Excerpt from History of Captain John Kathan: The First Settler of Dummerston, Vt;, And His Associates and Family Descendants, and the Moores, the Frosts, the Willards, Allied by Marriage to the Kathans, Also a Partial Account of William French and Daniel Houghton, the First Martyrs of the Revolution

On January 1, 1901, the writer began the work of preparing this little volume or monograph for publication in the interest Of the descendants Of Capt. John Kathan, who began the first settlement in Dummerston January 5, 1752, almost one hundred and fifty years ago. The History of Dummerston was published in 1884 as a component part of the Vermont Historical Gazetteer, a local history Of all the towns in the state. An edition of three hundred copies of the Dummerston history was struck Off in advance Of the Windham county volume, which was not issued until 1891. Since 1884 a series of historical papers relative to Dummerston, furnished by the historian Of the town, has been published from time to time in The Vermont Phoenix. One such, which appeared in Octo ber, 1897, attracted the attention of a prominent business man in New York City, and the result was that he immediately visited Dummerston, the home Of his ancestors, who were descend ants Oi Capt. John Kathan. On his return to New York he awakened an earnest desire in his cousin, a prominent physi cian in Schenectady, N. Y., and he also came to Vermont in quest of more knowledge Of his Kathan ancestors. Still another cousin, a lady Of good fortune, living in Roches ter, N. Y., had preceded them a short time in visiting the same locality and secured valuable family history. They had pre viously known very little about the early history Of their Kathan ancestors. Therefore they combined their interests and asked for the publication Of a Kathan history and genealogy Of families. This volume naturally takes the form of narrative pages that it might be interesting to read as well as valuable for reference. The book is well illustrated by the favor and kindness of its customers, and the compiler has borne no part in the expense of procuring portraits.

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