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The Catamount Tavern
  Bennington, Vermont
Capt. Stephen Fay 1715-1781
And other members of his family
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It was through the genealogy research. I've done over the years that I happen upon many family members as a migrated across Massachusetts in New York in into Pennsylvania. Some members went into Vermont and did some quite notable things such as built what was called the Catamount Tavern and it was the meeting place for the Green Mountain Boys and Ethan Allen during the revolutionary war. It was from that place that Ethan Alan attacked Fort Ticonderoga and took it from the British. Along with other Fay, family members writing the declaration of independence from England for the state of Vermont. The attack on Fort Ticonderoga was ordered by President Washington in order to capture the cannons at the fort and have them taken to New York City. I believe in preparation for an English Invasion.

​The catamount tavern built by Stephen Fay. Much literature on the family in Vermont along with Ethan Alan and the Green Mountain boys, which he was a party of.

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​The catamount tavern built by Stephen Fay. 

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Had at least one slave, possibly two slaves at a particular time - much is written and known about Stephen phase slave "Pegg"

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The best account of info on:

Bennington, Vermont historical Society account of Stephen Fay slave owner.

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From Wikipedia:

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Margaret "Peg" Bowen was an enslaved Black woman held by 

Captain Stephen Fayat the Catamount Tavern in Bennington, Vermont, from 1772 to 1778. Despite Vermont's 1777 constitution prohibiting adult slavery, Fay sold Peg back to her previous owners in Massachusetts in 1778, with his son Jonas Fay witnessing the sale. 

Key details regarding this history include:

  • The Enslavement: Peg (born c. 1742) was purchased by Fay in 1772 from the estate of Moses Porter in Hadley, Massachusetts. She worked at the Catamount Tavern, which served as the headquarters for the Green Mountain Boys.

  • The Hypocrisy: While Jonas Fay, Stephen's son, was a primary author of the Vermont Constitution of 1777—which technically outlawed adult slavery—the Fay family continued to hold Peg and later sold her rather than freeing her.

  • Legacy: Peg was sold back to the Phelps family in Massachusetts in 1778, where she eventually gained her freedom in 1782.

  • Commemoration: In 2022, the Bennington Museum installed a "Stopping Stone" (a commemorative marker) at the site of the former Catamount Tavern to honor Peg and recognize her role in early Vermont history. 

The story highlights the often-overlooked presence of slavery in early Vermont and the contrast between the state's rhetoric of liberty and the experiences of enslaved individuals. 

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                                                 John Fay 1648 + Suzanne Shattuck

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Children John Fay Jr (1669) …………..  BROTHERS  …………… Gershom Fay I (1681)

                       son​

                                   

Capt. Stephen Fay (1715) “Landlord Fay", owner of the catamount Tavern

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Gershom’s children from web page:

Gershom Fay Jr.  (I) 1681-1720

Mary Fay 1705

Susanna Fay 1707

Sarah Fay/ Billings 1710

Silas Fay 1713

Timothy Fay 1716

Paul Fay 1721

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Children of Gershom 2  (II) 1703-1784

​Gershom (III) 1729

Thaddeus 1731

Dinah 1733

Adem 1736

Joseph 1738

David  Fay Born March 12th 1741 Died Pos March 4th 1806 (65)

Hannah 1743

Millicent 1746

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