From The Archives: J.J. Deavitt

J. J. Deavitt signed pages and marked items of special importance to him.

The museum was recently gifted a stack of broadsheet books containing newspapers from the late 1800’s into the 1900’s. One particular book from the 1860’s was compiled by the Honorable John James Deavitt of Saint Albans. Deavitt was a passionate democrat that kept abreast on local affairs. This particular broadsheet book is signed and annotated by Deavitt.

John James Deavitt was born May 3, 1808 in Brunswick, NY. He was educated in public schools within both New York and Vermont, as well as Saint Albans Academy. At the age of 12, Deavitt was sent out on his own by his parents. In 1828, he was a cadet at West Point during the same era as Robert E. Lee, and was a classmate of Jefferson Davis. Due to health concerns, Deavitt left West Point and continued his study of law. In 1830 he was married to Patience W., the daughter of Willard Jewell of Saint Albans. That same year, he relocated to Saint Albans and was admitted to the Vermont bar.

From 1835 - 1851, Deavitt was the Deputy Collector and Inspector of Customs in Franklin, VT. In 1843, he was elected and served as a delegate to the Constitutional Convention in Vermont: an abolitionist convention. In 1851 he began work in a law office with Judge William Bridges. In 1860, President Buchanan appointed Deavitt to the position of Postmaster of Saint Albans. In 1868, John was a delegate at the National Democratic Convention held in NY. John was elected Judge for the municipal court in Saint Albans in 1874 and again in 1875, but declined to serve a second term. John James Deavitt passed away on May 15, 1895 and is buried in Saint Albans, VT.