Barnard, Vermont, USA
1824 - Barnard

BARNARD, a post town in Windsor County, 21 miles northwest from Windsor, and 37 south from Montpelier, is in lat. 43° 44′ and long 4° 20′. It is bounded northerly by Royalton and Bethel, east by Pomfret, south by Bridgewater and west by Stockbridge. The town was chartered July 17, 1761, to William Story, Francis Barnard and their associates. In 1774, the first permanent settlement was made by Asa and Lot Whitcomb, Thomas W. White and others, emigrants from Massachusetts and Connecticut. At the time of the battle of Bunker's hill, (properly Breed's hill,) which took place on the 17th of July, 1775, the firing was distinctly heard in this town by Thomas Freeman and others, a distance of more than 100 miles. On the 9th of August, 1780, this town was visited by a party of 21 Indians, who made prisoners of Thomas M. Wright, Prince Haskell and John Newton, and carried them to Canada. Newton and Wright made their escape the spring following, and Haskell was exchanged the succeeding fall. They suffered many hardships while prisoners and on their return, but they all arrived safely at Barnard, and are now all living upon the farms from which they were taken. They were all prisoners in Canada at the time Royalton was burnt, and were not then taken, as has been stated in the narrative of that event. During the years 1783 and 4, canine madness was very common in this part of the state. Dogs, wolves, foxes, cats, &c. were affected by it. On the 17th of March 1784, a Mr. Stewart of this town was bitten in his finger by a mad wolf. Twenty seven days from that time symptoms of hydrophobia appeared, and he died of the disease three days after. Barnard was organized as a town, April 4, 1778, and Thomas W. White was first town clerk. Thomas Freeman, Asa Whitcomb and Solomon Aikens were the first select men, and Asa Whitcomb was first representative and first justice of the peace. The religious denominations are Congregationalists, Methodists and Universaliste, each of whcih have a convenient meeting house. The Rev. Joseph Bowman was ordained over the Congregational church in Sept. 1784, and continued their pastor till his death, which happened April 27, 1806. The Rev. Joel Davis was ordained over this church in August, 1807, and was dismissed in 1822. The Rev. Hosea Ballou was ordained over the Universalist church and society about the year 1804, and three or four years after removed to Portsmouth, N.H. and from that place to Boston where he now resides. The Rev. K. Haven is their present preacher. The Methodist society is very numerous, and is principally supplied by the several preachers of that order, who reside in town, and by circuit preachers. The most remarkable revivals of religion were in 1801 and 1822, both of which were very general. The hopeful subjects of the latter amounted to nearly 300, about 200 of whom united with the Methodist church, and 67 with the Congregational church. There are four physicians, Doctors Danforths, Swift and Richardson. There are no considerable streams. The town lies between Queechy and White river, and contributes to both. Locust creek rises in the southwest part of the town and running northerly falls into White river in Bethel. Near the centre of the town is a natural pond which covers about 100 acres. It discharges its waters to the northwest into Locust creek. The outlet of this pond affords some very fine mill seats. A branch of the Queechy river rises in the south part on which is one saw mill in this town. In the eastern part of the town is a bog of marl. There is a small village situated in the centre of the town, about the outlet of the pond, in which there are two meetinghouses, two stores, two taverns and a variety of water machinery and mechanic shops. The town is divided into 13 school districts. There are three stores, seven taverns, two grist mills, nine saw mills, three clothier's works, two carding machines, two tanneries and one distillery.

April 1824. A.W.


A Gazetteer of the State of Vermont Containing A Brief General View of The State, A Historical and Topographical Description of All the Counties, Towns, Rivers, &c. Together with a Map and Several Other Engraving by Zadock Thompson, 1824 Montpelier, Published by E. P. Walton and the Author E. P. Walton, Printer, 1824

Visit Barnard, Vermont, USA
Discover the people who lived there, the places they visited and the stories they shared.