My Mind-Blowing Discovery
A stranger contacted me…
Out of the blue last week, something amazing happened to me. I was contacted by Rebecca Hougher, President of Descendants of the Green Mountain Boys, who had read my book, saw my bio and informed me that I was a descendant of Daniel Champion, who was one of the Green Mountain Boys and a Private in Warner’s Regiment. For some Vermont history lovers, this means I have membership in a cult. For someone like me, a biographer who was magnetically drawn to the life and time period of Ebenezer Allen, a prominent Green Mountain Boy and Vermont founder, it was eye-opening.
It turns out that my 6th great grandfather, Daniel Champion was born in 1763, and enlisted at the height of the war in 1776, with Colonel Seth Warner at the young age of 13 or 14. Champion served under Captain Jeremiah Burroughs, who was a peer of then-Captain Ebenezer Allen, and both were stationed in Pawlet, Vermont in 1777. Pawlet was a staging area for a lot of skirmishes for several months. Champion would have known Allen, who was a legend in his time. Champion and Allen may have crossed paths and even fought together for several years in Warner’s Regiment until Champion’s enlistment ended in 1779. Later on, Champion fathered at least five children by his first wife, Lucena Harris, one of whom produced my great-great grandmother, Roxy Champion. He fathered more children with his second wife and continued to live in Vergennes, Vermont and the surrounding area towns.
He lived in Addison, Ferrisburgh, Vergennes, Waltham, and Panton for many decades and remarried after his first wife passed away. Daniel Champion passed away at age 94 in 1857 and is buried in Panton, Vermont. I am hoping to find more information about Daniel Champion.
I cannot explain my affinity for Addison County or the history of the Green Mountain Boys, but my heritage may explain why I am how I am — or then again it may not! Did my ancestors point me to this path of research and writing ? Was there something supernatural going on? Let’s just say there is a chance intuitive forces are at work. In the meantime, I have more research to do!
