The Griffins at Butler's Corners, Vermont

What was the original township of Essex is now referred to as Essex Center. All of the original town buildings and the first church, the Congregational Chapel, were built in Essex Center. Most of the original homesteads also extended out from the Center crossroads. Over time the wider Essex Township developed within its borders several subdivisions. While still part of the township these separate neighborhoods developed their own identity. One of these neighborhoods was Butler’s Corners. The junction at Butler’s Corners marked the spot on the main road to Essex where you turned off to go the area referred to as the “Lost Nation”. According to the history of Essex Samuel Griffin Jun. was the first to settle in the Lost Nation. Samuel’s property bumped up against the Butler’s Corners intersection. In one of the histories written for Chittenden County is a section on Essex that contains a paragraph on Butler’s Corners. The description holds interest for the Griffin ancestry for several reasons. The first is that the description is for the time frame that Samuel lived in the Lost Nation. The second is the description of the Corners most recognizable citizen George Whitney.--------------- From the history, “At Butler’s Corners, one mile from the Center, the town voted in 1801 to erect a “sign post” and a "pair of stocks.” The first was a place for posting up “notices,” "warrants," etc., and the latter was a device for the punishment of offenders against law and order. These “Corners” were a place of considerable business at one period. For many years there was a store, a tavern, a blacksmith’s shop and a lawyer’s office here, all doing a lucrative business. “--------------- With that description it is a certainty that Samuel stopped at the sign post to read the news and take note of who was in the stocks. I smile at the notion of the Griffin boys being threatened with being take up to the Corners and put in the stocks if they did not change their errant ways. Given the morays of the times I am sure Samuel stopped at the tavern for a pint on occasion. Give the family’s religious bent I can only imagine that it was only on occasion. What were the necessities that made a store successful in a society based on self sufficiency? Did the Griffin women stop there for buttons and tread? Is that were they acquired their nutmeg and other spices. Did they rely on homespun or did a Sunday dress require a niece piece of fabric? Looking at the number of land transaction that Samuel was involved in and the number of mortgages that he held I suspect that the he spent some time at the lawyer’s office. It also poses the question; did he sell his farm surplus at the Corners?-------------- The second reason that the Butler’s Corners story rings true for the Griffin’s is George Whitney. To continue with the history, “The best blacksmith in town was located here, George Whitney, a man of intelligence, mechanical genius, industry and ability, who was honored by his townsmen with several important town offices which he filled with ability. He was a zealous Methodist, and late in life abandoned mechanical pursuits for the itinerant ministry in that church.”-------------------- It is a certainty that Samuel visited the blacksmith shop of George Whitney. Every tool, every piece of farm equipment, every wagon sooner or later needed the blacksmith’s touch to maintain its life. The second reason that George Whitney is of interest to us is that the extended Griffin family left their beloved Congregational Society to join with Mr. Whitney in his Methodist Congregation. There is a collection of letters written by Samuel Griffin Jun’s children, who remained in Essex, to their brother Albert Bailey Griffin who ended up in Utah. The references to the close family friend George Whitney are quite common.------------- In the Congregational records in 1844 we see a notation for each of the Griffin families. “Fellowship withdrawn”. In a world where it was considered to be absolutely unheard of to remain unchurched the Congregationalists were careful to note when a member left for another congregation. One of the more common notations was “Dismissed”. It indicated that the parishioner had left for another Congregational Society. The term, Fellowship Withdrawn, seems to indicate a separation from the Church of Christ as the Congregationalist called themselves. Its tone seems to reflect a somewhat dire judgment. It is also interesting to note that the family matriarch Abigail Bradley Griffin returned to the Congregational Society later in her life. Abigail’s father, Samuel Bradley, served as a Deacon, one of the leading lights in the Society, for thirty years. Apparently those ties were hard for her to let go.---------------- The Congregationalists were very serious about their religion. The Society was very active in trying to help each member lead a righteous life. Sinners were called out over the pulpit. The purpose was not to embarrass or run off the riff raff it was done as an act of love, an attempt to warn the parishioner that their soul was in danger. It was an act of deep concern for their salvation. In the front of most Congregation Society Ledgers you see a title page that identifies the shorthand used in keeping the records. One is the use of “X” which meant that the parishioners had crossed enough of a boundary that demanded their separation from the society. Such people were then excommunicated. My favorite notation is “W”. It stood for “Watch and Care Withdrawn”. That description explains in four words the Congregational mindset. It was the pledged duty, a requirement by their God, a part of the Profession of Faith that each member took, to watch and care for each other. At some point when the Society was at the end of its rope on how to help the unrepentant sinner they, if you will, gave themselves permission to withdraw their watch and care. It was a notation to their God that they had tried but failed. My interpretation is that “Fellowship withdrawn” is a variation on the watch and care sentiment.