Label
Spoon, 1815 to 1820
Zackeus Cole (1791-1882)
Westminster, Vermont
Silver
Gift of Perley Farnum Richmond
The donor of this spoon conveyed the following story:
Shortly after the Battle of Bennington, Rhoda Alexander of Westminster went to pick sweet corn for dinner. She was surprised to find a wounded British officer lying in the field. He had fled from Bennington and ended up at her farm. Her family hid him for three months while nursing him back to health. This was a dangerous act, especially considering that Rhoda’s brother, Philip, was a Green Mountain Boy. The officer eventually made his way to Canada. To thank Rhoda, he gave her a pair of silver shoe buckles. Rhoda’s daughter, Annie Cole, inherited the buckles. Annie’s husband, Zackeus Cole, was a Westminster silversmith. He made the buckles into five spoons at the shop of Isaac Eaton who may have been his employer or partner. The spoons were given to the Cole’s children. This is one of those spoons.