​​Armchair Genealogist

Now I have on my mind another circumstance that took place with my close neighbor in Vermont State. Old Priest Courriers Wife saw the aperition of old Mr. Sleeman about two or three days before the old mans death. The old man had ben sick some fiew weeks and so loe and reduced, he could not git out of bed without help and could not set up in the bed, onely as they bolstered him up. They ware looking for him to dye soon. Old Priest Courriers lived about half a mile from Mr. Sleemans. Their house was in plain view of each other, acrost a big meadow on the crick bottom. They had a bye path or crost road that went from one house to the other with gates or bars to let them out into the main road. Old Mrs. Courrier went out one morning after breakfast to pick up some chips for the fire. She looked over toward old Mr. Sleemans house, she saw the old man coming to her house with his staff. She run and let down the bars so the old man could come out handy. He had got in a fiew rods of the bars, she run into the house with her chips and sat a chair for the old man to set down in. She looked every minet for him to come in but he dident come. She went out to see why he dident come into the house and she could see nothing of him in the meddow around her house.

We had a grist mill that stood with in ten or fifteens rods of the house. She saw some men at the mill, she went to the mill and inquired of them if they had seen anything of old grandfather Sleeman. They told her they had not seen anything of him. She told them she saw him thare in the meddow not far from the bars, coming with his staff, walking as he used to when he was well. She said she would go over thare and see. She thought it mite be that the old man turned and went home while she was in the house waiting for him to come into the house. She went over to Sleemans, thare the old man was bed fast, had not ben up nor had not set up. What in the world to make of it, she did not know for she knew it was him for she knew his hat and his coat and the cloath he had on was the same that he wore every day when he was well.

Mrs. Courrier was so certain it was Sleeman, that the neighor said it was strange, some thought it could not be, they had no doubt but the old lady thought it was old Mr. Sleeman, but they thought she might possibley be mistaken because it was impossible to be him for he was bed fast. This old Priest Courrer and his wife was father and mother to Abner Courrier, my sisters husband. I owned one half of the grist mill that I spoke of above and a good frame house and barn. Old Mrs. Courrier told me about seeing old Mr. Sleemans shadow mutch more that I have written and I was a shure she saw it as if I had seen it myself. I could not doubt.