Daniel Marsh (Rev. William, Rev. Thomas, William) was born 19 December 1748 at Willington, Connecticut, son of Rev. William and Eunice (Gurley) Marsh and died 29 February 1808 at Clarendon, Rutland County, Vermont in his 60th year. He married Phebe Rice c. 1772/3 at Clarendon. She was born 12 October 1747 at Warwick, Rhode Island, daughter of Randall and Dinah (Greene) Rice and died February 1833 aged 85 years. They are buried in the Marsh Cemetery in Clarendon.
In 1751 Daniel's father, Rev. William, with a number of Baptists from Connecticut, settled at Hamburg, New Jersey. William served as pastor of the Deckerstown Baptist Church, but his doctrinal views did not suit the congregation. He resigned and removed to the Wyoming Valley in Pennsylvania. Unfortunately, Rev. William and his brother, Thomas Marsh, were slaughtered by the Indians 15 October 1763. It is likely his wife and children returned to Connecticut.
In 1769 Daniel Marsh, his brother, William Marsh, and their uncles, Amos and Jacob Marsh, came to Clarendon from Connecticut. Oliver Arnold and Whitfield Foster came at the same time from Rhode Island. They brought with them a few tools, some foodstuffs, and a cow. Each week one of them would be chosen to milk the cow, obtain wild game and fish, and prepare the meals. By the end of the season, they had erected five log houses (Daniel Marsh on lot #1 of Socialborough plan was the southernmost lot, Whitfield Foster on lot #2, Oliver Arnold on lot #3, Jacob Marsh on lot #4, lot #5 had been settled by Daniel's uncle, Elisha Williams, in 1768, and Amos Marsh on lot #6.) Before winter set in, they all went home except William Marsh, who decided to go north, perhaps to Montreal, for the winter. He planned to return to Clarendon in the spring, but he was never heard from again. His relatives made many anxious inquiries about his whereabouts to no avail. (Candian Loyalist records state he received a pension for his Revolutionary services. His wife was Anne and surviving children Jane, Unis, Ruth, Tryphena, Lury, Amey or Anne. William was born circa 1754 at Newtown, New Jersey.)
The next year in 1770, the men returned to Clarendon with their families. It is likely Daniel brought his mother and possibly some of his siblings. His mother, Eunice Marsh, witnessed a deed of Jacob Marsh to Amos Marsh on 10 September 1774.
It is interesting to note that at his death, Gurley Marsh, Daniel's son, owned 200 acres in Canada that he had purchased from Abraham Marsh. Most likely this was the Abraham Marsh of Shaftsbury, Vermont who had his land confiscated for being a Tory. It is known that Jacob Marsh was in Shaftsbury 1764 - 68; most likely there is some relationship. Possibly Abraham was Daniel's brother.
Daniel Marsh bought for 9 pounds from Thomas Tillinghast 1/60 part of the town (usually 100 acres), land that he had bought from John Henry Lydius in 1761. It was in Township #8 called Fairfield and was dated 21 September 1769. (Fairfield included the northern part of Clarendon under the Lydius' grant.) No bounds or acreage were given. Daniel recorded this deed after his return to Clarendon in December 1782.
In order to understand the controversy that tried men's souls in Clarendon during the 1770's prior to the Revolution, it is necessary to study the several land grants.
(1) John Henry Lydius, an Indian trader of Albany, New York, claimed to have purchased a large tract of land from the Mohawks in 1732. Governor Shirley of Massachusetts confirmed the purchase in 1744. In 1769 Lydius divided his land into 35 townships of 36 square miles each. He deeded to other men, who, in turn, sold their claims to many early settlers of Clarendon. No. 7, Durham, was the name of the grant which included most of Clarendon.
(2) In the early 1760's, Royal Governor of New Hampshire, Benning Wentworth, granted numerous charters for the towns that would one day become the state of Vermont. He issued the Charter of Clarendon 5 September 1761.
(3) Long before these lands were settled, a boundary dispute arose between New Hampshire and New York. To make a long story short, in 1764, King George III and Council reviewed the situation. They decided the lands Governor Wentworth had chartered would thereafter be under the jurisdiction of New York. Perhaps the settlers would have accepted New York rule if New York had not demanded that they relinquish their titles which were to be re-issued. However, soon New York began chartering these lands and selling off the settlers' rights to others.
A. On 3 April 1771, Governor Dunmore of New York issued the grant for Socialborough which included Rutland, Pittsford and about 4 square miles in the northern part of Clarendon. Dunmore sent William Cockburn and his men to survey the area. They were met wth disdain and threats and were forced to abandon their plans. When Duane wrote from Albany on 10 September 1771 after his return from this area, he related how poorly he had been treated by the New Hampshire Grant men. He promised to accede to their demands and ceased his surveying. He stated, "Marsh's survey is undone as I did not care to venture that way." ( It is interesting to note that Daniel Marsh's grandson, Hon. John L. Marsh, wrote an article for Hemenway's Gazetteer on the early history of Clarendon. He stated that he was in possession of a very old, fragile map of Socialborough. In 1843 his grandson, William C. Marsh, donated this map and several deeds to the Vermont Historical Society. Most of these deeds seem to pertain to Oliver Arnold who married Daniel Marsh's wife's sister, Elnathan Rice. Perhaps the Arnolds gave these documents to the Marsh family. The Arnold's lived two farms north of Daniel Marsh.)
B. On 7 January 1772, New York Governor Tryon chartered the town of Durham. This included all the land in Clarendon south of Socialborough. So what were the settlers to do? Some had purchased under Lydius' while others had New Hampshire Grants. Some chose to side with New Hampshire and others with New York. Daniel Marsh had bought his farm in 1769 under the Lydius Grant. His farm was listed as lot #1 on the Socialborough map of 1771 - the southernmost lot on the map. His uncle, Jacob Marsh, who had purchased 600 acres under the New Hampshire Grant in 1768 at Shaftsbury, Vermont, chose the New York side. He repurchased this land from the Yorkers in 1772, became a New York magistrate, and was tried by a court of the New Hampshire Grant men headed by Ethan Allen and his Green Mountain Boys. By 1774 Jacob sold his land in Clarendon and relocated to Saratoga, New York. Daniel and his uncle, Amos Marsh, rode out the storm and retained titles to their properties.
The Green Mountain boys were often in Clarendon trying to persuade the Yorkers to join the New Hampshire side. Some of their tactics were rather harsh. Trials were held, and those found guilty of being a Yorker were sometimes whipped or had a price put on their head. Other times they would burn a house or unroof it. If the person with an unroofed log house agreed to rescind his New York connection, his new roof was put on with the understanding that it was put on under a New Hampshire title.
With the onset of the Revolutionary War in 1775, Ethan Allen and his Green Mountain Boys had a new mission - to defeat the British. All sides turned to the conflict. Clarendon had more Tories (British sympathizers) than any other town in Vermont. Most likely this was caused by the bitterness left over from the land controversy. State Papers of Vermont indicate that Daniel Marsh was a teamster employed by the American side. In the fall of 1775, he carried supplies to Canada for Captain Oliver Potter's company from Clarendon. He also must have gone to Fort Number Four in Charlestown, New Hampshire for Joseph William's claimed that Marsh had done damage to his wagon on a trip to Fort Number Four on 30 November 1776. In July of 1777, the war in this area really heated up. That month the advance of Burgoyne's Army forced the Americans to retreat from the forts on Lake Champlain. A rear-guard action was fought at Hubbardtown, Vermont that routed the Americans.
It was time for the early settlers to make a decision - to join the American or the British cause. Most people fled Rutland County in advance of the British army. However, a significant number in Clarendon thought their chances were better with the British. They went to Skenesborough, now Whitehall, New York to obtain protection papers which allowed them to stay on their farms unmolested by the British. While applying for protection papers, they were urged to join the Queen's Loyalist Rangers. A number of Clarendon residents signed up, including Daniel's uncle, Amos Marsh, and his son,Shubal. (Amos deserted the British cause and had retured to Clarendon by April of 1778. His farm was not confiscated). Daniel Marsh does not appear on the Ranger's list. He seems to have been in Clarendon as late as 12 September 1777, as he later submitted an account for animals sequestered for the use of the state by Capt. Abel Marsh of Hartland, (Windsor County), Vermont.
What happened after that is unclear, but it is known that Daniel Marsh was found behind enemy lines and taken prisoner. Perhaps this was at the Battle of Saratoga in October of 1777 at which time his uncle, Jacob Marsh, on the side of the British, was killed. Daniel was held prisoner on a guard ship in Boston Harbor.
In March 1778, Vermont formed the Court of Confiscation and the next month released a list of Tories. Daniel Marsh was on that list. Confiscation Commissioners were named to seize the Tory properties and sell them to enhance the state coffers for the war effort.
On 2 December, 1778, Commissioner James Claghorn sold the following property of Daniel Marsh to John Seamans of Clarendon: beginning at the bank of Otter Creek at Whitfield Foster's southeast corner (Foster had lot #2 on the Socialborough plan) - due east one mile to the southeast corner of the lot-south 50 rods-due west one mile to Otter Creek-thence on the Creek to beginning. Together with all the improvements on a 100-acre lot lying south of and adjoining said lot-for treasonable conduct. The sum was 855 pounds. The northern 100 acres on which Daniel made his home was the land he purchased from Thomas Tillinghast under the Lydius Grant in September 1769. How he got the 100 acres to the south is unknown. Possibly it was part of the Tillinghast deed as no bounds were given. Or perhaps he purchased it at vendue (tax sale) of which there is no record. John Seamans never sold this property. Daniel Marsh's home lot was rented during this time to Capt. Jerathemeel Powers who resided there as late as 1781.
Daniel's neighbor to the south, Silas Whitney, complained that he had bought the southern 100 acres from the Sequestration Board, but no deed substantiates his claim. However, he did purchase this parcel from Benjamin Melvin, an original New Hampshire Grantee, in 1779 (after it was sold to Seamans). Whitney also purchased from the commissioner a 65-acre parcel that had belonged to Marsh. It was located on the Main Road, a distance east of the Marsh farm.
In January 1778, Daniel's cousins, Stephen and Samuel Williams, of Rutland, bonded to the town of Clarendon for $500, relieving the town and state of all charges for supporting and bringing up the family of Daniel Marsh. It appears that Phebe and children went to live with the Williams' family in Rutland after Daniel left.
There is an item found in James Davie Butler's "Rutlandia" housed at the Historical Society of Wisconsin that states "Stephen [Williams] though a staunch Whig, went to Cambridge [MA] and released from a guard ship, Daniel Marsh, of Clarendon, who had been taken as a Loyalist among Burgoyne's troops." His release most likely occurred in 1778 or early 1779.
Daniel then went to live in New Milford, Connecticut where two of his children were born in 1779 and 1782. In February 1779, the Vermont Legislature passed an act prohibiting the Tories from returning to the state. It was repealed in November 1780.
In February 1782, Daniel, then of New Milford, Connecticut, petitioned the Vermont Legislature for restoration of his citizenship in Vermont. A large number of men signed the petition [including David Warner and Ebenezer Howard who are discussed in other parts of this website]. It was approved that February, and Daniel returned to Clarendon. In December 1782, the inhabitants voted to accept him as a "good, wholesome inhabitant". It is interesting to note that Daniel, in February 1787, successfully petitioned the legislature for status as a Revolutionary War soldier. He stated he had spent 16 days providing hay, horses, and transportation for Captain Oliver Potter's Company to Montreal during the Canadian expedition of 1775.
Soon after his return, Daniel was elected representative to the Legislature, an office he held until 1788. He encountered opposition to his re-election bid in 1786, when 34 Clarendon residents filed a petition questioning his credentials. One of these was Silas Whitney. However, Daniel was successfully seated.
Although Marsh returned to his home farm in 1782, he had to go to court for his southern property which was claimed by Silas Whitney. Marsh's southern lot became known as the "disputed lot", and he and Whitney carried on a bitter feud that lasted for over a decade - both in court and on the land itself. One of them would sow and the other would reap - one would rent to a tenant and the other would evict him. One day Whitney cut several acres on the meadow. While he was eating dinner, Marsh drew it away.
Whitney was often having financial problems and lost this lot to creditors. Jonathan Parker Jr., who had purchased it from his creditors, sold the lot back to Whitney March 1787. Restricted from the deed was one acre on the west side of the road that a quarter of the inhabitants had agreed upon for a burial place. This is presently the Marsh Cemetery located a few rods south of the former John L. Marsh brick house.
Isaac Hobbs, in 1793, sold 65 acres of this lot west of the road to Marsh. This parcel was awarded to Hobbs in an execution against Whitney. Finally on 26 March 1795, Silas Whitney deeded all his rights to this 100 acres of the Right of Benjamin Melvin to Marsh for 200 pounds. Hopefully the two men finally settled their differences before they died and can rest in peace as both men are buried in the small Marsh Cemetery.
In 1788 Daniel Marsh was employed by the Postmaster General of Vermont as a post rider. His route took him to the Onion River and ended in
Jericho, Vermont, in the northern part of the state. At his death his inventory included post bags.
When Daniel Marsh died in 1808, his estate was probated. His home farm consisted of 135 acres (lot #1 on Socialborough plan and 35 acres on disputed lot). His home farm on Middle Road was later owned by Daniel Platt on the 1869 map. For livestock he had horses, cows, oxen, hogs, sheep, and a mule. His inventory also included farming tools, 4 tons of hay, 20 bushels of corn, 16 bushels of wheat, 5 bushels of rye, 35 bushels of oats and 30 bushels of potatoes. His household furnishings included a clock, an old desk, desk with bookcase, several cherry tables, 9 dining chairs, 10 common chairs, 2 old chests, a looking glass, fire dogs (and irons), and a pair of shovel and tongs for the fireplace, brass candlesticks, loom, and several spinning wheels. He had 7 beds, one with curtains. His weaing apparel consisted of a straight-bodied coat, 2 waistcoats, a pair of breeches, a great coat, a vest and pantaloons, and a hat. He also owned a silver watch.
His library contained Kirby's Reports, Laws of Vermont, Phelp's Memoirs, Principles of Government, and Rural Magazine, and the Family Physician.
Gurley and Randall Marsh were named estate administrators. William Marsh was appointed guardian of Lorry Marsh, a minor, and Daniel Marsh was named guardian of Henry Marsh, a minor. Randall Marsh bought the farm from the heirs in 1815.
Although none of the Marshes ever joined the Baptist Church (only denomination in town at the time), Daniel Marsh owned two pews in the Meeting House. He also owned an old Bible, 2 Psalm books, and a poem on the death of Christ.
Daniel's gravestone reads:
"Daniel Marsh, Esq. who in 60th year of his age with an unshaken belief of a blessed immortality and final restoration of all things calmly departed this life February 29, 1808."
An SAR marker has been placed on his grave.
Gurley's personal estate included livestock, farming tools, and a pleasure wagon. The sawmill must have been in operation as he had 3,000 feet of boards. He had 6 beds and bed cords plus a high post bedstead - also a set of curtains (these were bed curtains, drawn at night to keep the cold out). He also had a kitchen stove and pipe (stoves came into use circa 1810) and a parlor stove and pipe. His furnishings included 2 cherry tables, a stand, a set of curtains, 7 dining chairs, a rocking chair, 5 kitchen chairs, a looking glass, blue plates and bowls etc., 2 decanters and tumblers, and knives, forks etc. For clothing he had a great coat, straight-bodied coat, a pair of pantaloons, old surtout, vests, a pair of shoes and boots and 2 hats. Dr. Silas Bowen was appointed guardian of Gurley's children. In 1832 Bowen sold Gurley's farm for $1800 to William D. and John L. Marsh.