Ebenezer Allen was born in 1743 and brought up on a farm in New Marlboro , Massachusetts , on land that had been bought from Native Americans . By 1770 , Allen became one of the hundreds of settlers who ventured north to the Bennington area in search of opportunities .
In Bennington , settlers like Ebenezer contributed to a thriving community with new sawmills and gristmills , situated in virgin timberland complete with large mammals such as bears , mountain lions , and deer . Cheap land grants available from Governor Benning Wentworth of New Hampshire made the pristine lands all the more appealing . Grantees would only need to clear a nominal lot , plant some corn , and reserve the tallest trees for use as British Navy ship masts . But , unfortunately , there was a catch .
For one , New York Governors sold the very same parcels and demanded New York titles from settlers . In response to the “ Yorkers ” enforcement activities during the late 1760s , perturbed local settlers formed a Bennington militia . When a New York sheriff appeared with 300 men to evict settler James Breakenridge in Bennington , the ad hoc armed militia group quickly surrounded them and repulsed the New Yorkers without loss of life . Showdowns such as this one became commonplace and the rowdy roughhousing militia group became known as the Green Mountain Boys . Ebenezer Allen , who had grown up with wilderness know-how became part of the core muscle in the Green Mountain Boys , who were led by Ethan Allen .
At that time , keep in mind , a series of escalating incidents in the Boston area riled up colonists against the British Crown . The Stamp Act , British troop and warship occupations , the Boston Massacre , the Battles at Lexington , Concord , and finally Breed ’ s Hill-all triggered the Revolution .
Ebenezer kept his nose to the grindstone , married Lydia Richards from his hometown , started a family , bought a “ pitch ” of land in Poultney , then another in nearby Tinmouth , had kids , and jumped into town politics . While in Tinmouth , he served as the Town Clerk . When Ethan Allen put out a call to enlist men for a “ secret mission ,” Ebenezer rounded up a crew of eager rebels from his neck of the woods . On May 10 , 1775 , Ebenezer was one of the first men to storm into Fort Ticonderoga before daybreak with his cousin Ethan and Benedict Arnold . They captured the fort from British Captain Deleplace , caught in his nightshirt . Ebenezer proceeded to sail up the lake a few miles with Captain Seth Warner to capture the fort at Crown Point , as well . Scores of cannons from both forts were subsequently hauled to Dorchester Heights overlooking Boston Harbor by Henry Knox . The cannons repelled the British armada , who were forced to leave Boston .
ROBB FAMILY FARM
Established in 1907
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• Maple Syrup & Candies
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Ask About Our Family Raised Natural Grass-fed Beef containing no preservatives , antibiotics or hormones .
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827 Ames Hill Road , Brattleboro , VT
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