USA > Vermont > The Lake Champlain and Lake George valleys, Vol. I > Part 38
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38
400
LAKE CHAMPLAIN AND LAKE GEORGE VALLEYS
whilst yet warm and bleeding. Whilst horror froze her to the spot, she thought she recognized it as the hair of a beautiful child of a dear friend of hers, living on the other side of the lake. She saw other scalps attached to their waist-belts, whilst two other canoes further out in the lake each had the terrible signal at their bows. The Indians, on seeing her, gave the war whoop, and made signals as though they would scalp her; and she fled to the house like a frightened deer. The day brought tidings that their friends on the other side had been massacred and scalped, six in number, and their houses burned."
The town of Addison was organized and the first meeting held March 29, 1784. Among the interesting decisions of this meeting was that Strong's cowyard should be made a pound and that "the bank of the Lake for this year be Considered as a Lawful Fence." In 1797 a committee of selectmen was appointed to "find out the center of the town," while in 1798 it was voted "to see if the inhabitants will agree to petition the General Assembly of the State next to be holden at Vergennes, to divide the town of Addison into two dis- tinct towns, making Dead (Creek) the divisional line." The town had a steady growth in population from 401 in 1790 until 1830, when it numbered 1,306, but by 1850 a decline was in progress with the result that in 1880 there were only 847 inhabitants. Today, it has a population of 684.
South of Addison and north of Shoreham is the town of Bridport upon the lake shore. Its charter was issued by Governor Wentworth in 1761 to sixty-four grantees, most of whom were from Worcester County, Massachusetts. An effort was made by Colonel Ephraim Doolittle to colonize the town in 1766 on a cooperative basis. The settlers were overcome with sickness, however, and all left but Doo- little. Permanent settlement did not begin until two years later, in 1768. The government of the town was organized in 1785. New settlers were constantly arriving, fourteen families from New Jersey making homes here the following year. The population increased from 449 in 1791 to 1, 124 in 1800, as compared to 703 in 1930. One early frontier incident concerns a certain Mrs. Stone and a band of Indians : Mrs. Stone discovered one of these plundering parties "creeping up the bank towards the house, just in season to throw some things which she knew they would be sure to carry off, if found, out of
401
ADDISON COUNTY
a back window into the yard, and, concealing some valuables in her bosom, sat down to carding before they came prowling in. The Indians, not satisfied with what they found on the premises, drew near Mrs. Stone, who had been sitting during the visitation with her chil- dren around her, carding all the while, apparently as unconcerned as though surrounded by friends, instead of Indians and thieves. One young savage, suspecting she had some things concealed about her person, attempted to run his hand into her bosom, whereupon she so dexterously cuffed him in the face with the teeth-side of her card, that he quickly recoiled from the invasion. Another young Indian flourished his tomahawk over her head; but an old Indian, struck with admira- tion . .. at the defeat of his companion, ejaculated heartily, 'Good squaw, good squaw!' when he interfered and led of the predatory party, and Mrs. Stone kept quietly carding on, until quite sure they had made good their departure."
At the time of Allen and Arnold's capture of Ticonderoga, Cap- tain Douglas was sent to obtain a scow to help transport the patriot force across the lake. While in Bridport, he stopped at a home, where two young patriots heard him discussing his plans. Deciding to strike a blow for the American cause on their own hook they dressed hastily with the idea of securing possession of Major Skene's large rowboat off Willow Point, known to be in the care of a Negro servant famous for his fondness for liquor. Carrying along a jug of rum for bait, they hailed the boat when they reached the shore with some of their companions. They told the Negro that they were on their way to join a hunting party, and offered to help row the boat to Shoreham besides giving him a jug of rum. This proved to be an adequate temptation to the Negro, with the result that the boat was brought over and its caretaker became a prisoner of war. On one occasion, Ethan Allen himself had a narrow escape in Bridport when six soldiers from Crown Point came to arrest him in 1772.
In the mountains in the northeastern section of Addison County lies the town of Bristol, originally called Pocock in honor of an Eng- lish admiral, when granted by Wentworth in 1762. The present name was fixed by the Legislature in 1789. The first permanent set- tlement was not begun until 1786, twenty-four years after the issu- ance of the charter, when it was made by Samuel Stewart and Eden
C & G-26
402
LAKE CHAMPLAIN AND LAKE GEORGE VALLEYS
Johnson from Whitehall, New York. A Dutchman, also from New York, had lived there for at least twelve years previously, but he was a fugitive from justice and existed like a savage by hunting and fishing. It is said that in this entire period he had no other company except a dog and did not see a human face until 1785. The town of Bristol was organized in 1789, reaching a population of 211 in 1790, and 1, 179 in 1810. There were sixty-six volunteers from this community in the War of 1812. It is interesting to note that in 1792, a town meeting voted to take two bushels of wheat "out of the town treas- ury to pay town expenses." The town's present population is 1,832, to which total the village contributes 1, 190.
East of Shoreham and Bridport is the town of Cornwall, the char- ter of which was granted by Wentworth in 1761 to Connecticut resi- dents. It was named for their home town in Litchfield County. The first settlers built their homes in 1774, and formed their political organization ten years later. The population increased to 826 in 1790 and 1, 163 in 1800, while today it is only 640. Cornwall became involved in controversies with Whiting and Weybridge over the vague boundary lines of the three towns, the State Legislature being called in to help settle the disputes. The soil was very fertile and the water- power poor, the settlers being engaged primarily in agricultural pur- suits. When a tax of two cents on a dollar was imposed in 1799 it was specified that if it was paid before October, cattle should be the basis of meeting the obligation, while from October to January, wheat or corn should be used. Among the town officers were deer-rifts or reeves whose duty it was to protect deer from the hunters from Jan- uary tenth to June tenth, when their meat was of little value.
Ferrisburg is located on the side of Lake Champlain in the north- west corner of Addison County next to the Chittenden boundary line. Wentworth granted this township in 1762, and the first settler was Charles Tupper, of Pittsfield, Massachusetts. The town was organ- ized in 1785. The inhabitants who were primarily engaged in agri- culture, increased in numbers to 481 in 1790 and 1,647 in 1810. The Quaker influence was strong for some time. Today Ferrisburg's residents number 1,285.
Next we turn to the town of Goshen, located on the southern boundary of Addison County wholly within the bosom of the Green Mountains. Due to the high and rocky character of this grant, popu-
403
ADDISON COUNTY
lation was scarce, only four people being reported on the 1800 census. As late as 1840 it reached its peak with a total of 621 inhabitants, but in 1930 with only 84 residents, it was nearly back where it started from. The first actual settler did not locate here until 1807. His name was Jabesh Olmsted and it is related that, with the help of friends, he carried his sick wife to her half-finished log cabin on a bed in order to reach the place in time for the sugar season. He was arrested and jailed in Middlebury for debt, and soon died. This, perhaps, is rather a simple story, but it was characteristic of the hard- ships facing the pioneers of Goshen. The early settlers generally bought grain from adjoining towns, carrying it home on their backs, and paying for it with labor. One of them is supposed to have traveled three days before he could buy a bushel of grain.
Granville is also an extremely rocky and mountainous town, and is located in the easternmost section of Addison County next to the neighboring counties of Washington and Orange. It was chartered in 1781, having been granted the previous year by Governor Thomas Chittenden. Prior to 1787, it constituted a part of Orange County, and until 1834 was known as Kingston from the numerous proprietors of that name. Town government was organized in 1788, while popu- lation increased very steadily yet slowly from 101 in 1790, not exceed-
ing eight hundred until 1880. Apparently the inhabitants were not partial to the professional classes, if we accept at face value the word of a local historian who, in 1886, stated that "the town boasts of having no lawyers and but one physician." Lumber was the principal industry. In 1784, the proprietors voted to give one hundred acres of land to each woman who would go with her family to make a per- manent settlement in the town, an act which greatly stimulated settle- ment. Today its population is only 280.
In the southeastern corner of Addison County, partly bounded by the two last towns mentioned, Goshen and Granville, lies Hancock. When granted in 1780 and chartered in 1781 by the State of Ver- mont it included part of the present town of Rochester. It was very uneven and mountainous as were its neighbors, and consequently set- tlements developed slowly, beginning in 1788. The first town meet- ing was held in 1792, while in 1810 there were only 311 inhabitants here, about the same number as today (303).
West of Goshen, on the Rutland border, is the town of Leicester. The eastern section is mountainous, but the remainder is moderately
404
LAKE CHAMPLAIN AND LAKE GEORGE VALLEYS
level. Partly within its borders is beautiful Lake Dunmore, with its sparkling waters and its famous evergreen sentinels. The township was chartered by Wentworth in 1761, but its boundaries were indefi- nite and a quarrel soon ensued with the neighboring town of Salisbury which was not settled until 1796. Pioneers from Massachusetts first settled here permanently in 1774, while the town was organized in 1786. In 1790, there were 343 settlers, as compared with 468 in 1930. One early merchant here used peculiar bookkeeping methods. It was his habit to record on the walls of his store all credit transac- tions with a piece of chalk. On one occasion when he was absent on business his "better half" decided to do a little housecleaning, and washed off the chalk marks, temporarily forgetting their importance. When her "lord and master" returned, great was his wrath and ter- rible his language. Finally, at her suggestion, he tried to reproduce the items from memory. His success can best be decided from his observation that "although he had not been able to remember all the debtors, he had remembered all the debts, and had charged them to better men."
The township of Lincoln lies on the west side of the main ridge of the Green Mountains, in the northeastern section of Addison County. From its high peaks can be seen the whole length of Lake Cham- plain, many Adirondack peaks, the White Mountains, and many Ver- mont and New York villages. The town's charter was granted by Chittenden in 1780, while the first permanent settlement was made in 1795. Local government was organized in 1798. Although only 97 settlers inhabited the township in 1800, there was a constant rise, as decade after decade passed by, until in 1880 the population was 1,367. Today there are only 800 residents. According to M. B. Gove, "Deprivation and want was their common master for a number of years, and poverty, that at times verged on starvation, constantly stared them in the face; yet they did not falter at its ghastly counte- nance, nor yield in despair. Notwithstanding all their trials and sufferings they were social, unselfish, genial, kind and hospitable. Their social visits were more frequent, though living longer dis- tances apart, than at the present (1886), and were made sources of greater joy and pleasure during the long winter evenings. They were not the owners of fine carriages and sleighs. The rude ox-sled, with its long runners hewn from some natural crook and shod
405
ADDISON COUNTY
with wooden shoes, was a conveyance suitable for all occasions. It was the settler's farm wagon in summer, his carriage and sleigh when the family attended meeting at the log church, or made their neighbors an evening visit. The family was snugly seated on the sled and closely wrapped in such blankets as the household afforded, except the father or one of the older boys, whose duty it was to drive the oxen. Some of them, however, were not fortunate enough to own an ox-team, and resorted to other methods. A large handsled was a necessary appendant to every household, and was a substitute for the ox-sled in nearly every place in drawing the firewood, and when drawn by the father and older boys, with the mother and smaller children seated upon it, answered very well for making neighborhood visits of some miles from their homes." The manufacture of potash from red elms was a valuable source of revenue to these early settlers, while the iron industry became highly important after 1828. In 1830, floods created much havoc in Lincoln, the New Haven River going on a rampage. The channel of this river was greatly changed while crops and dwellings were destroyed. In 1878 the community was once more ravaged, but this time the grim agents of destruction were fire, diphtheria, and economic reverses. Five deaths occurred within ten days, buildings were destroyed, and ten citizens sought relief under the bankruptcy laws.
Middlebury is located in the heart of Addison County. Although the charter was granted by Wentworth in 1761, settlement was not permanently begun until twelve years later. The first pioneer bring- ing his family into town was Benjamin Smalley, of Connecticut, and the first town meeting took place in 1786. There were 385 inhab- itants in the township in 1790, while the little hamlet contained only sixty-two buildings in 1793. The increase in population was rapid, however, rising to 2,163 in 1810 and 3,468 in 1830. A century later it was 2,968, of which 2,003 was contributed by the village. In early days the lumber industry was very important. Before the opening up of the canal to Whitehall, lumber was drawn the entire distance to Troy, New York, by teams. In 1826, an outbreak of puerperal fever caused a high mortality rate among the women. 1849 was an important year because it saw the first locomotive enter Middlebury from Bur- lington. To a large extent the rapid growth of the village was due to the presence of water power. When Addison County was first incor-
·
406
LAKE CHAMPLAIN AND LAKE GEORGE VALLEYS
porated, the holding of court was to alternate between the towns of Addison and Colchester. With the exception of the November term of 1786, however, the sessions were held at Addison until 1792, when Middlebury became the county center. This charming town was destined to take a leading part in the development of Addison County in many ways. After its settlement, pine stumps remained on its common for several years, until finally the young men in the community made it one of their by-laws that every man who got drunk would be penalized by being forced to dig up one of the stumps. No record is available concerning the rapidity with which the stumps disappeared. Middle- bury College was chartered in 1800, while marble quarrying was begun as early as 1803.
Monkton is located in the northern part of Addison County, east of Ferrisburg on the Chittenden border. It was chartered by Went- worth in 1762, first settled in 1774, while the first town meeting was held in 1786. From a population of 450 in 1790 it grew until it attained a maximum of 1,384 in 1830, as compared with 683 a century later. Mountainous Monkton's place in history is assured by the fact that it supplied the iron that made it possible for Macdonough to drive the British from Lake Champlain in the battle of Plattsburgh Bay. Like many another community, this town attempted to secure model behavior on the part of its citizens by punishing offenders with whipping-post and pillory. It is recorded that a Quaker was forced to stand in the pillory for hours as a penalty for getting in hay on Sunday. Whether the weather or the condition of his crop led him to this serious transgression of the code of his day we do not know, but he evidently did not lose favor in the eyes of his wife, who brought her knitting and sat on a stone near him to keep him company. This was an act which unquestionably required much courage on her part.
Between Monkton and Middlebury lies the township of New Haven, named after the Connecticut city of that name. Chartered by Wentworth in 1761, the local government was organized in 1787. From a population of 723 in 1790, it reached a total of 1,834 settlers in 1830. Today the town has 964 residents. Its early history was complicated by a number of boundary changes, the so-called New Haven gore being annexed in 1789, while sections of the township were lost to Weybridge in 1791, Vergennes in 1783, and Waltham in 1796. The early records of the proprietors were lost by the clerk,
407
ADDISON COUNTY
Justus Sherwood, who buried them before leaving to fight on the side of the Tories in the Revolution. While living in New Haven he was secretly in the pay of New York land-jobbers, yet also speculating in the patents issued by New Hampshire. Before he departed he was given twenty lashes from "twigs of the wilderness" to speed him on his way, the Vermont Whigs applying the so-called "beech seal" to his body.
Next we come, alphabetically, to the historic town of Orwell, in the extreme southwestern corner of Addison County. Mount Inde- pendence, on the lake shore, formed an important part in the defenses of Ticonderoga, and was christened on the occasion of the news, in July, 1776, of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence. On its summit, which was a table land, a strong star-shaped fort was erected, and supplied liberally with artillery. At the foot, near the lake, a breastwork had been thrown up which was strengthened by an abatis and strong battery near the mouth of East Creek. When St. Clair evacuated Ticonderoga before Burgoyne's advancing legions, he led the bulk of his army by way of Mount Independence across the township of Orwell. Moreover, it was on this eminence that Fer- moy's quarters were located which that rascal set on fire, betraying the American retreat. As the flames reached high in the Orwell sky the township rumbled with the tread of marching feet.
Situated as it was at the gateway of the Champlain Valley its growth was rapid, attaining a population of 778 in 1790 and a maxi- mum of 1,849 in 1810. In 1930 it reported but 835 residents, how- ever. The township was originally a part of Rutland County, not being annexed to Addison until 1847. Orwell was chartered by Went- worth in 1763, and for some time the only white settler within its borders was a Scotch emigrant named John Carter who brought his family by way of Quebec and Montreal to its fertile farmland. Town government was organized in 1787.
Another lake shore town, located farther north between Addison and Ferrisburg is Panton, irrevocably connected with Arnold's great naval battle at Valcour Island in 1776. After that bitter engagement, the inferior American ships, severely crippled, and short of ammuni- tion, succeeded at first in escaping toward Crown Point, but the whims of fate were against them. Finally, Arnold was forced by overwhelm- ing odds to flee with some of his sinking ships into a shallow bay on
408
LAKE CHAMPLAIN AND LAKE GEORGE VALLEYS
the Panton shore, where the larger enemy vessels could not follow. Ever since, this indentation has been known as Arnold's Bay. All arms were removed, and the ships were burned to the water's edge, Arnold remaining aboard until quite certain the flames would leave nothing for the enemy. Amid the crackling of the flames the Amer- ican commander stood watching his colors burn while flying in the breeze, rather than lowered to the enemy. Finally, he climbed along the bowsprit and dropped to the beach, the last man to leave his van- ishing fleet. New Hampshire chartered the town in 1762 to resi- dents of Litchfield County, Connecticut. Among the early settlers, however, the most important was probably a New Yorker named Peter Ferris, who came here with his family about 1766. During the Revolution, the inhabitants of Panton suffered severely, and experi- enced many hair-raising experiences. The first town meeting was held in 1784. The community was never thickly populated, being largely agricultural. At one time considerable traffic was carried on at Arnold's Bay, but this ended with the building of railroads. The pop- ulation, which in 1790 was but 220, attained its maximum of 670 in 1840. Today its inhabitants number only 306.
Let us now turn our attention to Ripton, an extremely mountain- ous township in the southeastern part of Addison County. It was chartered as Riptown in 1781, but for twenty years the town was uninhabited by man. This situation was the despair of the proprietors who countenanced the rumor that a right of land would be given to the first child born within the limits of the town. Thereupon, one settler, named Ebenezer Collar, promptly set up a temporary shelter inside the boundary lines. Very soon his wife gave birth to a baby girl. Ebenezer then set out to collect the reward for his daughter, but never was able to pry it from the close-fisted hands of the proprietors. As late as 1820 there were only 42 inhabitants in the entire township, and local government was not organized until 1828. By 1830, how- ever, there were 278 residents, as compared with 194 a century later. The main industry was lumbering, nature having favored Ripton with great quantities of fine trees.
In the beautiful Lake Dunmore section, next to Leicester, is located the township of Salisbury, granted by Wentworth to Connecticut resi- dents in 1761, and named in honor of Salisbury, Connecticut. Settle- ment was retarded not only by the land dispute between New Hamp:
=
409
ADDISON COUNTY
shire and New York, but also by the heated controversy over bound- ary lines with Leicester. The difficulties encountered in early trading are indicated by the fact that residents of Salisbury drew wheat and hogs as far as Troy, New York, and Boston, Massachusetts, return- ing from these places with salt and other necessities not found on the frontier. Troy also seems to have been favored with Salisbury's banking business, however small that may have been. The present population of the town is 632.
Next we come to Shoreham, a low, gently rolling township on the eastern shore of Lake Champlain between Orwell and Bridport. Here Ethan Allen and Benedict Arnold quarreled. Here at the lake shore that grim little band of Green Mountain Boys waited to attempt their sensational capture of Fort Ticonderoga. Through the township passed the old military road connecting Crown Point with Charlestown (Number Four), New Hampshire. Here is the birthplace of my father and the scene of some of the happiest of my childhood days. I believe my interest in things historical dates from watching Fourth of July fireworks at Fort Ticonderoga from a Shoreham farmhouse. There are so many associations that stand out in my mind. I can never forget plodding through Shoreham clay, which clung to me like a long lost brother, on my way to the flatbottomed boat in Hand's Cove, where the Green Mountain Boys embarked; nor would I want to forget how those fish tasted when browned over an open fire. Such melons I have not eaten since that distant day. Their taste lingers with me yet, as does the delicious flavor of boiled cider, when eagerly sought after in a hot Vermont hay field. It was the proper place for hungry boys, for there were four meals each day. The first was reli- giously served at six, primarily I suppose to satisfy hunger generated by the labor of the early chores. At eleven we heard the signal of the dinner hour. At three or four it was time to eat again. Prior to bed- time we assembled around the table for a fourth time, and the fare never varied. Always there was fresh, rich milk and unlimited quan- tities of home made bread, not to forget an ample supply of onions. Thus night after night we had bread and milk with now and then a taste of raw onion. Whether the onion was intended to combat the comparatively flat taste of the main dish, or whether the bread and milk was present as an antidote for the onion, I never could decide, but the combination was a pleasant one just the same. I have my
410
LAKE CHAMPLAIN AND LAKE GEORGE VALLEYS
doubts regarding how widespread this practice was among the farmers of Shoreham, however, and only cite it as a personal recollec- tion.
This agricultural township was granted by Wentworth in 1761. Colonel Ephraim Doolittle had become impressed with the fertility of the soil while opening up the old military road. Although he did not bring his family into town until after the Revolution, he brought a party of settlers from Worcester County, Massachusetts, to make homes here in 1766. The first town meeting was held twenty years later, in 1786. One of the most important occupations of the early farmers was drawing logs to the lake shore in the winter time, where they were cut up for transportation to Quebec. By 1810 there were 2,033 residents in the town, more than double the population of the present day (948).
The township of Starksboro is in the extreme northeastern corner of Addison County, bounded by Lincoln on the south and Monkton on the west. It consists of mountainous territory as a rule, and was chartered by Vermont in 1780. In 1797, its size was increased by the annexation of some of Monkton's territory. The first settler came with his family from Connecticut in 1787 or 1788. It is said that they almost starved to death and that they were very happy when it was possible to obtain one peck of bran from Vergennes, a distance of thirteen miles. The first town meeting was held in 1796. Many of the early settlers were Quakers. Prominent among the early indus- tries were rake-making and lumbering. Since that time dairying has developed until it has become the principal industry. The present population of the town is 687.
Vergennes has the distinction of being one of the smallest cities in the world, covering an area of only one mile square. It also has the honor of being the third oldest city in New England, having been chartered in 1788. The only cities that preceded it were Hartford and New Haven, which were created in 1784. It was named for Count de Vergennes, French foreign minister at the time of the Rev- olution, who helped our country defeat England. Originally Ver- gennes was a part of three towns already discussed: Ferrisburg, New Haven and Panton. Here are the last falls on the picturesque Otter, and from this city to Lake Champlain, a distance of eight miles, the creek is navigable. These two favorable geographic fac-
4II
ADDISON COUNTY
tors made early settlement doubly attractive here. Mills were erected at the falls as early as 1764. The location was as attractive to New Yorkers as·to New Englanders, however, and some of the best known episodes in the land dispute center around Vergennes. Here it was that the Green Mountain Boys clashed with the New York followers of Colonel John Reid, as previously narrated, finally tearing down the mill, burning crops and houses, breaking the millstones into pieces and throwing them into the creek. Edward A. Kendall, who traveled through here in 1807 and 1808, has left a description of Vergennes as follows :
"Sloops ascend from the lake to the foot of the cataract; and, from this and other circumstances, Vergennes is well seated for iron works; bog ore abounds in all the adjacent country, and stone ore is brought from Crown Point, on the opposite side of the lake. A fur- nace, and other extensive works, in addition to those that have been long established, are at this time erecting. There are bridges across the Otter Creek, both at Middlebury and Vergennes; and each of these villages exhibits a busy and thriving appearance. Roads both from New York and Boston meet in Vergennes, whence there is a road due north to Burlington, distant twenty-two miles, a commercial village and port of entry on the lake, and by which there is a con- stant communication, either by land or water, with Montreal, in Lower Canada."
Vergennes became closely associated with the War of 1812, and Macdonough made his headquarters here. It was an admirable loca- tion for the construction of an American fleet. Although the Otter was navigable to this point, it was narrow and crooked enough to make the ships safe from attack. The iron ore from neighboring Monkton was close at hand, and at Vergennes there were eight forges, a blast furnace, an air furnace, a rolling mill, as well as grist, saw and fulling mills. Here the American fleet was built in the amazingly short time of forty days, and 177 tons of cannon balls were manufactured. At one time, Governor Chittenden ordered 1,000 militia to Vergennes as protection. Perhaps the most amazing thing about Vergennes is its failure to grow faster than it has, considering all its natural advan- tages. By 1810 there were only 835 residents, and in 1820 only 817, while today the city has a population of only 1,705. At present large dairy plants are located here.
412
LAKE CHAMPLAIN AND LAKE GEORGE VALLEYS
Waltham was formed by the Vermont Legislature in 1796, and its government was organized the next year. It had been included in earlier grants, however, particularly that of New Haven, and the first settlement was by residents of Connecticut and Massachusetts in 1769. It was named in honor of Waltham, Massachusetts. It was strictly an agricultural town and its residents conducted most of their business in the nearby communities of New Haven, Vergennes and Weybridge. As a result the population was extremely sparse, and today is but 175.
Weybridge is farther south, near the center of the county, sur- rounded by New Haven, Addison, Bridport, Cornwall and Middle- bury. It was originally chartered by Wentworth in 1761, but subse- quently its boundaries were changed in various instances. The first settlers arrived in 1775 or before, barely in time to have their new homes burned by Indians and Tories in 1778. It is said that on this occasion the men were all taken captive and that the women and chil- dren, who had been left behind, took refuge in a cellar of one of their burned homes, where they lived for ten days on a few potatoes until they were discovered by some American soldiers. In addition to farm- ing the early inhabitants transported lumber as far as Troy, New York, prior to the building of the Champlain Canal. A variety of mills and plants at one time or another were built here to make scythes, candle wicks, cotton batting and paper. In 1790, two years after the town was organized, there was only a population of 175, but by 1800 this had risen to 502. Today there are 418 residents.
Last, alphabetically, among Addison County townships is that of Whiting, which is located in the southern part, next to Rutland County, between Leicester and Orwell. It was chartered in 1763 by Wentworth to residents of Massachusetts and was named for one of the grantees. The proprietors were interested in the land solely for purposes of speculation, rather than in actual settlement for them- selves, and eventually became entangled in a dispute with pioneers who encroached on the soil of Whiting without legal authority. Lum- ber was manufactured here, but it has always been primarily an agri- cultural town. By 1800 there were 404 residents, a greater number than live here at the present day (358).
Rutland
my PH RR
1
Keeng Vallop
3.Ahr fur)
4
.2. 1
Rutland
A DARK
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.