“The majority of people throughout history have been common people whose stories have not been highlighted,” researcher Angie Grove said.

By Kyle Neece

This summer marked the 250th anniversary of the United States, and many Vermont towns and cities celebrated residents who played important roles in the fight for independence.

But there are many other notable Vermonters who lived in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Their names may be lesser known, but their stories reveal the realities of life at the time.  

Charles Bowles, founder of the first Baptist Church in Huntington 

Charles Bowles was born in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1761. His father was an African servant, and his mother was the daughter of Revolutionary War hero Col. Morgan, according to a biography by John W. Lewis. At the age of 12, Bowles became a servant in a loyalist household.

When the Revolutionary War kicked off, Bowles joined the colonial army as a waiter. In 1776, Bowles served in a New Hampshire regiment as a private. After the war, in 1779, Bowles was honorably discharged in Newburgh, New York. Shortly after, he moved to Warren, New Hampshire, and began preaching in nearby communities. 

A few years later, Bowles moved to Vermont, where he continued preaching.

Author and historian Elise Guyette researched and wrote about Bowles for her book “Discovering Black Vermont.” 

“This was during the Second Great Awakening, which is a very important movement in our country,” said Guyette, referring to a major religious revival around the turn of the 19th century. “But usually you don’t read about people like Charles Bowles, even though he was a very important part of it.”

Bowles lived in Huntington, where he was a successful preacher with a congregation of about 60 people, according to Guyette’s research. He also preached across central and northern Vermont and upstate New York. He founded Free Will Baptist churches in Huntington, Hinesburg, Shelburne and Duxbury. 

“He held huge revivals all over the state, and hardly anybody remembers this man,” Guyette said. 

Bowles eventually moved to Malone, New York, where he purchased small farmland and settled down with his daughter, Eunice. He died on March 16, 1843, at age 81. 

The church Bowles built in Huntington still stands today. The building became the town hall, then the first volunteer fire department. According to Guyette, the town has been working to preserve the building.

Joseph Susap, Indigenous Revolutionary War veteran 

Joseph Susap was born circa 1739 in Louisbourg on Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia, a member of the Mi’kmaq people. When Joe was only 6 years old, the British sieged Louisbourg and killed his family, according to Jill Mudgett, an independent historian who has researched Susap’s life.

Susap, along with other Indigenous people, fled to Odanak, Quebec, where he was taken in by a group of Abenaki. This is where Susap grew up and met Molly, an Abenaki woman with two sons, whom he would eventually marry.

However, trouble followed Susap as he escaped death a second time. In 1759, British Army Officer Robert Rogers and his rangers attacked the Odanak village. Susap and Molly fled south and lived in a variety of places ranging from Derby at the northern Vermont border down to Cabot, Morristown and as far south as Newbury. 

When the Revolutionary War started in 1775, Susap enlisted to fight for America.

“He had strong opinions about the British,” Mudgett said. 

Susap served as a scout for Gen. Jacob Bayley and helped map out the Bayley-Hazen Road, which was ordered by George Washington to connect the Connecticut River Valley with Canada. 

After the war, Susap traveled far and wide within northern Vermont. He had a reputation for being kind to settlers and was known as “Indian Joe.” 

In one story, Susap shared moose meat with a family before feeding himself. In another, he killed a catamount to protect a group of settlers. Mudgett says that Susap’s friendly actions left a complex legacy. 

“He unintentionally and culturally gave the sense that (settlers) have the go-ahead to colonize due to his friendly nature,” Mudgett said. “It’s not so much that he is literally doing that, but he is symbolically used to do this. The settlers used his actions as one guy as a stand-in for Indigenous people.” 

As he grew older, Susap was taken care of by a group of Vermonters. He died in 1819 and is buried in Oxbow Cemetery in Newbury. 

Joe’s Pond, which straddles Caledonia and Washington counties, is named after Susap.

According to Mudgett, Joe’s story has persisted with Vermonters because of his “friendly” attitude towards white settlers. But she says that Susap’s tale is a reminder that other Indigenous peoples’ stories are not as popular. 

“The communities that claim him as their own have always historically embraced him because he’s Joe the ‘friendly Indian,’” Mudgett said. “And if it’s more complicated than that, then these stories get erased.” 

Martha Powell, a woman on the frontier 

Martha Winslow Powell was born in 1724 in Gloucester, Massachusetts. In 1748, at age 24, she married John Felix Powell. Shortly after their marriage, they had their first child, who died as an infant. In 1761, she gave birth to a son, Felix Powell Jr. 

In 1768, the family moved to Dorset, Vermont, where Felix Powell is credited as the first settler; Martha Powell was left unmentioned in the land deeds, according to Angie Grove, executive director of the Ethan Allen Homestead, who has researched Martha Powell’s life. 

In 1770, the Powells moved to Pittsford, where Martha Powell gave birth to a second daughter, only for her to die as an infant as well. 

Martha Powell’s life “reflects the hardships, displacement and active contributions of working-class women who helped settle the frontier and establish the state of Vermont during the Revolutionary period,” Grove said during a panel discussion in April.  

The Powells eventually settled in Burlington, where the family purchased property in 1774. Martha Powell helped with her husband’s trade activities, managed household financial accounts and spending, and performed various tasks like cleaning, cooking and maintaining gardens. 

When the American Revolution began, both Felix Powell Sr. and Felix Powell Jr. left to serve in the war. In September 1777, forces aligned with the British attacked and burned down the Powells’ home during a raid. 

“The American Revolution was experienced by everybody. It was not just soldiers on battlefields; the chaos, fear, and drama were experienced by everyone on every piece of land. People’s experiences differed vastly and were heavily influenced by their demographics and personal relationships,” Grove said. 

According to Grove, Martha Powell, who was pregnant at the time, escaped into the surrounding woods. While she was hiding from the raid, Powell went into labor and delivered her baby alone in the forest. This baby, too, didn’t survive. 

Martha Powell did not live to see the conclusion of the war, as she died sometime between 1777 and 1780 in her early to mid 50s. In October 1780, her father authored a revised will leaving portions of his estate to his surviving daughters and “to my grandchildren born of Martha Powell, deceased.” 

Grove says that researching stories like Powell’s takes a lot of time and resources but that the histories of everyday people are essential. 

“The majority of people throughout history have been common people whose stories have not been highlighted,” she said. “Most people today would relate more to these untold stories than to the political leaders whose stories are commonly told.” 

Via Community News Service, a University of Vermont journalism internship