USA > Vermont > Addison County > Statistical and historical account of the county of Addison, Vermont > Part 3
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HISTORY OF ADDISON COUNTY.
tober then next," should consist of a chief judge, who should be one of the judges of the Supreme Court, for cach circuit, and two as- sistant judges, appointed as before required by law. And the State was for that purpose divided into four circuits. The number of Judges of the Supreme Courts and of the circuits was afterwards increased to five. To the County Courts, by this act was given "original and exclusive jurisdiction of all original civil actions, except such as are cognizable before Justices of the Peace," "and appellate jurisdiction of all causes civil and criminal appealable to such Court," and " original jurisdiction of all prosecutions for crim- inal offences, except such as are by law made cognizable by justices of the peace ;" and in such cases the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court extended only to questions of law, arising out of the trial in the County Court. The clerk, to be appointed by the County Court, was to be also clerk of the Supreme Court.
At the session in October 1849, the Legislature made a further alteration in the organization of the judiciary system. The act passed at that session provided, that the State should be divided into four judicial circuits, and that one circuit judge should be appointed for each circuit, and these judges were constituted chief judges of the County. Court in each County, and chancellors in their re- spective circuits. These were distinct from the Judges of the Supreme Court, and, with the two assistant judges, constituted the County Court. The first circuit was composed of the Counties of Bennington, Rutland and Addison.
The Legislature at their session in October 1857, repealed the law last mentioned, and provided that the Supreme Court shall con- sist of one chief judge and five assistant judges. These judges are constituted chief judges of the County Court and Chancel- lors in the several Counties ; and for this purpose it is made the duty of the Supreme Court to assign one of the judges to each County. This act substantially restores the system adopted in 1824.
By the first constitution of the State, adopted in 1777, it was provided " that the General Assembly when legally formed, shall appoint times and places for County elections, and at such times and places the freemen in cach County respectively, shall have the
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HISTORY OF ADDISON COUNTY.
liberty of choosing the judges of the Inferior Court, or Court of Common Pleas, Sheriff's, Justices of the Peace and Judges of Pro- bate, commissioned by the Governor and Council, during good be- havior, removable by the General Assembly upon proof of malad- ministration." By the amended constitution, adopted by the con- vention in 1786, it was provided, that the above mentioned officers should be annually elected by the General Assembly, "in conjune- tion with the council." And they continued to be thus elceted, until the amendment of the constitution adopted in 1850. Until this time no provision was made in the constitution for the election of a state's attorney or high bailiff. An act passed in February 1779, provided " that in cach County there shall be one State's Attorney, and that they be appointed by the respective County Courts." Col. SETH STORRS, then residing in Addison, was ap- pointed by the Court in 1737, the first State's Attorney of Addison County. Afterwards the State's Attorney, as well as the High Bailiff, was appointed in the same manner as other officers.
At the time of the election of the Council of Censors in 1848, the evils of the then existing mode of electing County Officers by the legislature, had become more and more apparent for several years, and had come to be condemned generally by the people. The nomination, according to practice, being made by the County mem- bers had become a subject of trafic between the parties interested, and was subjected to an influence, which could not be made to bear upon the mass of the people. It also occasioned much delay of the appropriate business of the Legislature. Accordingly the conven- tion, which was held in 1850, in pursuance of the recommendation of the Council of Censors, adopted the amendment now in force. This provides, that the assistant judges of the County Court, Sheriffs, High Bailiff's and State's Attorneys, shall be elected by the freemen of the Counties. the Judges of Probate by the freemen of their respective districts, and Justices of the Peace by the freemen of the several towns. The votes are to be given at the freemen's meeting on the first Tuesday of September, to be sent to the next . session of the Legislature, and there canvassed by a joint committee of the Senate and House of Representatives. The officers chosen
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HISTORY OF ADDISON COUNTY.
are commissioned by the Governor, and hold their offices for one year from the first day of December following.
By an act of the legislature in February 1787, the County of Addison was constituted a Probate District, and Probate Courts were established in it, and until the year 1824, the whole constitu- ted but one Probate District. The Legislature, at their October session in that year, divided the County into two Districts, by the names of Addison and New Haven. The District of New Haven embraces the towns of Addison, Panton, Vergennes, Waltham, New HIaven, Bristol, Lincoln, Starksborough, Monkton and Ferrisburgh. The remainder of the County constitutes the District of Addison. *
*See Appendix No. 1. for list of County Oficers.
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HISTORY OF ADDISON COUNTY.
CHAPTER III.
INDIANS-INDIAN RELICS.
Ix what we have to say of the Indians, the original inhabitants of the County of Addison, it is not our purpose to enter into any learned dissertation on their character, customs or history. Such treatises may be found elsewhere. We regard it as belonging to our province to speak only of their residence in the County, and of their depredations so far only as they affect the County and its set- tlement, and that not in detail. It is but a very short time since we commenced any inquiries on the subject. But from the accounts we have obtained, during our short examination, we find satisfactory evidence, in the Indian relics found in different towns, that the County of Addison was the established residence of a large popula- tion of Indians, and had been for an indefinite period. The borders of Lake Champlain, Otter Creek, Lemon Fair and other streams, furnished a convenient location for that purpose .*
Previous to the discovery of Lake Champlain, in 1609, the Iroquois, or Five Nations, which together formed a powerful Indian tribe, claimed and occupied an extensive country south of Lakes Erie and Ontario, and the River St. Lawrence, and extending to and including Lake Champlain and Western Vermont, and previously had been undoubtedly settled in this County. It is supposed by many, that their settlement extended as far north as the River Sorel, which forms the outlet of Lake Champlain, and that the
* In a conversation, which PHILIP BATTELL, Esq., had. several years ago, with an intelligent Indian woman, she stated that the Indian names of all the streams and waters in this region were familiarly known among the Indians, and that the old Indian, who died at Bristol, as mentioned elsewhere, could have given the names. She sud the name of Otter Creek, was Wunageequ'tuc, which the French called 1. 1 Riviere aux Loutres, both which mean The River of Otters. The name of Lake Danmore, she said, was Moosalamoo, Salmon Trout Lake.
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IIISTORY OF ADDISON COUNTY.
river was called the Iroquois for that reason, and Champlain so rep= resents it. But others suppose, that it was called by that name, because it came from the country of the Iroquois. When SAMUEL CHAMPLAIN, the French leader, came up the lake on his tour of discovery, in 1609, the Iroquois had withdrawn from the islands in the north part of the lake, which now constitute the County of Grand Isle, and which the Indians, with Champlain, represented, had been inhabited by them. He says, in his account of this excur- sion : " I saw four beautiful islands, ten, twelve and fifteen leagues in length, formerly inhabited, as well as the Iroquois River, by Indians, but abandoned, since they have been at war, the one with the other." "They retire from the rivers as far as possible, deep into the country, in order not to be soon discovered." And again he says, "Continuing our route along the west side of the lake, I saw, on the east side, very high mountains capped with snow. I asked the Indians, if those parts were inhabited. They answered, yes ; and that they were Iroquois, and that there were in those parts beautiful vallies, and fields fertile in corn, as good as I had ever eaten in the country." In anticipation of this expedition, CHAM- PLAIN, had entered into a treaty with the Algonquins, who dwelt along the north bank of the St. Lawrence, between Quebec and Montreal, in which " they promised to assist the stranger, in his attempt to traverse the country of the Iroquois, on condition, that he should aid them in a war against that fierce people ;" and he and the two Frenchmen with him, came armed for the conflict, with muskets. The Indians described the place, where they expected to meet their enemies, and they, as well as the French in Canada, spoke of this as the country of the Iroquois. On the border of the lake, near Crown Point, * as they expected, they met a war party
* Historians generally represent that this battle took place at Lake George The editor of the Documentary History of New York, says in a note, " The reference in Champlain's map leeates this engagement between Lake George and Crown Point, probably in what is now the town of Ticonderoga, Essex County " We find no authority. in Champlain's account for either of these opinions. He says they inet their enemies, "at a point of a cape, which jets into the lake on the west side." We know of no other point, which better answers the description than the
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HISTORY OF ADDISON COUNTY.
of the Iroquois, who defied them. But, when CHAMPLAIN, at a single fire of his arquebus, killed two chiefs and mortally wounded another, and another Frenchman fired from another quarter, they fled in alarm, at the new and unheard of weapons of war, and were defeated.
Previous to this, incessant wars were carried on between the Al- gonquins, aided by the Hurons, a powerful tribe, occupying an extensive country in Canada, extending as far west as the lake from which they derived their name, on one side, and the Iroquois on the other. For many years subsequently, the latter had no aid from European Colonies or European arms. When the Dutch had pos- session of New York, they were too much engaged in commerce, and traffic with the Indians, to take part in their wars. But the wars still continued with great fury, between the French colonists and Indians, and the Iroquois unaided and without fire arms. The latter were particularly hostile to the French, because they had fur- nished their enemies with their new and deadly weapons. After the English in 1664, obtained possession of New York, they enlisted in the wars, which were still continued between the French colo- nists and their Indians on the north, and the English colonies and their Indians on the south, until the conquest of Canada in 1760. The Iroquois still claimed this territory, and their claim was ac- knowledged by the government of New York. But it does not appear, that after the discovery of the lake and their retreat on that occasion, they ever had any permanent settlement here. The Mohawks and the other confederate tribes seem to have occupied the
cape, which runs up between the lake and Bulwaggy Bay, at Crown Point. IIon. JOHN W. STR NG, thinks the place of this battle was " on Sandy Point, being the extreme north-western terminus of Crown Point, and the entrance of Bulwaggy Bry." In one of his numbers in the Vergennes Citizen on " Local History," after describing the place as such " as would be chosen by the Indians for defence," and giving other reasons for his belief, he says : " The writer, in passing this place, several years ago, was surprised at the number of arrow heads, that lay on the shore and in the water, and on examining closely he found several pistol and mus ket balls, two French military buttons, a copper coin of the fifteenth century and two clumsey musket flints."
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HISTORY OF ADDISON COUNTY.
region of the Mohawk River, and the territory south of Lakes Erie and Ontario .*
In the mean time, Lake Champlain and its neighborhood was a thoroughfare, through which the hostile parties made their excur- sions in their alternate depredations on each other. In the latter part of the 17th century and the fore part of the 18th, many of these incursions took place. In 1680, while the French and Indi- ans were making fruitless arrangements to invade the settlements in New York, at Albany, and.its neighborhood, the Iroquois fitted out an expedition, invaded Canada, plundered and burnt Montreal and destroyed other settlements in the neighborhood. The next year, 1690, the French and Indians fitted out two expeditions. One pro- ceeded into New Hampshire, destroyed the fort at Salmon Falls, killed many of the inhabitants and took many prisoners; the other proceeded by the way of Lake Champlain, attacked and burnt Sche- nectady, and killed and captured many of the inhabitants. In 1691, the English and Iroquois made an excursion into Canada, through the lake, and made a successful attack on the settlements on the River Richelieu, and killed many of the settlers. In 1695, the French and Indians invaded the territory of the Iroquois, and, after several battles, in which the latter were aided by the English, under Col. SCHUYLER, they were driven back. In 1704, the Eng- , lish settlements on Connecticut River, having extended as far as Deerfield, the French and Indians, coming up the lake to the mouth of Onion River, and following up that river, invaded and destroyed that place, and killed and took captive many of the inhabitants.
In the meantime the English had come to the conclusion, that there would be no security from the ravages of the Indians, but by
* It is universally admitted, that the Iroquis claimed the whole of this territory. We think also that their claim extended, along the River Richelieu, as far as the St. Lawrence, and that they hadl a permanent residence here. No history pretends that any other tribe settled here. But it is not improbable, that on account of the wars, which had for some time been carried on between them and the Algonquins, they had been induced to remove their residence further from the neighborhood of their enemies, at least, from the borders of the lake. before CHAMPLAIN's discovery of it. They had at least left the islands at the north part of the lake before that, and CHAMPLAIN's party did not meet any enemy until they reached Crown Point.
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HISTORY OF ADDISON COUNTY.
conquering the French, as well as the savages. In 1709 and sev- eral following years, attempts were made, through the lake, to in- vade and conquer Canada. And while the English and French gov- ernments were at peace, for some years previous to 1725, wars were still carried on by the Indians, aided occasionally by the English and French colonies. In 1746, while the French were in posses- sion of Crown Point, an expedition from that place was fitted out by the French and Indians, who captured Fort Hoosick, which be- fore that had been built at Williamstown, Massachusetts, near the southwest corner of Vermont.
During all these expeditions and until the French were driven from Crown Point in 1759, this territory, including the whole of Western Vermont, was exposed to the depredations of the Indians, and settlements in it were wholly unsafe. Even the proprietors of Bennington, who had obtained a charter in 1749, did not venture to commence a settlement of that town until 1761, after the conquest of Canada.
In the short time, in which our attention has been directed to the subject, we have collected such information as we have been able, respecting the Indian relics found in the County, as the best evi- dence of the extent of Indian settlements. Our inquiries have not extended to all parts of the County. They have generally been made of those farmers and others, whom we have incidentally met. And now the printers threaten to tread upon our heels, and we are compelled to stop our inquiries. But such facts as we have obtained, we present below, and we trust the reader will find in them satis- factory evidence, that the Indians once had a permanent settlement here. But the permanent settlement, we think, must have closed with the discovery of Lake Champlain, by the French leader, SAM- UEL CHAMPLAIN, two hundred and fifty years ago, and the manu- facture of the implements we describe, of course ended then. There may have been a temporary residence of some tribes, while the French had possession of Crown Point, or during the Revolu- tionary war, while the British had the control of the lake. But we have, we think, the testimony of history, that after the Iroquois were first overcome off by the fire arms, which were used by CHAM-
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. HISTORY OF ADDISON COUNTY.
PLAIN and his Frenchmen, they never returned to occupy this region by a permanent settlement. Besides, after the Indians were fur- nished by Europeans with fire-arms and other needed implements, they had no occasion to manufacture them.
The main object of our inquries has been to find evidence of the extent of Indian settlements in the County. But, if our time had permitted, we might have presented some other views of the subject. The want of time also has prevented our giving illustrations of some of the less common manufactures, as we intended. The following are the results of our inquries, and the sources of our information :
Professor HALL, in his account of Middlebury, in 1820, states that on the farm in the south part of the town, on which Judge PAINTER first settled, now owned by WILLIAM F. GOODRICH, on an alluvial tract, near Middlebury River, -and his statement is con- firmed to us by Mr. GOODRICH,-"are found numerous articles of Indian manufacture, such as arrows, hammers, &c., some being of flint, others of jasper. A pot, composed of sand and clay, of curious workmanship, and holding about twenty quarts, has recently been dug up here nearly entire."
ALMON W. PINNEY, states, that in an old channel of the same river, on the old SMALLEY farm, and not far from the same place, the water had washed away the bank and uncovered parts of a broken " camp-kettle," as he called it, holding about a pailful and a half, of the same material as the above, curiously ornamented by flowers or leaves wrought on the sides. There were also found there half a bushel of perfect and imperfect arrow heads, one of which was four inches long.
ENOCH DEWEY, states, that on his farm, in Middlebury, on which his father was an early settler, two miles southeast from the village, and west of his house, on dry land near a brook between the hills, he has ploughed up on two separate spots, chippings, or fragments of stone, obviously made in manufacturing arrow heads and other implements, together with a bushel or more of perfect and imperfect arrow heads all of grey flint.
On the house lot of the writer, in the village of Middlebury, several years ago, was ploughed up an Indian pestle of hard grey
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1766798 HISTORY OF ADDISON COUNTY.
stone, made round and smooth, and rounded at the ends, about fif- teen inches long and two and a half inches in diameter.
Mr. RUTUS MEAD, editor of the Middlebury Register, states, that on the farm on which his father lived, and his grandfather was an early settler, in the west part of Cornwall, have been found large numbers of arrow and spear heads, from two to five inches in length, and, among them, stone chips, worked off in the construc- tion of arrow heads, and many imperfect arrow heads, apparently made by unskilful artists, or spoiled in the manufacture; that at every ploughing for many years, these relics have been ploughed up. This locality is near a spring, and on ground sloping to Lemon Fair Flats. On this slope for some distance, the land is springy, and on several of the neighboring farms, similar relics are found. In that neighborhood was also found a stone gouge, in the regular shape of that tool, six or eight inches long, and two and a half inches wide. This tool Mr. MEAD thinks, was used for dig- ging out their canoes, the wood being first burnt and charred by fire. The arrows, he says, were of flint, partly light and partly black ; and he is confident they were made of materials which are not found in this country. Otter Creek, and Lemon Fair, which empties into it, are navigable for boats from the head of the falls at Vergennes to this place.
Deacon WARNER states, that on his farm in Cornwall, first set- tled by BENJAMIN HAMLIN, were found, at an early day, a great variety of Indian relics, arrow heads, spear heads, and other imple- ments of which he does not know the use : also chippings and frag- ments of stone, made in the construction of the articles, and defect- ive and broken implements. Some of the articles were made of flint stone, and some, designed for ornament, of slate. This locality is on a rise of ground near a Beaver Brook and Beaver Meadow. The brook empties into Lemon Fair, and is navigable for boats from that stream, except in dry weather.
About three quarters of a mile from the above, on the same Beaver Brook, and on the farm of IRA HAMLIN, is found similar evidence of the manufacture of Indian relics, among other things, gouges, chisels and arrows, of three or four different kinds of stone.
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HISTORY OF ADDISON COUNTY.
This statement was received from Mr. HAMLIN, and communicated to us, with specimens of the manufacture, by RUFUS MEAD, Esq., who was also personally acquainted with the locality, and generally with the facts.
Major ORIN FIELD, of Cornwall, states, that on his farm, on the road leading south from the Congregational Church, scattered arrow heads have been frequently found, and Judge TILDEN says, that on his farm, not far distant, similar discoveries have been made. Major FIELD also says, that on the same farm, then owned by BENJAMIN STEVENS, he was shown by Mr. STEVENS, in 1807, what was re- garded as the foundation of an Indian wigwam or hut. It was a ridge of earth, about six inches high, in a square shape, the sides of which were eight or twelve feet long, the ridge running all around except at the east end was a vacant space, apparently designed for a door way. The earth was thrown up, to form the ridge on the out- side. The ridges have now disappeared.
Major FIELD also says, that on the farm of his father, on which his grandfather was an early settler, in a burying ground on sandy land, in digging a grave in 1802, there were thrown up three Indian relics, of the same size and shape and in the form of a heart, about five inches long and three wide at the top. A smooth and straight hole, one-half inch in diameter, was bored through the length, the exterior surface being swollen to accommodate the hole. The sides were worked to an edge.
AUSTIN DANA, Esq., of Cornwall states, that on his farm, which adjoins Lemon Fair, he has often ploughed up large numbers of points, from one and a half to seven inches long, all which he thinks were designed for arrow heads, intended for shooting animals of different sizes, together with some which were broken, and a stone gouge eight er ten inches long. in the proper shape of that instrument. Pieces of the arrow heads he hes often need for gun flints. He has also found, at three different springs on his farm, as many different pavements of stone, designed and used for fires in their huts, which have evident marks of the effects of fire. They are made of cob- ble stones, pounded down and made level and solid, like a pave- ment, six er seven feet in diameter. He says also, that on several
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HISTORY OF ADDISON COUNTY.
farms lying north of his, he has seen hearths formed in the same way, and obviously for the same purpose. These are always on the border of the Fair, or of brooks running from the hills into it.
JESSE ELLSWORTH, of Cornwall, states, that on his farm, near Lemon Fair, on low ground, he has found arrow and spear heads often, and a pestle. Some of the spear and arrow heads are grey, and others black.
On the farm of the late JOSEPH SMITH, in Salisbury, and other farms in the neighborhood, have been found also similar relies scat- tered over the land. But we do not regard it necessary to mention further cases of this kind. Almost every farmer of whom we have inquired, has found them, more or less, scattered over his farm.
Deacon SAMUEL JAMES, whose farm is in the south part of Wey- bridge, and whose house is at the east foot of a ridge of land, about two miles west of the village of Middlebury, states that on the cast side of the road, which passes by his house, on a dry sandy hill, near a Beaver Brook and meadow, are found many arrow heads. many of them imperfect, together with chippings and fragments of stone, which furnish evidence, that it had been a place for the man- ufacture of Indian implements. On the hill west of his house, was found a rounded relic, two inches in diameter, about a foot long, rounded at one end, and the other end made in the form of a gouge, two and a half inches wide, but not wrought to an edge.
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