A History of the Town of Fair Haven, Vermont (Electronic book text)

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. Excerpt from book: Section 3CHAPTER IV. FROM THE TAKING OF THE FIRST CENSUS, IN 1791, TO THE DEPARTURE OF COL. LYON, AT THE CLOSE OF THE CENTURY. From the year 1791, the time of the taking of the first census, until the close of the century, when the number of inhabitants is reported as only 411, though the increase of population is small, as compared with the previously rapid growth of the town, there are several important facts and changes to be noted. In the first place, the number of inhabitants in 1791 was large, as compared with many other towns in the State, at that time; Burlington, for instance, though organized nearly as early, numbering only 332. The area of the town is smaller than that of any other town in Rutland county, excepting Ira gore, and fully one-third part, especially the northern section, is unsuit- ed to habitation; while the southern portion, bounded west on the Poultney river, is very narrow, being scarcely two miles in its widest extent, and at the same time much broken by rough ridges of slate on the east, and by the cedar swamp on the west. Yet, as early'as 1791, settlements were made, as we have seen, in about every accessible portion, and even in some places which have since been abandoned, as, for example, on the old "Skeene's road," running over the river south and west of J. Wellington Estey's, .where Mr. Dibble early resided, afterward Mr. Bui- lard, and later Mr. Bristol. Then on the west street, beyond Hamilton Wescott's place, where the road went through to Mr. Stannard's, and there are now no dwellings or residents, there existed, at this period, a considerable settlement, or village. The Mungers and Mr. Snow were in the north, on the Munger road, where there have been no residents for many years. Mr. Beddow occupied on the hill east of Mr. Kidder's, and Mr. Ballard and Mr. Holt west...