Colonel Elisha Sheldon -- 1741-1805

Colonel Elisha Sheldon -- 1741-1805 is a Vermont historical marker in Sheldon, Franklin County.

Main Street, just north of Bridge Street, Sheldon

Get directions ↗Start a road trip Historical trails

In 1776, at the request of General Washington, Elisha Sheldon was commissioned by Congress to raise a regiment of cavalry. Named the 2nd Continental Light Dragoons, the unit served with distinction throughout the Revolutionary War. In 1791 Colonel Sheldon, his sons Major Samuel, Elisha, Jr., and George, and their families came, with other families, from Connecticut as first settlers of this town. The town was originally chartered as Hungerford but the name was changed to Sheldon in 1792. The first meeting to organize the town was held in Georgia, Vermont. The large hipped roof house Colonel Sheldon built in 1795 still stands on a nearby hill.

Maps this old were drawn largely by eye, so places on them can sit miles from where they really are. The pin is ours and marks the marker's location today.

TodayHistorical map

Slide toward Today to fade the historical sheet and see the modern map underneath.

Digital Commonwealth, Boston Public Library

Historical maps covering this location

1776 · New England. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
1781 · An Accurate map of New Hampshire in New England, from a late survey (Digital Commonwealth, Boston Public Library)
1795 · Vermont. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
1797 · Vermont. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
1804 · Vermont. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)

An Accurate map of New Hampshire in New England, from a late survey, 1781, covering the location of Colonel Elisha Sheldon -- 1741-1805, with a pin at the marker's coordinates — An Accurate map of New Hampshire in New England, from a late survey, 1781, covering this location. Digital Commonwealth, Boston Public Library. The pin is ours, placed from the marker's coordinates.

Example

For example, one family's tree showed the Articles of Confederation marker in Pennsylvania standing under a mile from where William Gabby lived in the 1760s.

What that marker records spans 1777 to 1789, overlapping William Gabby's years there.

From one family's 77-marker roster

Upload your family tree and TreeAlive finds the markers near where your own ancestors lived.

See your family's markers

Start with a tree file, a FamilySearch sign in, or a WikiTree ID.

Report a problem with this page

The marker isn't at this spotOur pin may be off. If you know where it stands, tell us.I couldn't find the markerWe record what the source recorded. We have not been to look.The sign reads differentlyThat would be an error, and we can pass it to the program.The historical map looks wrongThe period map behind the pin, not the marker itself.Something else

We may pass what you report to the state's marker program. Please don't include personal details.

Marker data: Vermont Division for Historic Preservation

Colonel Elisha Sheldon -- 1741-1805

Historical maps covering this location

More markers nearby