History of Windsor County, Vermont, with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers, Part 2

Author: Aldrich, Lewis Cass. ed. cn; Holmes, Frank R
Publication date: 1891
Publisher: Syracuse, N. Y., D. Mason & Co.
Number of Pages: 1260

USA > Vermont > Windsor County > History of Windsor County, Vermont, with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers > Part 2

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THE preceding chapter has made mention of the Iroquois confed- eracy, or the Five Nations, and while it is not proposed to make any extended allusion to that body as a necessary part of this nar- rative, still from the fact that the confederacy were the rulers and own- ers, so far as Indian ownership was concerned, of the whole region of country south of the Canadas, it is proper in this connection to give at least a brief description of the confederacy, how it was created, and how it acquired the wonderful supremacy it maintained for upwards of two hundred years. Direct and positive relationship cannot be found to connect all tribes that dwelt in the New England provinces with the Iroquois ; but it is reasonably well understood that they were remotely associated at least, and that the Indian peoples throughout the extreme east stood in awe or felt themselves bound, perhaps by fear, to obey the directions and pay homage to the chiefs and sachems of the confed-

HISTORY OF WINDSOR COUNTY.

eracy. The knowledge that the whites obtained concerning this remark- able brotherhood-the Iroquois confederacy-was based upon the tra- ditions of the tribes that inhabited the country at the time the first Spanish adventurers landed upon the shores of America. The confed- eracy was in existence at that time, and had been, according to the tra- dition, for very many years; and it continued a power until after the beginning of the Revolutionary war.

It seems, as the tradition goes, that several centuries ago two nations of Indians by accident fell in with one another, far west of the great river-the Mississippi-both journeying eastward; and that being on a common journey, they agreed to travel together. They were known as the Lenni Lenapes (meaning original people) and the Mengwe, and neither had previous acquaintance with or knowledge of the other; that when the banks of the Mississippi were reached they found that river in possession of a numerous and warlike tribe, who called themselves the Allegwi, and who were disposed to make war upon the pilgrims. A request was made of the Allegwi that the journeying tribes be permit- ted to cross the river and settle in the country to the east. This was granted on condition that the Lenapes and Mengwe settle far to the east and not in the country of the Allegwi. The voyage over the river was then commenced and many crossed over, but before all had passed the stream the Allegwi, either deceived as to the number of the trav - elers, for there were very many of them, or with treachery aforethought, fell upon them and slaughtered great numbers and drove the rest into the forests. At length the scattered and exhausted people were brought together, and, after a joint council, it was decided to return and make war upon the Allegwi. This was done, and a long and terrific battle fol - lowed, the result of which was the defeat of the treacherous Allegwi and their being driven to the country far south.

After the battle the conquering tribes resumed their journey toward the east, but they soon fell into a dispute, the Lenni Lenapes claiming that the Mengwe did not fight, but hung in the rear, letting the brunt and disasters of the battle fall upon themselves. Finally they separated, the Lenapes taking a southerly course and eventually settling upon the rivers throughout the region that afterwards became the States of Penn- sylvania, Delaware, New Jersey, Maryland, Virginia, and the Carolinas,

THE IROQUOIS CONFEDERACY.

and eastward along the Atlantic coast to the eastern provinces, while the Mengwe settled in the country bordering on the lakes and rivers of New York State and Massachusetts, or the territory that was afterward formed into these States. The first named, the Lenni Lenapes, had their seat of government upon the Delaware River, and for that reason they became known to the first white settlers as the Delawares, their original name becoming eventually lost; and as families or tribes branched off from the parent tribe and took up their abode in some other locality, they always took upon themselves a name suited to their situation; hence the names of their three principal tribes-the Turkey, Turtle, and Minsi, and their subordinate tribes-the Shawonese, the Susquehannas, the Nanticokes, the Neshamines, and others that might be named.

The Mengwe became, in course of time, separated into five distinct tribes, and were severally known as follows: Mohawks, Oneidas, Onon- dagas, Cayugas and Senecas. Although their main line of possession hovered along the borders of the Great Lakes, their hunting ground reached many miles inland, and they frequently came in contact with the Lenapes, of whom they were jealous, and they endeavored to arouse hostilities among them, but in this they were unsuccessful. The Len- apes were the stronger and more powerful in point of numbers, and this fact was well known to the Mengwe. They dare not attack nor wage war against them, nor was their border as carefully guarded as that of the Lenapes, with the Minsi upon their frontier. Having failed in every attempt either to create dissension among the various Lenapes sub-tribes, or to lead them from their well-defended border, the Mengwe called together their several tribes for the purpose of effecting a union for aggressive and defensive warfare. This council having met, it re- sulted in the creation of that great branch of Indian government known as the Five Nations. By the French they were known as Iroquois, by the Dutch, Maquas, and by the English, Mingoes. In general the con- federacy was known as the Iroquois Nation, and thus have historians been content to designate it. It should be borne in mind, however, that the name " Iroquois " was never used'by the confederates" themselves. It was first used by the French, and its precise meaning is veiled in ob- scurity. The men of the confederacy called themselves " Hedono-

HISTORY OF WINDSOR COUNTY.

saunee," which means literally "They form a cabin," describing in this manner the close union existing among them. The Indian name just above quoted is more literally and commonly rendered, "The People of the Long House," which is more full in description, though not quite so accurate a translation.

The central and unique characteristic of the Iroquois league was not the mere fact of five separate tribes being confederated together, for such unions have been frequent among civilized or semi-civilized people, though little known among the savages of this continent. The feature that distinguished the people of the Long House from all other confed- eracies, and which at the same time bound together all these ferocious warriors, was the system of clans extending throughout the different tribes. The distinctive word "clans" has been adopted as the most con- venient one to designate the peculiar families about to be described, and appears much better than the word " tribe," which usually applies to an Indian people separate and distinct from another.

The whole confederacy of Iroquois Indians, or people, was divided into eight clans, as follows: Wolf, Bear, Beaver, Turtle, Deer, Snipe, Heron and Hawk. Some writers declare that every clan extended through all the tribes, while others assert that only the Wolf, Bear, and Turtle clans did so, the rest being restricted to a less number of tribes. Certain it is, nevertheless, that the Mohawks, Oneidas, Onondagas, Ca- yugas and Senecas contained parts of the three clans named, and several of the others. Each clan formed a family, and all the members of it, no matter how widely separated, were considered as brothers and sisters to each other, and were forbidden to inter-marry. This prohibition was strictly enforced by common consent. So powerful, indeed, was this bond of union that linked the whole confederacy together, that for hun- dreds of years there was no serious dissension between the several tribes of the Iroquois Nation.

The dates furnished by various historians as to the several conquests over smaller tribes or nations, by the Five Nations, differ materially. The French accounts tend to show that the Kahquahs were first con- quered, and the Eries after them, while others reverse the order of con- quest. Be that as it may, both were subjugated by the Iroquois, and the Neuter Nation, too, in turn, fell an easy prey to their relentless masters.

THE INDIAN OCCUPANTS.

The time of the war against the Neuter Nation is given as having oc- curred about 1642; that of the Kahquahs soon after 1650, while some writers assert that between the years 1640 and 1655 the fierce confed- erates "put out the fires" of both Eries and Kahquahs.

After having overcome these smaller tribes the Iroquois next turned their attention to their old enemies, the Delawares, the descendants of the Lenapes; and the latter, in turn, were completely overcome and subjugated. By this conquest the Five Nations became the absolute Indian rulers of this broad land, and were only stayed by the steady ap- proach of the white-faced pioneer.

About the year 1712 the Tuscaroras were driven northward from the Carolinas by the white settlers and allied Indians. They came to the land of the Five Nations, and were adopted into their brotherhood. Thereafter the Five Nations were known as the Six Nations.

But throughout these wars among the Indians there does not appear to have been waged any conflict on the soil of Vermont ; neither does it appear that the Iroquois attempted any conquest of the tribes inhabiting the provinces of Massachusetts or Connecticut, or those which inhabited the Connecticut River Valley. And the St. Francis and other Cana- dian tribes of Indians also seem to have been exempted from Iroquois vengeance, except as they were occasionally repelled when on an expe- dition into the Iroquois country. The Indians that dwelt in the valley of the River Connecticut were known as Coossucks. These had their main village or home up towards the headwaters of the river, and ex- tended their hunting and fishing grounds in both north and south direc- tions. They were supposed to have been in some manner related to the St. Francis Indians, and used about the same dialect. Their name, Coossucks, was derived from the locality in which they chiefly lived, the prefix "Coos" signifying "the pines," while "suck" in the Indian tongue meant river; thus Coossucks being translated became the river at the pines, for the region of their habitation was well supplied with pine trees.

The Pequots were a tribe that inhabited the northwestern part of the province of Connecticut, and gave considerable trouble and anxiety to the pioneers throughout that region. They became involved in a war with the English that lasted about a year, but in 1637 they were seri- ously beaten, seven hundred being killed, while the remainder fled for 4

HISTORY OF WINDSOR COUNTY.

refuge to the land of the Mohawks. This conquest had such a salutary effect upon the other New England savages that for nearly two-score years the settlers were free from further depredations.

But it was the St. Francis and other Canadian Indians that caused the greatest annoyance to the English colonists in New England and New York. The French had not only labored among the Indians in the cause of Romanism, but had taught them the use of fire-arms and supplied them with weapons. The English, too, had furnished guns to the Five Nations who were not hostile to the whites. Both nations, the French and English, did this that they might obtain the services of the Indians in the long series of wars that were then impending. The French, although they were the undisputed masters of their strongholds, the Canadas, sought to extend their possessions and power into the country below, the provinces of New York and New England. This, of course, was opposed by the English, and the result was the series of conflicts that have been called the French and English wars. In these wars the Iroquois were generally allied to the English, on account of a hatred they held against the Canada Indians, and were ever ready to join the English soldiery in any expedition against the Canadas; and, likewise, the Canada Indians were ever eager to wage war against the English colonists, upon the assurances of entire freedom to plunder, burn, and murder at will.

These wars commenced during the latter part of the seventeenth cen- tury, and continued at intervals until the final treaty of peace between England and France, in February, 1763, which ceded the French power in America to the English. The French and English wars commenced with the descent of the Iroquois upon Montreal, and the destruction and plundering of that post. This was avenged by the French and Indian attack upon Schenectady, the massacre of sixty of its inhabitants, the plundering and burning of the town, and the successful escape of the attacking party. Then, in the year 1691, the English, under command of Colonel Schuyler, and an accompanying band of friendly Iroquois, made an attack upon the French and Indians on the River Richelieu, and slaughtered many of them. The French retaliated by an expedi- tion against the country of the Mohawks, the tribe of the Iroquois that lived farthest east.

FRENCH AND ENGLISH WARS.

England and France concluded a treaty of peace in 1697, but in 1702 they again had recourse to arms; and, of course, the American colonies of each nation followed the lead of their mother country. It was during this war, and in the winter of 1704, that the French commander, De Rouville, set out on an expedition against the weak and struggling colony at Deerfield, in Massachusetts. Accompanied by a body of French soldiers and ever-willing Indians, the party voyaged down Lake Champlain to the Winooski River ; thence up that stream and across the northern territory of Vermont (but not then so named) to the Connecti- cut; and down the valley of the last named stream, passing through what afterward became Windsor county, to the field of operations, where they arrived late in the month of February. The next day an attack was made upon the poorly defended place, and although a vigor- ous defense was made, the attacking party was too strong, and another act of murder and plunder was perpetrated.

After this and other similar incursions the English determined upon several plans and expeditions whereby to overcome the French and pro- tect their own colonies; but the greater part of these met with indifferent success, until at last another peace between the contending nations was agreed upon ; but this did not serve to check the fury of the Indians, for they, at the instigation of the Jesuit missionaries, kept up a constant war- fare against the English frontier settlements, during which the whole ter- ritory of the subsequent New Hampshire Grants was continually overrun by marauding bands of Canadian savages, in quest of plunder, murder and rapine.

But during all this time the larger settlements continued to grow and others were established along the valley of the larger streams. To af- ford all possible protection to these settlers, forts, stockades and block- houses were erected, wherein the frontier pioneers and their families might find refuge in time of danger. One of these was built on the Con- necticut River, at a point called Dummer's Meadows, near the present town of Brattleboro; and the fortress, by reason of its location, was called Fort Dummer. This is believed to have been the first permanent settle- ment made by civilized whites within the borders of the State of Ver- mont ; but it was erected there under the impression that the locality was part of the province of Massachusetts, and it was not until a survey was

HISTORY OF WINDSOR COUNTY.

made, to settle conflicting claims between Massachusetts and New Hamp- shire, that Fort Dummer and its settlement were found to be in the lat- ter province, and subsequently became a part of the New Hampshire Grants, and, still later, the State of Vermont. The fort was built in 1724.

Other forts were built in various localities on the frontier, among them, in this vicinity, Fort Number Four, on the site of Charleston, New Hampshire ; one at Vernon, known as Bridgman's and Startwell's fort. The latter was attacked in June, 1746, and though a number of the gar- rison were slain the Indians were finally repulsed. The next year, 1747, a more successful attack was made against the fort, which resulted in its destruction, and slaughter and capture of many of its garrison, and those who had taken refuge therein.

The several peace treaties agreed to between England and France had not the effect of entirely checking hostilities in the colonies; and while the mother countries were at nominal peace, their representatives on this side of the Atlantic were engaged in almost continual warfare. In 1748, by the treaty of Aix-la-chapelle, another peace was agreed to, but the terms of the treaty not only failed of ratification by both coun- tries, but each absolutely rejected them in toto. Although six years of nominal peace followed this attempt at settling national disputes, both countries were making every preparation for another war that must inev- itably ensue. Through the influence of Sir William Johnson the English were to receive the assistance of the powerful Iroquois Nation, while the Canadian Indians pronounced in favor of France. The more severe battles of this war were waged on the soil of the provinces of New York, Penn- sylvania, and in the south and west ; and while the colonists of New Eng- land were by no means freed from danger, many, nevertheless, joined the English army and fought throughout the years of the conflict. The then unoccupied territory north of the Massachusetts province line, and between the Connecticut and Hudson Rivers, although not the theater of any disasterous conflict, was constantly crossed and recrossed by armed parties of whites and marauding Indians. It was a vast unguarded frontier, unsafe for occupancy, and liable at any time to be overrun by savage foes.

This being the situation, it cannot be a source of wonder or remark that the territory now included within the bounds of Vermont was not sooner occupied or settled by the whites.

EARLY SETTLEMENTS.

The French and English war continued with unabated fury along the Hudson and Lake Champlain, and in the Canadas, as well as elsewhere in the west, until the final defeat and surrender of the French commander, Vaudreuil, by which the province of Canada, so long held by the French, passed to the control and government of Great Britain. The final treaty that ceded this vast province to the king was agreed to and signed at Paris, on the Ioth of February, 1763.

CHAPTER III.

The New Hampshire Grants-Charter Rights Granted by Governor Wentworth- Claims of New York-Correspondence Between the Governors-Early Grants Made by Governor Wentworth of Towns of Windsor County -- Proclamations Issued-The Royal Decree-New York Violates the King's Order-Lands Regranted-Uprising of the Settlers-The Green Mountain Boys-Counties Organized by New York-Chester Named as the County Seat of Cumberland County-Changed to Westminster-Glou- cester County Created-Sentiment Divided-The Situation in Cumberland and Glou- cester Counties-Counties Formed East of the Mountains-Boundaries of Albany and Charlotte Counties.

D URING the years of the French wars bodies of armed troops were constantly crossing through various portions of the uninhabited lands lying north of Massachusetts province line; and as soon as the condition of the frontier would admit application was made by several parties for the grant of township tracts of land in that section of the country. These applications were made to the governors of the prov- inces of New York and New Hampshire : to the former generally by residents of New York, for the reason that it was understood that the grant by the king to James, the Duke of York, embraced all the terri- tory north of the Massachusetts province line, as far east as the Con- necticut River; and to the latter, the governor of New Hampshire, Ben- ning Wentworth, for the reason that it was understood that the province of New Hampshire extended as far to the west as did the provinces of Massachusetts and Connecticut, to a line twenty miles east of the Hud-

HISTORY OF WINDSOR COUNTY.

son River. This conflict of opinion led to a serious controversy between the authorities of the two provinces, but after some years, and after he had granted a large body of the disputed tract, Governor Wentworth, of New Hampshire, withdrew from the contest, and left his unfortunate grantees to protect themselves and their rights without his advice or assistance. This contest continued with greater or less severity for a period of about forty years, and was finally terminated by Congress, in the recognition of the rights of the persons holding under the New Hampshire charters, and the admission of the disputed territory to the Federal Union, under the name of "State of Vermont," in the year 1791.

The first grant of lands by Governor Wentworth, under the authority he claimed to possess, was made on the 3d day of January, 1749, and conveyed to the grantees therein named a tract containing thirty-six square miles of land, and situated near the southwest corner of his sup- posed province, abutting the twenty-mile line, to which township he gave the name of " Bennington." This grant was immediately followed by numerous other applications for similar charters or grants of lands in that and other localities, but the doughty governor evidently had not every confidence in his alleged rights, and it was not until the year 1750 that any further grant was made.

After having granted the township of Bennington, Governor Went- worth opened correspondence with Governor Clinton of the province of New York, apprising him of what had been done, and expressing a de- sire not to interfere with the latter's province, or trespass upon the same; and particularly inquiring as to "how many miles eastward of Hudson's River, to the northward of the Massachusetts line," the government of New York extends. To this Governor Clinton made answer that, by the advice of council, he was to acquaint Governor Wentworth "that this province (New York) is bounded eastward by Connecticut River ; the letters-patent from King Charles II. to the Duke of York, expressly granting 'all the lands from the west side of Connecticut to the east side of Delaware Bay.'" Then followed further correspondence between the governors, and it was decided to refer the matter to the Crown for adju- dication. But on May 11, 1750, Governor Wentworth made another grant, and this was followed by others, so that, within a period of four- teen years, there had been granted charter rights for one hundred and

NEW HAMPSHIRE GRANTS.

thirty-eight townships in the disputed territory. The towns so chartered during that time that at present form a part of Windsor county, with dates of their charter, were as follows : Hamstead, alias Chester, Febru- ary 22, 1754, regranted November 4, 1761 ; Hartford, July 4, 1761 ; Norwich, July 4, 1761 ; Reading, Saltash (now Plymouth), and Windsor, July 6, 1761 ; Pomfret, July 8, 1761; Hertford (now Hartland), Wood- stock, and Bridgewater, July 10, 1761 ; Bernard (now Barnard), July 17, 1761 ; Stockbridge, July 21, 1761 ; Sharon, August 17, 1761 ; Spring- field and Weathersfield, August 20, 1761 ; Ludlow, September 16, 1761 ; Cavendish, October 12, 1761 ; Andover, October 13, 1761.

This general and promiscuous granting of lands by the governor of New Hampshire had the effect of calling forth, from the governor of New York, a proclamation directing the authorities of that province " to take the names of all persons who had taken possession of lands under New Hampshire grants." But this was met by a counter proclamation issued by Governor Wentworth, urging the settlers under his grants "to be industrious in clearing and cultivating their lands, agreeable to their respective grants." And, furthermore, commanding all civil officers of the province "to deal with any person or persons, that may presume to interrupt the inhabitants or settlers on said lands, as to law and justice do appertain," etc.

Such was the disturbed and unhappy condition of things when, on the 20th day of July, 1764, the king having at last taken cognizance of the subject in controversy, and by the advice of his council, did order and declare "the western banks of the River Connecticut, from where it enters the province of the Massachusetts Bay, as far north as the forty- fifth degree of northern latitude, to be the boundary line between the said two provinces of New Hampshire and New York "; and further ordered the officers of the two provinces " to take notice of his Majesty's pleas- ure, and govern themselves accordingly."

Thus the people on the grants found themselves situated by the royal decree. With them it was not so much a matter of concern as to which jurisdiction they belonged, and they were entirely content to become a part of the province of New York. But when they found that the authorities of that province were disposed to annul their harters and regrant them the lands for consideration, or else grant them to other

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History of Windsor County, Vermont, with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers, Part 2

Author: Aldrich, Lewis Cass. ed. cn; Holmes, Frank R Publication date: 1891 Publisher: Syracuse, N. Y., D. Mason & Co. Number of Pages: 1260

Author: Aldrich, Lewis Cass. ed. cn; Holmes, Frank R
Publication date: 1891
Publisher: Syracuse, N. Y., D. Mason & Co.
Number of Pages: 1260