82 



GAZETTEER OF VERMONT. 



Part III. 



GUILFORD. 



town, but of the Yorkers, who had gotten 

 possession of the town books and stores 

 ■# by a m.ijority of votes in 1778. They in 

 turn excluded the otl)er party from the 

 polls, by force of arms. Frequently a com- 

 pany of armed Yorkers came from Brat- 

 tleboro', to stand sentrj' at their meetings, 

 when skirmishes ensued and hostile shots 

 were exchnnged. The wliigs and Ver- 

 nionters also kept up their systeui of gov- 

 ernment by regular and stated meetings, 

 but their records were lost, as will be re- 

 lated hereafter. In tlieir turn they sent 

 hostile scouting parties to Brattleboro', to 

 the assistance of their friends in that 

 town." The Vermonters had a sheriff, 

 in Guilford, and their party, also, had a 

 constablp, who continued to collect taxes 

 for the support of their cause. Those 

 friendly to the new state paid without 

 compulsion, while the property of the 

 Yorkers, both real and personal, was sold 

 at the post for taxes. For that reason the 

 committee before mentioned was chosen 

 "to forbid the constable acting", and 

 their doings were spread upon the records 

 of the town, by proclamation, as follows. 

 " To all the olFicers of the civil authority 

 under the pretended state of Vermont. 

 You are hereby forbid to proceed against 

 any person, or persons, that owns the ju- 

 risdiction of the state of New York, ac- 

 cording to what is recommended in a 

 handbill, by Congress, bearing date June 

 2, 1760, and we do hereby forbid the con- 

 stable venduing those numbers hereby 

 given him," (referring to certain lots on 

 the plan of the town) " and we hereby 

 forbid you on your apparel. 



" Hesky Evens,! ) ^ 



., r\ \ f Committee 



"Dan Ashcraft, > .., 



,, T-T T7. ' i Chosen. 



" Nathan titch, j 



" A true record, — Attest, 



" Samuel Bisby, Toicn Clerk.'' 

 The Yorkers held a like meeting in 

 1783, April 29, and adjourned to their 

 annual meeting in 1784. t From 1778 to 

 1783 the town was governed, principally, 

 by their former laws. Both parties had 

 their committees, and the Yorkers, al- 

 though in authority, could not govern the 

 town, yet, in connection with the tories, 

 prevented any thing being done under 

 the direction and government of the new 

 state. + In this state of things, Ethan Al- 

 len arrived in town, at the head of 100 

 Green Mountain Boys ; but, as we have 

 already given an account of his procla 

 mation and proceedings, we shall not re- 

 peat them here. ^ From 1784 to 1791 no 



* See part 2d, p. 78. f H. Evens was one of the five 

 who were banished and their property confiscated. 



I See Gov. Chillenrien's remonstrance, &c. same 

 page 183. ^ See part second, page 77. 



records of the proceedings of the town 

 are preserved. In March of the year last 

 mentioned, the town was, ibr the first 

 time, duly orgajiized under the constitu- 

 tion and laws of Vermont. William Bige- 

 low was chosen town clerk, who came 

 peaceably into possession of the pa- 

 pers and records of the town, that 

 were to be found. Tradition says, that 

 during the seven years in which no re- 

 cords were kept, both parties held public 

 and private meetings, but that it was a 

 perfect rule of anarchy. The Yorkers, 

 although they had the town books, dared 

 not record their proceedings in them, 

 and both parties kept secret their own re- 

 cords. During this confusion and jeal- 

 ousy, one party stole the records of the 

 other, and hid them, together with their 

 own, many deeds and proprietors' papers, 

 under the earth in the pound, in order to 

 conceal them from the other. There 

 they lay, through some sad misfortune, 

 until they were totally spoiled. When 

 discovered and dug up, they could not be 

 read. During that time, the Yorkers, 

 having been so closely pursued by the 

 military and civil authority of Vermont, 

 and their property mostly confiscated, fled 

 to the state of New York, and settled up- 

 on the grants made by that state to the 

 New York sufferers. Almost a whole 

 township, now called Bainbridge, was first 

 settled by emigrants '"rom Guilford. This 

 accounts for the so rapid decrease of the 

 population from 1784. While the town 

 was independent of any power superior 

 to the town meeting assembled, refugees 

 from the neighboring states flocked into 

 it, but when the law came, they fled. 

 The violent Yorkers found but little peace 

 under the energetic and persevering meas- 

 ures of the states' attorney of Windham 

 county. To him the people of Guilford 

 are indebted for the establishment of law 

 and order, without the effusion of blood, 

 and the dispersion of the riotous. Migra- 

 tions have not only been westward, but 

 northward and eastward. Most of the 

 towns, in the northern and middle parts 

 of this state, contain inhabitants from old 

 Guilford. Although the town has de- 

 creased in population, it has increased in 

 opulence. Where one farmer now occu- 

 pies and improves, formerly lived half a 

 dozen, or more, and you now see one re- 

 spectable dwelling instead of as many log 

 httts. Since 1791, there has been noth- 

 ing remarkable in the history of the town. 

 From that time the inhabitants have sup- 

 ported the character of free and indepen- 

 dent farmers, very jealous of their rights, 

 and for many years noted for their strong 

 prepossessions in favor of the political 



