have been born in this town. mer or fall of 1779, the records do not show it. It would seem that any newcomer who was capable of holding town office, was at once put into the harness by the voters. Mr. Rix was put on a ministerial committee Dec. 15, 1779, which is the first mention made of him. At the next March meeting he was chosen moderator, selectman, sealer of weights and measures, and member of the ministerial committee. The next year he was moderator, selectman, pound keeper, member of the ministerial committee, and grand juryman. His numerous offices must have been satisfactorily filled, for the following year he was moderator, selectman, and treasurer, and that he might not have any idle time, they elected him hoghayward, and fence viewer, and placed him on a committee to see that three bridges were built. That year,

If he came here before the sum

as one of the selectmen, he aided in dividing the town into districts. Later in the same year he was on a committee for hiring a minister. Whether it was that his honesty was above that of his fellow citizens, or he had a better equipment, certain it is that his steelyards were made a standard of weight in 1782. He continued using his time and his talents in the service of the town for a quarter of a century. In May, 1780, he bought fifty acres of Elisha Kent on the east side of 10 Large Allotment. That was where he was living on October 16, when his home was destroyed during his absence in Connecticut, as noted in the "Burning of Royalton." The minister's lot of thirty acres joined his. The last years of his life were spent on the farm in 53 Town Plot, which his son, Elisha, bought in 1812, after selling the Kent place. Elisha's father had deeded this place in 1798, and evidently gave up active life on the farm. Daniel Rix is buried in the North Royalton cemetery, which was originally a part of the farm where he died, and his son, Elisha, and grandson Edward. A reference to the genealogy of the Rix family will show that many of them lived in town a part or all of their lives, and were among the most prominent and valued citizens of Royalton. William Rix descended through Elisha Lee, and Daniel G. Wild, the chief donor to this volume, descended through Garner Rix, another son of Daniel the pioneer. Of his descendants now residing in town there are Pearl Dewey and family, his brother Glenn Dewey, Dea. John Wild and sons John, Jr. and Rev. Levi, and Mrs. William Skinner, daughter of William Rix. The name Rix has disappeared from the town list, the last of the name to die here being Edward, who died in 1907. Daniel Rix is described as being six feet in his stockings and straight as an arrow. He was chosen deacon of the church in 1787. The history of the church shows that he was independent in thought, and tenacious of his opinions. He was liberal in his religious

views, too much so for the strictest orthodox members, and the result was complaints that he was "embracing and propagating sentiments contrary to the Gospel." This was in 1814, and the Deacon was not allowed to hold his views in peace until after 1822.

In a marriage record of Coventry, Conn., we are told that Daniel Gilbert of Sharon, Vermont, married Jerusha Benton on Oct. 2, 1772. By this means it is known that Mr. Gilbert was settled in Sharon that year. In March, 1773, he appears in Sharon records as collector. In August, 1776, he was there chosen as one of a committee "to meet in the county to do Business Respecting the New Government," which shows that he was thought to be a man of judgment and reliability. On Feb. 20, 1777, he was chosen a member of the committee to ask the advice of neighboring ministers in getting a candidate to preach on probation for Sharon and Royalton. The May following he was chosen a "dillicate" to the Convention at Windsor, to be held in June. It was in this Convention that the name "New Connecticut," first given to the New Hampshire Grants when they declared their independence, was changed to Vermont, and his vote was given for this change. In a memoir of William Gallup by his son, Dr. Joseph A. Gallup, is found a list of delegates to the Convention held at Windsor, July, 1777, for adopting the Constitution of Vermont. In this list Daniel Gilbert is credited to Royalton. This is probably a mistake, as his residence at that time seems to have been Sharon. He took the freeman's oath there March 3, 1778, and was elected to the Assembly as representative that year, and he also represented the town in 1782-83, 1785, and 1791. Sharon sent him to the Convention at Bennington, which adopted the Constitution of the United States in 1791. His first appearance in Royalton records is under date of June 28, 1779, when it was voted that, if the town was chartered again, Daniel Gilbert should be accepted as one of the proprietors, and he accordingly became one of the original grantees. He settled on the Dana-West farm, mostly in Sharon. From this time Capt. Gilbert, like Elias Curtis, vibrated between two towns, in his case, Royalton and Sharon. As nearly as can be made out from deeds and other records he was in Sharon between the dates, 1772-79, 1782-91, 1811-1818, and in Royalton the other years between the dates 1779 and 1811. He died in Sharon in 1818, and is buried in the South Royalton cemetery. Soon after the death of his wife in 1799, he bought what is known as the "Pierce Tavern," and removed there, where he kept a hotel and did a thriving business. The house is spoken of in one record as a "red" house, and he left it with much the same appearance as it left the hands of Phineas Pierce, Jr. Capt. Gilbert did not

hold so many and important offices in Royalton as he did in Sharon. He was placed on a ministerial committee Dec. 15, 1779. On his return to the fold of Royalton after his sojourn in Sharon, the voters seemed rather shy about putting him into office. It is not until 1793 that he appears as a town officer in the capacity of lister and highway surveyor. In 1796 he was chairman of a committee to estimate the cost of building a bridge over the mouth of the First Branch. In 1799 he was employed as agent to treat with the town of Ellington, Conn., regarding the care of Abial Craw, a man whom the town had supported in his sickness. For this service he received $78.67. His name is found in the first list of the town, 1791. His list was £20.10. In 1803 he had prospered to such an extent that he led all in the size of his list, which was $546. He was the only man that had money at interest that year, according to the record, and he owned to having $3333.33. He was last listed in 1810. He was married three times, his last wife surviving him. By his first wife he had no children, but they adopted a niece of his wife, Nancy Benton, who became the wife of Cornelius Goodell. He was a kind father to Nancy, as he was to his step-children, the offspring of his third wife by a former husband. To one of these he deeded "for love" a generous lot of land. His military record will be found under another head. In the "Royalton Alarm" his company of eighteen men pursued the retreating Indians, while Capt. Parkhurst's Company evidently staid at home to guard the town.

The list of families in town as given in the census of 1790 follows. The first figure opposite a name shows the number of free white males of 16 years and upward, including heads of families, the second figure indicates the number of free white. males under 16 years, and the third figure stands for the free white females, including heads of families. The spelling as given in the census has not been changed.

Allyn, Silas, 2-4-3; Anderson, Thomas, 1-1-2; Anderson, William, 1-1-2; Back, Lyman, 1-1-3; Backus, Stephen, 1-1-2; Banister, Artimus, 2-0-4; Banister, Timothy, 1-2-3; Bacon, Jarub, 1-1-4; Bacon, Thomas, 2-0-3; Benton, Medad, 2-0-2; Billings, John, 2-2-6; Bingham, Thomas, 3-5-5; Bliss, Jonathan, 3-3-3; Bloyes (Bloss), Reuben, 1-0-2; Boardman, Joseph, 2-4-1; Bowen, David, 2-0-2; Brown, Aaron, 1-2-1; Brown, Alexander, 1-1-5; Burbank, Abijah, 1-2-3; Burbank, Abijah, 1-0-2; Burbank, Henry, 1-2-1; Burroughs, John, 1-0-2; Burroughs, Stephen, 1-0-2; Church, Ebenezer, 2-1-3; Clapp, Daniel, 1-1-2; Clapp, Samuel, 1-3-2; Cleaveland, Chester, 1-0-3; Cleaveland, Jedediah, 1-1-4; Cleaveland, Samuel, 1-1-1; Cleaveland, William, 1-0-2; Crane, John, 2-0-0; Crandall, Gideon, 1-2-3; Curtis, Samuel, 2-2-2; Curtis, Zabad, 2-2-2; Dame (Dains), Ebenezer, 1-1-3; Day, Benjamin, 2-2-2; Day, Benjamin, Junr, 1-2-2; Dewey, Darias, 1-1-2; Dewey, Ebenezer, 4-0-2; Dewey, Ebenezer, 1-1-1; Dewey, Pollus, 1-3-2; Dunham, Ebenezer, 1-0-3; Dunham, Jesse, 1-2-3; Durfy, Benjamin, 2-1-4; Durfy, James, 1-2-1; Durkee, Timothy, 1-1-3; Durkee, Hermon (Heman), 3-2-2; Durkee, Timothy, 2-1-2; Dutton, Amasa, 3-3-3; Evins,

Cotton, 2-1-1; Fairbanks, Luther, 1-1-6; Fitch, Ebenezer, 1-1-3; Fish, David, 3-5-4; Freeman, Joshua, 2-0-0; Fuller (Tullar?), Daniel, 2-1-2; Gates, Rosimond, 0-1-5; Gilbert, Nathaniel, 1-0-0; Green, Adrijah (Irijah), 1-1-2; Havens, Daniel, 1-1-2; Havens, Joseph, 1-2-4; Havens, Robert, 1-1-1; Hibbard, James, 4-0-2; Hibbard, John, 1-3-5; How, Samuel, 1-2-1; How, Squire, 1-1-4; How, Theodore, 1-3-5; Hutchinson, John, 2-0-4; Kent, Elisha, 1-2-2; Kent, Elisha, 1-1-2; Kimball, Jared, 1-0-2; Kimball, John, 2-1-3; Kimball, John, 1-2-5; Kimball, Richard, 1-0-3; Kingsley, Elias, 1-0-1; Kinney, Bradford, 2-0-4; Lion, Zebulon, 1-3-2; Lyman, Asa, 1-0-2; Lyman, Eliphalet, 1-0-1; Lyman, Daniel, 1-0-2; Lyman, Ezekiel, 2-0-3; Lyman, Samuel, 1-2-1; Lyman, William, 1-0-2; Medcalf, Samuel, 2-0-2; Miles, Ephraim, 1-3-2; Morgin, Isaac, 1-3-4; Morgin, Nathan, 1-2-5; Morse, Nathaniel, 1-0-3; Munroe, Isaac, 1-3-1; Nobles, Nehemiah, 1-4-2; Page, Nathan, 1-2-2; Palmer, Paul, 1-3-1; Parkhurst, Benjamin, 1-3-5; Parkhurst, Calvin, 3-1-5; Parkhurst, Jabez, 2-0-4; Parkhurst, Joseph, 2-1-5; Parkhurst, Tilley, 1-1-2; Parks, John, 2-1-1; Paul, Hibbs (Kiles), 1-3-2; Perrin, Asa, 1-0-3; Perrin, Asa, 1-3-1; Perrin, Nathaniel, 1-0-2; Pierce, Jeddediah, 3-3-4; Pierce, Nathaniel, 2-1-1; Pierce, Palmer, 1-3-1; Pierce, Willard, 1-2-2; Pinney, Asa, 1-2-3; Reed, Nathaniel, 1-2-2; Richardson, Godfrey, n 1-2-3; Richardson, Jesse, 1-2-3; Richardson, Sanford, 1-1-2; Rix, Daniel, 4-0-3; Rugg, David, 1-1-2; Rust, Jeremiah, 1-1-2; Safford, Jacob, 1-0-2; Serls, Samuel, 1-2-2; Serls, John, 2-0-3; Sever, Comfort, 1-0-1; Sheppard, Timothy, 3-1-1; Skinner, Isaac, 1-1-2; Skinner, Luther, 1-1-1; Smith, Mary, 0-1-4; Stevens, Abel, 2-1-6; Stevens, Elias, 3-2-8; Sylvester, Seth, 2-2-1; Taylor, Elnathan, 1-0-2; Terry, Daniel, 1-0-3; Stone, Nathan, 1-1-2; Triscott, Experience, 1-0-2; Triscott, Jeremiah, 1-2-4; Waller, John, 1-0-0; Warriner, John, 1-0-3; Washburn, Asahel, 1-0-1; Waterman, Abraham, 1-4-2; Waterman, William, 1-1-1; Wells, Ebenezer, 1-0-6; Wells, Jonathan, 1-0-2; Williams, Silas, 1-4-3; Wheeler, Josiah, 1-5-3; Woodward, Ebenezer, 1-1-4; Woodworth, Timothy, 1-3-4; Young, Ebenezer, 1-3-2.

CHAPTER VIII.

EARLY MANNERS AND CUSTOMS.

We pride ourselves on our advance in civilization, and sometimes think with pity of our forefathers, who were content to live their simple lives, who could find abundant enjoyment in their homely duties, and were not daily seeking some new diversion, some new discovery, or some new method of rapidly acquiring wealth. If we have gained in some respects, are we sure that we have not lost in others?

How do the social gatherings of the present compare with the old-time days of cheer and jollity? It is true that there was not so much time for relaxation then, but, for that reason, perhaps it was all the more enjoyed and appreciated. Each season brought its round of social festivities. In early fall, there was the husking party in some large barn. The floor was cleared and well swept, and made suitable for the seats of the fair maidens, who were to sit on bundles of cornstalks, and deftly strip the dry, yielding husks from the golden ears. Each maid must be wary, for, if by chance a red ear is spied in her hand, she must pay the forfeit to the one whose quick eye first detects it. As the ripe fruit bounds, ear by ear, into the baskets or on a pile, the merry jest goes round, and the laughter of youths and maidens scares the tiny mice from their hiding places, and then what a scampering of feet, mingled with feminine shrieks of real or assumed fear!

After the shocks of corn have all been denuded of their fruitage, comes the bountiful repast, the delicious cooking of the skillful housewife; no fancy dishes served a la mode, but good old fashioned cakes, cookies, pies and doughnuts, passed around on pewter platters, for each to take just what he likes best, and all he wants. Last of all the barn floor is once more cleared and swept, and then follow the old games, in which, perchance, there is a little too much running and saluting, but better in the open than on the sly. They begin early, and are all at home and asleep before the striking of the midnight hour.

The apple parings were somewhat similar, except the gatherings were in the house. Two or more young men would bring