…Bennington, Vermont. Mrs. Chapman's mother died in 1833, but her father survived till 1851.

The name Follett is of Norman origin, coming into England about the time of William the Conquerer [sic], and ever since honored in English annals. It is signalized by a monument in Westminster Abbey, erected at the Queen's expense, to the memory of Sir William Webb Follett, Kt., who was buried in the north transept of that historic pile as recently as the year 1845. This nobleman, as we have been informed, was a relative of the Huron county Folletts. "He was" (we quote from an "historical description of Westminster Abbey"), "at the time of his decease, representative in Parliament for the city of Exeter, and attorney general to Queen Victoria. Of unblemished conduct in every relation of life, of manners gentle and prepossessing, combining with great legal knowledge, and extraordinary powers of persuasive eloquence, he attained, with the esteem, admiration, and good will of all who witnessed his brilliant career, the highest eminence as an advocate and a parliamentary speaker. The general hope and expectation that he was destined for the highest honors of the law were blighted by his untimely death. Died June 28, 1845, aged forty-eight."

The hope and expectation alluded to in this extract, were that Sir William was destined to become Lord High Chancellor of England. Two years ago two daughters and two granddaughters of Mr. and Mrs. Chapman, while on a visit to the land of their forefathers, had the pleasure (and an exquisite pleasure it must have been to them) of looking upon this monument, erected by royal gratitude to the memory of their distinguished relative, and one of the daughters (Mrs. Davis) took great pains to learn all facts connected with the life of the distinguished Mr. Follett, and to her we are indebted for the book from which the above extract is taken.

At the breaking out of the revolutionary war, the ancestors of Mrs. Chapman were living in Pennsylvania, near the scene of that shocking tragedy, the Wyoming massacre, in which her grandfather, Eliphalet Follett, was killed. This massacre occurred, as our readers will remember, July 3, 1778.

The grandfather, Eliphalet, was born January 16, 1731, in Windham, Connecticut. He there married Elizabeth Dewey, on the 8th of March, 17G4. She was born July 14, 1743, and either she was a native of Vermont, or her father's family must have removed to that State soon after her marriage. As above stated, this couple, at the breaking out of the revolutionary war, were residing in the Wyoming Valley, Pennsylvania, where they owned a large farm, and had a family of six children. They must have settled in that place immediately after their marriage — or perhaps he may have gone there before that, and got his farm under cultivation.

One of the forts thrown up by the inhabitants of that charming, but ill-fated region, in order to protect themselves from their allied foes, the Indians and Tories, was situated on his farm near Kingston; and when it was ascertained that these savage allies were approaching, he was among the first of those who rallied for the defence of their homes and their loved ones. Who has not read the history of chat terrible contest, and of the more terrible slaughter and burning which followed? In the list of those who were killed on that day never to be forgotten, is the name of Eliphalet Follett. The manner of his death, too, has been recorded. He was one of the four hundred who accompanied Col. Zebulun Butler, the commander of the patriots, when, accepting the invitation to a parley, he went out to meet his treacherous cousin, John Butler, who was in command of the savages. He was one of the twenty who, alone, of all that four hundred, succeeded in cutting their way through, after they had been basely deceived, surrounded and attacked, on all sides, by the demoniac allies. The most of this twenty escaped by swimming across the Susquehanna river, but Follett was shot while in the water. His body was recovered and buried, and portions of his clothing, together with the knee-buckles and the shoe-buckles, which he wore at the time, were afterwards sent to his family. Many of the women and children were butchered or consumed in the flames, but the wife and children of Eliphalet Follett were among those who were permitted to escape. The sufferings, which they underwent, are well nigh inconceivable. With only an old horse, with a feather bed for a saddle, (obtained by the aid of a friendly Indian) that heroic woman made her way fifty mites, in the direction from which succor was expected with six children,—the oldest, thirteen years of age, and the youngest, two years of age. The older children led or carried the younger, and two who were enfeebled by sickness, rode with their mother. A painful accident added to her torture. Before they had gone far from the scene of the massacre, the horse stumbled, and she was thrown from his back, and in the fall her arm was broken. Three or four days days [sic] elapsed before a physician could be found to set the broken limb. How she could continue her journey, under such distressing circumstances, it is impossible to imagine, but by her indomitable energy and resolution, with the blessing of God, she was enabled to persevere until, at the end of the fifty miles, she met the baggage train sent out by Gen. Sullivan for the relief of the refugees.

In the course of a few weeks she succeeded in reaching her friends at Pownal, Bennington county, Vermont. There, six months after the tragic death of her husband, she gave birth to another son, who, in process of time, became the father of Mrs. Chapman. The six children born in Pennsylvania were, in the order of their ages, Martin, Betsey, Charles, Eliphalet, Jr., Benjamin and James. Eliphalet, Jr., having died a few months after the posthumous child was born, it was decided to call the last Eliphalet, in order that the name might be preserved in the family. We have gleaned the most of the foregoing facts…

_{Excerpts from: The Fire Lands, Comprising Huron and Erie Counties, Ohio; W.W. Williams - 1879 -
Press of Leader Printing Company, Cleveland, Ohio}

A TRUE, TRUE ARTIFACT: Up on the ridge south of town (once upon a good old time) were the fruit growers, and A.B. Todd & Son was one of the best known. Though the acres of peach and apple orchards that once gave fruit to the world are now gone the descendants of the original farmers of the “Lake Erie Fruit Belt” still live on those lands.

The image (above) was scanned from a letter press printer’s plate donated to the VNPSM by Vermilionites Barb and Chuck Ruggles on behalf (and in memory) of the late Evelyn Todd Wheelock.

This plate was used, of course, for advertising purposes back in the 1930s and ‘40s. I’ve not seen any items yet that were printed using the plate, but it would be easy enough to do. The plate was made and cut so that would print only the image of the truck and a small part of the road seen below it. It’s not a simple square cut graphic. So it’s a very rare Vermilion artifact.

Persons interested in the history of the Lake Shore Electric Railway (which was the subject of a recent past podcast series) - "the greatest electaric railway system on the planet" may want to go to Amazon.com and purchase a book called "Images of Rail - Lake Shore Electric Railway". It was put together by Thomas J. Patton with the help of my friends Dennis Lamont and Albert Doane. It'd make a nice gift.

Another great book with Vermilion Roots is, "Grandmas’ Favorites: A Compilation of Recipes from Margaret Sanders Buell" by Amy O’Neal, Elizabeth Thompson and Meg Walter (May 2, 2012). This book very literally will provide one with the flavor of old Vermilion. And ye can also find it at Amazon.com. Take a look.