Montgomery Town Charter March 15, 1780

  Know Ye that whereas The Honorable Stephen Rowe Bradley Esquire & his associates our worthy friends have by petition requested a grant of a Tract of unlocated Lands within this State, for the purpose of settling a new plantation to be erected into a Township; We have therefore thought fit for the due encouragement of their laudable designs & for other valuable causes & considerations us hereunto moving, & do by these presents in the name & by the authority of the freemen of the State of Vermont, give & grant unto the said Stephen R Bradley & the several persons hereafter named his associates the Tract of Land hereafter described & bounded to be divided into equal Shares as follows vis, Revd Ezra Stiles DD, Revd John Graham, Revd Daniel Ferrend, Revd Ammi R Robins, Revd Judah Champion, Revd Abel Newell, Revd Peter Starr, Revd Hezekiah Gould, Revd Noble Everett, Revd Jonathan Edwards, Revd Buckley Olcott, Revd David Perry, Revd Joseph Strong, His Excellency Thomas Chittenden, William Gould, Thomas Ives, Pierpoint Edwards, Josiah Fowler, Moses Seymour, Oliver Wolcott, Alexander Wolcott, Andrew Adams Junr, Nathan Hart, William Burrel, Seth Smith, James Barlow, John A. Dibble, Elijah Barr, Aaron Barlow, Seth Sheldon, Giles Pettibone, Comfort Sage, Asa Smith, Jonas Fay, John Hurlburt, Nathaniel Gridley, Enos Munson, Seth Lee, Elijah Hurlburt, Reuben Atwater, Russel Atwarter, Thadeus Bradley, Ezra Stiles Junr, Isaac Stiles, Ebenezer Fisk, Solomon Fisk, John Foot, John Alfred Foot, William Lambert Foot, Mathew Griswould, John Tainter, Elisha Burton, Ebenezer Brewster, Sarah Fisk, Ruth Fisk, Joshua Smith, Hannah Clark, Ira Allen & John Fassett Junr, Together with five equal shares to be disposed of for public use in manner following viz, one equal share for the use & benefit of a College within this State, One full share for the use & benefit of County Grammar Schools, through out this State, One equal share for the first settled Minister of the Gospel in said Town, One full share for the support of the Ministry in said Township, & one full Share for the benefit & support of an English School or Schools in said Township; Which Tract of Land hereby given & granted as aforesd is described & bounded as follows Viz. Beginning at the Southeast corner of the Township Enosburg, & running northerly in the easterly line of said Enosburg so far as to make six Miles on a perpendicular with the north line of the State, Then easterly a parallel line with the North line of the State six Miles, Then southerly so far as to make six Miles on a perpendicular line with the North line of the State, Then westerly a parallel line with the North line of the State six Miles to the first bounds containing twenty three thousand & forty Acres, -----
 
  And that the same be & hereby is incorporated into a Township by the name of Montgomery and the inhabitants that do or shall hereafter inhabit said Township are declared to be enfranchised & entitled to all the privileges & immunities that the inhabitants of other corporated Towns within the State do by Law exercise & enjoy -----

  To Have & to hold the said granted premises with all the privileges & appurtenences thereunto belonging, or in any wise appertaining, unto them & their respective Heirs & assigns for forever on the following conditions and reservations viz, that each Proprietor of the said Township of Montgomery his heirs or assigns shall plant & cultivate five acres of Land and build a House at least eighteen feet square on the floor, or have one family settled on each respective right or share of Land in said Township within the term of three years from the first day of June next, on penalty of the forfieture of each respective right or share of Land Not so settled & improved as aforesaid, and the same to revert to the Freemen of this State, to be by their Representatives regranted to Such persons as shall appear to Settle and cultivate the same ---

The aforesaid Grant was made by the Legislature of this State on the 15th day of March, 1780 ---

In Testimony whereof we have caused the Seal of this State to be affixed in Council this 8th day of October A.D. 1789 in the 14th year of our Independence


                                                                       Thomas Chittenden

By His Excellencys Command
Joseph Fay Secy. 1


1.  Harry A Black, State Papers of Vermont, Charters Granted by the State of Vermont, Vol II, P.H. Gobie Press, Bellows Falls, Vt., 1922, pp.138-9.

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What follows below are photos of a hand written copy of the original charter made by Henry Marble, the Town's second Town Clerk, in 1805.