GENERAL JOHN STRONG'S STORY
John Strong, son of Noah and Deborah Strong, first came to Vermont from Salisbury, Connecticut, at the age of 27 in 1765 and, with the help of his companions, built a cabin in what is now the town of Addison. The foundation of this cabin can still be seen at the DAR State Park. In February 1766, John moved his wife, Agnes, and three small children, Asa, Samuel and Polly, to the new settlement in Addison. In a sleigh drawn by two mares, piled high with household belongings, the family started the journey toward their new home in the wilderness. By traveling in winter they could take advantage of the excellent “highway” on the ice of Lake George and Lake Champlain. John Jr. was born four months after this arduous trip and was the first English child born in Addison. The family lived in the cabin on the shore of Lake Champlain for twelve years. There they encountered the hardships common to pioneers – wild animals, harsh weather, illnesses and unfriendly Indians.
On August 6, 1776 John, now 38, enlisted in the Army to fight the Revolutionary War; he served as private and commissary. On October 10, 1776 he received a commission as Captain in Colonel Ira Allen’s Regiment.
Back at home, in June 1777, Mrs. Strong and the other settlers were warned that a large band of Indian and Tory forces under General John Burgoyne, was coming to destroy the settlement. Agnes, quite frail a few weeks after her son Cyrus’ birth, didn’t feel she could make it to the lake so she put Cyrus into a sack and fastened him to 13 year-old Polly’s back. She gave each of her six younger children a bundle of clothes and sent them to the Point telling them not to wait for her. She tried to follow but was so exhausted that she sat down to rest. A neighbor passing by saw her and brought her to the Point where she was able to join her children in the safety of the “bateaux” which carried them to Whitehall (Skenesborough), New York. She and other neighbors then traveled east, toward Dorset, Vermont.
On August 6, 1776 John, now 38, enlisted in the Army to fight the Revolutionary War; he served as private and commissary. On October 10, 1776 he received a commission as Captain in Colonel Ira Allen’s Regiment.
Back at home, in June 1777, Mrs. Strong and the other settlers were warned that a large band of Indian and Tory forces under General John Burgoyne, was coming to destroy the settlement. Agnes, quite frail a few weeks after her son Cyrus’ birth, didn’t feel she could make it to the lake so she put Cyrus into a sack and fastened him to 13 year-old Polly’s back. She gave each of her six younger children a bundle of clothes and sent them to the Point telling them not to wait for her. She tried to follow but was so exhausted that she sat down to rest. A neighbor passing by saw her and brought her to the Point where she was able to join her children in the safety of the “bateaux” which carried them to Whitehall (Skenesborough), New York. She and other neighbors then traveled east, toward Dorset, Vermont.
Samuel Strong, 2nd son of John Strong
1762-1832
The two oldest Strong sons, Asa and Samuel, upon returning that evening, saw the burned remains of the settlement. Following the family’s steps, they traveled on foot until they found their mother and siblings a week later in Dorset.
Meanwhile, hearing that Crown Point had been taken, John Strong hastened home, only to find the charred remains of the settlement. That night, John was captured by a party of British and Indians, but was later paroled by General Fraser. Believing his family was still alive, he returned to Connecticut in hopes that they had returned there. After months of desperate search, the family was reunited when, by chance, John stopped by a Dorset log house where his wife and children were staying.
The family remained in Dorset until the end of the war. John represented Dorset in the Legislature from 1779 to 1782 and was elected Assistant Judge for Bennington County in 1781.
After the family returned to Addison, John continued to be active in the governance of the region and the independent republic of Vermont. He was elected to the Legislature from Addison in 1784, 1785 and 1786 and as the first Judge of Court in Addison County in 1785, when the county stretched up to the Canadian border.
From 1786 to 1801 he served as Judge of Probate and a member of the Council. He was a member of the Council in 1787 that worked on revising and re-enacting the state constitution of 1786. John was also a member of the 1791 Convention that adopted the Constitution of the United States and approved admission of Vermont to the Union as the 14th State.
By 1795, John’s prosperity allowed for the construction of a substantial and distinctive brick home, reflecting his stature in the community. The elegance of John’s Federal style mansion illustrates the rapid economic shift that took place in the region from the time that he built his austere cabin. In 1801 John resigned all his offices. He was then 63 years of age; he died in 1816 at age 78.
Meanwhile, hearing that Crown Point had been taken, John Strong hastened home, only to find the charred remains of the settlement. That night, John was captured by a party of British and Indians, but was later paroled by General Fraser. Believing his family was still alive, he returned to Connecticut in hopes that they had returned there. After months of desperate search, the family was reunited when, by chance, John stopped by a Dorset log house where his wife and children were staying.
The family remained in Dorset until the end of the war. John represented Dorset in the Legislature from 1779 to 1782 and was elected Assistant Judge for Bennington County in 1781.
After the family returned to Addison, John continued to be active in the governance of the region and the independent republic of Vermont. He was elected to the Legislature from Addison in 1784, 1785 and 1786 and as the first Judge of Court in Addison County in 1785, when the county stretched up to the Canadian border.
From 1786 to 1801 he served as Judge of Probate and a member of the Council. He was a member of the Council in 1787 that worked on revising and re-enacting the state constitution of 1786. John was also a member of the 1791 Convention that adopted the Constitution of the United States and approved admission of Vermont to the Union as the 14th State.
By 1795, John’s prosperity allowed for the construction of a substantial and distinctive brick home, reflecting his stature in the community. The elegance of John’s Federal style mansion illustrates the rapid economic shift that took place in the region from the time that he built his austere cabin. In 1801 John resigned all his offices. He was then 63 years of age; he died in 1816 at age 78.