John Pettes

John Pettes was born in Amherst, Massachusetts^[1] on March 17, 1793,^[2] a son of Joseph Pettes (1757-1811) and Charlotte (Wales) Pettes (1761-1849).^[3] Joseph Pettes moved his family to Windsor, Vermont in 1800,^[1] where he operated a coffee house and hotel.^[4] After his death, Charlotte Pettes took over management of the business, which she operated until the early 1840s.^[3]

After the Pettes family's move to Vermont, John Pettes was educated in the schools of Windsor, then became the operator of a general store in Windsor, which he owned in partnership with his brother Frederick.^[4] Pettes also became active in the Vermont Militia; in 1820, he was first lieutenant of the Jefferson Artillery, a Windsor battery commanded by Allen Wardner with the rank of captain.^[5] Pettes advanced through the militia's officer grades to become a major in a Windsor-area unit, and afterwards was frequently addressed by his rank.^[1]

Among the other ventures Pettes pursued in addition to the store were an ownership stake in the Cornish–Windsor Covered Bridge,^[6] a wool brokerage partnership,^[7] real estate sales,^[8] serving on the board of directors of the Bank of Woodstock,^[9] importing and reselling foreign goods transported to Vermont via steamboat on the Connecticut River,^[10] an interest in a fire insurance company,^[11] and owning and managing a family farm.^[12] In 1833, he was one of the incorporators of the Ascutney Mill Dam Company.^[13] In 1845, he was an original incorporator of the Vermont Railroad Iron Company, which manufactured rails and other railroad train and track components.^[14]

In June 1842, the family of John Pettes was reported on in newspapers throughout the United States in connection with a murder that took place on the Pettes farm.^{[15][16][17][18]} According to contemporary newspaper accounts, a crew of laborers including several of Pettes's sons and a man named Peter McCue were working on the farm.^[15] The group included Pettes's son Frederick Dudley Pettes, who was about 11 years old, and a local African American boy, Homer Cooper, who was four.^[15] As the adults left the field where they had been working, McCue told the group he was going to return and provide additional assistance to the boys.^[15] Instead, he attacked them with two hoes.^[15] Both boys were severely injured, but Frederick Pettes was able to run for help.^[15] McCue fled by attempting to swim to the New Hampshire side of the Connecticut River,^[15] but drowned before he reached the shore.^[19] Cooper later died as the result of his injuries.^[15] Frederick Pettes recovered, served as Deputy U.S. Marshal for Vermont during his father's term as Marshal, and later owned and operated the family farm.^[20]

A Whig, Pettes was active in Vermont's politics and government.^[21][22] He served as Sheriff of Windsor County from 1837 to 1839.^[23] In 1849, he was appointed United States Marshal for the District of Vermont, succeeding Jacob Kent Jr.^[24] He served until 1853, and was succeeded by Charles Chapin.^[25]

For many years, Pettes suffered from a tumor which started near a place on his neck where he had been injured after he was thrown from a horse and impaled on a fence.^[1] The tumor negatively affected his breathing and disfigured his face, and in his later life Pettes became a near-recluse as a result.^[1] In 1867, his hip and leg were broken when the horse he was attempting to bridle knocked him down, after which he was confined to his bedroom.^[1][26]

Pettes died in Windsor on March 24, 1868.^[1] He was buried at Old South Cemetery in Windsor.^[2]

In 1820, Pettes married Lucy Richards (1799-1849) of Dorchester, Massachusetts.^[2][27][28] They were the parents of seven children who lived to adulthood:^[1]

• William R. (1821-1881)^[29][30]
• Mary E. (1823-1841)^[31]
• John Jr. (1825-1866)^[32]
• Edward C. (1829-1877)^[33][34]
• Frederick D. (1831-1907)^[35]
• Robert T. (1833-1867)^[36]
• Lucy E. (1834-1911)^[37]

• Green, Isaac (December 16, 1816). "Meeting Notice, the Proprietors of Cornish Bridge". Vermont Journal. Windsor, VT – via Newspapers.com.
• Phelps, Francis E. (January 2, 1826). "Notice of Incorporation, Ascutney Fire Insurance Company". Vermont Republican & American Yeoman. Windsor, VT – via Newspapers.com.
• "Wool Purchase Notice, Thomas Emerson, Fred. Pettes, John Pettes". American Whig. Woodstock, VT. June 6, 1831 – via Newspapers.com.
• "Directors of the Bank of Woodstock for the Year Ensuing". Vermont Republican & Journal. Woodstock, VT. January 19, 1833 – via Newspapers.com.
• Pettes, John (December 12, 1834). "Notice: Farm for Sale". Vermont Courier. Woodstock, VT – via Newspapers.com.
• "Whig State Convention (1839)". Vergennes Vermonter. Vergennes, VT. July 3, 1839 – via Newspapers.com.
• "Death Notice, Mary Elizabeth Pettes". The North Star. Danville, VT. August 5, 1841 – via Newspapers.com.
• "Shocking Murder". Vermont Mercury. Woodstock, VT. June 10, 1842 – via Newspapers.com.
• "Murder in Windsor". The Commercial Advertiser. Buffalo, NY. June 14, 1842 – via Newspapers.com.
• "Mord". Der Liberale Beobachter (in German). Reading, PA. June 14, 1842 – via Newspapers.com.
• "Attempted Murder". Democratic Free Press. Detroit, MI. June 15, 1842 – via Newspapers.com.
• "Murder -- Quick Retribution". Bennington Banner. Bennington, VT. June 21, 1842 – via Newspapers.com.
• Pettes, John (November 15, 1845). "Notice: Fresh Goods at the West End of Cornish Bridge". Vermont Journal. Windsor, VT – via Newspapers.com.
• "Death Notice: Helen H. Pettes". Vermont Chronicle. Bellows Falls, VT. June 16, 1847 – via Newspapers.com.
• "Appointments by the President". Middlebury Register. Middlebury, VT. March 20, 1849 – via Newspapers.com.
• "Deaths: Charlotte Wales Pettes". Vermont Chronicle. Bellows falls, VT. June 6, 1849 – via Newspapers.com.
• "Death Notice, Mrs. Lucy Richards". Aurora of the Valley. Newbury, VT. June 9, 1849 – via Newspapers.com.
• "Windsor Co. Agricultural Society". The Woodstock Mercury. Woodstock, VT. January 25, 1850 – via Newspapers.com.
• "Vermont Appointments". Burlington Free Press. Burlington, VT. April 6, 1853 – via Newspapers.com.
• "Whig State Convention (1856)". Burlington Sentinel. Burlington, VT. October 16, 1856 – via Newspapers.com.
• "Death Notice, John Pettes, Jr". Vermont Chronicle. Bellows falls, VT. June 30, 1866 – via Newspapers.com.
• "Maj. John Pettis (sic) of Windsor met with a severe accident". Vermont Journal. Windsor, VT. September 7, 1867 – via Newspapers.com.
• "Death Notice, Robert Thaxter Pettes". Vermont Journal. Windsor, VT. October 5, 1867 – via Newspapers.com.
• M. D. (April 11, 1868). "The Late Maj. John Pettes". Vermont Journal and Farmer. Windsor, VT – via Newspapers.com.
• "Miscellaneous: Capt. Edward C. Pettes". Vermont Journal. Windsor, VT. December 15, 1877 – via Newspapers.com.
• "Death Notice, Frederick Dudley Pettes". Rutland Herald. Rutland, VT. February 18, 1907 – via Newspapers.com.
• "Obituary, Frederick Dudley Pettes". Vermont Journal. Windsor, VT. March 2, 1907 – via Newspapers.com.
• "Death Notice, Lucy Ellen Sabin". Vermont Journal. Windsor, VT. March 10, 1911 – via Newspapers.com.

• "Massachusetts Town and Vital Records, 1620-1988, Marriage Entry for John Pettes and Lucy Richards". Ancestry.com. Lehi, UT: Ancestry.com LLC. January 20, 1820. Retrieved February 21, 2020.
• "Vermont Vital Records, 1720-1908, Death Record for John Pettes". Ancestry.com. Lehi, UT: Ancestry.com LLC. March 24, 1868. Retrieved February 21, 2020.
• "1850 United States Federal Census, Entry for Edward C. Pettes". Ancestry.com. Lehi, UT: Ancestry.com LLC. July 29, 1850. Retrieved February 21, 2020.
• Habben, David M. (February 17, 2013). "Gravestone Photo, William Richards Pettes, St. Johns Episcopal Cemetery, Tallahassee, Florida". Cemetery Photos, Leon County, Florida. Florida Cemeteries Project.

• The Vermont Register and Yearbook for the Year of Our Lord 1820 (PDF). Burlington, VT: E. & T. Mills. 1820 – via Ancestral Trackers.net.
• Child, Hamilton (1884). Gazetteer and Business Directory of Windsor County, Vt., for 1883-84. Syracuse, NY: Syracuse Journal – via Internet Archive.
• Vermont General Assembly (1832). Acts and Laws Passed by the Legislature of the State of Vermont at Their October Session, 1832. Montpelier, VT: Vermont Secretary of State – via Google Books.
• Vermont General Assembly (1845). Acts and Laws Passed by the Legislature of the State of Vermont at Their October Session, 1845. Burlington, VT: Chauncey Goodrich – via Google Books.