Bennington County VT Archives History - Books .....Preface, Introduction And Abbreviations 1911 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/vt/vtfiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Joy Fisher http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00001.html#0000031 May 22, 2008, 11:36 pm Book Title: THE GRAVESTONE RECORDS OF SHAFTSBURY THE GRAVESTONE RECORDS OF SHAFTSBURY Bennington County, Vermont COPIED AND VERIFIED 1908-10 BY LEVI HENRY ELWELL AMHERST, MASSACHUSETTS COMPOSITION AND PRESSWORK 1911 simplified spelling] Preface Nine years ago the writer spent a few days in genealogic reserch in Shaftsbury. The town records were found to be far from complete in the matter of vital statistics; and it occurd to him that it would be well worth while to add to them the material extant on gravestones in public cemeteries and private burial grounds. Accordingly some time in August was spent three successiv years in securing such data. The statistical portions of all epitafs were carefully copied and the copies verified two or more times in different years. This material was then written on little cards and arranged in alfabetic order as it is here printed. It has been attempted to print only statistical matter in the briefest form practicable; and the only such matter deliberately omitted has been the indefinit designations of relationship exprest in eulogy or verse or by single words. No dout there are mistakes in copying as in printing; such typografic errors as have been discoverd are noted on page viii; but most of the errors are found on the stones themselvs. If, for example, Ella and Jessie are cald sons, if there is a Feb. 29, 1857, if two stones record different data evidently in memory of the same person, the mistake is not due to careless proof-reading. Tho at times it was hard to resist a temptation to insert a query or surprize mark, the editor chose rather to presume upon the discriminating sense of the reader. Names and dates are given with exactness; abbreviations and points are made uniform except in the few instances where regard was had for the original A name not indented, and a surname in hevy type put between parentheses, signifies that the surname is derived from a subsequent part of the inscription. Thus, while "John Smith, son of Thomas Smith" would be indented, "John, son of Thomas Smith" would not be. But tho this method, with separate stones for individuals, is easy and clear, it has not proved practicable with monuments. In case of married women the stone itself may be ambiguous; if, for example, Jane Smith is recorded as wife of John Smith, was Jane Smith her maiden or married name? In all such cases the name is indented. When a married woman's middle name is also a surname, a reference is always made to her under that surname even tho it may not have been her maiden name; it seemd better to err in favor of the large majority of what were plainly ment for maiden names. With regard to the introduction, it is proper to say that the editor has no expert knowledge of Shaftsbury history; so he has almost but not altogether followd the standard authorities, having added thereto somewhat from unpublisht sources. Of the supplementary portions of the book, the new matter in the additions was obtaind in August of this year, and is complete for South Shaftsbury, and believd to be so for North Bennington cemetery; the remoter cemeteries were not visited. The notes are samples of what might have been added on a far more extensiv scale; they present useful but unessential information. Most of the older gravestones contain comment, eulogy, verse, or scripture. Such material was copied in full from all stones extant in private burial grounds; elsewhere it was usually neglected unless it included statistical matter. Specimens of the more notable verse and comment are given in the appendix; vagaries of spelling and punctuation are reproduced from the original Had the editor been an antiquarian, he would have described the position of the stones, their size, shape and kind, their styles of lettering; and he would have endevord to reproduce the inscriptions entire so as to resemble the original as nearly as possible. Had he been a genealogist, he would have compared all the accessible material on the relationship of the persons herein named; and tried to show what parts of his material are inaccurate or need to be viewd in the light of other authorities. Had he been an expert compositor, proof-reader or pressman, he would have avoided very obvious faults in the printing; and in particular he would not have consulted brevity at the expense of the looks of the page. But he is none of these; otherwise this book would not have appeard. For while a work adequately printed and illustrated, constructed along antiquarian or genealogic lines, would have gaind much in size and somewhat in usefulness, its publication would have required both expert and financial assistance. As this is the editor's first experience in preparing such matter for publication, the edition is limited to 107 copies; and the pages being printed from type and the type then distributed, no reprint will be possible. The book is publisht in the year of the 150th anniversary of the granting of the Shaftsbury charter and is a slight contribution to the memory of the town's erly pioneers, some of whom bore a distinguisht part in the heroic struggles of their day. Among them doutless were those of royal or Mayflower descent; but blissfully ignorant of their origin, they devoted them-servs with courage and energy to the founding of a free and independent state, and won their distinction, not thru the eminence of their ancestors, but by their own worthy achievments in war and in peace. Amherst, Massachusetts, October 9, 1911. Introduction Shaftsbury is one of the six towns situated in the western part of Bennington county, Vermont Bounded north by Arlington and south by Bennington, it extends on the east to the Green Mountains where it adjoins Glastenbury; on the west lie White Creek and Hoosic in New York. The highest point-2420 feet-is in West Mountain which extends four miles into the town from Arlington. At the grist mill in the South village the elevation is 711 feet; at the church in the Center, 1100 feet; and near the Shaftsbury station, 8S3 feet In the east part of the town, if we except the Green Mountain slope in the southeast corner, the highest point is Maple Hill -1706 feet By charter the township was to be six miles square; its actual area excedes that mesure about a quarter mile each way. Shaftsbury was one of the half dozen New Hampshire grants charterd by Gov. Benning Wentworth August 20, 1761. That was the year of the settlement of Bennington; and two or three years later the settlement of Shaftsbury began. The first three settlers were James Draper Jr., John Munro, and George Niles. Mr. Draper has many honord descendants; his oldest son, Nathan, was the first white child born in the town; a grandson, Jonathan, gave the land for the cemetery in the South village. Mr. Munro held land in West Shaftsbury under a New York grant; this fact together with his zeal in behalf of the government of New York subjected him to severe treatment at the hands of the Green Mountain Boys; and for his loyalty to King George during the Revolution, his Vermont property was confiscated by the state. A man of convictions and courage, he was the victim of lost causes. Mr. Niles livd to the age of 105 years; and on the day he was 100 years old he took his sithe into the medow, and after mowing a swath said, "There, boys, is a pattern for you." To the last he had a good memory and was a great story-teller. Dr. Paine, "who died in the midst of his usefulness," was also an erly settler; his gravestone marks the first recorded deth in die town. The following persons were residents in November, 1766: Rufus Baker Ichabod Cross Mills Sly David Blakely Edward Fitzsimmons Peleg Spencer John Burnam Jacob Marsh John Trumble Isaiah Carpenter Mashir Martin Abiathar Waldo Matthias Cobb Zerubabel Matteson Samuel Waters Ebenezer Cole Justus Olin Ichabod West Freegift Cole George Pengree Ichabod West Jr. Parker Cole And others who came before 1771 were: John Blakely, 1769 Dan Howlett, 1766 Thomas Matteson Jeremiah Clark, 1767 Amos Huntington, 1770 Bliss Willoughby Most of the erly settlers were Baptists to whom the religious atmosfere of congregational Bennington was uncongenial. The first Baptist church in Vermont was organized in Shaftsbury in 1768; the second Shaftsbury, in 1780; the third, in 1781; and the fourth, in 1788. Their statistics 1794-5 were as follows: First Baptist church, Ephraim Downer pastor, 24 members Second " " vacant, 45 members Third " " vacant, 20 members Fourth " " Caleb Blood pastor, 160 members The first church existed till 1844 when it was disbanded, and subsequently reorganized a half mile south in North Bennington; the meeting-house, which stood just north of the North Bennington cemetery, was taken down in 1856 and its timbers were used to bild a schoolhouse. The second church continued in existence until 1839 when many of its members united with the fourth church in the Center. In 1836 the Universalists bilt a meeting-house, but six years later the society had no settled minister. At present the town supports two churches: the Baptist church in the Center and the Methodist in the South village. Shaftsbury was organized before the Revolution, and Thomas Matteson was the first town clerk, but continuous town records do not begin till 1784. Thruout its history, whether in the struggle for the New Hampshire grants, or in the war for independence, or in suppressing the rebellion, the town has borne a worthy part In 1777 its two companies of militia were commanded by Capt Jonas Galusha and Capt Amos Huntington. Capt Huntington having been made prisoner and sent to Canada, the two companies were united and fought in the battle of Bennington under command of Capt Galusha. In the civil war the number of men enlisted from the town was 147. And in the history of Vermont, not to mention others who were hardly less eminent, the names of Capt Jonas Galusha - nine times governor of the state-and Maj. Gideon Olin-judge, councilor, representativ in congress - will always remain among the most illustrious. The population according to the U. S. census has been as follows: 1791 1800 1810 1820 1830 1840 1850 1860 1870 1880 1890 1900 1910 1999 1895 1973 2022 2143 1835 1896 1937 2027 1887 1652 1857 1650 David Millington, a descendant of one of the erly settlers, was the first inventor of wax grafting; previously the only method was the application of mud, swingling-tow and rags. For many years after he had perfected the system the months of April and May witnest an exodus of Shaftsbury grafters, 40 to 50 teams and 80 to 100 men going annually thruout New England and some of the western states. Agriculture is the occupation of almost all the inhabitants. The Rutland railroad, running north and south thru the town, has stations at South Shaftsbury and Shaftsbury Depot Explanation of Signs Public cemeteries are indicated by figures, and private burial grounds by letters, as follows: 1 Shaftsbury Center cemetery; near Baptist church 2 South Shaftsbury cemetery; half mile south of railroad station 3 Maple Hill cemetery; East Shaftsbury, north 4 Joseph Wait cemetery; East Shaftsbury, center 5 North Bennington cemetery; half mile north of railroad station 6 Shaftsbury Hollow cemetery; West Shaftsbury, center A Aylesworth ground; West Shaftsbury, center; in mowing west of road, a few rods north of Mr. Bouplon's E Elwell ground; East Shaftsbury, south; in a pasture, a quarter mile east of the main road and visible from it F Fuller ground; West Shaftsbury, center; in a field, a few rods west of Mr. Bouplon's; inclosed by a wood fence L Millington ground; West Shaftsbury, south of center; on hillside, behind house ownd by Mr. Allen of White Creek and occupied by tenant N Niles ground; cross road, South to West Shaftsbury; in a field, a few rods north of Mr. Reed's; inclosed by a stone wall P Private ground; West Shaftsbury, center; in mowing west of road, and a few rods south of Mr. Bouplon's R Spencer stone; Shaftsbury; lying by roadside, a quarter mile west of the railroad station S Stanley ground; West Shaftsbury, north of center; in field north of Mr. Peacock's, and a short distance west of road T Mattison ground; cross road, Shaftsbury to Maple Hill; inclosed by a stonewall W Wheeler stone; West Shaftsbury, south; prostrate by roadside, a half mile north of Mr. Loomis's Abbreviations In addition to the common abbreviations that need no explanation, the following are used: a. aged a.c. amiable consort b. born br. brother c. consort ch. children) d. daughter, day(s), died ds. daughters f. former g. d. granddaughter g. s. grandson h. hour(s) inf. infant l. c. late consort m. month(s) r. relict s. son ss. sons y. year(s) w. week(s), wife wid. widow Additional Comments: Extracted from: THE GRAVESTONE RECORDS OF SHAFTSBURY Bennington County, Vermont COPIED AND VERIFIED 1908-10 BY LEVI HENRY ELWELL AMHERST, MASSACHUSETTS COMPOSITION AND PRESSWORK 1911 File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/vt/bennington/history/1911/gravesto/prefacei121gms.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/vtfiles/ File size: 14.0 Kb