, my father, one Parkhurst and one Havens turned out to go the next Spring. They got ready in the Winter. They set out the next spring with their provisions and farming tools, and other necessaries, and went with an ox team as far as Old Hadley, and they put up at a tavern; his name was Kellogg and there was a boat going up to Charlestown, No. 4. They put their effects on board the boat and went up and sent the team home. They got to Charlestown safe. Then there was no road, nor no inhab- itants, all a wilderness, and it was sixty miles. They built them a log canoe, and loaded and went on, and when they came to falls and could not get up with their canoe, they would back round their effects and go above the falls, and build another canoe, and then load and go on. They had several sets of falls to pass in the same way, but at last they got there safe, and they found the corners of the town and the number and each one made his pitch where his grandson now lives. Where Isaac Marsh made his pitch is where Timothy Marsh, his grandson, now lives. Wil- lard Shepard made his pitch at the upper part of the town, and the other two made their pitches. Each one built him a log hut. All would work for one a week, for another a week, and so on round, and on the Sabbath day they would resort to Isaac Marsh's hut; and there one Sabbath after meeting, it being warm, they walked down to the river where it was cooler. Some were reading and some were talking. Isaac Marsh had a stick in his hand as he sat talking, now and then picking a little in the leaves and dirt. At last he picked up a ring that was in the dirt, and come to rub up the ring they found it to be a plain gold ring, and on the inside was carved in small letters, 'Re- member the giver.' This was a wonder, how the ring came there, miles from any inhabitants, and all a wilderness. He laid up the ring. They went to their work, which was chopping. Each
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HISTORY OF ROYALTON, VERMONT
one sowed a patch of turnips. They reaped some water oats on an island in White River and saved them.
Come fall they were all eager to go home, but one had to stay to keep the charter good. Finally, Isaac concluded to stay; he had provisions enough to last him till they came up in the spring. They started, meaning to get home to Thanksgiving, and left Isaac Marsh alone. Not long after they were gone, one morning as he was going to his work, he met an Indian and his squaw and four children. They shook hands and it was peace. The Indian appeared to be glad to see the white man, and Mr. Marsh
invited him to go to his log house, and he gave the Indian and squaw a dram each, and that suited well, and he gave them a breakfast. Then they sat and talked. The Indian said he had come from Canada into this part in order to trap for beaver, and was about building him a wigwam for his family. 'But I should think,' said the Indian, 'that your wigwam would hold us both.' 'Yes,' said Mr. Marsh, and they set his effects all on one side and the Indian took the other, and then made a mark from the fireplace to the middle of the door and told his children not to step across that mark, and they did as they were bid. He followed trapping and had good success. He would hunt a deer in the morning while his wife was getting breakfast, and com- monly kill a deer and draw it home, and say to Mr. Marsh : 'Skin um and you shall have half of um.' Marsh would dress the deer and take his half, and the Indian would sit and tell his war and hunting stories with some Indian remarks, and it was good com- pany. His squaw was industrious and neat, and of good govern- ment over her children, and pleasant to her husband. Their oldest son was about twelve years of age. Mr. Marsh cut down some small trees, and the boy would cut them up to keep a good fire day and night, and he made the boy a hand-sled, and he commonly got home enough to last through the night by noon. One day the boy was eying Mr. Marsh's fish pole and line. The boy takes a coal and a flat stone, and marked out a fish; then he patted Mr. Marsh on the shoulder, and then pointed to the pole; then he struck the fish in two with the coal; then made a motion to share one half with him, then pointed to the pole. Mr. Marsh knew what he wanted, and gave him the pole and some rinds of pork for bait. Come night the boy brought home a good string of trout and laid them into two piles, and pointed to Mr. Marsh to take his half, and he did. The largest ones he corned down and smoked them for the next summer, and the boy followed fishing through the winter. Mr. Marsh made some sap-trays and tapped some maple trees. Come night he would bring in the sap and the squaw would boil it away, and they made molasses and sugar-the squaw used what she wanted. About this time
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