Garner Rix, The story of a real boy who lived in Colonial Times
Garner Rix was just 12 when he moved with his father, pregnant mother, two sisters and three brothers from a farm in Connecticut to a log cabin on the banks of the White River, a place that would one day be called Royalton, Vermont.
He helped his father dig stumps and built roads.
He was captured by the British and Mohawks during the Royalton Raid. The Mohawks took him to Montreal and sold him to a French woman who kept him safe until he could walk home a year later.
He went on to clear his own land, build a house, a mill and more roads and raise his own family.
He lived in an exciting time and saw more of the world than most boys of his time would ever have wanted to but took that experience and turned it into wonderful tales by the fireside with his grandchildren at his knee.
You will find out about the different cultures that Garner Rix encountered as well as dozens of ideas, resources, hints and tricks to create 1780's Colonial Activities for both homeschool families and classrooms.
Go back in time and discover what life was like at the time of the Royalton Raid.
Garner Rix and the Royalton Raid Table of Contents
- The Rix Family came from Connecticut before the Royalton Raid
- NH, NY or Vermont
- Transportation in 18th Century Vermont
- Garner Rix's Bridge and Mill
- Everyday life in 1780
- Woodland Creatures
- Clearing the Forest
- 18th Century Agriculture in Vermont
- Making Maple Syrup in the 18th Century
- Planting the Apple Orchard
- Garner Rix's Barn
- Vermont Log Cabin built in about 1783
- Women's Work
- Betsey Rix Teaches her Daughters About Soap
- Write a Letter to Garner Rix
- Math Manipulatives in Garner Rix's Time
- Garner Rix and the Royalton Raid
- The clash of Cultures
- Mohawks in Vermont
- Montreal
- Map of Garner Rix's Land
- Garner Rix
- Betsey (Lyman) Rix
- Revolutionary Times on eBay
- A Walk in the Woods
- What did you learn from this lens?
- The Isle of Squid
- Follow Me on Twitter
- Meet the Author
The Rix Family came from Connecticut before the Royalton Raid
Goodbye to Grandparents
The Rix Family moves up the Connecticut River to Vermont
Garner was born on July 31, 1767 in Preston, New London, Connecticut. He grew up on the farm there near his grandparents, aunts, uncles and lots of cousins. He was the oldest son of Daniel and Rebecca (Johnson) Rix. When Garner was about 12 years old his family packed up their things and moved up the Connecticut River to their new home in Royalton, Vermont. That year his older sister, Susanna, was 14. She probably was a great help to their mother in caring for the younger children: Joseph 9, Rebecca 7, Daniel 4, and Little Elisha just 2 years old. In this, the spring of 1779, their mother, Rebecca, 37, was pregnant with Jerusha.
Probably Daniel, 40, had gone up earlier to scout out the land and build a cabin leaving Rebecca to run the farm with the help of her children. Susanna would have been old enough to cook, clean, weave, tend the kitchen garden and take care of the younger children. Garner was old enough to handle all the chores, take care of the fields and bring in the wood. There is no record of exactly when they moved but it is safe to assume that they had gone early in the spring in order to plant the spring crops. Beginning in December 1779, Daniel held many town offices and was in charge of building the first three bridges across the White River.
Garner was born on July 31, 1767 in Preston, New London, Connecticut. He grew up on the farm there near his grandparents, aunts, uncles and lots of cousins. He was the oldest son of Daniel and Rebecca (Johnson) Rix. When Garner was about 12 years old his family packed up their things and moved up the Connecticut River to their new home in Royalton, Vermont. That year his older sister, Susanna, was 14. She probably was a great help to their mother in caring for the younger children: Joseph 9, Rebecca 7, Daniel 4, and Little Elisha just 2 years old. In this, the spring of 1779, their mother, Rebecca, 37, was pregnant with Jerusha.
Probably Daniel, 40, had gone up earlier to scout out the land and build a cabin leaving Rebecca to run the farm with the help of her children. Susanna would have been old enough to cook, clean, weave, tend the kitchen garden and take care of the younger children. Garner was old enough to handle all the chores, take care of the fields and bring in the wood. There is no record of exactly when they moved but it is safe to assume that they had gone early in the spring in order to plant the spring crops. Beginning in December 1779, Daniel held many town offices and was in charge of building the first three bridges across the White River. Who were the members of Garner Rix's family?
They were all born before the Royalton Raid
Daniel Rix was Garner's father. He was born September 24,1738 in Preston, Conn. He died on March 23, 1823 in Royalton, Vt. at age 85.
Rebecca (Johnson) Rix was Garner's Mother. She was born about 1742 in Connecticut. and she died in Royalton the same year as her husband age 81. They were married on October 28, 1762 in Preston, Connecticut. All of their children except Jerusha were born in Connecticut.
Their children were:
Susanna RIX b: 30 JUN 1765
Garner RIX b: 31 JUL 1767
Joseph Johnson RIX b: 31 AUG 1770
Rebecca RIX b: 10 MAY 1772
Daniel RIX b: 22 APR 1775
Elisha Lee RIX b: 4 MAR 1777
Jerusha RIX b: 23 AUG 1780 in Royalton, Vt.
The picture shows typical costumes of the time.
Rebecca (Johnson) Rix was Garner's Mother. She was born about 1742 in Connecticut. and she died in Royalton the same year as her husband age 81. They were married on October 28, 1762 in Preston, Connecticut. All of their children except Jerusha were born in Connecticut.
Their children were:
Susanna RIX b: 30 JUN 1765
Garner RIX b: 31 JUL 1767
Joseph Johnson RIX b: 31 AUG 1770
Rebecca RIX b: 10 MAY 1772
Daniel RIX b: 22 APR 1775
Elisha Lee RIX b: 4 MAR 1777
Jerusha RIX b: 23 AUG 1780 in Royalton, Vt.
The picture shows typical costumes of the time.
Living in Connecticut in 1700's: Historical Fiction
Each of these books gives us a glimp into the lives of families like the Rix's living on farms in Connecticut during the 1770's.
Pretend that you are one of the Rix's. Make a quill pen and use beet juice from canned beets to write about your experiences traveling up the river from Connecticut to Vermont.
Major Events at the turn of the 18th Century in Vermont
1770 - Green Mountain Boys organized to protect New Hampshire Grants
1775 - Ethan Allen captures Fort Ticonderoga
1777 - Vermont declares itself a republic in Windsor adopting the 1st Constitution with universal male suffrage, public schools, and abolishing slavery
1779 - Property rights established for women
1780 - Last major Indian raid, led by the British, in Royalton
1783 Peace Treaty ended the Revolutionary War and 80,000 Loyalists emigrated north to Canada
1791 - Vermont becomes 14th state
1791 - University of Vermont chartered
1791 - Population of Vermont is 85,341
1810 - Population of Vermont is 217,895
NH, NY or Vermont
Vermont was not yet a state at the time of the Royalton Raid
What to call this area claimed by both New York and New Hampshire
Vermont
A distinctive regional name was adopted quite deliberately. The two early territorial designations of "New Hampshire Grants" (later shortened to "The Grants") and "New Connecticut" were viewed as unsuitable in framing a separate geographic identity. "Verdmont" was proposed as the new name as early as 1763 in a supposed Gallic allusion to the Green Mountains that quietly mirrored the anti-British sentiment of the period. The awkward "d" in that manufactured word was soon discarded, and the more felicitous present spelling was accepted in 1777. The first usage of the name Vermont on a map dates from 1780, although not until 1794 did such a map appear that corresponded to present borders.
Click on the map to see this map up close. Note that Royalton is labeled Lynfield on this 1783 map. Starting in the south follow north along the course of the Connecticut River. Lynfield, now Royalton is northwest along the White River just past Sharon.
Vermont
A distinctive regional name was adopted quite deliberately. The two early territorial designations of "New Hampshire Grants" (later shortened to "The Grants") and "New Connecticut" were viewed as unsuitable in framing a separate geographic identity. "Verdmont" was proposed as the new name as early as 1763 in a supposed Gallic allusion to the Green Mountains that quietly mirrored the anti-British sentiment of the period. The awkward "d" in that manufactured word was soon discarded, and the more felicitous present spelling was accepted in 1777. The first usage of the name Vermont on a map dates from 1780, although not until 1794 did such a map appear that corresponded to present borders.
Click on the map to see this map up close. Note that Royalton is labeled Lynfield on this 1783 map. Starting in the south follow north along the course of the Connecticut River. Lynfield, now Royalton is northwest along the White River just past Sharon.
Transportation in 18th Century Vermont
Roads and Bridges before and after the Royalton Raid
Transportation in 18th Century Vermont
At the time of the American Revolution, Vermont was not easily accessible. A few military roads and major waterways, such as the Connecticut River, Winooski River, and Lake Champlain, provided the best routes through the territory. In the early 18th century, small earthen roadways carried travelers by foot or horseback. Ox teams were used for hauling heavy or large loads overland, such as the Vermont granite used in the construction of the State Capitol. By the end of the 18th century, private individuals constructed several turnpikes, which greatly improved land transportation in the State, and enabled the establishment of stagecoach lines. Many sites were constructed during this period of slow growth when small communities were established close to waterways, with access to both water and land transportation routes. This settlement pattern was seen throughout the county during the 18th and early 19th centuries.
At the time of the American Revolution, Vermont was not easily accessible. A few military roads and major waterways, such as the Connecticut River, Winooski River, and Lake Champlain, provided the best routes through the territory. In the early 18th century, small earthen roadways carried travelers by foot or horseback. Ox teams were used for hauling heavy or large loads overland, such as the Vermont granite used in the construction of the State Capitol. By the end of the 18th century, private individuals constructed several turnpikes, which greatly improved land transportation in the State, and enabled the establishment of stagecoach lines. Many sites were constructed during this period of slow growth when small communities were established close to waterways, with access to both water and land transportation routes. This settlement pattern was seen throughout the county during the 18th and early 19th centuries.
Bridges in Colonial Connecticut
Rebuilding after the Royalton Raid
As the farmers of Connecticut moved up to Vermont they brought their ways of building and funding of infrastructure with them. Garner's father, Daniel Rix, was in charge of building the first three bridges in Royalton.
In the Colonial period, bridges were the responsibility of Connecticut's individual towns. Each year people at the town meeting elected several highway surveyors, who then took charge of the roads and bridges in particular sections of town. Money for construction and repairs came from the town's annual highway tax, levied on households according to how much land they owned. Residents who were short of cash could pay all or part of their highway tax by working on the roads, by providing the town with a team of oxen, or by furnishing timber for bridges.
Most of these early bridges were short spans built of wood. Except for stone slabs used to cross run-off ditches and other small streams, masonry bridges were too expensive. The timber bridges of the Colonial period, even when braced by simple truss forms such as the king-post truss, were limited to a length of about fifty feet. Wider streams had to be bridged by a series of spans resting on intermediate stone piers, and ferries provided the principal means of crossing the state's largest rivers, including the Connecticut, Housatonic, Naugatuck, and Thames.
Few towns planned ahead or took a broad view of their transportation requirements. Instead, bridge construction and maintenance responded to petitions from townspeople, and it was carried out at the lowest possible cost. Such localized, informal planning was appropriate for a society made up largely of farmers. Most people had to travel only to a few neighboring farms, to the gristmill, to the meetinghouse, and occasionally to a store. The system worked less well when many bridges had to be replaced or repaired at once, such as in 1795, when a spring flood washed out dozens of bridges in the Farmington Valley. The towns responded by doubling the highway tax, creating a hardship for many families.
In the Colonial period, bridges were the responsibility of Connecticut's individual towns. Each year people at the town meeting elected several highway surveyors, who then took charge of the roads and bridges in particular sections of town. Money for construction and repairs came from the town's annual highway tax, levied on households according to how much land they owned. Residents who were short of cash could pay all or part of their highway tax by working on the roads, by providing the town with a team of oxen, or by furnishing timber for bridges.Most of these early bridges were short spans built of wood. Except for stone slabs used to cross run-off ditches and other small streams, masonry bridges were too expensive. The timber bridges of the Colonial period, even when braced by simple truss forms such as the king-post truss, were limited to a length of about fifty feet. Wider streams had to be bridged by a series of spans resting on intermediate stone piers, and ferries provided the principal means of crossing the state's largest rivers, including the Connecticut, Housatonic, Naugatuck, and Thames.Few towns planned ahead or took a broad view of their transportation requirements. Instead, bridge construction and maintenance responded to petitions from townspeople, and it was carried out at the lowest possible cost. Such localized, informal planning was appropriate for a society made up largely of farmers. Most people had to travel only to a few neighboring farms, to the gristmill, to the meetinghouse, and occasionally to a store. The system worked less well when many bridges had to be replaced or repaired at once, such as in 1795, when a spring flood washed out dozens of bridges in the Farmington Valley. The towns responded by doubling the highway tax, creating a hardship for many families.
Garner Rix's Bridge and Mill
On my farm in Vermont you can still see the abutments to the bridge that Garner Rix built to connect his farm with the neighbor's. He later built a mill further upstream and convinced the town to move the road so that it went to his mill instead of r...-
The Three Billy Goats Gruff
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Learn about goats and the classic tale of the Three Billy Goats Gruff. Read both fiction and non-fiction, make graphs, build bridges and play lots of games. Make your own books, present plays and do craft projects. Build a bridge to learning...
Building Bridges
The Royalton Raid helped to build bridges.
Not only did Garner Rix probably help his father build the first bridges in Royalton, he also seems to have helped to build the bridges across cultures passing down ideas of tolerance and acceptance from his intimate association with the Mohawks and the Canadian French.
1. Read the book A House is a House for Me. How could you rewrite this book to make it about bridges?"
2. Make a Bridge Building Center with materials to build bridges. The two books that follow are great resources for bridge building projects. Let's Try It Out with Towers and Bridges is a good read aloud that you can use to do a demonstration of how bridges work. I read this book with the class, doing the activities discribed as an introduction to the Bridge Center. Put the View Master in or near the Bridge Center. Take pictures of finished bridges to make into a class book.
3. Compare these bridges with the tunnels built for the River Otter and Woodmouse Units.
Vermont at the Time the Rix Family moved up there
A Brief History of Early Royalton before, during and after the Royalton Raid
Chartered by the Province of New York
The town of Royalton is the only town in Windsor County to receive its charter from the Province of New York. On November 13, 1769 Royalton was chartered to residents of New York. The first permanent settlement was made in town during the year 1771, by the coming of Robert Havens and his family.
Daniel and Rebecca Rix brought their family up 8 years later in 1779. Probably Daniel had come up earlier to pick out a plot of land and to build a log cabin for the family to move into.
The Attack On Royalton
The major event in Royalton's history occurred during the Revolution when on October 16, 1780 was attacked by the British and Mohawks. Daniel Rix's cabin and barn were burned to the ground. Joseph was captured and released but Garner was captured and taken to Montreal.
The attack on Royalton caused a tremendous amount of destruction and the Legislature extended the time of payment of the "grant in fees" for a period of five years, and designated by name the persons to whom the extension should be made including Daniel Rix, 42y, Garner Rix, 14y and Joseph John Rix, 11y.
Chartered by the Vermont Legislature
On December 20, 1781, by an act of the Vermont Legislature, the town was granted and chartered. The petition for the charter lists the 61 petitioners who were the actual settlers who had acquired there land under New York. All of these petitioners listed were men and boys who had settled in Royalton. Garner was included in this list dispite the fact that he was only 14 years old at the time. Family Tradition says that this is because he survived the Raid. Some believe that land was given to the young men to keep them from moving further west as they gained majority. In any case, Garner stayed, and this property is still in the family.
The town of Royalton is the only town in Windsor County to receive its charter from the Province of New York. On November 13, 1769 Royalton was chartered to residents of New York. The first permanent settlement was made in town during the year 1771, by the coming of Robert Havens and his family.
Daniel and Rebecca Rix brought their family up 8 years later in 1779. Probably Daniel had come up earlier to pick out a plot of land and to build a log cabin for the family to move into.
The Attack On Royalton
The major event in Royalton's history occurred during the Revolution when on October 16, 1780 was attacked by the British and Mohawks. Daniel Rix's cabin and barn were burned to the ground. Joseph was captured and released but Garner was captured and taken to Montreal.
The attack on Royalton caused a tremendous amount of destruction and the Legislature extended the time of payment of the "grant in fees" for a period of five years, and designated by name the persons to whom the extension should be made including Daniel Rix, 42y, Garner Rix, 14y and Joseph John Rix, 11y.
Chartered by the Vermont Legislature
On December 20, 1781, by an act of the Vermont Legislature, the town was granted and chartered. The petition for the charter lists the 61 petitioners who were the actual settlers who had acquired there land under New York. All of these petitioners listed were men and boys who had settled in Royalton. Garner was included in this list dispite the fact that he was only 14 years old at the time. Family Tradition says that this is because he survived the Raid. Some believe that land was given to the young men to keep them from moving further west as they gained majority. In any case, Garner stayed, and this property is still in the family.
Everyday life in 1780
at the time of the Royalton Raid
What was life like for a Family in Royalton, Vt. in 1780?
About the time of the Royalton Raid
These books are great read alouds for classrooms or homeschooling families who want to learn about what life was like for the early pioneers. They describe everday chores, tools, recipes, harvesting and preserving foods. Making your own soap, shucking corn or chopping down a tree with an axe you can make history come alive. Though not all of these stories take place in 1780, the lives these people live depend on using only the materials they had at hand and their abilities to make everything from scratch.
The book The INDIAN CAPTIVE by Zadock Steele is a must read. It is an eyewitness accout of the events and includes Garner Rix in the narritive.
Read an Eyewitness Account of the Royalton Raid
Zadock Steele dramatically narrates the account of his imprisonment.
In 1780, a small group of British soldiers led a Mohawk raid on Royalton, Vermont, following which Steele and a number of others, including Garner Rix, were captured, taken to Canada, and held prisoner by the British.
Zadock Steele helped stage a daring escape - not knowing that the Revolutionary War was over.
Garner Rix, however, had been bought by a French Woman who mothered him until the war was over and then sent him home.
In 1780, a small group of British soldiers led a Mohawk raid on Royalton, Vermont, following which Steele and a number of others, including Garner Rix, were captured, taken to Canada, and held prisoner by the British.
Zadock Steele helped stage a daring escape - not knowing that the Revolutionary War was over.
Garner Rix, however, had been bought by a French Woman who mothered him until the war was over and then sent him home.
Books for Teachers
More Ideas for Teaching about the Royalton Raid
What was it like to grow up in colonial America? With Colonial Days: Discover the Past with Fun Projects, Games, Activities, and Recipes, today's students can experience colonial America through the lives -- and activities -- of yesterday's families!
Did you know, for example, that...
1. Potpourri means "the pot that rots"?
2. Colonists made black paint by roasting potatoes until they were black, grinding them into powder, and adding linseed oil?
3. Yeast is made up of microscopic fungi that feed off sugar and produce carbon dioxide, which is what causes bread to rise?
4. The game of lacrosse was invented by Native Americans?
5. Colonists needed more than a bushel of bayberries to make a single pair of candles?
6. Faraway objects look closer than usual when a storm is approaching?
In fact, Colonial Days: Discover the Past with Fun Projects, Games, Activities, and Recipes is so full of fascinating information and easily done authentic activities that home-school teachers can build an entire American history unit around it.
Classroom teachers of grades 3 and above will want to be sure to include this well-organized and well-written book in their library of resources!
Living in Vermont in 1780: Historical Fiction
Raids previous to the Royalton Raid
Clothing at the Time of the Royalton Raid
In 1780 people made not only all their own clothing but the cloth as well. Rebecca, Susana and the younger children probably spent much of each day spinning and weaving. Daniel and Garner killed deer, bear or other animals, cured their hides and turned them into leather.The actual practice of making homespun was uniquely suited to the day to day lives of colonial women. Although spinning was time consuming, it was easy to pick up and put down, allowing other chores to be completed. It was also easy and convenient for women to spin in their homes.
Diaries and journals of the eighteenth century tell us about weaving within the home, and the sharing of responsibilities for this arduous task. Fathers and sons felled trees and constructed looms, while mothers and daughters prepared the ground to plant flax seeds, which produced the fibers used in weaving.
Weaving: Ask parents to donate old cotton clothing, cut it into strips and weave it into floor mats. Look for more ideas at The Weaving Project
Clothing worn in 1780
How to make the clothing worn at the tiime of the Royalton Raid
Clothing worn in 1780
The clothing worn by the children in the upper photo. This is the way Garner and his brother and sisters probably dressed. His mother and father probably wore simpler versions.
The shirt was one of the most basic of all
garments for the 18th century man, and, like the woman's shift, was worn as both the garment closest to the skin as well as to sleep in.
The shift is the basic undergarment for all women. It was a longer version of the man's shirt. Often aprons were made of wool as wool was
more fireproof than any other fabric, and the
working class woman was around fires most of the
day. They were almost always tied with woven tape ties, which were either sewn to the narrow band to which the apron was pleated, or were run as a drawstring through a casing at the waist. The tape was long enough to wrap around the back and towards the front again. Then the tie was tied and usually tucked into the front of the apron, to prevent loose strings from catching fire or coming undone. Usually they were not made with self-fabric ties, which is how modern aprons are constructed..
The clothing worn by the children in the upper photo. This is the way Garner and his brother and sisters probably dressed. His mother and father probably wore simpler versions.
The shirt was one of the most basic of all
garments for the 18th century man, and, like the woman's shift, was worn as both the garment closest to the skin as well as to sleep in.
The shift is the basic undergarment for all women. It was a longer version of the man's shirt. Often aprons were made of wool as wool was
more fireproof than any other fabric, and the
working class woman was around fires most of the
day. They were almost always tied with woven tape ties, which were either sewn to the narrow band to which the apron was pleated, or were run as a drawstring through a casing at the waist. The tape was long enough to wrap around the back and towards the front again. Then the tie was tied and usually tucked into the front of the apron, to prevent loose strings from catching fire or coming undone. Usually they were not made with self-fabric ties, which is how modern aprons are constructed..
Classroom Activities about Colonial Life in 1780
Woodland Creatures
When the Rix family came to Vermont they found many Woodland Creatures living there.
Make a bulletin board of a woodland scene.
As you find out about the various animals that live there, draw a picture, cut it out and add it to the bulletin board.
Add labels to turn it into a Word Wall. (See Word Walls and Pointers for more Word Wall ideas.
There were wolves and bears in the forest. River Otters living along the rivers and bluebirds were beginning to live in the clearings. frogs could be heard croaking in the pools in the summer and mice tried to eat their grain in the fall.
Vermont's State Bird the Hermit Thrush is abundant throughout Vermont in the summer.
Woodchucks are abundant in Vermont.
Do you think that there were more or less woodchucks living on Garner Rix's farm after he clearing the land?
How did they affect life on Garner Rix's farm?
Learn more about Woodchucks.
Wildlife around the Rix Farm
There were many wild creatures on the land when Garner Rix began to clear it. Many of their ancestors are living there still. The woodchucks still live under the chicken coop, the bluebirds nest on the edge of the fields that Garner Rix cleared and the Gray Wolves are hoping to make a comeback.
Clearing the Forest
Social Studies: Understanding Other Cultures
Garner and his father, Daniel, used an ax and crow bar to chop down trees and pull out the stumps. It was hard work but working together makes light work of any job.
1.Make axes from aluminum foil. Set out trees and logs to act out clearing the forest.
2.Go outside and use a toothpick to dig up small bushes or grass. Look at the roots. Dig up a patch of grass, take out all the roots and plant a garden. Look for insects and worms.
3. Do experiments with a plant's need for light and loose soil and think about how this effected Garner and Daniel's need to clear the forest.
4. Stack the wood for fall. How much wood would they have to cut and stack to make it through a year? Use pruning shears to cut small branches into 1 inch logs for Garner Rix's Doll House.
5. Find large leaves outside. Press them with wax paper. Use these for Math mats. Find maple keys or acorns for the math counters.
6. Add sawdust and wood shavings to the rice table.
7. Collect rocks or buy some river rocks and make stone walls.
Clearing the Forest and building a stone wall.
A dry-stone wall is a wall that is constructed from stones without any mortar to bind them together. As with other dry stone structures, the wall is held up by the interlocking of the stones. Such walls are used both in building construction and as field boundaries.
The stone walls that Garner Rix built so long ago can still be seen on his farm to this day.
1. Put out some river rocks or stones that you have collected and try building a stone wall.
2. Use the stones for counting.
3. Play hopscotch with the rocks.
18th Century Agriculture in Vermont
Agriculture in Vermont played a dominant role in the State's development. The region's first New England/European settlers were primarily farmers, cultivating only that which they and their immediate community required. Sparse settlements were established in the southern half of the state in the mid 1700s, but more permanent settlements and cultivation of the land for export were not measurable until after the Revolutionary War.
To learn about making Maple Syrup see my Waffles lens.
Making Maple Syrup in the 18th Century
As Garner Rix cleared his land he made sure to keep the most valuable trees. There were Butternuts near the river, Oaks by the brook but the most valuable were the Sugar Maples.
He made wooden buckets on the farm and whittled taps by the fire in the winter. Early Spring was Sugaring Season when Garner and his family made all the sugar for the entire year.
Planting the Apple Orchard
Colonists like Daniel Rix brought many apple seeds with them to their new land and planted their apple orchards right away. The apple trees are still there. They are old but apple blossoms in the spring and apples in the fall still grow on them.
With little care in many years the apples are wormy but by carefully cutting out the bad spots you can make some delicious apple sauce.
Read the poem The Planting of the Apple Tree by William Cullen Bryant.
Garner Rix's Barn
Woodchucks that are the descendents of the ones Garner Rix found when he arrived in Royalton still live under his barn.
Farm Animals
On Garner Rix's farm Merino sheep where raised and during the Civil War Morgan horses were raised and sold to the Union Army.
Garner Rix's Forge
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Set up the Forge with a toaster oven, hot mitts, and fimo dough. Have books about making things from metal and shoeing horses. Give each child working at the forge a small piece of fimo dough to work with. After each piece has been baked they can paint it. Once dry these tools can be used with Garner Rix's Barn.
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Garner Rix's Tool Shed
Garner Rix and his father probably would have made all their own tools. They would have been carved from wood or forged from metal. They made their own wooden buckets as well as many items for the kitchen.
In the rafters of the woodshed I have found wooden cheese forms that they may have made and many, many barrel staves.
Vermont Log Cabin built in about 1783
Daniel Rix's cabin, built before the raid probably looked simular to these cabins which were built around 1780 in Vermont.
Grand Isle is the home of the Hyde Log Cabin, an original structure built circa 1783, by one of the islands pioneer settlers, Capt. Jedediah Hyde. A fascinating building to see, this cabin is one of the oldest in the United States. It consists of one large room- 20'x25', with an overhead loft and a huge fireplace at one end.
Garner Rix Doll House
Now you can pretend to be Rebecca Rix working in the Cabin built by Daniel Rix.
Handmade Wooden Toys
Made in the USA
These toys are handmade by an Amish Co-op from sustainable hardwood. They are heirloom quality; created to last many generations that support both Montessori & Waldorf philosophies.
Cherry & Walnut Wood Drying Stand
Amazon Price: $26.99 (as of 10/13/2008)
Vermont Farmhouse
Vermont FarmhouseThis Vermont 'Cape Cod Style' Farmhouse was designed along strict historic lines and built from mostly antique materials including two antique houses and an antique barn frame, lighting and hardware, doors, flooring, and wall paneling.This is the type of house that Daniel and then Garner built after their log cabin was burned during the Royalton Raid. Garner's grandson, Garner Rix Dewey also built this type of house where their descendants live to this day.
Vermont Bedchamber 1782 Notice the low windows, the woodwork covering the corner beams, and the wide wood floors. Women's Work
Daniel and Rebecca may have brought some things with them but it is likely that Daniel would have had to make alot of the things that they could not fit in such as wooden bowls and spoons. It was the woman's job to wash the dishes and prepare the meals.
The Patriots Drink, 1773
Though coffee was brought to "the New World" in the mid-1600s, tea was the favored drink there until 1773, when colonists revolted against a high tax on tea imposed by King George. The Boston Tea Party converted America to a coffee-loyal nation.
EIGHTEENTH CENTURY EARTHENWARE TEA & COFFEE POTS IN NORTHAMPTON MUSEUM.
Amazon Price: (as of 10/13/2008)
Making Soap
Making Soap
Laundry equipment included iron kettles or metal tubs to heat water, a washboard and wooden or metal tubs for washing and rinsing clothes. The iron kettle was also used for making soap.
Susanna and Rebecca had to save up the fat from an entire year to make soap. Garner and Daniel would have leached out the lye from hardwood ashes but it was the woman's job to make the soap.
Betsey Rix Teaches her Daughters About Soap
Betsey Rix probably understood how and why soap worked. She understood that water alone did not clean well. She knew that you could leach acid from wood ashes to make lye, mix it with animal fat and make soap. She passed that recipe down to my Great Aunts and a few bars of their soap still exist. I remember washing dishes with my grandmother using that handmade soap.
Experiments With Soap explains how and why soap works and then explains how to do various experiments in order to better understand the explanations.
Experiments With Soap (True Books)
Amazon Price: $6.95 (as of 10/13/2008)
Board Games
Garner, Susanna and the other children would not have had any board games. They had to make up their own games. As you play these games remember that you can make up new rules as long as everyone agrees. Soon you will have made up totally new games just like Garner and Susanna must have done.
You can find lots more ideas for making games at Fun Educational Games.
Write a Letter to Garner Rix
Trains replaced stagecoaches for mail delivery in Vermont by the mid 1800s. Rail service made delivering the mail quicker and cheaper. Through mail or telegrams, Vermonters kept in touch with their relatives who had left to serve in the Civil War or make their way out west. We know of at least 10 post offices in Vermont that operated in the train depot. In these instances, the postmaster often did triple duty, serving also as the station agent and telegraph agent.
- Write a Letter to Your Ancestors
- Click on the link to explore some examples of Vermont letters. Then write a letter to your ancestors in the guestbook. How would you describe yourself? What news would you share with them? Where do you think they lived?
The Writing Process
IlluStory Make Your Own Story Kit
What's up with the "IlluStory Make Your Own Story Kit" and why so many people are talking about it?
Garner Rix did not leave a diary but he told stories by the fire to his children and grandchildren who have kept his story alive. As you learn more and more about this period in history and imagine the life and times of Garner Rix you will be ready to write your own story.
Garner Rix did not leave a diary but he told stories by the fire to his children and grandchildren who have kept his story alive. As you learn more and more about this period in history and imagine the life and times of Garner Rix you will be ready to write your own story.
Did Garner Rix send Valentine's Day Cards?
In Great Britain, Valentine's Day began to be popularly celebrated around the seventeenth century. By the middle of the eighteenth century, it was common for friends and lovers in all social classes to exchange small tokens of affection or handwritten notes. By the end of the century, printed cards began to replace written letters due to improvements in printing technology. Ready-made cards were an easy way for people to express their emotions in a time when direct expression of one's feelings was discouraged.
Cheaper postage rates also contributed to an increase in the popularity of sending Valentine's Day greetings. Americans probably began exchanging hand-made valentines in the early 1700's. In the 1840's Esther A. Howland began to sell the first mass-produced valentines in America.
One description of Valentine's Day during the 1700's tells how groups of friends met to draw names. For several days, each man wore his valentine's name on his sleeve. The saying wearing his heart on his sleeve probably came from this practice.
The custom of sending romantic messages gradually replaced that of giving gifts. In the 1700's and 1800's, many stores sold handbooks called valentine writers. These books included verses to copy and various suggestions about writing valentines.
We don't know if Garner Rix sent valentines or wore one on his sleeve but he may have.
Math Manipulatives in Garner Rix's Time
Tree Blocks Math Kit - 67 pieces
Made like the classic Tree Blocks with additional sizes, chosen to facilitate learning the metric system and math concepts. Lessons include measuring, comparing, the four basic operations (+-x/), fractions, decimals, and base 10 numbers. The wide variety of unlabeled blocks encourages children to compare blocks physically, not just visually. These simple materials allow children to grasp all mathematical principals up to the level of algebra. Children can play with them like ordinary blocks, and thus are engaged instead of threatened. Children stack the blocks next to other objects imitating Greek and Egyptian methods of measurement, and achieve a tactile understanding of the metric system. Arithmetic principles are firmly established by hands on work and observation. A valuable tool for children from 3 to 14 years old. Set includes a beautiful log ruler and stand and 66 Tree Blocks 24-1cm, 12-2cm, 8-3cm,6-4cm,5-5cm,4-6cm,3-8cm,2-10cm and 2-12cm. Lesson booklet. Cotton twill sack.
Amazon Price: (as of 10/13/2008)
Schoolyard Games
Describes the outdoor games children in colonial times played throughout the year, including "tiger in the corner," hopscotch, and tobogganing, as well as games involving marbles, spinning tops, and hoops.This would be a great way to add physical exercise while keeping with the 1780's Theme.
Schoolyard Games (Historic Communities)
Amazon Price: $7.95 (as of 10/13/2008)
Garner Rix and the Royalton Raid
Garner Rix and the Royalton Raid October 16, 1780 was going to be a busy day for the pioneers of the Royalton, a small settlement in New Connecticut. (Later to be called Vermont). They were getting their fires going for making bread, stirring the stew pot and tending to small children. Older girls were weaving. Boys were already in the fields hoeing the weeds between the stumps or cutting more trees to expand the fields.
A group of Mohawks were eager to bravely attack the group in exchange for the goods offered by the British which would fill out the supplies they needed to make it through the winter. They wondered what exciting loot they could bring home to their families waiting at home in their lodges.
The British officers were putting their heads together, finalizing their plans in anticipation of subduing the rebellion of the colonists. They polished their boots, saddled their horses and mounted up to lead the raid.
The Vermont Historical Society tells us that the
The Royalton Raid took place on October 16, 1780 when a British regiment and nearly 300 Mohawk Indians attack scattered Vermont homesteads on the White River. They terrorize settlers, killing four men, slaughtering livestock, and burning houses and barns. Twenty-seven people are captured and taken to Canada. This incident became known as the Royalton Raid because of the extensive damage done to that town."
The clash of Cultures
Mohawk or Kahniankehaka (Ganiengehaka) "people of the flint." Spoken of within the League as the "keepers of the eastern door."
Learn more about the British 
Learn more about the story of Molly Ockett, an Abenaki Indian October 16, 1780: The Setting...
October 16, 1780 was susposed to be a busy day for the pioneers of Royalton who had built their log cabins along the banks of the White River in what would some day be Vermont. They were getting their fires going for making bread, stirring the stew pot and tending to small children. Older girls were weaving. Boys were already in the fields hoeing the weeds between the stumps or helping their fathers cut trees to expand the fields.
A group of young Mohawk braves were eager to attack the group in exchange for the loot promised by the British. Whatever they found they would share with family members at home in their lodges and the raid would prove their bravery to the rest of their tribe.
The British officers were putting their heads together, finalizing their plans in anticipation of subduing the rebellion of the colonists. They polished their boots, saddled their horses and mounted up to lead the raid...
Garner was captured
When the Mohawks and British arrived at the Daniel Rix homestead, Daniel was in Connecticut.
Garner, age 13, and his younger brother, Joseph, were in the field. Their mother was at the house with the younger children including baby Jerusha who was just two months old.
Rebecca climbed on the horse with all the younger children and using her neck scarf as a bridle was able to escape.
Susana, 16, and young Rebecca hid in the woods with their neighbors, Mr. and Mrs. Kent. With only one horse it was impossible for all the children to ride so Garner, 13, had to try to run but he was soon caught.
The settlers knew that it was the men and boys that would be captured. When Dan, 5, saw the old white horse led up to the house he thought they were going to meeting, so he clapped his hands and exclaimed,"Oh, Goody. Danny dot on his meetin' toat. Danny doin' to ride on old Whitey's back."
Mrs. Rix ordered Garner to hide and take the Bible with him.
He hid it in a hollow log and it was the only thing saved from the old house except the clothes on their backs.
Garner ran as fast as he could but were soon caught.
Garner had a small club and tried to fight them off.
The Mohawks rounded up all of their captives and were about to head out when Mrs. Hendee crossed the river and pleaded for them to leave the younger children.
When she tried to rescue Garner the Mohawk say "No, no. There's alot of fight in that boy. He'll make a brave warrior." Garner had to go with them.
Joseph, 10, was snatched from the arms of his agonized mother who was forced to ride on with only three of her seven children, not knowing what would become of the others.
In all likelyhood they probably would have taken her horse from her had it been a young and valuable one.
That was how Joseph was released.
Raids
The Royalton Raid was a British-led Indian raid in 1780 against various towns along the White River Valley, Vermont, and was part of the American Revolutionary War. It was the last major Indian raid in New England.
In the early morning hours of October 16, 1780, Lieutenant Houghton of the British Army's 53rd Regiment of Foot and a single Grenadier, along with 300 Mohawk warriors from the Kahnawake Reserve in Quebec, Canada, attacked and burned the towns of Royalton, Sharon and Tunbridge along the White River in eastern Vermont. This raid was launched in conjunction with other raids led by Major Christopher Carleton of the 29th Regiment of Foot along the shores of Lake Champlain and Lake George and Sir John Johnson of the King's Royal Regiment of New York in the Mohawk River valley, to attempt to drive the Americans out of the frontier areas and to burn anything of military value that might be used by the Continental Army if they decided to attack Montreal or Quebec City again. Four American settlers were killed and twenty six were taken prisoner to Canada.By the time the local militia could assemble, Houghton and his command were already on their way back north to Canada. The militia caught up with the raiders near Randolph, Vermont, and a few volleys were fired back and forth, but when Houghton said that the remaining captives might be killed by the Mohawks if fighting continued, the local militia let the raiders slip away.
The Hannah Handy monument, on the South Royalton town green, is a granite arch honoring a young mother who lost her young son in the raid, crossed the river, and successfully begged for the return of several children.
References
The Burning of the Valleys, Gavin K. Watt, Dundurn Press 1997
The British Army in North America 1775-1783, Robin May and Gerry Embleton, Osprey Men-at-Arms Series # 39 1997
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Royalton Raid
Story: The Royalton Raid by Sarah Rooker, Walt Garner
In October 1780, 300 Native Americans led by a British officer swept through Royalton,Tunbridge and Sharon, leaving devastation in their wake.This was not the first in the region. New England's frontier settlements had been under continuous threat of raids throughout the eighteenth-century as the Native populations became both caught up in Euro-American politics and struggled to adapt to encroaching settlements. In 1780 Barnard settlers built a small stockade fort after a party of Native Americans had captured
Thomas Wright, John Newton, and Prince Haskell and carried them to Canada. This change in fortification left Royalton without protection.
Before daybreak, on October 16, the raiding party moved toward the settled area of Tunbridge, capturing John Hutchinson and his brother Abijah. After raiding the house, they crossed the first branch of White River and took the home of Robert Havens of Royalton which they made a post of observation. From there they moved to the mouth of White river branch and dispatched small parties in different directions, killing some settlers and taking others prisoner, mainly young men. One group went down the east side of the river to Sharon, capturing Nathaniel Gilbert. On their return, they burned every building in sight, destroyed crops, and killed livestock. One hero of the day, Phineas Parkhurst rode while wounded sixteen miles to Lebanon, NH, to spread the alarm. In the end, 4 settlers were killed and 26 prisoners were marched to Canada where they were sold to the British as prisoners of war. Most of the prisoners were redeemed or exchange the following summer. One prisoner, Zadock Steele, remained in captivity for two years after which he escaped. Zadock Steele and fellow prisoner, Abijah Hutchinson, both wrote memoirs of the raid.
These accounts of the raid yield subtle differences as each author
remembered the event and yet they offer the same point of view. How would the story change if we could read an account written by the British or the Kahnawake?
The British Perspective
There are three books in the trilogy, (I) A Time of Terror, (II)So It Was Written and (III) Brothers in Arms. My intention was to add some historical background to my genealogical research. I was not disappointed on this expectation. In fact, I have gained a wonderful set of storybooks that are filled with beautifully written recaps of historical events in the Central New York area from the early 1700's through to the mid 1800's. The soldiers, the town folk, the English, immigration records and events, military recordings, individual tribulations and even a recap of important buildings and their role in history are amply covered in these three books. I am looking forward to visiting the Mohawk Valley and appreciating the trip so much more! I am thrilled with my three books and I cannot put them down! What a wonderful writer! -Susan D. Moran
A Time of Terror: The Story of Colonel Jacob Klock's Regiment And The People They Protected, 1774-1783
Amazon Price: $30.16 (as of 10/13/2008)
Traveling with the Mohawks to Montreal
Garner traveled with the Mohawks across the Green Mountains and up to Montreal. He may have traveled in a birch bark canoe or he might have walked the whole way.
Though he was certainly scared, they did not harm him but fed him, clothed him and probably taught him a little about their culture.
These Iroquois moccasins were made for a child in the mid-19th century.Before beads were available in North America, the Kanien'kehá:ka decorated their moccasins with porcupine quills dipped in vegetable dyes.
The soles of the moccasins were made from Woodchuck Hide.
When beads appeared with the arrival of Europeans in the 16th century, it did not take the Iroquois long to incorporate them into their spiritual and decorative traditions.
Garner was given moccasins and buckskins to wear and wore these when he returned.
One of his moccasins is now owned by the Eddy's of Royalton.
They may have traveled some of the way in birch bark canoes.
The Iroquois were farming people.
Iroquois women did most of the farming, planting crops of corn, beans, and squash and harvesting wild berries and herbs.
Iroquois men did most of the hunting, shooting deer and elk and fishing in the rivers.
Iroquois Indian dishes included cornbread, soups, and stews cooked on stone hearths.These are all foods that Garner must have been familiar with.
Mohawks in Vermont
At the left is an Iroquois council fire within a longhouse, in a 19th century rendition, displaying the rough interior, central fire, and tree supports for the roof. The Mohawks were members of the Iroquois Confederacy.
Mohawks in Vermont
The game that we know as Lacrosse began with the Iroquois nation. It is played with sticks that have a net on one end, and a small ball. The ball is never touched with the hands. French fur traders in the area named the game because the curved sticks were called "crosse" in the French language.
Mohawk Tribal History
Mohawk Indians
Mohawks in Vermont
The game that we know as Lacrosse began with the Iroquois nation. It is played with sticks that have a net on one end, and a small ball. The ball is never touched with the hands. French fur traders in the area named the game because the curved sticks were called "crosse" in the French language.
Mohawk Tribal History
Mohawk Indians
