Ebenezer Crafts (1740 – 1810) was one of the founders of

Craftsbury, Vermont Craftsbury is a town in Orleans County, Vermont, United States. The population was 1,343 at the 2020 census. The town includes the unincorporated villages of Craftsbury, Craftsbury Common, Mill Village, and East Craftsbury. History The state ...

, and

Leicester Academy Leicester Academy was founded on March 23, 1784, when the Act of Incorporation for Leicester Academy was passed by the Massachusetts General Court as a private, state chartered institution. The charter issued to the Academy bears the bold signatur ...

Crafts was born in

Pomfret, Connecticut Pomfret is a town in Windham County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 4,266 in 2020 according to the 2020 United States Census. The land was purchased from Native Americans in 1686 (the "Mashmuket Purchase" or "Mashamoquet Purchase ...

, and studied theology, graduating from Yale College in 1759.The History of the Crafts Family
by William Francis Crafts, on

google books Google Books (previously known as Google Book Search, Google Print, and by its code-name Project Ocean) is a service from Google Inc. that searches the full text of books and magazines that Google has scanned, converted to text using optical ...

He married Mehitable Chandler, sister of the painter

Winthrop Chandler Winthrop Chandler (6 April 1747 – 29 July 1790) was an American artist known for his portraits, mainly of family members and neighbors, and a few landscapes. He also worked as an ornamental artist. Life Chandler was born on the family farm, ...

, on 9 December 1762. Mehitable was from the town next to Pomfret,

Woodstock, Connecticut Woodstock is a town in Windham County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 8,221 at the 2020 census. History 17th century In the mid-17th century, John Eliot, a Puritan missionary to the Native Americans, established "praying town ...

, where the couple settled in 1768. Crafts later purchased a farm in the neighboring town of

Sturbridge, Massachusetts Sturbridge is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. It is home to Old Sturbridge Village living museum, living history museum and other sites of historical interest such as Tantiusques. The popu ...

, where he built the large ''Publick House'' in the center of the village. The couple kept a tavern there for many years and they acquired a large estate. After the

battles of Lexington and Concord The Battles of Lexington and Concord were the first military engagements of the American Revolutionary War. The battles were fought on April 19, 1775, in Middlesex County, Province of Massachusetts Bay, within the towns of Lexington, Concor ...

, he raised a company of cavalry in the adjoining towns of Sturbridge, Charlton, Dudley, and Oxford, and was commissioned its captain. He was ordered to join the army with it at Cambridge, and remained in the service until the

evacuation of Boston The siege of Boston (April 19, 1775 – March 17, 1776) was the opening phase of the American Revolutionary War. New England militiamen prevented the movement by land of the British Army, which was garrisoned in what was then the peninsular tow ...

by the British troops, when he returned to Sturbridge. In 1785, a regiment of cavalry was ordered to be raised in

Worcester County, Massachusetts Worcester County is a county located in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. At the 2020 census, the population was 862,111, making it the second-most populous county in Massachusetts while also being the largest in area. The largest city and tra ...

. Of this regiment he was commissioned its first colonel, an office which he held until his resignation in 1791. During the outbreak known as "

Shays' Rebellion Shays Rebellion was an armed uprising in Western Massachusetts and Worcester in response to a debt crisis among the citizenry and in opposition to the state government's increased efforts to collect taxes both on individuals and their trades. T ...

," in western Massachusetts, he rendered prompt and efficient service in its suppression, under Gen.

Benjamin Lincoln Benjamin Lincoln (January 24, 1733 ( O.S. January 13, 1733) – May 9, 1810) was an American army officer. He served as a major general in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. Lincoln was involved in three major surrender ...

, in the winter of 1786–1787. Col. Crafts conceived the idea of founding an academy in Sturbridge, but the opportunity to secure the mansion of Aaron Lopez, in the neighboring town of

Leicester, Massachusetts Leicester ( ) is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts. The population was 11,087 at the 2020 United States Census. History What is now Leicester was originally settled by the Nipmuc people and was known by them as ''Towtaid''. On January 2 ...

, induced him to modify his plans. The mansion was a very suitable building, and the estate was purchased at auction for £515. A large oil portrait of Col. Crafts hangs upon the walls of

. He was aided largely in this enterprise by Col. Jacob Davis, and the first student on 17 June 1784 was his son Samuel C. Crafts. Falling on hard times, in 1788 Crafts was forced to move and settled in 1791 in a town near

Cabot, Vermont Cabot is a New England town located in the northeast corner of Washington County, Vermont, United States. The population was 1,443 at the 2020 census. It contains the unincorporated villages of Cabot Village, Cabot Plains, South Cabot, East Cabo ...

. It was later named after him. Crafts lived the rest of his life in

. He died and was buried there in 1810.Ebenezer Crafts
at Find a Grave

References

1740 births 1810 deaths People from Pomfret, Connecticut People from Sturbridge, Massachusetts Massachusetts militiamen in the American Revolution People from Craftsbury, Vermont People from Orleans County, Vermont Yale College alumni Businesspeople from Massachusetts Businesspeople from Connecticut 18th-century American businesspeople American city founders 18th-century American educators Educators from Connecticut Educators from Massachusetts {{US-business-bio-1740s-stub