History of Rutland County, Vermont, with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers, Part 36

Author: Smith, H. P. (Henry Perry), 1839-1925. 1n; Rann, William S
Publication date: 1886
Publisher: Syracuse, N.Y., D. Mason & co.
Number of Pages: 1170

USA > Vermont > Rutland County > History of Rutland County, Vermont, with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers > Part 36

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HISTORY OF RUTLAND COUNTY.

of each. Near the northwest corner of the inclosure was a guard-house of rough boards, roofed and floored, in which the sentry slept during relief from the two hours' watches. Along the north side were the officers' barracks, the roofs of which sloped against the outer pickets. The soldiers' barracks ex- tended along the south side, while the intervening space was used as a parade ground. The fort was supplied with a nine pound cannon, and it is related that one of the soldiers once remarked to a visitor that as they had then a stock of twelve cannon cartridges, the fort could stand a pretty heavy siege ! The ground to the south and east of the fort was originally covered with scrub oaks, but these were cleared away south to the creek and east a distance of fifteen or twenty rods, so as to guard against stealthy attack. This fort was called Fort Ranger, as will be seen in subsequent pages of the town records; some of the town meetings were held here and it was the headquarters of the State troops until 1781, when the presence of the British in large force on Lake Champlain caused the removal of headquarters to Castleton. This fort, Mead's saw-mill and grist-mill, John H. Johnson's tavern, and the meeting- house, made that point an important rendezvous for the town; it promised in that early day to become the center of business and traffic. In spite of the frequent alarms and rumors of Indian incursions during the Revolutionary War, and the fact that other towns to the northward did actually become the scene of warfare, Fort Ranger was never attacked by the enemy, and the only dan- ger its inmates incurred was from stray shots of Indians or Tories aimed at the sentries in the darkness of night. On the 27th of March, 1781, the town meeting was convened in the meeting-house, according to notice; thence it adjourned to the tavern of John Hopson Johnson, and thence, as the records inform us, " for necessary reasons " it adjourned to the " store-house in Fort Rainger." 1

In 1779 this fort was in command of Captain Thomas Sawyer, and on the 14th of May he received the following orders : -

" The design and object of a garrison being kept at your post is to prevent the incursion of the enemy on the northern frontier and to annoy them should they come within your reach ; as there are two other Forts, one at Castleton, and the other at Pittsford, dependent upon yours, you are to take care that they are properly manned and provided proportionable to your strength at Fort Ranger. You will keep out constant scouts toward the lake, so as to get the earliest intelligence of the motion and designs of the enemy. You will keep the command of Fort Ranger and other forts depending until otherwise ordered by me or until some Continental Officers shall take the command. You will post the earliest intelligence of the enemy to me and guard against surprise. Given under my hand

" THOS. CHITTENDEN, Capt. Gen."

1 The description of these forts is condensed from the account in the l'ermont Historical Magazine.

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TOWN OF RUTLAND.

The charter of Rutland was one of the sixty issued by New Hampshire in 1761. New York had set up her claim to the territory of the State in 1750, an unjustifiable measure which led to the historic controversy which has been described in earlier pages of this work. The charter of Rutland was dated September 7, 1761, three years before the French and Indian war was wholly ended. Governor Benning Wentworth, of New Hampshire, from whom the charters of towns in Rutland county emanated, did not forget his personal interests and reserved for himself five hundred acres of land in the town- ship ; but the grantees had little of which to complain, as they obtained their lands substantially free; or, as they themselves claimed, "as a reward for their great losses and services on the frontier, during the late war." The charter was procured by Colonel Josiah Willard, of Winchester, N. H., and the first named grantee was John Murray, an Irishman. The latter was a prominent citizen of Rutland, Mass., and it is thought gave the same name to this town. Most of the grantees lived in New Hampshire and none of them ever settled permanently in Rutland. Following are the names of the original grantees of the town, as they appear in the records: Ephraim Adams, John Armes, Eliakim Armes, Elijah Armes, John Armes (probably John 2d), Thomas Bardwell, Thomas Blanchard, Joseph Cass, Oliver Colburn, John Dandly, Thomas Davis, Jonathan Furneld, Nathaniel Foster, Joseph Hannum, George Hart, Asa Hawks, John Hinsdale, Nehemiah Houghton, Caleb John- son, Elijah Mitchell, Benjamin Melvin, Reubin Nimbs, Enos Stevens, William Smeed, Abraham Scott, Samuel Stevens, jr., Wing Spooner, Zedekiah Stone, Nathan Stone, Joel Stone, Samuel Stone, jr., Abner Stone, Samuel Stone, Josiah Willard, jr., William Willard, and Governor Benning Wentworth (500 acres).

A second grant was made in the same year, covering the territory of Rut- land, under the name of "Fairfield," the grantor being Colonel John Henry Lydius, then of Albany. His claim was founded on a deed from the Mohawk chiefs, confirmed by Governor Shirley, of Massachusetts.1 He commenced surveying and preparing to dispose of his easily acquired territory, while other speculators also began to turn their attention to this locality. In the mean time John Murray sold his right in Rutland, containing about three hundred and fifty acres, for two shillings-at the rate of about ten acres for one cent ! Other sales were also made; speculators, those vampires that caused the pio- neers more trouble than their descendants can appreciate, were active; the woods began to resound with the echoes of the axe, and the era of settlement began.

Early Settlements. - James Mead was the first white man to permanently settle in the town of Rutland. He removed from " Nine Partners," to Man-

1 Soon after the grant to Lydins he procured the survey of Otter Creek, sending Asa Peabody from Connecticut to do the work. Henry Hall, of Rutland, says he has seen the original record of that survey written on a half sheet of foolscap, with all the minute details. The measurement of the fall at Center Rutland made it twenty-five feet, and Sutherland Fall, one hundred and fifty feet.

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HISTORY OF RUTLAND COUNTY.

chester, Vt., accompanied by several other men and their families. Mead was probably something of a leader among them, and while acting as their agent he became acquainted with this town. On the 30th day of September, 1769, he made his first purchase here, which embraced twenty "rights"; ten of these he sold on the same day. As there were about three hundred and fifty acres in a right, he retained about 3,500 acres. His purchase was made of Nathan Stone, of Windsor, and his sale of one-half was made to Charles Button, of Clarendon. The price is stated in the deeds of purchase as one hundred pounds, and the price of half to Button as forty pounds ; which transaction would have been a losing one for Mead. The deeds describe Mead as of Man- chester, in the county of Albany, New York. The twenty rights of Mead and Button were located in the southwest part of the town. In the same fall Mr. Mead built a log house which stood on or near the site of the present residence of Chapin Wilcox, about half a mile west of Center Rutland, near the banks of the West Creek. Here was an ancient beaver meadow, which saved the pio- neer the necessity of making a place for his dwelling in an unbroken forest.

In March, 1770, when Colonel Mead was forty years old and had a wife and ten children, the eldest of whom was Sarah, wife of Wright Roberts, the family, including the son-in-law, thirteen in all, came into the town to take up their permanent abode. Three days were occupied in the removal from Man- chester, stopping the first night in Dorset and the second in Danby, and pass- ing through Tinmouth and West Clarendon. In Chippenhook, in the town of Clarendon, while Sarah and Mercy were riding on a horse and Roberts was driving the cows, the three being in rear of the others, they lost their way ; but they were put upon the right track after wandering about for some time, by Simeon Jenny, whose dwelling they had reached. He was a noted Tory and " Yorker," but his counsel was, doubtless, none the less welcome at that time. Late in the evening of the third day the little party reached their log house ; but it had no roof and the cold and snows of the early spring made it entirely untenable. Not far distant were camped a party of Caughnawaga Indians, their wigwam and its glowing fire looking very tempting to the way- worn travelers. Mead applied to them to share their rude quarters. After a brief consultation in their own tongue, they arose, threw their hands apart and cried " welcome ;" they then gathered up their traps, gave up their hut to the family and quickly constructed another for themselves. There the Mead fam- ily lived until late in the succeeding autumn, when they built a substantial log house, in which they wintered.

It behooves us to add a little further record of this man who first took up his residence in this, the most important town in the most important county of Vermont. He was born at Horseneck, N. Y., August 25, 1730, and died Jan- uary 19, 1804. He was a member of the Dorset Convention of September 25, 1776, and one of the committee appointed by the Windsor Convention in June,

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1777, to arrange with the commander of Ticonderoga for the frontier defense. He was also colonel of the Third Regiment of militia. His wife was Mercy Holmes, who was born at the same place April 7, 1731. Their children were Sarah, born in 1753. James, 2d, born 1754 ; drowned in the flume at Center Rutland in 1773. Abner, Ist, born 1756; lived on the farm at West Rutland now occupied by A. J. Mead, his grandson ; and died there in 1813, at the age of fifty-seven years. Samantha, born in 1757 ; married Keeler Hines, and for her second husband a Mr. Coggswell ; she died in 1814. Stephen, born in 1759. Mercy, born in 1761 ; married John Smith, 2d, and lived about one and one-half miles south of West Rutland on the farm now occupied by John Brewster; one of their daughters is the widow of Harvey Chapman, now liv- ing in Clarendon. Dorcas, born in 1763. Hannah, born in 1764; married Silas Smith, and for her second husband, Darius Chipman ; died in 1821. Dim- eas, born in 1766; married Dr. James Reed and lived a little west of Colonel James Mead's. Tameson, born in 1768. William, born September 24, 1770. James, 2d, born in 1773 (the year in which his brother James was drowned), died in 1813 in a western State.

Zebulon Mead, a brother of the pioneer, came into the town from Nine Partners in 1774 and purchased land including farms now owned by Rollin and Horatio Mead. Zebulon Mead's son Henry was ther. thirteen years old. He remained in the town until his death ; married Mary Munson and had ten children, seven of whom were sons. Horatio Mead, now living north of Rut- land village, is the youngest of the sons except one. Joel M. Mead, one of Horatio's brothers, passed his life on the farm north of Horatio's, now occupied by Rollin Mead, who is a son of Joel. Horatio Mead is now eighty years old; has but one son, Stephen, at present one of the selectmen of Rutland. Joel Mead's widow still lives at eighty-five years of age. He died in 1880.

We cannot follow all of the many descendants of these pioneers except in the briefest manner. Abner, Ist, had as children, Ira, born in 1779. Eliza- beth, born 1781 ; married Israel Harris, 2d. Truman, born 1783 ; was a farmer at Center Rutland. Abner, 2d, born 1785. Laura, born 1787 ; mar- ried Solomon Cook. Abial, born 1789; was a physician and practiced in Essex for many years. Philena, born 1791 ; married Charles Huntington and died 1817. Peter Philander, born 1793. The mother of these children was Amelia, daughter of the Rev. Benajah Roots, and died June 17, 1800.

The children of Abner Mead, 2d, were Harriet, born 1808, married Jede- diah Parmalee, a preacher ; for her second husband she married Henry W. Porter, son of Dr. James Porter, and died in Rutland, Charity, born 1810, married Benjamin Franklin Blanchard, a farmer of West Rutland; he is dead and his widow lives on the homestead. A. J. Mead, born 1815, lives on the old homestead at West Rutland. Roswell R., born 1818, was a merchant at West Rutland, where he died ; his children are John A., lives in Rutland, where

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he is a successful physician ; Mary L., wife of Professor Metzke, of Rutland ; and R. R. Mead, chief of the Rutland police. The other child of Abner, 2d, was John W. H., born 1820, and died in 1840 while attending Middlebury College. The mother of these children was Nancy Rowley, daughter of Ros- well Rowley, who lived where Cyrus Johnson now resides, between Center Rutland and Sutherland Falls. Abner died in 1859. The other descendants need not be traced into the present generation ; they have been given thus far in detail, being entitled to whatever of honor attaches to descendants of the first settlers in any important community.

During the year 1770 three other families are known to have settled in the town, possibly one or two others. These were Simeon Powers, whose son William was the first white child born in the town; the event occurred on the 23d of September, 1770. On the following day William Mead, son of James, was born. On the 3d day of October, of the same year, Chloe Johnson, daugh- ter of Asa Johnson, was born, these first three births in the town thus occur- ring within ten days. Simeon Powers settled in the spring of 1770, on the west side of Otter Creek, on what has been lately known as the Kelley farm. In the succeeding fall William Dwinell came in with his wife and took up his tempo- rary residence with Mr. Powers, who was his relative. These four families are all who are positively known to have settled before 1771; but during 1770 and as early as May, Thomas Rowley had begun surveying lots in the town and mentioned a clearing made by a Mr. Brockway.

On the 3d of April, 1771, Governor Dunmore of New York, issued to a number of petitioners a charter for a new town under the name of " Social- borough," embracing the towns of Rutland, Pittsford and a part of Brandon. This action was in direct antagonism to the order of the king, of July, 1767, and entirely without authority, a fact undoubtedly known to the petitioners.

Following is the text of a petition relative to making this great town the county seat : -

" To His Excellency Wm. Tryon, Captain General and Governor in Chief in and over the Province of New York and the Territories depending thereon in America, Chancellor and Vice Chanchlor of the same.

"The petition of the subscribers who are interested in the townships of So- cialborough, Halesborough, Neury, Richmond, Kelso, Moncton, and Durham in the county of Charlotte,

" Most Humbly sheweth

"That your petitioners being informed that the appointment of the town- ship or place for holding the courts in the County of Charlotte will soon come under your excellency's consideration, they beg leave most humbly to suggest " That the township of Socialborough is nearly central to that part of the country which will probably remain a separate county when the northern part of this province becomes populous, to-wit, from the Battenkill to an east line

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TOWN OF RUTLAND.

from the mouth of Otter Creek, comprising a district about seventy-five miles in length. That the roads leading North from the Massachusetts Bay and westward from New Hampshire both pass through the said township, which your petitioners conceive a strong proof of its being easy of access.

" That the township and the lands in its immediate neighborhood are re- markably fertile and pleasantly situated on a fine river called Otter Creek which for many miles is navigable for bateaux and would be throughout but for the obstruction of the falls.

"That from the best information your petitioners are able to collect, though the settlement began within three years, there are already thirty-five families in Socialborough, and twenty more have made improvements and are expected to remove thither the ensuing spring -the chief of whom have agreed to take titles for their farms under this government.

" That in the three townships of Durham, Grafton and Chesterfield, which adjoined each other and extended from Socialborough southward there are ninety-six families actually settled who hold all their estates under this gov- ernment.

" That in Chatham, which is the next town adjoining Chesterfield towards the south there are settled fifteen families, and in Eugene which adjoins it on the west, forty. In Princeton, which adjoins Chatham on the south, seventy families, and in West Cambden which adjoins it on the west twelve families.

"That these making in the whole near two hundred heads of families, chiefly live at a convenient distance from Socialborough and the most remote of them not exceeding forty miles, and have already the advantage of a toler- able road, through which loaded carts have passed from Socialborough to Al- bany the last summer.

" That Col. Reid's settlement which is further North, and which consists of about fifteen families is at no greater distance from Socialborough than thirty miles and Major Skene's within twenty miles.

"That from these circumstances your petitioners hope it will appear that this township is well situated for the county town and not only convenient to the greater part of the present inhabitants, but will continue to be so to the county in general (as far as to the said east line from the mouth of the Otter Creek) when it becomes populous and fully improved.

" That the present inhabitants of the said country are very poor and unable but by their labor to contribute anything toward a Court House and Gaol nor is any provision made for that purpose by law.

" Your petitioners therefore humbly pray that unless your Excellency shall judge some other place to be more proper the county town of the said county may be fixed at Socialborough in which case your petitioners are willing and do engage to raise and pay all the money which shall be necessary for erecting a convenient Court House and gaol for said County.

" And your petitioners shall ever pray, &c.

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HISTORY OF RUTLAND COUNTY.

"Charles Nevers, William Shirreff, William Walton, Hamilton Young, Rich'd Mailland, Atty, Jacob Walton, Theophilact Bache, W. McAdam, Jno. Harris Cruger, Henry Van Veck, G. Mazzuzin, Gerard Walton, Wm. Lupton, Stephen Kemble, John De Lancy, Theod's Van Wyck, James Thyn, Fred De Puyster, for self and Dr. Jno. Jones, Isaac Roosvelt, Adam Gilchrist, Jacobus Van Zandt, Sam'l Deall, Fred'k V. Cortlandt, Wm. Cockburn, Garrett Rapalje.

By order."

It will be observed that among these names are many of those belonging to the old and thrifty Dutch families of New York State. Jacob Walton was member of the Colonial Assembly of New York in 1769 and William was secre- tary to the superintendent of police in New York city. William McAdam was a New York merchant. Samuel Deall was the owner of a tract of land in the southern part of Essex county, N. Y., and one of the first settlers there.

The chief value of this petition is its account of the first settlements in this part of Vermont. It is thought to have been presented as early as 1769.

The charter covered about 4,800 acres, the nominal grantees being forty- eight in number ; but within a few days after the patent was issued the lands were conveyed to a party of New York speculators, who subsequently became the chief instigators and promoters of the efforts to eject the New Hampshire claimants. But the settlers of the territory designated as " Socialborough " did not purpose to sit down and tamely submit to injustice ; hence the sur- veyor sent on by the land pirates (Will Cockburn) found his field of labor a decidedly unpleasant one, as the following extracts from one of his letters will indicate : -

" ALBANY, September 10, 1771.

" SIR : - Your favor of the 16th of August, and the $60 2s. 9d. of Mr. Robert Yates, I received on my return here, after being the second time stopped in Socialborough, by James Mead and Asa Johnson in behalf of the settlers in Rutland and Pittsford. I have run out lots from the south bounds to within about two miles of the Great Falls. I found it in vain to persist any longer, as they were resolved at all events to stop us. There have been many threats pronounced against me. Gideon Cooley, who lives by the Great Falls [Suther- land Falls], was to shoot me, and your acquaintance, Nathan Allen, was in the woods with another party blacked and dressed like Indians, as I was informed. Several of my men can prove Townsend and Train threat- ened my life, that I should never return home, etc.

"The people of Durham [now Clarendon] assured me, these men intended to murder us if we did not go thence, and advised me by all means to desist surveying. I found I would not be allowed to go north- ward, as they suspected I would begin again, and therefore intended to convey us to Danby and so on to the southward, and by all accounts we should not have been very kindly treated. I was advised by no means to go that road. On my assuring them I would survey no more in those parts,

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we were permitted to proceed along the Crown Point road, with the hearty prayers of the women, as we passed, never to return.

" I have not been able to fix Kier's location and Danby people have been continually on the watch always. Since I have been here, sev- eral have visited me, asking questions, no doubt to be able to know us, should we venture within their territories, and at the same time warning us of the dan- ger, should we be found there.

" Marsh's survey is likewise undone, as I did not care to venture myself that way. I shall be able to inform you more particularly at our meeting, and amı

Sir, your most obedient servant,

" WILL COCKBURN. "JAMES DUANE, New York."

This shows one feature of the monstrous controversy for the territory in- cluded in the State of Vermont - a controversy ended only by her final pay- ment of tribute money for admission to the Union in 1791, as heretofore fully set forth. Cockburn surveyed what is now Main street in the village of Rut- land, among other lines ; but he pursued his labor under difficulties. Mead and. Johnson ordered him to cease his work, and others dressed as Indians threat- ened him with their vengeance, until he was fain to leave their vicinity. (See subsequent history of Clarendon.)

Settlement progressed. Mead maintained a primitive ferry across Otter Creek, until the bridge was built, by keeping a boat on each side of the stream, which must have been a great convenience to the pioneers. By the end of the year 1773 thirty-five families had located in the town, as clearly shown in a deposition made by Charles Button, in that year. This deposition so vividly indicates the spirit that animated the settlers in the contest with New York and their manner of dealing with settlers under grants from the New York govern- ment, that it merits a place here : -

"County of Cumberland ss .- Charles Button of a place called Durham on the bank of Otter Creek on the west side of the Green Mountains, in the county of Charlotte and province of New York, of full age duly sworn on the holy evangelists of Almighty God deposeth and saith, that the deponent with others to the number of thirty-five families, seated themselves upon the said tract, and hold a title derived from the province of New York, that the depo- nent has lived with family upon the same tract since the eighth day of Febru- ary 1768, has cleared and improved a large farm, built a good dwelling-house with other out houses, and was lately offered a thousand pounds current money of New York for his improvements. That about eleven o'clock at night on Saturday the 20th instant, as the deponent is informed and verily believes, Re- member Baker, Ethan Allen, Robert Cochrane, and a number of other per- sons, armed with guns, cutlasses &c., came to the house of Benjamin Spencer esq., of said Durham, who holds his farm under a title derived from the gov- ernment of New York and brake open the said house, and took the said Spen-

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cer and carried him about two miles to the house of Thomas Green, of Kelso, and there kept him in custody until Monday morning. The heads of the said rioters then asked the said Spencer, whether he would choose to be tried at the house of Joseph Smith in said Durham, or at his the said Spencer's own door? To which Spencer replied, that he was guilty of no crime, but if he must be tried, he would choose to have his trial at his own door: The rioters thereupon carried the said Spencer to his own door and proceeded to his trial before Seth Warner of Bennington : the said Remember Baker, Ethan Allen and Robert Cochrane who sat as judges. That said rioters charge the said Spencer with being a great friend to the government of New York, and had acted as a mag- istrate of the county of Charlotte, of which respective charges his said judges found him guilty and passed sentence that his the said Spencer's house should be burned to the ground, and that he should declare that he would not for the future act as a justice of the peace for the said county of Charlotte. Spencer thereupon urged that his wife and children would be ruined, and his store of dry goods and all his property wholly destroyed if his house was burned. Warner then declared Spencer's house should not be wholly destroyed, that only the roof should be taken off and put on again, provided Spencer would declare, that it was put on under the New Hampshire title and purchase a right under the charter from the last mentioned government. These several conditions Spencer was obliged to comply with, upon which the rioters dismissed him.

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History of Rutland County, Vermont, with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers, Part 36

Author: Smith, H. P. (Henry Perry), 1839-1925. 1n; Rann, William S Publication date: 1886 Publisher: Syracuse, N.Y., D. Mason & co. Number of Pages: 1170

Author: Smith, H. P. (Henry Perry), 1839-1925. 1n; Rann, William S
Publication date: 1886
Publisher: Syracuse, N.Y., D. Mason & co.
Number of Pages: 1170