Simeon McCotter, from Orwell, Benson County, Vermont built one of the first six frame homes in Vermontville in 1851. He was the last male survivor of the early colonists. He was of Scottish ancestry as his grandfather, Alexander McCotter (1730-1800), came to America from Scotland with his brother, Hugh, who was a shipbuilder in Philadelphia during the American Revolution.

Simon McCotter had visited Michigan in 1827 but returned to Vermont. He then came back in June of 1836 and was one of the signers of the "Union Colony Compact" and the "Code of Laws for the Colony." He had been a farmer in Vermont but, after settling in Vermontville, became a cabinet maker. He did all kinds of woodwork for the colonists ranging from cradles to coffins. He also worked on homes, barns, schoolhouses, the first sawmill, the Academy and later the church.

He owned 80 acres of land outside the village of the County Line Road (which is where Ava Tubbs Kroger and her brother, Lawrence Tubbs, were born). He always lived in the village on Lot 6 on East Main Street, but added three adjacent lots for a total of 40 acres.

McCotter is credited with the gingerbread trim that is on the porches and also for the trim on many of the homes in Vermontville. His wood working tools are on display in the Vermontville Museum. On April 1, 1840 he married Lucy Minerva Leverage and they were married for 53 years. He died on November 15, 1893 at the age of 87 and his wife died two years later. They had four children.