The town of Orwell was not surveyed,
laid out into lots, and divided among the original grantee until after
the Revolution or in 1783. None of the original proprietors ever settled
in the town, and but few of them retained any interest in the lands at
the time the survey was made, through their names were all retained as
shareholders and appear upon the early map and records of the town, yet
their interest in the lands had been assigned to actual settlers. Several,
perhaps the larger part of the grantees, settled in Dutchess Co. NY and
in the city of NY. Only three or four of them ever made themselves
familiar with the settlers, namely
Benjamin Underhill,
Reed Ferris, Benjamin
Ferris, and perhaps one or two others who settled in Dutchess Co. They
were highly respected for their honesty and fairness in all their business
transactions.
Joshua Tracy, esq. a resident of the
town of Pawlet, was employed by the proprietors, in the year
1783
to make
the survey and draw the shares, and early in the spring he came into town
for the purpose of commencing the work, and with the necessary assistants.
He found Ephraim Fisher and
Eber Murray already located in the wilderness,
they being undoubtedly the first settlers after the charter of the town.
The same year William Fisher, Brother of
Ephraim, came in, also Major Amose
Spafford and Shadrach Hathaway, and began settlements. The year following
1784, several others came into town, among whom were
Hon. Pliny Smith,
Joshua Tracy, David Leanoard,
Nathaniel Mallary, and Elisha Clark.
Joshua Tracy, whom we have mentioned
as making the first survey of the town . . . became an agent of the proprietors
in disposing of their lands to the settlers, was a native of Norwich Ct.,
and emigrated from there to Pawlet, Vt, and finally came to Orwell in 1784.
He was one of the first justices of the peace elected after the town was
organized, and was well esteemed by the inhabitants. He died in the year
1790.
He had a large family, but none of his descendants remained in the town.
Jabez Warren succeeded to the land
agency, and became a man of considerable note. He engaged, in the
company of Dr. Luman Pettibone and Thomas Scovell, settlers of the town,
in the mercantile business, which proved a failure, and which so embarrassed
his pecuniary affairs that he was obliged to sell his farm, a very good
one, now owned by Edwin Bottum. He afterwards, about the year 1803 removed
to Western NY. He was also one of the first justices of the peace
in town, . . until he left. He was chosen town clerk in 1790 and continued
to hold that office until 1799.
Hon. Pliny Smith was born in
Suffield,
Ct. 19 Dec 1761 and with his father removed to Rupert,Vt in
1776. In 1777
he served as a soldier in the Revolutionary Army. In 1783 he
was employed by Tracy as chainman in surveying this town . . . and in
1784 moved into town and bought a farm. He was appointed justice of the
peace in the year 1797 and held that office until he died, a period of
over 40 years.
Submitted by
Colleen Johnson.
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