Capt. Elijah George Galusha1,2,3

Family Chart
ID# 2181, (1757 - 1783)
FatherJacob Galusha4 (9 Mar 1721 - 13 Feb 1792)
MotherLydia Huntington4 ( - 6 May 1764)

Key Events:

Birth: 23 Oct 1757, Norwich, Connecticut5,6
Marriage: Beulah Chittenden (15 May 1764 - 6 Feb 1824)7
Death: 26 May 1783, Arlington, Vermont8,9
Burial: St. James Episcopal Church Cemetery, Arlington, Bennington Co., Vermont10

Copyright Notice

Narrative:

     Capt. Elijah George Galusha was born on 23 Oct 1757 in Norwich, Connecticut.5,6
     Elijah was one of the Green Mountain Boys. He is reported in various sources to have been killed in the Battle of Hubbardton, which occurred in 1777. However those reports seem to have been "greatly exaggerated," to misquote Samuel Clemens, as his children were born three and five years later, and his tombstone and newspaper accounts of his death place it in 1783.11,12
     Elijah married Beulah Chittenden, daughter of Gov. Thomas Chittenden and Elizabeth Meigs.7
     The newly formed state of Vermont continued the practice of the colonial governors of New Hampshire of granting parcels of land to groups of "proprietors" to form towns. Elijah became a proprietor of seven towns, though it seems clear that in many cases his interest was speculation rather than establishing residence there. His first grant was for the town of Fair Haven, on 27 Oct 1779, by Gov. Thomas Chittenden. He was named as one of 76 "associates of Capt. Ebenezer Allen who paid £6,930 for the grant. Proprietors were required to cultivate 10 acres of land and build a house at least 18 feet square, or have one family settled on each share, within four years after the "circumstances of the present war...will admit of a settlement with safety." As with the royal grants, pine timber suitable for mast and spars for the Navy were reserved to the state.13
     He had a water-powered saw mill in Arlington. On 26 May 1783 he was operating it alone, and about sundown, after finishing one log he prepared to throw off the stack of boards. But some obstruction evidently prevented him from closing the water gate and stopping the saw. Something caught in the running saw and was thrown into him, cutting him badly in the throat. Treatment by neighbors was unsuccessful and he died an hour and a half later.14
     Elijah died on 26 May 1783 in Arlington, Vermont, at age 25, in a sawmill accident.8,9 He was buried in St. James Episcopal Church Cemetery, Arlington, Bennington Co., Vermont.10
     Elijah's wife Beulah and brother Jacob were named adminstrators of his estate. After advertising in the newspaper they met debtors and creditors in her home in Arlington on 2 Mar 1784 to settle his affairs.15

Children:
     Children with Beulah Chittenden:

Citations

  1. [S49] Freeman, Family File "David and Deborah.GED," 31 Jul 1998, shows name as Elijah George Galusha.
  2. [S2204] Vital Records of Norwich Connecticut, pg 395, shows name as Elijah Galusha.
  3. [S500] Findagrave.com, online, memorial #12338504, Capt Elijah Galusha, and includes photo of tombstone showing same.
  4. [S2204] Vital Records of Norwich Connecticut, pg 395.
  5. [S2204] Vital Records of Norwich Connecticut, pg 395, shows date.
  6. [S500] Findagrave.com, online, memorial #12338504, Capt Elijah Galusha, shows age 25 yr. 6 mo. 27 days at death 26 May 1783, and includes photo of tombstone showing same.
  7. [S4195] Biographical Encyclopeadia of Vermont, pg 77, shows him as her first husband.
  8. [S3142] "Lamentable Catastrophe!," Vermont Gazette or Freemans Depository, 5 Jun 1783, article date lined Arlington, May 3_, 17__ [edge crumpled and only partly readable], shows death as "last Monday evening," and cause.
  9. [S500] Findagrave.com, online, memorial #12338504, Capt Elijah Galusha, shows date, and includes photo of tombstone showing same.
  10. [S500] Findagrave.com, online, memorial #12338504, Capt Elijah Galusha, and includes photo of tombstone.
  11. [S4559] Campbell, Two Fighters and Two Fines, pg 23, shows he was a Green Mountain Boy and killed in the battle of Hubbardton.
  12. [S1952] Walker, Profiles of the Past, pg 32, shows he was a Green Mountain Boy and "fell in the battle of Hubbardtown."
  13. [S4248] State Papers of Vermont, vol 2, Charters Granted by the State of Vermont (1922), pp 73-4.
  14. [S3142] "Lamentable Catastrophe!," Vermont Gazette or Freemans Depository, 5 Jun 1783.
  15. [S3144] Notice, Vermont Gazette or Freemans Depository, 21 Feb 1784.
  16. [S3427] General Index to Vital Records of Vermont, record for Elijah Galusha, prepared by Arlington town clerk.
  17. [S826] Lyon letter to Witherell, 5 Apr 1828, shows Elijah as his half-brother, with surname Galusha.
  18. [S3427] General Index to Vital Records of Vermont, record for Lorenda Galusha, prepared by Arlington town clerk.
  19. [S500] Findagrave.com, online, memorial #12338499, Lorenda Galusha, shows her as their daugher, and includes photo of tombstone showing same.