General Notes

REFN: 2173
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Although Ann is not Part of our family history , her life history is con
ne cted thru marriage included her other two husbands and her childr
en by h er first marriage because they like her should be remembered. Th
ey help ed defined what made this country what it has become. So I start h
er sto ry with a history report by a school girl named Sheena Strada. H
er source s: Canfield, Dorothy: "FOUR -SQUARE, Fuller, Edmund: VERMONT A H
ISTO RY OF THE GREEN MOUNTAIN STATE, Hahn, Michael : ANN STORY VERMONT's H
EROI NE OF INDEPENDENCE. Ann was 14 when she married . in 1775 Her husba
nd Am os was killed by a fallen tree while clearing land for a new farm f
or h is family.  Ann brought her five children form Norwich Connectic
ut to Sali sbury when her son brought the news of his fathers death . S
he wish to li ve in the home he had built for them and be near the pla
ce of his internme nt. One spring day in 1776, one of Ann's young sons s
aw Indians burn the ir neighbors deserted cabin. When he told his moth
er , she had the childr en grab all of their belongings they could carr
y, and they hid in the fami ly's canoe among dense trees.The Indians set f
ire to the Story's cab in as the family watched from their hiding plac
e.  Once the Indians had le ft, Ann and her children returned to the pla
ce their cabin had been.  With out hesitation , they rebuilt the cabin wi
th logs small enough that she a nd the children could lift them. Finally t
hey had an  adequate cabin, wi th an escape route through the floor to a c
revice in a granite ledge and t hen a thicket of prickly ash. Ann knew s
he had to hide her children in ca se of another surprise Indian attack. Th
en she got an idea.  The family d ug a tunnel into the high banks over t
he Otter Creek. The canoe could pa ss into the opening, if all the passeng
ers laid flat.  A place to sleep w as dug at one side, well above the wat
er level.  Tree roots formed an ar ch to hold up dirt over the undergrou
nd room.  This is where Ann and her c hildren spent their nights.  One d
ay one of the Story boys was returning f rom an expedition into the woo
ds when he heard someone crying. Curious ly he peeked through the leaves a
nd saw a white girl sitting on the grou nd sobbing. He went back to tell h
is mother, who thought it might be an In dian trick.  With her musket on h
er shoulder Ann followed the little boy b ack to the spot he had see the g
irl. Seeing it was no trick, Ann stepped f orward. The girl was from a set
tlement that had been raided by an Indian w ar party , servicing the Briti
sh.  The prisoners were forced to walk a tra il to Canada, but this girl w
as far along in a pregnancy and could not ke ep up . Finally she fell so f
ar behind she was out of their sight, so th ey left her to starve. Ann h
ad five children and she knew this girl was cl ose to delivering, so she t
ook her in. She had her baby with Ann acti ng as midwife.  Royalist and An
ti-Americans were leaving Vermo nt to go to Canada and join the British Ar
my. They were to bring informati on to the British and their Indian alli
es and the location and defens es of Vermont settlements, and movements, r
esources, and organization of V ermont guerrilla fighters, like the Bre
en Mountain Boy7s. they went at nig ht, while the Story family was sleepi
ng in the underground cave.  Early o ne morning a royalist named Ezekiel J
enny was walking past the cave when t he baby began to cry. Jenny stopp
ed in his tracks. Now he knew the secr et about the Story's vanishing at n
ightfall. He hid in the bushes and befo re long the canoe emerged from t
he opening of the cave. Jenny waited unt il Ann was out Of the canoe, th
en he emerged from his hiding Place. He poi nted his musket at her in an a
ttempt to make her talk and betray her allie s, but Ann would not. She gla
red a Jenny and told him she had no fea rs of being shot by coward like hi
m. Jenny threat