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iwoicu ouiiic uiawuivc livm tuc xaiuuau lliarivtiv tUWIlS.CHAPTER XXII.HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF IRASBURG.Irasburg was granted by Vermont, February 23, 1781, to Ira Allen and 69 associates, and contained the usual 23,040 acres.It is claimed that when the Allens wanted a new township granted they merely obtained a few bona fide proprietors and filled up the required number of grantees with assumed names from some at that time distant point, paid the first grantees’ dues, and afterwards professedly bought up these claims. But be that as it may, previous to 1789 Ira Allen had received conveyances from all of the original proprietors, so that the whole township, except the public rights, belonged to him, subject to the conditions of the grant. When Jerusha, eldest daughter of Gen. Roger Enos, engaged herself to Gen. Allen, the father of the affianced bride, required in accordance with usages of those days, a marriage settlement for his daughter. Thus very much as a matter of form and honorable custom, the township of Irasburg, then a primeval wilderness, was deeded to her as such settlement, for, to use Mrs. Allen’s own words, she did not at that time consider it worth a rush.” In 1792 Mr. Allen employed James Whitelaw, Esq.,to survey the township, who completed the task in 1793. The township was laid out in 210 lots, each containing, according to the plan of the survey 117 acres.According to the condition of the charter, there should have been a family upon each respective right in the summer of 1797, in order to have the titles valid. But nothing appears to have been done by the proprietors toward making a settlement until the autumn of 1801, when a notice appeared in the Rutland Herald warning the proprietors to meet at the dwelling of Ralph Parker in Glover on the 12th of November. This notice also appeared in the columns of Spooner's Vermont Journal” and in those of the Green Mountain Patriot,” signed by Ralph Parker, justice of the peace. At a meeting held in Glover, December 28,1801, the proprietors voted that the account of James Whitelaw for surveying be allowed, principal and interest, and a tax of $6.25 assessed on each proprietor’s share in the town. Roger Enos, Jr., was elected collector of said tax. None of the proprietors appeared to pay the tax and December 25,1802, Mr. Enos advertised the lands for sale, the vendue to come off March 4,1803, at Glover, when all the lands except the public rights, were sold at auction and on March 14, 1804, deeded to Heman Allen. In 1797; the legislature assessed a tax of three cents per acre on all the land of Irasburg for the purpose of building roads, bridges etc. Joseph Scott, collector, advertised the land to*. be sold at public auction for this tax March 9,1803,at the house of Royal Corbin. Craftsbury. The land was sold and again bid off to Heman Allen who thus became owner by virtue of vendue deeds from two collectors and was authorized to convey them by statute laws. Ira and Jerusha Allen had previous to this sale leased several lots to various individuals some of whom were occupying them at this time. Heman Allen was one of the trustees who collected the rents for them and after he became legal owner caused occupants under such leases to quit-claim their lots to him and again leased them in his own name. But it turned out that Heman Allen,Roger Enos,Jr., and Ralph Parker, Esq., were simply managing Jerusha Allen’s business so that in the end she became sole owner of the town except public rights. Settlers held their land under leases and it was not until after Ira H. Allen, her son, came here in 1814 that any land was conveyed by deed. Roger Enos,Jr..Jerusha Enos and Jerusha Enos,Jr.,the wife of Ira Allen were the only original proprietors who ever resided in town.To be continued.of
Newspaper Details
Barton Orleans County Monitor
Barton, Vermont, US
Wed, Apr 20, 1910
Page 6
Full Page
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Anonymous
USA 13 Apr 2025
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