According to a book I have titled "State of Vermont; Biennial Directory for the use of the General Assembly Contain the Rule and Orders of the Senate and House, together with The Constitution of the State and that of the United States and A List of the Executive, Legislature and Judicial Departments of the State, State Institutions, Their Locality and Officers, and other Historical and Statistical Information. Prepared pursuant to Acts of the General Assemlby by Geo. Nichols, Secretary of State. Montpelier: Journal Printing Establishment, 1876. Under the title Counties, this is what it says: previous to the Declaration of the Independence of Vermont in 1777, the State was included within the limits of four counties. The County of Cumberland, embracing that potion of the State lying east of the Green Mountains and extending as far north as the south line of oragne County, was established by the Colonial Legislature of New York, in 1766. This act was annulled by virture of a royal decree in 1766, but was renwed in 1768, and the couty was incorporated in March of the same year. The first shire town was Chester, but the county seat was removed to Westminster in 1772. The county of Gloucester, embracing all of the State lying east of the Green Mountains and north of Cumberland county, was established in 1770. the shire town was Newbury. The County of Charlotte, embarcing a portion of the State of New York and that portion of Vermont lying west of the Green Mountains and north of the towns of Arlington and Sunderland, was constitued in 1772, with its shire located at Skeenesborough, (now Whitehall, N.Y.) The remainder of the State, lying west of the Green Mountains and south of the county of Charlotte, was embraced in the county of Albany, in the State of New York. (Then the counties are listed and when incorporated.) Addison county - Incorporated , 1787 shire Town, Middlebury Bennington County - Incorporated, 1779 Shire Towns, Bennington and Manchester Caledonia County - Incorporated, 1792 Shire Town, St. Johnsbury Chittenden County - Incorporated, 1787 Shire Town, Burlington Essex County - Incorporated, 1792 Shire Town, Guildhall Franklin county - Incorporated, 1792 Shire Town, St. Albans Grand Isle county - Incorporated, 1802 Shire Town,North Hero Lamoille County - Incorporated, 1835 Shire Town, Hydepark Orange County - Incorporated, 1781 Shire Town, Chelsea Orleans county - Incorporated, 1792 shire Town, Irasburgh Rutland County - Incorporated, 1781 Shire Town, Rutland Washington county - Incorporated, 1810* Shire Town- Montpelier (noted down at the bottom of the page is the note that Washington County was incorporated in 1810 under the name of Jefferson County. The name was changed to "Washington" in 1814.) Windham County - Incorporated, 1768 * Shire Town, Newfane (noted under the note about Washington County note, is Windham County was incorporated in 1768, under the name of Cumberland County. The name was changed to "Windham" in 1779. Windsor County - Incorporated, 1781 Shire Town, Woodstock This book lists all of the names of Vermont's county officials, executive officers, legislatures sessions, colleges, names of who sat on the councils of censors, state supreme court judges, state senators, auditors of accounts, members of the house of representatives, different committees and joint ones, board of education, what bills passed and when, military officers of the government, state libraries, colleges, gives biographical and political notes on the members of the executive department, senate and house of representatives from which town/county since 1778 to 1876. Rhonda Houston -----Original Message----- From: Farns10th@aol.com [mailto:Farns10th@aol.com] Sent: Sunday, October 07, 2001 11:29 AM To: AMERICAN-REVOLUTION-L@rootsweb.com Subject: [A-REV] The Vermont Controversy Subject: The Vermont Controversy Source: History of Charlestown, NH by Rev. Henry H. Saunderson Chapter VIII, p.120 The State of Vermont, originally the New-Hampshire grants, adopted its Constitution and set up an independent government in 1778. Previous to 1749 no township had been chartered in the territory which it embraced. I transcribed the text from the History of Charlestown, NH ... It is a file of abt 70 kbs and is freely shared on request. (sent as a WordPad text attachment) ==== AMERICAN-REVOLUTION Mailing List ==== ============================== Search over 1 Billion names at Ancestry.com! http://www.ancestry.com/rd/rwlist1.asp