Proprietary History of the Township

CHAPTER II . Proprietary history of the township . therefore thought fit for the due en- Previous to the establishment of an in- couragement of settling a new plantatio n dependent state government in Vermont , within this State, and other valuable con- in January, 1777, New Hampshire, whic h siderations us hereunto moving, and do province claimed the jurisdiction of al l by these presents and by the authority o f the territory now contained in this state , the Freemen of Vermont, give and gran t had issued many charters of townships . In unto said Phinehas Lyman and th e this way, more than one half of the land of several persons hereafter named, his Vermont had been granted before she associates, viz : Joseph Hawley, Esq .; assumed the responsibility of self- Timothy Lyman, Samuel Clark, Noadia h government, and the remainder was in a Warner, Samuel Cook the second, John few years granted by the State authority. Smith, Nathaniel Brush, Elijah Dewey , The process of securing and grantin g Lucretia Colt, Elisha Porter, Esq ., charters was something as follows: Upon Stephen Goodman, Moses Hubbard , application from a company of men, resi- Oliver Smith, Benjamin Colt, Daniel Colt , dent and non-resident, who wished to Edmund Hubbard, Moses Hubbard, Rev. become the proprietors of a township, the Samuel Hopkins, Eleazer Porter, Samuel General Assembly appointed a standin g Gaylord, Jr ., Rev. Joseph Lathrop, committee to examine the grounds of thi s George Breck, Heman Day, Samue l application, and to act upon it . If this Lathrop, Seth Lathrop, Joseph Lathrop , committee reported favorably, whic h Jr., John Eastman, Timothy Eastman, usually occurred, a vote was accordingl y Obadiah Dickinson, Obadiah Dickinson , passed by the Assembly, and the Gover- Jr., John Chester Williams, Esq ., Elijah nor, immediately upon the payment o f Dickinson, Elihu Dickinson, Elisha Ellis , the required fee, issued the requeste d Jr., Peter Olcott, Esq., Ichabod Hyde , charter. The grants before made by Ne w Paul Davison, Daniel Bowen, Jonas Hampshire were also acknowledged and Howard, Benjamin Howard, Phinea s confirmed by the State . The charter of Tyler, John Hayward, Paul Spooner , Brookfield was not granted till 1781 ; Jedediah Hyde, Amasa Hyde, Nathan therefore this was one of the towns Roberts, Nathaniel Humphrey, Nathaniel chartered by the State, and Brookfiel d Humphrey, Jr., Shubael Cross, Joseph had no part in the violent controversy be- Cross, Daniel Tillotson, Jr ., Oliver I tween New Hampshire and New York . Hamblin, Caleb Martin, Annah Dean, Most of the towns in the state wer e Daniel Tillotson, John Paine, James chartered before any settlement had bee n Moulton, His Excellency Thomas Chit- made within their limits ; but, on the con- tenden Esq., Timothy Brownson Esq., trary, Brookfield was not granted unti l John Fassett Jr ., Esq., Moses Robinson , two years after the first settlement, and Esq., Jonas Galusha, Esq ., Elkanah not until the population of the settlemen t Sprague, and Ebenezer Brewster , must have been considerable . The reason together with five equal shares or right s of this has already been explained, and to be appropriated to the public uses this circumstance seems to be one o f following: viz: One share or right for the those strange anomalies which constitute use of a Seminary or College within thi s the interest and romance of history. State; one share or right for the use of the CHARTER OF BROOKFIELD County Grammar Schools throughout The Governor, Council, and General this state; one share or right for the first Assembly of Representatives of th e settled minister of the gospel in said Freemen of Vermont, to all people t o township, to be disposed of for that pur- whom these presents shall com e pose as the inhabitants thereof shal l —greeting . direct; one share or right for the support Know ye, that whereas it has bee n of the. ministry; and one share or right fo r represented to us by our worthy friends the benefit and support of a school o r Phinehas Lyman and company to the schools within said township—the follow- number of sixty-five, that there is a trac t ing tract or parcel of land : beginning at of vacant land within this State, which has the northwesterly corner o f not heretofore been granted, which they Turnersburgh, then southwardly on th e pray may be granted unto them ; we have line of Turnersburgh about six miles to a n 7 angle thereof, then carrying that breadth Cross in said Brookfield, on the 18th day back north sixty-one degrees west so fa r of February, 1783, agreeable to a warning as that a line being extended north thirty- in the Springfield paper No . 36. three degrees east across said breadth 1st. Voted, and chose Lieut. Caleb will encompass the contents of six miles Martin moderator to govern said meeting . square;—and the same be and hereby i s 2dly. Voted, and chose Lieut. Shubael incorporated into a township by the nam e Cross clerk for said propriety. of Brookfield, and the inhabitants that d o 3rdly. Voted, that those of the pro- or shall hereafter inhabit said township prietors that have not pitched one hun- are declared to be enfranchised and en- dred acres of land on their right or rights titled to all the privileges and immunitie s have the privilege of making their pitch that other towns within the State do by on any land not already pitched. law exercise and enjoy . 4thly. Voted, that there be a tax of fif- To have and to hold the said granted teen shillings lawful money paid on each premises as above expressed with all th e right, public rights excepted, to be lai d privileges and appurtenances thereunto out in repairing roads this spring. belonging, to them and their respective 5thly. Voted, to raise a tax of two shil- heirs and assigns forever, under th e lings on each right to defray past charges . following conditions and reservations , 6thly. Voted, that this meeting stan d viz: That each proprietor of said townshi p adjourned until the 19th instant at eigh t of Brookfield, his heirs and assigns shal l o'clock in the morning . plant and cultivate five acres of land an d build a house at least eighteen feet square February 19th, 1783 on the floor, or have one family settled o n The proprietors ' meeting was opened each respective share or right of land i n agreeably to the foregoing adjournment . said township within the term of thre e years next after the circumstances of th e 1st. Voted, to choose a committee of war will admit of it with safety, on pain o f five to look out a mill spot, suitable for a the forfeiture of his respective share or saw-mill, and make report to the next right of land in said township, and the meeting. same to revert to the Freemen of this 2dly. Voted, and chose State, to be by their Representatives re- Peter O1cot, Esq . granted to such persons as shall appear t o Phinehas Lyma n settle and cultivate the same : That all Ichabod Palmer for said pine timber suitable for a navy shall be Paul Spooner committe e reserved to and for the use and benefit of Oliver Hambli n the Freemen of this State. In testimon y 3dly. Voted, to choose a committee o f whereof we have caused the seal of this five to complete the allotment of sai d State to be hereunto affixed, the fifth day town. of August, in the year of our Lord one 4thly. Voted, and chose thousand seven hundred and eighty-one , Paul Brigham and in the fifth year of the Independenc e Daniel Tillotson, Jr . of this State and sixth of the United Benjamin Colt for said States. Jonas Howard committee Thos Chittenden Phinehas Lyma n By His Excellency's comman d 5thly. Voted, to raise a tax of ten shill- Joseph Fay, Sec'y ings lawful money on each right-to-defray—- Although this charter was issue d the expense of completing the allotmen t August 5, 1781, the town organizatio n of said town. was not effected until March 18, 1785 . In 6thly. Voted, to choose a committee o f 1786 the town was first represented in th e five to manage the prudentials of the pro - Legislature, then known as the Genera l priety in the recess of the meetings . Assembly, and consisting of a House of 7thly. Voted, and chose Representatives and a Council, the latte r John Lyman of which could not be regarded as a coor- Nathl Humphrey dinate branch of the Legislature, and wa s Shubael Cross for said abolished on the substitution of the Caleb Martin committee Senate in 1836. Abel Curtis The first proprietors' meeting of whic h 8thly. Voted, to choose a collector to we have any account was in February , collect the three several taxes voted an d 1783, of which and of the meeting s raised as aforesaid. following we quote the records complete. 9thly. Voted, and chose John Paine At a meeting of the proprietors of th e collector of the aforesaid taxes . township of Brookfield, legally warned 10thly. Voted, that the clerk make out and holden at the house of Lieut . Shubael a rate bill of the several sums voted to be 8 East Brookfield valley, about 1910, looking south, with the John Sprague farm in the middle foreground. (Courtesy Doris Hill) raised as aforesaid, and deliver said rat e acres to his right, have leave to pitc h bill to said collector, taking his receipt fo r anywhere except where there have bee n the same.

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