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F.  S.  Crawford, 
BIN DE  R,  , 

CONCORD,  N.  H. 


»y>i 


THE 


GRANITE  MONTHLY, 


ew  Hampshire  Magazine. 


DK VOTED  TO 


I<iteicatiire,  History,  ai\d  State  f^ogfej^ 


VOLUME     T^ATO. 


CONCORD,  N.  H.  : 
IK.    H.    METCALF,    PUBLISHER. 

1879. 


3\ 

■GrlS 


N 

974.2 
G759 

v.£ 


THE 


GKANITE  MONTHLY. 


A  MAGAZINE  OF  LITERATURE,  HISTORY  AND 
STATE  PROGRESS. 


VOL.  II. 


JULY,  1878. 


NO.  1, 


THE  SENATE  AND  ITS  PRESIDENTS— HON  DAVID  H.  BUFFUM. 


While  the  New  Hampshire  House  of 
Representatives  is  the  largest  legislative 
body  in  the  country,  our  State  Senate  is, 
with  one  or  two  exceptions,  the  smallest. 
The  amendment  to  the  Constitution  re- 
cently adopted,  which  is  to  go  into  effect 
the  coming  autumn,  however,  makes  a 
marked  change  in  this  regard,  for,  while 
reducing  somewhat  the  number  of  Rep- 
resentatives, it  doubles  the  number  of 
Senators,  placing  our  own  upon  at  least 
an  average  footing  with  the  Senates  of 
other  States  throughout  the  Union. 

Notwithstanding  its  comparative  insig- 
nificance in  point  of  numbers,  the  New 
Hampshire  Senate  has  ever  maintained 
an  enviable  reputation  as  an  able,  patri- 
otic and  eminently  conservative  legisla- 
tive body.  This  is  due  largely,  without 
doubt,  to  the  fact  that  the  office  of  State 
Senator  has  generally  sought  the  man 
rather  than  the  man  the  office.  Dema- 
gogues and  aspirants  for  popular  favor, 
as  well  as  active  partisan  leaders,  have 
usually  preferred  seats  in  the  House  of 
Representatives,  where  as  leaders  of 
men  and  masters,  or  murderers,  of  rhet- 
oric they  have  greater  opportunity  for 
achieving  distinction  or  notoriety.  It  is 
true  that  it  has  been  often  alleged  that 
the  Senate  of  our  State  is  a  dangerous 


body,  being  easily  corrupted  or  control- 
led, on  account  of  the  small  number  of 
members.  This  allegation,  however,  is 
an  unjustifiable  or  inconsiderate  one. 
When  men's  favorite  measures  are  defeat- 
ed, they  are  wont  to  cry  out  "corrup- 
tion," or  to  allege  other  than  patriotic 
motives  as  actuating  those  who  caused 
their  discomfiture,  and  it  will  generally 
be  found  that  those  who  have  charged 
the  Senate  with  corrupt  or  improper  ac- 
tion, have  failed  to  secure  at  the  hands  of 
that  body  the  passage  or  the  defeat  of 
some  measure  particularly  affecting  their 
own  interests.  The  truth  is,  there  is  far 
more  danger  of  bad  legislation  at  the 
hands  of  a  large  and  unwieldly  body  like 
our  House  of  Representatives,  than  from 
a  comparatively  small  body  like  the  Sen- 
ate. In  the  former  a  shrewd  political 
leader  or  designing  demagague,  through 
his  personal  influence  over  numerous  fol- 
lowers may  readily  secure  the  passage  of 
an  unwise  act,  which,  in  the  latter,  where 
such  a  thing  as  leadership  is  seldom 
known  or  attempted,  and  each  individual 
member,  as  a  general  rule,  acts  and  thinks 
for  himself,  could  never  have  been  car- 
ried through.  The  Senate,  therefore,  ex- 
ercising its  conservative  power,  through 
amendment  or  rejection,  has  protected 


THE   SENATE  AND  ITS  PRESIDENTS— HON.  DAVID  H.  BUFFUM. 


the  people  from  ill  advised  and  even  dan- 
gerous legislation,  to  a  greater  or  less  ex- 
tent every  year. 

While  the  task  of  presiding  over  the 
deli  b(  rations  of  the  Senate  is  far  less  dif- 
ficult and  laborious  than  that  devolving 
upon  the  Speaker  of  the  House,  the  posi- 
tion is,  nevertheless,  one  of  honor  and 
distinction,  and  has  been  occupied  by 
many  illustrious  citizens  of  the  State. 
Sixty-two  persons,  in  all,  have  holden 
the  office  of  President  of  the  Senate  dur- 
ing the  eighty-five  years  since  the  adop- 
tion of  the  Constitution  of  1792.  Fol- 
lowing are  their  names,  with  their  sever- 
al places  of  residence  and  years  of  ser- 
vice : 

Abiel  Foster,  Canterbury — 1793 ;  Oliver 
Peabody,  Exeter — 1794 ;  Ebenezer  Smith, 
Meredith— 1795-6;  Amos  Shepard,  Al- 
stead— 1794  to  1S03,  inclusive;  Nicholas 
Gilman,  Exeter— 1804 ;  Clement  Storer, 
Portsmouth,  1805-6;  Samuel  Bell,  Fran- 
ce stown— 1807-8;  Moses  P.  Payson,  Bath 
—1809;  Wm.  Plumer,  Epping— 1810-11 ; 
Joshua  Darling,  Henniker— 1812 ;  Oliver 
Peabody,  Exeter— 1813 ;  Moses  P.  Pay- 
son,  1814-15;  William  Badger,  Gilman- 
ton — 1816;  Jonathan  Harvey,  Sutton — 
1817  to  1822,  inclusive;  David L.  Morrill, 
Gotfstown — 1823 ;  Josiah  Bartlett,  Strat- 
ham— 1824;  Matthew  Harvey,  Hopkin- 
ton— 1825-0-7 ;  Nahum  Parker,  Fitzwil- 
liaua — 1828;  Abner  Greenleaf,  Ports- 
mouth, and  Samuel  Cartland,  Haverhill — 
1S29 ;  Joseph  M.  Harper,  Canterbury — 
1830;  Samuel  Cartland,  Haverhill,  and 
Benning  M.  Bean,  Moultonborongh— 
1831;  Benning  M.  Bean,  1832;  Jared  W. 
Williams,  Lancaster — 1833-4;  Charles  F. 
Gove,  Goffstown— 1835;  James  Clark, 
Franklin— 1836;  John  Woodbury,  Salem 
—1837;  Samuel  Jones,  Bradford— 1838; 
James  M.  Wilkins,  Bedford— 1839;  James 
B.  Creighton,  Newmarket — 1840;  Josiah 
Quincy,  Bumncy — 1841-2;  Titus  Brown, 
Francestown — 1843;  Timothy  Hoskins, 
Westmoreland — 1844 ;  Asa  P.  Cate, 
Northfield— 1845 ;  James  U.  Parker,  Man- 
chester—1846 ;  Harry  Hibbard,  Bath— 
1S47-8;  William  P.  Weeks,  Canaan— 
1849;  Richard  Jenness,  Portsmouth — 
1850;  John  S.  Wells,  Exeter— 1851-2 ; 
James  M.   Rix,   Lancaster — 1853 ;  Jona- 


than E.  Sargent,  Wentworth— 1854;  Wil- 
liam Haile,  Hinsdale — 1S55;  Thomas  J. 
Melvin,  Chester — 1S56 ;  Moody  Currier, 
Manchester — 1857;  Austin  F.  Pike, 
Franklin — 1858 ;  Joseph  A.  Gilmore,  Con- 
cord— 1859;  GeorgeS.  Towle,  Lebanon 
— 1860;  Herman  Foster,  Manchester — 
1861 ;  W.  H.  Y.  Hackett,  Portsmouth— 
1862;  Onslow  Stearns,  Concord— 1863 ; 
Charles  H.   Bell,  Exeter— 1864;  Ezekiel 

A.  Straw,  Manchester — 1S65;  Daniel 
Barnard,  Franklin— 1866;  Wm.  T.  Par- 
ker, Merrimack — 1867 ;  Ezra  A.  Stevens, 
Portsmouth — 1S68;  John  Y.  Mugridge, 
Concord — 1869;  Nathaniel  Gordon,  Exe- 
ter—1870;  G.  W.  M.  Pitman,  Bartlett— 
1871;  Charles  H.  Campbell,  Nashua — 
1872;  David  A.  Warde,  Concord— 1873 ; 
Wm.  H.  Gove,  Weare— 1874;  John  W. 
Sanborn,  Wakefield— 1875;  Charles  Hol- 
man,  Nashua — 1876;  Natt  Head,  Hook- 
sett— 1877;  David  H.  Buffum,  Somers- 
worth— 1878. 

Of  this  list,  eleven  also  held  the  office 
of  Speaker  of  the  House  of  Representa- 
tives, viz :  William  Plumer,  Samuel  Bell, 
Clement  Storer,  David  L.  Morrill,  Mat- 
thew Harvey,  John  S.  Wells,  Harry  Hib- 
bard, Jonathan  E.  Sargent,  Charles  H. 
Bell,  Austin  F.  Pike  and  William  H. 
Gove.  Of  these  eleven,  three,  only,  are 
now  living— Messrs.  Sargent,  Bell  and 
Pike,  and  the  two  former  are  members  of 
the  present  House.  Twelve  of  the  num- 
ber held  seats  in  the  national  House  of 
Representatives,  of  whom  Austin  F.  Pike 
is  the  only  one  now  living;  seven  were 
members  of  the  United  States  Senate, 
none  of  whom  survive;  and  ten  were 
Governors  of  New  Hampshire,  viz:  Wil- 
liam Plumer,  Samuel  Bell,  David  L.  Mor- 
rill, Matthew  Harvey,  William  Badger, 
Jared  W.  Williams,  William  Haile,  Jo- 
seph A.  Gilmore,  Onslow  Stearns  and 
Ezekiel  A.  Straw,  of  whom  the  two  last 
only  are  living  at  the  present  time.  Of 
the  entire  sixty-two,  twenty-two  are  now 
living,   the  oldest  survivor  being  James 

B.  Creighton  of  Newmarket,  who  was 
President  of  the  Senate  in  1840. 

In  considering  the  list  with  reference 
to  localities,  we  find  that  of  the  several 
counties,  or  the  towns  composing  them, 
Rockingham  has  furnished  fifteen  of  the 


THE  SENATE  ANT)  ITS  PRESIDENTS— HON.  DAVID  H.  BUFFUM. 


HON.  DAVID  H. BUFFUM. 


entire  number,  and  Merrimack  also  fif- 
teen ;  Hillsborough  has  furnished  thir- 
teen, Grafton  seven,  Cheshire  four, 
Carroll  three,  and  Belknap  and  Coos  two 
each,  while  Sullivan  has  furnished  none. 
Of  the  fifteen  from  Rockingham,  five 
each  were  furnished  by  Portsmouth  and 
Exeter.  Concord  has  supplied  four, 
Manchester  four  and  Nashua  two,  but 
Dover  has  never  had  a  President  of  the 
Senate,  nor  has  District  No.  Five  in  which 
it  is  embraced,  including  the  main  por- 
tion of  Strafford  County,  as  now  consti- 
tuted, until  the  election  of  Hon.  David 
H.  Buff  urn  of  Somersworth,  the  present 
year.  While  a  large  proportion  and  per- 
haps a  majority  of  those  who  have  held 
the  office  of  President  of  the  Senate  have 
been  members  of  the  legal  profession, 
the  Senate  has  usually  contained  among 
its  members  a  large  comparative  repre- 
sentation of  the  business  men  of  the 
State.  A  few  clergymen,  and  physicians 
— Rev.  Abiel  Foster,  a  distinguished  pat- 
riot and  member  of  the  Continental  Con- 
gress, and  Josiah  Bartlett  and  Joseph  M. 
Harper,  both   subsequently  members  of 


Congress,  the  former  a  clergyman  and 
the  two  latter  physicians,  being  among 
the  number — have  held  seats  in  this  body, 
but  it  has  generally  numbered  more  busi- 
ness men— merchants,  manufacturers,  etc., 
than  representatives  of  the  professions. 
To  this  fact,  perhaps,  may  be  attributed 
in  large  degree,  the  practical  and  conser- 
vative tendency  of  the  Senatorial  body 
in  the  work  of  legislation. 

The  present  Senate  contains  one  phy- 
sician— Dr.  Gallinger  of  Concord,  (Dis- 
trict No.  Four,)  three  lawyers — Messrs. 
Cogswell  of  Gilmanton  (No.  6,)  White  of 
Peterborough,  (No.  8,)  and  Weeks  of 
Canaan.  (No.  11,)  one  farmer — Mr.  Phil- 
brick  of  Rye,  (No.  1,)  while  the  remain- 
ing seven  are  all  business  men,  Messrs. 
Wheeler  of  Salem  (No.  2,)  Buflum  of 
Somersworth  (No.  5,)  and  Amidon  of 
Hinsdale  (No.  9,)  being  manufacturers, 
Mr.  Slayton  of  Manchester  (No.  3,)  a 
merchant,  Mr.  Spalding  of  Nashua  (No. 
7,)  a  bank  cashier,  Mr.  Shaw  of  Leba- 
non (No.  10,)  a  contractor,  and  Mr. 
Cummings  of  Lisbon  (No.  12,)  a  mer- 
chant and  manufacturer.    The  President, 


4      THE  SENATE  AND  ITS  PRESIDENTS— HON.  DAVID  H.  BUFFUM. 


therefore,  is  a  representative  of  the  dom- 
inant class,  as  well  as  of  the  political  ma- 
jority in  the  body  over  which  he  presides. 

Hon.  David  H.  Buffum,  President  of 
the  Senate,  whose  portrait  accompanies 
this  article,  is  a  native  of  the  State  of 
Maine,  which  State,  by  the  way,  has  con- 
tributed comparatively  few  to  the  list  of 
the  public  men  of  New  Hampshire,  al- 
though on  our  part  we  have  furnished 
Maine  several  of  her  ablest  and  most  dis- 
tinguished citizens,  including  Fessenden, 
Clifford,  Cutting,  Plaisted,  and  others  of 
both  State  and  National  reputation.  Mr. 
Buffum  was  born  in  North  Berwick,  No- 
vember 10,  1820,  being  now  fifty-seven 
years  of  age.  He  was  the  eldest  child 
and  only  son  of  Timothy  and  Anna  (Aus- 
tin) Buffum.  His  father  died  when  he 
was  only  six  years  of  age,  leaving  his 
mother— a  daughter  of  Nathaniel  Austin 
of  Dover  Neck — with  very  little  proper- 
ty and  three  small  children,  there  being 
two  daughters,  younger  than  himself, 
both  of  whom  are  now  living,  one  being 
the  widow  of  the  late  John  H.  Burleigh 
of  South  Berwick,  and  the  other  the  wife 
of  Isaac  P.  Evans  of  Richmond,  Ind. 
After  his  father's  decease,  he  was  taken 
into  the  family  of  an  uncle,  Benajah  Buf- 
fum, with  whom  he  remained  until  he 
was  seventeen  years  of  age,  engaged  for 
the  larger  portion  of  the  time  in  a  coun- 
try store,  of  which  his  uncle  was  the  pro- 
prietor, and  where  he  laid  the  foundation 
for  his  subsequent  eminently  successful 
business  career.  His  educational  advanta- 
ges up  to  this  time,  were  only  such  as 
were  afforded  by  the  common  school ; 
but  of  these  he  had  made  the  best  possi- 
ble use. 

When  he  was  seventeen  years  of  age, 
his  uncle  sold  out  and  went  to  Lynn, 
Mass.,  where  he  engaged  in  business. 
He  accompanied  his  uncle,  but  remained 
with  him  but  a  few  months,  returning  to 
his  native  place,  where  he  made  his  home 
for  a  time  with  his  step-father,  Mr.  Wm. 
Hussey—  his  mother  having  married  a 
second  time.  He  attended  the  fall  term 
of  South  Berwick  Academy  the  follow- 
ing autumn,  and  in  the  winter,  being 
then  eighteen  years  old ,  taught  a  district 
school  in  North  Berwick.    In  the  spring 


following  he  again  attended  the  Acade- 
my. He  had  commenced  teaching  again 
the  next  autumn,  but  left  his  school  to 
accept  a  position  as  clerk  in  the  general 
store  of  William  and  Hiram  Hanson  in 
the  village  of  Great  Falls,  Somersworth, 
which  place  has  ever  since  been  his  home. 
He  remained  in  the  employ  of  the  Han- 
son's about  two  years,  when,  being  then 
twenty-one  years  of  age,  he  bought  the 
interest  of  William  Hanson  in  the  store 
and  went  into  partnership  with  Hiram, 
under  the  firm  name  of  Hanson  &  Buf- 
fum. Two  years  later  the  partnership 
was  dissolved,  and  Mr.  Buffum  commenc- 
ed the  erection  of  the  large  brick  block, 
known  as  Buffum's  Block,  upon  the  op- 
posite side  of  High  street  from  the  old 
stand.  This  block  contained  three  stores, 
one  of  which  Mr.  Buffum  occupied  him- 
self, in  the  same  business  in  which  he  had 
been  engaged,  until  March,  1847,  when 
he  disposed  of  the  business  to  attend  to 
his  duties  as  cashier  of  the  Great  Falls 
Bank,  to  which  position  he  was  chosen 
the  previous  year,  and  which  he  held  for 
a  term  of  seventeen  years,  until  1863, 
having  also  for  six  years  been  treasurer 
of  the  Somersworth  Savings  Bank.  In 
1863,  Mr.  Buffum  resigned  as  cashier  and 
treasurer  of  the  banks,  to  take  the  man- 
agement of  the  Great  Falls  Woolen  Mill, 
a  corporation  which  he  had  been  chiefly 
instrumental  in  organizing,  and  whose 
manufactory  had  been  commenced  the 
previous  year,  under  a  joint  stock  ar- 
rangement. He  held  the  position  ©f 
agent,  treasurer  and  general  manager  of 
the  corporation  for  ten  years,  devoting 
himself  untiringly  to  the  business,  which 
he  conducted  with  great  success.  The 
capital  stock  of  the  corporation,  which 
was  originally  $50,000,  was  subsequently 
increased,  from  the  earnings,  to  $100,000. 
In  1873,  having  impaired  his  health  by 
close  and  continued  application  to  busi- 
ness, Mr.  Buffum  withdrew  from  the  ac- 
tive management  of  the  affairs  of  the 
corporation,  and  was  succeeded  by  his 
brother-in-law,  Mr.  Stickney,  the  pres- 
ent agent.  He  spent  several  months  in 
the  autumn  of  that  year  in  Colorado,  and 
the  spring  of  1874  in  California,  and  re- 
turned home  with  restored  health. 


THE  SENATE  AND  ITS  PRESIDENTS— HON.  DAVID  H.  BUFFUM. 


Several  years  previous  to  the  organiza- 
tion of  the  Great  Falls  Woolen  Company- 
Mr.  Buftum  had  taken  a  large  interest  in 
a  similar  enterprise  at  South  Berwick, 
known  as  the  Newichawanick  Company, 
of  which  his  brother-in-law,  the  late 
Hon.  John  H.  Burleigh,  was  the  active 
manager,  they  two,  with  the  well  known 
"  Friend"  Hill  being  the  principal  stock- 
holders, which  enterprise,  although  a 
losing  one  at  first,  ultimately  proved 
very  successful.  After  the  suddeu  and 
startling  death  of  Mr.  Burleigh,  a  few 
months  since,  Mr.  Buff um  was  chosen 
treasurer  of  the  Newichawanick  Com- 
pany. Aside  from  these  important  man- 
ufacturing enterprises,  he  has  been  for 
several  years  a  partner  with  L.  R.  Her- 
som  in  the  wool  pulling  and  sheep-skin 
tanning  establishment  on  Berwick  side 
at  Great  Falls,  and  has,  furthermore,  ex- 
tensive manufacturing  interests  at  Milton 
Mills. 

As  would  naturally  be  inferred  from 
the  foregoing,  Mr.  Buffum  has  not  been 
largely  engaged  in  public  and  political 
life.  He  has,  however,  had  sufficient  ex- 
perience in  that  direction,  taken  in  con- 
nection with  his  knowledge  of  practical 
business  affairs,  to  qualify  him  for  the 
efficient  discharge  of  the  duties  now  de- 
volving upon  him  as  a  servant  of  the  peo- 
ple, in  the  important  office  which  he 
holds.  He  was  chosen  Town  Clerk  of 
Somersworth  in  March,  1842.  it  being  the 
election  at  which  he  cast  his  first  vote, 
and  was  re-elected  the  following  year. 
In  1846  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the 
board  of  Selectmen,  and  was  subsequent- 
ly several  times  elected  to  the  same  posi- 
tion. In  1861  and  1862  he  was  one  of  the 
members  of  the  House  of  Representa- 
tives from  Somersworth,  serving  the  first 
year  as  a  member  of  the  committee  on 
Banks  and  the  second  year  as  chairman 
of  the  committee  on  the  Reform  School. 
In  1863,  Mr.  Buffum  was  the  Republican 
candidate  for  Railroad  Commissioner, 
running  upon  the  ticket  with  Governor 
Gilmore.  A  third  tieket  placed  in  the 
field,  defeated  an  election  by  the  people, 
but  the  Republican  candidates  were  cho- 
sen by  the  Legislature,  and  Mr.  Buffum 


served  as  a  member  of  the  board  of  Rail- 
road Commissioners  for  the  full  term  of 
three  years.  In  the  spring  of  1875,  his 
name  was  brought  forward,  though 
against  his  wish,  by  some  of  his  friends, 
in  the  Republican  Senatorial  Convention 
in  District  No.  5,  and  he  received  a  very 
flattering  vote.  Last  year  he  was  again 
supported  and  received  the  nomination , 
by  nearly  a  unanimous  vote,  his  election 
following  as  a  matter  of  course.  He 
served  with  ability  in  the  last  Senate, 
as  a  member  of  the  several  committees 
on  Judiciary,  Finance,  Banks  and  State 
Institutions,  and  although  one  of  three 
members  of  the  majority  party,  re-elect- 
ed this  year,  he  was  accorded  the  Presi- 
dency by  common  consent.  Among  his 
associates  in  the  Senate  last  year  were 
three  men  who  were  fellow  members  in 
the  House  fifteen  years  ago,  viz:  Messrs. 
John  F.  Cloutman  of  Farmington,  Natt 
Head  of  Hooksett,  and  James  Burnap  of 
Marlow.  In  the  present  Senate,  there 
are  also  two  members  who  were  members 
of  the  House  with  Mr.  Buffum — Messrs. 
Amidon  of  Hinsdale  and  Shaw  of  Leba- 
non. 

Mr.  Buffum  was  married,  January  26, 
1853,  to  Charlotte  E.  Stickney,  daughter 
of  Alexander  H.  Stickney  of  Great  Falls, 
who  deceased  March  8,  1868,  leaving  him 
four  children,  three  sons  and  a  daughter, 
the  latter  also  now  deceased.  The  three 
sons,  Edgar  Stickney,  Harry  Austin,  and 
David  Hanson,  are  respectively  twenty- 
two,  twenty,  and  fifteen  years  of  age. 
The  oldest  graduated  at  Yale  College  last 
year,  and  is  now  learning  the  manufac- 
turing business  in  the  woolen  mill  at 
Great  Falls ;  the  second  is  a  member  of 
the  junior  class  at  lale,  and  the  young  - 
est  remains  at  home. 

Mr.  Buffum's  religious  associations  are 
with  the  Congregational  church,  where 
he  attends  public  worship  regularly  and 
contributes  liberally  for  its  support, 
though  not  a  member  of  the  church  or- 
ganization. By  strict  integrity  and  cour- 
teous and  gentlemanly  bearing,  he  has 
secured  the  esteem  of  all  classes  of  his 
fellow  citizens  who  rejoice  in  his  success 
both  in  private  and  public  life. 


NATURE'S  CREED. 


NATURE'S  CREED. 


BX  FLINT  CARMEL. 

From  the  towering  hills — over  northward  they  rear — 

Whose  mosses  are  fanned  by  the  Avhispering  breeze, 
Happy  homes,  far  belew  in  the  valley,  appear 

To  gaze  upward  in  love  thro'  their  tall  shading  trees. 
Not  a  ripple  disturbing  the  mirror  beyond ! 

With  its  beauty  unbroken  the  scene  becomes  new, 
Save  where  Purity  rests  in  embraces  so  fond 

As  the  lily  peeps  into  the  sky's  liquid  blue. 

On  the  deep  fringed  shore  the  sad  willow  droops  low 
And  is  plaintively  whispering  "  doomed  to  bemoan !" 

But  the  wave  as  it  rises  will  soothingly  flow, 

Bringing  kisses  of  sweetness  for  willows  alone. 

And  the  hills  in  their  grandeur  these  things  comprehend, 
Standing  forth  in  protection  above  this  retreat, 

Seeming  calmly  to  speak  "  we  will  last  to  the  end, 
Keeping  safe  each  warm  heart  till  it  ceases  to  beat !  " 

For  a  moment  descend,  ye  time-fading  old  hills, 

To  the  homes  that  seem  happy  and  peaceful  below; 
Pause  and  listen  to  discord  of  numberless  ills, 

See  how  thankless  thy  mission  their  malice  would  show! 
For  the  towering  domes  mounting  upward  toward  thee 

As  if  thou  to  outreach  in  their  heavenward  flight, 
Seem  to  speak  of  a  faith  which  from  sin  pardons  free 

In  the  place  of  a  war  that  would  sadden  the  sight. 

Each  tall  spire,  as  upward  it  rises  on  high 

Looks  in  anger  across  at  its  neighboring  foe, 
And  a  battle  goes  on  and  opinions  reply 

How  we  safest  and  surest  may  heavenward  go. 
As  the  eye  of  the  pilgrim  and  sinner  spells  out 

All  the  guideboards  to  happiness,  heaven  and  love, 
On  his  ear  harshly  falling  each  deepening  shout, 

He  will  heed  not  their  warning—'1  They  lead  not  above !  " 

From  the  discordant  valley  his  sick  soul  he  turns 

A  deliv'rance  to  seek  from  the  medley  of  creeds ; 
For  his  being  is  stirred,  in  a  fever  it  burns, 

And  cries  out  for  a  balm  that  will  reach  all  its  needs. 
Up  the  brow  of  a  hill  with  a  soul-stricken  mein, 

Till  the  summit  is  reached  he  waits  not  to  rest- 
Then  he  turns  and  is  spellbound  by  rapture  so  keen- 
All  beneath  him,  around  him,  in  beauty  is  dressed ! 


MY  FRIENDS  AND  I:  MEMORIES. 

The  grand  scene  lies  before  him  in  quiet  repose, 

On  the  calm,  sleeping  lake,  his  glad  vision  returns, 

Nature's  harmony  there  his  vague  doubting  o'erflows— 
From  the  joy  in  his  soul  the  true  way  he  learns ! 

God  is  speaking  in  nature;  once  more  by  the  breeze 

Gently  points  to  the  spires— they  something  would  say 

As  they  lift  up  their  heads  from  among  the  tall  trees- 
Chanted  softly  it  comes—"  we  all  point  the  same  way." 


MY  FRIENDS  AND  I:  MEMORIES. 


BY  L.  W.  DODGE. 


The  day  is  done,  and  the  darkness 
Falls  from  the  wings  of  night. 

As  a  feather  is  wafted  downward 
From  an  eagle  in  its  flight. 

.—Longfellow. 

I  have  been  standing  with  my  face  to 
the  eastern  window,  watching  the  day- 
light fade  away,  and  the  night  come 
down  so  gloriously,  and  the  starry  senti- 
nels as  one  by  one  they  take  their  sta- 
tions in  the  deep-blue  vault  above.  I  was 
gazing  dreamily,  scarce  knowing  or  car- 
ing why,  when  a  meteor,  a  swift  gliding 
star  that  seemed  to  have  been  resting  in 
its  allotted  place  near  the  zenith,  left  its 
throne  of  glory  and  went  suddenly  rush- 
ing down  the  farther  sky,  vanishing  be- 
low the  dim  horizon,  leaving  behind  a 
long  train  of  fading  splendor,  as  quickly 
to  be  gathered  up,  like  stray  sunbeams. 

Why  may  not  our  lives  be  thus,  1 
mused,  scattering  blessings,  as  a  train  of 
brilliants,  along  our  illuminated  path- 
way? 

But  how  incidents  and  happenings, 
trivial  enough  in  themselves,  sometimes 
will  send  our  minds  a  wandering ;  and 
how  one  idea  will  follow  another,  until 
our  thoughts  run  riot,  like  school-boys 
chasing  butterflies  in  meadow  pastures, 
running  and  leaping  and  singing  with 
the  mountain  brook,  hunting  birds' nests 
in  sunny  glades,  gathering  nuts  among 
the  squirrel-haunted  beech-woods. 

These  sudden  flashes  or  passages  of 
thought  from  one  subject  to  another  are 
sometimes  quite  startling,  and  yet  there 
seems  to  be  a  sort  of  a  gliding  along,  per- 
haps by  association. 


Just  now,  as  that  flying  meteor  went 
shedding  its  glories  adown  the  east,  it 
suggested— for  it  is  the  Christmas  night- 
thoughts  of  that  piloting  orb  which  start- 
led the  shepherds,  two  thousand  years 
ago,  from  their  oriental  slumbers  upon 
the  hills  of  Judea,  and  guided  the 
Heaven-appointed  seekers  to  the  feet  of 
the  infant  author  of  that  simple  faith 
which  cheers  the  hearts  of  men  wherever 
the  story  of  the  Christ- child  is  told 
among  the  sons  and  daughters  of  earth, 
to  this  day. 

And  perhaps  that  same  gliding  star 
that  even  now  scattered  its  scintillations  ' 
above  this  western  world,  may  be  look- 
ing down  upon  some  weary  watcher  upon 
Bethlehem's  plain,  as  he  listens  beneath 
a  waving  palm-tree  for  the  muezzin's  call 
to  prayer  at  the  first  flush  of  expected 
morn. 

Now  comes  a  flood  of  overwhelming 
memories,  and,  seated  by  the  firelight  in 
my  little  library,  I  have  been  watching 
the  cheerful  glow  of  the  bright-red  coals, 
and  dreaming  away  an  hour  in  reveries 
whereof  I  must  tell  you,  and  if  you  list- 
en you  will  know  why  that  gleaming 
star,  hastening  beyond  the  east,  suggest- 
ed these  musings;  or,  if  I  can  put  them 
to  paper,  and  you  follow  my  pen,  you 
may  see,  although  I  shall  fail  to  make 
them  as  interesting  to  you  as  I  could 
wish. 

We  will  not  call  it  a  story,  but  rather 
a  history,  for  it  is  a  narrative  of  events 
in  the  lives  of  two  young  hearts,  even- 


s 


MY  FRIENDS  AND  I:  MEMORIES. 


•while  dwellers  in  a  quiet  New  Hamp- 
shire village. 

I  had  a  friend  once,  and  companion,  in 
one  of  those  years  which  we  wish  to 
remember  and  dream  of.  He  wras  my 
junior  by  a  year  or  two,  but  my  superior 
in  everything.  How  I  loved  his  ardent 
nature,  his  great  warm  heart,  void  of  all 
selfishness;  how  I  admired  his  manly 
form,  his  brilliant  intellect,  and  look, 
now,  after  this  score  and  more  of  years, 
into  his  clear  earnest  eye,  and  worship 
the  memory  of  his  noble  soul,  of  his  bet- 
ter life ! 

It  was  during  our  later  school-days 
that  we  first  met ;  on  one  of  those  days 
between  weeks,  when,  relieved  from  the 
weariness  of  conning  ©ur  text-books,  we 
sought  that  freedom  which  nature  gives, 
and  by  shadowy,  untrodden  paths 
climbed  a  mountain  slope,  and  upon  its 
rock-crowned,  topmost  peak  introduced 
ourselves  to  each  other  and  to  the  world 
above  us ;  not  that  there  was  any  formal 
ceremony,  for  it  was  many  days  after 
that  ere  we  exchanged  names,  or  even 
thought  of  it.  But  we  were  acquainted, 
nevertheless. 

You  know  it  is  always  so  in  our  every- 
day life ;  it  is  a  certain  principle  of  at- 
traction and  repulsion  in  our  natures. 
What  was  it  about  that  gentleman  you 
called  my  attention  to  yesterday,  as  we 
were  riding  in  the  street  car,  that  caused 
such  a  repulsiveness  of  feeling?  It  was 
nothing  in  outward  appearance,  for  he 
w  as  scrupulously  and  faultlessly  dressed. 
Then  why,  I  ask,  that  instantaneous,  un- 
taught repudiation  independent  of  will 
or  wisdom?  And  what  was  there  in  that 
sunny  face  and  in  those  soul-stirring 
eyes  that  we  passed  upon  the  corner  of 
the  street  to-day  that  caused  us  to  stop 
and  admire,  and  others  to  listen  and 
smile,  not  guessing  why?  It  was  not 
that  he  was  entertaining  a  little  girlish 
sunbeam  there,  for  the  one  in  the  car 
strove  to  awaken  a  child's  love  for  nov- 
elty, but  failed  to  interest,  and  the  boy 
shrank  away  repelled.  But  I  leave  the 
why  for  philosophers  to  answer ;  we  can 
know  the  facts. 

But  I  was  going  to  tell  you  ;  this  was 
the  first  of  many  pilgrimages  that  we 


made  together,  my  friend  and  I,  and 
many  pleasures  unknown  we  sought  in 
the  forests  and  among  the  hills,  wherev- 
er the  wildness  and  the  beauty  of  the 
scenery  won  us.  I  am  not  going  to  give 
you  a  narration  of  those  experiences,  lest 
they  prove  wearisome,  but  pass  on  to  the 
incidents  I  intended  to  sketch. 

My  student  life  over,  I  entered  into  the 
more  practical  and  busy  affairs  of  life, 
leaving  my  friend  to  pursue  his  studies 
and  strive  for  the  fulfilment  of  his  high 
ambition,  which  was  a  noble  one.    "  I 
would  be  great,"  he  said  one  day,  as  we 
stood  upon  an  eminence,  overlooking  the 
little  world  of   country  around  us,  "  I 
would   go  through  the  world  like  this 
wind,  girded  with  power  to  freshen  and 
purify,   to  sweep  away  old  wrongs  and 
prejudices,  just  as  these  leaves  of  autumn 
are  scattered.    I  would  stir  the  thoughts 
of    men  as  these  trees  are  stirred,  and 
with  words  that  would  go  echoing  down 
the  corridors  of  time.     I  would  possess 
a  knowledge  of  all  lands  and  all  nations ; 
I  would  walk  in  the  footsteps  of  the  old 
masters,  and  muse  above   he  ashes  of  de- 
parted   greatness.        I    would    wander 
among  the  time-hallowed  ruins  of  Greece 
and  Rome,  and  look  upon  those  pyra- 
midal monuments  of  ancient  glory  in  the 
land  of   the   Pharaohs;    dream    among 
those  desolate  ruins  of  antique  palaces, 
the  halls  of  Karnak  and  the  temples  of 
Luxor,  century-laden  relics  of  a  mum- 
mied age.     Or  what  more  worth  the  liv- 
ing for  than  to  see  the  sun  rise  above 
Olivet's  sacred  mount,   or  his  glorious 
setting  beyond  the  hills  and  forests  of 
Lebanon?    Think  of  bathing  one's  life- 
stained  limbs  in  the  waters  of  the  Jor- 
dan, and  baring  his  forehead  to  the  dewy 
winds  of  Hermon  I      What  more  inspir- 
ing, think  you,  than  to  lie  in  the  star- 
light  of   Bethlehem,  gazing    upon  the 
misty  outlines  of  the  hills  and  valleys 
that  had  known  the  wanderings  of  the 
'  Son  of   Man ;'    or    upon    the    hillside 
above  the  vale  of  Jehosaphat,  watching 
the  moonlight  creeping  over  and  around 
the  walls  of  the  'City  of   David,'  and 
across  the  hills  of  Judea,  lighting  up  the 
shadows  in   Gethsemane's  garden,  and 
silvering  the  disturbed  waters  of  far  Gal- 


MY  FRIENDS  AND  I:  MEMORIES. 


9 


ilee!  Didst  never  think,  oh,  friend  of 
mine,  that  that  same  calm  moon  and 
those  changeless  watchers  in  heaven's 
blue  vault ,  which  we  so  love  to  worship, 
looked  down,  in  the  ages  that  were,  upon 
the  scenes  and  incidents  of  '  Holy  Laud ? ' 
Didst  never  ask  them,  in  your  home  in 
the  up  country,  to  tell  you  the  story  of 
that  legendary  eastern  clime  and  the 
'Boy  of  Nazareth?'" 

I  bade  Wilbur  Austin  a  reluctant  good- 
bye that  night,  and  saw  him  not  again 
for  many  months ;  then  our  meeting  was 
in  this  wise:  In  one  of  those  far-off 
years  of  mine,  full  of  rovings  here  and 
there,  a  soft,  star-lit  evening  in  early  au- 
tumn found  me  at  a  quiet  New  Hamp- 
shire village.  Many  such  are  found  at 
short  intervals,  scattered  throughout  the 
Connecticut  valley,  set  like  constellation 
gems  along  that  watery  way. 

You  may  know  the  place ;  near  where 
a  spur  of  those  grand  old  hills  sets  down 
his  granite  foot  far  across  the  valley,  and 
the  river  goes  fretting  around  it  as 
though  disturbed  at  the  intended  barrier. 
"  Moosilauke,"  overlooking  his  humbler 
neighbors,  lifts  his  shaggy  summit  into 
cloud-land  toward  the  east. 

There  is  a  long  avenue,  the  village 
street,  stretching  away  beneath  a  shad- 
ow of  wide-spreading  elms,  older  than 
the  century.  A  miniature  park  invites 
the  wayfarer  into  its  semi-solitude,  and 
here  the  purple  twilight  falls  early,  for 
the  sun  sets  before  its  time  to  the  villag- 
ers atween  the  hills,  and  night  comes 
down  slowly. 

Leisurely  sauntering,  almost  unmind- 
ful, I  lent  a  listening  ear  to  the  quaint 
song  of  a  whippoorwill,  sent  from  the 
gray  cliffs  a  little  back  from  the  village 
street,  and  heard  above  the  whisperings 
of  winds  and  waters  down  below. 

But  now  voices,  less  inspiring  perhaps, 
but  quite  as  familiar,  aroused  me  from 
dreamy  reveries,  and,  pausing,  I  became 
an  involuntary  though  not  an  unwilling 
listener.  I  could  not  be  mistaken ;  it  was 
the  voice  of  my  old  friend,  though  to- 
night somewhat  tremulous  and  sad,  and 
I  knew  the  deep  springs  of  his  soul  were 
stirred  to  their  lowest  depths  and  were 
welling  up,  up.     I  fancied  I  could  hear 


other  tones,  too,  of  a  crushed  and  fear- 
ful anguish,  as  of  a  heart  bowed  down. 

"  Yes,  dear  Ellen,  it  must  be  so ;  the 
cup  is  bitter,  but  it  must  be  drained.  I 
had  anticipated  no  objection  from  your 
father  to  the  realization  of  our  fondest 
hopes.  I  know  I  am  altogether  unwor- 
thy your  hand  or  your  love,  but  some- 
how I  had  dared  to  hope,  too  fondly, 
alas,  that  our  happiness  was  not  to  be 
disturbed  in  this  way ;  but  since  the  fiat 
has  been  spoken,  I  shut  my  eyes  upon 
the  bright  picture  of  our  future,  tinted 
by  '  love's  young  dream,'  and  shall  open 
them  on  the  morrow  to  the  stern  realities 
of  the  '  it  must  be  so.'  I  love  you  too 
well  to  have  you  incur  parental  displeas- 
ure or  sow  the  seeds  for  future  unhappi- 
ness  and  sorrowful  regrets.  To-morrow 
I  go  to  wander  I  know  not  whither,  and 
we  may  never  meet  again,  but  I  would 
not  have  you  forget  me  soon,  nor  our 
brief  dream  of  bliss,  whether  I  tarry 
among  the  sunny  scenes  of  life  or  go 
away  beyond  the  hills  of  earth.  On  some 
quiet  evening  of  midsummer,  when  there 
are  no  dampening  shadows  between  the 
flowers  and  the  stars  we  so  love  for  com- 
panionship, and  when  the  silvery  moon- 
light creeps  over  the  hilltop  yonder  and 
down  into  the  valley,  weaving  around 
the  soul  its  wizard  spell,  go  out  then 
upon  the  river's  bank,  and  beneath  the 
*  old  oak '  whose  waving  branches  shel- 
ter the  rock-hewn  seat  where  we  so  oft 
have  sat  in  the  gloaming,  listening  to  the 
wild  songs  of  evening  and  watching  the 
night  come  down  with  all  the  stars — sit 
there,  I  say,  in  the  old  familiar  spot,  and 
know  for  a  verity,  if  the  soul  is  superior 
to  the  clay,  I  will  sit  beside  you,  and  we 
will  talk  of  the  past  and  its  memories. 
And  why  not?  Since  sprits  may  com- 
mune with  each  other  after  this  earthy 
form  is  abandoned,  why  may  they  not, 
too,  while  the  blood  is  warm  and  the 
cheeks  aglow  and  the  eyes -are  bright?" 

For  many  minutes  there  was  no  re- 
sponse, save  in  stifled  sobs,  and  I  could 
almost  realize  there  was  raging  in  the 
depths  of  some  pure  soul  a  tempest  of  in- 
tense love  and  emotion,  and  in  his  an  in- 
describable and  tumultuous  agony.  At 
length    she    spoke,   and    her  voice  was 


10 


MY  FRIENDS  AND  I :  MEMORIES. 


calm,  save  a  lingering  treinulousness  : 

"  And  is  this  the  end,  dear  Will?  Must 
our  love-laden  bark  here  founder?  Does 
my  father  think  by  driving  you  hence  to 
turn  my  thoughts  and  affections  into  an- 
other and  unnatural  channel?  It  can  nev- 
er be.  Wherever  you  may  go,  rest  assured 
my  heart  goes  with  you.  Time,  you  know, 
is  the  mother  of  change,  and  we  may  be 
happy  yet.  As  the  months  go  away,  my 
father  may  relent,  and  see  in  a  strong, 
noble  soul,  armed  with  true  manhood, 
more  of  real  worth  than  in  the  gold  and 
glitter  and  lands  of  a  cold-hearted  man 
of  the  world.  But,  Will,  it  is  hard  to  say 
goodbye — almost  harder  than  I  can  bear. 
I  must  commence  a  new  life,  for  all  my 
present  life  and  love  will  be  gone,  per- 
haps forever.  But  I  will  find  companion- 
ship in  our  old  haunts ;  I  shall  be  alone  on 
the  bank  ofHhe  river,  where  the  shadows 
come  and  go,  and  there  is  wild  melody  of 
wind  and  waves ;  out  upon  the  hillside  at 
the  foot  of  the  cliff,  where  the  nigh  t-bird 
sings  the  daylight  away,  and  where  we 
so  love  to  worship  the  moon  and  the  star- 
light as  they  come  glinting  into  the  even- 
ing sky ;  up  in  the  glen,  so  full  of  sweet 
solitude,  and  where  the  laughing  brook 
babbles  among  the  rocks  and  the  mosses. 
But,  dear  Will,  should  you  never  return 
to  these  scenes ;  should  death  come  to 
you  in  a  distant  land — and  now  her  voice 
became  broken — I  will  name  a  tryst,  and 
you  shall  treasure  it  in  memory  with  this 
love  of  ours :  If  you  go  hence  before  me 
you  shall  be  first  to  greet  me  upon  the 
other  shore ;  but  if  I  tarry  not  long  with 
these  friends  of  earth,  and  your  mission 
be  not  yet  fulfiilled,  so  I  meet  you  not 
over  there,  my  kiss  shall  awaken  you 
upou  that  glorious  morning.  Shall  it 
not  be  thus?" 

''  We  will  live  and  die  in  that  memory, 
dear  Ellen." 

Just  then  a  ray  of  moonlight  stole  in 
through  the  branches,  and  she  blushed 
not  to  see  two  white  arms  wound 
around  a  manly  neck,  and  a  love- 
ly form  pressed  lovingly  to  a  breast 
where  beat  as  noble  a  heart  as  ever 
warmed  with  human  love;  and  I  am 
very  sure  that  compact  was  sacredly 
sealed  with  pure  and  ardent  lips. 


The  intruder  upon  that  sacred  scene 
has  long  since  been  forgiven  the  innova- 
tion. It  was  my  intention  to  steal  away 
unnoticed  with  this  unsought  secret,  and 
was  moving  with  that  purpose  when  a 
peculiar  but  well-remembered  signal  ar- 
rested my  steps.  I  had  heard  it  often  in 
those  days  of  which  I  mentioned — those 
later  school  days — and  I  obeyed  its  call 
with  as  much  pleasure  and  alacrity  as 
did  my  old  friend  a  similar  summons 
from  me  in  one  of  our  adventurous  holi- 
day excursions,  whereof  I  may  sometime 
tell  you,  but  not  now. 

So  novel  a  meeting  would,  under  or- 
dinary circumstances,  have  proved  a 
very  enjoyable  one.  for  he  was  a  glorious 
talker,  and  we  would  have  walked  and 
talked  the  night  hours  away  and  bridged 
over  the  almost  three  years  of  separation 
with  the  events  of  the  lapsed  period, 
whereof  each  formed  a  part,  and  of  oth- 
er days  and  their  memories ;  but  I  knew 
the  heart  of  my  friend  was  o'er-filled 
with  sad  thoughts  and  dreary  forebod- 
ings, and  that  of  his.fair  companion,  who 
clung  so  trustingly  to  his  side  as  we 
strolled  leisurely  along  toward  her  home 
among  the  maples,  was  brimming  with 
meditations  too  sacred  to  commit  to 
words;  so  I  ventured  not  to  turn  the 
current  of  their  moody  reflections  by 
idle, common-place  utterences  of  my  own. 
I  shrank  from  entering  the  consecrated 
precincts  where  those  agonized  souls 
were  worshipping  at  the  shrine  of  true 
and  holy  love;  so  I  awraited  in  silence, 
making  companionship  with  the  God- 
given  glories  of  that  summer  evening, 
and  turning  at  times  with  frank  emotion 
to  do  homage  to  the  world  of  beauty 
and  true  womanly  loveliness  that 
gleamed  with  heavenly  radiance  from 
the  bright  but  sad  young  face  of  Ellen 
Burton. 

Once,  only  once,  was  the  silence  brok- 
en by  aught  of  the  lips'  expression : 

"  Better  die  then,  since  life  has  lost  its 
joy;  it  were  better  to  die  that  the  aching 
heart  may  be  at  rest." 

"  No,  dear  Ellen,  not  so,  for  'the  dark- 
est day  wait  till  to-morrow  will  have 
passed  away,'  and  these  murky  clouds 
may  be  hiding  from  us  their  sun-illu- 


MY  FRIENDS  AND  I:  MEMORIES. 


11 


mined  face ;  after  frost  and  the  dreariness 
of  winter  come  the  flowers  and  the  joys 
of  spring." 

The  air  had  grown  chilly  and  the  even- 
ing far  spent  when  we  said  "good-night" 
to  Miss  Ellen  at  the  wayside  gate  lead- 
ing to  her  father's  house,  where  we  left 
her  in  care  of  "  Old  Black  Ben,"  the 
faithful  house-dog,  who  came  bounding 
down  the  walk  to  meet  his  young  mis- 
tress. The  moon  smiled  again  as  Will 
dropped  a  kiss  upon  those  dewy  lips,  and 
entreating  her  to  cheerful  rest  unmind- 
ful of  to-morrow's  adieus,  he  took  my 
arm  and  we  moved  away  in  silence. 
Wrapping  my  cloak  more  closely  about 
me  to  keep  out  the  evening's  damp,  and 
lighting  a  cigar  from  Will's  well-filled 
case,  we  waudered  out  into  the  starlight 
and  adown  the  road  by  the  river's  bank. 
Had  our  hearts  been  free  from  this  un- 
timely sadness,  and  our  spirits  light  as 
in  those  merry,  happy  days  I  wot  of,  we 
should  have  lain  ourselves  upon  the 
grass,  or  upon  some  moss-upholstered 
rock  beside  the  river,  and,  disturbed  by 
no  sound  save  those  musical  murmurs 
which  we  always  loved,  we  would  have 
talked  the  moon  from  out  the  sky,  and 
the  stars  beyond  the  western  hills ;  but 
now  almost  in  painful  silence  the  time 
sped  along  until  the  "  High  Rock " 
was  passed,  where  the  waters  fretted  so 
madly,  and  the  cold  gray  walls  of  the 
"  Haunted  House"  became  dimly  visible 
in  the  shadow  of  the  "  Hill  of  Pines." 
Here  the  wind  sighed  heavily,  in  sympa- 
thy, I  suppose,  with  our  saddest  spirits. 
At  the  "  Rustic  Bridge"  over  the  "  Hem- 
lock Brook,"  we  turned  to  retrace  our 
steps,  and  as  villageward  we  wended 
our  way,  I  learned  what  I  was  most 
wishing  to  hear  from  the  lips  of  my  old 
companion :  the  events  of  his  life  during 
the  long  months  since  that  morning  in  a 
late  autumn,  when  we,  at  a  riverside  de- 
pot, exchanged  farewells,  (and  old  hats, 
too,  in  memoriam,  as  I  well  remember), 
I,  to  step  out  into  the  world  of  busy  life, 
he  to  return  to  the  halls  of  learning. 
And  most  of  all  I  wished  to  know  of 
this  late  episode,  this  life  of  a  lover, 
an  interesting  scene  of  which  I  had  but 
now  been  an  incidental  witness.    Gradu- 


ally and  strangely  it  unfolded,  and  I 
learned  how,  soon  after  I  left  him  at 
school,  the  remittances  from  his  agent 
or  guardian  grew  smaller  and  less  fre- 
quent, until  one  bright  morning  he 
awoke  to  learn  that  he  was  penniless. 
The  small  fortune  that  was  left  him  by 
his  father  having  been  turned  into  cash 
by  the  miscreant  in  whose  care  it  was 
placed,  and  he  having  fled  with  his  ill- 
gotten  gain  to  parts  unknown. 

Having  fully  satisfied  himself  of  the 
fact,  and  deeming  the  recovery  of  it,  or 
even  the  criminal  himself,  surrounded  by 
an  impenetrable  shadow  of  doubts,  he 
turned  his  attention  to  the  realities  of  his 
new  circumstances, and  set  about  buckling 
on  the  armor  of  manhood  to  engage  in 
the  real  battle  of  life.  With  extreme  re- 
luctance he  severed  his  connection  with 
the  institution  he  had  chosen  as  his  Al- 
ma Mater,  and  gave  up  all  idea  of  a  com- 
plete college  course.  His  little  affairs, 
the  necessary  outgrowth  of  a  student's 
life,  weae  soon  arranged,  and  he  left  in 
the  care  of  a  friend  his  nucleus  of  a  li- 
brary, and  other  accumulated  effects, 
among  which  was  a  superb  "  Madonna  " 
by  some  unknown  author.  This  my 
friend  greatly  cherished,  avering  and  al- 
ways dreaming  it  the  prototype  of  one 
yet  to  be  found  in  all  maidenly  loveli- 
ness in  some  of  the  by-ways  of  the  "  yet 
to  be."  I  shall  never  forget  that  artist's 
conception.  I  think  one  could  sit  for 
hours  gazing  into  those  dreamy  eyes, 
and  then  the  countenance !  it  seems  im- 
possible that  so  much  loveliness  could 
be  put  upon  canvas,  so  life-like  was  it ! 
such  matchless  lips !  so  rich,  soft  cheeks ! 
and  then  there  was  a  world  of  womanly 
loveliness  and  depth  of  soul  beaming 
from  out  her  gentle  face. 

You  know  there  are  few  paintings  rep- 
resenting the  "  Holy  Mother"  that  are 
particularly  striking,  save  as  works  of 
art.  but  this  one  of  which  I  write,  ap- 
pealed to  the  heart;  and  one  went  out 
from  it  always  with  lingering  dreams  of 
those  dove-like  eyes  beaming  upon  him 
from  soul-full  features. 

Thus  much  have  I  said  of  this  picture 
without  intending  it,  but  you  will  par- 
don me  when  I  say.  that  although  a  score 


12     EARLY  HISTORY  OF  THE  METHODISTS  IN  NEW  HAMPSHIRE. 


of  years  of  life's  experiences  have  left 
their  impress  here,  yet  the  memory  of 
that  angelic  face  lingers  as  bright  as  a 
dream  of  Heaven. 

But  I  was  saying;  these  he  left  with  a 
friend  until  time  and  circumstances  should 


come  for  them,  and  then,  sadly,  but  with 
hope  and  purpose  strong,  he  stepped  out 
to  do  and  dare ;  a  man  among  men,  in 
and  of  the  world. 

CONCLUDED  NEXT  MONTH. 


FOBGETFULNESS  OF  SOBBOW. 


BY  MARY  HELEN  BOODEY. 

Some  precious  moments  of  forgetfulness 

I  gain  from  out  the  web  and  woof  of  time, 
Faint  snatches  from  the  future's  perfect  chime, 
That  fall  upon  the  heart  like  a  caress 
Given  by  the  soul  that's  steeped  In  tenderness : 
Peace  wraps  me  like  a  mantle,  faith  is  mine, 
And  all  my  hopes  in  greater  beauty  shine, 
Lit  with  a  radiance  that  disarms  distress, 
Such  hours  do  seem  strange  notes  of  harmony 

From  heavenly  choirs  that  reach  me  dwelling  here 
'  Within  the  house  of  my  mortality, 

Blinded,  yet  listening,  albeit  the  soul's  ear 
Is  dull  and  heavy,  not  what  it  will  be 
When  the  whole  glorious  strain,  sweet,  soft  and  clear, 
Shall  sound  in  ceaseless  music  through  its  sphere. 


EABLY  HISTOBY  OF  THE  METHODISTS  IN  NEW  HAMPSHIBE. 


BY  JOSEPH  FULLONTON. 


There  are  different  divisions  of  Method- 
ists, but  those  most  common  in  this  sec- 
tion of  the  country,  and  the  largest  body 
of  them,  are  called  Episcopal  Methodists. 
The  denomination  originated  in  England 
in  1739,  mainly  under  the  labors  of  Rev. 
John  Wesley.  A  society  was  formed  in 
London,  and  one  in  Bristol  soon  after. 
The  corner-stone  of  the  first  Methodist 
meeting  house  was  laid  May  12,  1739. 
The  annual  conference  of  their  ministers 
is  peculiar  to  the  denomination,  and  the 
first  commenced  in  London,  June  25, 
1744,  and  consisted  of  six  members. 

The  first  Methodist  Society  in  this 
country    was    organized    in  New  York 


City  in  1766.  It  was  composed  of  immi- 
grants from  Ireland,  who  had  been  won 
to  the  faith  by  the  preaching  of  Mr. 
Wesley.  The  first  Methodist  preacher 
in  that  city  was  Philip  Embury.  His 
first  discourse  was  in  his  own  hired 
house  to  five  persons.  As  the  congrega- 
tion increased,  a  rigging  loft  was  occu- 
pied in  Williams  Street;  and,  finally,  a 
house  of  worship  was  erected.  This  was 
what  has  been  since  called  the  Old  John 
Street  Church.  It  was  dedicated  in  1768. 
The  first  annual  conference  was  in  1773, 
when  there  were  ten  preachers  appoint- 
ed to  six  places,  mostly  cities,  one  of 
which  was  New  York,  another  Philadel- 


EARIA  HISTORY  OF  THE  METHODISTS  IN  NEW  HAMPSHIRE.     13 


phia,  another  Baltimore.      There  were 

six  hundred  in  the  membership.    In  1784 

there  were  33  travelling  preachers  and 

14,986   members.      At   Christmas,    the 

same  year,  the  first  annual  conference 

was  held  in  Baltimore.    In  1792,  the  first 

general  conference  was  held  in  the  same 
place. 

It  will  be  seen  that  these  operations 
were  south  of  New  England,  but  it  has 
been  a  characteristic  of  Methodism  to 
make  an  aggressive  war  upon  the  empire 
of  sin,  and  extend  itself  in  all  directions. 
New  England  was  visited  by  several 
preachers,  among  them  being  Rev.  Jason 
Lee,  a  pioneer  often  on  the  frontiers, 
travelling  on  horseback,  and  addressing, 
with  great  earnestness,  zeal  and  fervor, 
multitudes  that  came  to  hear  him.  He 
was  in  Boston,  where  he  preached  once 
under  the  great  elm  on  the  common. 

No  sooner  had  a  foothold  been  gained 
in  Massachusetts  than  New  Hampshire 
was  considered  a  field  to  be  cultivated. 
In  1794,  the  New  England  Conference  ap- 
pointed John  Hill  to  labor  in  this  State. 
What  came  of  this  is  not  known,  as  there 
is  no  record  of  his  work.  Possibly  he 
did  not  come  into  the  State.  Yet, 
through  the  efforts  of  some  one,  a  socie- 
ty was  soon  after  formed  in  Chesterfield, 
which  in  1797  had  92  members,  and  that 
year  Smith  Weeks  was  appointed  to  that 
place.  The  church  there  still  exists,  and 
is  probably  the  oldest  in  the  State.    Two 

years  later   Elijah    Batchelder  was  ap- 
pointed there. 
In  the  meantime  other  sections  were 

visited.  Jason  Lee,  above  named,  la- 
bored in  the  lower  part  of  the  State  to 
some  extent.  Some  opposition  was  en- 
countered, but  in  general  a  good  work 
is  not  hindered  by  opposition,  but,  on 
the  contrary,  is  usually  advanced.  Dur- 
ing the  year  1800  a  society  was  consti- 
tuted in  Landaff  and  one  in  Hawke,  now 
Danville;  in  1801,  one  in  Hanover;  in 
1802,  one  in  Bridgewater  and  one  in 
Kingston ;  in  1803,  one  in  Grantham ;  in 
1804  one  in  Pembroke,  one  in  Loudon  and 
one  in  Tuftonborough ;  in  1805,  one  in 
Northfield  and  one  in  Centre  Harbor;  in 
1806,  one  in  Portsmouth ;  in  1807  one  in 

Canaan  and  one  in  Rochester ;  in  1810, 
one  in  Greenland. 


The  several  places  to  which  a  minister 
was  appointed  constituted  a  "  circuit," 
receiving  its  name  from  the  principal 
town ;  and  this  continued,  especially  in 
country  regions,  until  within  a  very  few 
years.  A  circuit  embraced  two,  three  or 
more  towns.  These  the  minister  was  to 
visit  and  hold  evening  or  other  meetings. 
When  a  circuit  was  very  large,  two  min- 
isters were  assigned  to  it.  On  a  circuit, 
a  minister  was  much  in  the  saddle,  or 
travelling  on  foot  in  wilderness  regions, 
finding  his  way  by  spotted  trees. 

During  the  times  in  which  the  above 
societies  were  established,  and  later, 
there  were  several  distinguished  minis- 
ters doing  good  service  in  the  State, 
among  whom  should  be  named  the  fol- 
lowing : 

Rev.  Elijah  Hedding,  who  travelled 
over  some  of  the  rough  portions  of  the 
State,  preaching  the  gospel  to  many,  but 
subsequently  became  a  Bishop,  and  re- 
sided in  Poughkeepsie,  N.  Y.,  where  he 
died. 

Rev.  Wilbur  Fisk,  who  was  a  Presid- 
ing Elder  in  New  Hampshire,  and  after- 
wards became  President  of  Wesleyan 
University,  in  Middletown,  Conn.,  and 
was  elected  Bishop,  but  died  before  serv- 
ing in  that  office. 

Rev.  John  Broadhead,  a  native  of 
Pennsylvania,  who  was  for  some  time  a 
Presiding  Elder — a  man  of  sterling 
ability  and  an  effective  preacher,  who 
resided  at  what  is  now  South  New- 
market, was  a  Senator  in  the  Legislature, 
and  for  four  years  Representative  in  Con- 
gress, and  who  died  April  7,  1838. 

Rev.  Alfred  Metcalf  resided  in  Green- 
land as  a  local  preacher,  and  labored  suc- 
cessfully in  the  surrounding  region. 
After  a  ministry  of  success  for  thirty 
years,  he  died  June  4,  1837,  aged  fifty- 
nine  years. 

Rev.  John  Adams  was  born  in  New- 
ington.  He  preached  in  Massachusetts, 
Maine,  and,  during  the  latter  part  of  his 
life,  as  well  as  at  times  previously,  in 
New  Hampshire.  He  had  some  eccen- 
tricities, but  many  excellencies.  He  was 
apt,  cutting  in  rebuke,  fascinating  and 
earnest,  had  great  influence  in  his  ad- 
dresses, and  was  successful  in  bringing 


14 


MALAGA. 


many  into  the  churches.  He  was  famil- 
iarly known  as  "  Reformation  John." 
He  died  in  Newmarket,  Sept.  30,  1850, 
aged  fifty-nine  years. 

Rev.  Joseph  A.  Merrill  was  for  some 
time  a  Presiding  Elder;  also  Rev.  Benj. 
R.  Hoyt.  Rev.  George  Pickering  did 
good  service  in  helping  to  organize  early 
societies.  Rev.  Martin  Ruter,  afterwards 
a  Doctor  of  Divinity,  labored  for  a  time 
in  this  State.  He  died  in  Texas,  where 
he  went  to  preach  to  the  destitute. 

An  academy  was  established  by  this 
denomination  in  Newmarket  in  1813. 
This  was  near  Newfields  Village,  in  what 
is  now  South  Newmarket.  Its  location 
was  too  far  from  the  village  for  conven- 
ience, but  it  flourished  for  several  years. 
In  1824  the  funds  were  transferred  to  the 
institution  in  Wilbraham,  Mass.  Still 
the  academy  continued  its  operations  for 


some  years  later,  but  in  1845  the  State 
Conference  opened  a  seminary  at  San- 
bornton  Bridge.  After  the  buildings 
were  burned,  new  ones  were  erected  very 
near,  in  what  is  now  Tilton. 

Camp  Meetings  were  not  common  till 
within  the  recollection  of  some  now  liv- 
ing. The  first,  a  record  of  which  is  now 
at  hand,  was  held  in  Sandwich  in  1820. 
The  first  in  Rockingham  County  was  in 
Sandown,  in  1823.  Sprituous  liquors 
were  sold  near  by,  which  caused  trouble. 
The  following  year  another  was  held  in 
that  town.  The  celebrated  Rev.  John 
N.  Mafflt  was  present.  The  encamp- 
ment was  then  a  small  affair,  compared 
with  those  of  more  modern  times.  There 
were  but  about  twenty  tents  in  a  circle, 
in  which  eight  or  ten  hundred  persons 
might  be  seated  on  rough  seats. 


MALAGA. 


BY  VIANNA  A.  CONNOR. 


[The  writer  is  a  young  lady  of  Concord, 

In  one  of  the  sunniest  spots  of  "  Sun- 
ny Spain  "  stands  the  quaint  old  city  of 
Malaga,  known  to  us  in  childhood  by  its 
delicious  raisins,  and,  to  our  more  ad- 
vanced age,  by  its  interesting  history 
and  the  conspicuous  part  it  has  borne  in 
the  political  struggles  of  the  nation. 

As  we  enter  the  harbor  we  are  enchant- 
ed with  the  beautiful  scene  before  us. 
The  sea,  calm  and  lovely  in  its  glassy 
stillness,  the  mountains,  rising  on  and  on 
until  their  dim  outlines  are  hardly  pre- 
ceptible  in  the  distance,  and  the  city  with 
its  domes  and  spires  glistening  in  the 
rays  of  a  tropical  sun,  form  pictures  of 
surpassing  loveliness.  As  we  approach, 
we  obtain  a  fine  view  of  the  cathedral, 
the  custom  house,  and  the  old  Castle 
which  has  watched  over  its  protegee  for 
centuries. 

Generation  after  generation  has  passed 
away,  but  this  ancient  fortress  has  been 


now  visiting  in  Spain.— Ed.  Monthly.] 

true  to  its  trust,  struggling  nobly  for  the 
protection  of  its  subjects,  a  bulwark  of 
strength,  and  "  a  very  present  help  in 
time  of  need."  We  drop  anchor,  and 
immediately  our  steamer  is  surrounded 
by  small  boats  ready  to  carry  us  and  our 
luggage  to  the  shore.  A  medley  of  un- 
intelligible sounds,  accompanied  by  the 
high  tones  and  frantic  gesticulations  of 
the  boatmen,  bewilders  our  unaccus- 
tomed ears,  and  we  rejoice  heartily 
when  everything  is  satisfactorily  ar- 
ranged and  we  are  on  our  way.  Arriv- 
ing on  shore  we  proceed  to  find  the  Cus- 
tom House  officer,  not  without  some  anx- 
iety, having  heard  various  rumors  of  un- 
reasonable duties  extorted  from  foreign- 
ers ;  we,  however,  are  more  fortunate, 
and  after  a  slight  examination  of  our 
boxes,  are  allowed  to  depart  in  peace 
with  the  customary  "  Vaga  Usted  con 
Dios."    Kind   friends    welcome  us   with 


MALAGA. 


15 


loving  words  and  our  "  Chateaux  en 
Espagne"  are  more  thau  realized  in  the 
happy  hours  which  each  day  brings. 

Who  could  be  otherwise  than  happy 
in  a  climate  of  almost  perpetual  sun- 
shine? To  an  inhabitant  of  northern 
climes  it  would  appear  incredible  that 
weeks  and  even  months  pass  without  one 
cloudy  day  to  obscure  the  brightness, 
and  this  without  the  penalty  of  a  rainy 
season,  which  is  not  known  in  Malaga. 
In  the  months  of  November  and  Decem- 
ber more  rain  falls  than  at  any  other  por- 
tion of  the  year,  but  it  is  so  interspersed 
with  sunshine  that  there  is  little  oppor- 
tunity for  dullness;  even  when  the  rain 
is  falling  the  sun  seems  to  be  forcing  its 
way  through  the  clouds  to  remind  us  of 
its  presence.  The  winter  is  charming 
beyond  description  ;  such  a  sky  is  not  to 
be  found  even  in  Italy,  and  the  air  is  uni- 
formly mild  and  balmy  We  take  our 
daily  walks  and  drives  as  regularly  as 
the  Cathedral  clock  strikes  the  hours, 
planning  excursions  for  days  in  advance 
without  a  fear  of  adverse  weather.  In- 
valids, especially  those  suffering  from 
pulmonary  complaints,  are  almost  in- 
variably benefitted  by  this  climate.  An 
equable  temperature  and  strong  sunlight 
are  powerful  remedial  ageuts  both  for 
body  and  mind.  In  the  year  1861  a  phe- 
nomenon occurred  in  the  form  of  a  slight 
fall  of  snow  which  created  quite  a  sen- 
sation among  the  Malagnenos.  It  dis- 
appeared as  suddenly  as  it  came  and  has 
never  made  a  second  visitation.  The 
summer  months  are  hot,  but  the  heat  is 
less  enervating  than  in  a  climate  where 
the  temperature  is  constantly  changing, 
and  much  less  dangerous.  There  are  no 
epidemics  and  we  have  never  heard  a 
case  of  sunstroke  reported. 

Malaga  is  very  irregular  in  appear- 
ance ;  the  ancient  portion  is  quite  a  laby- 
rinth of  narrow  streets  laid  out  before 
the  advent  of  carriages ;  those  a  little 
more  modern  are  sufficiently  wide  to  ad- 
mit one  carriage,  while  others  made  with- 
in the  last  half-century  are  broad  and 
well  paved.  The  favorite  promenade  is 
the  '■  Alameda,"  so  called  from  alamos, 
(elm),  it  being  bordered  on  either  side 
by  those  trees.     It  is   adorned  by  occa- 


sional statues  and  fountains  placed  at 
each  end.  The  largest  of  these  was 
erected  last  year  in  honor  of  King  Al- 
fonso's visit  to  this  city,  its  silvery 
spray  rising  to  a  great  height,  and  re- 
flecting the  golden  beams  of  the  setting 
sun,  producing  a  most  brilliant  effect. 
The  other,  less  pretentious  in  size,  is  en- 
titled to  some  consideration  on  account 
of  having  shared  in  the  celebration  of 
the  marriage  of  ex-Queen  Isabella,  when 
it  sent  forth  jets  of  red  wine,  to  the  ad- 
miration of  all  beholders. 

On  Sundays  and  days  of  fiesta,  the  Al- 
ameda presents  an  animated  appearance, 
being  filled  with  ladies  and  gentlemen 
promenading,or  sitting  in  chairs  arranged 
along  the  sides,  which  one  may  occupy 
a  whole  afternoon  for  the  insignificant 
sum  of  half  a  real  (two  and  a  half  cents) , 
with  the  additional  advantage  of  listen- 
ing to  gay  music  discoursed  by  a  band 
of  musicians  furnished  by  the  govern- 
ment. Here  friends  sit  and  chat  over 
the  current  topics  of  the  day ;  maidens 
and  lovers  cast  furtive  glances  of  un- 
swerving fidelity,  and  little  children, 
happiest  of  all,  frisk  about  like  young 
lambs,  regardless  of  clean  frocks  and 
scolding  nurses. 

Running  at  right  angles  with  the  large 
Alameda  is  a  smaller  one,  bearing  the 
somewhat  gloomy  name  of  "Alameda 
de  los  Tristes,"  (of  the  sad).  The  name 
is  an  inappropriate  one,  as  it  is  the  gay- 
est, most  cheerful  street  in  the  city. 
The  sun  sheds  upon  it  its  life-giving  rays 
"  from  early  morn  till  dewey  eve,"  while 
the  merry  birds  fill  the  air  with  their 
joyous  songs.  Acacia  trees  afford  a 
geateful  shade  for  those  who  wish  to 
pass  the  hours  in  "dolcefar  niente"  a 
pastime  much  sought  and  enjoyed  by  in- 
habitants of  southern  climes.  As  the 
Alameda  de  los  Tristes  is  the  gayest 
street,  so  the  Calle  Peligro  (Dangerous 
Street),  is  the  safest ;  Calle  Ancha  (Broad 
Street),  the  narrowest ;  Calle  Sucia  (Dir- 
ty Street),  the  cleanest;  and  Calle  dil 
Viento  (Wind  Street),  the  least  airy. 
The  Plaza  de  la  Constitucion  derives  its 
name  from  having  been  the  site  of  the 
City  Hall  at  the  time  the  Constitutional 
Law  was   first  proclaimed,   in  the  year 


16 


TO  MT.  KEARSARGE. 


1812.  It  was  an  event  of  the  greatest 
importance  to  the  people,  being  a  transi- 
tion from  absolute  despotism  to  a  Con- 
stitutional Monarchy.  Hitherto  they 
had  been  subject  to  the  mandates  of  a 
capricious  king,  without  a  knowledge  of 
their  rights  or  power  to  assert  them ; 
but  the  new  law  extended  its  protecting 
hand  and  gave  them  a  feeling  of  compar- 
ative security. 

The  Plaza  de  Riego  a  de  la  Merced 
(Mercy),  as  it  is  more  commonly  called, 
bears  the  name  of  Gen.  Riego,  a  Liber- 
alist  who  delivered  an  address  in  this 
square.  He  was  afterwards  executed  in 
Madrid  on  charge  of  conspiring  against 
the  government.  In  the  centre  of  the 
Plaza  stands  a  monument  on  which  are 
inscribed  the  names  of  forty-nine  inno- 
cent men,  executed  here  on  the  11th  of 
December,  1831.  The  principal  one,  a 
Spaniard  by  the  name  of  Torrijos,  who 
was  known  as  a  Liberalist,  during  a  stay 
at  Gibraltar,  received  a  letter  from  the 
Governor  of  Malaga,  informing  him  that 
great  excitement  prevailed  among  the 
citizens  who  were  anxious  for  a  change 
of  government,  and  desired  his  immedi- 


ate presence.  Accordingly  he  embarked 
from  Gibraltar  in  a  small  vessel  contain- 
ing forty-nine  persons,  who  immediately 
upon  their  landing  upon  the  coast  west 
of  Malaga,  were  seized  and  put  to  death 
without  any  opportunity  of  defending 
themselves.  Upon  two  sides  of  the 
monument  are  the  following  couplets: 

*u  A  vista  de  este  ejemplo  cindadanos 
Antes  morir  que  consentir  tiranos." 

t"El  martir  que  transmite  su  memoria 
No  muere,  sube  al  templo  de  la  Gloria." 

A  blacker  crime  than  this  can  scarcely 
be  found  recorded  in  the  annals  of  Span- 
ish history.  Had  it  transpired  in  the  less 
enlightened  period  of  the  middle  ages, 
it  would  be  regarded  as  the  result  of  ig- 
norance and  barbarism,  but  the  deliber- 
ate performance  of  a  treacherous  act  in 
the  very  height  of  civilization  is  a  stain 
upon  the  record  of  the  nation  which  can 
never  be  effaced. 


*"  In  view  of  this  example,  citizens, 
sooner  die  than  consent  to  tyrants." 

t"  The  martyr  who  transmits  his  mem- 
ory never  dies,  but  ascends  to  the  temple 
of  Glory." 


TO  MT.  KEABSABGE. 


BY  WILL  E.  WALKER. 

Lone  mount,  uplifting  high  thy  storm-scarred  crest, 

Oft  veiled  in  clouds,  amidst  the  circling  hills, 
Thy  craggy  sides  and  slopes  in  verdure  dressed, 

The  source  of  limpid  springs  and  fruitful  rills ; 
While  many  dwellers  in  the  vale  below, 

Who  loved  thee  once  have  passed  from  earth  away, 
And  we  who  love  thee,  too,  like  them  shall  go, — 

From  age  to  age,  dost  thou,  unmoved,  stay, 
And  like  the  prophet  who  of  old  did  cry, 

"Repent,  repent,  the  Kingdom  is  at  hand!" 
So  wouldst  thou  lift  our  worldly  minds  on  high, 

To  things  eternal,  to  a  Better  Land. 
Thy  maker's  glory  thou  dost  well  foretell ; 

We  greet  thee,  Hail !  but  soon  must  say  Farewell ! 


CAPT.  THOMAS  BAKER  AND  MADAME    CHRISTINE,  HIS  WIFE.      17 


CAPT.  THOMAS  BAKER  AND  MADAME  CHRISTINE,  HIS  WIFE.* 


BY  REV.  SILAS  KETCHUM,  WINDSOR,  CONN. 


On  the  9th  of  February,  1704,  a  sec- 
ond great  calamity  and  destruction  by 
the  Indians  fell  on  Deerfield,  Mass.,  the 
story  of  which  has  become  familiar 
through  the  narrative  of  Rev.  John  Wil- 
liams, minister  of  the  town,  who,  with 
his  wife  and  children,  was  carried  captive 
to  Canada.  In  this  attack  thirty-eight 
perished,  and  100  were  taken  prisonei-s. 
Of  this  latter  number  nineteen  were  mur- 
dered and  three  starved  before  reaching 
Canada.  Among  the  survivors  was 
Thomas  Baker,  afterwards  the  celebrat- 
ed Indian  fighter. 

He  was  born  in  Northampton,  Mass., 
May  14th,  1682,  a  son  of  Timothy  and 
Sarah  (Atherton)  Baker.  Whether  he 
was  residing  at  Deerfield,  or  whether  he 
was  captured  previously,  in  the  raid  of 
the  Indians  on  surrounding  towns,  does 
not  appear.  He  was  then  twenty -two 
years  of  age.  How  long  he  remained  a 
captive  in  Canada  is  unknown,  at  least  to 
the  writer.  What  were  his  experiences, 
or  manner  of  deliverance,  how  he  was 
treated,  or  how  employed,  there  is  noth- 
ing to  show.  Two  things,  however,  it 
seems  safe  to  predicate  of  his  captivity  : 
That  he  acquired  that  knowledge  of  In- 
dian modes  and  methods  which  contrib- 
uted to  his  subsequent  successes  as  an 
Indian  scout,  and  that  he  made  in  Cana- 
da the  acquaintance  of  a  young  woman 
who  afterwards  became  as  famous  as  he, 
and  who,  by  becoming  his  wife,  doubt- 
less induced  him  to  forsake  his  own  and 
become    a  citizen  of   her    native  State. 


*  Since  writing  this  article,  my  atten- 
tion has  been  called  to  certain  facts  in 
relation  to  the  subjects  of  it,  communi- 
cated to  the  N.  E.  Hist,  and  Genealog. 
Reg.,  in  1851,  by  Hon.  John  Wentworth 
of  Chicago,  and  afterwards  embodied  in 
the  Wentworth  Genealogy,  privately  print- 
ed, in  2  vols.,  1S70,  and  soon  to  be  pub- 
lished in  an  enlarged  form,  in  3  vols.,  by 
the  same  gentleman. 


This  lady  was  Madame  Christine  Le 
Beau,  a  daughter  of  Richard  Otis  of  Do- 
ver, carried  to  Canada  when  an  infant 
three  months  old. 

A  correspondent  of  Farmer  and  Moore's 
Collections,  Vol.  III.,  p.  100,  says  that 
"  about  the  year  1720,  Capt.  Thomas  Ba- 
ker of  Northampton,  in  the  County  of 
Hampshire,  in  Massachusetts,  set  out 
with  a  scouting  party  of  thirty-four  men, 
passed  up  the  Connecticut  river,  and 
crossed  the  height  of  land  to  Pemige- 
wasset  river.  He  here  discovered  a  par- 
ty of  Indians,  whose  sachem  was  called 
Walternummus,  whom  he  attacked  and 
destroyed." 

That  this  date  should  probably  be  1712, 
instead  of  1720,  is  shown  by  Dr.  Bouton 
in  N.  H.  Provincial  Papers,  II.,  635, 
where  it  is  found  in  a  transcript  from  the 
Legislative  Journal  of  Massachusetts,  in 
May  of  the  former  year,  that  £10  was 
voted  to  "  Thomas  Baker,  commander  of 
a  company  of  marching  forces  in  the  late 
expedition  against  the  Enemy  at  Coos, 
and  from  thence  to  the  west  branch  of 
the  Merrimack  river,  and  so  to  Dunsta- 
ble, in  behalf  of  himself  and  Company 
for  one  enemy  Indian  besides  that  which 
they  scalped,  which  seems  so  very  prob- 
able to  be  slain."  On  the  11th  of  June 
following,  the  same  assembly  voted  £20 
"additional  allowance  "  for  still  others 
of  the  enemy  killed,  on  their  own  (i.  e. 
the  enemy's)  showing.  To  both  Gov. 
Dudley  consented. 

It  was  in  this  expedition  that  Capt. 
Baker  came  upon  and  surprised  a  camp 
of  eight  Indians  at  the  confluence  of  a 
small  stream  with  thePemigewasset,  be- 
tween Plymouth  and  Campton,  which 
has  since,  in  remembrance  of  the  exploit, 
borne  the  name  of  Baker's  river.  Pen- 
hallow  says  the  number  of  the  enemy 
was  eight,  and  that  all  were  slain  with- 
out the  loss  of  a  man.    CCoH.  N.  H.  Hist. 


18 


CAPT.  THOMAS  BAKER  AND  MADAME  CHRISTINE,  HIS  WIFE. 


Soc.  I.,  SO].  This  must  have  been  early 
in, May,  1712.  The  writer  in  Farmer  and 
Moore,  above  quoted,  says  that  Walter- 
nummus.  the  chief,  and  Capt.  Baker  lev- 
elled and  discharged  their  pieces  at  each 
other  at  the  same  instant;  that  the  ball 
from  the  Indian's  gun  grazed  Capt.  Ba- 
ker's left  eyebrow,  doing  no  injury,  while 
Baker  shot  the  sachem  through  the 
breast,  who  leaped  high  in  the  air  and 
fell  instantly  dead.  They  found  a  wig- 
wam filled  with  beaver,  of  which  they 
took  as  much  as  they  could  carry,  and 
burned  the  rest.  According  to  Penhal- 
low,  there  were  in  Capt.  Baker's  compa- 
ny fifty  men,  instead  of  thirty-four.  If 
so,  the  success  of  the  exploit  was  not  sur- 
prising. 

At  that  time  Capt.  Baker  lived  in  his 
native  town  of  Northampton.  In  1715, 
he  married  Madame  Le  Beau,  and  was 
still  residing  there.  But  in  1719  he  rep- 
resented Brookfield  in  the  Massachusetts 
Legislature ;  and  about  172.1  he  removed  to 
Dover,  which  continued  to  be  his  home 
thenceforth  until  his  death,  probably  in 
1753.  What  the  records  of  that  town 
would  disclose  concerning  his  subse- 
quent career,  the  writer  would  be  glad  to 
know.  Of  his  history  little  enough  is  on 
record.  Tradition  has  accorded  him  the 
character  of  a  brave  and  successful  scout. 
It  is  probable  that  this  was  not  his  first 
expedition,  as  an  inexperienced  man 
would  not  be  likely  to  command  such  an 
one,  and  equally  probable  it  was  not  his 
last. 

His  sword,  with  the  initials,  "T.  B.," 
inlaid  in  the  blade  with  gold,  with  the 
device  of  an  eagle  in  a  circle,  and  giving 
evidence  of  having  seen  hard  service,  is 
in  the  museum  of  the  New  Hampshire 
Antiquarian  Society.  We  come  now  to 
the  history  of 
Madame  Christine,  Captain  Baker's 

WltE. 

On  the  night  of  the  27th  of  June,  1689, 
the  Indians  fell  on  Dover,  and  wiped  out 
their  long-cherished  sense  of  injury  with 
a  bloody  hand.  Belknap  says  there  were 
five  garrisoned  houses  in  Dover  at  that 
time.  One  of  these  belonged  to  Capt. 
Richard  Otis.  He  was  an  Englishman 
by  birth,  and  was  made  an  inhabitant  of 


Boston,  May  2S,  1655,  but  was  taxed  at 
Dover  the  next  year.  For  thirty-three 
years  he  had  been  one  of  the  leading  men 
of  the  town.  He  had  been  thrice  mar- 
ried. His  first  wife  was  Rose,  daughter 
of  Antony  Stoughton  ;  his  second,  Shua, 
daughter  of  James  Hurd;  his  third,  prob- 
ably a  young  woman,  was  Grizell,  daugh- 
ter of  James  and  Margaret  Warren.  She 
had  at  the  time  of  the  attack  a  daughter, 
born  in  March  previous,  who  had  been 
named  Margaret.  Richard  Otis  was 
slain,  his  house  rifled  and  burned,  and 
his  wife  and  child  carried  captives  to 
Canada. 

There  Mrs.  Otis  embraced  the  Roman 
Catholic  religion,  being  baptized  May  9, 
1693,  by  the  name  of  Mary  Madeline 
Warren,  and  was  married  on  the  15th  of 
October  following  to  Philip  Robitail,*  a 
Frenchman,  by  whom  she  had  several 
children,  and  died  at  a  great  age.  The 
infant  Margaret  was  taken  in  charge  by 
the  French,  baptized  by  the  name  of 
Christine,  educated  in  a  Roman  Catholic 
nunnery,  but  declined  to  take  the  veil. 
At  the  age  of  sixteen  she  was  married  to 
one  Le  Beau,  a  Frenchman,  by  whom 
she  had  certainly  two,  and  possibly 
three,  children. 

She  entertained  a  strong  desire  to  visit 
her  native  laud  and  be  among  her  own 
people.  How  long  she  lived  with  Le 
Beau  is  not  known.  But  in  1714  she 
was  a  widow,  and,  taking  advantage  of 
an  exchange  of  prisoners,  she  returned 
to  Dover.  The  Romanists  would  not  al- 
low her  to  take  her  children,  the  eldest 
of  which  could  not  have  been  more  than 
eight  years  old,  and  a  considerable  estate 
which  she  possessed  she  had  to  abandon. 

How  much  her  remembrance  of  Capt. 
Thomas  Baker  had  to  do  with  her  desire 
to  return  to  New  England  we  shall  never 
know.     When  he  was  carried  to  Canada, 


*  This  name  is  given  as  Nobitail,  in 
Coll.  N.  H.  Hist.  Soc,  VIII.,  407,  but  is 
incorrect.  I  learn  from  Hon.  John 
Wentworth  that  the  name  Robitaile  is  not 
infrequent  in  Canada;  that  the  Hon.  Mr. 
Robitaile  was,  not  long  since,  a  member 
of  the  Canadian  Parliament,  and  that  a 
Dr.  Robitaile  recently  graduated  from 
the  medical  department  of  Harvard  Uni- 
versity. 


CAPT.  THOMAS  BAKER  AND  MADAME  CHRISTINE,  HIS  WIFE.      19 


in  1704,  she  was  barely  fifteen  years  old, 
and  unmarried.  Whether  she  saw  him 
before  or  after  her  marriage,  which  oc- 
curred within  the  first  two  years  after 
his  capture,  or  whether  she  saw  him  at 
all  in  Canada,  is  equally  uncertain.  It  is 
assumed  that  she  did,  because»certain  it 
is  that  in  the  year  1715.  being  the  next 
after  her  return,  she  is  found  at  North- 
ampton as  Capt.  Baker's  wife.  At  that 
time  he  had  led  his  scouting  party  into 
"  the  Cohos  country,"  had  received  his 
bounty  and  established  his  fame. 

At  Northampton  Madame  Christine  re- 
nounced the  Romish  faith  and  united 
with  the  Congregational  church,  then 
under  the  pastoral  care  of  Rev.  Solomon 
Stoddard,  from  which  time  she  seems  to 
have  been  called  by  the  English  name  of 
Christina.  It  would  appear  that  tidings 
of  this  renunciation  did  not  reach  Can- 
ada for  many  years. 

At  length,  on  the  27th  of  June,  1727, 
at  which  time  Mrs.  Baker  had  been  six 
years  a  resident  of  Dover,  M.  Seguenot, 
who  had  been  her  own  and  her  mother's 
confessor  at  Montreal,  prepared  and  for- 
warded to  her  a  letter  of  remonstrance 
and  entreaty,  exhorting  her  to  abjure  the 
faith  to  which  she  had  apostatized  and 
return  to  the  church  of  Rome.  The  let- 
ter was  written  in  French,  and  contained 
an  elaborate  presentment  of  the  claims  of 
k*  the  Mother  Church,"  and  of  the  argu- 
ments commonly  nsed  '  against  Protest- 
ant Christianity,  chiefly  composed  of  the 
calumnies  and  assumptions  that  had  been 
used  against  Luther  and  Calvin.  By  this 
letter  we  learn  that  her  mother,  Madame 
Robitail,  was  then  living,  and  that  one 
of  her  own  children,  a  daughter  by  Le 
Beau,  had  recently  died.  M.  Seguenot 
advised  her  to  show  his  letter  to  her  min- 
isters, thinking,  doubtless,  that  as  it  con- 
tained profuse  references  to  ancient  and 
unusual  authorities,  they  would  be  as  lit- 
tle able  as  herself  to  answer  him. 

At  that  time  the  Rev.  Jonathan  Clash- 
ing was  pastor  of  the  church  in  Dover. 
He  was,  in  1727,  thirty-seven  years  of 
age,  and  in  the  tenth  year  of  a  pastorate 
which  lasted  fifty-two  years,  the  last 
two  of  which  he  had  Jeremy  Belknap  for 
a  colleague.    He  was  a  graduate  of  Har- 


vard College,  1712,  and  a  scholarly  man 
in  the  learning  of  his  time,  but  it  is 
doubtful  if  he  was  acquainted  with  the 
French  language,  and  altogether  improb- 
able that  he  possessed  the  historical  vol- 
umes needful  to  make  a  conclusive  reply 
to  M.  Seguenot's  letter.  The  letter  was 
placed  in  the  hands  of  some  competent 
person  who  translated  it  into  English. 

The  following  year  William  Burnett 
was  transferred  from  the  governorship 
of  New  York  and  New  Jersey  to  that  of 
Massachusetts  and  New  Hampshire.  He 
was  the  eldest  son  of  the  celebrated  Gil- 
bert Burnett,  Bishop  of  Sarum,  the  his- 
torian of  the  Reformation  in  England 
and  of  his  own  time,  the  trusted  minister 
and  friend  of  William  III.,  for  whom  his 
son  was  named  by  the  king  himself,  who 
stood  god-father  at  his  baptism.  Gover- 
nor Burnett  was  an  accomplished  schol- 
ar, possessed  a  clear  head,  ready  wit  and 
a  majestic  presence.  He  came  to  his  go  v- 
ernment  in  Boston  on  the  13th  of  July, 
1728,  but  did  not  enter  his  Province  of 
New  Hampshire  till,  probably,  April  19, 
1729.*  He  died  in  Boston  Sept.  7,  fol- 
lowing. From  certain  causes,  New 
Hampshire  was  high  in  his  favor,  and 
Massachusetts  under  his  displeasure. 

Gov.  Burnett  never  had  any  personal 
acquaintance  with  Mrs.  Baker,  By  some 
means  he  was  made  acquainted  with  the 
character  of  M.  Seguenot's  letter,  and  the 
circumstances  to  which  it  related.  Al- 
though a  churchman,  he  was  by  educa- 
tion and  disposition  of  mind  favorably 
inclined  to  the  Calvinists.  He  expressed 
a  desire  to  see  the  letter,  which  was  ac- 
cordingly laid  before  him,  and  he  pre- 
pared in  French  an  equally  elaborate  re- 
ply, refuting  the  Romish  priest's  argu- 
ments, and  exposing  his  falsifications  of 
history.  This  was  dated  Jan.  2,  1729, 
and  was  addressed  to  Mrs.  Baker,  with 
leave  to  make  such  use  of.  it  as  she 
deemed  best,  but  concealing  himself  as 
the  writer,  and  subscribing  himself  her 
"  unknown  but  humble  servant."    This 


*He  made  his  speech  to  the  Council 
and  House  of  Representatives  Tuesday, 
Apr.  22.  Adams,  Annals  of  Ports.,  says 
he  visited  N.  H.  Sept.  7,  1729;  but  that 
was  the  day  he  died  in  Boston. 


20 


MARY  AND  MARTHA. 


letter  soon  was.  and  the  former  was 
again,  translated  into  English,  and  both 
were  published,  with  a  clumsy  explana- 
tion by  the  bookseller,  by  "D.  Hench- 
man, at  the  corner  shop  over  against  the 
Brick  Meeting-House  in  Cornhill: 
MDCCXXIX."  This  corner  shop,  by 
the  way,  was  the  same  building  now  oc- 
cupied by  A.  Williams  &  Co.,  opposite 
the  Old  South  Church,  and  was  built  in 
1712.  Both  were  re-printed  in  the  eighth 
volume  of  the  N.  H.  Historical  Society's 
Collections ;  and  the  original  correspon- 
dence is  in  the  Boston  Athenaeum. 

On  the  18th  of  Oct.,  1734,  Mrs.  Baker 
petitioned  the  Governor  and  Council  of 
New  Hampshire  for  leave  to  keep  a 
"house  of  public  entertainment,"  which 
was  granted  on  the  9th  of  May  the  next 
year.  In  1737,  she  petitioned  Gov. 
Belcher  and  the  Honorable  Council  "to 
grant  her  a  tract  of  land  in  this  Province 
[N.  H.],  of  such  contents  as  you  shall  in 
your  wisdom  and  goodness  see  meet," 
setting  forth  that  she  was  captured  in 
her  infancy,  lived  many  years  among  the 
French  in  Canada,  and  that  she  had  pur- 
chased her  liberty  "  with  the  loss  of  all 
her  estate,  which  was  not  inconsidera- 
ble;" that  since  her  return  to  New  Eng- 


land she  had  met  with  many  misfortunes 
and  hardships,  and  had  several  children, 
which  she  might  find  burdensome  to 
maintain,  "especially  considering  that 
she  was  not  in  such  comfortable  circum- 
stances as  she  had  formerly  lived  in." 
The  petition  was,  March  16,  1737,  "  or- 
dered to  lie  for  consideration  till  next 
session."  and  does  not  appear  to  have 
been  again  taken  up. 

The  "  several  children  "  above  referred 
to  were  six.  One  of  these  was  Col.  Otis 
Baker  of  Dover,  who  died  in  1801.  He 
represented  Dover  in  the  State  Legisla- 
ture in  1770.  '72,  '73  and  '75,  and  under 
the  revolutionary  government;  was 
Judge  of  the  Court  of  Common  Pleas, 
1773-1785.  State  Senator  two  years,  mem- 
ber of  the  Committee  of  Safety,  1776,  '77, 
and  Colonel  of  the  2d  New  Hampshire 
Regiment. 

Lydia,  daughter  of  Col.  Otis  Baker, 
married  Col.  Amos  Cogswell  of  Dover, 
whose  daughter,  also  Lydia,  married 
Paul  Wentworth,  Esq.,  of  Sandwich, 
and  was  the  mother  of  Hon.  John  Went- 
worth of  Chicago. 

Mrs.  Christina  Baker  died  in  Dover, 
Feb.  23,  1773,  having  nearly  completed 
her  84th  year. 


MART  AND  MARTHA. 


BY  LAURA  GARLAND  CARR. 

"  The  sky  is  clear,  the  air  is  cool, 

The  birds  are  full  of  glee, 
The  dew  has  dried  from  off  the  grass, 

The  hills  are  fair  to  see ; 
Come,  leave  your  sewing,  Martha  Gray, 

And  roam  the  fields  with  me !  " 


"  Ah,  Mary.  I  would  gladly  go, 

But  see  this  work  to  do ! 
These  yards  and  yards  to  baste  and  stitch, 

And  all  this  plaiting,  too, 
Before  the  dress  I  need  so  much 

Will  bear  the  critic's  view." 


MARY  AND  MARTHA.  21 

"  But,  Martha,  while  you're  delving  here 

These  rare  June  days  speed  by, 
Such  days!  when  God  seems  reaching  down, 

And  heaven's  own  glories  nigh! 
Come,  live  this  golden  day  with  me 
And  let  the  trimmings  lie!  " 

"  Nay,  Mary,  that  will  never  do ; 

I  am  not  brave  to  dare 
The  whole  gay  world  in  quaker  dress 

Like  that  you  choose  to  wear; 
So  I  must  work  away  at  home 

Though  earth  and  skies  are  fair. 

"  Martha,  you  say  that  you  believe 

When  these  frail  forms  decay 
The  thinking  mind  lives  on  and  on 

In  realms  of  endless  day, 
And  all  the  good  it  gathers  up 

It  bears  along  its  way. 

"  And  yet,  to  deck  this  fading  form 

You  spend  your  time  and  care, 
And  let  the  living  spirit  starve, 

Shut  off  from  all  that's  rare; 
Bending  its  Godlike  powers  down 

To  less  than  empty  air." 

"I  know,  friend  Mary,  what  you  say 

Is  very  good  and  true, 
And  yet,  the  folks  that  live  your  way 

You'll  find  are  strangely  few, 
While  thousands,  wiser  far  than  I, 

Live  on  just  as  I  do. 

"And  so  I  join  the  crowd,  although 

I  like  your  way  the  best; 
But  'tis  so  hard  to  face  the  world — 

Its  ridicule  and  jest — 
To  know  they  write  you  down  as  k  odd,' 

'  Strong-minded,'  'queerly-dressed." 

So  Martha  turned  to  her  machine, 

And  straightened  cloth  and  thread, 
Then  off,  through  weary  lengths  of  seam 

The  shining  needle  sped  ; 
While  Mary,  out  beneath  the  trees, 

Gleaned  happy  thoughts  instead. 


22 


CHURCHES  IN  HOPKINTON. 


C HUB  CHE  S  IN  HO  PRINT  ON. 


BY  C.  C.  LORD. 


THE  CONGREGATIONAL   CHURCH. 

One  of  the  conditions  upon  which  the 
original  proprietors  of  the  town  of  Hop- 
kinton  received  their  grant  was  an  agree- 
ment "to  build  and  furnish  a  convenient 
meeting  house  and  settle  a  learned  and 
orthodox  minister."  In  the  first  plan  of 
the  division  of  lots,  the  land  was  parcel- 
ed out  upon  opposite  sides  of  four  roads, 
diverging  from  a  common  centre  towards 
the  four  cardinal  points  of  the  compass. 
By  this  arrangement,  i;  the  minister's" 
lot  was  the  first  "  on  the  north  range  on 
the  west  side."  The  fifth  lot  in  regular 
order  on  the  same  range  and  side  was  al- 
so a  k'  ministerial  lott." 

The  first  settlers  in  Hopkinton  came 
here  probably  as  soon  as  1739.  At  a  pub- 
lic meeting  held  in  the  house  of  Timothy 
Knowlton,  on  the  24th  of  May,  the  same 
year,  it  was  voted  to  'build  and  furnish  a 
meeting  house  by  the  last  of  the  follow- 
ing October,  said  meeting  house  to  be 
"thirty-five  ft.  in  length,  twenty-five  ft. 
in  breadth,  and  eight  ft.  between  joints, 
with  a  basil  roof."  This  house  was  not 
built.  Troubles  incident  to  frontier  life 
came  on,  and  twenty-seven  years  passed 
away  before  a  church  was  erected.  In 
the  mean  while  the  people  worshipped 
in  Putney's  Fort,  which  stood  near  the 
angle  of  the  roads  diverging  northwardly 
and  easterly  on  the  top  of  Putney's  Hill, 
on  land  now  occupied  by  Mrs.  L.  A. 
Stanwood,  and  where  the  first  settled 
minister  in  town  was  ordained. 

The  first  church  was  built  in  the  year 
1766.  It  was  fifty  feet  long,  thirty-eight 
broad,  and  the  posts  were  twenty-two 
feet.  Eight  years  more  passed  away  be- 
fore a'pulpit  and  pews  Avere  added.  Five 
hundred  pounds,  "  old  tenor,"  were  orig- 
inally appropriated  for  the  erection  of 
this  house.  A  depreciated  state  of  the 
currency  made  this  appropriation  equiv- 


alent to  something  over  $1000.  On  the 
5th  of  February.  1789,  the  church  was 
burned.  A  local  difference  of  feeling  en- 
gendered a  dispute  which  terminated  in 
a  crime.  The  first  centre  of  the  town 
was  on  Putney's  Hill.  Increase  of  pop- 
ulation and  incident  circumstances  gave 
a  prominence  and  preference  to  the  spot 
where  the  village  now  is.  The  first 
church  was  built  on  the  site  of  the  pres- 
ent Congregational  house  of  worship. 
Some,  of  course,  were  dissatisfied.  A 
certain  young  man  testified  to  his  dissent 
by  burning  the  building.  He  was  pun- 
ished for  a  time  by  confinement  in  jail, 
and  at  labor.  At  a  town  meeting,  May  8, 
1789,  it  was  voted  to  forgive  him,  his  fa- 
ther binding  him  to  labor  for  the  town 
till  satisfaction  was  rendered.  The  soci- 
ety of  worshippers,  thrown  out  of  doors 
by  the  destruction  of  their  meeting-house, 
accepted  for  a  time  the  offer  of  Benjamin 
Wiggin,  taverner,  to  open  his  barn  for 
their  accommodation.  The  house  of 
Benjamin  Wiggin  is  still  standing,  nest 
building  westerly  to  the  Episcopal  church. 
It  was  in  front  of  Benjamin  Wiggin's, 
under  the  trees  now  standing,  that  the 
Rev.  Jacob  Cram,  third  minister  in  the 
town,  was   ordained,  February  25,  1789. 

In  less  than  four  months  from  the  burn- 
ing of  the  first  house,  a  second  one  was 
erected.  The  old  controversy  was  reviv- 
ed. It  had  only  partially  culminated  on 
the  day  of  the  fire.  A  commitiee,  con- 
sisting of  Nathan  Sargent,  Samuel  Far- 
rington,  John  Jewett,  John  Moore.  Isaac 
Chandler,  James  Buswell,  Benjamin  B. 
Darling,  Enoch  Eastman,  and  Joshua 
Morse,  had  reported  on  February  2, 1789, 
as  follows ; 

"  After  we  have  considered  the  matter 
respecting  the  meeting-house.  We  have 
examined  the  rates  and  we  find  the  east 
end  of  the  town  pays  about  8  pounds  in 
fifty  in  the   minister  tax  more  than  the 


CHURCHES  IN  HOPKINTON. 


23 


west  end,  and  is  eight  parts  in  number 
more.  Also  the  travel  is  thirty-six  miles 
farther  to  the  common  lot  on  the  Hill,  so 
called,  than  where  it  now  stands,  accord- 
ing to  our  computation.  As  those  two 
places  are  the  only  ones  picked  upon  by 
the  committee,  therefore  we  think  the 
meeting-house  ought  not  to  be  moved." 

Three  days  after,  the  meeting-house 
having  been  destroyed  that  morning,  it 
was  decided  at  a  meeting  held  at  thejpub- 
lic  house  of  Mr.  Babson,  and  adjourned 
to  his  "  barn-yard,"  to  refer  the  settle- 
ment of  the  local  dispute  to  the  select- 
men of  Gilmanton,  Linesborough  and 
Washington.  B}r  this  time  several  sites 
were  proposed  for  the  permanent  loca- 
tion of  a  meeting-house.  The  disinter- 
ested committee  of  gentlemen  from 
abroad  reported  verbatim  et  literatim  as 
follows : 

"  To  the  Town  of  Hopkinton,  Gentlemen  : 

lk  We,  your  Committee  appointed  to  fix 
upon  a  Suitible  Plac  in  your  Town  for 
you  to  build  a  meeting  hous  upon,  do  Re- 
port that  we  have  Taken  a  View  of  the 
Principle  part  of  your  Town,  and  the 
Situation  of  Each  Part  of  the  Same,  and 
have  found  it  to  be  attended  with  diffi- 
culty Rightly  to  Settle  the  matter  in  such 
a  way  that  Each  part  of  the  Town 
Should  have  theare  Equality  of  Privil- 
eges. The  Senter  of  a  Town  in  a  general 
way  is  to  be  attended  to  in  these  Cases, 
but  we  are  informed  the  Senter  of  the 
Land  in  your  Town  Cannot  be  Regarded 
for  the  above  purpose;  thearefore  we 
have  taken  a  View  of  the  other  Spots  of 
ground  Nominated  by  the  Several  Parts 
of  the  Town  ;  (viz.)  the  Connor  near  Mr. 
Burbank's,  the  Hill,  the  Spot  by  the 
School  Hous,  and  the  old  meeting  Hous 
Spot,  and  Considered  them  thus :  it  ap- 
pears to  us  that  the  Spot  by  Mr.  Bur- 
bank's  will  accomedate  the  Southwest 
Part  of  the  Town  only;  as  to  the  Hill,  it 
appears  to  us  that  it  will  accomedate  the 
Northwesterly  part  of  the  Town  only ; 
as  to  the  Place  by  the  School  Hous,  the 
distance  from  the  old  Spot  is  so  small  it 
is  not  worth  attending  to.  Thearefore, 
we,  the  Subscribers,  are  uuanimus  of  the 
oppinion  that  near  the  Spot  wheare  the 
old  meeting  Hous  Stood  will  be  the  most 
Convenient  Place  for  you  to  build  a  Meet- 
ing Hous  upon. 

"  Hopkinton,  February  20,  1769. 

PETER  CLARK,  ) 

EZEK1EL  HOIT,  ^Committee." 

JEREMIAH  BACON,  J 

The  above  report  being  accepted,  the 
new  meeting-house  was  erected  prompt- 
ly.    It  was  62x46  feet,  and  had  a  tower 


about  twelve  feet  square  at  each  end.  It 
had  seven  entrances  in  all — two  in  each 
tower  and  three  in  front.  It  had  the  old- 
fashioned  high  pulpit,  sounding-board, 
gallery,  and  square  pews.  A  few  of  the 
front  pews,  according  to  custom,  were  of 
better  finish.  With  the  addition  of  a 
belfry  and  bell  in  1811,  the  structure  re- 
mained substantially  intact  till  1839, 
when  it  was  remodeled  into  the  form  of 
the  present  church,  which  was  dedicated 
on  December  26th  of  the  same  year.  A 
town  clock  was  placed  in  the  tower  of 
the  remodeled  church. 

The  first  church  music  was  congreg  a- 
tional.  The  hymns  were  often  "deacon- 
ed" by  some  person  whose  superior  mu- 
sical attainments  were  popularly  recog- 
nized. In  time  people  began  to  desire 
something  better.  Musical  societies,  in 
different  parts  of  New  England  were 
having  their  influence.  The  old '"Cen- 
tral" society,  organized  at  Concord, 
contained  members  from  Hopkinton. 
At  a  town  meeting  September  8,  1783, 
it  was  voted  that  Thomas  Bayley, 
Daniel  Tenny,  Jacob  Spofford,  Jonathan 
Quimby,  Jr.,  Nathaniel  Clement,  and 
Isaac  Bayley  '•  should  sit  in  the  singing 
pew,  to  lead  in  singing  and  to  take  in 
such  singers  as  they  thought  proper." 
With  a  proper  social  stimulus,  progress 
in  music  advanced  to  a  marked  degree. 
The  church  choir  sometimes  included  as 
many  as  fifty  voices.  Various  instru- 
ments were  used  as  accompaniments.  In 
1800,  there  were  four  bass  viols,  to  say 
nothing  of  violins,  clarinets,  and  other 
instruments,  in  the  choir.  There  were 
notable  singers,  players  and  composers 
in  the  olden  time.  Among  them  were 
Isaiah  Webber,  Jeremiah  Story,  and 
Isaac  Long.  Orchestral  music  continued 
to  be  employed  in  the  Congregational 
church  till  about  1850,  when  a  seraphine 
was  purchased  and  put  in  the  gallery. 
In  1872,  the  seraphine  was  superseded 
by  an  elegant  organ  at  a  cost  of  $1800. 
A  Sunday-school  was  opened  at  Hopkin- 
ton in  1817,  in  the  school  house  at  Far- 
rington's  Corner.  About  1821,  another 
school  was  opened  on  Beech  Hill.  In 
1S22,  a  Sunday  School  was  opened  in  the 
church.     In    1848,    a    constitution    was 


24 


CHURCHES  IN  HOPKINTON. 


adopted  and  regular  officers  chosen. 
Stephen  Sargent  was  the  first  superin- 
tendent under  the  new  regulation. 

In  1757,  there  were  but  ten  members  of 
the^church.  Now  the  church,  society, 
and  Sunday  School  are  large  and  flour- 
ishing. The  list  of  pastors  ministering 
to  this  church  since  its  organization  is 
as  follows  : — James  Scales,  ordained  No- 
vember 23,  1757;  dismissed  July  4,  1770. 
Elijah  Fletcher,  Westford,  Mass.,  ordain- 
ed January  27,  1773 ;  died  April  8. 1786. 
Jacob  Cram,  Hampton  Falls,  ordained 
February  25,  1789;  dismissed  January  6, 
1792.  Eathan  Smith.  South  Hadley, 
Mass.,  installed  March  11,  1800;  dismiss- 
ed December  1G,  1814.  Roger  C.  Hatch, 
Middletown,  Conn.,  ordained  October  21, 
1818;  dismissed  June  26,  1832.  Moses 
Kimball,  a  native  of  this  town,  installed 
May  7,  1834;  dismissed  July  15,1846. 
Edwin  Jennison,  Walpole,  installed  June 
6,  1847;  dismissed  September  5,  1849. 
Christopher  M.  Cordly,  Oxford,  Eng., 
ordained  September  5,  1849 ;  dismissed 
February  4,  1852.  Marshall  B.  Angier, 
Southborough,  Mass.,  ordained  June  8, 
1853 ;  dismissed  March  22.  1860.  Edwin 
W.  Cook,  Townsend,  Mass.,  installed 
March  6,  1861 ;  dismissed  December  13, 
1864.  William  H.  Cutler,  Lowell.  Mass., 
ordained  December  20,  1865 ;  dismissed 
May  8,  1867.  J.  K.  Young,  D.D.,  of  La- 
conia,  supplied  from  June,  1867,  till  Oc- 
tober, 1874.  Clarendon  A.  Stone.  South- 
borough,  Mass.,  installed  December  29, 
1874. 

The  west  part  of  the  town  was  the  lo- 
cation of  a  Congregational  meetinghouse 
as  early  as  1803.  This  house  was  of  the 
usual  spacious,  uncouth  style  of  archi- 
tecture prevailing  at  the  time,  and  stood 
at  Campbell's  Corner.  There  does  not 
appear  to  have  been  any  separate  organ- 
ization of  the  church  connected  with  it. 
It  was  taken  down  to  be  rebuilt  into  the 
present  Calvinist  Baptist  church. 

In  1834,  Dea.  Amos  Bailey,  of  West 
Hopkinton,  died,  willing  a  large  portion 
of  his  property  to  the  Congregational 
church.  One-half  of  this  bequest  was  to 
be  paid  to  any  society  maintaining  preach- 
ing in  the  west  part  of  the  town.  In  the 
hope  of  securing  the  aid,   a  society  was 


organized  with  its  head-quarters  at  Con- 
toocook.  The  Union  meeting-house  was 
used,  and  Rev.  David  Kimball,  of  Con- 
cord, employed  to  preach.  However,  it 
could  not  be  made  to  appear  upon  trial 
that  Contoocook  was  in  that  part  of  the 
town  implied  in  the  will  of  Deacon  Bai- 
ley, and  the  bequest  was  lost.  The  Sec- 
ond Congregational  Society,  as  it  was 
called,  kept  up  a  nominal  existence  till 
the  year  1851. 

The  old-fashioned,  two-storied  farm- 
house standing  near  the  old  grave-yard 
on  Putney's  Hill,  and  occupied  by  the 
descendants  of  Moses  Rowell,  is  said  to 
have  been  the  first  parsonage  in  the  town, 
the  residence  of  the  Rev.  James  Scales, 
the  first  minister.  The  land  publicly 
held  for  the  benefit  of  religion  was  at 
length  disposed  of  by  lease.  On  March  8, 
1796,  the  town  voted  to  lease  it  ,l  as  long 
as  wood  shall  grow  and  water  run."  The 
income  was  divided  among  the  different 
churches. 

THE  BAPTIST  CHURCH. 

Diversity  of  religious  belief  is  natural 
among  men.  Although  Hopkinton  was 
settled  by  people  nominally  orthodox  in 
faith,  actual  dissenters  from  the  popular 
belief  soon  began  to  assert  themselves. 
The  first  gathering  of  an  organized  Bap- 
tist church  was  effected  tnrough  the  mis- 
sionary labors  of  Dr.  Hezekiah  Smith. 
At  first  this  was  a  branch  of  the  Baptist 
church  in  Haverhill,  Mass.,  the  subordi- 
nate organization  occurring  in  1769.  On 
May  8,  1771,  the  church  at  Hopkinton 
became  independent.  In  its  earlier  days, 
the  influence  of  this  church  was  widely 
extended.  Branch  churches  were  organ- 
ized in  Bow,  Goffstown.  and  London- 
derry. The  organization  included  peo- 
ple of  Bedford,  Merrimack,  Derrytield 
(now  Manchester),  and  Nottingham 
West  (now  Hudson).  Among  the  early 
laborers  in  the  local  Baptist  field  were 
Elders  John  Peake,  Job  Seamans,  Thom- 
as Paul,  and  John  Hazen.  Dr.  Shepherd 
was  also  an  advocate  of  Baptist  doc- 
trines. 

The  first  years  of  this  church  were  at- 
tended with  trials.  The  war  of  the  Rev- 
olution depressed  it,  but  it  rallied  again 
in  1789.     It  received  a  new  impulse  from 


CHURCHES  IN  HOPKINTON. 


25 


a  great  revival  in  1793.    The  walls  of  a 
new  church  were  enclosed  in   1795.  but 
the  edifice  was  not  completed  till  at  least 
twenty  years  after.    This  house  was  very 
much  like  most  of  the  country  meeting- 
houses   built  at    the  time,    being  huge, 
square,  high,  and  galleried.     It  stood  on 
a  spot  of  ground  northerly   opposite  the 
house  of  Mr.  Jonathan  French,  near  the 
convergence  of  a  number  of  roads,  near 
the  foot  of  the  southern  slope  of  Putney's 
Hill.     The    Baptist    church    suffered  at 
length    from    internal    doctrinal  dissen- 
sions.    At    first,    the    members    of  this 
church    were    committed   to    no  special 
Christian    doctrine    except  such    as  are 
held  in  general  by  all  Baptists.     In  time, 
they  began  to  discuss  the  subtler  themes 
clustering  around  Calvinism  and  Armin- 
ianism.     A  division  of  sentiments  arose. 
The  controversy  reached  its  height  about 
the  year  1322,  when   the  Rev.   Michael 
Carlton,  a  pronounced  Calvinist,  became 
pastor  of  the  church.    In  1823,  the  seism 
between  the  Calvinists  and  Armiuians  re- 
sulted in  a  separation.     Deacon  Jonathan 
Fowler  led  off  a  large  party  which  form- 
ed the   nucleus  of  the  present  Free  Bap- 
tist church.     Since  then,  the  two  Baptist 
bodies  have  held  on  in  their  unmolested 
ways.    In  1831,   the  Calvinists   built  a 
new  church,  of  modern  country  style,  in 
the  westerly  part  of  Hopkinton  village, 
about    a  mile    east  of   their  old   place 
of  worship.      Their    new    church    was 
framed  out    of  the    timbers    of  the    old 
West      Congregational      meeting-house. 
The  old  Baptist  meeting-house  was  taken 
in  bulk  or  in  parts  to   Concord,  where  it 
fortned.a  part  of   a  new  structure.    The 
Baptist  church  in  Hopkinton  village  was 
neatly   repaired  in    1854.      A   combined 
parsonage  and  vestry  was  erected  nearly 
opposite  the  church  in  1869. 

The  Calvinist  Baptist  church,  in  com- 
mon with  others,  has  felt  the  depressing 
effects  of  the  later  changes  in  the  tide  of 
population,  though  more  and  less  than 
some.  Its  congregation  has  diminished. 
It  has  had  important  donations.  The 
widow  of  tbe  late  Samuel  Smith,  about 
1808. left  a  generous  benefit  to  this  church, 
Its  cabinet  organ  was  given  in  1871  by 
Geo.  H.  Crowell,  of  Brattleboro,  Vt.    Its 


bell  was  a  present  by  Mrs.  Sarah  Jones, 
of  Hopkinton,  in  1876.  The  list  of  pas- 
tors of  this  church  is  as  follows  :— Elder 
Elisha  Andrews, settled  in  1795 ;  preached 
half  the  time  for  three  years.  For  seven- 
teen years  after  tbe  church  was  supplied 
mostly  by  its  deacons.  Elder  Abner 
Jones  settled  in  1815;  resigned  in  1821. 
Michael  Carlton,  ordained  June  27,  1822 ; 
resigned  September  14, 1832.  Rev.  A.  J. 
Foss,  installed  March  27.  1833;  remained 
3  years.  L.  B.  Cole,  M.  D.,  ordained  and 
installed  April  IS,  1837;  remained  two 
years.  Rev.  Samuel  Cooke,  May  19, 
1839;  remained  six  years.  King  S.Hall, 
no  date  of  ordination ;  resigned  Septem- 
ber 2S,  1851.  Rev.  Samuel  J.  Carr, 
March  14,  1852;  remained  four  years. 
Rev.  J.  E.  Brown,  April  2, 1857 ;  resigned 
September  7,  1862.  C.  W.  Burnham,  or- 
dained October  14,  1863;  last  Sunday  in 
August,  1871.  Rev.  Abraham  Snyder, 
January  1,  1872;  resigned  Dec.  27, 
1874.    William  S.  Tucker,  Sept.  28.  1875. 

THE  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH. 

In  1800,  Hopkinton    had  advanced  to 
a  position  of  wealth  and  influence.     So- 
cial beliefs  and  forms   were   multiplying 
in     proportion.      In    the    village    were 
many  families   of  distinction.     A   large 
number  of  these  were  Episcopalians  by 
faith  or  practice.    There  was  also  a  quo- 
ta of  Episcopalians  among  the  farming 
population.     About  this  time,  or    later, 
also, a  number  of  prominent  families  came 
over  to  the  Episcopalians  from  the  Cal- 
vinists.    In  1803,an  Episcopalian  society, 
called    Christ's    Church,  was  organized, 
worshipping  in  the  Court  House.     Trie 
Rev.  Samuel  Meade  was  the  superinten- 
dent  of    this  movement.     Rev.  William 
Montague,  Rev.  Robert  Fowle,  Rt.  Rev. 
Alexander  Griswold,  and  many  others, 
officiated  for  Christ's  Church  for  longer 
or  shorter  periods.     In  1826,  Rev.  Moses 
B.  Chase  became  the  rector.    During  his 
leadership      important     changes      took 
place.     A  new  parish   was  formed.    In 
1827  it  was  incorporated  under  the  name 
of    St.    Andrew's    Church.      The    first 
wardens  were  John  Harris  and   William 
Little.    The  first  vestrymen  were  Mat- 
thew Harvey,  Horace  Chase,  Nathaniel 
Curtis  and  J.  M.  Stanley.     A   new  stone 


26 


CHURCHES  IN  HOPKINTON. 


church  was  begun  the  same  year.  It 
was  dedicated  June  25,  182S.  Rev.  Mr. 
Chase  continued  rector  till  1841.  The 
church  flourished  during  his  ministry. 
In  later  years  it  declined  with  the  busi- 
ness prosperity  of  the  town.  However, 
the  church  has  been  open  most  of  the 
time.  Important  improvements  .  have 
been  made  upon  the  interior  of  St.  An- 
drew's church.  During  the  ministry  of 
Rev.  Mr.  Schouler  the  chancel  was  re- 
constructed. It  was  further  improved, 
and  the  church  frescoed  and  painted  in 
1875. 

The  first  organ  in  town  was  set  up  in 
St.  Andrew's  church  about  1S46.  It  was 
purchased  of  the  Rt.  Rev.  Carlton 
Chase;  it  had  been  his  parlor  oigan. 
The  instrument  is  still  in  its  accustomed 
place  in  the  unused  gallery  of  the  church. 
It  did  musical  service  for  many  years. 
In  1874  a  new  and  handsome  organ  was 
set  up  at  the  left  of  the  chancel, at  a  cost 
of  about  $2000.  This  church  is  much 
indebted  to  the  energy  and  liberality  of 
many  of  its  friends  at  home  and  abroad. 
Its  elegant  font  was  obtained  through 
the  exertions  of  the  late  Elizabeth  T. 
Lerued,  about  1866.  The  present  organ 
was  secured  by  the  energy  of  Miss  C.  C. 
P.  Lerned.  The  altar  and  lecturn  cloths, 
together  with  the  chandeliers  and  lamps, 
were  the  gift  of  Mrs.  G.  T.  Roberts,  of 
Philadelphia,  Pa.,  about  two  years  ago. 

Since  1841  there  have  been  clergymen 
of  St.  Andrew's  :— Rev.  Calvin  Wolcott, 
one  year  from  the  second  Sunday  in 
May,  1842;  Rev.  Silas  Blaisdell,  1845  to 
1847;  Rev.  Henry  Low;  Rev.  Edward 
F.  Putnam;  Rev.  N.  F.  Ludlum ;  Rev. 
Francis  Chase  one  year  to  Novem- 
ber 3,  1862;  Rev.  William  Schouler, 
July  1,  1865  to  Jan.  29,  1868.  Since 
Feb.  2,  1868,  the  church  has  been  sup- 
plied by  the  Rev.  H.  A.  Coit,  D.  D.,  of 
St.  Paul's  School,  Concord.  During  the 
time  Rev.  Hall  Harrison  has  been  the  al- 
most, or  quite,  constant  rector. 

THE  FREE  WILL  BAPTIST  CHURCH. 

We  have  already  mentioned  the  defec- 
tion in  the  original  Baptist  church  which 
resulted  in  the  separation  of  a  party,  led 
by  Dea.  Jonathan  Fowler,  who  organized 
the  Free  Will  Baptist  church.     This   or- 


ganization took  definite  form  on  the  17th 
of  September  of  the  year  of  separation, 
or  1823.  The  location  of  tins  church  at 
Contoocook  is  suggestive  in  view  of  the 
valuable  social  results  wrought  by  it. 
In  the  earlier  times  Contoocook  had  an 
unenviable  reputation.  The  highest  so- 
cial laws  were  largely  set  at  defiance. 
A  minister  on  his  way  to  preach  at  Con- 
toocook was  informed  he  was  going  to  a 
bad  place.  Now  all  is  changed.  The 
influence  of  the  Free  Will  Baptist  church 
has  been  a  prominent  agent  in  promoting 
an  improved  state  of  society. 

The  original  organization  was  known 
as  the  Union  Baptist  church.  It  con- 
sisted of  twelve  members.  On  the  28th 
of  September,  1826,  Jonathan  Fowler 
and  Thomas  White  were  chosen  deacons. 
The  society  was  incorporated  on  the  30th 
of  June,  1S27.  A  meeting-house  was 
constructed  the  same  year;  it  was  raised 
April  11,  finished  October  27  and  dedi- 
cated October  29.  Various  improve- 
ments have  from  time  to  time  been  made 
on  this  house  since  its  erection.  In  1872 
a  bell  was  added. 

Rev.  David  Harriman  was  pastor  of 
this  church  from  its  foundation  till  May 
10.  1828.  Rev.  Arthur  Caverno  succeed- 
ed till  February  24,  1833.  Rev.  David 
Moody  followed  till  February  27,  1837; 
Rev.  Hiram  Holmes  supplied  till  Novem- 
ber 30,  1839;  Rev.  John  L.  Sinclair  con- 
tinued a  pastor  till  November  11,  1839  ? 
Rev.  Abner  Coombs  was  installed  pastor 
July  16,  1840;  dismissed  May  15,  1842. 
Rev.  D.  Sidney  Frost  became  pastor  May 
19,  1842;  dismissed  April  17,  1845.  Rev. 
Barlow  Dyer  became  pastor  May  18, 
1845;  dismissed  March  4,  1849.  Rev.  S. 
T.  Catlin  became  pastor  December  20, 
1849;  dismissed  in  1851.  Rev.  Francis 
Reed  became  pastor  May  20,1851;  dis- 
mised  in  March,  1859.  Rev.  C.  H.  With- 
aiu  became  pastor  the  first  of  July,  1859; 
dismissed  June  2,  1861.  Rev.  Thomas 
Keniston  and  others  suppled  from  June, 
1861,  till  May,  1863.  Rev.  Asa  Ranlett 
became  pastor  May  23,  1863 ;  dismissed 
in  October.  1865.  Rev.  John  L.  Sinclair 
became  pastor  a  second  time  in  January, 
1867;  dismissed  in  March,  1869.  Rev. 
George    W.   Knapp    became    pastor    in 


CHURCHES  IN 

March,  1869;  dismissed  in  March,  1873 
John  C.  Osgood  became  pastor  in  June, 
1873;  dismissed  in  March,  187S.  Rev. 
C.  W.  Griffin   became    pastor    May  13, 

1S78. 

THE  UNIVERSALIST  CHURCH. 

In  the  early  part  of  the  present  cen- 
tury there  was  a  great  revival  of  Uni- 
versalism  in  New  Hampshire.  Revs. 
Elhanan  Winchester  and  Hosea  Ballou 
preached  the  doctrine  far  and  wide,  gain- 
ing many  hearers  and  making  many  con- 
verts. The  church  grew  and  multiplied 
in  many  places.  Previously  to  1840  there 
were  many  persons  in  Hopkinton  who 
entertained  some  sort  of  preference  for 
the  Universalist  form  of  religion.  A 
church  to  be  known  as  the  Union  meet- 
ing-house was  projected  as  early  as  1835. 
On  the  5th  of  December  of  that  year  a 
meeting  was  held  at  the  house  of  Clem- 
ent Beck,  at  "  Stumptield,"  to  take  into 
consideration  the  erection  of  a  church. 
Moses  Hoyt,  2d,  was  chosen  moderator, 
James  Huse  was  clerk,  and  Moses  Hoyt, 
Moses  Copp  and  Nathaniel  Colby  were 
made  a  building  committee.  The  enter- 
prise was  effected  by  the  erection  of 
shares,  which  were  sold  at  $25  each. 
The  whole  number  of  shares  sold  was 
thirty-one.  Representatives  of  different 
faiths  in  the  vicinity  took  shares.  The 
meeting-house  was  built  in  1836.  on  a  lot 
north  of  the  road  leading  from  Hopkin- 
ton village  to  Henniker,  east  of  the 
house  of  Mr.  Charles  Barton,  about 
three  miles  from  the  village. 

There  was  never  any  settled  minister 
in  this  society.  Among  those  preaching 
here  more  or  less,  were  Revs.  A.  A.  Mi- 
ner, J.  P.  Atkinson,  N.  R.  Wright  aud 
J.  F.  Witherel.  The  meeting-house 
was  seriously  damaged  by  fire  on  the 
5th  of  February,  1837,  and  was  subse- 
quently repaired.  In  1865  the  house  was 
sold  to  Robert  Wilson,  and  was  moved 
to  "Clement's  Hill,"  where  it  was  re- 
modeled into  a  barn  belonging  to  Alfred 
Hastings.  The  society  had  dwindled  in 
common  with  many  others  in  districts 
wholly  rural. 

A  Second  Universalist  Society  was  or- 
ganized shortly  after  the  first.  The  new 
organization    had   its     headquarters   at 


HOPKINTON.    .  27 

Contoocook.  A  church,  called  a  Union 
house,  was  erected  in  1837.  It  is  now 
used  by  the  New  Church,  or  Swedenbor- 
gian  Society.  The  Second  Universalist 
Society  for  a  time  had  considerable  vig- 
or. Rev.  J.  F.  Witherel  was  a  settled 
minister.  A  good  deal  of  enterprise  was 
shown  in  the  efforts  for  propagating  the 
faith.  Mr.  Witherel,  in  company  with  J. 
Sargent,  of  Sutton,  published  the  "  Uni- 
versalist Family  Visitor,"  a  monthly  pe- 
riodical. The  first  number  was  pub- 
lished in  April,  1841.  The  Visitor  had 
twelve  pages,  was  of  common  tract 
size,  and  set  forth  its  favorite  principles 
with  talent  and  vigor.  We  have  not 
been  able  to  find  any  records  of  the  Sec- 
ond Universalist  Society,  which  kept  up 
a  nominal  existence  till  quite  late. 

THE  NEW  JERUSALEM  CHURCH. 

The  New  Jerusalem  Church,  more 
commonly  called  the  New  Church,  was 
founded  through  the  missionary  labors 
of  Rev.  Abiel  Silver,  a  native  of  this 
town,  who  first  preached  a  number  of 
discourses  in  the  Union  church  at  Con- 
toocook, in  the  summer  of  1851.  Mr. 
Silver  was  then  a  resident  of  Michigan, 
visiting  his  old  home  and  family  scenes. 
The  appreciation  of  these  discourses  in- 
duced a  contribution  in  money  to  the 
reverend  gentleman,  who  returned  the 
equivalent  in  theological  works  of  Eman- 
uel Swedenborg,  or  collateral  publica- 
tions of  the  New  Church. 

In  a  year  or  two  after  further  interest 
in  the  New  Church  was  awakened  in 
Contoocook  and  vicinity.  Mr.  Silver 
returned  and  preached  at  length,  and 
finally  concluded  to  make  the  village  his 
permanent  place  of  residence.  The 
Union  church,  which  had  stood  for  some 
years  unoccupied  by  any  regular  society, 
became  a  place  of  weekly  worship  under 
Mr.  Silver's  ministrations.  The  interest 
grew  till  the  meeting-house  was  filled  to 
its  utmost  capacity.  Hearers  were  found 
present  from  various  parts  of  Hopkinton 
and  surrounding  towns.  In  1857  a  per- 
manent organization  was  effected.  On 
the  24th  of  May  of  that  year  the  Rev. 
Thomas  Worcester,  of  Boston,  instituted 
the  society.  The  following  are  the 
names  of  the  original   members  of  the 


28 


AN  OLD  TIME  TRIP  IN  NEW  HAMPSHIRE. 


church  : — Abiel  Silver,  Edna  N.  Silver, 
Nathaniel  L.  Noyes,  Sarah  A.  Noyes, 
Mary  Nichols,  Rhoda  Cutler,  Sullivan 
Hutchinson,  Edna  C.  Silver,  Charles 
Gould,  Erastus  E.  Currier,  Lucv  H. 
Currier,  Elizabeth  C.  Dean,  Joseph  Dow, 
Asa  Kimball,  John  Converse,  Urania  N. 
Converse,  Rhoda  C.  Putnam,  Joanna  L. 
Chase,  Alonzo  Currier,  Emily  Currier. 

Rev.  Abiel  Silver  continued  to  preach 
In  Contoocook  till  April  4,  1858,  building 
during  his  residence  in  Contoocook  the 
house  now  occupied  by  John  F.  Jones, 
Esq.  On  the  15th  of  August,  1858,  the 
Rev.  George  H.  Marston,  of  Liming- 
ton,  Me.,  became  the  minister,  contin- 
uing till  the  month  of  October,  1862. 
Since  October,  1S71,  the  Rev.  Charles 
Hardon  has  been  the  regular  minister  of 
the  church. 

During  the  times  when  this  church 
has  been  without  a  settled  minister  va- 
rious persons  have  supplied  the  desk. 
The  services  have  been  frequently,  and 
for  months  at  a  time,  conducted  by  a 
reader.  Mr.  W.  Scott  Davis  has  officiat- 
ed a  great  deal  in  the  capacity  of  reader. 
This  church  has  suffered  a  good  deal  by 
removals  and  deaths.  A  Sunday-school 
has  been  connected  with  the  society 
since  its  earlier  existence. 

THE  METHODIST  CHURCH. 

The  Methodists  quite  early  had  a  foot- 
hold in  this  town.  In  1842  their  allotted 
portion  of  the  ministers  tax  was  very 
small.  Regular  worship  was  held  in  the 
Academy  at  the  lower  village.  Revs. 
Stephen  Eastman,  John  English  and  Jo- 


seph Hayes  were  among  the  ministers 
supplying  regularly.  The  Methodist 
Biblical  Institute,  at  Concord,  furnished 
preachers  to  a  greater  or  less  extent. 
We  have  not  been  able  to  find  any  record 
of  this  society,  which  abandoned  regu- 
lar services  about  1850.  Previously  to 
the  year  1871  there  had  been  a  number  of 
Methodist  families  living  for  a  longer  or 
shorter  time  at  Contoocook.  Preaching 
had  been  sustaind  also  to  some  extent 
during  a  few  previous  years.  On  the 
20th  of  March,  1871,  at  a  meeting  held  at 
the  house  of  George  H.  Ketchum,  legal 
organization  was  effected  as  follows : 
Rev.  L.  Howard,  President;  George  H. 
Ketchum,  Secretary;  W.  A.Patterson, 
Treasurer;  John  F.  Burnham,  W.  M. 
Kempton  and  Samuel  Curtice,  Financial 
Committee.  The  society  purposing  to 
build  a  chnrch,  on  the  10th  of  the  next 
month,  at  a  meeting  at  Mr.  Kempton's, 

D.  N.  Patterson,  T.  B.  Hardy  and  Sam- 
uel Curtice  were  made  a  building  com- 
mittee. 

The  church  was  erected  the  same  year 
at  a  cost  of  something  over  $2,000,  on 
land  purchased  by  the  society  of  Samuel 
Curtice,  and  dedicated  on  the  16th  of 
November.  It  it  a  neat  and  tasty  edifice. 
The  society,  though  small,  is  active. 
The  following  have  been  preachers : — 
Rev.  L.  Howard,  from  1S70  to  1873  in- 
clusive; Prof.  J.  B.  Robinson, 1874;  Rev. 

E.  Adams,  D.  D.,  1875;  Rev.  Joel  A. 
Steele,  1876;  Rev.  L.  Howard,  1877  and 
1878. 


AN  OLD  TIME   TBIP  IN  NEW  HAMPSHIBE. 


BY  HON.  JOHN  H.  GOOD  ALE. 


That  wide  stretch  of  hilly  country  lying 
between  the  Merrimack  and  Connecticut 
rivers  in  this  State  was, a  hundred  and  for- 
ty years  ago, a  densely- wooded  wilderness. 
The  few  who  would  have  ventured  to  oc- 
cupy it  well  knew  that  so  long  as  the 
French  remained  in  possession  of  Canada 
this  region  was  iu  continual  danger  from 


attacks  by  the  Indians.  In  1746  these  at- 
tacks had  become  so  frequent  and  suc- 
cessful that  many  of  the  settlements 
commenced  in  the  central  and  southern 
parts  of  the  State  had  been  abandoned. 
There  remained  on  the  Merrimack  small 
openings  at  Nashua,  Litchfield,  Concord, 
Boscawen  and  Canterbury,  and  one  at 


AN  OLD  TIME  TRIP 

Hinsdale  and  another  at  Charlestown  on 
the  Connecticut ;  hut  the  entire  midland 
between  these  valleys  was  an  unbroken, 
heavily-wooded  country. 

A  TRAMP  THROUGH  THE  WILDERNESS. 

In  the  fall  of  1747  two  explorers   from 
Dunstable,  Nehemiah  Lovewell  and  John 
Gilson,  started  from  the  present  site  of 
Nashua  for  the  purpose  of  examining  the 
slope  of  the  Merrimack,  and  of  crossing 
the  height  of  land  to  Number  Four,  now 
Charlestown,  which   was   known  as  the 
most  northern  settlement  in  the  Connecti- 
cut valley.     Knowing  the  difficulties  in 
traversing  hills  and  valleys  mostly   cov- 
ered with    underbrush  and  rough   with 
fallen  timber  and  huge  bowlders,  they 
carried  as  light  an  outfit  as  possible — a 
musket  and  camp-blanket  each,  with  rive 
days'  provisions.     Following  the  Souhe- 
gan  to   Milford  and  Wilton,   they   then 
turned  north  ward, and  crossing  the  height 
of  land  in  the  limits  of  the  present  town 
of  Stoddard,  had  on  the  afternoon  of  the 
third  day  their   first  view  of  the  broad 
valley  westward,  with   a  dim  outline  of 
the  mountains    beyond.      The  weather 
was  clear  and  pleasant,  the  journey  la- 
borious    but     invigorating.      On     their 
fourth  night  they  camped  on  the  banks 
of    the     Connecticut,    some    ten    miles 
below     Charlestown.    At  noon     of  the 
next  day  they  were  welcomed  at    the 
rude  fort,  which  had  already  won  renown 
by  the  heroic  valor  of  its  little  garrison. 

A  FRONTIER  FORT. 

At  this  time  the  fort  at  Number  Four 
was  commanded  by  Capt.  Phineas  Ste- 
vens, a  man  of  great  energy  and  bravery. 
Lovewell  and  Gilson  were  the  first  visi- 
tors from  the  valley  of  the  Merrimack, 
and  their  arrival  was  a.  novelty.  That 
night,  as  in  later  days  they  used  to  re- 
late, they  sat  up  till  midnight,  listening 
to  the  fierce  struggles  which  the  inmates 
of  this  rude  fortress,  far  up  in  the  woods, 
had  encountered  within  the  previous 
eight  months.  The  preceding  winter 
this  fort  had  been  abandoned,  and  the 
few  settlers  had  been  compelled  to  re- 
turn to  Massachusetts.  But  Governor 
Shirley  felt  that  so  important  an  outpost 
should  be  maintained.    As  soon  as  the 


IN  NEW  HAMPSHIRE. 


29 


melting  of  the  deep  snow  in  the  woods 
would  permit,  Capt.  Stevens,  with  thirty 
rangers,  left  Deerfield  for  Number  Four, 
and  reached  it  on  the  last  day  of  March. 
The  arrival  was  most  fortunate.  Hardly 
was  the  fort  garrisoned  and  the  entranc- 
es made  secure  when  it  was  attacked  by 
a  large  force  of  French  and  Indians. 
Led  by  Debeline,  an  experienced  com- 
mander, they  had  come  undiscovered  and 
lay  in  ambush  for  a  favorable  moment 
to  begin  the  attack.  But  the  faithful 
dogs  of  the  garrison  gave  notice  of  the 
concealed  foe.  Finding  they  were  dis- 
covered the  Indians  opened  a  fire  on  all 
sides  of  the  fort.  The  adjacent  log 
houses  and  fences  were  set  on  fire. 
Flaming  arrows  fell  incessantly  upon  the 
roof.  The  wind  rose  and  the  fort  was 
surrounded  by  flames.  Stevens  dug 
trenches  under  the  walls  and  through 
these  the  men  crept  and  put  out  the  fires 
that  caught  outside  the  walls. 

REPULSE  OF  THE  INDIANS. 

For  two  days  the  firing  had  been  kept 
up  and  hundreds  of  balls  had  been  lodged 
in  the  fort  and  stockade.     On  the  morn- 
ing of  the  third  day  Debeline  sent  for- 
ward a  flag  of  truce.    A    French  officer 
and  two  Indians  advanced  and  proposed 
terras  of  capitulation,  which   were  that 
the  garrison  should  lay  down  their  arms 
and  be  conducted  prisoners  to  Montreal. 
It  was  agreed  that  the  two    commanders 
should  meet  and  Capt.  Stevens's  answer 
should  be  given.     When  they  met,  Deb- 
eline, without    waiting  for  an    answer, 
threatened  to  storm  the  fort  and  put  ev- 
ery man  to  the  sword  if  a  surrender  was 
not  speedily  made.    Stevens  replied  that 
he   should   defend  it  to  the  last.     "Go 
back,"  said  the  Frenchman,  "  and   see  if 
your  men  dare  fight  any   longer."    Ste- 
vens returned  and  put  to  the  men   the 
question,    "  Will    you    fight  or  surren- 
der?"   They  answered,  "  We  will  fight." 
This  answer  was  at  once  made  known  to 
the  enemy,  and    both  parties  resumed 
arms.     Severe  fighting  was  kept  up  dur- 
ing the  day.    The  Indians,  in  approach- 
ing the  stockade  were   compelled  to  ex- 
pose themselves.     They  had  already  lost 
over  a  dozen  of  their  number,  while  not 


30 


AN  OLD  TIME  TRIP  IN  NEW  HAMPSHIRE. 


one  had  been  killed  in  the  fort  and  only 
two  wounded. 

The  French  commander,  reluctantly 
giving  up  all  hopes  of  carrying  the  for- 
tification, returned  toward  Canada.  The 
cool  intrepidity  of  the  rangers  saved 
Number  Four,  and  the  news  caused  great 
rejoicing  throughout  the  New  England 
colonies.  Sir  Charles  Knowles,  then  in 
command  of  the  fleet  at  Boston,  sent 
Capt.  Stevens  an  elegant  sword,  and  a 
letter  of  commendation  to  the  intrepid 
soldiers.  Subsequently,  in  compliment 
to  the  English  Commodore,  Number 
Four  was  called  Charlestown.  But 
while  no  further  attacks  were  made 
upon  the  fort  that  year,  the  Indians  con- 
tinued to  hover  around  this  and  the  ad- 
jacent settlements  of  Brattleboro  and 
Westmoreland.  In  August  three  men 
were  killed  and  one  captured  in  going 
from  the  fort  down  the  river.  Only  a 
few  weeks  before  the  arrival  of  Love- 
well  and  his  companion  several  settlers 
were  captured  while  harvesting  and 
carried  away  tQ  Canada. 

A  STORM  AMONG  THE  HILLS. 

Tarrying  several  days  with  the  garri- 
son, during  which  the  weather  continued 
clear  and  mild,  the  two  explorers  were 
ready  to  return  homeward.  In  a  direct 
line  Dunstable  was  less  than  ninety 
miles  distant.  With  the  needed  supply 
of  salt  pork  and  corn  bread,  Lovewell 
and  Gilson  left  Number  Four  at  sunrise 
on  the  16th  of  November.  The  fallen 
leaves  were  crisp  with  frost  as  they  en- 
tered the  deep  maple  forests  which  skirt- 
ed the  hills  lying  east  of  the  Connecticut 
intervales.  The  days  being  short  it  was 
necessary  to  lose  no  time  between  sun- 
rise and  sunset.  The  air  was  cool  and 
stimulated  them  to  vigorously  hurry  for- 
ward. Coming  to  a  clear  spring  soon 
after  midday,  Gilson  struck  a  fire,  and 
resting  for  a  half  an  hour,  they  sat  down 
to  a  marvelously  good  feast  of  broiled 
salt  pork  and  brown  bread.  One  who 
has  never  eaten  a  dinner  under  like  con- 
ditions can  have  no  idea  of  its  keen  rel- 
ish and  appreciation. 

It  was  now  evident  that  a  change  of 
the  weather  was  at  hand.  The  air  was 
growing    colder  and  the  sky  was  over- 


cast with  a  thick  haze.  In  returning  it 
had  been  their  purpose  to  cross  the  wa- 
ter-shed between  the  two  valleys  at  a 
more  northern  point,  so  as  to  reach  the 
Merrimack  near  the  mouth  of  the  Piscat- 
aquog.  Their  course  was  to  be  only  a 
few  degrees  south  ef  east.  Before  night 
the  sleet  began  to  fall,  which  was  soon 
changed  to  a  cold,  cheerless  rain.  Dark- 
ness came  on  early  and  the  two  men  hur- 
ried to  secure  the  best  shelter  possible. 
With  an  ax  this  might  have  been  made 
comfortable;  at  least  fuel  could  have 
been  procured  for  a  comfortable  fire.  As 
it  was,  no  retreat  could  be  found  from 
the  chilling  rain  which  now  began  to 
fall  in  torrents.  It  was  with  difficulty 
that  a  smouldering  fire,  more  prolific  of 
smoke  than  heat  could  be  kindled.  India 
rubber  blankets,  such  as  now  keep  the 
scout  and  the  sentry  dry  in  the  fiercest 
storm,  would  have  been  a  rich  luxury  to 
these  solitary  pioneers.  The  owls,  at- 
tracted by  the  dim  light,  perched  them- 
selves overhead  and  hooted  incessantly. 
Before  midnight  the  fire  was  extin- 
guished, and  the  two  men  could  only  keep 
from  a  thorough  drenching  by  sitting 
upright  with  their  backs  against  a  large 
tree,  and  with  their  half-saturated  blank- 
ets drawn  closely  around  them. 

LOSING  THE  WAY. 

Daylight  brought  no  relief,  as  the  rain 
and  cold  rather  increased,  and  the  sleet 
and  ice  began  to  encrust  the  ground. 
After  ineffectual  attempts  to  build  a  fire 
they  eat  a  cold  lunch  of  bread.  A  dark 
mist  succeeded  the  heavy  rain  and  con- 
tinued through  the  day.  Both  felt  un- 
certain of  the  direction  they  were  travel- 
ing, and  every  hour  the  uncertainty  be- 
come more  perplexing.  All  day  long 
they  hurried  forward  through  the  drip- 
ping underbrush  which  was  wetting 
them  to  the  skin.  Night  again  set  in, 
and  although  the  rain  and  wind  had 
somewhat  abated,  still  it  was  impossible 
to  build  and  keep  a  fire  sufficient  to  dry 
their  clothing,  which  was  now  saturated 
with  water. 

The  third  morning  came  with  a  dense 
fog  still  shrouding  the  hillsides  and  set- 
tling into  valleys.  Stiff  with  the  effects 
of  cold  and  fatigue,   Lovewell  and   his 


AN  OLD  TIME  TRIP  IN  NEW  HAMPSHIRE. 


31 


companion  felt  that  with  their  scanty- 
supply  of  food,  now  mainly  salt  pork, 
they  dared  not  await  a  change  of  weath- 
er. Yet  there  was  a  vague  feeling  that 
their  journeying  might  be  worse  than 
useless.  Deciding  on  what  they  believed 
a  course  due  east  they  again  hurried  for- 
ward over  a  broken  region — an  alterna- 
tion of  sharp  hills,  ledges,  low  valleys 
and  sometimes  swamps,  until  a  little 
past  mid-da3r,when  descending  a  hill  they 
came  upon  the  very  brook  where  they 
had  camped  forty  hours  before !  One 
fact  was  now  established— they  had  been 
traversing  in  a  circle.  Thinking  it  use- 
less to  go  further  till  the  sun  and  sky 
should  appear,  they  set  to  work  to  build 
a  fire  sufficient  to  dry  their  clothing 
and  to  cook  their  raw  pork.  By  dark 
they  had  thrown  up  a  light  framework, 
and  by  a  diligent  use  of  their  knives  had 
procured  a  covering  of  birch  bark.  Pil- 
ing the  huge  broken  limbs  in  front  they 
lay  down  and  fell  asleep. 

Scouts  in  the  olden  time  were  proverb- 
ial for  awakening  on  the  slightest  provo- 
cation. Lovewell  was  aroused  by  what 
he  thought  the  rustling  of  a  bear.  Reach- 
ing for  his  gun  he  saw  the  outline  of  an 
animal  climbing  an  oak  just  across  the 
brook.  The  first  shot  was  followed  by  a 
tumble  from  the  tree.  It  proved  a  veri- 
table raccoon,  which,  fattened  on  beech- 
nuts, was  "  as  heavy  as  a  small  sheep." 

The  fourth  morning  was  not  unlike 
that  of  the  day  previous.  The  fog  was 
still  dense,  but  it  soon  became  evident 
that  the  storm  was  past,  and  that  the  sun 
would  soon  disperse  the  mists.  Dressing 
the  raccoon,  whose  meat  was  security 
against  famine,  they  anxiously  watched 
the  clearing  up  of  the  atmosphere.  Sud- 
denly the  mists  dissolved  and  the  sun- 
light touched  the  tops  of  the  trees.  The 
pioneers  hastened  up  a  long  slope  east- 
ward, and  toward  noon  gained  the  crest 
of  a  high  ridge.  The  sky  was  now  clear, 
and  climbing  to  the  top  of  a  tree,  Gilson 
announced  that  he  could  see  some  miles 
to  the  east,  a  high  and  naked  summit 
which  must  mark  the  height  of  land  they 
were  so  anxiously  seeking. 

A  SYLVAN  DINNER. 

With  this  solution  of  their  difficulties 


came  the  sense  of  hunger.  Notwith- 
standing the  hardships  of  the  three  past 
days  they  had  eaten  sparingly.  The 
remnant  of  their  bread  had  been  acci- 
dentally lost  the  day  previous,  but  this 
was  far  more  than  compensated  by  the 
rich,  tender  meat  of  the  raccoon.  Luck- 
ily a  supply  of  fat  spruce  knots  was  near 
at  hand.  Gilson  set  himself  to  the  work 
of  furnishing  fuel  and  water,  while  Love- 
well  attended  to  the  culinary  duties. 
The  utensils  of  the  modern  hunter— fry- 
ing pan,  coffee  pot,  plate,  spoon  and 
fork— were  wanting.  The  only  imple- 
ment in  their  outfit  which  could  be  of 
use  was  the  jack-knife.  The  meat  was 
cut  into  pieces  two  thirds  of  an  inch  thick 
and  half  the  size  of  one's  hand.  Cutting 
several  sticks  two  feet  long,  and  sharp- 
ening them  at  each  end,  a  piece  of  the 
salt  pork  and  then  a  piece  of  the  coon's 
meat  were  thrust  upon  the  stick  alternate- 
ly in  successive  layers —  so  that  in  roast- 
ing, the  fat  of  the  latter,  as  it  dropped 
down,  basted  and  furnished  an  excellent 
gravy  to  the  former.  One  end  of  each  stick 
was  thrust  into  the  ground  so  as  to  lean 
over  the  glowing  coals.  With  occasional 
turning  the  dinner  was  in  half  an  ho^ur 
ready  to  be  served.  Seating  themselves 
on  the  bowlder  by  the  side  of  which  they 
had  built  the  fire  they  fell  to  with  sharp 
appetices.  Rarely  was  a  feast  more 
heartily  enjoyed. 

NIGHT  ON  LOVEWELL'S  MOUNTAIN. 

It  was  past  mid-day  when  the  dinner 
was  finished.  Walking  with  renewed 
strength  they  reached  the  base  of  the 
mountain.  The  ground  was  wet  and 
slippery  and  the  climbing  at  times  diffi- 
cult, but  while  the  sun  was  yet  an  hour 
above  the  horizon  the  two  men  emerged 
from  the  low  thicket  which  lies  above  the 
heavy  growth,  and  stood  upon  the  bald 
summit.  Like  all  New  Hampshire  peaks 
whose  altitude  approaches  three  thou- 
sand feet,  the  crest  of  the  mountain  was 
of  solid  granite.  The  air  had  now  grown 
quiet  and  the  clear  sunlight  illuminated 
the  landscape.  The  two  explorers  had 
never  looked  wpon  so  wide  and  magnifi- 
cent a  panorama.  Westward  was  the 
far  distant  outline  of  a  range  now  known 
as  the  Green  Mountains.    To  the   north- 


32 


AN  OLD  TIME  TRIP  IX  NEW  HAMPSHIRE. 


west  were  the  bald  crests  of  Ascutney 
and  Cardigan.  On  the  north  Kearsarge 
was  seen  struggling  to  raise  its  head 
above  the  shoulders  of  an  intervening 
range,  and  through  the  frosty  atmos- 
phere were  revealed  the  sharp,  snow- 
white  peaks  of  Franconia.  Eastward 
the  highlands  of  Chester  and  Notting- 
ham bounded  the  vision — while  nearer 
by  reposed  in  quiet  beauty  the  Uncanoo- 
nucks,  at  that  time  a  well-known  land- 
mark to  every  explorer. 

Warned  by  the  freezing  atmosphere 
they  hastened  down  to  a  dense  spruce 
growth  on  the  northeast  side  of  the 
mountain,  and  built  their  camp  for  the 
night.  For  some  cause,  perhaps  because 
it  was  a  sheltered  nook,  the  tenants  of 
the  forest  gathered  around.  The  grove 
seemed  alive  with  the  squirrel, rabbit  and 
partridge.  But  the  hunters  were  weary, 
and  as  their  sacks  were  still  laden  with 
coon's  meat,  these  new  visitors  were  lett 
unharmed.  The  curiosity  with  which 
these  wild  tenants  of  the  mountain  lin- 
gered around  led  the  two  men  to  believe 
that  they  had  never  before  approached 
a  camp-fire  or  seen  a  human  form. 

Just  before  daybreak  Lovewell  awoke 
and  telling  his  companion  to  pre- 
pare for  breakfast,  returned  to  the  sum- 
mit of  the  mountain.  It  was  important 
to  reach  the  Merrimack  by  the  nearest 
route,  and  he  could  better  judge  by  re- 
viewing the  landscape  at  early  dawn. 
In  after  years  he  was  wont  to  say  that 
the  stars  never  seemed  so  near  as  when 
he  had  gained  the  summit.  The  loneli- 
ness of  the  hour  suggested  to  him  what 
was  probably  the  truth,  that  he  and  his 
companion  were  the  first  white  men  who 
had  set  foot  on  this  mountain  peak.  It 
is  situated  in  the  eastern  part  of  the 
present    town    of  Washington,   and  its 


symmetrical,  cone-like  form  is  familiar 
to  the  eye  of  many  a  reader  of  the  Gran- 
ite Monthly.  With  the  exception  of 
Monad  nock  and  Kearsarge  it  is  the  high- 
est summit  in  Southern  New  Hampshire, 
and  to-day  it  bears  the  well-known  name 
of  Lovewell's  Mountain. 

THE  RETURN  TO  DUNSTABLE. 

Before  Lovewell  left  the  summit,  the 
adjacent  woodlands  became  visible,  and 
looking  eastward  down  into  the  valley 
he  saw  only  a  few  miles  away  a  smoke 
curling  up  from  the  depths  of  the  forest. 
It  revealed  the  proximity  either  of  a 
party  of  savages  or  a  stray  hunter.  Re- 
turning to  camp,  breakfast  was  taken 
hurriedly,  and  descending  into  the  val- 
ley they  proceeded  with  the  utmost  cau- 
tion. Reaching  the  vicinity  of  the  smoke 
they  heard  voices  and  soon  after  the  rus- 
tling of  footsteps.  Both  dropped  upon 
the  ground, and  fortunately  were  screened 
by  a  thick  underbrush.  A  party  of  six 
Indians  passed  within  a  hundred  yards. 
They  were  armed  and  evidently  on  their 
way  to  the  Connecticut  valley.  As  soon 
as  they  were  beyond  hearing  the  two 
men  proceeded  cautiously  to  the  spot 
where  the  savages  passed  the  night. 
They  had  breakfasted  on  parched  acorns 
and  the  meat  of  some  small  animal,  prob- 
ably the  rabbit. 

Congratulating  themselves  on  their 
lucky  escape  from  a  winter's  captivity  in 
Canada,  Lovewell  and  his  companion 
continued  their  route  over  the  rolling 
lands  now  comprised  in  the  towns  of 
Hillsborough,  Deering.Weare  and  Goffs- 
town  to  the  Merrimack.  From  thence, 
they  readily  reached  their  home  in  Dun- 
stable. It  may  be  well  to  add  that  Love- 
well was  a  relative  of  the  famous  Capt. 
John  Lovewell,  whose  name  is  so  well 
known  in  colonial  history. 


THE 


GRANITE  MONTHLY. 


A  MAGAZINE  OF  LITERATURE,  HISTORY  AND 
STATE  PE OGRESS. 


VOL.  II. 


AUGUST,  1878. 


NO.  2. 


HON.  JOSEPH  D.   WEEKS. 


In  the  last  number  of  the  Granite 
Monthly  there  appeared  a  sketch  and 
accompanying  portrait  of  Hon.  David 
H.  Buffum,  President  of  the  State  Sen- 
ate. Appropriately  following  the  same 
we  take  as  our  subject  of  illustration  for 
this  number  Hon.  Joseph  D.  Weeks  of 
Canaan,  Senator  from  District  Num- 
ber Eleven,  and  the  Democratic  candi- 
date for  President  of  the  Senate. 

Mr.  Weeks  is  the  eldest  son  of  Hon. 
William  Pickering  Weeks  of  Canaan,  a 
well-known  and  successful  lawyer  of 
Grafton  County,  and  prominent  member 
of  the  Democratic  party,  to  whom  some 
reference  in  this  connection  seems  emi- 
nently proper.  He  was  a  native  of  the 
town  of  Greenland,  born  Feb.  22,  1803, 
a  son  of  Brackett  and  Sarah  (Pickering) 
Weeks.  The  families  of  Weeks  and 
Pickering  from  which  he  sprang,  were 
among  the  early  and  leading  families  of 
that  town,  and  their  descendants  now 
constitute  a  very  considerable  propor- 
tion of  its  population.  He  fitted  for  col- 
lege at  Gilmanton  Academy,  among  his 
schoolmates  at  which  institution  being 
Profs.  Edwin  D.  and  Dyer  H.  Sanborn 
and  Dixi  Crosby,  and  graduated  at  Dart- 
mouth in  the  class  of  1826,  the  late  Chief 


Justice  Salmon  P.  Chase  being  a  member 
of  the  same  class,  and  also  his  room- 
mate. He  studied  law  with  Hayes  & 
Cogswell  of  South  Berwick,  Me.,  and 
was  admitted  to  the  York  County  Bar 
at  Alfred  in  1829,  but  immediately  re- 
moved to  the  town  of  Canaan  and  estab- 
lished himself  in  practice.  By  diligent 
application  to  business  and  careful  at- 
tention to  the  interests  of  his  clients,  he 
soon  secured  a  remunerative  practice  and 
won  a  high  reputation  as  a  safe  and  judi- 
cious counsellor.  He  continued  in  prac- 
tice until  1861,  a  period  of  thirty-two 
years,  when  he  retired,  taking  up  his 
residence  upon  a  large  farm  just  below 
the  village, where  he  lived  until  his  death 
in  1870.  He  had  devoted  himself  almost 
exclusively  to  the  labors  of  his  profes- 
sion, but  his  firm  adherence  to  the  prin- 
ciples of  the  Democratic  party,  as  well 
as  his  high  character  and  ability  occa- 
sioned a  demand  for  his  services  in  pub- 
lic life  at  the  hands  of  his  fellow  towns- 
men of  that  political  faith,  by  whom  he 
was  chosen  a  representative  to  the  Legis- 
lature at  several  times  between  1834  and 
1851.  He  was  elected  to  the  State  Sen- 
ate in  1848  and  1849,  and  was  chosen 
President  of  the  Senate  for  the    latter 


34 


HON.  JOSEPH  D.  WEEKS. 


year.  He  also  represented  the  town  of 
Canaan  in  the  Constitutional  Convention 
of  1850.  Mr.  Weeks'  principal  competi- 
tor in  the  legal  profession  was  the  late 
Judge  Jonathan  Kittredge,  who  went 
from  Lyme  to  Canaan  a  few  years  after 
Mr.  Weeks  located  there,  and  remained 
there  in  practice  until  his  appointment 
as  a  Justice  of  the  Court  of  Common 
Pleas,  when  he  removed  to  Concord. 
Opponents  in  politics  as  well  as  rivals  in 
the  profession,  the  contests  between  the 
two  were  numerous  and  at  times  most 
exciting,  enlisting  the  sympathies  of 
their  personal  and  political  friends  and 
adherents.  Among  those  who  were  stu- 
dents-at-law  in  the  office  of  Mr.  Weeks 
may  be  mentioned  Ex-Chief  Justice  Jon- 
athan E.  Sargent  of  Concord,  as  well  as 
his  present  partner,  William  M.  Chase, 
Esq.,  also,  William  T.  Norris  of  Danbury, 
and  Caleb  and  Isaac  N.  Blodgett,  the 
former  now  a  lawyer  of  Boston  and  the 
latter  of  Franklin.  Judge  Sargent  com- 
menced practice  in  Canaan  as  a  partner 
of  Mr.  Weeks,  remaining  some  three 
years,  until  1847,  when  he  removed  to 
Wentworth.  Isaac  N.  Blodgett  also  en- 
tered professional  life  as  Mr.  Weeks' 
partner,  shortly  before  his  retirement 
from  practice. 

Mr.  Weeks  married,  in  1833, Mary  Eliz- 
abeth Doe,  only  daughter  and  eldest 
child  of  Joseph  Doe,  Esq.,  of  Somers- 
worth,  now  Rollinsford,  and  a  sister  of 
Hon.  Charles  Doe,  present  Chief  Justice 
of  the  Supreme  Court  of  New  Hamp- 
shire. Joseph  Doe  was  a  well-known 
merchant  of  Salmon  Falls,  but  a  native 
and  former  resident  of  Newmarket,  who 
married  Mary  Elizabeth  Ricker,  daugh- 
ter of  Capt.  Ebenezer  Ricker  of  Somers- 
worth,  from  whose  family  also  came  the 
wife  of  John  P.  Hale.  By  this  union  he 
had  five  children,  three  sons  and  two 
daughters,  The  eldest  being  Joseph  Doe 
Weeks,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  the 
second  William  B.  Weeks,  Esq.,  a  lawyer 
of  Lebanon,  and  the  third  Marshall  H. 
Weeks,  now  residing  at  Fairbury,  Neb., 
where  he  is  extensively  engaged  in  ag- 
riculture and  the  lnmber  trade.  The 
daughters,  Mary  Elizabeth  and  Susan  H. 
Weeks,  the  youngest  of  the  children,  ac- 


complished young  ladies,  still  remain  at 
home  in  Canaan,  though  usually  spend- 
ing the  winter  abroad,  either  at  the  South 
or  West. 

Joseph  Doe  Weeks  was  born  October 
23, 1837,  being  now  in  the  forty-first  year 
of  his  age.  In  early  life  he  attended  the 
district  school  and  Canaan  Academy. 
Subsequently  he  spent  some  time  at  the 
Academies  at  Meriden  and  South  Ber- 
wick, Me.,  but  returned  home  and  com- 
pleted his  preparation  for  college  at  Ca- 
naan Academy,  the  principal  at  that  time 
being  Burrill  Porter,  Jr.,  of  Langdon, 
an  accomplished  teacher,  whose  life  has 
since  been  devoted  to  that  occupation, 
and  who  is  now  principal  of  the  High 
School  at  North  Attleboro,  Mass.  Mr. 
Porter,  by  the  way,  graduated  at  Dart- 
mouth in  the  class  of  1856,  Gov.  B.  F. 
Prescott,  and  Caleb  Blodgett,  before- 
mentioned,  being  members  of  the  same 
class.  Mr.  Blodgett,  who  was  a  Canaan 
boy,  was  a  brilliant  scholar  and  the  lead- 
er of  his  class.  In  this  connection  it  may 
properly  be  remarked  that  Canaan  Acad- 
emy, which  was  incorporated  in  1839, 
was,  for  many  years  a  popular  institution 
of  learning,  with  a  large  attendance  of 
students  from  that  and  neighboring 
towns,  and  from  abroad.  Ex-Chief  Jus- 
tice Sargent  was  one  of  the  early  prin- 
cipals of  this  institution.  Subsequently 
Hon.  Levi  W.  Barton  of  Newport,  then 
pursuing  the  study  of  law  in  the  office 
of  Judge  Kittredge,  became  its  princi- 
pal. Mr.  Barton  was  recently  heard  to 
remark,  in  speaking  of  this  school,  that 
while  he  was  principal  there  were  seven 
promising  young  men  in  attendance  who 
afterward  became  members  of  the  legal 
profession.  These  were  Caleb  and  I.  N. 
Blodgett,  and  William  M.  Chase,  before 
mentioned,  Joseph  D.  Weeks,  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch,  and  his  brother,  Wil- 
liam B.,  Delavan  Kittredge,  a  son  of 
Judge  Kittredge,  now  a  lawyer  in  New 
York  city,  and  W.  A.  Flanders,  now  of 
Wentworth.  In  these  days  there  were 
from  150  to  200  students  in  attendance  at 
the  Academy.  Latterly  the  school  has 
declined  in  numbers  and  prestige,  and 
there  are  now  but  two  terms  a  year — 
&pring  and  autumn — with  an  average  at- 


HON.  JOSEPH  D.  WEEKS. 


35 


HON.  JOSEPH  D.  WEEKS. 


tendance  of  about  fifty  scholars.  Her- 
bert F.  Norris  of  Epping,  Democratic 
candidate  for  Speaker  of  the  House  of 
Representatives  at  the  late  session  of  the 
Legislature,  was  principal  of  this  Acad- 
emy in  1873  and  1874. 

Mr.  Weeks  entered  Dartmouth  College 
in  1857,  graduating  in  1861,  his  brother 
being  a  member  of  the  same  class,  which 
also  numbered  among  its  members  Wil- 
liam J.  Tucker,  now  an  eminent  Ortho- 
dox clergyman  of  New  York  city,  for- 
merly of  Manchester,  who  was  recently 
elected  one  of  the  Trustees  of  the  Col- 
lege, George  A.  Marden  and  Edward  T. 
Rowell,  now  joint  editors  and  proprie- 
tors of  the  Lowell  Courier,  Henry  M. 
Putney  of  the  Manchester  Mirror,  and 
George  A.  Bruce,  now  Mayor  of  Somer- 
ville,  Mass.  Mr.  Weeks  was  a  diligent 
and  faithful  student,  taking  good  rank  in 
his  class.  Like  a  large  share  of  the 
young  men  who  have  been  students  at 
Dartmouth,  he  passed  his  winters  while 
n  college  in  the  occupation  of  teaching. 


The  first  winter,  that  of  1857-8,  he 
taught  the  school  in  his  own  district,  at 
Canaan  k,Street,"  the  next  at  East  Leb- 
anon, the  third  at  Wellfleet,  Mass.,  and 
the  fourth  in  the  "  Littleworth"  District, 
so  called,  in  the  city  of  Dover. 

Immediately  after  graduating  from  col- 
lege, in  the  summer  of  1861,  he  commenc- 
ed the  study  of  law  in  the  office  of  Samuel 
M.  Wheeler  and  Joshua  G.  Hall,  then 
partners  in  practice,  in  Dover,  where  he 
remained  about  two  years.  He  then 
passed  a  year  in  attendance  at  the  Har- 
vard Law  School  in  Cambridge,  and 
completed  his  study  preparatory  to  ad- 
mission to  the  bar,  in  his  father's  office 
with  Mr.  Blodgett.  He  was  admitted  to 
Grafton  County  bar,  at  Haverhill,  at  the 
September  Term  in  1864.  He  soon  after 
went  west  and  located  for  a  year  at 
Janesville,  Wis.,  but  not  fancying  the 
western  country  as  a  place  of  residence, 
he  returned  home  in  the  spring  of  1866 
and  opened  an  office  at  East  Canaan, 
where  he  engaged  in  the  practice  of  his 


36 


HON.  JOSEPH  D.  WEEKS. 


profession,  having  also  an  office  at  the 
"  Street,"  where  he  remained  a  portion 
of  the  time,  and  making  his  home  with 
his  parents.  His  office  and  library  at 
East  Canaan  were  burned  in  the  disas- 
trous conflagration  in  that  place,  in  1872, 
since  which  time  he  has  kept  an  office 
only  at  the  "  Street." 

Mr.  Weeks  is  an  active  and  earnest 
Democrat,  and  has  for  several  years  been 
accorded  the  leadership  of  his  party  in 
the  town.  He  was  elected  a  member  of 
the  Legislature  from  Canaan  in  1869  and 
again  in  1870,  serving  the  first  year  as  a 
member  of  the  Committee  on  Agricul- 
tural College,  and  the  next  on  the  Rail- 
road Committee.  The  first  year  Mr. 
Weeks'  Committee  was  an  important  one, 
as  it  was  at  that  time  that  the  friends  of 
Dartmouth  College  made  their  strenuous 
and  (as  it  resulted)  successful  effort  to 
secure  the  location  of  the  Agricultural 
College  at  Hanover,  and  several  Dart- 
mouth graduates,  including  Mr.  Weeks, 
were  made  members  of  the  Committee, 
unquestionably  with  a  view  to  the  pro- 
motion of  that  object,  and  for  which  they 
labored  with  due  zeal.  The  Railroad 
Committee,  of  which  lie  was  a  member 
during  his  second  year's  service,  was 
busied  with  the  consideration  of  impor- 
tant questions  arising  from  the  exciting 
controversy  between  the  Concord  and 
Northern  Railroads.  During  his  service 
in  the  House  he  established  a  reputation 
as  an  intelligent  and  industrious  legisla- 
tor, making  no  pretentions  to  display, 
but  devoting  himself  faithfully  to  the 
promotion  of  the  interests  of  his  constit- 
uents and  the  State  at  large,  as  regarded 
from  the  stand-point  of  his  own  judg- 
ment. 

In  1875  Mr.  Weeks  received  the  Dem- 
ocratic nomination  for  Senator  in  his  Dis- 
trict, then  one  of  the  so-called  "  close" 
districts  of  the  State,  and  was  elected. 
He  served  as  a  member  of  the  Judiciary 
and  Railroad  Committees  in  that  body, 
being  chairman  of  the  former.  In  1876 
he  was  again  a  candidate,  but  was  de- 
feated by  James  W.  Johnson  of  Enfield, 
the  Republican  nominee,  a  man  of  great 
resources  and  tireless  energy,  who  suc- 
ceeded in  carrying  the  district  by  a  small 


majority.  This  year  the  Republicans 
again  secured  full  control  of  the  Legis- 
lature, and  made  such  changes  in  the 
Senatorial  Districts  as  to  render  a  con- 
test well  nigh  hopeless  on  the  part  of 
any  Democratic  candidate  in  Number 
Eleven,  where  Messrs.  Johnson  and 
Weeks  were  again  the  candidates  of  their 
respective  parties  the  following  year,  and 
the  former  was  re-elected,  as  a  matter  of 
course.  In  the  last  canvass,  however, 
Mr.  Johnson  not  being  a  candidate,  the 
Democracy  again  insisted  upon  the  re- 
nomination  of  Mr.  Weeks,  wno  after  a 
vigorous  campaign  was  elected  over  C. 
O.  Barney,  Esq.,  of  the  same  town,  the 
Republican  nominee.  At  the  opening  of 
the  late  session  of  the  Legislature  he 
received  the  compliment  of  the  Demo- 
cratic nomination  for  President  of  the 
Senate,  and  served,  during  the  session, 
upon  the  committees  on  the  Judiciary  and 
Education.  In  the  Senate,  as  in  the 
House,  Mr.  Weeks  rendered  efficient  ser- 
vice as  a  practical  legislator,  and  his 
judgment  was  seldom  questioned  on  mat- 
ters involving  general  public  interests. 

Mr.  Weeks  is  unmarried,  and  his  moth- 
er, sisters  and  himself  have  their  home 
together.  The  large  farm  and  extensive 
outlands  of  which  his  father  died  pos- 
sessed, are  still  held,  but  in  1874  the  fam- 
ily residence  was  changed  to  the  Dow- 
ning place,  so  called,  a  fine  location  on 
the  "  Street,"  which  Mr.  Weeks  had  pur- 
chased the  previous  year,  and  re-fitted 
and  repaired  in  a  thorough  manner, 
building  a  first  class  stable,  where  he 
keeps  about  a  half  a  dozen  of  the  finest 
horses  to  be  found  in  Grafton  county. 
The  love  for  good  horses  is,  in  fact,  al- 
most a  passion  with  Mr.  Weeks,  and  who- 
ever of  Iiis  friends  and  acquaintances  is 
permitted  to  enjoy  the  hospitalities  of 
his  home  is  sure  to  be  favored  with  a  de- 
lightful drive  behind  some  of  his  favor- 
ites, through  that  romantic  region. 

Canaan  4t  Street,"  as  the  old  village  of 
Canaan  has  always  been  called,  is  one  of 
the  most  charming  localities,  in  summer, 
to  be  found  in  New  Hampshire.  The  vil- 
lage is  built  upon  the  two  sides  of  a  sin- 
gle, broad  street,  extending  a  mile,  north 
and  south,  in  a  straight  line.     The  street 


FINITIO. 


37 


is  lined  on  either  side  with  shade  trees, 
the  dwellings  are  neat  and  attractive, 
and  the  location,  upon  an  elevated  table- 
land, commands  a  fine  view  of  the  sur- 
rounding country,  restricted  only  by  the 
mountain  ranges  in  the  distance.  Before 
the  advent  of  the  railway  this  was  an  im- 
portant business  point,  being  one  of  the 
old  stage  centres,  but  the  passage  of  the 
railroad  through  the  lower  part  of  the 
town,  and  the  building  up  of  a  village  at 
the  "Depot,"  or  East  Canaan,  has  car- 
ried the  current  of  business  in  that  di- 
rection. This  renders  the  Street  a  quiet 
and  pleasant  resort  for  summer  visitors, 
and  of  late,  many  people  from  the  cities 
have  been  attracted  thither,  and  taken 
up  their  abode  during  the  summer 
months.  The  spacious  mansion  upon  the 
Weeks  farm,  among  other  fine  old  resi- 
dences in  the  place,  is  now  occupied  as 
a  summer  boarding  house. 

The  care  of  the  large  estate  left  by  his 
father  in  various  investments,  the  over- 
sight of  his  extensive  farming  opera- 
tions, the  attention  to  such  legal  busi- 
ness as  naturally  comes  to  his  hands, 
and  other  business  cares,  including  the 


management  of  a  lumber  mill,  above 
Factory  Village,  so-called,  which  recent- 
ly came  into  his  possession,  and  which  is 
adjacent  to  a  large  tract  of  heavy  pine 
and  spruce  timber,  of  which  he  is  the 
principal  owner,  together  with  the  inter- 
est which  he  takes  in  general  public  af- 
fairs, educational,  political  and  other- 
wise, keeps  Mr.  Weeks  fully  and  actively 
employed,  so  that,  although  inheriting 
ample  means,  he  has  neither  the  oppor- 
tunity nor  disposition  to  follow  a  life  of 
ease  and  leisure,  which  many  in  his  situ- 
ation would  seek. 

Mr.  Weeks  is  an  active  member  of  the 
Mascoma  Valley  Agricultural  Society, 
has  been  Superintending  School  Commit- 
tee of  the  town,  and  in  all  movements  in- 
volving the  material,  educational,  and 
social  welfare  and  progress  of  the  com- 
munity he  always  occupies  a  leading  po- 
sition. He  was  also  one  of  the  delegates 
from  his  town  in  the  Constitutional  Con- 
vention of  1876.  He  is  a  member  of  no 
religious  denomination,  but  attends  upon 
the  services  and  contributes  liberally  to 
the  support  of  the  Methodist  church  in 
his  village. 


FINITIO. 


Fast  the  minutes  pass  away, 
Fades  the  day,  and  night  is  falling 
O'er  the  earth.     Beyond  recalling, 
Days  like  life  will  have  their  birth, 
Life  like  days  will  pass  away. 
Slowly  sinking  from  my  sight 
Pass  dear  faces,  well-known  places  ; 
Death,  you  meet  me,  but  I  greet  thee — 
See !  where  yonder  dawns  the  light, 
The  morn  has  come  to  life's  dark  night. 

—  WillE.  Walker. 


it 


LOVE  WINS  LOVE. 


LOVE  WINS  LOVE. 


BY  HELEN  M.  RUSSELL. 


"  Good-bye,  Josephine.  You  will  not 
forget  our  pleasant  companionship  of  the 
past  few  weeks,  will  you,  little  friend?" 

The  summer  sun  was  just  going  out  of 
sight  behind  the  tall  hills  which  rose  far 
above  the  little  red  farmhouse  covered 
with  climbing  roses  and  clematis,  and  its 
last  rays  lighted  the  tops  of  the  tall  trees 
in  the  distance,  while  the  entire  valley 
rested  in  the  shade  of  the  approaching 
evening.  Afar  off  the  call  of  the  cow 
boy  sounded,  ringing  out  upon  the  still- 
ness with  a  monotony  that  grated  harsh- 
ly upon  the  ear  of  the  stylish  young  man 
who  leaned  so  lazily  against  the  fence 
that  enclosed  Farmer  Granger's  neat  lit- 
tle home.  His  black  eyes  were  fixed 
searchingly  upon  the  sweet  face  of  a 
young  girl  who  stood  just  inside  the  gate- 
way, one  slender  hand  resting  upon  the 
gate,  which  stood  open.  At  his  words 
there  had  been  an  eager,  upward  glance 
of  the  brown  eyes,  which  dropped  be- 
neath the  piercing  look  of  her  compan- 
ion. Slowly  the  color  faded  out  of  the 
perfect  face,  and  a  slight  shiver  passed 
over  her  slender  form,  but  only  for  a  mo- 
ment—then she  raised  her  head  proudly 
and  half  defiantly  as  she  replied ; 

"  Indeed,  Mr.  Courtney,  I  cannot 
promise.  Of  course  I  shall  not  entirely 
forget,  but  time,  you  know,  changes  ev- 
erything so  completely  that  we  cannot 
be  sure  of  anything.  In  one  month  you 
will  have  forgotten  that  there  is  such  a 
place  as  Glenville  or  Glen  Cottage  and 
its  inmates.  Is  it  not  so?" 
11  Forget  you,  Josie?  Never!"  was 
-  the  answer,  a  ring  of  falseness  in  the  low 
tone  as  he  replied. 

"  I  prefer  to  be  called  Josephine,  Mr. 
Courtney,  and  I  do  not  wish  you  to  make 
any  rash  promises."  a  laugh  coming  from 
the  sweet  lips  as  easily  as  if  the  little 
heart  beating  so  rapidly  was  not  filled 
with  the  keenest  pain. 


"  How  can  you  be  so  cruel  to  me,  Jo- 
sephine? Have  I  indeed  been  mistaken 
in  thinking  that  you  have  enjoyed  our 
companionship,  even  as  I  have?  Oh, 
Josephine,  you  do  not  realize  how  your 
sweet  face  will  haunt  me  as  I  go  out 
from  your  presence  into  the  world 
again." 

There  was  a  little  truth  in  these  words, 
and  for  the  moment  he  really  regretted 
the  pastime  which  had  been  such  cruel 
sport,  and  which  had  resulted  in  his  win- 
ning the  love  of  this  sweet  country  lass, 
Josephine  Granger.  He  knew  she  loved 
him,  despite  the  coldness  and  light-heart- 
edness  she  had  assumed. 

"  Walk  with  me  as  far  as  the  elm,  will 
you  not?"  said  he,  turning  slowly  away 
at  length. 

"  Certainly,  Mr.  Courtney,  if  you  wish ; 
although  I  might  as  well  bid  you  good- 
bye here,  I  suppose,"  said  Josephine,  as 
she  passed  out  through  the  gateway, 
bringing  it  shut  behind  her. 

The  road  wound  along  beside  a  small 
river  on  the  one  side,  while  on  the  other 
rose  the  tall  hills  previously  mentioned. 
There  was  a  sad  murmur  in  the  music  of 
the  river  this  evening  which  Josephine 
had  never  noticed  before.  The  twitter 
of  the  birds  annoyed  her;  and  the  low- 
ing of  the  cows,  homeward  bound, 
sounded,  for  the  first  time  in  her  life,  dis- 
agreeable. The  sun  had  gone  out  of 
sight,  leaving  shadows  in  its  place,  just 
as  the  sunshine  of  her  life  was  departing. 
She  had  been  so  happy  here  in  her  coun- 
try home,  content  to  perform  her  tasks 
without  a  wish  for  what  lay  beyond  her 
humble  sphere.  Six  weeks  ago,  Lee 
Courtney  had  presented  himself  at  Glen 
Cottage  and  desired  board  for  two  weeks. 
The  two  had  multiplied  themselves  into 
six,  however,  and  now  a  summons  from 
his  father,  in  the  form  of  a  telegram,  had 
caused  him  to  pack  up  his  effects  with- 


LOVE  WINS  LOVE. 


39 


out  loss  of  time  and  take  his  departure. 
His  stay  at  the  little  red  farm-house,  or 
"  Glen  Cottage,"  as  he  himself  had  chris- 
tened it,  had  been  most  pleasant,  and  as 
he  walked  slowly  along  he  thought  of 
the  girl  who  had  met  him  so  frankly 
upon  his  arrival  at  her  home,  filled  his 
room  with  flowers,  prepared  his  favorite 
dishes  and  picked  the  ripest  berries  for 
him,  and  involuntarily  his  eyes  rested 
upon  her  now  walking  by  his  side.  She 
seemed  a  different  being.  The  former 
was  a  happy  girl,  without  a  trace  of  care 
in  the  lovely  brown  eyes;  the  latter 
seemed  a  woman.  The  erect,  even 
haughty,  figure  walked  steadily  by  his 
side,  but  there  was  a  look  of  sorrow  in 
the  eyes  which  could  not  be  concealed. 
The  hand  which  carried  a  bunch  of  sweet 
clover  trembled  slightly  as  he  took  it 
gently  in  his  own.  They  reached  the 
"  elm  tree  "  at  length,  and,  pausing,  Jo- 
sephine said  with  a  smile : 

"  Well,  Mr.  Courtney,  I  wish  you  a 
pleasant  journey  home,  and  a  pleasant 
one  through  life." 

Her  coolness  vexed  him,  and  he  made 
a  sudden  resolve  to  compel  her  to  own 
that  she  loved  him.  Where  would  be  the 
harm,  he  reasoned.  If  harm  there  was, 
it  had  already  been  done,  so  turning 
quickly  toward  her,  he  clasped  both  her 
little  toil-stained  hands  in  his  own,  say- 
ing softly : 

"  Josephine,  my  darling,  how  can  my 
life  journey  be  pleasant  unless  you  share 
it  with  me?  My  love,  tell  me  that  I  may 
return  to  you,  may  win  you  and  take 
you  away  from  this  country  life  to  a 
home  you  are  so  much  better  adapted  to 
adorn.  My  sweet  girl,  tell  me  that  you 
love  me." 

Withdrawing  her  hands  from  his  grasp, 
.  ne  covered  her  blushing  face  with  them, 
while  the  bunch  of  sweet  clover  feel  un- 
.  ceded  to  the  ground,  but  she  made  no 
icply. 

*'  Tell  me,  Josephine,  do  you  care  for 
ne?"  said  he,  drawing  her  closely  to  his 
tde  and  gently  forcing  the  hands  from 
s_i»r  face.     At  length  she  raised  her  head 

uidly,  the  color  coming  and  going  in 
v.ives  of  crimson  and  white,  as  she  mur- 
mured softly : 


"  Yes,  Lee,  I  do  love  you  with  all  my 
heart;  but  I — I — thought  you  were  only 
amusing  yourself  at  my  expense." 

There  beneath  the  old  elm  they  stood 
talking  until  the  coming  shadows  of 
night  warned  Josephine  that  she  must 
return  home.  The  parting  was  bitter  to 
the  girl,  and  her  evident  sorrow  touched 
even  Lee  Courtney's  callous  heart  and 
caused  him  to  exclaim  to  himself,  when 
at  length  he  found  himself  alone  upon 
the  road  leading  to  the  village  of  Glen- 
ville : 

"  I  am  a  precious  rascal,  and  no  mis- 
take !  What  possessed  me  to  make  the 
girl  love  me?  Well,  time  will  cure  her 
of  her  folly,  and  I  will  stop  this  business. 
By  George,  I  pitied  her,  but  it  cannot  be 
helped  now;  so  good-bye,  my  pretty 
wild  flower,  and  now  for  home  and  Nora 
Weston's  bright  eyes  and  golden  charms. 
I  wish  Josephine  had  Nora's  wealth.  I 
do  believe  I  should  like  the  former  best 
if  it  were  at  all  prudent  to  do  so.  I  will 
write  her  a  dozen  letters  or  so  and  grad- 
ually let  the  affair  die  away.  Confound 
it !  I  do  believe  I  have  got  a  conscience 
after  all !  " 

Back  again  to  the  quiet  home  so  lonely 
now,  so  desolate.  One  by  one  the  stars 
came  forth,  and  anon  the  moon  shone 
down  upon  the  quiet  spot,  lighting  it 
with  a  tender  radiance,  and  falling  upon 
the  sad  face  of  the  girl  who  leaned  from 
her  chamber  window,  her  eyes  misty 
with  unshed  tears,  wandering  toward  the 
village  whose  tall  church  spires  she 
could  just  distinguish  in  the  distance — 
thinking  of  him  who  had  made  so  great 
a  change  in  her  quiet  life.  She  could 
never  be  the  same  again,  free  from  care, 
content  to  perform  her  homely  tasks, 
caring  for  naught  but  her  home,  her  par- 
ents and  the  few  humble  friends  of  her 
girlhood.  She  must  study — must  fit  her- 
self for  the  home  to  which  he  had  prom- 
ised to  take  her.  She  would  go  away 
where  she  could  learn  all  the  graces  he 
so  much  admired.  Her  parents  would 
miss  her,  but  they  would  learn  to  do 
without  her,  and  when  she  had  obtained 
the  knowledge  she  so  much  desired,  and 
she  was  Lee  Courtney's  wife,  they  should 
spend  the  declining  years  of  life  with 


40 

her.  At  length  she  gave  one  last,  lin- 
gering look  to  the  village  where  he  was 
stopping  for  the  night,  and  then  she 
sought  her  couch,  but  not  lo  sleep.  She 
heard  the  whistle  of  the  departing  train 
which  bore  him  away  in  the  early  dawn, 
and  she  could  but  wonder  at  the  dreary 
heart-ache,  the  utter  desolation  that 
came  to  her  at  the  sound. 

A  lovely  day — the  sun  shone,  the  birds 
warbled,  the  air  was  filled  with  the 
sweetest  odors.  Josephine  Granger  was 
seated  in  the  shade  of  a  tall  maple  which 
stood  near  her  home.  She  held  an  open 
letter  in  her  hand,  and  a  sweet,  glad 
light  shone  from  her  lovely  eyes.  Lee 
really  loved  her — he  had  not  forgotten 
her  as  she  had  feared  when  day  after  day 
passed  and  there  had  eome  no  word  from 
him.  The  two  weeks  that  had  elapsed 
since  he  had  left  her  seemed  like  so  many 
months  to  the  young  girl,  but  now  she 
held  his  first  letter,  brief  and  not  just 
what  she  had  fondly  hoped  it  would  be, 
but  nevertheless  a  letter,  and  now  the 
world  had  once  more  put  on  a  look  of 
beauty.  There  was  not  the  faintest 
thought  in  her  heart  but  that  he  loved 
her.  She  must  tell  her  parents  now,  and 
they  would  let  her  go  away  where  she 
would  receive  an  education  which  would 
fit  her  to  be  Lee  Courtney's  wife.  A  step 
near  by  arrested  her  attention,  and 
glancing  quickly  upward  she  saw  a 
young  man  approaching  her,  tall  and 
sun-burned,  but  nevertheless  handsome 
and  manly.  A  shade  of  annoyance 
passed  over  her  face  at  being  thus  dis- 
turbed in  her  day-dreams,  but  it  gave 
way  to  a  look  ot  pleasure  as  she  made 
room  for  him  at  her  side,  at  the  same 
time  saying: 

"  Well,  Frank,  you  are  back  again.  I 
am  glad  to  see  you.  How  do  you  like 
your  new  home?" 

"Oh,  little  girl,  it  is  just  a  jolly  place. 
I  really  think  there's  not  a  handsomer 
farm  this  side  the  Connecticut  than  mine. 
Mother's  a  little  lonesome,  the  folks  be- 
ing all  strangers  to  her,  you  know,"  he 
replied,  a  little  awed  by  the  change  he 
felt  rather  than  saw  in  the  girl  by  his 
side. 
"  Of  course  that  was  to  have  been  ex- 


LOVE  WINS  LOVE. 

pected,  Frank.  There  are  not  many  old 
ladies  who  would  have  so  willingly  given 
up  the  home  which  had  been  theirs  for 
so  many  years,  as  did  your  mother! 
She  is  well,  is  she  not?" 

''  Yes,  oh.  yes,  she  is  well — but,  I  say, 
little  girl,  what's  come  over  you?  You 
don't  seem  at  all  like  the  Josephine  I 
left  at  Glenville  depot  the  day  we  went 
away.     Are  you  sick?" 

A  flush  dyed  her  face,  but  she  laugh- 
ingly replied : 

"  No,  Frank,  I  am  not  sick — on  the 
contrary,  I  am  perfectly  well  and 
happy,"  a  tender  light  coming  into  her 
eyes  as  she  raised  them  to  her  compan- 
ion's face.  Why  not  tell  him  of  the  love 
which  had  come  into  her  life?  He  had 
been  her  friend  always,  her  companion 
to  and  from  school,  the  one  true  and  con- 
stant friend  that  takes  the  place  of  a 
brother.  He  had  been  the  one  .to  show 
her  where  the  nicest  berries  grew,  to 
gather  pond- lilies  for  her— in  short,  she 
had  loved  him  as  if  he  had  been  her 
brother,  and  when  he  had  sold  the  old 
rocky  farm  on  the  hill-side  and  bought  a 
larger  one  upon  the  banks  of  the  Connec- 
ticut, distant  some  twenty  miles  from  her 
home,  she  had  shed  bitter  tears.  He  had 
been  absent  but  three  months  and  it  was 
pleasant  to  have  him  back  again,  and — 
yes,  she  would  tell  him ;  but  first  she 
would  acquaint  him  with  her  intention  of 
leaving  home,  so.  looking  up  into  his 
kindly  lace,  she  said  suddenly : 

"  I  am  going  away,  Frank.  I  intend 
to  go  to  some  large  school  for  young 
ladies,  and  I  wish  to  be  something  more 
than  an  uneducated  farmer's  daughter." 
Then,  not  noting  the  pained  look  that 
came  into  his  face,  she  said  softly,  hiding 
her  blushing  face  from  his  eager  gaze : 
"I — 1  wish  to  tell  jrou  something,  brother 
Frank,  but  I  don't  know  how  to  tell  it." 

There  was  no  reply  for  a  moment, 
then,  looking  up,  Josephine  saw  that  the 
browned  face  had  grown  quite  pale. 

"  You  don't  need  to  tell  me,  little 
girl," — his  pet  name  for  her  always.  '■  I 
heard  something  at  the  village,  but  I 
would  not,  could  not  believe  it.  I  see 
now  that  it  is  true.  Oh,  Josephine,  did 
you  not  guess  that  I  loved  you,  that  I 


LOVE  WINS  LOVE. 


41 


was  coming  back  for  you?  That  city- 
chap  could  not  care  for  you  a  tenth  part 
what  I  do  and  always  have." 

"  I  am  so  sorry,  Frank.  I  never 
thought  you  cared  for  me  in  this  way,'' 
murmured  Josephine,  bursting  into  tears 
of  real  sorrow. 

'*  No,  little  girl ;  I  see  how  ioolish  I 
was.  I  might  have  won  your  love  had  I 
told  you  of  my  own  before  Lee  Courtney 
turned  your  head  with  his  soft  words 
that  meant  nothing  to  him,  but  which 
won  your  heart  at  once.  Oh,  Josephine ! 
I  can't  realize  it  yet,  you  know — I  can't 
believe  I  have  lost  you.  I  have  loved 
you  all  my  life,  little  girl." 

There  was  an  earnestness  in  the  words 
and  tone  of  Frank  Clyde's  voice  that  the 
girl  had  missed  in  the  smooth,  honied 
words  of  Lee  Courtney,  and  it  struck  her 
more  forcibly  than  ever  before  as  she 
contrasted  the  two — the  one  rough  and 
uncultured,  but  so  good  and  noble,  the 
other  rich,  handsome,  well  educated,  but 
yet  lacking  something  which  she  could 
not  define,  but  it  gave  her  the  heart-ache 
nevertheless. 

"  Oh,  Frank,  don't  talk  to  me  any 
more  about  it,  for  it  can  never  be,  you 
know.  You  must  always  be  my  brother 
just  the  same,  and  we  will  try  and  forget 
you  ever  cared  for  me  in  any  other 
way." 

'"Forget  you,  little  girl?  I  shall  as 
soon  forget  the  sun  that  shines  as  to  for- 
get the  love  I  have  given  to  you.  I  shall 
go  away,  but  1  shall  always  love  you 
just  the  same.  Good-bye,  little  girl." 
His  voice  grew  husky  as  he  spoke,  and 
rising  from  his  seat  by  her  side,  he  threw 
both  arms  around  her,  held  her  one  mo- 
ment to  his  heart,  pressed  a  long,  linger- 
ing kiss  upon  the  flushed  forehead,  and 
turning  quickly  he  hurried  away,  not 
pausing  or  looking  back.  It  was  years 
ere  they  met  again. 

It  was  a  lovely  day  in  autumn  when  at 
last  Josephine  stood  in  the  door-way  of 
her  humble  home,  ready  equipped  for 
her  departure.  Her  mother  stood  near 
by,  wiping  the  fast  falling  tears  upon  the 
corner  of  her  calico  apron,  her  heart 
filled  with  grief  at  this  parting.  There 
had  been  expostulations   and  entreaties 


when  her  daughter  had  made  known  her 
determination  to  leave  home,  but  they 
had  been  of  no  avail,  so  at  last  the  wor- 
thy farmer  and  his  wife  had  set  about 
preparing  tor  their  daughter's  departure 
with  sorrow-filled  hearts.  The  day  long 
dreaded  had  arrived,  and  now  the  hour 
of  parting  had  come.  Her  father  carried 
her  to  the  village,  where  she  was  to  take 
the  afternoon  train  for  her  destination,  a 
large  flourishing  town  in  New  York. 
Old  ties  were  broken  now,  and  a  new 
life,  new  associations,  were  to  be  formed. 
Her  heart  beat  high  with  hope,  notwith- 
standing the  real  grief  she  felt  at  leaving 
home.  I  would  gladly  follow  her 
through  the  weeks  that  came,  but  space 
will  not  permit.  I  will  simply  say  that 
her  school  life  proved  all  that  she  had 
anticipated.  She  learned  easily  and  rap- 
idly. Letters  came  from  home  every 
week,  and  from  Lee  Courtney  occasional- 
ly. She  stiflled  any  fear  she  may  have 
felt  at  his  coolness,  and  time  passed 
quickly  away. 

It  was  in  the  early  spring-time  when 
she  knew  at  last  that  the  one  hope 
of  her  life  had  crumbled,  as  it  were,  into 
ashes.  Several  weeks  had  elapsed  since 
she  had  received  a  letter  from  Lee,  and 
her  companions  had  noticed  that  the 
sweet  face  had  grown  paler  and  her  hap- 
py laughter  no  longer  rang  out  in  unison 
with  their  own.  One  evening  the  mail- 
bag  had  been  carried  into  the  long  din- 
ing-hall  to  be  opened  and  the  contents 
to  be  distributed  among  the  many  pupils 
assembled  there.  There  was  no  sign 
from  Josephine,  when  at  length  it  was 
emptied  and  carried  away,  that  she  had 
expected  a  letter,  yet  she  had  felt  so  sure 
that  she  should  hear  from  him  that  night. 
Her  head  ached  and  throbbed  terribly, 
so,  arising,  she  asked  to  be  excused  and 
left  the  room  and  sought  her  own,  where 
she  knelt  down  by  the  window — an  old 
habit  which  clung  to  her  in  her  new 
life — and  gazed  wearily  out  upon  the 
grounds  surrounding  the  seminary.  A 
long  time  she  knelt  there,  but  at  length- 
her  room  mate,  Ellen  Weston,  entered 
the  room  with  a  song  upon  her  lips.  She 
carried  a  paper  in  her  hand. 

"  I  declare,  Josephine,  what  has  come 


42 


LOVE  WINS  LOVE. 


over  you  ?    You  are  sober  as  an  owl," 
she  said. 

"  You  have  received  good  news.  I  con- 
elude,  Ellen,"  said  her  friend,  wearily- 
arising  from  the  window. 

"Yes,  and  you  have  none.  That  ac- 
counts for  your  long  face.  You  recol- 
lect hearing  me  speak  of  my  cousin 
Nora,  do  you  not?" 

"  Yes,  and  you  promised  to  show  me 
her  picture,"  replied  Josephine,  with  an 
attempt  at  animation. 

"  Yes,  I  will  do  so,  and  also  that  of 
her  husband.  They  were  married  last 
Wednesday,  and  this  paper  contains  an 
account  of  the  wedding.  After  you  have 
looked  at  their  pictured  faces  I  will  read 
you  what  this  paper  states  in  regard  to 
them,"  returned  Ellen. 

A  moment  later  she  had  procured  two 
photographs,  and  after  a  hasty  glance  at 
them,  threw  them  on  the  tabJe  beside 
which  her  friend  was  seated.  Josephine 
took  up  the  pictures,  and  her  gaze  fell 
upon  the  face  of  Lee  Courtney. 

"How  came  you  by  Lee  Courtney's 
picture?"  she  asked,  turning  her  white 
face  toward  her  friend. 

"  Why,  he  is  cousin  Nora's  husband, 
Josephine;  but  where  did  you  ever  see 
him,  in  the  name  of  wonder?"  replied 
Ellen  in  sin-prise. 

She  did  not  faint ;  even  the  bliss  of  un- 
consciousness was  denied  her.  After- 
ward she  remembered  that  she  had  given 
some  common-place  answer,  and  then, 
making  some  remark  about  her  aching 
head,  had  sought  her  bed,  and  through 
the  long  hours  of  the  night  had  fought 
with  the  pain  at  her  crushed  heart.  She 
saw  it  all  now— saw  how  blind  she  had 
been  from  the  first.  Two  weeks  later 
there  came  a  letter  to  the  anxious  par- 
ents at  the  farm-house,  saying : 

"  Father  —  mother  —  you  will  have 
learned  ere  you  receive  this  how  basely 
I  have  been  deceived.  I  cannot  talk  of  it 
yet — the  pain  is  too  severe ;  neither  can 
I  remain  here  at  school  or  return  to  you. 
So  by  the  time  you  receive  this  I  shall 
be  far  away.  A  lady— a  friend  of  my 
room  mate — wishes  a  companion  on  a 
journey  to  Europe,  and  has  kindly  con- 
sented to  allow  me  to  fill  that  place.     It 


I  live  I   shall   return    to  you  in    time. 
Good-bye,  dear  kind  parents. 
Your  unhappy  daughter, 

Josephine." 

Through  all  the  years  that  followed 
there  came  no  sign  that  she  yet  lived, 
until  ten  long  years  had  passed — then  to 
the  care-worn  parents  there  came  at  last 
a  letter,  telling  them  that  she  was  yet 
alive  and  would  be  with  them  almost  as 
soon  as  her  letter  reached  them.  Jose- 
phine Granger  left  home  a  young  girl 
full  of  hope.  She  returned  a  woman, 
beautiful  and  wealthy,  and  no  more  to  be 
compared  with  what  she  had  once  been 
than  is  the  choicest  garden  flower  to 
the  simple  field  daisy.  The  lady  in 
whose  company  she  had  travelled  had 
learned  to  love  the  sad,  pale-faced  girl, 
and  when  at  last  death  overtook  her,  Jo- 
sephine learned  to  her  surprise  that  her 
kind  friend  had  bequeathed  a  large  por- 
tion of  her  vast  wealth  to  herself. 

Home  again,  at  last!  There  was  infi- 
nite rest  in  the  knowledge,  and  she 
would  remain  there  until  she  could  de- 
cide what  to  do  in  the  future. 

"  Mother,"  said  she,  the  day  after  her 
arrival  home,  "I  have  never  heard  one 
word  concerning  Frank  Clyde  since  I  left 
home.    Is  he  yet  living?  " 

"  Yes,  my  child ;  and  if  you  will  go  to 
church  with  us  to-morrow  you  will  see 
him,"  said  her  mother. 

On  the  morrow  she  once  more  entered 
the  little  white  church  at  Glenville,  but 
the  faces  raised  to  her  own  were  nearly 
all  strange  to  her.  Involuntarily  her 
eyes  sought  the  pew  where,  years  ago, 
she  had  been  wont  to  see  the  kindly  face 
of  her  friend,  Frank  Clyde.  Mrs.  Clyde 
sat  there  alone. 

"  Frank  is  late,  doubtless,"  she 
thought,  settling  herself  back  into  her 
seat,  and  raising  her  eyes  to  the  old- 
fashioned  pulpit.  The  minister  arose, 
and  in  a  clear,  impassioned  voice  began 
the  services  of  the  day.  Surely  some- 
where she  had  heard  that  voice.  Could 
it  be  her  old  friend,  Frank  Clyde?  An 
hour  later  she  stood  before  him  and  felt 
the  warm  clasp  of  his  hand  and  heard 
him  welcome  her  home  in  the  same  old 
voice,   cultivated  now,  to    be  sure,  but 


POLITICS  IN  HOPKINTON. 


43 


still  the  same.  Her  true  friend  always, 
she  realized  at  that  moment  what  she 
had  thrown  away — the  pure  gold  for  the 
glistening  tinsel.  Afterward  she  learned 
how  his  disappointed  hopes  had  caused 
him  to  sell  the  farm  he  had  bought 
thinking  she  would  share  his  home  with 
him,  and  go  away;  and  how  his  mother 
came  to  live  with  the  lonely  parents  she 
had  deserted,  during  his  absence  from 
his  native  place.  Two  years  before  Jose- 
phine's return  ne  had  addressed  the  peo- 


ple of  Glenville  from  the  little  pulpit  in 
the  little  old  church. 

One  year  after  her  return  the  wedding 
bells  rang  out  a  joyful  peal  as  arm  in 
arm  Frank  Clyde  and  Josephine  Gran- 
ger walked  into  that  same  little  church 
to  be  made  one  for  the  remainder  of'their 
lives ;  and  when  later  on  that  same  day 
she  entered  her  own  home,  there  stole 
into  her  heart  once  more  perfect  rest  and 
peace. 


POLITICS  IN  HOPKINTON. 


BY  C.  C.  LORD. 


Internal  politics  have  but  a  little 
chance  for  agitation  when  a  new  country 
is  harassed  by  external  foes.  The  first 
inhabitants  of  this  town,  besides  being 
loyal  subjects  to  the  colonial  authority  of 
the  Crown  of  England,  were  too  actively 
engaged  in  the  pursuit  of  a  material  ex- 
istence to  indulge  to  any  great  extent  in 
local  political  discussion. 

The  Bow  controversy,  as  it  is  some- 
times called,  was  early  a  cause  of  litiga- 
tion to  the  inhabitants  of  this  town.  In 
1727,  Jonathan  Wiggin  and  others  obtain- 
ed a  grant  of  the  township  of  Bow  from 
the  authorities  of  New  Hampshire.  This 
act  ultimately  led  to  contention  with 
other  parties  holding  grants  of  town- 
ships from  the  authorities  of  Massachu- 
setts. Concord,  Pembroke  and  Hopkin- 
ton  were  all  involved  in  this  controversy. 
Bow  was  at  length  obliged  to  yield  over 
two-thirds  of  its  territory  *  to  these  three 
towns,  the  final  boundary  lines  being  set- 
tled at  different  times  from  1759  to  1765. 
In  this  controversy  the  town  of  Hopkin- 
ton  was  represented  by  Dea.  Henry  Mel- 
len,  Adj.  Thomas  Mellen,  and  Timothy 
Clement. 

During  the  pending  of  the  Bow  claim, 
the  town  of  Hopkinton  became  involved 
in  the  Mason  controversy.    John  Tufton 


*Bow  claimed  a  notch  of  a  few  square  miles 
in  the  south-east  corner  of  Hopkinton. 


Mason,  presumed  heir  of  John  Mason,  in 
consequence  of  an  alleged  defect  in  the 
sale  of  lands  to  Samuel  Allen,  in  1691, 
conveyed  his  interests  in  New  Hamp- 
shire to  twelve  leading  men  of  Ports- 
mouth, for  fifteen  hundred  pounds.  This 
was  in  1746.  The  new  proprietors,  how- 
ever, were  liberal,  granting  new  town- 
ships for  the  simple  conditions  of  a  guar- 
anty for  improvements  by  the  occupants 
and  the  reservation  of  fifteen  rights  for 
themselves.  Under  the  date  of  Novem- 
ber 30,  1750,  we  find  a  record  of  condi- 
tions obtaining  in  the  case  of  the  grant 
of  this  town.  Henry  Mellen,  yeoman; 
Thomas  Walker,  cooper;  Thomas  Mel- 
len, cordwainer,  and  their  associates, 
were  grantees.  One-fifth  of  the  land  was 
to  be  set  apart  on  the  west,  to  be  exempt 
from  all  taxes  till  improved.  One  share 
was  to  be  set  apart  for  a  minister,  one 
share  for  a  school,  and  a  reservation  for 
a  mill  privilege.  There  were  to  be  thirty 
families  in  three  years  and  sixty  in  seven 
years.  There  was  to  be  a  meeting-house 
in  three  years,  and  a  minister  in  seven 
years.  The  suitable  white  pine  was  to 
be  reserved  for  His  Majesty.  In  case  of 
an  Indian  war  the  times  expressed  in  this 
agreement  were  to  be  extended.  In  case 
Bow  took  any  territory  the  equivalent 
was  to  be  made  up  from  ungranted  lands. 
The  absence  of  local  records  during  nu- 


44 


POLITICS  IN  HOPKINTON. 


merous  years  about  the  time  of  this 
transaction  prevents  a  confident  state- 
ment in  regard  to  all  the  conditions  that 
may  have  been  implied  in  the  Mason 
grant  of  this  township.  The  absence  of 
any  reference  to  the  "  fifteen  rights"  of 
the  Mason  proprietors,  leads  to  the  con- 
jecture it  may  be  that  those  rights  were 
bought  by  the  grantees. 

The  distribution  of  the  rights  of  the 
proprietors  of  the  township  under  the 
new  grant  was  as  follows  :  Thomas  Mel- 
len,  4;*  Dea.  Henry  Mellen,  3;  John 
Jones,  Esq.,  John  Chad  wick,  Jonathan 
Straw,  Sampson  Colby,  Peter  How,  Jr., 
and  Enoch  Eastman,  2  each;  Daniel  and 
John  Annis,2;  Joseph  Haven,  Esq.,  Rev. 
Samuel  Haven,  John  Haven,  Thomas  Bix- 
bee,  Peter  How.  Joseph  Haven,  Timothy 
Townsend,  Elder  Joseph  Haven,  Simp- 
son Jones,  Esq.,  Isaac  Pratt,  Jedediah 
Haven,  Mark  Whitney,  Nathaniel  Gibbs, 
Isaac  Gibbs,  John  Jones,  Jr.,  Benjamin 
Goddard,  Eleazer  Howard,  Daniel  Mel- 
len, James  Lock,  David  Woodwell,  Na- 
thaniel Chandler  (heirs  of),  James  Chad- 
wick  (heirs  of),  Samuel  Osgood,  Aaron 
Kimball,  Thomas  Eastman,  Timothy 
Clement,  John  Rust  (heirs  of),  William 
Peters,  Ebenezer  Eastman,  Jacob  Straw, 
Samuel  Putney,  Joseph  Putney,  Thomas 
Merrill,  Joseph  Eastman,  Jacob  Potter, 
Matthew  Stanley,  Abraham  Colby,  Isaac 
Chandler,  Jr.,  Abuer  Kimball  (heirs  of), 
John  Burbank,  Caleb  Burbank,  Samuel 
Eastman,  Stephen  Hoyt,  Isaac  Whitney, 
Thomas  Walker,  Isaac  Chandler,  and  Jo- 
seph Eastman,  Jr.,  1  each ;  John  and 
James  Nutt,  1 ;  Enoch  and  Ezra  Hoyt,  1. 

Soon  after  the  first  occupation  of  the 
territory  by  the  proprietors,  this  town- 
ship began  to  be  called  New  Hopkinton, 
though  known  at  first  as  No.  5.  The 
present  name  of  Hopkinton  became  the 
legal  appellation  under  the  act  of  incor- 
poration. Our  readers  will  be  interested 
in  our  notice  of 

THE  INCORPORATING    CHARTER. 

Anno  Begni  Begis  Georgii  Tertii.  Magnce 
Brittanicve,  Francice,   et  Hibernian,  etc., 
Quinto. 
[S.  S.]     An  Act  to  incorporate  a  Place 


*Tlns  is  a  doubtful  figure  in  the  original  rec- 
ord. 


called  New  Hopkinton,  not  within  a 
Place  heretofore  incorporated,  together 
with  that  Part  of  the  Township  of  Bow 
which  covers  a  Part  of  the  said  New 
Hopkinton,  into  a  Town,  invested  with 
the  Powers  and  Privileges  of  a  Town. 

WHEREAS  the  Inhabitants  of  New 
Hopkinton  (so  called)  together  with  the 
Inhabitants  of  that  part  of  the  Township 
of  Bow  which  covers  a  part  of  said  New 
Hopkinton  have  petitioned  the  General 
Assembly,  representing  the  Difficulties 
which  they  are  under  for  want  of  the 
Powers  and  Privileges  of  a  Town,  and 
therefore  prayed  that  they  might  be  join- 
ed, united  and  incorporated  together  into 
a  Town  and  be  invested  with  the  Powers 
and  Privileges  which  other  Towns  in  the 
Province  enjoy, 

THEREFORE 

Be  it  enacted  by  the  Gouvernour, 
Council  and  Assembly,  That  that  part  of 
the  Township  of  Bow  which  covers  a 
Part  of  New  Hopkinton  be,  and  hereby 
is,  separated  from  the  rest  of  the  said 
Township  of  Bow,  and  is  joined  to  and 
united  with  the  said  New  Hopkinton,  to 
all  Intents  and  Purposes :  and  that  all 
the  Land  contained  within  the  Bounds 
and  Limits  hereafter  mentioned,  and  all 
the  Persons  who  do  or  shall  inhabit  the 
same,  their  Polls  and  Estates,  be  and 
hereby  are  incorporated  together  into  a 
Town,  including  all  that  part  of  the  town- 
ship of  Bow  which  covers  a  part  of  New 
Hopkinton,  with  the  Polls  and  Estates; 
and  are  hereby  invested  and  enfranchised 
with  all  the  Powers  and  Privileges  of 
any  other  Town  in  the  Province;  and 
shall  be  called  Hopkinton. 

A  description  of  the  boundaries  of 
Hopkinton,  together  with  certain  gener- 
al laws  and  regulations,  conclude  the  act 
of  incorporation,  done  in  the  House  of 
Representatives  for  the  Province  of  New 
Hampshire,  on  10th  of  January,  1765, 
and  signed  by  H.  Sherburne,  Speaker; 
recorded  in  the  Council  the  next  day  as 
passed,  and  signed  by  T.  Atkinson,  Sec- 
retary; consented  to  by  B.  Wentworth, 
Governor;  and  copies  attested  by  the 
Secretary  of  the  Council,  and  Enoch 
Eastman,  Town  Clerk. 

The  act  of  incorporation  provided  that 


POLITICS  IN  HOPKINTON. 


45 


annual  town  meetings  should  be  held  on 
the  first  Monday  of  March.  Acting  un- 
der this  provision  the  first  board  of  se- 
lectmen were  chosen  the  same  year. 
They  were  Capt.  Matthew  Stanly,  Jona- 
than Straw  and  Serg.  Isaac  Chandler. 
The  incorporation  of  the  town  gave  a  new 
impulse  to  internal  affairs,  and  improve- 
ments progressed  rapidly. 

The  struggle  for  colonial  independence 
occasioned  the  entertainment  of  provis- 
ions for  the  maintenance  of  independent 
civil  government.  The  people  of  this 
town  recognized  this  necessity  of  civil 
government  as  well  as  others.  At  a  town 
meeting  held  on  July  18.  1774.  Capt. 
Jonathan  Straw  was  chosen  delegate  to 
the  convention  held  at  Exeter  on  the  21st 
of  the  same  month  to  succeed  the  pre- 
vious assembly  dispersed  by  Governor 
John  Wentworth.  This  convention  chose 
Nathaniel  Folsom  and  John  Sullivan 
delegates  to  the  Provincial  Congress  at 
Philadelphia.  On  the  9th  of  January, 
1775,  Joshua  Bayley  was  chosen  dele- 
gate from  Hopkinton  to  a  second  conven- 
tion at  Exeter,  to  appoint  delegates  to  a 
second  Congress  to  be  held  on  the  10th 
of  May.  John  Sullivan  and  John  Lang- 
don  were  appointed  to  the  approaching 
Congress.  On  the  day  that  Joshua  Bayley 
was  chosen  delegate  to  Exeter  the  town 
of  Hopkinton  voted  "  to  accept  what  the 
grand  Congress  has  resolved."  On  the 
11th  of  December,  1775,  Capt.  Stephen 
Harriman  was  chosen  representative  to 
Exeter  for  one  year. 

The  success  of  the  struggle  for  inde- 
pendence secured  to  the  inhabitants  of 
this  town  and  all  others  the  possession 
of  their  lands  in  fee  simple,  and  the  con- 
sciousness of  an  existence  of  free  gov- 
ernmental privileges.  However.it  opened 
the  door  to  an  earnestness  and  intensity 
of  political  controversy  that  many  had  not 
expected  to  experience.  The  task  of  es- 
tablishing a  permanent  civil  government 
awakened  a  discussion  between  the  doc- 
trines of  the  concentration  and  distribu- 
tion of  governmental  agencies  which  have 
plagued  legislators  throughout  a  long 
historic  past,  and  probably  will  continue 
to  plague  them  for  a  long  time  to  come. 
On  the  13th  of  January,  1778,  the  town 


voted  to  accept  of  the  articles  of  confed- 
eration, but  on  the  22d  of  the  July  fol- 
lowing the  people,  as  states  the  town 
clerk,  "  Tryed  a  Vote  for  Receiving  the 
Plan  of  Government— none  for,  But  106 
against  it."  On  the  30th  day  of  May, 
1781,  Joshua  Bayley  was  chosen  a  com- 
mittee to  attend  an  assembly*  at  Concord 
for  the  purpose  of  forming  a  plan  of 
State  government;  yet  on  the  21st  of 
January,  and  again  on  the  11th  of  No- 
vember, of  the  following  year,  the  town 
voted  not  to  accept  the  plan  of  govern- 
ment as  it  then  stood.  On  the  4th  of 
March  of  this  year,  Capt.  (Jonathan) 
Straw.  Benjamin  Wiggin  and  Isaac  Bay- 
ley  were  chosen  a  committee  to  petition 
the  General  Court  for  a  repeal  of  the 
oath  of  fidelity.  On  the  23d  of  Decem- 
ber it  was  voted  to  accept  the  plan  of  gov- 
ernment "  with  the  amendment  made  by 
the  committee,  there  being  100  votes." 
The  substance  of  this  matter  related  to 
the  powers  and  privileges  of  the  Govern 
or  of  the  State ;  a  compromise  was  effect- 
ed by  the  recommendation  of  the  con- 
vention that  the  Governor  be  elected  by 
the  people,  which  plan  was  adopted. 

Under  the  new  condition  of  affairs, 
Meshech  Weare,  of  Hampton  Falls,  was 
elected  Presidentf  of  the  State  of  New 
Hampshire.  The  vote  of  the  town  of 
Hopkinton  that  year  stood  fifty-six  for 
Josiah  Bartlett,  of  Kingston,  and  two 
for  Timothy  Walker,  of  Concord,  and 
none  for  Weare.  On  the  following  year 
John  Langdon  of  Portsmouth  received 
eighty-nine  votes  and  Timothy  Walker 
one. 

The  unanimous  character  of  the  votes 
cast  in  Hopkinton  for  chief  executive  of 
the  State  for  many  years  subsequently  to 
the  independence  of  the  American  colo- 
nies attests  the  little  progress  that  had 
been  made  in  national  politics.  When  at 
length  the  people  became  conscious  of 
the  great  struggle  between  Federalism 
and  Republicanism,  the  sympathies  of 
this  town  gravitated  steadily  toward  the 


*This  assembly,  or  convention,  held  nine  ses- 
sions and  was  in  existence  two  years. 


tThe  chief  executive  of  the  State  was  not 
called  governor  vntil  1792,  when  a  new  consti- 
tution came  in  force. 


46 


POLITICS  IN  HOPKINTON. 


Republican  side.  The  growing  state  of 
the  population,  and  the  consequent  in- 
creasing multiple  character  of  the  inhab- 
itants, soon  prevented  that  degree  of  po- 
litical unanimity  at  first  prevailing.  In 
1812  the  contest  between  Federalism  and 
Republicanism  was  at  its  height.  The 
progress  of  the  existing  war  was  bitterly 
opposed  by  the  Federalists  ;  the  Repub- 
licans were  as  intensely  ardent  in  its  sup- 
port. In  1812  William  Plummer,  of  Ep- 
ping.  a  Republican,  was  elected  govern- 
or of  New  Hampshire.  He  had  been  a 
prominent  Federalist  but  had  seen  fit  to 
change  his  political  position  to  the  Re- 
publican side.  His  opponent  was  John 
Taylor  Gilman,  a  life-long  Federalist  and 
popular  citizen  and  official.  Yet  Hop- 
kinton,  zealous  of  the  principles  and 
measures  of  the  Republican  party,  gave 
192  votes  to  Plummer  against  108  for 
Gilman.  In  1813,  the  town  cast  a  much 
larger  vote  than  on  the  previous  year. 
The  popular  excitement  occasioned  by 
the  war  impelled  the  increased  attend- 
ance at  the  polls.  The  candidates  for  the 
office  for  governor  of  the  State  were  the 
same  as  the  previous.  The  great  person- 
al popularity  of  the  man  gave  Gilman 
the  election.  Yet  Hopkinton  attested 
her  devotion  to  Republicanism  by  giving 
Plummer  220  votes  against  152  for  the 
successful  candidate. 

Among  the  changeable  things  in  this 
world  are  the  names  of  political  parties. 
In  the  progress  of  popular  events,  the 
body  of  voters  representing  the  es- 
sential principles  of  government  held 
by  the  Federalists,  came  to  be  known  as 
Whigs,  and  later  as  Republicans;  the 
upholders  of  the  original  Republican 
doctrines  came  to  be  known  as  Demo- 
crats. The  later  Republican  party  in 
this  town  has  absorbed  the  most  of 
the  representatives  of  the  once  Free- 
soil  party  (which  at  one  time  at- 
tained to  a  respectable  representation 
here),  as  well  as  also  the  voters  of  the 


American  or  "Know-nothing"  party. 
The  former  Republicans  and  later  Demo- 
crats held  the  advance  on  party  votes  in 
this  town  till  1865.  In  1846,  when  An- 
thony Colby,  of  New  London,  a  Whig, 
was  chosen  governor  of  New  Hampshire, 
the  vote  of  Hopkinton  stood  245  for  Jared 
W.  Williams  of  Lancaster ;  134  for  Na- 
thaniel S.  Berry  of  Hebron;  78  for  An- 
thony Colby  of  New  London,  and  two 
scattering.  Williams  was  a  Democrat 
and  Berry  a  Free-soiler.  In  1855  there 
was  a  close  contest  in  this  town  between 
the  Democrats,  Americans,  and  the  rem- 
nants of  the  Whig  and  Free-soil  parties. 
The  Democrats  maintained  a  plurality 
on  the  governor's  ticket.  The  vote  stood 
248  for  Nathaniel  B.  Baker  of  Concord; 
219  for  Ralph  Metcalf  of  Newport.;  29 
for  James  Bell  of  Meredith,  and  seven 
for  Asa  Fowler  of  Concord.  Baker  was 
a  Democrat,  Metcalf  an  American,  Bell  a 
Whig  and  Fowler  a  Free-soiler. 

The  Democrats  lost  this  town  on  the 
State  ticket  for  the  first  time  in  1865  ;  the 
vote  stood  240  for  Walter  Hani  man  of 
Warner,  Republican,  against  229  for  John 
G.  Sinclair  of  Bethlehem,  Democrat. 
The  Democrats  rallied  again  in  1872, 
gaining  a  plurality.  James  A.  Weston 
of  Manchester,  Democrat,  had  243  votes; 
Ezekiel  A.  Straw  of  Manchester,  Repub- 
lican, 241 ;  there  were  two  votes  for  Lem- 
uel P.  Cooper  of  Croydon,  Labor  Reform 
candidate.  In  1875,  the  town  went  back 
to  the  Republicans,  giving  Person  C. 
Cheney  of  Manchester,  256  votes,  against 
241  for  Hiram  R.  Roberts  of  Rollinsford, 
Democrat.  The  next  year  the  Demo- 
crats carried  the  State  ticket,  giving 
Daniel  Marcy  of  Portsmouth,  256  votes, 
against  252  for  Person  C.  Cheney,  and 
two  scattering.  In  1877  the  Republicans 
took  the  ascendency,  giving  Benjamin 
F.  Prescott  of  Epping,  261  votes,  against 
215  for  Daniel  Marcy.  The  Republicans 
still  maintain  the  balance  of  power. 


TOEM.  47 


POEM. 

BY  REV.  SILV  ANNUS  HAY  WARD. 
[Delivered  at  the  Quarter-Century  Meeting  of  the  Class  of  '53,  Dartmouth  College,  June  26, 1878.] 

Stay,  Clotho,  stay  thy  fervid  wheel, 

Let  Lachesis  cease  twining ; — 
The  quarter  skein  upon  her  reel 

Our  threads  of  life  combining. 

Threads  tinged  by  Life's  "  dissolving  views" 

In  shades  of  countless  number; — 
Some  decked  with  Joy's  celestial  dews, 

Some  smirched  with  sorrow's  umber. 

We  come  from  out  the  dusty  maze 

Where  weaponed  warriors  glisten, 
Into  each  other's  eyes  to  gaze, 

Each  other's  accents  listen. 

Nor  absent  those  whom  duties  hold 

To-day  from  our  collection, 
Nor  those  whose  dust  'neath  grassy  mold 

Awaits  the  resurrection. 

We  feel  the  presence  of  our  dead ; 

There  are  no  vacant  places ; 
Though  Atropos  has  cut  their  thread 

We  see  their  vanished  faces. 

For  bonds  which  classmates  here  assume 

Nor  Time  nor  Death  can  sever : 
The  shuttle  flies  in  Friendship's  loom 

Forever  and  forever. 

On  Time's  tempestuous,  trackless  sea 
A  momentary  meeting, 
:isn  gliding  to  the  far  To  Be, 

kHail  and  Farewell,"  our  greeting. 

avenly  Pilot,  do  Thou  guide 
To  that  fair  port  of  entry 
Beyond  this  billowy,  treacherous  tide, 
Guarded  by  angel  sentry. 

Who  next  of  our  departing  band, 

The  crown  immortal  winning, 
Shall  pass  within  that  vailed  land?— 

Clotho,  resume  thy  spinning. 


-•* 


48 


CONGRESSIONAL  PAPERS.     NO.  II— THE  SENATE. 


CONGRESSIONAL  PAPERS.     NO.  II— THE  SENATE. 


BY  G.  H.  JENNESS. 


The  Senate  differs  from  the  Honse  in 
numbers,  in  membership,  and  in  the 
character  and  methods  ©f  its  legislation. 
Comparatively  small  when  measured 
with  the  House,  it  is  free  from  the  turbu- 
lence and  disorder  so  frequent  at  the  oth- 
er end  of  the  Capitol.  In  the  House  the 
Speaker  pounds  the  desk  with  his  mallet 
until  he  seems  exhausted  with  his  efforts 
to  preserve  even  the  semblance  of  order. 
In  the  Senate  a  slight  tap  of  the  Vice 
President's  gavel  is  sufficient  to  repress 
any  undue  excitement  among  the  honor- 
able Senators.  As  a  whole,  good  order 
and  parliamentary  courtsey  reign  su- 
preme in  the  Senate  chamber.  Sometimes 
in  an  animated  partisan  debate  an  ill- 
timed  remark  may  evoke  a  personal  rejoin- 
der and  lead  to  hot  and  hasty  words ;  but  a 
night's  sleep,  and  a  friendly  reminder  of 
the  "dignity"  of  an  American  Senator, 
sets  everything  right  again,  after  the 
usual  ••personal  explanations."' 

In  all  of  its  visible  surroundings  the 
Senate  resembles  the  House.  The  pre- 
siding officers,  the  clerks,  the  Sergeant- 
at-Arms,  the  official  stenographers, 
each  occupy  the  same  relative  positions, 
and  perforin  nearly  similar  duties.  The 
Chamber  is  simply  the  Hall  of  the  House 
made  smaller.  There  is  the  same  gor- 
geous gilding,  the  heavy  cornices,  the 
beautifully-designed,  richly-painted  glass 
panels  overhead,  the  mellow  light  from 
above,  the  paintings,  the  frescoes,  the 
uncomfortable  desks,  the  lounges,  the 
ante-rooms,  the  galleries,  the  diplomatic 
gallery  conspicuously  empty  amid  sur- 
rounding crowds,  the  newspaper  report- 
ers' perch  in  the  rear  above  the  Vice 
President's  chair,  these,  and  other  points 
of  similarity  are  held  in  common  by  the 
two  rooms  of  our  American  Parliament. 
Of  the  manner  of  election  and  duration 
of  the  term  of  service  of  Senators  it  is 


not  my  purpose  to  speak,  that  being  a 
subject  upon  which  all  intelligent  citi- 
zens are  presumably  well  informed.  It 
is  to  the  differences  in  the  character  and 
methods  of  legislation  of  the  Senate,  to 
which  attention  is  particularly  invited, 
and  to  which  the  bulk  of  this  article  will 
be  devoted.  Briefly,  then,  the  action  of 
the  Senate  is  revisory  in  matters  of  busi- 
ness, and  practically  paramount  in  mat- 
ters of  law.  The  House  originates  all 
appropriation  bills.  The  Senate  revises, 
suggests  and  amends.  The  Senate  takes 
care  of  international  affairs,  negotiates 
foreign  treaties,  gives  or  withholds  its 
approval  to  the  men  selected  by  the 
President  to  represent  our  government 
abroad,  and  exercises  a  fatherly  and 
supervisory  care  over  the  Revised  Stat- 
utes. Either  House  may  be  obstinate, 
and  can,  if  it  chooses,  put  the  other  to 
much  inconvenience  and  delay;  but  the 
constitution  and  common  consent  pre- 
scribes the  course  that,  under  ordinary 
circumstances,  each  will  pursue.  Under 
our  system  of  government,  which  has 
been  aptly  termed  a  system  of  "checks 
and  balances,"  neither  the  President,  the 
Senate,  or  the  House  can  change  a  law  or 
appropriate  a  dollar,  without  the  other's 
consent.  AVith  these  existing  conditions, 
certain  legislative  amenities  must  be  re- 
garded— else  all  the  machinery  of  gov- 
ernment would  stop.  No  party  dare 
take  the  responsibility  of  allowing  the 
eleven  regular  appropriation  bills  to  fail 
in  either  or  both  houses  of  Congress. 
The  result  would  be,  simply,  that  at  the 
close  of  the  fiscal  year  there  would  be  no 
money  that  could  be  legally  used  to  run 
any  branch  of  the  government.  As  long 
as  our  country  comprises  its  present  vast 
extent  of  territory,  its  commercial  inter- 
course, and  its  multiplied  and  varied  in- 
dustries, it  must  have  the  services  of  at 


CONGRESSIONAL  PAPERS.    NO.  II— THE  SENATE. 


49 


least  S0,000  to  100,000  persons  to  perform 
the  work  required  to  administer  the  gov- 
ernment with  any  reasonable  degree  of 
efficiency.  It  must  have,  also,  under  the 
most  favorable  circumstances,  not  less 
than  $150,000,000  annually,  for  the  same 
purpose.  To  indicate  how  this  vast  sum 
shall  be  wisely  and  economically  ex- 
pended is  the  principal  problem  that  con- 
fronts the  legislator,  in  either  branch  of 
Congress,  and  one  to  which  he  must  give 
earnest  and  careful  attention  if  he  would 
avoid  political  shipwreck.  A  nation  of 
money-worshippers  may  forget  a  vote 
given  upon  matters  purely  political,  one 
unworthily  bestowed,  or  one  against 
which  many  objections  can  be  urged; 
but  a  false  step  in  the  vicinity  of  the 
"almighty  dollar,"  may  often  prove,  fatal. 
Hence  the  sensitiveness  of  the  House  in 
regard  to  everything  involving  an  ex- 
penditure of  money.  The  House  know- 
ing that  a  hundred  dollars  is  needed  for 
a  certain  purpose,  appropriates  ninety- 
nine,  and  sends  the  bill  to  the  Senate. 
The  Senate  adds  the  needed  dollar.  The 
House  disagrees.  The  Senate  "insists.'' 
They  have  a  "conference."  The  House 
"recedes  from  its  disagreement" — as  it 
intended  to  all  the  while.  Then  the 
House  calls  the  country  to  witness  that 
it  is  finally  compelled  to  submit  to  add- 
ing the  extra  dollar,  and  denounces  the 
Senate  for  its  extravagance. 

This  is,  in  brief,  a  history  of  all  legis- 
lative "conferences"  between  the  two 
houses,  upon  money  appropriations.  It 
is  safe  to  say  that  for  the  last  twenty 
years  the  Senate  has  carried,  in  "confer- 
ence," three  of  every  four  amendments 
previously  "insisted"  upon  in  open  Sen- 
ate. As  a  whole,  the  Senate  is  composed 
of  much  abler  men  than  the  lower  branch 
of  Congress.  Generally,  they  are  men 
who  have  had  many  years  experience  in 
the  House.  They  must,  of  necessity, 
know  more  concerning  the  needs  of  the 
government.  They  are  elected  for  an 
official  term  of  six  years.  They  are  less 
under  the  necessity  of  trimming  and 
hedging  to  secure  a  re-election.  They 
can  afford  to  wait  longer  than  a  member 
of  the  House  for  the  "vindication"  of 
their  motives  which  it  is  said  time  will 


surely  bring.  They  can  better  afford  to 
consider  every  public  measure  upon  its 
merits,  rather  than  its  immediate  conse- 
quences upon  their  personal  ambitions. 
These,  and  many  other  reasons  equally 
potent,  make  it  possible  for  a  Senator  to 
exercise  a  more  careful  judgment,  and  a 
more  intelligent  comprehension  of  meas- 
ures that  must  receive  his  consideration. 
The  ever  changing  character  of  the 
House,  its  great  number  of  new  mem- 
bers, and  the  time  required  to  become  at 
all  familiar  with  the  complicated  machin- 
ery of  legislation,  consumes  its  time,  and 
limits  its  usefulness  as  a  legislative  body. 
The  Senate  with  one  fourth  the  mem- 
bership, and  three  times  the  term  of  ser- 
vice, can  give  to  all  important  matters 
much  more  attention  than  it  is  possible 
for  them  to  receive  in  the  House.  Hence 
of  the  thousands  of  bills  rushed  through 
the  latter,  generally  less  than  half  secure 
the  approval  of  the  Senate.  The  balance 
remain  in  the  Senatorial  pigeon-holes, 
wherein  slumber  many  thousands  of 
schemes  originally  designed  to  extract 
"very  hard  cash"  from  the  coffers  of  our 
beloved  Uncle  Samuel. 

In  the  matter  of  giving  or  withholding 
its  approval  of  measures  referred  to  it, 
the  Senate  has  to  bear  more  than  its  just 
share  of  the  burden,  for  the  House  will 
frequently  pass  bills  that  it  knows  the 
Senate  will  kill — and  which  the  House 
really  desires  it  should  kill.  It  only 
wishes  to  shift  the  responsibility  of  the 
execution  to  the  other  end  of  the  Capitol. 
The  lobbyist  says  "I  can  get  your  little 
bill  through  the  House  well  enough,  but, 
gentlemen,  there's  the  Senate."  This  is 
particularly  true  of  bills  involving  small 
money  appropriations,  and  bills  of  a  pri- 
vate nature.  The  big  railroad  schemes 
and  steamship  subsidies  are  as  vigorous- 
ly advocated  and  opposed,  and  as  thor- 
oughly discussed  in  the  House  as  in  the 
Senate ;  but  of  the  smaller  matters,  many 
a  member  votes  against  his  better  judg- 
ment for  a  bill  to  please  some  influential 
constituent,  knowing  all  the  time  that  it 
can  never  pass  the  Senate.  In  the  House, 
very  important  measures  are  sometimes 
passed  under  a  suspension  of  the  Rules — 
a  two-thirds  vote  being  required  for  that 


50 


CONGRESSIONAL  PAPERS.    NO.  II— THE  SENATE. 


purpose.  In  the  Senate  this  is  rarely 
done.  The  usual  course  is  to  refer  every 
bill  to  the  appropriate  committee  and 
await  the  Committee's  action  as  reported 
by  their  chairman.  If  not  reported  in 
the  usual  manner  the  bill  may  be  regard- 
ed as  dead,  unless  the  committee  are  di- 
rected to  consider  the  subject  by  special 
vote  of  the  Senate.  When  onee  reported 
favorably,  without  amendment,  and 
placed  upon  the  "calendar"  its  passage 
is  a  foregone  conclusion.  It  is  only  a 
question  of  time,  regulated,  generally, 
by  its  numerical  order  upon  the  calendar. 
By  common  consent,  whenever  any  bill 
or  resolution,  has  been  favorably  report- 
ed from  committee,  the  report  adopted, 
and  the  bill  or  resolution  placed  upon 
the  calendar,  its  final  passage  is  conced- 
ed, and  the  yeas  and  nays  are  never 
called  except  upon  important  bills,  or 
upon  such  measures  as  it  is  desired  to 
make  a  "record."  A  knowledge  of  this 
simple  fact  will  explain  to  the  amazed 
spectator  who  for  the  first  time  visits  the 
Senate  galleries,  the  apparent  indiffer- 
ence of  three  or  four  score  Senators  to 
what  is  passing  before  them.  The  pre- 
siding officer  will  put  through,  perhaps, 
thirty  or  forty  bills  of  greater  or  less  im- 
portance, in  as  many  minutes,  calling 
for  the  ayes  and  noes,  verbally,  in  the 
usual  way,  declare  the  bills  passed,  one 
after  another,  and  all  the  while  not  a 
Senator  responds  for  or  against.  This 
method  of  passing  bills  is  called  "by 
unanimous  consent,"  which  presupposes 
every  vote  in  favor  of  a  bill,  and  is  so  re- 
corded unless  open  objection  is  made.  It 
does  not  indicate,  as  would  seem  to  the 
casual  observer,  a  sublime  indifference 
of  Senators  to  important  legislation,  but 
is  only  an  expeditious  method  of  passing 
measures  that  have  been  carefully  con- 
sidered and  agreed  upon.  The  adoption 
of  this  method,  practically  unknown  in 
the  House,  except  during  the  closing 
hours  of  a  session,  enables  the  Senate  to 
gain  time,  both  in  the  consideration  and 
final  passage  of  bills.  It  also  enables  the 
enrolling  clerks  of  the  House  to  "antici- 
pate" some  of  their  work,  and  to  enroll 
a  large  number  of  bills  in  advance.  A 
given  number  of  bills  having  passed  the 


House,  and  having  been  reported  favora- 
bly to  the  Senate  and  placed  upon  the 
calendar  without  amendment,  their  final 
passage  in  exactly  the  same  form  as  re- 
ported, is  only  a  question  of  time.  Con- 
sequently, the  House  enrolling  clerks 
can  enroll  the  bills,  leaving  the  date  of 
the  passage  blank,  and  thus  do  much 
work  that  would  otherwise  fail  for  want 
of  time.  No  bill— even  if  passed  without 
opposition  by  both  houses  of  Congress — 
can  become  a  law,  unless  it  is  enrolled 
upon  parchment  and  presented  to  and 
signed  by  the  President  of  the  United 
States  before  the  hour  fixed  for  final  ad- 
journment. The  Senate  and  House 
might  pass  a  thousand  bills  in  good  faith 
and  every  one  of  them  fail  to  become 
laws  if  sufficient  time  was  not  given  to 
enroll  them.  Owing  to  the  indecent 
haste  with'  which  all  kinds  of  bills  are 
crowded  through  Congress  during  the 
closing  hours  of  the  session,  many  bills 
fail  for  this  reason,  and  the  number 
would  be  largely  increased  were  it  not 
for  the  "probabilities"  indicated  by  the 
Senate  Calendar  which  enables  the  en- 
rolling clerks  to  "take  time  by  the 
forelock." 

The  Senate  has  numerous  other  advan- 
tages over  the  House  which  enables  it  to 
transact  business  more  rapidly,  or  rather 
to  give  more  time  to  the  consideration  of 
important  matters.  It  has  less  members. 
Much  less  time  is  consumed  in  calling 
the  yeas  and  nays.  The  immense  amount 
of  work  required  to  prepare  the  great 
appropriation  bills,  is  all  done  by  the 
House.  The  Senate  has  only  to  revise 
and  amend.  If  the  House  Committee  on 
Appropriations  does  its  work  well, — the 
Senate  has  but  little  to  do  comparatively. 
Ordinarily,  the  Post-Office,  Pension 
and  Indian  appropriation  bills  pass  the 
Senate  with  few  amendments.  The  Mil- 
itary Academy,  Navy,  the  consular  and 
diplomatic,  the  River  and  Harbor,  and 
the  fortification  bills,  will  be  considera- 
bly amended.  The  Deficiency  bills  pass 
substantially  as  reported,  while  the  "tug 
of  war"  comes  on  the  Legislative,  the 
Sundry  Civil,  and  the  Array.  The  Sun- 
dry Civil,  is  known  as  the  "Omnibus" 
bill,  as,  like  the  vehicle  from  which  it 


CONGRESSIONAL  PAPERS.     NO.  II— THE  SENATE. 


51 


derives  its  name,  there  is  always  "room 
for  one  more" — appropriation.  On  the 
"•Omnibus"  bill,  if  anywhere,  the  watch- 
ful lobbyist,  is  able  to  get  his  little 
amendment  tacked  on,  and  trusts  to  the 
chances  of  the  hurry  and  confusion  of 
final  adjournment  to  put  it- through. 
Failing  in  this,  all  his  hopes  are  blighted. 

In  the  House  there  is  never  a  session 
to  which  the  public  is  not  admitted. 
Even  during  a  '"call  of  the  House"  when 
the  doors  are  locked  and  members  can 
get  in  only  under  the  escort  of  the  Ser- 
geant-at-Arms,  or  his  deputies,  the  pub- 
lic are  admitted  as  usual  to  all  the  galler- 
ies. In  the  Senate,  the  "'Executive  Ses- 
sion" bars  out  everybody  but  Senators 
and  a  few  officials  sworn  to  secrecy. 
Here,  at  least,  no  prying  reporter  can 
penetrate,  and  only  by  skillful  cross- 
questioning  of  Senators,  or  in  some  in- 
stances by  downright  bribery  of  suscep- 
tible officials,  can  the  proceedings  in 
"executive  session"  be  ascertained.  Nev- 
ertheless State  secrets  do  leak  out  in 
spite  of  all  precautions,  and  generally 
the  statements  elicited  are  so  distorted, 
that  it  may  fairly  be  questioned  whether 
it  might  not  be  advantageous  to  entirely 
remove  the  ban  of  secrecy  in  the  highest 
legislative  body  of  a  Republic. 

The  writer  is  not  among  that  numer- 
ous class  of  people  who  believes  that  the 
Senate  of  the  present  decade  has  been  an 
essentially  weak  body  of  men,  and  that 
all  senatorial  capacity,  intelligence,  and 
dignity  was  confined  to  the  times  of  the 
famous  triumvirate.  Clay,  Webster  and 
Calhoun.  Washington  "society"  abounds 
in  "seedy"  croakers  of  the  ancient 
regime  who  sigh— between  drinks— for 
the  "good  old  times,"  and  lament   the 


present  "degeneracy"  of  Congress  in  gen- 
eral, and  the  Senate  in  particular.  Such 
men  never  realize  the  fact  that  they  are 
merely  the  sunken  rocks  whose  only  use 
is'to  measure  the  depth  of  the  wave  of 
progress  that  has  rolled  over  them.  The 
Clays,  Websters,  Calhouns,  Napoleons 
and  Bisinarcks,  are  the  kind  of  men  who 
flourish  once  in  a  century.  They  impress 
their  characteristics  upon  the  statesman- 
ship of  a  century.  In  all  the  common 
practical  details  of  every-day  legislation, 
many  men  of  less  pretensions,  unknown 
to  fame,  are  infinitely  their  superiors. 
Fancy  Daniel  Webster  in  "conference" 
on  the  Legislative  bill,  wrangling  over  a 
coal-heaver's  salary,  or  a  doorkeeper's 
wages !  or  Henry  Clay  fixing  up  a  post- 
route  bill  providing  for  a  tri-weekly 
mail  from  Pumpkiuville  Post  Office  to 
Grasshopper  Gulch!  And  yet  all  such 
legislation  is  just  as  necessary  as  Web- 
ster's reply  to  Hayne,  or  his  letter  to  the 
Austrian  Minister.  Indeed,  it  is  abso- 
lutely indispensable.  As  the  country 
grows  larger,  as  it  extends  its  vast  net- 
work of  railroads,  canals,  and  telegraphs ; 
as  it  increases  ^ts  capacity  for  produc- 
tion, and  consequently  its  need  for  a  bet- 
ter market ;  as  its  foreign  and  domestic 
commerce  expands  or  contracts  in  ac- 
cordance with  the  laws  of  trade,  all 
these  problems  of  tariff,  revenue,  inter- 
nal improvements,  transportation  and 
navigation,  must  of  necessity  claim  the 
legislator's  most  careful  attention.  On 
their  successful  solution  depends  the 
wealth  and  material  prosperity  of  the 
country.  To  solve  them  needs  clear- 
headed, intelligent,  practical,  common- 
sense  men,  and  of  such  I  believe  the 
American  Senate  to  be  mainly  composed,. 


52 


MY  FRIENDS  AND  I :  MEMORIES. 


MY  FBIENDS  AND  I:  MEMORIES. 


BY  L.  W.  DODGE. 


Like  warp  and  woof  our  destinies 

Are  woven  fast, 
Linked  in  sympathy  like  the  keys 

Of  an  organ  vast. 

— Whittier. 

A  June  morning  unfolded  its  glories  to 
the  susceptible  nature  of  Will  Austin  at  a 
bright  New  England  village  on  the  banks 
of  the  lordly  Connecticut.  The  lonely 
beauty  and  the  wild,  romantic  surround- 
ings of  the  locality  at  once  won  his  po- 
etic heart;  and  having  no  spot  particu- 
larly endeared  to  him  by  the  fond  ties 
which  cluster  around  tbe  place  we  call 
home,  he  resolved  to  tarry  here  until  ful- 
ly persuaded  in  mind  what  course  in  life 
to  pursue ;  or  where,  and  in  what  man- 
ner, to  begin  his  life  work. 

Being  of  a  joyous  disposition,  and  so- 
cial withal,  ray  friend  had  soon  made 
many  acquaintances  among  the  first  fam- 
ilies of  the  village,  and  found  himself  a 
welcome  guest^wherever  chance  or  fancy 
found  him,  at  the  homes  of  the  villagers. 

Among  his  new-found  friends,  one  of 
the  first  was  the  merchant  of  the  place, 
a  jovial,  whole-souled  sort  of  a  man 
generally,  and  who  prided  himself  mostly 
upon  being  the  wealthy  man  of  the  town ;. 
and  in  fact  it  was  so ;  which  fact,  too,  he 
seemed  not  too  modest  to  magnify.  His 
home  was  a  picture  enjoyment ;  beauti- 
ful in  its  choice  surroundings,  showing 
no  lack  of  taste  and  j  udgment  in  its  ar- 
rangements, being  really  what  it  was 
often  termed,  a  "  paradise  of  beauty  and 
comfort." 

Within  the  well-ordered  store  of  the 
merchant  Will  often  found  himself  in 
pleasant  chat  with  the  good-natured  pro- 
prietor, upon  subjects  of  mutual  interest; 
and  as  the  days  passed  away  and  the 
busy  season  of  trade  was  ushered  in, 
his  aid  was  invoked,  sometimes  at  the 
desk,  at  others  behind  the  counter  at  the 
Bervice  of  customers,  and  ere  long  his 


services  became  apparently  indispen- 
sible;  accordingly  he  was  duly  installed 
merchant's  assistant,  and  became,  like- 
wise, a  member  of  the  merchant's  fam- 
ily, consisting  heretofore  of  the  store- 
keeper, his  amiable  wife  and  lovely 
daughter  Ellen,  an  only  child,  just  step- 
ping beyond  eighteen,  and  rich  in  all  the 
charms  of  young  and  innocent  woman- 
hood. Shall  I  tell  you  of  her  as  I  after- 
wards knew  her? 

She  was  indeed  a  winsome  girl,  the  im- 
personation   of  loveliness,    and    with   a 
heart  as  light  as  her  footstep.    Her  life 
had  never  known  a  cloud,  and  her  dark 
and  radiant  eyes  shone  with  the  light  of 
pure  and  hopeful  girlhood.     Her  soul, 
which    gleamed   from    out    those    blue 
depths,  was  an  ocean  of  purity  and  love. 
She  had  grown  to  these  years  with  all 
the  beautiful  and  attractive  adornments 
of  a    good,    true    woman's    heart ;     not 
frozen  to  ice  by   worldliness,  or  by  con- 
trast with  the  coldness  of  so-called  fash- 
ionable   society  and    its  false    motives. 
Her  personal  charms  I  cannot  well   de- 
scribe, but  her  [face  was  an  attraction, 
fair  and  fresh,  and  joyous  as  a  June  morn- 
ing; her  voice  was  a  musical  echo;  she 
loved  the  bright  flowers,  those  wild  chil- 
dren of  Eden,  growing  in  sunny  nooks ; 
she  loved  the  mountains  and  the  forest, 
and  the  wind  among  the  trees ;  the  bab- 
bling of  the  brooks  and  wild  dashings  of 
the  river;  she  loved  the  silent  stars  and 
the   golden    glow  of   sunset;    and  she 
adored  Will  Austin,  too,  with  all  the  fer- 
vor of  a  true  woman's  love. 
And  do  you  wonder  that  he  worshipped 

her  in  return?  You  might  search  the 
country  through  and  you  would  never 
find  one  so  universally  beloved.  She  was 
the  village  pet,  and  we  all  know  what 
that  means.  Gray  hairs  and  children, 
middle  age  and  youth,  all  were  happy 


MY  FRIENDS  AND  I:  MEMORIES. 


53 


from  her  words  of  cheer,  and  joyous  in 
the  smiles  of  her  ruby  lips ;  for  such 
smiles !  they  were  like  the  blessings  of 
angels.  But  I  am  dwelling  too  long 
upon  her  loveliness,  and  you  sneer — at 
what?  The  picture  I  have  given  you  of 
her  love  or  her  beauty?  Well, doubt  it  if 
you  will.  You  did  not  know  her.  There 
is  such  love  in  the  world,  and  such  ex- 
cellence, and  such  beauty,  too.  You 
may  not  have  seen  it. 

A  twelvemonth  came  and  went,  as  all 
years  have,  and  will,  and  naught  seemed 
to  occur  to  disturb  the  quiet  river  of  the 
lives  of  the  young  lovers.  But  now  a 
change  came  over  the  spirit  of  their 
"love's  young  dream,"  the  nature  of 
which  we  already  know ;  and  it  appeared 
in  this  wise. 

An  undeserving  scion  of  a  gold-bearing 
stock,  a  stern,   cold-hearted  man  of  the 

orld,  who  knew  no  love  but  the  love  of 
wealth,  and  possessed  in  his  soul  no  mu- 
sic but  the  click  of  gold,  a  business 
friend  of  the  merchant  Burton,  was  in- 
troduced to  the  family  and  cast  a  shadow 
into  the  quiet  home ;  and  that  shadow 
grew. 

He  was  wealthy,  as  the  world  counts 
riches,  in  stocks  and  lands,  and  the  gold 
that  glitters ;  but  of  the  wealth  that  en- 
riches the  heart,  builds  up  the  divine  man- 
hood, and  makes  the  world  brighter  and 
better,  he  was  sadly  barreu.  There  was 
in  his  nature  no  sunny  spot  where  could 
grow  and  blossom  bright  flowers  to  scat- 
ter in  bouquets  of  love  and  charity  along 
the  pathway  of  life.  But  I  will  not  de- 
scribe him.  We  all  know  such,  and 
meet  them  in  our  daily  walks  and  feel  the 
icy  chill  of  their  presence. 

Did  you  ask  me  if  he  was  welcomed  at 
the  Burton  mansion?  By  the  father  he 
was ;  and  Ellen,  who  loved  her  parents 
with -all  the  love  of  a  fond  and  dutiful 
heart,  accorded  to  him  that  respect  and 
attention  due  her  father's  guest.  But  it 
was  not  until  a  recurrence  of  his  visits 
again  and  yet  again,  that  his  true  inten- 
tions were  manifest  to  the  mind  of  the 
innocent  girl ;  and  when  next  he  came, 
for  come  he  did, ostentatiously  apparelled 
and  outfitted,  Ellen  was  not  at  home, and 
diligent  inquiry  failed  to  find  her.    A 


messenger  was  sent  throughout  the  vil- 
lage, but  no  one  had  seen  her,  and  when 
hour  after  hour  had  passed  and  she  re- 
turned not,  the  wooer  reluctantly  relin- 
quished the  purpose  of  his  coming;  and 
the  early-rising  moon  of  that  evening  saw 
the  aristocratic  carriage  of  the  heir  of 
the  house  of  Ross,  disappearing  south- 
ward along  the  valley. 

A  week  later  saw  its  return,  and  this 
time  unannounced ;  but  the  bird  had 
flown  again,  and  no  one  knew  whither. 
Shall  I  tell  you  a  secret?  I  will,  since  it 
is  difficult  to  keep,  and  I  am  not  sure  but 
it  has  been  told,  for  this  was  years  ago ; 
more,  indeed,  than  I  care  to  remember, 
so  fast  do  they  come  and  go. 

The  winds  knew  of  her  hasty  flight ; 
the  birds  welcomed  her  to  their  shadowy 
retreats ;  and  the  wild  mountain  stream 
that  went  laughing  adown  the  glen  and 
among  the  rocks,  bearing  no  impress 
where  those  dainty  feet  had  trod,  told 
not  the  secret  of  her  flight  and  hiding- 
place.  I  think  Will  knew,  however,  al- 
though he  never  told  me  so ;  but  he  did 
tell  me  how,  very  soon  after  the  disap- 
pointed visitant  had  bidden  his  perplexed 
host  "good  night,"  and  said  adieu  to  the 
genial  hostess,  a  light  glimmered  sud- 
denly out,  like  a  guiding  star,  from  the 
west  window  of  the  old  garret,  facing 
toward  the  mountain  and  the  glen,  and 
half  an  hour  afterwards  came  "Black 
Ben  "  from  up  the  ravine,  followed  by  a 
rustling  among  the  shadows,  as  of  the 
evening  wind  among  the  bushes.  And  I 
think,  too,  the  moon  was  in  the  secret, 
for  as  Will  and  "  the  rustling"  met  at 
the  pasture  gate,  she  came  smilingly 
from  behind  the  hill,  beaming  with  joy 
at  the  meeting;  but  then,  she  always 
laughs  at  those  glad  scenes. 

But  I  am  wearying  you  with  details. 
I  must  hasten  to  tell  you  how  the  next 
day  brought  around  an  interview  be- 
tween the  father  and  daughter,  at  which 
he  told  her  his  wishes,  that  she  should 
encourage  the  attentions  of  "  Walter 
Ross  "  with  a  view  of  becoming  his  wife. 
He  looked  upon  it  as  a  very  desirabU 
match,  as,  in  addition  to  his  actual  pos 
sessions,  which  were  ample,  he  was  tne 
prospective  heir  to  a  large  estate  of  ten- 


54 


MY  FRIENDS  AND  I:  MEMORIES. 


anted  lards,  and  much  well-paying  bank 
stock.  He  was  a  man  of  fine  personal 
appearance,  fairly  intellectual,  and  quite 
moral,  as  the  world  goes.  To  be  sure  he 
was  somewhat  wild  and  given  to  excess, 
but  all  this  he  would  outwear  with  years 
of  experience  and  the  counter  charms  of 
wedded  life ;  and  then  he  was  of  a  very 
aristocratic  progeniture,  being  in  direct 
line  of  descent  from  Geo.  Ross,  a  signer 
of  the  Declaration  of  Independence,  and 
a  distinguished  member  of  the  Conti- 
nental Congress. 

Now  we  must  not  judge  from  this  that 
the    father    of  Ellen   Burton  was  alto- 
gether  a  mean  and    selfish    man ;  there 
were  in  his  nature  many  warm  and  sunny 
spots,  and,  as  I  have  said,   he  loved  his 
only  child  with  all  the   tondness  of  a  de- 
voted parent,  and  in   urging  the  suit   of 
this  petitioner  for  the  hand  of  his  daugh- 
ter, he  was  not  at  all  unmindful  of  her  fu- 
ture happiness;  but  he.  like  many  anoth- 
er   that    you    know,    fancied    that    the 
amount    or  degree  of  earthly  bliss  de- 
pended upon  the  extent  of  earthly  pos- 
sessions, and  standing  in  what  the  world 
is  pleased  to    term    society.      He    was 
wealthy,  and  consequently,  he  thought, 
happy;  hence    his   conclusions;    so   we 
need  not  wonder  that    when  Ellen    de- 
clined to  accept  his  views  or  comply  with 
his  wishes,  telling  him  she  could  not  give 
her  hand  where  her  heart,  could  never  go, 
he  was    overcome  with   a   mi  igling  of 
grief  and  offended  authority ;  and  when 
later  she  ventured  to  tell  him  of  her  deep 
love  for  Will  Austin,  and  that  she  pre- 
ferred the  wealth  ol  his   heart  and  noble 
manhood  to  the  boasted  opulence  and 
sumptuous  surroundings  of  this  stranger, 
he  waxed  ireful,  the  cloud  of  his  anger 
gathering  fury,   until  an  hour  later,  it 
burst  woefully  upon  the  head  of  the  in- 
nocent lover. 

You  know  already  with  what  effect. 
We  heard  it  as  we  stood  in  the  starlight 
ot  that  evening,  as  the  shadows  gathered 
in  the  park ;  and  we  heard  it  again  from 
the  lips  of  my  friend  as  we  sauntered 
along  that  valley  road  until  the  night 
grew  old  and  the  stars  disappeared  in 
the  flush  of  the  morning's  dawn. 
I  left  him  that  morning,  his  soul  op- 


pressed with  sad  thoughts  at  the  pros- 
pect of  parting  with  her  he  loved  with  a 
pure  and  holy  affection,  and  who  he  be- 
lieved worshipped  him  as  divinely. 

"  She  will  be  true  to  me.  I  know,"  he 
said,  in  one  of  his  moments  of  rapture. 
"  The  heart  of  the  father,  too,  will  yet 
relent,  and  I  will  come  back  in  time,  and 
then: " 

Here  his  voice  was  checked  with  emo- 
tion, and  pressing  my  hand  passionately, 
we  parted. 

He  left,  next  day,  for  Europe,  and  I 
heard  from  him  casually  as  he  flitted 
here  and  there.  First  a  greeting  from 
Switzerland ;  then  a  line  from  that  "  City 
in  the  Sea,"  throned  on  her  hundred 
isles :  "  I  stood  in  Venice  on  the  Bridge 
of  Sighs ;  a  palace  and  a  prison  on  either 
hand."  A  tew  weeks  later  another,  in 
Will's  peculiar  hand  and  style;  "  At  the 
'  Arch  of  Titus,'  gray  with  centuries,  and 
away  through  the  deep  blue  skies  of 
Rome  I  waft  a  message  to  thee."  Then 
"  Dreaming  of  home 


again,  after  a  time ; 


twilight,  from 


in  this  Sabbath 
Thebes  of  a  hundred  gates  —  travel- 
stained  with  dust  that  throbbed  with  life 
four  thousand  years  ago ;  wandering 
above  the  ruins  of  ancient  temples, 
while  the  night  sweeps  down  loaded  with 
glory;  gazing  upon  the  stony  face  of 
'  Meuinon,'  gloomy  with  ages  forgotten, 
while  the  shadows  steal  across  the  plaiu 
and  over  the  time-hallowed  graves  and  city 
of  Pharaohs.  In  the  misty  silence  of  the 
halls  of  Karnak,  among  whose  gloomy 
ruins  the  dun  fox  and  the  wild  hyena 
call,  and  owls  and  flitting  bats  startle  the 
echoes  and  fill  the  imagination  with  vis- 
ions of  uncanny  spirits  and  ghosts  of 
long-mummied  Egyptians." 

A  month  later  and  he  was  at  Jerusa- 
lem, the  holy  city,  realizing  thus  the 
cherished  dreams  of  his  boyhood :  "  Ly- 
ing in  the  starlight  of  Olivet, gazing  with 
tear-dimmed  eyes  above  the  hills  of 
Judea;  breathing  inspirations  of  glory 
from  above  the  '  Mount  of  Ascension,' 
made  sacred  in  the  eyes  and  faith  of  mil- 
lions by  the  footsteps  of  the  '  Son  of 
Mary' ;  following  in  imagination  the  ca- 
reer of  those  strange  but  brave  men, those 
zealous  followeis  of  the  humble  Naza- 


MY  FRIENDS  AND  I:  MEMORIES. 


55 


rene,  who  came  from  afar  to  lay  down 
their  lives,  and  thereby  expiate  their  sins 
in  endeavoring  to  wrest  the  sepulcher 
from  unholy  hands ;  from  the  possession 
of  the  "  Camel  driver  of  Mecca." 

But  I  am  getting  along  slowly  with 
my  memories.  I  must  hasten  to  tell  you. 
This  was  the  last  I  heard  from  the  wan- 
derer, and  when  weeks  lengthened  into 
months  and  no  tidings  came  of  him,  I 
could  but  conclude  he  had,  in  some  of 
his  lonely  ramblings,  fallen  a  victim  to 
Bedouin  rapacity,  and  thought  his  pil- 
grimage ended  in  that  sunny  land. 

I  saw  Ellen  Burton  but  twice  during 
all  this  time,  and  once  was  to  convey  a 
message  from  her  noble  lover.  It  was 
indeed  painful  to  mark  the  change  these 
months  had  wrought.  She  was  no  longer 
the  happy,  light-hearted  girl  of  former 
times.  The  bloom  of  health  had  faded 
from  those  rosy  cheeks,  and  brightness 
from  her  eye.  Her  step  was  no  longer 
elastic,  but  lingering,  and  her  friends 
saw  her  less  frequently  among  them ; 
and  it  began  to  be  whispered  that  she 
was  going  by  the  dark  road.  Few  knew 
wherefore  she  pined  and  faded,  but  she 
was  dying,  the  doctor  said,  and  he  should 
know,  for  he  was  their  old  family  physi- 
cian, and  was  skilled  and  wise.  The  fa- 
ther knew  whereof  she  was  dying,  and 
he  sighed  as  the  great  waves  of  his  ago- 
ny rolled  over  his  soul.  Also  he  would 
give  all  of  his  possessions  to  be  able  to 
turn  back  the  events  of  past  months,  or 
stem  the  consequences  of  that  tide  of 
circumstances;  but  he  knew  he  could 
not,  and  that  is  why  the  iron  frame  shook 
with  suppressed  grief. 

It  was  in  October;  a  golden  day  near 
its  close;  one  of  those  brightest  of  In- 
dian Summer  days,  when  the  whole 
world  is  as  radiant  as  a  gleam  of  Heaven. 
I  had  been  all  day  revelling  amid  the 
scenes  of  summer-garnered  sunshine 
glories ;  riding  over  the  hills  toward  the 
valley  whereof  you  know. 

A  message  came  for  me,  and  I  knew 
instantly  whence  it  came,  and  whereof, 
and  I  went  immediately  to  the  home  of 
the  Burtons,  for  I  knew  I  was  called  to 
the  bedside  of  the  dying  girl.  I  hardly 
waited  to  be  announced,  and  waving  cer- 


emony,   passed    quietly,    following  the 
servant,  to  the  sick  room. 

Many  eyes  were  red  with  weeping; 
the  members  of  the  family  were  stand- 
ing around  the  bed,  and  the  old  doctor 
scattering  his  words  of  comfort.  There 
were  circles  of  sad-eyed  friends  about 
the  room,  watching  that  young  spirit 
pluming  itself  for  heavenly  flight.  I 
was  motioned  to  the  bedside,  and  taking 
gently  in  mine  the  withered  hand  of  the 
pale  form,  I  stooped  to  catch  in  broken 
whispers : — 

"Tell  Will,  if  you  ever  meet  him,  I 
will  remember  our  tryst." 

This  was  all;  and  closing  again  those 
dimmed  eyes  she  seemed  quietly  sleep- 
ing. 

A  window  was  opened  toward  the 
river,  and  once,  when  the  breeze  came 
in,  bearing  with  it  a  murmur  of  waters 
and  a  sighing  of  the  wind  among  the 
old  pines  near  the  house,  a  smile  lighted 
up  her  calm  face,  and  the  lips  moved, 
and  we  knew  the  listening  soul  was 
charmed  into  lingering  by  the  familiar 
melody ;  but  again  the  eyelids  drooped 
and  the  sunny  ej'e  was  closed,  but  the 
lips  still  smiled  sweetly  as  if  pressed  by 
the  kisses  of  angels ;  and  the  angels 
were  glad,  for  they  were  again  welcom- 
ing to  their  number  a  loved  one  so  long 
a  wanderer  from  her  native  heaven. 

I  was  standing  near  the  door  opening 
into  the  broad  hall,  and  gazing  listlessly 
out  upon  the  hillside,  now  tinged  with 
the  last  rays  of  the  setting  sun.  The 
shadows  up  the  glen  were  growing  deep- 
er and  more  gloomy;  the  brooklet 
laughed  not,  but  tinkled  sorrowfully; 
the  winds  up  among  the  pines  and  the 
old  rocks  whispered  mournfully,  for 
they  were  lisping  to  each  other  the  sad 
story. 

The  servant  announced  a  stranger,  and 
at  the  instant,  unceremoniously  but  qui- 
etly, a  dark  form  glided  past,  and  I 
looked  to  see,  kneeling  at  the  couch  of 
the  silent  sleeper,  one  whom  I  did  not  at 
first  recognize.  The  nerveless  hand  was 
held  oairessingly  in  his,  and  the  pale 
lips  erewhile  so  lifeless,  were  pressed 
with  the  warm  kisses  of  love.  There 
were  no  words  around  that  wondering 


56 


RICHARD  POTTER. 


group,  but  many  tears  and  loud  beating 
hearts.  I  stepped  forward  as  the  lips 
parted,  and  "  dear  Will,"  was  whispered 
almost  inaudibly ;  nothing  more. 

I  deemed  it  best  to  retire  and  leave  the 
frail  flower  to  those  who  loved  her  best, 
and  to  whom  she  was  dearest,  and  only 
pressing  the  hand  of  my  friend,  travel- 
worn  and  almost  overcome  with  this  sud- 
den grief,  (he  had  been  told  of  Ellen's 
death  before  reaching  the  village)  I 
went  out  and  over  to  my  room  at  the  ho- 
tel. 

The  dim-lighted  windows, and  shadows 
moving  silently  about  in  the  mansion 
across  the  river,  disturbed  my  sleep  un- 
til long  after  the  noon  of  night  had  stud- 
ded the  sky  with  starry  watchers. 

I  only  heard  next  day  that  the  weary 
soul  still  tarried  among  friends  on  this 
side ;  and  receiving  a  promise  from  Will 
that  he  would  inform  me  when  the 
change  came,  I  left  the  place  and  friends, 
hoping  against  feeble  hope. 


A  telegram  reached  me  a  week  later, 
only  saying :  "  She  is  still  with  us,  and 
doctor  says  she  is  better." 

But  why  need  I  trouble  you  longer 
with  details?  The  sequel  is  soon  told  in 
an  extract  received  from  my  friend  some 
months  after  I  left  them  as  above,  in 
which  he  says : 

"  You  must  be  sure  and  come ;  the  cir- 
cle will  be  incomplete  without  yon.  We 
shall  have  a  quiet  wedding,  but  it  will 
be  a  happy  one.  E.  says,  as  you  have 
been  a  sharer  in  our  sorrows,  so  bhould 
you  witness  our  highest  joy.  We  are  to 
have  the  old  homestead  on  the  river,  and 
it  is  a  sunny  home  since  the  light  of  it 
has  returned  to  us.  Poor,  dear  girl,  how 
she  must  have  suffered  during  those  long 
months  of  loneliness.  But  it  is  all  past, 
and  the  sun  shines  brightly  where  erst 
but  cloud  shadows  spread.  Be  sure  and 
come,  and  we  will  have  a  '  Merry  Christ- 
mas,' indeed." 

And  I  was  there. 


BICHABD  POTTEB. 


BY  REV.  SILAS  KETCHUM,  WINDSOR,  CONN. 


Read  before  the  Annual  Meeting  of  the  New 

"  In  Memory  of  Richard  Potter,  the 
Celebrated  Ventriloquist,  who  died  Sept. 
20,  1S35,  aged  52  years." 

Such  is  the  legend  on  the  stone  that 
marks  the  resting-place  of  a  very  re- 
markable man.  To  the  generation  now 
passing  and  nearly  passed  away,  no  man 
in  New  England  was  better  known,  prob- 
ably, than  he.  From  Quebec  to  New 
Orleans  there  was  scarcely  a  man,  woman 
or  child  that  had  not  beheld  with  vacant 
wonder  his  marvelous  tricks,  or  laughed 
themselves  weak  at  his  endless  ventrilo- 
quial  imitations  and  inimitable  drollery. 

How  he  would  compare  for  skill  with 
men  of  his  own  craft  in  our  day  it  would 
be  impossible  to  determine.  Professors 
of  his  art  were  by  no  means  so  common 
in  the  days  of  our  fathers  as  now.  The 
chemistry  of  the  atmosphere,  of  liquids 
and  heat  was  less  generally  understood. 
The  principles  of  electricity  and  magne- 


Hampshire  Antiquarian  Society,  July  16,  1878. 

tism   were  scarcely  understood   at  all. 

Tricks  with    these,  which   would  have 

been  incredible  except  on  demonstration, 

are    now  familiar  to  every  school-boy. 

In  Potter's  day  the  notion  of  magic  and 

the  possession  of  occult  powers,  was  by 

no  means  eradicated  from  the  popular 

mind.     Whether  he   was  greater  or  less 

than    Signor  Blitz,  the  Fakir  of  Ava, 

Jonathan    Harrington    and   '"the  Great 

Hermann,"  it  would  be  only  a  matter  of 

speculation  to  enquire.      Probably  the 

latter;  as  all  arts  tend  to  elimination  of 

the    crude  and    the  perfection  of  their 

methods. 
But,  if  all  that  has  been  reported  of 

Potter  is  true,  he  must  have  possessed 
powers  not  only  marvelous,  but  su- 
pernatural. He  could  handle  and 
swallow  melted  lead.  He  could  go  into 
a  heated  oven,  with  a  joint  of  raw  meat, 
and  remain  in  the  oven  till  the  meat  was 


RICHARD  POTTER. 


57 


cooked.  He  could  dance  on  eggs  and 
not  break  them.  He  could  cause  a  tur- 
key-cock to  draw  a  mill-log  across  the 
platform.  He  could  cause<any  lady  in 
the  audience  to  find  a  peeping  chicken  in 
her  pocket ;  or  gentleman  a  "  bumblebee" 
imprisoned  in  the  handkerchief  in  the 
top  of  his  hat,  without  himself  leaving 
the  stage  or  their  leaving  their  seats. 
All  these  and  other  feats  equally  impos- 
sible, the  writer  has  heard  related  of 
Potter,  by  persons  who  declared  they 
had  seen  him  do  them. 

Of  the  nationality  of  Richard  Potter 
various  statements  have  been  made, 
widely  circulated  and  believed,  and  noth- 
ing certain  is  known.  Of  any  part  of 
his  early  history  no  more  than  probabili- 
ties can  be  reached,  by  piecing  together 
parts  of  various  stories,  of  which  he  ap- 
pears to  have  been  the  author. 

He  was  commonly  called  "Black  Pot- 
ter," and  had  the  appearance  of  a  mulat- 
to. The  story  was  currently  reported, 
in  the  vicinity  of  his  own  home  in  An- 
dover,  that  he  was  the  son  of  a  negro 
woman  in  Boston,  and  that  Benjamin 
Franklin  was  his  father.  That  the  moth- 
er was  a  servant  in  a  Boston  family,  and 
that,  after  the  birth  of  the  child,  Frank- 
lin furnished  her  a  home  in  a  back  street 
behind  the  State  House,  where  Potter 
lived  till  he  was  ten  years  of  age.  Ste- 
phen Fellows  of  Grafton,  who  was  Pot- 
ter's assistant  during  the  last  years  of  his 
travels,  and.  with  Potter's  son,  succeed- 
ed to  the  business,  and  who  now  possess- 
es all  of  the  great  magician's  kit  there  is 
in  existence,  assured  the  writer  that  Pot- 
ter told  him  this  story  in  confidence.  It 
is  entirely  probable;  and  that  Potter 
told  it  in  one  of  his  fits  of  humor,  to  par- 
ry enquiries  as  to  his  early  life,  concern- 
ing which  he  appears  to  have  been  al- 
ways reticent.  Nevertheless,  the  story 
became  current,  and  was  confidently  be- 
lieved by  many  who  ought  to  have 
known  better. 

The  folly  of  the  assertion  is  seen  in  the 
fact  that  Franklin  was  not  in  America 
after  November  or  December  1776,  till 
1785;  and  was  not  probably  in  Boston 
after  his  departure  to  England,  in  1764, 
until  after  the  latter  date ;    while  Rich- 


ard Potter,  if  the  date  and  age  on  his 
tomb-stone  are  correct,  was  born  in  1783, 
at  which  time  Frank liu  was  77  years  old. 

Potter  told  Fellows  that  he  was  at  ten 
years  of  age, picked  up  by  a  ship-captain, 
and  carried  as  a  cabin  boy  to  London. 
Being  there  turned  adrift  upon  the  city, 
he  fell  in  with  a  travelling  circus,  with 
which,  in  the  capacity  of  a  servant  boy, 
he  remained  four  or  five  years,  visiting 
all  the  large  towns  and  cities  of  England ; 
that  the  circus  then  came  to  America, 
and  was  the  first  that  ever  exhibited  in 
the  United  States;  then  he  returned  to 
America  with  the  company,  being  then 
past  fifteen  years  of  age,  and  continued 
in  that  service  two  or  three  years,  dur- 
ing which  time  he  acquired  from  his  em- 
ployers and  associates  the  knowledge 
and  practice  of  the  art  he  afterwards  pur- 
sued ;  and  that,  when  about  eighteen 
years  old,  he  left  the  circus  and  set  up 
business  for  himself  as  a  magician  and 
ventriloquist. 

There  was,  however,  an  opinion  widely 
prevalent,  within  the  territory  of  his 
most  freqent  exhibitions,  that  Potter  was 
a  native  of  the  East  Indies.  It  was  con- 
fidently affirmed,  by  many  persons  who 
professed  to  be  acquainted  with  him, 
that  he  had  himself  so  reported.  And 
that  he  had  so  stated  is  rendered  proba- 
ble, by  the  currency  of  this  story  among 
those  who  had  witnessed  his  perform- 
ances, and  held  desultory  conversation 
with  him  before  tavern  fires,  in  places 
widely  remote  from  each  other.  The 
writer  has  heard  it  repeated,  with  varia- 
tions, but  with  a  general  agreement  of 
points,  in  Maine,  New  Hampshire,  Ver- 
mont. Massachusetts  and  New  York. 

Among  his  townsmen  in  Andover,  the 
general  understanding  seems  to  have 
been  that  he  was  a  native  of  one  of  the 
West  India  islands.  But  his  complexion 
and  physiognomy  it  was  said,  by  those 
whose  acquaintance  with  both  races  en- 
abled them  to  judge,  indicated  the  pres- 
ence of  Asiatic  rather  than  of  African 
blood.  And  among  many,  who  had  nev- 
er heard  of  the  Franklin  story,  though 
living  in  sections  far  apart,  it  was  firmly 
believed  that  he  was  the  son  of  an  Eng- 
lishman by  a  Hindu  mother.      This   was 


58 


RICHARD  POTTER. 


the  version  which,  in  northern  Vermont, 
the  writer  as  a  boy  always  heard  and 
never  questioned.  But  it  was,  undoubt- 
edly, false. 

Nevertheless,  in  both  versions  of  the 
origin  and  early  life  of  uthe  celebrated 
ventriloquist,"  there  are  some  points  of 
agreement,  that  not  only  point  toward  a 
common  authorship,  but  give  rise  to  tbe 
suspicion  that,  with  whatever  of  ro- 
mance there  may  be  in  either,  there  may 
be  also  some  grains  of  truth.  And  this 
supposition  receives  some  encourage- 
ment from  certain  corroborative  circum- 
stances, known  to  be  historic. 

Whether  Potter  ever  told  the  Franklin 
story  to  anyone  beside  Stephen  Fellows, 
does  not  appear.  But  even  if  he  did  not. 
it  is  no  matter  of  surprise  that  it  should 
obtain  a  considerable  circulation.  For 
Fellows,  as  his  assistant,  supposed  to  be 
conversant  with  his  affairs,  would  be  the 
party  most  easy  of  access,  and  most  like- 
ly to  be  questioned,  in  all  places  where 
they  exhibited,  concerning  his  employ- 
er's origin  and  history.  And  that  Potter 
had  given  him  a  true  history,  Fellows 
seems  never  for  a  moment  to  have 
doubted. 

But  in  both  the  Franklin  and  the  Hin- 
du version  are  certain  points  of  identity. 
In  both  he  is  the  son  of  a  white  father 
and  of  a  colored  mother.  By  the  be- 
lievers in  each  it  was  understood  that  he 
was  not  born  in  wedlock.  By  both  it 
was  said  he  was  picked  up  by  a  ship-cap- 
tain— the  one  said  in  the  streets  of  Bos- 
ton, the  other  in  the  streets  of  Calcutta — 
and  carrried  to  London.  Both  agreed 
that  he  there  drifted  about,  without  care 
or  guardianship,  until  he  came  to  Amer- 
ica under  twenty  years  of  age.  Both  un- 
derstood that  he  first  landed  in  this 
country  in  Boston.  Both  had  heard  that 
he  learned  his  tricks  of  hand  and  voice  in 
boyhood,  and  in  foreign  parts.  And,  by 
those  who  believed  in  his  Hindu  origin, 
the  assumption  was  natural  that,  being 
quick  and  bright,  he  had  acquired  them 
in  his  native  country  from  the  Hindu 
jugglers. 

In  1872,  Moses  B.  Goodwin,  Esq.,  for- 
merly a  correspondent  of  the  National 
Intelligencer  at  Washington,   was  editor 


of  the  Merrimack  (N.  H.)  Journal.  In 
issue  of  Nov.  8,  of  that  year,  he  gave  an 
account  of  an  interview,  which  took 
place  in  1848.  between  Joseph  T.  Buck- 
ingham, editor  of  the  Boston  Evening 
Courier,  and  the  Hon.  Geo.  W.  Nesmith 
of  Franklin.  At  that  time  the  Northern 
(N.  H.)  Railroad  had  just  opened  to  trav- 
el. The  two  gentlemen  above  named 
were  journeying  together  from  Franklin 
toward  the  northern  terminus  of  the 
road,  engaged  in  conversation.  When 
the  train  reached  the  Potter  Place,  and 
the  name  of  the  station  was.  announced 
by  the  conductor,  Mr.  Buckingham  en- 
quired for  whom  the  station  was  named, 
and  on  being  informed  that  it  was  for- 
merly the  abode  of  the  great  magician, 
he  proceeded  to  state  the  circumstances 
of  his  first  acquaintance,  and  subsequent 
business  and  friendly  relations,  with  that 
gentleman. 

Mr.  Buckingham  said  that  when  he 
had  finished  his  apprenticeship  in  the  of- 
fice of  the  Greenfield  (Mass.)  Gazette,  he 
went  to  Boston  and  set  up  business  as  a 
job  printer.  That  he  boarded  at  an  old 
and  well-known  tavern  called  The  Bite, 
kept  by  one  Bradley,  near  Market 
Square.  That  one  day  a  small-sized, 
sharp-eyed,  dark-complexioned  young 
man  sat  down  with  him  to  dinner.  That 
after  the  meal  was  finished,  this  young 
man  enquired  of  Bradley  for  a  suitable 
man  to  do  some  printing.  That  Bradley 
thereupon  introduced  him  to  Mr.  Buck- 
ingham. The  small-sized,  sharp-eyed,* 
dark-complexioned  man  was  Richard 
Potter. 

Between  the  two  there  soon  sprung  up 
relations  of  confidence,  respect  and 
friendship ;  and  Mr.  Buckingham  be- 
lieved that,  when  exhibiting  in  this 
country,  and  within  such  distance  of 
Boston  as  to  render  it  possible  for  him 
to  do  so,  Potter  from  that  day  forth  to 
the  end  of  his  life,  gave  him  all  his  pat- 
ronage in  printing.  He  stated  that  Pot- 
ter had  paid  him  thousands  of  dollars ; 
that  he  always  paid  promptly  and  dealt 
honorably ;  and  that,  in  his  long  career 
as  a  printer,  only  two  other  men  had 
ever  given  him  more  encouragement  or 
pecuniary  aid. 


RICHAKD  POTTER. 


59 


Mr.  Buckingham  spoke  with  much 
feeling  of  the  "Genial  Showman."  and 
with  a  "tender  respect  for  his  memory;" 
dwelt  at  length  on  the  details  of  his  long 
and  intimate  acquaintance  with  him; 
and  declared  him  to  be  one  of  the  noblest 
and  most  generous  men  he  had  ever 
known. 

Now  Buckingham  left  the  office  of  the 
Greenfield  Gazette  and  went  to  Boston  in 
1800.  He  had  but  recently  established 
himself  there  when  he  was  introduced  to 
Potter.  The  fact  that  Potter  enquired 
of  Bradley  for  a  printer,  coupled  with 
the  generally-understood  fact  that  the  re- 
nowned magician  commenced  his  career 
in  Boston,  would  indicate  that  he  was 
just  starting  in  business  for  himself,  and 
had  had  no  printing  done  before.  This 
might  have  been  in  1800,  and  was  not 
probably  later  than  1801.  In  1800,  Pot- 
ter was  seventeen  years  old. 

In  the  story  told  to  Fellows  he  said 
that  he  left  the  employ  of  the  circus  and 
started  business  when  about  eighteen 
years  of  age,  which  would  exactly  coin- 
cide with  the  time  at  which  he  was  hav- 
ing his  first  printing  done  in  Boston. 
This  would  tend  to  enhance  the  proba- 
bility that  the  story  was  not  all  fiction, 
and  that  he  learned  his  art  from  some 
company  of  mountebanks  with  which  he 
was  associated  when  a  boy. 

From  that  time  forward  there  is  no 
trace  nor  tradition  of  Richard  Potter, 
connected  with  any  fixed  date  or  loca- 
tion, that  I  have  been  able  to  discover, 
for  the  next  twenty  years.  An  examina- 
tion of  files  of  newspapers,  published  in 
Boston,  and  various  other  towns  and 
cities  of  the  Eastern  and  Middle  States, 
would  doubtless  throw  some  light  on  his 
history  during  that  period.  But  such 
examination  I  have  not  been  able  to 
make. 

His  headquarters, and  whatever'horae" 
he  had,  are  supposed  to  have  been  in 
Boston.  It  is  certain,  however,  that  he 
travelled  widely,  and  had  become  known 
and  famous,  previous  to  1820.  It  is  cer- 
tain that  he  had,  within  that  time  visited 
Europe,  for  he  was  for  a  time  with  Na- 
poleon; though  not  as  a  soldier.  It  is 
certain  that  he  had  married  and  that  his 


two  children  were  born  before  the  latter 
date.  It  is  certain  that  his  wife  travelled 
and  performed  with  him,  until  she  be- 
came unfitted  to  do  so,  from*  habits  of 
intemperance. 

But  with  what  particular  successes  or 
adventures  he  met ;  how  extensively  he 
circulated,  what  countries  he  visited: 
when,  where  and  whom  he  married,  or 
where  his  children  were  born,  the  writer 
knoweth  not. 

In  the  winter  of  1875,  at  my  suggestion 
and  request,  and  in  order  to  procure  for 
me  the  information  I  desired,  Moses  B. 
Goodwin,  Esq.,  above  named,  visited  An- 
dover  (N.  H.),  where  Potter  spent  the 
last  fifteen  years  of  his  life,  and  made 
minute  enquiries  of  the  old  residents  of 
the  place,  who  had  been  acquainted  with 
him  and  his  family. 

From  a  near  neighbor  to  Potter,  dur- 
ing his  residence  in  Andover,  whose  son 
was,  at  one  time,  Potter's  travelling  as- 
sistant and  partner  in  the  business;  from 
Hon.  Geo.  W.  Nesmith  of  Franklin,  who 
was  acquainted  with  Potter's  affairs ;  and 
from  Mrs.  Isabella  West,  an  aged  and  in- 
telligent lady  of  Franklin,  whose  hus- 
band in  Potter's  day,  kept  a  tavern  in 
Boscawen,  at  which  Potter  and  his  wife 
were  frequent  guests,  Mr.  Goodwiu  ob- 
tained much  reliable  intelligence  con- 
cerning the  great  magician.  From  his 
subsequent  letters,  and  from  his  article 
in  the  Merrimack  Journal  above  referred 
to,  a  large  part  of  the  facts  of  this  his- 
tory were  obtained ;  for  which  the  writer 
hereby  expresses  his  grateful  acknowl- 
edgements. 

About  1820  Potter  purchased  a  farm  of 
about  175  acres  in  that  part  of  Andover 
which  now  bears  his  name.  On  this  he 
erected  a  residence  22x38  feet,  fronting 
on  the  turnpike,  the  whole  second  story 
of  which  was  one  room ;  the  lower  story 
being  divided  by  a  hall  running  through 
the  house.  This  he  finished  and  furnished 
with  elegant  display,  regardless  of  the 
cost;  and,  it  was  said,  with  taste  and 
judgment.  He  was  generous  to  a  fault, 
kept  open  house,  and  dispensed  a  liberal 
hospitality.  In  another  house,  entire- 
ly separate  from  the  mansion,  was 
done    all  the    cooking  and  housework. 


60 


RICHARD  POTTER. 


located  all  the  servants'  offices,  after  the 
manner  of  the  South,  and  there,  also, 
were  all  the  sleeping-rooms. 

Mr.  Potter  carried  on  extensive  farm- 
ing operations,  raised  excellent  crops, 
and  cultivated  choice  breeds  of  cattle, 
horses  and  swine ;  raising  great  numbers 
of  the  latter.  The  grounds  about  his 
house  were  tastefully  laid  out.  well  kept, 
and  ornamented  with  a  great  variety  and 
profusion  of  shrubs  and  flowers,  of  which 
both  he  and  his  wife  were  passionately 
fond. 

Both  of  them  affected  considerable  dis- 
play in  dress,  selecting  rare  and  costly 
materials  of  foreign  make,  distinguished 
for  rich  and  brilliant  colors.  In  this  each 
followed  the  characteristics  of  the  peo- 
ple from  which  they  sprung. 

Stephen  Fellows  assured  me  that  Pot- 
ter told  him  that  Mrs.  Potter  was  a  full- 
blooded  Penobscot-Indian  squaw.  If  he 
did  it  was  but  one  of  his  freaks  of  humor. 
No  one,  acquainted  with  the  characteris- 
tics of  the  native  American  women, 
would  probably  ever  have  mistaken  her 
for  one  of  them.  According  to  Mr. 
Goodwin,  she  was,  when  in  her  prime,  a 
finely-formed,  beautiful  and  graceful 
woman,  who  had  an  easy  carriage, bright 
and  expressive  eyes,  danced  charmingly, 
and  knew  how  to  dress.  She  was  intel- 
ligent, refined,  well  informed,  engaging 
in  her  manners  and  conversation,  and 
proud  as  a  princess.  She  had  a  rich 
voice,  and  was  a  sweet  singer.  All  the 
authorities  above  quoted  agree  without 
hesitation  in  declaring  her  a  native  of  In- 
dia. It  seems  to  have  been  always  so 
understood  by  those  who  knew  her 
best, and  they  had  their  information  from 
her  and  her  husband.  Where,  nobody 
knows,  but  somewhere  in  his  travels, 
most  likely  while  in  Europe,  Potter 
came  across  this  brilliant  and  fascinating 
daughter  of  the  East,  and  married  her. 
He  was  fond  and  proud  of  her  and  cher- 
ished her  with  loyal  affection,  even  after 
she  had  contracted  habits  which  dis- 
graced both  herself  and  him. 

They  had  an  only  son  and  an  only 
daughter.  The  former  was  a  spendthrift 
and  a  drunkard;  the  latter  a  half-idiot, 
given  to  uncontrollable  lewdness.    It  is 


said  that  the  perpetual  and  untold  shame 
and  anguish  of  the  proud  and  sensitive 
mother,  because  of  the  conduct  and  con- 
dition of  her  children,  drove  her  to  seek 
"  some  nepenthe  to  her  soul "  in  the  ob- 
livion of  constant  inebriation.  Certain 
it  is  chat  she  became  disqualified  for  all 
duties,  either  in  public  or  at  home ;  caused 
her  husband  immeasurable  trouble;  in- 
dulged in  scandalous  extravagance,  com- 
pelling him  to  seek  remedy  at  law  to  pre- 
vent her  from  running  him  ruinously  in 
debt;  that  her  charming  beauty  and 
quick  intelligence  were  utterly  wrecked ; 
and  that  she  died  the  victim  of  her  own 
indulgence. 

With  unqualified  confidence  the  same 
authorities  all  assert  that  Richard  Potter 
was  a  native  of  one  of  the  French  West 
India  Islands,  the  Franklin  and  Hindu 
stones  to  the  contrary  notwithstanding. 
His  hair  was  soft  and  handsome,  but  it 
testified  to  his  African  extraction.  He 
was  once  turned  out  of  a  hotel  in  Mo- 
bile, while  Thompson  of  Andover  trav- 
eled with  him,  by  a  landlord  who  would- 
not  entertain  a  "  nigger."  Potter  did 
not  deny  the  charge,  removed  to  another 
hotel,  performed  twelve  nights  in  the 
town,  and  carried  off  $4,800  in  silver,  in 
a  nail  cask,  as  the  net  result.  Learning 
that  there  was  danger  of  being  waylaid, 
he  gave  out  that  he  was  going  to  a  certain 
place  on  a  certain  day,  and  departed 
the  night  previous  in  the  opposite  direc- 
tion. He  was  often  called  a  mulatto,  and 
never  contradicted  the  aspersion.     His 

characteristics  raise  a  strong  suspicion 
of  Creole  origin. 

He  was  proud,  high  spirited,  courte- 
ous in  deportment,  independent,  the  soul 
of  honor,  generous  and  brave.  As  a  cit- 
izen of  Andover,  to  which  town  he  came 
to  remove  his  wife  and  children  from  the 
influences  of  city  life,  he  was  public 
spirited, honorable  in  business  .prompt  to 
pay,  a  kind  neighbor  and  trusted  friend. 
He  was  kind  and  liberal  to  the  poor,  and 
an  early  mover  in  the  cause  of  temper- 
ance. He  was  a  man  of  rare  executive 
ability,  of  endless  native  resources,  and 
possessed  a  mind  enriched  by  experience, 
and  well  stored  with  information.     His 

wit  was  fertile,  quick  as  thought  and 
sharp  as  steel. 


ILLEGIBLE  MANUSCRIPT  IX  PRINTING-OFFICES. 


61 


The  more  I  have  learned  of  the  history 
and  character  of  the  ;t  Celebrated  Ven- 
triloquist," the  more  I  have  been  com- 
pelled to  pay  him  honor.  When  I  re- 
member the  race  to  which  he  belonged ; 
the  probable  deteriorating  influences  un- 
der which  he  passed  his  early  life ;  the  ab- 
sence of  all  family  and  social  ties  and  re- 
straints ;  the  incentives  and  allurements 
to  recklessness  and  ruin ;  the  lack  of  all 
the  ordinary  processes  and  opportunities 
for  education  and  discipline;  the  profes- 
sion which  he  chose  and  followed ;  the 
disgrace  of  his  wife  and  infamy  of  his 
children ;  and  that,  under  all  these,  he 
lived  honorably  and  died  respected;  I 
seem  to  see  a  man  whom  nature  has  roy- 
ally endowed,  struggling  against  vast 
odds  which  finally  threw  but  never  van- 
quished him.  "He  was  as  good  a  citizen 
as  ever  lived  in  Andover;  and  one  of  the 
truest  and  best  men  that  ever  lived  !  " 
This  was  the  testimony  of  his  nearest 
neighbor  for  forty  years  after  Potter 
died. 

The  lewdness  of  the  half-idiot  daugh- 
ter occasioned  litigation,  after  Potter's 
death,  in  which  Judge  Nesmith  and  the 
late  Samuel  Butterfield  were  counsel, 
out  of  which  grewa  curious  decision  in 
law  in  relation  to  adultery,  that  obtained 
considerable  notoriety  in  New  Hamp- 
shire. 

Potter  was  buried  in  his  own  front 
yard.  When  the  Northern  railroad  was 
built  his  remains  had  to  be  moved  back 
some  yards,  the  limits  of  the  road  cover- 


ing his  first  resting-place.  The  wife  did 
not  long  survive  her  husband,  and  a 
simple  marble  slab  "  In  Memory  of  Sally 
H.,  wife  of  Richard  Potter, '"who  died 
Oct.  24,  1836,  aged  49  years,"  preserves 
her  name  from  oblivion.  The  two  graves 
have  been  pointed  out  by  the  conductors 
on  the  Northern  road,  to  numberless 
travellers  within  the  last  thirty  years. 

The  daughter  died  and,  it  is  said,  was 
buried  beside  her  parents.  But  no  trace 
of  a  grave  is  discoverable. 

The  son's  name  was  Richard  Crom- 
well. He  was  sometimes  called  "  Dick" 
and  sometimes  "  Crom."  He  was  dis- 
solute and  unprincipled.  The  property 
which  his  father  left  he  soon  squan- 
dered. He  sold  the  farm  to  a  Mr.  Colby 
of  Bow,  who  sold  it  to  Aaron  Colby  of 
Andover,  who  sold  it  to  Wm.  Howe, 
Esq.,  who  sold  it  to  John  E.  Morrison, 
the  present  owner. 

Taking  his  father's  apparatus  he  trav- 
eled, in  company  with  Stephen  Fellows, 
for  a  time,  giving  exhibitions,  but  was 
not  successful.  He  finally  mortgaged 
the  kit,  and  when  it  was  taken  from  him 
under  the  mortgage,  he  broke  into  the 
premises  where  it  was  kept  and  stole  it; 
in  consequence  of  which  he  became  a  fu- 
gitive, as  he  had  long  before  been  a  vag- 
abond, and  was  last  heard  of  at  Lansing- 
burg,  N.  Y.  Thus  is  the  family  of  the 
" great  Magician "  become  extinct;  but 
his  name  and  his  fame  appear  to  have 
become  historic. 


ILLEGIBLE  MANUSCRIPT  IN  PBINTING-OFFICES. 


BY  ASA  MC  FARLAND. 


In  every  well-regulated  printing-office 
inflexible  rules  are  observed  regarding 
manuscript  that  is  to  be  put  in  type. 
The  necessity  for  such  rules  is  obvious ; 
for  authors,  in  general,  have  no  standard 
themselves,  and  their  manuscripts  differ 
as  much  as  the  peculiarities  of  those  who 
prepare  them.  Many  thoroughly-edu- 
cated men  write  a  hand  of  which  they 


ought  to  be  ashamed;  others,  with  mea 
gre  educational  advantages,  make  lines 
so  fair  that  the  youngest  apprentices  at 
the  printing-business  have  no  difficulty 
in  putting  their  "  copy  "  into  type.  The 
late  Rufus  Choate,  so  eminent  as  a  law- 
yer and  so  eloquent  as  an  advocate,  wrote 
a  hand  so  obscure  as  to  confound  printers 
and  all  others  who  undertook  to  decipher 


62 


ILLEGIBLE  MANUSCRIPT  IN"  PRINTING-OFFICES. 


his  letters  and  other  papers.  He  also 
made  sentences  two  of  which  have  been 
known  to  fill  an  octavo  page,  and  put  no 
punctuation  marks  into  his  work.  Some 
writers,  and  those,  too,  of  ambitious  pre- 
tensions to  scholarship,  seem  to  have  no 
proper  idea  of  punctuation,  and  distribute 
capital  letters  with  the  utmost  freedom, 
and  in  defiance  of  all  rules  laid  down  in 
the  books.  Others,  again,  employ  no 
other  punctuation  than  a  dash  ( — )  which, 
with  them,  takes  the  place  of  the  com- 
ma, colon  and  semicolon.  Another  class 
of  writers  underscore  about  one  word  in 
every  three — the  purpose  being  to  impart 
emphasis  to  the  underscored  words, 
since  such  are,  according  to  the  rule,  put 
in  italic  type.  But  they  can  carry  the 
practice  to  such  an  extreme  that  they 
not  only  fail  in  their  object,  because  of 
the  multitude  of  their  italic  words,  but 
mar  the  printed  page.  A  book  that  is 
well  printed  should  contain  as  few  italic 
words  as  possible,  and  those  be  employed 
only  where,  according  to  well-established 
practice,  they  are  required.  Hon. 
Henry  Hubbard,  Governor  of  New  Hamp- 
shire in  1842  and  1843,  wrote  annual  mes- 
sages of  great  length,  plentifully  supplied 
with  italic  words,  to  the  discomfort  of 
printers  in  the  office  of  the  New  Hamp- 
shire Patriot,  and  those  in  all  other  news- 
paper offices  in  the  State  which  published 
the  messages  of  that  chief  magistrate. 

If  all  manuscriptj  sent  to  newspaper 
and  book  printing-offices  was  printed  as 
written — and  it  is  very  common  for  au- 
thors to  direct  the  printer  to  "  follow 
copy  " — many  aspiring  public  men  would 
cut  a  sorry  figure  after  their  productions 
appeared  in  print.  Men  have  been  known 
•  to  place  a  capital  letter  at  the  commence- 
ment of  every  line,  as  if  engaged  in  mak- 
ing verses ;  others,  as  before  remarked, 
employ  the  (— )  with  "  perfect  impunity 
and  great  boldness,"  and  others  punctu- 
ate hap-hazard.  Sensible  men,  however, 
submit  their  compositions  to  the  printer 
with  directions  to  capitalize  and  punctu- 
ate as  to  him  seems  proper;  well  aware 
that  if  he  is  master  of  his  business  he 
will  make  straight  whatever  is  crooked, 
and  present  the  author  to  the  public  in 
better  plight  than  he  could  himself. 


In  most  cases  the  proof  sheets  of  man- 
uscript sent  to  the  offices  of  daily  and 
weekty journals  are  not  sent  to  the  au- 
thors. It  is  otherwise  in  book  and  job 
printing  establishments,  and  it  is  com- 
mon for  authors  to  make  the  final  correc- 
tion. This  is  a  procedure  that  affords 
mutual  satisfaction ;  for,  when  the  writer 
has  revised  his  work,  no  other  responsi- 
bility rests  upon  the  printer  than  to  see 
that  the  types  are  not  disarranged  and 
that  the  press-work  is  properly  done. 
And  right  here  is  a  point  where  many 
printers  have  had  experience  of  a  trying 
character,  namely,  in  material  changes 
from  the  copy,  and  sometimes  to  such  an 
extent  as  to  greatly  enhance  to  the  au- 
thor the  cost  of  his  work.  In  a  well- 
remembered  instance  in  the  experience 
of  the  writer  of  this  article,  an  address 
before  a  literary  society  in  Dartmouth 
College,  printed  in  pamphlet  form  in  the 
office  of  the  New  Hampshire  Statesman, 
was  so  changed  by  the  author's  correc- 
tions as  to  more  than  double  the  cost  of 
the  work.  The  additional  expense  was 
of  course  borne  by  him;  but  even  if  the 
printer  be  reimbursed  for  his  time,  labor 
and  perplexity,  the  work  itself  is  marred 
by  a  multitude  of  typographical  changes, 
and  the  satisfaction  ot  producing  a  good 
specimen  of  printing  greatly  lessened. 
The  prolific  power  of  some  writers  seems 
greatly  quickened  by  the  sight  of  their 
proof  sheets. 

The  difference  between  fair  and  illegi- 
ble manuscript  is  like  that  between  a  day 
in  June  and  one  in  mid-winter.  One 
causes  smiles,  the  other  frowns.  It  the 
hand-writing  of  a  writer  is  illegible,  he 
'  should  employ  a  copyist,  and  every  one 
who  writes  for  the  press  should  cover 
only  one  side  of  the  sheets.  Many  news- 
paper offices  reject  all  manuscript  written 
on  both  surfaces  of  the  paper,  however 
eminent  the  author  or  important  and 
seasonable  the  topic  he  discusses.  In  a 
business  experience  of  many  years  we 
found  it  greatly  to  the  advantage  of  the 
office  to  examine  and  prepare  for  compo- 
sition most  manuscript  that  came  to  us. 
Unless  this  course  was  pursued  with  the 
larger  portion  of  it,  the  inevitable  conse- 
quence was  increased  labor  and  vexation 


PROCEEDINGS  OF  THE  N.  H.  ANTIQUARIAN  SOCIETY. 


63 


in  correcting  the  proofs.  The  manu- 
script of  some  writers  can  never  be  for- 
gotten for  its  illegible  and  slovenly  char- 
acter, and  that  of  others  will  be  long  re- 
membered for  its  excellence.  John 
Farmer,  Esq..  one  of  the  founders 
and  many  years  the  right  arm  of  the 
New  Hampshire  Historical  Society, 
wrote  a  hand  that  a  child  could  read,  and 
his  pen,  too,  moved  with  much  rapidity. 
Much  of  his  manuscript  is  deposited  in 
the  rooms  of  that  institution  at  Concoid. 
His  patient  researches  were  mainly  of 
genealogical  and  historical  character,  and 
appeared  in  the  Historical  Collections  of 
the  Society,  and  caused  him  to  be  well 
known  throughout  New  England,  al- 
though he  was  most  of  life  an  invalid, 
and  rarely  went  abroad.  Several  manu- 
script volumes  treating  of  graduates  of 
Harvard  College,  deposited  in  the  rooms 
of  the  Historical  Society,  bear  testimony 
to  his  careful  toil  in  a  department  of  lit- 
erature that  has  few  attractions  to  most 
people  of  literary  taste.  The  manuscript 
of  Hon.  John  J.  Gilchrist,  a  Justice, 
and  subsequently  Chief  Justice  of  the 
Supreme  Court  of  this  State,  was  abso- 
lutely perfect.  In  a  long  experience  we 
have  never  had  to  do  with  better  "copy." 


He  prepared  a  Digest  of  all  the  Reports 
of  Cases  decided  up  to  the  time  he  was 
Chief  Justice,  and  it  was  printed  by 
McFarland  &  Jenks  for  Gardner  P.  Lyon, 
bookseller.  It  is  a  volume  of  more  than 
six  hundred  octavo  pages,  and  rarely  or 
never  has  an  equal  amount  of  work 
moved  along  more  pleasantly.  Other 
Justices  and  Chief  Justices  of  that  Court 
made  excellent  manuscript,  but  that  of 
Judge  Gilchrist  was  perfection  itself. 

Every  author  desirous  of  ascertaining 
how  much  space  his  manuscript  will  fill 
in  page  and  type  of  prescribed  size,  and 
would  count  the  cost  before  he  com- 
mences to  build,  should  write  upon  pa- 
per of  uniform  size  and  place  the  same 
number  of  lines  upon  a  page.  The 
printer  can  then  determine  the  number 
of  printed  pages  the  manuscript  will  fill 
and  the  cost  of  the  work.  This  is,  of 
course,  upon  the  presumption  that  the 
author  makes  no  additions  while  the 
work  is  in  press,  and  no  material  altera- 
tions from  the  copy.  We  printed  a 
small  work  many  years  ago  which  the 
writer  thought  would  fill  about  twenty- 
four  pages,  but  he  made  such  copious 
additions  that  it  exceeded  seventy-five. 


PROCEEDINGS  OF  THE  NEW  HAMPSHIRE  ANTIQUARIAN  SOCIETY. 

CONTOOCOOK,  JULY  17,  1878. 


The  day  was  auspicious,  and  the  at- 
tendance larger  than  on  any  former  oc- 
casion. The  Society's  rooms  were  found 
too  small  to  accommodate  those  present, 
and  to  transact  business  with  comfort. 

The  meeting  was  called  to  order  at  10 
A.  M.,  the  President,  Rev.  Silas  Ketchum 
of  Windsor,  Conn.,  in  the  chair.  After 
the  reading  of  the  minutes  of  the  last 
Quarterly  Meeting,  the  President  read 
his  annual  address,  setting  forth  the  con- 
dition of  the  Society's  affairs,  a  general 
review  of  its  transactions  for  the  past 
year,  and  making  several  recommenda- 
tions, to  wit:  The  weeding  out  of  the 
duplicates  and  undesirable  articles  in  the 


museum  and  library;  the  donation  and 
exchange  of  articles  to  and  with  certain 
societies ;  the  careful  husbanding  of  the 
Society's  resources ;  the  vigorous  prose- 
cution of  the  work  of  the  Historical  Com- 
mittee, particularly  in  the  collection  of 
the  perishing  materials  for  history. and  in 
gathering  lists  of  sepulchral  inscriptions 
from  the  various  towns. 

George  H.  Ketchum,  Curator,  reported 
the  donation  of  about  3000  articles  to  the 
library  and  museum  during  the  year, 
making  the  whole  number  to  the  present 
time  a  little  over  33,000.  Among  the  re- 
cent additions  was  a  collection  of  about 
150  manuscripts  formerly  belonging  to 


64 


PROCEEDINGS  OF  THE  N.  H.  ANTIQUARIAN  SOCIETY 


Gen.  Arnos  Shepard,  consisting  of  docu- 
ments relating  to  the  early  settlement 
and  settlers  of  Alstead ;  also  valuable 
mineral  specimens  from  the  Yellowstone 
Park  by  Hon.  Chas.  H.  Bennett  of  Iowa, 
and  from  Arizona  by  G.  S.  Davis  of  Cal- 
ifornia. 

H.  A.  Fellows,  Chairman  of  the  His- 
torical Committee,  presented  the  folds  of 
the  fifth  volume  of  the  Society's  Ms.  Col- 
lections. In  it  are  copied  the  papers  of 
the  late  Gen.  Aquila  Davis  of  Warner, 
and  a  memorandum  book  kept  by  his 
father,  Capt.  Francis,  first  settler  of  the 
town.  Also  interesting  papers  relating 
to  the  early  settlement  of  Boscawen  and 
Dixville,  formerly  belonging  to  Col. 
Henry  Gerrish,  Col.  Timothy  Dix  and 
Daniel  Webster.  The  Committee  was 
given  more  time  to  arrange,  index  and 
bind  the  volume. 

Charles  Gould  reported  that  he  had 
nearly  completed  the  copying  of  the  sep- 
ulchral insciiptions  of  Hopkinton.  The 
Society  has  already  extensive  lists,  some 
of  them  complete,  of  inscriptions  in  Bris- 
tol, Hill,  Ashland,  Alexandria.  Franklin, 
Concord,  Henniker,  Dunbarton,  Exeter, 
Hanover  and  other  towns.  Most  of 
these  are  already  recorded  and  indexed. 

William  H.  Stinson,  Esq.,  of  Dunbar- 
ton read  an  interesting  paper,  prepared 
hastily,  but  with  great  good  taste  and 
judgment,  on  the  sepulchral  records  of 
Dunbarton.  A  copy  was  requested  for 
the  Hist.  Colls,  of  the  Society. 

Wm.  A.  Wallace,  Esq.,  gave  some  ac- 
count of  his  endeavors  towards  a  history 
of  Canaan,  a  considerable  part  of  the  ear- 
ly history  being  already  in  manuscript. 
Mr.  W.  was  appointed  to  read  a  paper  on 
the  subject  at  the  next  annual  meeting. 
Col.  L.  W.  Cogswell  was  appointed  to 
present  a  paper  at  the  same  time  on  the 
sepulchral  records  of  Henniker,  and  Rob- 


ert Ford  to  collect  the  entire  list  of  in- 
scriptions in  Danbury.  Also  to  copy  the 
records  of  the  first  church  in  Danbury, 
now  extinct.      Mr.    Wallace    presented 

4 

valuable  donations  to  the  museum  and 
library  of  matters  relating  to  the  history 
of  Canaan. 

The  President  read  a  paper  on  the  life 
and  character  of  Richard  Potter,  pub- 
lished in  this  number  of  the  Granite 
Monthly. 

Col.  Cogswell  presented  appropriate 
resolutions  on  the  death  uf  Dr.  Bouton, 
an  honorary  member,  which  were  adopt- 
ed. 

The  Society  elected  Rev.  Silas  Ketch- 
urn,  President;  Capt.  G.  A.  Curtice  and 
S.  L.  Fletcher,  Esq.,  Vice  Presidents; 
John  F.  Jones,  Esq.,  Treasurer;  Charles 
Gould,  Esq.,  Recording  Secretary;  Wal- 
ter Scott  Davis,  Esq.,  Corresponding 
Secretary ;  Geo.  H.  Ketchum,  Curator ; 
D.  C.  Blanchard,  Rev.  Silas  Ketchum, 
Col.  L.  W.  Cogswell,  Wm.  A.  Wallace, 
Esq.,  Wm.  H.  Stinson,  Esq.,  S.  L. 
Fletcher,  Esq.,  Wm.  M.  Chase,  Esq., 
Historical  Committee. 

The  Society  acknowledges  the  receipt 
of  valuable  additions  during  the  year,  be- 
sides those  above  referred  to,  front  Col. 
Albert  H.  Hoyt  of  Cincinnati,  O.,  Gen. 
Wm.  S.  Striker  of  New  Jersey,  Dr.  Sam- 
uel A.  Green  of  Boston,  Hon.  Clark  Jill- 
son  of  Worcester,  Elijah  Bingham,  Esq., 
of  Cleveland,  O.,  the  Mass.  Hist.  Soc, 
N.  E.  Historic  Gen.  Soc,  Worcester  So- 
ciety of  Antiquity,  the  Essex  Institute, 
Gov.  Prescott  and  others. 

The  Society  has  published  during  the 
year  A  Diary  of  the  Invasion  of  Canada, 
edited  with  notes  by  Rev.  Silas  Ketch- 
um, and  A  List  of  the  Centenarians  of 
New  Hampshire  who  have  deceased  since 
1705,  by  D.  F.  Secomb. 


THE 


GKANITE  MONTHLY. 


A  MAGAZINE  OF  LITERATURE,  HISTORY  AND 
STATE  PROGRESS. 


VOL.  II. 


OCTOBER,  1878. 


NO.  3. 


WILLIAM  J.   COPELAND. 


In  previous  numbers  of  the  Granite 
Monthly  there  have  been  presented 
sketches  of  representative  men  of  New 
Hampshire,  in  business,  and  public  and 
professionanal  life,  with  accompanying 
portraits.  Herewith  we  give  a  short 
biographical  notice,  with  portrait,  of  a 
well  known  lawyer,  who,  although  not 
an  actual  resident  of  the  State,  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Strafford  County  bar,  and  ex- 
tensively engaged  in  practice  in  this  and 
other  counties  of  eastern  New  Hamp- 
shire, as  well  as  in  the  State  of  Maine. 

William  J.  Copeland  is  a  son  of 
Rev.  William  H.  Copeland,  a  Baptist 
clergyman,  yet  living  and  a  resident  of 
Lebanon,  Me.  He  was  born  in  Albion. 
Kennebec  County,  Me.,  Jan.  24,  1841, 
being  now  in  his  thirty-eighth  year. 
The  Copeland  family  trace  their  ancestry 
to  Sir  John  Copeland,  who  fought  at  the 
battle  of  Neville's  Cross,  under  Edward 
III.,  October  17,  1346,  and  with  his  own 
hand  captured  King  David  of  Scotland, 
whom  he  bore  from  the  field  with  a  com- 
pany of  attendants,  and,  proceeding  to 
Calais,  delivered  him  into  the  hands  of 
his  royal  master,  then  in  France.  For 
this  service  he  was  created  a  banneret  bv 


the  king,  and  given  a  pension  of  five  hun- 
dred pounds  per  annum.  He  was  also 
made  Warden  of  Berwick,  Sheriff  of 
Northumberland  and  Keeper  of  Rox- 
burgh Castle.  Lawrence  Copeland,  a 
lineal  descendant  of  Sir  John,  from 
whom  sprang  all  the  Copelands  in  Amer- 
ica, came  to  this  country  and  settled  at 
Mount  Holliston,  Mass..  where  he  died 
December  30.  1699,  aged  110  years.  Mo- 
ses Copeland,  a  great-grandson  of  Law- 
rence, and  from  whom  William  J.,  the 
subject  of  our  sketch,  is  a  direct  descend- 
ant in  the  fifth  generation,  went  with  his 
brother  Joseph  from  Milton,  Mass..  to 
Warren,  Me.,  in  1763.  being  among  the 
early  settlers  of  that  place.  He  was  a 
man  of  great  activity,  shrewd  and  calcu 
lating,  and  gained  wealth  and  distinc- 
tion, taking  a  prominent  part  in  the  en- 
terprises of  the  town.  In  early  life  he 
had  served  in  the  army,  eutering  at  sev- 
enteen, under  Capt.  Boice ;  was  at  Ticou- 
deroga  in  1758,  and  at  the  taking  of  Que- 
bec the  following  year.  Soon  after  his 
settlement  in  Warren  he  was  appointed 
sheriff,  and  held  the  office  eleven  years. 
He  also  held  the  office  of  crier  of  the 
court  several  years.    From  constant  con- 


66 


WILLIAM  J.  COPELAND. 


WILLIAM  J.   COPELAND. 


tact  with  lawyers  and  observation  of 
legal  proceedings  he  gained  a  good 
knowlege  of  the  law,  and  finally  became 
the  principal  lawyer  of  the  place,  for,  al- 
though not  educated  to  the  profession, 
his  practical  information  and  ready 
knowledge  of  human  nature  rendered  his 
advice  and  assistance  in  legal  controver- 
sies the  most  valuable  that  could  be  ob- 
tained in  that  region.  This  Moses  Cope- 
land  was  a  cousin  of  President  John  Ad- 
ams, and  a  grandson  of  John  Alden  up- 
en  the  maternal  side. 

William  J.  Copeland  attended  the  com- 
mon schools  in  Shapleigh  and  Berwick, 
where  his  father  was  then  preaching.  In 
1855  he  attended  the  academy  at  South 
Berwick,  and  afterwards,  for  a  time,  the 
West  Lebanon  and  Limerick  Academies, 
earning  the  money  to  defray  the  neces- 
sary expenses  by  teaching  in  the  winter 
and  farm  labor  in  the  summer,  teaching 
his  first  school,  at  Shapleigh,  before  he 
was  sixteen  years  of  age.      Having  a 


strong  inclination  toward  the  legal  pro- 
fession, he  entered  the  office  of  Hon.  In- 
crease S.  Kimball  of  Sanford,  Me.,  at  an 
early  age,  where  he  pursued  the  study  of 
the  law  until  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar, 
which  was  before  he  was  twenty-one 
years  of  age.  He  then  located  in  Presque 
Isle,  Aroostook  County,  where  he  en- 
tered upon  the  practice  of  his  profession, 
remaining  there  until  April,  1868,  when 
he  removed  to  Berwick,  opposite  Great 
Falls,  where  he  has  since  resided,  having 
established  his  office  at  the  latter  place. 
During  the  past  ten  years  in  which  he 
has  been  in  practice  at  Great  Falls,  it  is 
safe  to  say  Mr.  Copeland  has  attained  a 
degree  of  success  in  his  profession  sel- 
dom equalled  and  never  surpassed  by 
any  practitioner  in  the  country  outside 
the  great  cities.  This  is  attributable,  it 
may  fairly  be  presumed,  to  his  indomita- 
ble energy,  intense  application  and  thor- 
rough  devotion  to  his  professional  work. 
With  powers  of  physical  endurance  far 


WILLIAM  J.  COPELAND. 


67 


greater  than  those  with  which  most  men 
are  endowed,  with  a  keen  insight  into  hu- 
man nature,  and  a  strong  love  for  the 
contests  of  the  legal  arena,  he  has  the 
ability  to  command  success  in  cases 
where  others  would  see  only  failure  from 
the  start.  Without  any  of  the  graces  of 
oratory,  he  exercises,  nevertheless,  a 
wonderful  power  over  the  jury,  through 
his  ready  perception  of  their  individual 
characteristics,  enabling  him  to  appeal 
directly  to  their  understanding  and  judg- 
ment, and  the  earnestness  with  which  he 
enters  into  the  case,  carrying  as  it  does 
the  appearance  of  a  settled  conviction  of 
the  justice  ol  his  cause. 

In  a  description  of  Mr.  Copeland's 
phrenological  character,  recently  writ- 
ten out  by  Prof.  O.  S.  Fowler,  that  dis- 
tinguished phrenologist  says:  "  Power\s 
your  predominant  characteristic,  and 
much  greater  than  I  often  find  it.  It  ap- 
pertains to  your  constitution,  intellect, 
will  and  whole  character,  so  that  you 
have  brought  and  will  bring  more  to  pass 
than  any  one  man  in  thousands  who 
started  evenly  with  you.  This  comes 
from  the  predominance  of  your  muscu- 
lar system,  whieh  renders  your  mental 
operations  remarkably  virile  and  effec- 
tive,  to  which  you  superadd  great  mem- 
ory, especially  of  facts,  faces  and  places. 
Are  pre-eminently  adapted  to  the  study 
and  practice  of  law.  Can  be  a  public 
man  and  leader.  Are  remarkable  for 
looking  right  into  and  through  things  at 
a  glance,  and  particularly  sagacious  in 
spelling  out  men." 

As  has  been  stated,  Mr.  Copeland  has 
a  large  practice  at  the  Strafford  County 
bar,  being  engaged,  upon  one  side  or  the 
other,  in  a  great  proportion  of  all  the 
cases  coming  to  trial  in  the  county.  In 
Carroll  County,  also,  he  has  been  exten- 
sively engaged,  having  been  retained  in 
most  of  the  important  cases  tried  there 
for  several  years  past,  prominent  among 
which  was  the  famous  Buzzell  murder 
case,  wherein  he  secured  the  acquital  of 
the  respondent  upon    his  first  trial,   in 


May,  1875,  though  he  was  subsequently 
tried  and  convicted  of  the  statutory 
crime  of  "hiring  and  procuring"  the 
murder.  In  the  management  of  this  case, 
especially  at  the  first  trial,  Mr.  Copeland 
displayed  his  remarkable  powers  to  the 
best  possible  advantage,  manifesting  a 
force  of  character,  command  of  resources 
and  influence  over  men  seldom  shown. 
His  services  have  also  been  called  into 
requisition  at  the  Rockingham  and  Bel- 
knap County  courts,  while  his  practice 
in  Maine  even  exceeds  that  in  this  State. 
As  few  men  are  able  to  accomplish  as 
much  professional  labor  as  Mr.  Cope- 
land, there  are  few  who  receive  so  large 
an  income  therelrom — certainly  not  more 
than  one  or  two  in  this  State— and  should 
he  continue  to  devote  himself  exclusive- 
ly to  his  profession  for  the  next  ten 
years,  he  will  have  gained  not  only  a  re- 
markable reputation  for  professional  suc- 
cess, but  material  wealth  fully  commen- 
surate therewith. 

Mr.  Copeland  married,  in  March,  1862, 
Miss  Ellen  L.  Wade,  youngest  daughter 
of  Loring  and  Sarah  (Foster)  Wade,  for- 
merly of  Machias.  Maine,  and  a  grand- 
daughter of  Col.  Benjamin  Foster,  Jr.. 
of  Machias,  prominent  in  the  early  his- 
tory of  that  town.  By  this  union  he  has 
had  three  children,  all  daughters,  two  of 
whom  are  living— Mabelle.  born  April 
10,  1864,  and  Kate,  January  13,  1867. 
His  home  is  one  of  the  finest  and  most 
elegant  residences  in  that  section,  the 
abode  of  comfort  and  domestic  enjoy- 
ment, and  his  few  leisure  hours,  here 
passed,  are  not  without  their  happy  in- 
fluence upon  his  busy  and  earnest  life. 

In  politics  he  has  always  been  a  Re- 
publican, but  has  never  held  office,  or 
engaged  in  political  life  beyond  the  man- 
ifestation of  decided  opposition  to  what 
is  generally  known  as  the  '■  machine"  in 
party  management,  until  during  the  re- 
cent campaign  in  Maine,  when  he  es- 
poused the  cause  of  the  new  National 
Greenback  party,  and  made  several  ef- 
fective speeches  upon  the  stump. 


68 


A  DAY  AT  OLD  KITTERY 


A  BAT  AT  OLD  KITTERY. 


BY   FRED  MYRON   COLBY. 


Two  distinct  and  breathing  worlds  lie 
open    for  the    sojourner   in  this  fleeting 
life;  the  world  of  the  present  and  the 
world  of  the  past.    Those  who  love  the 
present  derive  most  enjoyment  in  visiting- 
great  cities  and  centres  of  fashion,  pic- 
ture   galleries,    and    splendid    libraries. 
They  are  enraptured  by  the  pageantry 
and    grandeur    of  imperial    palaces,  the 
giitter  and  show  of  courtly  ceremonies, 
and  all  the  gay  dissipations  of  fashiona- 
ble life.     The  devotees  of  the  pust  prefer 
racher  to   dream  away  the   hours   on  the 
spot  where  great   meu  fought  for  a  wor- 
thy cause,    or  linger    among   the  ruined 
halls  of  greatness.    The  eloquent  voices 
of  enother  age,  though   only  in  imagina- 
tion, speak   greater  truths  to  them  than 
the  loudest  ntterances  of  the  present. 

To  those  who  possess  this  secset,  Kit- 
tery Point,  in  Maine,  possesses  many 
points  of  deep  interest.  Whittier,  in  his 
sweet  verse,  has  often  mentionrd  some  of 
them,  yet  the  traveller  has  to  carefully 
seek  for  them,  for  like  Hamlet,  they 
dread  to  be  "  too  much  i'  the  sun."  Once 
found,  however,  and  they  reward  the  ex- 
plorer with  suggestive  and  noble  pictures 
of  the  past.  In  an  article  like  this,  too 
little  space  is  granted  for  more  than  a 
brief  mention  of  its  chief  attractions. 

Kittery  lies'  opposite  to  Portsmouth, 
the  Piscataqua  river  flowing  between, 
and  the  visitor  to  the  latter  place  usually 
visits  the  former.  You  cross  by  a  long 
bridge  set  upon  piles,  where  the  water  is 
more  than  thirty  feet  deep.  On  either 
hand  lies  the  loveliest  scenery  in  New 
Hampshire.  Blue  as  the  interior  of  a 
hare-bell  the  broad,  romantic  river,  sanc- 
tified by  John  Smiths  wanderings  and 
Whittier's  lays,  flows  southward  to  the 
sea,  which  you  can  discern  in  the  dis- 
tance through  the  soft  violet  haze.  Be- 
hind you  lies  Portsmouth,  its  spires  ris- 
ing in  the  air ;  old  Fort  Constitution  tow- 


ers at  your  right,  seaward  are  White  Isl- 
and, Boar  Island,  Great  Island,  and 
Whale's  Back,  the  whole  coast  clothed 
with  villages  as  far  as  the  eye  can  reach. 
Fronting  you  is  the  famous  navy  yard, 
with  its  arsenals  and  its  shop-houses.  A 
long  undulating  highway  runs  in  a  sinu- 
ous line  before  the  eye,  hedged  in  by 
green  orchards  and  clustering  farm-hou- 
ses, reminding  the  English  traveller  of 
those  emerald  lanes  that  lead  down  into 
Kent  and  Sussex.  Three  miles  on  you 
view  a  little  hamlet,  the  spire  of  a  small 
church  rising  above  the  roofs,  and  near- 
er you  behold  mouldering  old  docks  upon 
which  boys  sit  with  their  feet  over  the 
water,  fishing.  Groups  of  sail  boats  and 
fishing  schooners  ride  in  the  harbor, 
their  broad  white  sails  flapping  listlessly 
in  the  breeze.  This  is  the  outline  of  the 
scene  that  is  spread  before  you. 

There  is  a  suggestion  of  the  antique, 
and  of  quiet  decay  in  the  general  aspect 
of  the  town.  The  stranger  is  reminded 
by  a  hundred  evidences  that  he  is  look- 
ing upon  the  seat  of  past  prosperity  and 
vanished  splendor.  Distinct  and  widely 
separated  indeed  is  the  present  with  its 
quiet,  half  mournful  life,  and  that  famous 
past  when  Kittery  was  a  commercial  and 
social  centre,  when  the  activity  of  trade 
made  it  a  new  world  Tyre,  and  ships 
sailed  from  its  decks  to  India  and  the 
Southern  seas — ships  that  circumnaviga- 
ted the  globe. 

On  the  whole  Atlantic  coast  there  is  no 
better  harbor  than  that  afforded  by  the 
widening  of  the  Piscataqua  below  Ports- 
mouth and  Kittery,  and  in  the  colonial 
period  it  was  a  great  channel  of  com- 
merce. At  Kittery  and  Portsmouth  were 
mercantile  centres  which  vied  with  Sa- 
lem and  Boston,  Newport  and  New  York. 
Some  of  their  merchants  had  a  hundred 
veesels  at  their  command,  engaged  in 
commerce  and  fisheries,  and  largh  trad 


A  DAY  AT  OLD  KITTERY 


69 


ing  parties  were  ever  coming  in  on  land 
from  the    lands  of  the    Abenequis,   the 
Coos,  and  the  St.  Francis.     Gay  and  ro- 
mantic must  have  been  those  expeditions 
into  the  summer  forest;  the  encounters 
with  Indians,   half-breeds  and  squaws ; 
the  wild  adventures,  and   the  return  to 
the  populous   towns.     Those   were  the 
golden  days  of  Portsmouth  and  Battery. 
It  is  delightful  to  lounge  about  the  old 
worm-eaten  wharves  on  the  sunny  after- 
noons.    There    is  a    fascinating    air    of 
dreams    and    idleness    about  the    place 
which  is  very  soothing.    Very  little  busi- 
ness   is     transacted    here     now-a-days. 
Three  or    four  barges    laden   with  coal, 
and  a  few  schooners  bearing  the  valuable 
produce   of  the  Maine  forests,  with  here 
and    there  a    fishing  smack,   constitutes 
about  the  whole  of  its  commercial  pros- 
perity.    In  the  great  nany  yard  there  is 
comparative  quiet.     Only  now   and  then 
is  there  a  vessel  launched  from  the  stocks. 
It  is  only  by  a  great  effort  that  you  can 
imagine    all  the    past  glory  of  the    old 
maritime  town — its  merchants  as  rich  as 
princes  and  almost  as  powerful,  its  large, 
noisy   ship-yards,   its  huge  warehouses 
stocked  with  merchandise  jrom  all  parts 
of  the  world,  its  numerous  fleets  going 
and  coming  to  and  from  China,  the   In- 
dies, and  the  Mediterranean. 

Before  leaving  the  river  side  we  must 
say  a  few  more  words  about  the  navy 
yard.  It  contains  an  area  of  nearly  six- 
ty-five acres.  Permanent  gray  walls  of 
dimension  split  granite  enclose  it  on  all 
sides.  There  is  every  convenience  and 
facility  for  constructing  the  largest  class 
of  government  ships.  The  water  at  the 
wharves  is  of  sufficient  depth  to  float  the 
largest  man-of-war  at  the  lowest  tide. 
Three  large  ship-houses,  seven  large  tim- 
ber sheds,  a  mast  house,  and  a  rigging 
house,  machine  shops,  and  wood  shops 
on  the  most  extensive  and  improved 
plans  pertain  to  the  yard.  There  is  a 
floating  dry-dock  for  the  repair  of  ships, 
which  cost  nearly  a  million  of  dollars. 
It  is  three  hundred  and  fifty  feet  in 
length,  one  hundred  and  fifteen  in  width, 
and  thirty-eight  feet  in  height.  The 
quarters  for  officers  and  men  are  not  ex- 
celled by  those  of  any  naval  station  in 
the    country.     Some    over  five  hundred 


hands  are  usually  employed  in  the  yard. 
As  pe  pass  up-town,   through  the  his- 
torically famous  streets,  we  have  time  to 
more  leisurely  notice  the  architecture  of 
the  buildings.    Most   of  the  houses  are 
modern,   but  among  them  are  now  and 
then  seen  a  more  ancient  type  of  dwell- 
ing— relics  of  the  revolutionary  epoch. 
Their  quaint,  small  paned  windows,  am- 
ple door  porches,  glittering  brass  knock- 
ers, and  enormous  chimneys  are  at  once 
old    fashioned    and    suggestive.       One 
could,   gazing  at  these  antique  houses, 
almost  fancy  that  from  them  would  issue 
gentlemen  of  colonial  days,   dressed  in 
knee  breeches,  silken  stockings,    plum 
colored  coats,    cocked  hats,   and   silver 
buckles.     Every  one  of  these  houses  has 
its  treasere  of  tradition,   and  if  allowed 
io  speak  could  tell  rare  tales  of  auld  lang 
syne.     There  is  one  great  mansion  which 
we  cannot  summarily  dismiss  with  a  pass- 
ing notice,   for  though   curtailed   some- 
what of  its  fair  proportions,  it  is  still  the 
object  of  frequent  pilgrimages  toKittery 
Point.     We    refer  to    the  old  Pepperell 
House,    built    one    hundred  and   ninety 
years  ago,  which  has  seen  more  of  splen- 
dor and  sheltered  more  famous  individu- 
als than  any  other  private  residence  en 
this  side  of  the  sea. 

The  house  was  built  by  the  first  Wil- 
liam Pepperell,   the  great   merchant  and 
ship-builder  of  his  time.     He  accumulat- 
ed vast  wealth  by  trade,  and  his  mansion 
reflected  the  boundlessness  of  his  means. 
Grand  as  any  old  English  castle,  it  stood 
looking  aut  to  sea,  girt  by  a  great  park 
where  droves  of  deer  sported.     His  son, 
the  famous  Sir  William   Pepperell,    en- 
larged and  adorned  it  at  the  time  of  his 
marriage  in  1734.     This  Lord  Pepperell, 
the  only  American  baronet  after  Sir  Wil- 
liam Phipps,  was  a  remarkable  man.  He 
was  the  richest  merchant  in  the  colonies, 
and   had  at  times  two  hundred  ship  at 
sea.     His  success  at  Louisburg  proved 
him  a  skillful  general,  and   his  political 
influence  was  second  to  that  of  no  man's 
in  ihe  oolonies.     The  style  he  lived  in  re- 
called  the  Feudal    magnificence  of  the 
great  barons.     The  walls  of  his    great 
mansion    were  adorned   with  rich  carv- 
ings, splendid  mirrors,  and   costly  paint- 
ings.    In  his  side-board  glittered  heavy 


70 


A  DAY  AT  OLD  KITTERY. 


silver  plate  and  rare  old  China.  Wine  a 
hundred  years  old  from  the  delicate,  spi- 
cy brands  of  Rhineland  to  the  fiery  Tus- 
can, was  in  his  cellars.  He  kept  a  coach 
with  six  white  horses.  A  retinue  of 
slaves  and  hired  menials  looked  to  hiui  as 
their  lord,  and  he  had  a  barge  upon  the 
river,  in  which  he  was  rowed  by  a  crew 
of  Africans  m  gaudy  uniforms.  The  on- 
ly man  in  all  the  colonies  worth  two 
hundred  thousand  pounds  sterling,  reign- 
ing grandly  over  grand  estates,  for,  like 
an  English  peer,  he  might  have  travelled 
all  day  long  upon  his  own  lands,  sove- 
reign lord,  in  fact,  if  not  in  name,  of 
more  than  five  hundred  thousand  acres — 
timber,  plain  and  valley,  in  New  Hamp- 
shire and  Maine — Sir  William  Pepperell 
could  do  this  and  yet  not  live  beyond  his 
means. 

The  memory  of  all  this  baronial  mag- 
nificence fills  the  mind  as  you  stand  be- 
fore the  old  mansion  where  he  lived,  or 
at  the  Knight's  tomb  in  the  orchard 
across  the  road,  a  few  hundred  yards 
from  the  goodly  residence  that  he  built. 
Faded  is  the  escutcheon  on  the  marble 
tombstone.  pcurtailed  of  its  fair  propor- 
tions, and  sadly  decayed  is  the  grand  old 
mansion,  but  they  recall  visions  of  splen- 
dor still.  The  house  looks  down  from  its 
three  story  grandeur  with  scorn  upon  its 
humble  and  more  modern  neighbors,  and 
well  it  may.  Its  experiences  have  been 
unique.  British  Admirals,  belted  Earls, 
grave  statesmen,  and  the  noblest  chivalry 
of  the  old  and  the  new  world  have  abode 
under  its  roof.  Its  master  was  one  of 
the  most  brilliant  personages  of  his  gen- 
eration :  and  although  the  famous  men 
who  came  after  him,  Langdon,  Washing- 
ton, Adams,  Franklin  and  Livingston, 
with  many  others — figured  in  greater 
ovents,  still  the  name  and  memory  of  Sir 
William  Pepperell  are  well  nigh  as  fa- 
mous as  those  of  the  Dii  majous  of  our 
history. 

Half  a  mile  to  the  West  is  another  fa- 
mous old  mansion,  the  Sparhawk  House, 
built  by  Lord  Pepperell  in  1741,  for  his 
daughter,  who  married  Col.  Sparhawk. 
This  structure  is  in  better  repair  than  the 
other,  and  is  one  of  the  stateliest  houses 
of  that  age  in  America.  Its  great  parlor 
is  thirty  by  twenty  feet,  and  very  high 


posted.  The  other  rooms  are  smaller 
but  stately.  The  orginal  paper  remains 
on  the  walls  of  the  wide  hall,  as  do  the 
deer  antlers  above  the  doors.  The  ob- 
servatory upon  the  roof  affords  a  fine 
view  of  the  surrounding  country.  A  no- 
ble avenue  of  elms,  a  quarter  of  a  mile 
in  length,  formerly  led  from  the  street  to 
the  door.  The  trees  were  about  one  rod 
apart.  The  perspective  effect  of  this 
grand  avenue  must  have  been  peculiarly 
graceful  and  impressive.  Some  vandal 
,  cut  down  the  trees  twenty-five  years  ago. 
But  no  one  can  destroy  the  beauty  of  the 
noble  site  on  which  the  mansion  stands. 
James  T.  Fields  has  lately  endeavored, 
among  others,  to  purchase  it  for  a  sum- 
mer residence. 

We  pass  from  the  atmosphere  of  these 
ancient  structures  once  more  into  the 
light  and  life  of  the  sea-port  town.  A 
change  has  taken  place  during  eur  ab- 
sence among  the  memories  of  the  past. 
For  the  first  time,  Ave  are  reminded  of 
the  fact  that  Kittery  has  claims  as  a  pop- 
ular summer  resort.  Yes,  the  old  town 
has  Rip  Van  Winkled  into  life  again,  ac- 
quiring fresh  fame  in  its  new  dignity.  It 
is  now  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  and 
the  quaint  streets  have  become  a  sort  of 
Hyde  Park.  Fxuestrians  and  carriages 
dash  thither  and  hither,  making  a  pleas- 
ant and  brilliant  promenade.  The  friends 
who  breakfasted  togethe.r  a  few  hours  be- 
fore, have  now  the  satisfaction  to  bow  to 
each  other  from  barouches  or  from  the 
saddle.  The  lovely  ladies  who  wore 
bowling  costumes  this  morning,  wear 
driving  costumes  this  afternoon,  and  to- 
night they  will  flaunt  gaudy  ball-room 
attire.  How  they  smile  and  bow !  How 
the  ribbons  flutter  and  the  gloves  glitter ! 
The  air  is  soft  and  mild.  The  music  from 
a  brass  band  chimes  pleasantly  on  the 
ear.  Over  all  shines  the  warm  sun,  from 
a  spotless  sky. 

But  all  this  bustle  and  gaiety  and  splen- 
dor is  far  apart  from  the  life  of  the  town. 
It  preserves  its  indomitable  repose  des- 
pite the  fury  of  the  brief  summer  episode 
of  excitement  around  it  with  a  smile  of 
scorn  as  it  were.  For  one  short  month 
the  saturnalia  of  fashion  reels  along  its 
wide  beach,  and  holds  high  festival  in 
the  very  heart  of  its  quaintness,  but  dur- 


TRAVELING  ACCOMMODATIONS  IN  HOPKINTON. 


71 


ing  the  rest  of  the  year  the  old  town  do- 
zes silently  upon  the  water  and  dreams 
of  its  great  days  departed. 

The  last  spot  we  visited  was  the  an- 
cient grave-yard, — a  fitting  finale  of  this 
brief  sojourn.  As  the  grave  closes  the 
mortal  career  of  man,  so  we  chose  that 
this  cemetery  should  be  the  end  of  this 
day's  scene  of  active,  varied,  picturesque 
transitions.  Verily  a  good  place  to  for- 
get the  vanities  of  this  life.  The  old 
grave-yard  itself  is  dead.  Pomp,  pride, 
ambition,  and  even  grief  itself  are  all  at 
an  end.  Black  slate  headstones  and  the 
costlier  maible  monument,  stand  in  a  ru- 
inous state  side  by  side.  Noble  dust 
slumbers  beneath  the  sod,  and  once  in  a 
while  we  can  decipher  an  ancient  crest 
or  the  name  of  some  colonial  magnate. 

"  History  numbers  here 
Some  names  and  scenes  to  long  remembrance 

dear, 
And  summer  verdure  clothes  the  lonely  breast, 
Of  the  small  hillock  where  our  fathei-s  rest. 


Theirs  was  the  dauntless  heart,  the  hand,  the 

voice, 
That  bade  the  desert  blossom  and  rejoice." 

We  wish  we  could  have  lingered  long- 
er within  its  sacred  precincts.  It  is  good 
for  man  sometimes  to  forget  the  things 
of  this  life,  and  to  realize  the  common 
fate  of  all  mankind.  And  these  old  cem- 
eteries have  charms  yf  their  own.  Both 
the  ethical  and  the  historical  faculties  are 
aroused  as  well  as  the  spiritual  in  the 
contemplation  of  such  burying-grounds. 
Among  all  our  old  cities  places  of  similar 
historic  interest  are  found.  Translate 
these  localities  north  of  the  White  Mount- 
ains and  how  many  annual  pilgrimages 
they  would  receive.  So  long  as  they  re- 
main within  a  pleasant  foot  ramble  they 
are  rarely  visited,  but  if  the  circumstanc 
transpired  that  we  suggested,  those  local- 
ities would  be  designated  by  some  endur- 
ing monument,  and  a  pebble  from  the  soil 
would  be  treasured  as  a  mantel  curiosity. 


TRAVELING  ACCOMMODATIONS  IN  HOPKINTON. 


BY  C.   C.   LORD. 


HIGHWAYS. 

Roads  are  generally  constructed  in  ful- 
filment of  the  immediate  wants  of  the 
existing  community.  The  first  roads  in 
Hopkinton  were  laid  out  to  suit  the  then 
present  condition  of  things.  One  of  the 
earliest  acts  of  the  proprietors  was  to 
take  measures  for  establishing  needed 
roads.  On  the  14th  of  February,  1737,  a 
a  vote  was  passed  appropriating  twenty 
pounds  for  clearing  a  road  from  Rum- 
ford  (now  Concord)  to  the  centre  of  the 
new  township,  and  to  be  used  in  con- 
structing roads  north  and  south  to  the 
extent  the  appropriation  would  allow. 
On  the  13th  of  May  it  was  enacted  that 
the  money  appropriated  for  clearing 
roads  be  collected  by  the  first  of  July. 
On  the  20th  of  December  a  sum  of  forty- 
four  pounds,  accumulated  in  the  treas- 
ury, was  appropriated  for  the  clearing 
of  the  road  to  Rumford.     Dea.   Henry 


Mellen,  Daniel  Claflin,  John  Jones  and 
John  Brewer  were  made  a  committee  to 
confer  with  the  selectmen  of  Rumford 
in  reference  to  the  proposed  road.  On 
March  29,  1738,  it  was  voted  that  the 
money  granted  to  clear  the  road  should 
be  assessed  in  the  following  May,  show- 
ing that  a  previous  vote  to  collect  had 
not  as  yet  been  fulfilled.  One  the  30th 
of  September  of  the  same  year,  it  was 
voted  that  a  road  be  constructed  from 
Rumford  line  to  the  meeting-house  spot  or 
place;  also  from  Meeting-House  Hill 
west  to  Contoocook  river ;  also  a  road 
on  the  east  side,  to  accommodate  lots; 
also  from  the  meeting-house  place  to  the 
Great  Meadow,  so  called ;  and  from  the 
meeting-house  to  the  township  north. 

The  first  roads  were  merely  paths 
traced  through  the  native  wilderness. 
As  population  and  occupation  increased, 
fences  and  walls    became    in    demand. 


72 


TRAVELING  ACCOMMODATION'S  IN"  HOPKINTON. 


Roads  and  attendant  accommodations 
were  multiplied  with  the  growth  of  the 
local  settlement.  On  May  12,  1766,  it 
was  voted  to  build  a  boat  in  the  Con- 
toocook  river,  said  boat  to  be  as  large  as 
Deacon  Merrill's  boat  in  Concord,  for  the 
accommodation  of  people  passing  be- 
tween Hopkinton  and  New  Auiesbury 
(now  Warner).  On  March  2,  1772,  a 
vote  was  passed  appropriating  thirty 
pounds  in  labor  for  the  construction  of 
a  bridge  across  the  Contoocook. 

The  increasing  need  of  facile  inter- 
communication between  more  distant  lo- 
calities at  length  led  to  the  establish- 
ment of  better  public  thoroughfares.  In 
1805  the  present  communication  between 
the  two  villages  was  established,  by 
building  the  road  from  Putney's  Hill  to 
the  meeting-house,  relieving  people  of 
the  necessity  of  climbing  the  southern 
brow  of  the  hill  or  taking  the  easterly 
route  leaving  the  lower  village  just  north 
of  the  blacksmith  shop  of  Horace  Ed- 
munds, and  thence  running  to  a  point 
just  west  of  the  house  of  S.  B.  Gage, 
where  it  connected  with  the  present 
highway  at  this  spot.  In  1815  the  road 
known  as  the  "turnpike"  was  con- 
structed. It  was  a  main  line  to  Con- 
cord, avoiding  the  toilsome  Dimond  Hill 
road  on  the  east.  In  1827  the  so-called 
"■new  road"  from  Hopkinton  village  to 
Dunbarton  was  built.  This  was  to  ac- 
commodate a  public  stage  route  between 
Boston  and  Hanover,  which,  south  of 
Hopkintontooka  westerly  direction.  The 
well  known  Basset  Mill  road  was  con- 
structed in  1836.  The  so-called  "  new 
road"  to  Concord  was  built  about  1841. 
This  was  also  in  accommodation  of  a 
stage  route  between  Hopkinton  and  Con- 
cord and  more  distant  points. 

HOTELS. 

Among  the  first  taverners  in  Hopkin- 
ton were  Benjamin  Wigginand  Theophi- 
lis  Stanley.  Several  persons  quite  early 
were  engaged  in  hotel  keeping  on  the 
site  of  the  old  Perkins  House.  The  most 
notable  of  these  earliest  landlords  was 
Mr.  Wiggin,  who  was  justice,  postmas- 
ter and  trader  also.  He  came  to  this 
town  from  Stratham,  N.  H.,  and  became 
established  as  a  landlord  as  early  as  1774, 
which  date  was  inscribed   upon  his  old- 


fashioned  swinging  sign-board,  one-half 
in  each  upper  corner.  On  the  bottom  of 
this  sign-board  was  the  significant  an- 
nouncement, "  Entertainment  by  B.  W." 
This  sign-board  also  bore  a  painted  rep- 
resentation of  a  man  on  horseback  fol- 
lowed by  two  dogs.  Never  were  worse 
proportions  delineated.  The  man's  waist 
was  shrunk  up  to  comparative  nothing- 
ness, while  his  lower  extremities  en- 
larged into  feet  of  enormous  proportions. 
Benjamin  Wiggin's  hotel  is  still  stand- 
ing, being  the  house  next  westerly  to  the 
Episcopal  Church.  In  front  of  this  situ- 
ation the  Rev.  Mr.  Cram,  the  third  min- 
ister in  town,  was  ordained  out  of  doors 
in  the  month  of  February.  A  reception 
was  given  to  General  Lafayette  in  the 
same  place,  on  his  visit  to  this  country  in 
1824.  Mr.  Wiggin  died  in  1822.  He  was 
a  man  of  much  public  spirit  and  social 
generosity.  After  his  death  the  tavern 
stand  was  sold  to  Benjamin  Greenleaf  of 
Salisbury,  N.  H.  Subsequently  it  has 
passed  through  various  hands. 

Capt.  Birnsley  Perkins'  tavern  was  for 
many  years  a  hotel  par  excellence.  It 
was  the  grand  hotel  of  all  this  region. 
It  stood  on  the  site  of  the  late  remodeled 
"  Perkins  House."  In  the  days  of  its 
highest  prosperity  there  were  three  lines 
of  stages  passing  through  the  town. 
Hopkinton  was  then  one  of  the  shire 
towns  of  old  Hillsborough  county,  and 
for  a  time  the  capital  of  the  State.  Here 
came  the  old  legislators — John  Langdon, 
John  Sullivan,  Daniel  and  Ezekiel  Web- 
ster, and  a  host  of  others.  Great  times 
were  seen  here  on  public  days.  The  best 
fare  was  always  to  be  had.  Although 
Capt.  Perkins  was  the  most  noted  ruler 
of  this  house,  he  was.  not.  its  first  land- 
lord. Public  house  was  kept  here  by 
several  persons  previous  to  him.  It  is 
not  definitely  known  to  us  when  the 
tavern  was  erected,  but  once  a  piece  of 
plaster  fell  from  a  wall,  reveling  the 
date  1786  on  the  lathing.  When  the  old 
meeting  house  was  burned  in  1789,  it 
was  kept  by  a  Mr.  Babson.  Subsequent 
to  the  burning  a  town  meeting  was  called 
at  this  tavern,  and  the  gathering  being 
large,  it  was  adjourned  '•  to  Mr.  Babson's 
barn  yard,"  where  important  business 
was    transacted.    Being    the    principal 


TRAVELING  ACCOMMODATIONS  IN  HOPKINTON. 


73 


public  house  in  this  part  of  the  town, 
and  the  natural  resort  of  most  all  trav- 
eling characters  and  enterprises,  its 
patronage  was  of  an  incongruous  nature, 
including  statesmen,  lawyers,  transient 
travelers,  teamsters,  show-men.  etc. 
Captain  Perkins  opened  this  house  in 
1811,  was  landlord  about  forty  years,  and 
died  on  the  premises  in  1856. 

For  many  years  this  ancient  house 
was  closed  to  the  public.  The  innova- 
tion of  railroads  turned  the  course  of 
travel  •  and  shut  off  patronage.  But 
times  revived  a  few  years  ago,  when  the 
"Perkins  House"  passed  under  the  man- 
agement of  Mr.  D.  B.  Story,  who  kept  it 
open  until  its  destruction  by  fire  in  Octo- 
ber 1872.  During  Mr.  Story's  conduct  of 
the  establishment,  it  underwent  impor- 
tant repairs  and  was  largely  patronized 
by  summer  boarders.  It  was  also  a  re- 
sort for  winter  sleighing  and  dancing 
parties  from  Concord.  Its  loss  was  a 
great  misfortune,  both  on  account  of  its 
historic  memories  and  business  advan- 
tages. 

Elder  Joseph  Putney's  tavern  stood  on 
the  highest  point  of  road  between  the 
two  villages  in  town,  on  the  site  now  oc- 
cupied by  the  house  of  Mr.  Charles  Put- 
nam. It  was  part  of  a  large  farming  es- 
tablishment and  was  patronized  by  the 
more  lowly  among  travelers.  To  obtain 
a  clearer  idea  of  life  in  a  public  accom- 
modation like  Elder  Putney's  we  must 
understand  a  feature  of  ancient  travel 
which  was  more  or  less  exhibited  in  or 
round  all  country  inns.  In  the  olden 
time  all  freight  was  of  course  carried 
through  the  country  on  wheels  and  run- 
ners and  in  many  instances  by  the  own- 
ers themselves.  Teamsters  were  often 
inclined  to  indulge  only  the  most  econo- 
mical fare.  When  teams  large  and  small 
put  up  for  the  night,  the  drivers  often 
brought  their  own  provisions,  thereby 
saving  all  expenditures  except  for  lodg- 
ings, grog  and  hay.  It  was  a  pictur- 
esque sight  when  a  large  company  of 
travelers  gathered  around  the  open  fire, 
and  refreshed  themselves  each  from  his 
own  box  of  edibles.  Elder  Putney  was 
particularly  hospitable  to  his  guests,  al- 
ways furnishing  them  with  plenty  of 
cider  for  nothing.    His  supply  of  winter 


apples  was  just  as  free.  The  average 
patronage  of  a  house  like  Elder  Put- 
ney's would  surprise  the  modern  enquir- 
er. The  number  of  horses  and  men  requir- 
ed to  transport  freights  was  large,  and  the 
accumulation  of  small  teams  swelled  the 
road  travel  immensely.  Mr.  Putney  was 
a  man  of  remarkable  generosity  and  in- 
tegrity. His  temperament  was  strongly 
religious,  impelling  him  to  officiate  pub- 
licly in  the  school  house  close  to  his 
home.  From  this  fact  it  is  probable  he 
received  the  universal  title  of  "Elder." 
Upon  the  death  of  his  wife  he  abandon- 
ed public  hospitalities.  He  died  Sept.  20, 
1846.  aged  93.  He  was  a  soldier  of  the 
Revolution. 

The  first  public  house  in  Contoocook 
stood  on  the  site  of  Curtis  &  Stevens's 
present  store,  which  is  a  part  of  the  ori- 
ginal structure,  since  remodeled.  At 
first  there  was  a  plain,  one-storied,  un- 
gainly building;  opened  to  the  public  by 
Daniel  Page.  When  the  later  Central 
House  was  first  projected  the  idea  of  the 
necessity  of  competition  first  entered  in- 
to the  mind  of  the  proprietor  of  the  old 
hotel,  and  an  extra  story  was  added. 
Not  far  from  this  time  Mr.  Page  sold  out 
the  stand  to  his  sister  Susan,  afterwards 
the  wife  of  Simeon  Tyler,  who  lived  in 
the  district  known  as  Tyler's  Bridge. 
Miss  Page  was  sadly  unfortunate  in  the 
ultimate  of  her  proprietorship.  She  sold 
the  house  for  railroad  stock  and  lost  it 
all.  The  stand  ceased  to  be  open  to  the 
public  about  the  year  1834. 

The  second  hotel  built  in  this  village 
was  erected  in  the  autumn  of  the  year 
1831,  by  Messrs.  Sleeper  &  Wheeler. 
Both  landlords  were  young  men.  The 
enterprise  did  not  flourish  in  their  hands, 
and  in  about  a  year  the  property  went 
into  the  hands  of  Mr.  Herrrick  Putnam, 
who  kept  the  doors  open  for  about  a 
dozen  years.  Mr.  Putnam  was  followed 
by  Mr.  Rufus  Fuller,  of  Bradford,  who 
conducted  the  establishment  till  about 
twelve  years  later,  when  he  died.  For 
years  the  place  was  kept  by  Henry 
Fuller,  son  of  Rufus,  and  afterwards  by 
Mr.  Walcot  Blodget,  son-in  law  of  the 
older  Mr.  Fuller.  It  changed  hands 
frequently  till  1872  when  it  fell  into  the 
possession  of   Col.    E.   C.  Bailey,   who 


74 


TRAVELING  ACCOMMODATIONS  IN  HOPKINTON. 


kept  it  open  till  1878,  when  he  tore  it 
down  and  erected  just  east  of 
it  the  present  hotel. 

The  Putney  House  in  Hopkinton  vil 
lage  was  built  to  supply  the  place  of  the 
Perkins  House,  burnt  in  1872.  In  the 
summer  of  that  year  Mr.  Geo.  G.  Bailey 
determined  to  make  Hopkinton  village 
a  place  of  residence,  bought  the  old 
Isaac  Long  place  and  fitted  it  up  for  the 
convenience  of  his  family  during  the  hot 
months.  A  year  or  two  after,  he  pur- 
chased the  old  Dr.  Wells  house,  adjoin- 
ing the  Long  place,  moved  it  back,  es- 
tablished connection  between  the  two, 
and  made  the  present  Putney  House,  a 
nice  and  convenient  hotel  in  a  pleasant 
shady  spot.  The  structure  includes  two 
stories  with  a  Mansard  roof.  The  com- 
plete establishment  has  a  front  exten- 
sion of  125  feet  and  a  rear  one  of  190. 
Since  the  erection  of  this  house  an  ele- 
gant hall,  a  bowling  alley  and  other  ad- 
ditions have  been  constructed. 

The  old  Parker  Pearson  stand  at 
"Stumpfield"  and  French's  Tavern,  now 
burned,  on  the  Basset  Mill  road,  at 
•'Sugar  Hill,"  were  instances  of  smaller 
country  establishments  for  the  accom- 
modation of  the  traveling  public. 

THE  RAILROAD. 

A  little  over  a  quarter  of  a  century 
ago  a  stranger  came  to  Contoocook,  and 
lectured  in  the  small  hall  in  the  rear 
projection  of  the  Contoocook  House,  in 
the  attempt  to  illustrate  the  feasibility  of 
steam  locomotion.  He  had  a  small  en- 
gine, for  which  he  laid  a  narrow  track 
across  the  hall,  and  actually  conveyed 
himself  back  and  forth  to  the  observa- 
tion of  the  interested  audience.  Heads 
were  shaken  when  he  predicted  that  in 
twenty  years  freight  would  be  brought 
to  this  vi  llage  by  steam  power  plying 


the  rails.  Yet  in  less  time  the  prophecy 
became  true.  The  Concord  &  Claremont 
Railroad  was  projected;  the  line  passed 
through  Contoocook,  from  which  there 
was  also  a  branch  line  to  Hillsborough 
Bridge.  In  the  early  fall  of  the  year 
1850  the  cars  began  to  run  regularly 
to  this  village.  A  day  of  great  festivity 
was  held.  The  railroad  officials  extend- 
ed the  favor  of  a  free  ride  to  and  from 
the  city  of  Concord.  The  proffered  cour- 
tesy was  accepted  by  a  large  company, 
filling  a  long  train. 

The  people  of  Contoocook  determined 
to  be  liberal  in  furnishing  the  festivities. 
A  subscription  was  raised,  a  public  din- 
ner provided,  music  and  artillery  secur- 
ed. About  one  thousand  persons  sat 
down  to  eat.  The  food  was  set  upon  a 
row  of  tables  at  the  station,  a  shed  hav- 
ing been  erected  for  their  accommoda- 
tion. About  fifteen  members  of  the 
Warner  artillery  came  with  a  gun  and 
music  to  do  the  military  honors.  The 
gun  was  posted  on  the  intervale  on  the 
north  side  of  the  river  just  below  the 
railroad  bridge,  towards  which  spot  a 
signal  was  given  when  to  fire.  Speeches 
were  made,  the  band  played,  the  can- 
non thundered.  It  was  indeed  a  gala 
occasion.  The  pecuniary  expense  of  the 
dinner  eaten  on  this  occasion  amounted 
to  #200. 

Many  citizens  of  Contoocook,  as  well 
as  others  of  the  town,  paid  dearly  for 
their  enthusiasm  and  enjoyment.  Assess- 
ments on  primitive  stock  did  the  work. 
To  get  rid  of  the  personal  liabilities 
many  threw  up  their  whole  interests,  in 
some  instances  amounting  to  thousands 
of  dollars.  Yet  the  public  benefits 
afforded  by  railroad  facilities  have  been 
entirely  incalculable. 


MIRON.''  16 


"  MIRON." 


BY  MISS   CARRIE   A.   SPALDING. 

[This  poem,  written  for  the  occasion,  was  read  at  the  recent  silver  wedding  of  "  Miron,"  (Myron 
J.  Bazeltine),  well  known  in  the  world  of  chess,  at  his  beautiful  home  known  as  "  The  Larches,"  in 
the  town  of  Thornton.  It  was  published  in  a  New  York  paper,  but  is  worthy  of  republication 
in  the  Granite  Monthly.  The  author,  Miss  Spalding  of  Haverhill,  is  a  young  lady  of  fine  liter- 
ary talent,  whose  productions  have  been  much  admired.] 

In  other  realms,  where  kings  and  queens  bear  sway. 
Their  subjects  have  no  will  but  to  obey : 
To  every  mandate,  howsoe'er  unjust, 
They  bow  in  silence — since,  forsooth,  they  must! 
But  lo !  a  change  in  our  progressive  land — 
We  see  a  man  who  can  all  kings  command ; 
Queens  move  submissive  at  his  sovereign  will, 
Or,  as  his  word  directs,  in  turn  stand  still. 

The  moss-grown  castles  far  beyond  the  sea 
For  ages  yet  to  come  unmoved  may  be ; 
The  ivy  clambers  o'er  the  turrets  high, 
The  arches  echo  as  in  years  gone  by ; 
But  this  enchanter  of  the  modern  times 
Brings  back  the  wonders  of  Arabian  climes, 
Takes  up  the  Castles  as  "  a  little  thing," 
And  moves  them  without  aid  from  lamp  or  ring. 
The  knights  of  old,  mounted  on  prancing  steed. 
Who  fearless  sought  each  brave  and  daring  deed. 
Bowed  only  to  the  will  of  lady  fair — 
No  other  ruler  would  they  deign  to  bear ; 
Behold  the  change!  these  craven,  soulless  men 
Retreat,  advance,  and  then  retreat  again ; 
The  lightest  touch,  the  softest,  swiftest  word. 
Holds  them  in  check  as  soon  as  it  is  heard. 

Bishops,  who  in  the  sacred  chancel  stand, 
Arrayed  in  flowing  surplice,  gown  and  band, 
While  at  their  feet  a  kneeling,  prayerful  crowd. 
In  true  devotion,  to  the  earth  is  bowed, 
Aside  their  litany  and  prayer-book  lay — 
One  "  not  in  orders  "  they  at  last  obey ; 
Across  the  checkered  path  they  move  with  speed, 
And  neither  ritual  nor  canon  heed. 

Not  often  do  the  gods  such  power  bestow 

On  common  mortals  in  the  world  below; 

To  hold  at  will,  through  all  its  changing  scenes 

Pawns,  Knights  and  Castles,  Bishops,  Kings  and  Queens. 

But,  lest  this  privilege  should  foster  pride, 

To  share  the  honors  and  the  spoils  divide, 

They  also  sent  a  "  help-meet,"  skilled  no  less 

In  realms  of  poesy  and  fields  of  Chess. 


76 


FOREST  VEGETATION  IN  NEW  HAMPSHIRE. 


And  now,  upon  this  merry,  festal  day, 
The  silver  milestone  of  the  earthward  way, 
I,  too,  would  add  my  wishes  most  sincere, 
For  richer  blessings  in  each  coming  year; 
And  when  the  "  game  of  life ''  at  last  is  done. 
Each  foeman  vanquished  and  each  victory  won, 
May  these  dear  friends,  resigning  earthly  things, 
Be  crowned  with  glory  by  the  "'  King  of  Kings." 


FOREST  VEGETATION  IN  NEW  HAMPSHIRE. 
[From  the  Report  upon  Forrestry,  Department  of  Agriculture,  for  1877.] 


The  whole  State  was  originally  cov- 
ered with  a  dense  forest  growth,  the  prin- 
cipal kinds  of  timber  being  pines, 
spruces,  oaks,  and  hickories,  beech, 
chestnut,  white,  red  and  sugar  maples, 
butternut,  birches,  elm,  white  and  black 
ashes,  basswood,  and  poplars.  A  strik- 
ing contrast  is  shown  in  the  aspect  of 
the  northern  and  southern  portions  of 
the  State,  caused  by  differences  of  tem- 
perature due  to  altitude,  the  transition 
being  gradual,  some  species  becoming 
scarce,  and  finally  disappearing,  while 
others  first  appearing  in  small  numbers 
increase  as  we  go  north  or  south  until 
they  may  become  the  prevailing  kinds. 
A  few  species  occur  throughout  the  en- 
tire State.  A  line  drawn  from  North 
Conway  to  Lake  Winnipiseogee,  and 
from  thence  to  Hanover,  would  some- 
what distinctly  divide  the  northern  from 
the  southern  types.  This  transition  area 
would  be  at  an  elevation  of  about  600 
feet  above"  tide,  corresponding  with  the 
annual  mean  of  45°,  or  of  20p  in  winter 
and  65°  in  the  summer  mouths. 

Among  the  species  characteristic  of  the 
more  southern  type,  which  here  find 
their  northern  limit  may  be  mentioned 
the  chestnut,  white  oak,  spoon-wood  or 
mountain  laurel,  and  frost-grape.  The 
range  of  pines  and  walnuts,  of  white  or 
river  maple,  red  oak  and  hemlock,  is  also 
mainly  southern.  The  more  character- 
istic trees  of  the  northern  class  are  the 
sugar-maple,  beech,  balsam-fir,  black 
and  white  spruce,  and  arbor-vitae,  and  of 
smaller  trees  the  mountain  ash  and  strip- 


ed maple.  Of  these  the  white  spruce  and 
arbor-vitae  have  the  most  limited  range. 
The  former  is  abundant  about  Connecti- 
cut Lake,  but  occurs  rarely,  if  at  all. 
South' of  Colebrook.  The  latter  ( Thuja 
Occidentalis) ,  is  also  common  in  this  sec- 
tion, extending  south  to  the  vicinity  of 
the  White  Mountains,  and  is  also  occa- 
sionally found  in  highland  swamps  far- 
ther south. 

The  pine  family  forms  the  most  impor- 
tant feature  of  the  landscape,  and  has 
been  an  important  source  of  wealth  to 
the  State.  The  white  pine  originally 
filled  all  the  river  valleys  with  a  heavy 
growth,  extending  along  that  of  the  Con- 
necticut to  the  northern  boundary.  ■  This 
growth  has  now  nearly  disappeared  be- 
fore the  lumberman's  ax,  but  the  great 
abundance  of  saplings  in  the  southern 
part  of  the  State  shows  that  this  species 
is  still  the  principal  conifer  of  that  sec- 
tion. Passing  northward  into  Coos  Coun- 
ty, we  find  the  white  pine  much  restricted 
in  area,  occurring  mostly  at  the  headwa- 
ters of  the  streams,  and  mainly  confined 
to  the  first-growth  specimens,  saplings 
being  of  rare  occurrence,  even  where  the 
land  is  allowed  to  return  to  forest  after 
clearing. 

The  pitch  and  red  pines  are  of  more 
limited  range,  the  former  (P.  rigida)  oc- 
curring most  along  the  sandy  plains  and 
drift  knolls  of  the  river  vallevs,  scarcely 
growing  on  hills  that  attain  much  eleva- 
tion above  the  sea  level.  It  is  found 
most  abundantly  in  the  southeastern 
part  of  the  State,  and  in  the  Merrimack 


FOREST  VEGETATION  LN  NEW  HAMPSHIRE. 


77 


Valley  and  around  Lakes  Winnipiseogee 
and  Ossipee,  extending  northward  as  fax- 
as  North  Conway.  In  the  Connecticut 
Valley  it  appears  less  abundantly.  The 
red  pine  (P.  resinosa),  often  called  "  Nor- 
way pine,"  "  is  the  most  social  of  the 
pine  genus. "  occurring  in  groups  of  from 
a  few  individuals  to  groves  containing 
several  acres.  Although  much  iess  com- 
mon, its  range  is  about  the  same  as  that 
of  the  pitch-pine,  probably  attaining  a 
higher  elevation  above  the  sea  level. 
This  species  is  of  handsome  and  rapid 
growth,  and  is  well  worthy  of  being 
planted  for  ornament. 

In  the  White  Mountain  region  the  bal- 
sam-fir and  black  spruce,  growing  to- 
gether in  about  equal  numbers,  give  to 
the  scenery  one  of  its  peculiar  features. 
They  are  the  last  of  the  arborescent  veg- 
etation to  yield  to  the  increased  cold  and 
fierce  winds  of  the  higher  summits. 
North  of  these  mountains,  the  arbor- 
vitae  forms  the  predominant  evergreen, 
mingled  with  the  white  spruce  about 
Connecticut  Lake.  In  the  southern  part 
they  are  mostly  confined  to  the  high- 
lands between  the  Merrimack  and  Con- 
necticut Rivers,  the  black  spruce  being 
most  abundant. 

The  hemlock  is  common  in  the  south- 
ern part  of  the  State,  ranging  most  abun- 
dantly around  the  base  of  the  Rocky 
Mountains,  southward  along  the  high- 
lands, becoming  less  near  the  coast.  Its 
northern  limit  is  in  the  vicinity  of  Cole- 
brook  and  Umbagog  Lake,  reaching  an 
elevation  of  1,200  feet  above  tide. 

The  tamarack  does  not  enter  largely 
into  the  flora  of  New  Hampshire,  being 
chiefly  confined  to  swamps  of  small  ex- 
tent, and  ranges  along  the  highlands 
from  Massachusetts  to  north  of  the 
White  Mountains.  The  red  cedar  is 
chiefly  limited  to  the  sea-shore.  The 
juniper  is  sometimes  troublesome  by 
overspreading  hilly  pastures.  The  Amer- 
ican yew  is  often  present  in  cold-land 
swamps. 

The  maples  are  best  represented  among 
deciduous  trees.  The  river  maple  is  most 
limited  in  range,  being  confined  to  inter- 
vales of  the  principal  streams,  and  rare- 
ly far  away  from  them.  The  red  maple 
is  common  in  all  parts  of  the  State,  and 


the  sugar-maple  is  abundant,  filling  an 
important  part  in  the  economy  of  the 
State,  supplying  both  timber  and  sugar. 
It  is  common  in  most  parts,  but  less  to- 
wards the  sea-coast.  This  with  the  beech 
makes  up  tne  greater  part  of  the  hard 
woods  of  Coos  County.  Southward  the 
beech  is  common  on  high  lands  only, 
often  growing  with  spruce  and  hemlock. 
Four  species  of  birch  are  common,  of 
which  the  black,  yellow  and  canoe  birch- 
es have  about  the  same  range  as  the  red 
maple.  The  canoe  or  paper  birch  grows 
high  up  the  sides  of  mountains.  The 
fourth  and  smallest,  the  white  birch,  is 
most  abundant  in  the  southeast  part  of 
the  State,  affording  the  "  gray-birch 
hoop-poles  "  used  in  the  manufacture  of 
fish-barrels. 

Five  or  six  species  of  oaks  are  found, 
of   which  the    hardiest  is  the  red  oak. 
Although  the  only  species  found  along 
the  water-shed  between  the  Merrimack 
and  Connecticut,  it  does  not  extend  much 
beyond  the  White  Mountains,  having  its 
upper  limit  at  about  1000  feet  above  the 
sea.     The  white  and  yellow  oaks  usually 
appear  together,  on   the  plains  and   hill- 
sides along  the  rivers.     The  former  ex- 
tends northward  in  the  Connecticut  Val- 
ley nearly  to  the  mouth  of  the  Passump- 
sic,  in    the    Merrimack    Valley  to   Ply- 
mouth, and  in  the  eastern  part  of    the 
State  to  the   vicinity  of   Ossipee  Lake. 
Its    limit  in  altitude  is  about    500  feet 
above  the  sea,  which  is  also  very  nearly 
that  of  the  frost-grape.     The  barren  or 
shrub  oak  is  abundant  on  the  pine  plains 
of  the  Lower  Merrimack  Valley,  thence 
extending  eastward  to  the  coast,  and  to 
the  sandy  plains  of   Madison  and  Con- 
way.     The  chestnut    oak  seems  to   be 
local  in  this  State;  at  Amherst  and  West 
Ossipee  it  can  be  found  abundantly. 

The  chestnut  is  found  in  the  same  situ- 
ations as  the  white  oak,  but  the  chestnut 
is  the  first  to  reach  its  limit  of  altitude, 
which  is  about  400  feet  above  the  sea. 
It  occurs  in  a  few  localities  about  Lake 
Winnipiseogee-  at  a  somewhat  greater 
height,  the  neighborhood  of  the  lake  pro- 
ducing less  severity  of  temperature  than 
the  river  valleys  at  the  same  altitude. 

The  American  elm  attains  probably  the 
largest  size  of  any  deciduous  trees.    It 


78 


FOREST  VEGETATION  IN  NEW  HAMPSHIRE. 


grows  best  in  alluvial  soil,  and  is  the 
most  extensively  planted  for  shade  and 
ornament  of  all  trees,  unless,  perhaps, 
the  sugar-maple. 

Butternuts  also  prefer  the  borders  of 
streams,  and  in  the  valley  of  the  Petni- 
gewasset  extend  northward  to  the  base 
of  the  mountains.  Hickories  are  most 
common  in  the  Lower  Merrimack  Val- 
ley, the  shell-bark  extending  northward 
to  the  vicinity  of  Lake  Winnipiseogee. 
Basswood  is  found  mostly  on  the  high- 
lands, but  is  not  very  common.  The 
black  cherry  is  found  throughout  the 
State,  usually  most  common  near 
streams.  Two  species  of  poplar  are  com- 
mon ;  the  first  a  small  tree,  very  common 
in  light  soil,  and  often  springing  in  great 
abundance  where  woodland  has  been 
cleared  away.  The  other,  the  black  pop- 
lar, may  be  a  large  tree. 

The  Hon.  Levi  Bartlett  of  New  Hamp- 
shire has  given  in  the  result  of  his  expe- 
rience, an  interesting  illustration  of  the 
profits  that  might  be  realized  from  tree- 
planting  in  this  State,  covering  a  period 
of  about  fifty  years.  A  tract  had  been 
cleared  and  thoroughly  burned  over  in  a 
very  dry  season,  about  the  year  1800.  It 
immediately  seeded  itself  with  white  and 
Norway  pines,  and  about  twenty-five 
years  after  came  into  his  possession.  He 
at  once  thinned  out  the  growth  on  about 
two  acres,  taking  over  half  of  the  small- 
est trees,  the  fuel  much  more  than  paying 
the  expense  of  clearing  off.  From  that 
time  nothing  was  done  with  the  lot  for 
the  next  twenty-five  years — having  sold 
it,  however,  during  that  time.  Upon  ex- 
amining it  he  found  that,  by  a  careful  es- 
timate, the  lot  which  had  been  thinned 
was  worth  at  least  a  third  more  per  acre 
than  the  rest  which  had  been  left.  It 
was  worth  at  that  time  at  least  $100  an 
acre.  He  thought  that  had  the  land 
been  judiciously  thinned  yearly,  enough 
would  have  been  obtained  to  have  paid 
the  taxes  and  interest  on  the  purchase, 


above  the  cost  of  cutting  and  drawing 
out,  besides  bringing  the  whole  tract  up 
to  the  value  of  the  two  acres  which  had 
been   thinned  out.    At  the  time  when 
this  part  was  thinned  (twenty-five  years 
from  the  seed)  he  took  a  few  of  the  tall- 
est, about  eight  inches  on  the  stump,  and 
forty  to  fifty  feet  high,  and  hewed  on 
one  side  for  rafters  for  a  shed.      At  the 
next    twenty-five  years  (fifty  from  the 
seed)   he  and  the  owner  estimated  that 
the  trees  left  on  the  two  acres  would  av- 
erage six  or  eight  feet  apart.     They  were 
mostly    Norway    pine,    ten     to    twenty 
inches  in  diameter,  and  eighty  to  a  hun- 
dred feet  high.      He    was    greatly  sur- 
prised, seven  or  eight  years  after,  to  see 
the  increase  of  growth,  especially  the 
two  acres   thinned  thirty  years  before. 
The  owner  had  done  nothing,  except  oc- 
casionally cutting   a  few  dead  trees.    It 
was  now  the  opinion  of  both  that   the 
portion  thinned  out  was  worth  twice  as 
much  as  the  other ;   not,  however,  that 
there  was  twice  the  amount  of  wood  on 
the  thinned  portion,  but  from  the  extra 
size  and  length  of  the  trees,  and  their  en- 
hanced value  for  boards,  logs  and  tim- 
ber.    There   were  hundreds  of  Norway 
and  white   pines   that  could  be  hewed 
or  sawed  into  square  timber,  from  forty 
to  fifty  feet  in   length,  suitable  for  the 
frames  of  large  houses,  barns  and  other 
buildings.     There  were  some  dead  trees 
on  the  two  acres  thinned  at  an  early  day, 
but  they  were  only  small  trees  shaded 
out  by  the  large  ones.      On  the  part  left 
to  nature's  thinning  there  was  a  vastly 
greater  number  of  dead  trees — many  of 
them  fallen   and  nearly  worthless.      Of 
the  dead  trees  standing,  cords  might  be 
cut,  well   dried,  and   excellent  for  fuel. 
Estimates  were  made  that  this  woodland 
would  yield  350  cords  of  wood,  or  150,- 
000  feet  of  lumber  per  acre.      Allowing 
that    these    were    too    large,    the    real 
amount  must  have  brought  a  very  large 
profit  on  the  investment. 


A  RHAPSODY  ON  OLD  CLOTHES. 


79 


A  B  HAP  SOD  Y  ON  OLD  CLOTHES. 


AY   LUCIA  MOSES. 


In  these  days  of  aesthetic  raving  over 
everything  old  it  surprises  me  that  old 
clothes  receive  so  little  attention.  I  do 
not  mean  worn  out  garments,  fit  only  for 
the  second-hand  clothing  shop,  the  rag- 
bag or  the  beggar  at  your  door,  but  the 
partially  disused  adornments  and  habits 
that  you  wear  on  rainy  days,  when  you 
know  that  no  callers  can  venture  forth, 
or  that  you  pack  in  your  cedar  chest  as 
being  capable  of  further  use  by  some  fu- 
ture "  making  over."  These  superannu- 
ated servitors  of  a  deposed  queen  of  fash- 
ion are  irresistibly  fascinating  to  me  by 
reason  of  their  garrulity. 

I  am  by  nature  a  quiet  body,  and  by 
stress  of  worldly  circumstances  an  un- 
traveled  one,  but  I  have  my  failings  as 
well  as  the  best,  and  indulge  them  when 
I  can.  My  especial  weakness  is  a  par- 
donable fondness  for  that  sort  of  gossip 
known  as  reminiscences,  and  happily  for 
me  I  learned  long  ago  that  by  bringing 
my  imagination  into  active  play  I  could 
gratify  my  small  whim  without  mental 
labor  or  pecuniary  outlay. 

There  is  a  cedar-lined  closet  and  chest 
I  know  of,  the  contents  of  which  have 
enabled  me  to  travel  from  the  Golden 
Gate  to  "  far  Cathay,"  and  revel  in  op- 
era, balls,  college  life,  and  '■  love's  young 
dream."  I  have  crossed  the  Atlantic  by 
simply  sitting  quietly  before  an  old 
rough  serge  dress.  It  is  rugged  and  tired- 
looking,  for  it  has  made  four  sea  voy- 
ages. As  I  open  the  door  of  the  closet 
where  it  hangs,  a  strong,  fresh,  salt  air 
seems  to  blow  in  my  face;  I  hear  the 
wash  of  the  waves ;  I  feel  the  breeze  on 
my  cheek.  Shining  sand  from  the  bay 
of  Naples  shakes  from  the  ruffles  fringed 
by  long  tramps  over  Scotch  hills.  A 
dark  stain  on  the  front  is  a  rivulet  of 
beer  spilled  by  a  clumsy  waiter  in  a  Ger- 
man concert  garden.  By  the  trailing, 
dejected  braid  hangs   a  tale  of  a  dark, 


foggy  night  on  her  Britannic  Majesty's 
Channel  steamer;  a  surging  sea,  a  dizzy 
head,  an  impertinent  nail,  and  "  'Ere  we 
are  at  Dover,  mem,  at  last." 

In  the  dimmest  corner  of  this  same 
closet  hangs  a  battered,  faded  dressing- 
gown.  The  elbows  and  quilted  scarlet 
silk  cuffs  of  this  once  luxurious,  gay  gar- 
ment are  sadly  dilapidated,  as  if  the 
wearerJiad  spent  his  college  days  lean- 
ing out  his  window  on  folded  arms.  In 
one  of  the  deep  pockets  is  a  smoking-cap 
embroidered  in  a  fanciful  pattern  with 
tarnished  gold  braid.  In  another  there 
is  a  dainty,  scented  billet-doux,  a  bit  of 
blue  ribbon,  a  meerschaum  case,  a  son- 
net in  halting  Latin,  and  a  pair  of  small 
primrose-colored  gloves.  The  hands 
that  wore  the  gloves  and  wrought  the 
cap  to  cover  a  lover's  brown  curls  are 
folded  in  that  sleep  that  knows  no  wak- 
ing, and  the  college  boy,  who,  years 
ago,  held  the  little  gloves  to  his  lips,  sits 
by  a  lonely  fireside  in  a  far-off  land. 

But  my  chief  delight  is  in  a  cedar 
chest.  There  I  hear  again  and  again  a 
love  story  that  will  never  grow  uninter- 
esting. '  Tis  simply  a  pearl-gray  velvet 
hat  with  sweeping  plume  and  pale  blush 
roses  that  babbles  to  me  so  deliciously. 
The  bud  of  a  girl  who  wore  this  saucy 
hat  is  now  a  blooming  matron,  but  how 
beautiful  she  looked  as  she  came  down 
the  stairs  with  it  on  twenty  years  ago. 
The  young  man  impatiently  awaiting 
her  said  involuntarily,  "  Fresh-blown 
roses  washed  with  dew."  Indeed,  she 
must  have  been  a  vision  of  rare  loveli- 
ness— the  pure  young  face,  the  soft 
brown  hair,  the  dreaming  eyes.  "  So 
sweet,  so  daintily  sweet  and  dear,"  he 
thought.  I  fear  neither  of  them  heard 
the  opera  that  evening.  They  heard  in- 
stead love's  beguiling  overture  and  the 
music  of  each  other's  unspoken  words. 
Poor  old  hat !    You  were  tossed  care- 


80 


A  KHAPSODY  ON  OLD  CLOTHES. 


lessly  aside  soon  after  that  to  give  place 
to  bridal  flowers,  but  your  roses  are  still 
faintly  blushing  in  memory  of  the  kiss 
they  guarded  that  night — what  kiss  so 
perfect  as  a  kiss  sub  rosa? 

In  a  corner,  almost  hidden  from  my 
prying  eyes,  is  a  pair  of  tiny  red  shoes. 
The  restless  feet  that  once  pattered  about 
in  them  are  lightly  keeping  time,  in  high- 
heeled  French  absurdities,  to  the  witch- 
ing strains  of  a  Strauss  waltz.  Helen  and 
her  brother  Tom  wonder  why  their  an- 
cient aunt  will  romance  over  their  cast- 
off  habiliments,  and  scoff  good-natured- 
ly, and  ask  me  to  give  my  opinion  of  a 
new  bit  of  Limoges  with  no  earthly  asso- 
ciation in  which  I  have  an  interest. 
Now  Tom's  ''Knickerbockers'"  amuse  me 
vastly  more  than  a  Satsuma  or  Nankin 
cup.  They  have  patched  knees,  and  bits 
of  string,  chipped  marbles,  crumbling 
chalk,  and  all  the  olla  podrida  a  boy  usu- 
ally carries,  are  still  in  the  much-abused 
pockets.  Tom  half  blushes  as  I  shake 
out  these  childish  garments,  and  says, 
"  It's  deuced  queer  that  you  should  keep 
such  baby  things ;  "  but  he  adds  compas- 
sionately, "  women  are  such  romantic 
geese." 

Yes,  he  is  a  mighty  senior  now;  he 
carries  a  cane,  smokes  many  and  strong 
Havanas,  whistles  "  Fair  Harvard,"  and 
considers  himself  altogether  too  manly 
and  practical  to  see  a  story  in  his  old 
"  small  clothes."  but  in  his  heart  of 
hearts  I  know  he  wishes  he  were,  if  only 
for  a  day,  a  Knickerbockeredboy  again, 
climbing  trees,  playing  for  "keeps," 
and  going  nightly  to  confess  all  his 
naughty  acts  to  his  mother.  He  has  out- 
grown these  things,  but  however  much 
he  scoffs.  I  know  the  sturdy  little  knee 
breeches  have  stirred  sweet  and  bitter 
memories  in  his  heart  even  more  deeply 
than  in  that  of  the  "  goose." 

Ah !  hush !  Here,  folded  tenderly  in 
fine  linen,  is  an  epic  bound  in  blue  and 


gold.  It  is  a  lieutenant's  coat.  The  gilt 
braid  is  dull ;  the  eagles  on  the  few  re- 
maining buttons  are  barely  discernible. 
I  read  with  filling  eyes  this  sad,  grand 
poem.  The  poor  faded  coat  lies  before 
me.  a  mute,  blind  Homer.  I  close  my 
eyes,  and  I  hear  the  roar  and  din  of  can- 
non, the  whistling  of  bullets,  the  tramp- 
ing and  snorting  of  horses,  the  groans  of 
the  dying.  The  hero  who  proudly  wore 
this  is  dead,  shot  through  the  heart. 
Here  on  the  breast  is  a  dark  stain  where 
his  life  blood  flowed -away.  Ah!  how  it 
moans  out  the  solemn,  terrible  tragedy 
of  those  awful  years  of  carnage ! 

And  now,  O,  scoffer,  can  you  speak 
lightly  of  old  clothes?  Why,  here  is  a 
white  silk  whose  slim  waist  has  been  en- 
circled by  the  arm  of  the  fair-haired 
Duke — no,  no,  I'll  forbear,  and  will  not 
be  as  eloquent  as  I  can,  lest  your  unac- 
customed mind  lose  itself  in  the  mazes  of 
my  fancy. 

But  let  me  give  you  a  word  of  advice. 
Be  not  too  eager  to  put  aside  old  gar- 
ments. There  is  a  certain  air  of  respec- 
tability and  refinement  about  an  old  but 
well  preserved  dress  that  gives  the  wear- 
er an  enviable  individuality  and  impor- 
tance. A  dress  that  has  traveled  and 
seen  the  world — how  much  to  be  pre- 
ferred to  a  garment  ostentatiously  new, 
that  has,  perhaps,  a  vulgar,  shop  odor. 
New  clothes  are  so  pretentious,  so  push- 
ing, so  grasping.  But  my  prophetic 
eyes  see  coming  the  golden  age  for  old 
clothes,  for  I  know  a  maiden  who  has 
dared  wear  the  same  hat  two  winters, 
and  I  take  heart  of  hope  and  smile  defi- 
antly on  the  man  who  jovially  offers  to 
take  all  your  old  clothes  and  give  you  a 
very  small  red  Bohemian  (?)  glass  rose. 
I  say  to  him,  "  My  good  Othello,  your 
occupation  will  soon  be  gone,  for  we  are 
growing  wise  in  our  day  and  genera- 
tion." 


THE  WAY  TO  GRANDPA'S.  81 


THE  WAY  TO  GRANDPA'S. 


BY  LAURA  GARLAND  CARR. 

A  well-worn  path  across  the  field — 

Round  barley-lot  and  through  the  corn — 
Here  showing  clearly,  there  concealed 
By  drooping  grass,  at  dewy  morn  ! 

The  older  people  walked  straight  through, 
But  many  curves  our  young  feet  knew ! 

Out  through  the  barn  for  just  one  glance 

At  swallows  flitting  to  and  fro— 
At  queer  black  heads,  with  look  askance, 
From  out  mud  nests,  at  us  below — 
For  just  one  tumble  on  the  hay, 
Then  off,  through  back-doors,  on  our  way! 

Down  by  the  stone-heap,  framed  around 

By  raspb'ry  bushes  young  and  old. 
Just  there,  beneath  a  rock,  we  found 
A  whole  ant  city  in  the  mould ! 
'Twas  but  a  step  outside  the  way — 
We'd  not  been  there  for  one  whole  day ! 

Then  over  yonder,  by  the  ledge, 

The  blueb'ry  bush  that  stood  alone 
Seemed  wooing  us  with  offered  pledge 
Of  berries  ripe  and  fully  grown ; 
And  close  beside,  in  grassy  rest, 
We  found  a  tiny  chip-bird's  nest. 

We  reached  the  style— a  pleasant  place 

Beneath  a  spreading  maple  tree-^- 
And  there  we  tarried  long  to  trace 
The  wayward  flight  of  bird  and  bee, 
Or  watched  the  chipmunk  rise  and  fall, 
Darting  adown  the  pasture  wall. 

The  pasture  bars— too  wide  and  high 

For  little  fingers  to  undo- 
But  many  crevices  were  nigh 
Where  little  forms  could  "  sidle  "  through ! 
Beyond,  the  orchard,  darkly  green, 
While  "  cat-tail  "  flags  grew  rank  between ! 


82  MEN  AND  THEIR  PROFESSIONS. 

The  garden  gate — the  garden  gate ! 

O,  we  could  never  pass  it  by ! 
There  holly  hocks  rose  tall  and  straight, 
And  sweet  red  roses  charmed  the  eye; 
There  currant  bushes,  all  aglow 
With  ripening  fruit,  were  in  a  row. 

And  just  beyond  the  low  stone  wall — 
No  sweeter  music  e'er  was  known — 
We  heard  a  brooklet's  tinkling  fall 
Along  each  moss-enveloped  stone. 
We  followed  on,  for  well  we  knew 
Where  fragrant-beds  of  pep'mint  grew! 

The  house  was  reached !    Agleam  with  red 

The  cherry  trees  stood  round  the  door; 
And  scolding  robins,  overhead, 
Fluttered  and  reveled  in  the  store ! 
While  noisy  thumps  of  grandma's  loom 
Came  sounding  from  the  "  open  room." 

'Twas  long  ago — O,  long  ago — 

That  we  went  bounding  o'er  the  way; 
We  have  grown  sober-faced  and  know 
Of  many*changes  since  that  day ; 
But  Mem'ry  picture's  all  so  plain 
We  seem  to  live  it  o'er  again. 


MEN  AND  THE  IB  PROFESSIONS. 


BY  WILLIAM  O.  CLOUGH. 

THE  professional  teacher.  wh0  teaches  between  the  day  of  gradua- 

We  boldly  assert,  while  in  the  belief  tion    and    the    day    of  marriage ;    who 

that  it  will  provoke  discussion,  that  the  groans,  whines  and  complains ;  who  hes- 

most  important  person  in   every  commu-  itatingly  accepts  a  school  to  oblige  the 

nity,   to  the  community,   is  the  profes-  committee;  who  is  an  aristocratic  snob, 

sional  teacher.    That  a  good  many  worn-  with  not  even  the  pride  of  family  wealth 

en,  as  well  as  men,  succeed  as  teachers  behind;  who  drags  a  weary  body  through 

in  public  schools,  seminaries,  academies  the  drudgery  of  the  day  because  of  the 

and  colleges,  who  would  be  useless  to  the  dollars  and  cents  it  puts  in  an  empty 

world  in  any  other  calling  is  true,  and  purse;  who  has  no  higher  motive  than 

that  the  ideal  teacher,   whom  we  con-  the  belief  that  it  is  an  eminently  respect- 

ceive,  is  in  a  large  degree  a  myth,  is  also  able  way  of  earning  broadcloth,  silk  and 

true.    Moreover  we  desire  it  understood  ribbons,  with  which  to  dazzle  the  igno- 

in  the  outset  that  what  little  we  have  to  rant  and  cause  the  thoughtful  to  suggest 

say  concerning  this  necessary  public  ser-  that  there  must  have  been  a  good  deal  of 

vant  does  not  include  that  ever  present  pinching  to  accomplish  such  a    show ; 

individual  who  has  no  heart  in  the  work,  who  snaps,  snarls  and  vexes  the  pupils, 


MEN  AND  THEIR  PROFESSIONS. 


83 


and  shows  a  decided  partiality  to  those 
of  their  neighborhood  or  church  ;  who — 
but  the  outs  are  too  numerous  to  mention. 
We  have  nothing  to  do  with  this  teacher 
in  considering  the  genuine,  the  ideal 
teacher. 

The  teacher  we  have  in  mind  loves  the 
occupation,  has  fitted  expressly  for  it,  is 
appointed  ot  God,  is  ambitious  to  succeed 
and  devotes  energy  and  all  attainable 
knowledge  to  the  work,  is  not  troubled 
with  day  and  night  dreams  of  fortunes 
that  are  to  be  won  in  mercantile  marts; 
is  not  disturbed  by  ignorant  public  senti- 
ment;  has  no  jealousies  to  avenge;  no 
fancied  wrongs  to  set  right,  and  no  "■axes 
to  grind"  or  bosom  friends  to  favor  at  the 
expense  Of  some  worthier  persons  inal- 
ienable privileges.  The  ideal  teacher  has 
the  best  balanced  mind  in  the  communi- 
ty; never  spends  valuable  time  in  dis- 
cussing pet  ideas  and  isms ;  never  crip- 
ples usefulness  by  too  great  a  familiarity 
with  the  affairs  of  town,  city  or  parish; 
does  not  dabble  or  mix  in  politics ;  is  not 
a  bigot  in  creed  or  a  self-appointed  theo- 
logian whose  business  it  is  to  impress 
upon  the  youthful  minds  the  certainty  of 
future  punishment  as  a  cure  for  insignifi- 
cant shortcomings.  The  ideal  teacher 
has  a  religious  faith  as  simple  as  child- 
hood, as  sweet  as  the  rose,  as  fragrant  as 
the  incense  from  the  holy  Catholic  altar, 
as  pure  as  the  ritual  of  the  Episcopalian. 
as  fixed  as  orthodoxy,  that  is  infinitely 
beyond  the  comprehension  of  narrow 
sectarianism,  that  sees  and  recognizes 
God  and  goodness  in  everything,  that 
patterns  life  after  bright  examples,  and 
realizes  that  the  impressions  of  the  school- 
room are  more  enduring  upon  the  mind 
of  the  youth  than  all  else,  and  have  far 
greater  weight  in  molding  future  desti- 
ny- 

Of  what  shall  be  taught  from  books, 
and  of  the  precise  method  of  teaching  we 
have  nothing  to  say.  There  has  been  a 
revolution  in  such  matters  since  our 
time,  and  we  are  not  therefore  familiar 
with  the  routine  of  studies,  or  competent 
to  express  an  opinion  that  the  public  is 
bound  to  respect.  We  have  a  conception, 
however,  of  what  the  ideal  teacher 
should  be.    The  ideal  teacher  recognizes 


the  great  responsibility  of  the  calling, 
and  is  ever  on  guard  against  uneven  de- 
portment, peevishness,  impoliteness  by 
word,  look  or  gesture,  selfishness,  fash- 
ion-plate conceit,  lawlessness,  deception, 
theft  of  time  for  private  purposes,  and 
a  thousand  and  one  little  irregularities  of 
conduct  that  young  people  observe  and 
magnify  to  the  destruction  of  a  symmet- 
rical character.  The  ideal  teacher  is  nev- 
er in  violent  temper;  can  inflict  great- 
er punisnment  by  kind  words  fitly  spo- 
ken than  with  a  hickory  switch,  can 
command  the  respect  of  pupils  in  school 
and  out  of  school  alike,  and  is  the  friend 
above  all  friends  to  whom  application  is 
made  for  counsel  when  the  troubles  of 
childhood  are  tormenting  the  mind.  In 
short,  the  ideal  teacher — 'My  teacher !' 
as  the  pupil  who  is  satisfied  says  with 
enthusiasm — conducts  the  youthful  aspi- 
rant for  the  honors  and  emoluments  of 
life  to  the  great  door  of  the  world  and 
says,  practically,  '••I  leave  you  here,  hav- 
ing done  the  best  for  you  that  it  is  possi- 
ble to  do.  You  understand  the  beauty 
of  piety,  the  necessity  of  honesty,  the 
grandeur  of  purity,  and  the  obstacles  be- 
tween you  and  complete  success.  Let 
all  the  ends  you  aim  at  be  honorable. 
You  know  what  is  expected  of  you.  Act 
well  your  part,  there  all  the  honor  lies. 
You  have  my  blessing.  Go  and  be  use- 
ful in  the  world." 

Let  us  admit  that  although  there  are 
but  few  ideal  teachers,  there  are  some 
who  are  all  the  fancy  pictures,  and  we 
honor  them.  The  calling  of  the  teacher 
is  the  most  important,  and  to  our  mind, 
the  most  honorable — to  the  individual 
who  enters  it  in  the  right  spirit  and  with 
the  right  motives — that  is  known  among 
men.  It  towers  above  all  others,  it  guar- 
antees greater  peace  of  mind,  is  of  more 
real  dignity — the  dignity  that  fathers  and 
mothers  respect — and  grants  greater  sat- 
isfaction than  any  other  profession.  The 
affairs  of  the  world, — except  in  momen- 
tous epochs, — its  hurry,  worry  and  con- 
fusion, its  k  ups  and  downs,'  its  price  cur- 
rents, sensations,  and  the  failures  that 
bankrupt  men  in  purse  and  reputation, 
need  not  enter  his  philosophy  or  vex  his 
mind.  He  may  live  on  a  plain  high  above 


84 


MEN  AND  THEIR  PROFESSIONS. 


all  worldly  bickerings  and  strife;  he 
may  be  comparatively  free  from  sin,  and, 
if  he  will,  eminently  respectable,  hope- 
ful of  the  life  that  is  and  is  to  come,  with- 
out making  any  considerable  effort  as 
compared  with  those  mortals,  who,  by 
force  of  circumstances  over  which  they 
have  no  control,  are  compelled  to  diekcr, 
trade  and  associate  with  the  rabble. 

THE  PREACHER. 

The  preacher  of  to-day  is  deciedly  un- 
like the  preacher  of  the  past.  To  many 
this  is  undoubtedly  a  matter  of  regret 
and  lamentation.  It  is  nevertheless  a 
fixed  reality,  the  sequel  of  which  is  ob- 
viously in  the  fact  that  the  sources  of  ed- 
ucation have  increased  and  the  masses 
thereby  advanced  to  the  point  where  the 
utterances  of  the  most  profound  thinker 
are  subjected  to  the  rigid  examination  of 
a  multitude  of  men  of  equal  intelligence 
and  argumentative  ability.  Time  and  in- 
stitutions of  learning  have  wrought  won- 
derful changes,  and  instead  of  the  sim- 
ple, unquestioning  faith  of  the  fathers 
there  is  a  spirit  of  determined  inquiry — 
not  to  pay  doubt;  a  disposition  to  inves- 
tigate, to  ignore  acceptance  simply  be- 
cause the  Rev.  Mr.  So-and-so  says  so. 
This  being  in  a  large  degree  the  animus 
of  the  public  mind,  the  minister  who  ser- 
monizes the  year  round  on  themes  that 
provoke  discussion,  loses  his  hold  on  his 
hearers ;  while  the  minister  who  is  anx- 
ous  mainly  to  impress  the  beauty  of  the 
Christian  religion — whose  concern  is  that 
men  shall  live  better,  think  holier,  study 
the  amelioration  of  humanity,  and  feel 
more  of  love  to  God  and  man,  and  take 
more  interest  in  deeds  of  charity  and 
mercy  than  in  discussing  Adam's  fall — 
comes  nearer  the  wants  of  the  people  and 
the  mission  which  the  masses  of  this  gen- 
eration are  content  to  hear  and  espouse. 
Those  who  accept  the  latter  as  the  ideal 
find  two  classes  of  ministers. 

1.  The  first  is  cold  and  formal.  He 
comes  to  you  like  an  apparition  from  a 
refrigerator.  His  '  good  morning'  and 
1  good  evening'  freezes  the  blood  of  the 
individval  to  whom  it  is  addressed,  and 
the  mind  quickly  suggests  that  he  should 
walk  in  the  sunlight  an  hour  at  morning 
and  evening  before  coming  into  the  pres- 


ence of  men.  He  addresses  his  acquaint- 
ance emphatically  as  '  Mister,'  and  never 
condescends  to  smile  or  be  cheerful.  The 
average  sinner  is  ill  at  ease  in  his  com- 
pany and  gets  the  impression  that  there 
is  no  happiness  here ;  that  all  of  joy  and 
good  fellowship  is  '  way  over  there  some- 
where,' and  it  is  a  wicked  sin  to  be  so- 
ciable, comfortable  and  companionable, 
till  he  get  there.  Men  who  are  in  trouble 
do  not  seek  this  sort  of  a  clergyman. 
They  shun  him  and  scold  about  him. 

2.  The  second  is  warm  and  fraternal. 
There  is  no  formality  in  his  greeting,  no 
ice  in  his  hand  with  which  to  chill  the 
blood,  no  suggestion  that  it  is  a  sin  to  be 
happy,  no  indication  that  he  would  like 
to  give  somebody  a  theological  nut  to 
crack,  no  mannerism  that  asserts  '  I'm 
holier  than  thou.'  He  has  evidently  left 
his  creed — which  doesn't  amount  to  much 
anyhow — in  his  study,  put  aside  his  ser- 
mon paper,  and  started  out  with  a  view 
of  dispensing  and  receiving  just  as  much 
of  good  fellowship  as  can  be  convenient- 
ly crowded  into  an  hour.  He  enters  into 
conversation  on  the  things  that  concern 
the  daily  life,  and,  feeling  that  he  is  ac- 
corded privileges  that  men  will  not  grant 
the  multitude,  drops  a  word  in  one  place 
and  a  remark  in  another,  that  lightens 
burdens  and  leaves  those  whom  he  has 
met  more  contented  with  their  surround- 
ings. In  short  this  much  is  observable. 
'  The  minister  who  mingles,  with  the  peo- 
ple and  participates  in  their  joys  and  sor- 
rows, discovers  their  need,  and  is  enabled 
to  preach  directly  at  them,  while  the  min- 
ister who  stands  aloof  preaches  over 
their  heads  and  leaves  only  the  impres- 
sion that  religion  is  a  gloomy  article  that 
belongs  to  sick  people  and  those  who 
have  no  further  pleasure  in  the  world.' 

The  first  mistrusts  a  thorn  in  every 
bush,  and  the  wicked  one  as  manager  of 
all  public  amusements.  He  is  a  sort  of 
parish  monitor;  a  censor  whose  behest 
everybody  is  bound  to  obey.  He  vents 
his  spleen  on  things  that  are  none  of  his 
concern,  orders  straight  jackets  for  per- 
sons who  are  abundantly  able  to  govern 
themselves,  and  never  omits  an  opportu- 
nity to  exhibit  his  spite  against  the  Ma- 
sonic body  and  Odd  Fellowship.    The 


MEN  AND  THEIR  PROFESSIONS. 


85 


second  sees  roses  where  the  other  discov- 
ered thorns ;  does  not  live  in  fear  of  be- 
ing spirited  away  by  the  evil  genius;  is 
satisfied  that  on  general  principles  the 
world  is  not  so  bad  as  some  would  like  to 
make  it  appear,  and  that  by  the  exercise 
of  a  little  judgment  and  discrimination 
it  is  possible  to  be  pretty  cheerful  for  the 
most  part  of  the  journey  from  the  cradle 
to  the  grave.     When  the  first  speaks  on 
the  questions  at  issue  in  this  paragraph, 
he  oftends  and  shows  that  his  vision  is 
exce'  dingly  narrow;  his  estimate  of  the 
wants  of  the  multitude  and  what  it  will 
have,  whether  or  no,  considei'ed  from  the 
wrong  standpoint,  and  his  knowledge  of 
the  secret  institutions  painfully   out  of 
keeping    with  the  facts.    The    votaries 
of  the   former  deny  him   the  poverty  of 
thanks,  while  the  patrons   of  the  latter 
close  their  lips  and  way  down  in  their 
hearts  pity  his  weakness.     When  the  sec- 
ond speaks  he  shows  that  he  has  rubbed 
against  the  people  of  the   world,  knows 
what  they  want  and  what  they  cannot  be 
prevented  from  obtaining,  and  is  deter- 
mined to  so  educate  and  refine  the  mass- 
es that  good  taste  shall  prevail  and  the 
very   things  which  the  first  condemned 
become  a  power  for  good.  He  is  a  warm- 
hearted brother  with  the  men  who  meet 
in  secret  conclaves,  and,  like  Father  Tay- 
lor of  blessed  memory,  and  many  anoth-. 
er  eminent  minister  to  guilty  men,  he 
counts  it  no  sin  and  no  shame  to  kneel 
with  them  and  beseech  God  to  bless  and 
continue  them  in  fraternal  fellowship  and 
in  the  faithful  service  that  men  are  likely 
to  need  at  their  hands.    The  first  avoids 
the  crowd  as  he  would  the  plague,  and 
the  latter  is  always  seeking  admittance 
to  places  where  men  congregate,  and  he 
will  tell  you   that  he  is  always  welcome; 
that  men  grasp  him  warmly  by  the  hand ; 
that  the  class  who  have  something  mean 
to  do  and  therefore  repel  the  minister,  is 
small,  very  small,   so  small  indeed,  that 
he  never  blundered  into  their  company. 

WHAT  CONSTITUTES   A  MINISTER? 

But  why  do  we  speak  of  the  profession 
of  the  minister  as  second  to  that  of  the 
teachers  in  public  schools  and  other  in- 
stitutions of  learning?  Let  us  be  un- 
derstood as  saying,  '  we  do  not  place  this 


exalted  office  second  because  of  any  pre- 
conceived purpose  to  underate  it,  but 
simply  on  the  ground  that  its  opportuni- 
ty, in  our  judgment,  is  second — the  com- 
petent and  conscientious  teacher  being 
first  to  impress  the  mind  with  those  prin- 
ciples and  examples  which  mould  the 
character  and  are  most  lasting.  But  we 
had  purposed  to  conclude  this  theme  with 
a  summary  of  some  of  the  observations 
we  would  make  to  young  men  concern- 
ing the  ministry : — 

They,  the  candidates,  must  have  spe- 
cial training  in  addition  to  that  of  the 
college  and  theological  school ;  they  must 
possess  traits  of  character  unlike  the 
multitude,  and  it  will  not  profit  this  gen- 
eration if  they  are  deep  in  books  and 
nothing  in  '  common  with  everyday  life.' 
They  must  understand  human  nature  and 
have  the  proper  methods  of  approaching  . 
widely  different  minds,  else  all  their  ef- 
forts will  miscarry,  and  they  will  be  the 
constant  recipient  of  rebuffs  that  will  rob 
them  of  their  peace  of  mind  and  make 
their  life  short  and  of  little  service  to 
their  fellow  men.  They  must  be  a  con- 
noisseur in  the  art  of  knowing  just  what 
to  say  and  how  and  when  to  say  it,  for — 
although  they  may  think  otherwise— this 
is  one  of  the  great  secrets,  in  fact  the 
only  secret,  of  the  successful  man  in  all 
professions.  They  must  have  a  good  con- 
stitution—for it  is  a  well  known  fact  that 
a  sickly  minister  preaches  sickly  ser- 
mons, and  sickly  sermons  are  not  what  a 
healthy  people  will  naturally  be  satisfied 
with.  Sentiment  may  satisfy  those  of  a 
congregation  who  are  at  that  interesting 
period  of  human  affairs  when  cupid  is 
the  controlling  medium,  but  it  will  never 
do  for  the  old  folks  who  pay  the  bills. 
They  will  cry  out  that  it  is  veal,  and  be- 
come hungry  for  something  that  is  large- 
ly made  up  of  practical  common  sense. 
They  must  make  up  their  minds  to  be  dil- 
igent workers ;  to  submit  to  privations ; 
to  be  subjected  to  occasional  persecu- 
tions ;  to  be  a  servant  rather  than  a  mas- 
ter ;  to  endure  all  sorts  of  trials  of  their 
own  and  for  others ;  to  be  cheerful  when 
overworked,  and  of  even  deportment 
when  afflicted  with  the  ills  that  flesh  is 
heir  to.    They  must  expect  to  meet  with 


86 


MEN  AND  THEIR  PROFESSIONS. 


obstinacies  in  men  who  profess  better 
things ;  to  be  unfavorably  criticised  by 
those  who  should  overlook  their  short- 
comings; to  be,  in  short,  a  public  man 
who  has  no  time  to  devote  to  his  own 
whims  and  fancies.  Should  a  young  man 
enter  this  profession  he  will  discover 
strange  things  regarding  human  nature, 
and  will  often  have  his  faith  in  men  and 
women  put  to  the  severest  test. 

The  young  thinkers  of  tnis  generation 
will  learn,  as  they  develop  and  discover 
the  ways  and  manners  of  this  wicked 
world,  that  '  all  is  not  gold  that  glitters ;' 
that  if  a  minister  is  bold  of  speech  and 
progressive — if  be  speak  light  to  the 
point  on  the  sins  and  shortcomings  that 
are  nearest  the  doors  of  his  parishioners 
— he  is  in  danger  of  empty  pews  and  a 
hint  from  a  certain  clique  that  his  useful- 
ness is  greatly  impaired.  They  will  also 
learn  that  if  these  things  are  not  men- 
tioned, another  offensive  clique  will  cir- 
culate the  idea  that  he  is  a  coward,  and 
tries  to  suit  everybody ;  if  he  unhesitat- 
ingly presents  his  views  on  political 
questions  which  concern  the  public  weal 
— and  concerning  which  every  right- 
minded  citizen  should  be  gratified  for  in- 
formation such  as  only  an  observing  stu- 
dent can  impart — he  is  in  danger  of  be- 
ing derisively  mentioned  as  the  k  political 
parson' — 'a  weak-minded  minister  turn- 
ed ignorant  statesman;'  if  he  fails  to 
speak,  to  sound  the  alarm,  to  endeavor 
to  persuade  men  what  is  right  and  what 
God  would  have  them  do  in  the  premises, 
he  is  berated  as  a  man  who  halts  between 
two  opinions  or  sympathizes  on  the  wrong 
side  of  the  question  at  issiie.  If  he  fail 
to  warn  his  people  against  the  evil — a  de- 
creasing evil  I  am  rejoiced  to  say — of  in- 
temperance, he  is  accused  of  being  the 
bosom  friend  of  therumseller,  of  having 
rumsellers  in  his  congregation,  of  taking 
their  ill-gotten  gains  for  the  advancement 
of  the  cause  of  religion.  If,  on  the  oth- 
er hand,  he  earnestly  and  consistently 
advocates  the  cause  of  temperance  and 
all  moral  and  legal  means  to  crush  the 
demon  that  seeks  the  ruin  of  mankind, 
he  is  said  to  be  lacking  in  good  judgment 
and  detracting  from  the  peace  and  amia- 
bility of  the  community,  and,  sometimes, 


is  invited  to  '  step  down  and  out.'  If  he 
confines  himself  closely  to  the  tenets  of 
the  gospel,  he  is  an  old  fogy,  and  the 
people  cry  out  for  a  modern  preacher;  if 
he  fail  to  draw  a  full  congregation,  he  is 
in  trouble  with  the  trustees  of  his  society ; 
if  he  visits  Deacon  Brown's  family  once 
oftener  than  he  does  Deacon  Smith's,  he 
is  partial;  if  he  is  a  little  reserved  and 
the  madams  of  the  parish  cannot  have 
their  own  way,  he  is  made  a  target  for 
town  talk  ;  if  he  is  not  all  things  to  all 
men,  and  all  women,  he  is  not  social;  if 
he  is  all  things  to  all  men  and  women,  he 
is  double  faced. 

They  will  learn  that  the  times  have 
changed,  and  this  profession  is  not,  as 
we  hinted  in  the  beginning,  what  it  was 
in  the  eighteenth  century.  Free  think- 
ers; free  speakers  and  advanced  ideas, 
together  with  thoughtlessness  and  frivol- 
ity, the  elements  of  doubt  and  uncertain- 
ty, and  the  desire  to  be  the  most  fashion- 
able church  in  town  or  city — regardless 
of  pointing  to  the  cross  and  salvation, 
and  being  humble  examples  of  the  better 
way  of  living — have  demoralized  the  oc- 
cupants of  the  pews  and  thereby  inflict- 
ed erroneous  impressions  on  the  non- 
churchman's  mind.  They  will  under- 
stand, therefore,  that  the  clergyman's 
life  has  come  to  be  one  of  trial  and  long 
suffering;  that  patience,  forbearance  and 
brotherly  love  will  not  prevail  except 
through  the  well  directed  efforts  w!  a 
well  balanced  mind,  and  the  exercises  of 
a  discretionary  diploinany  such  as  few 
men  possess.  We  would  not,  however, 
attempt  to  persuade  any  man,  who  feels 
that  he  has  a  mission  to  perform,  to  en- 
ter another  field.  Brave  and  conscien- 
tious men  are  wanted,  and  we  bid  all  can- 
didates God's  speed  and  a  just  reward. 
Our  only  caution  is  'be  sure,  you  enter 
with  the  right  motive  and  with  a  right 
understanding.'  Do  not  enter  with  the 
idea  that  it  is  an  easy  way  of  earning 
your  living,  because  of  a  desire  for 
wealth,  or  in  the  belief  that  it  is  to  be  to 
you  a  life  free  from  annoyances.  It  has 
its  hardships  and  its  trials;  its  triumphs 
and  its  rewards.  It  has  its  perplexities 
such  as  tew  men  can  satisfactorily  masr 
ter ;  its  burdensome  crosses,  and  its  dark 


MEN  AND  THEIR  PROFESSIONS 

gloomy,  and  desponding  hours,  which 
nothing  but  a  consecrated  life  can  with- 
stand. We  are  therefore  persuaded  that 
he  who  enters  here  should  pause  and  con- 
sider his  way. 

THE  PHYSICIAN  AND   SURGEON. 

The  third  useful  profession — and  we  are 
not  sure  that  it  is  not  the  first  and  most 
important  to  the  human  family — is  that 
of  the  physician  and  surgeon.  The  more 
we  contemplate  this  profession  the  more 
we  honor  it,  and  the  longer  we  live  the 
greater  is  our  respect  for  ninety-nine  in 
every  hundred  of  the  men  that  are  in  it. 
We  have  observed,  and  it  cannot  be  that 
we  are  alone  in  our  observation,  that 
there  is  no  class  of  men  in  this  commu- 
nity that  go  about  their  business  with  the 
quiet  demeanor  that  marks  the  true  phy- 
sician. He  meddles  little  in  public  mat- 
ters, and  he  seldom  pauses  to  tell  long 
stories.  He  is  generally  a  model  man, 
and  there  is  an  honor  about  him  that  no 
other  profession  possesses.  He  never  re- 
marks unkindly  of  a  rival,  nor  does  he 
by  word  or  conduct  inform  the  mind  of 
the  rabble  with  explanation  or  insinua- 
tion of  the  delicate  cases  of  disease  or 
surgery  which  he  has  been  called  to  treat. 
His  lips  are  sealed;  his  tongue  is  silent, 
and  we  sometimes  wonder  whether  or  no 
he  has  been  conducted  into  the  deep  re- 
cesses of  some  gloomy  dungeon,  and 
amidst  suggestive  surroundings  and  op- 
pressive silence,  taken  upon  himself  a 
more  solemn  obligation  to  secrecy  and 
circumspection  than  any  society  on  earth 
can  boast. 

The  graduated  physician  and  surgeon 
is  a  good  and  true  man.  To  his  skill,  to 
his  knowledge,  to  his  honor,  men  and 
women  implicitly  commit  themselves. 
Are  we  disposed  to  complain  of  his  char- 
ges, a  moment's  reflection  convinces  us 
that  an  awful  responsibility  is  his.  Are 
we  inclined  to  doubt  his  coming  at  our 
call,  the  second  thought  reveals  the  fact 
that  in  his  faithfulness — we  speak  now  of 
ninety-and-nine  in  a  hundred — he  out- 
ranks the  world ;  for,  be  it  recorded  to 
his  praise,  he  responds  to  the  wail  of  dis- 
tress whether  it  be  in  the  heat  of  a  high- 
twelve  summer  sun  or  the  low-twelve  of 
the  cold,  gloom  and  darkness  of  winter, 


87 

and  that,  too,  in  innumerable  cases  where 
he  knows  there  is  to  be  no  compensation. 
In  him  we  confide  when  the  days  are 
dark,  the  nights  long,  the  pain  almost 
unendurable;  when  hope  is  but  a  faint 
ray,  when  dear  ones  are  in  danger,  when 
distress  is  upon  us.  Let  him  who  can 
cry  out  'unfaithful!'  The  physician  has 
little  time  of  his  own,  and  little  time  for 
speculations  in  which  other  men  indulge. 
His  average  comfort — as  other  men  see 
comfort — is  in  the  main  a  myth.  He  is 
everybody's  servant.  He  is  in  the  man- 
sion at  one  hour  and  the  cottage  the  next, 
and  his  profession  knows  no  distinction — 
his  teaching  and  practice  no  favoritism. 
Both  obtain  the  best  service  he  can  ren- 
der, and  it  often  occurs  that  the  cottage 
obtains  a  discount  in  his  charges. 

We  have  observed  that  the  world  would 
be  in  a  terribly  bad  way  were  it  other- 
wise, and  hence  we  take  occasion  to  say 
that  we  have  no  sympathy  with  that  mis- 
taken zeal — as  it  appears  to  our  under- 
standing— which  in  any  way  tends  to 
weaken  the  esteem  in  which  all  right- 
minded  men  and  women  must  of  neces- 
sity hold  them.  We  have  no  desire, 
however,  to  discuss  public  measures  in 
this  article,  and  so  we  pause  and  pass  to 
the  consideration  of  other  professions. 

THE  LAWYER. 

The  man  who  'puts  out  his  sign'  in 
this  profession  must  be  an  individual  who 
has  a  well-balanced  head,  and  is  y  thick 
skinned'  in  the  matter  of  public  abuse. 
There  are  a  good  many  people,  and  they 
are  usually  those  who  are  two-thirds  of 
the  time  in  a  scrape,  who  cannot  com- 
mand adjectives  sufficiently  expressive  to 
speak  his  condemnation.  He  may  be  as 
honest,  as  conscientious  and  as  pious  as 
any  man  in  the  community,  and  yet  there 
are  those  who  consider  and  proclaim  him 
a  pirate.  That  he  lives  and  thrives  large- 
ly by  other  men's  misfortunes  and  mis- 
understandings; that  his  fees  for  servi- 
ces rendered  are  generally  five  times 
what  they  ought  to  be,  is  true ;  but  that 
he  is  worse  than  the  average  of  his  fellow 
men  is  not  true.  We  have  observed,  how- 
ever, that  men  who  are  never  so  happy 
as  when  they  are  '  head  over  heels  '  in  a 
law  suit — and  there  are  a  good  many  such 


MEN  AND  THEIR  PROFESSIONS. 


— are  not  entitled  to  a  great  amount  of 
sympathy,  and  we  opine  that  they  should 
not  complain  bitterly  about  lawyers. 
Those  people  who  have  no  scrapes,  who 
do  not  trespass  on  their  neighbors,  who, 
if  their  neighbors  trespass  upon  them 
are  not  angered  to  revenge,  or  '  mad,' 
past  becoming  pleased,  and  in  a  condi- 
tion of  mind  that  forgives  all  the  world 
at  evening  prayer,  should  not  complain, 
except  perhaps,  when  they  aspire  to  of- 
fice of  honor,  trust  or  profit,  and  find  an 
attorney  and  counsellor  at  law  ready  to 
fill  the  bill  to  their  exclusion.  But  we 
are  not  kindly  disposed,  enthusiastically 
speaking,  towards  lawyers,  and  there- 
fore cannot  be  expected  to  give  them  the 
character  we  award  to  a  profestional 
teacher  or  clergyman.  There  is  a  good 
deal  about  the  profession  that  we  do  not 
like.  Lawyers  are  clanish.  They  'tickle' 
and  '  feed'  each  other,  and  are  '  deaf, 
dumb  and  blind '  to  the  pockets  of  other 
professions.  To  use  a  slang  phrase, 
1  they  know  too  much  '  for  men  who  are 
not  burdened  so  heavily  with  knowledge 
as  by  cheek  ;  but,  inasmuch  as  we  have 
no  purpose  or  desire  to  offend,  we  will 
not  particularlize.  ■  Suffice  it  to  be  said 
that  it  is  our  obseiwation  and  experience 
that  a  barrister  can  serve  God  and  Mam- 
mon more  successfully  than  the  multi- 
tude. His  is  not,  however,  as  bad  as  the 
average  mind  pictures  him,  and  even 
among  our  friends  and  acquaintance  there 
are  worthy  and  honorable  exceptions 
from  the  rule  that  marks  the  profession 
as  one  to  be  dodged  by  that  man  who 
hopes  to  live  a  life  acceptable  to  himself 
and  the  community. 

THE  JOURNALIST. 

In  this  profession  there  is  less  money 
and  more  trouble  and  torment  to  the 
mind  and  body  than  all  others  combined. 
The  journalist  serves  a  wicked  and  per- 
verse generation,  and  sees  more  of  the 
shams  and  meanness  of  men  than  any  of 
his  compeers.  He  is  bounded  on  all  sides 
by  critics,  and  is  every  day  making  the 
acquaintance  of  idiots,  who,  with  more 
cheek  than  brains,  flatter  themselves  that 
they — who  have  spent  their  lives  in  some 
other  calling — are  more  competent  in  the 
matter  of  editing  a  newspaper  than  he 


who  has  devoted  a  quarter  of  a  century 
to  the  profession.  He  is  annoyed  by  ig- 
norance that  assumes  intelligence,  and  if 
he  avoids  a  discussion  on  some  issue  that 
in  his  judgment  is  in  the  interest  of  an 
individual  rather  than  the  public,  it  is 
hinted  that  he  has  been  bought ;  if  he 
denounces  evil  and  unfairness  he  is  med- 
dlesome and  malicious;  if  a  free  puff  is 
denied  he  is  mean ;  if  a  free  puff  is  giv- 
en, the  person  who  receives  it  thinks  he 
has  only  obtained  what  he  is  entitled  to 
because  of  his  great  merit,  and  some- 
times he  comes  around  to  find  fault  be- 
cause it  was  not  stated  a  good  deal  strong- 
er;  if  he  pursues  a  course  in  politics  that 
he  believes  most  advantageous  for  patri- 
otic and  party  ends,  the  men  who  should 
give  support  turn  their  noses  in  condem- 
nation. A  journalist  is  expected  to  de- 
nounce, politically,  his  best  friend,  and 
to  compliment  a  party  man,  politically 
again,  and  that,  too,  when  the  'denounc- 
ing and  complimenting'  is  of  no  more 
consequence  to  him  as  an  individual  than 
a  copy  of  a  last  year's  almanac.  He  is 
expected  to  praise  everything— be  it  good, 
bad  or  indifferent,  professional  or  ama- 
teur— and  he  is  certain  that  the.  man  of 
whom  he  is  compelled,  in  order  to  main- 
tain his  equilibrium  before  the  public,  to 
speak  censorious,  will  curse  him,  even 
though  the  same  individual  has  been  fa- 
vorably mentioned  in  his  newspaper  wri- 
tings ninety-nine  times,  for  which  the 
person  thus  complimented  has  never  be- 
stowed the  poverty  of  his  thanks.  And 
then,  if  he  is  a  live  journalist,  he  is  al- 
ways writing  and  publishing  something 
that  some  pious  soul  does  not  like,  and 
is  receiving  calls  from  good  people  who 
want  their  neighbor  shown  up.  and  a 
promise  that  he  will  not  mention  the 
source  of  his  information.  He  is  both- 
ered by  typographical  errors,  assailed  by 
his  political  opponent,  hated  by  those 
who  have  cases  in  the  criminal  court,  an- 
noyed by  those  who  are  not  reported  ev- 
ery time  they  open  their  mouths,  and  in 
danger  of  a  club  or  law  suit  from  some 
one  whose  merit  is  not  appreciated.  In 
short,  the  journalist  is  a  victim  of  men's 
spleen,  and  he  must  be  a  man  of  temper 
like  a  dove,  and  a  constitution  like  an  ox, 


MEN  AND  THEIR  PROFESSIONS. 


89 


or  make  his  arrangements  to  be  with  the 
angels  at  forty. 

POLITICIANS  AND   SPORTING-MEN. 

Both  are   professions — we  guess— and 
both  are  to  be  given  the  '  cut  direct '  by 
all  men  who  have  made  up   their  minds 
that  salvation,  at  the  end  of  life,  is  desi- 
rable.   Not  that  all  will  be   '  lost,'  but 
that  the  '  chances '  are  nine  out  of  ten  in 
favor  of  it.    The  '  professor  of  politics ' 
needs  no  special  notice  in  New  Hamp- 
shire.   He  is  an  ever  present  individual, 
and  what  he  don't  know— unless  he  is 
mightily  mistaken,  and  he  never  will  ad- 
mit as  much — no  magazine   writer  can 
tell.     The  professor   of  the  art  of  gamb- 
ling—for that  is  what  constitutes  a  sport- 
ing man's  career — may  be  briefly  men- 
tioned. '  His  ways  are  devious,  dark  and 
damning.      He  is  the  jackal   of  society 
that  does  more  mischief  than  the  church 
can  counteract.    He  seeks  the  ruin  of  the 
body,  the  peace  of  mind  and  the  soul  of 
his  victim,   and,   alas,  too   often  accom- 
plishes  his  purpose.     He  prospers  for  a 
time,  but  the  end  is  invariably  terrible  to 
contemplate.     He  is    the  abhorrence  of 
all  men— even  those  who  are  not  particu- 
lar in  morals— the  culprit  who  gives  the 
police  the  greatest  uneasiness,  the  des- 
pised of  the  community,  the  forsaken  of 
God,  the  hated  and  ignored  of  virtuous 
women.    And  more  than  all,  this  blear- 
eyed  loafer,  this  would-be  important  gen- 
tleman,   knows  that  he  is  under  the  ban 
of  society,  knows  that  he  is  a  reprobate, 
a  fugitive  from  justice,  a  worthless  being 
who  preys  upon  men  and  morals.     Rum 
and  its   *t  cce'etera  ruins  his   health,   and 
eventually— if  he  escapes   prison,  where 
he  rightfully  belongs— he  dies,  to  be  un- 
mourned  and  speedily  forgotten,  save  by 
the  victims  who  live  to  curse   his  memo- 
ry.    This  is   a  profession   that  no  young 
man  can  contemplate  with  any  degree  of 
satisfaction,   or  seek   to  enter  unless  he 
has  '  made  up  hi    mind '   to   be   useless, 
and  have  it  said,  « it  were  better  had  he 
never  been  born.' 

THE  MERCHANT. 

If  there  is  any  man  in  the  States  that 
is,  and  has  been  for  several  years  past, 
deserving  of  sympathy,  that  man  is  the 
merchant,  who  has  had  his  all— his  ne- 


cessity of  the  present  and  his  hope  of  old 
age— invested      in     l  stock    in     trade.' 
The  fall    in    prices    on    staple  articles, 
rents,  which  are  at  '  war  figures,'  taxes, 
which  have  increased  rather  than  dimin- 
ished, and    customers  who  do  not  pay 
their  bills  promply,  if  at  all,  have  made 
his  life  full  of  trouble  and  anxiety.    In 
fact,  in  ninety  cases   in  every  hundred, 
his  is  a  daily  anxiety  of  which  the  pro- 
fessional man — who  enjoys  a  long  sum- 
mer vacation — knows  absolutely  nothing 
by  experience.    The  merchant's   nerves 
are  at  tension  the  greater  part  of  the 
time,  and  the  multiplicity  of  cares  with 
which  he  is  surrounded  robs  him  of  that 
enjoyment  which,  in  the  course  of  human 
events,  all  men  who  labor  are  entitled  to 
receive.     With  notes  becoming  due,  cur- 
rent expenses  to  meet — be  the  times  nev- 
er so  dull— he  often  finds  himself  in  fine 
meshes,  and  enduring  hardships  of  which 
the  laboring  man  is  entirely  ignorant. 
There    is,     however,    no     necessity    of 
minutely  depicting  the  trials  of  the  mer- 
chant, for  the  certainty   that   he  is  the 
man  who,  in  these  days  of  financial  em- 
barrassment   and    uncertainty,    l  carries 
the  heavy  end  of  the  plank,'  is  obvious 
to   those    to  the  '  manor  born.'      More- 
over, those  who  entertain  the  belief  that 
the  merchant  is  the  man  who  is  in  the 
majority  at  fashionable  summer  resorts, 
who  spends  his  money  the  most  freely, 
will,  upon  investigation,  find  themselves 
deceived.     We    speak    for    the    average 
merchants,  for  we  know  that  while  the 
public    school  teacher,   the  clergymen, 
lawyers  and  others,  have  opportunities 
of  '  rest  and  refreshments '  to  body  and 
mind,  while  they  may  sun  themselves  at 
morn  and  eve  and  bask  in  cool  seclusion 
at  midday,  the  merchant  and  those  other 
'  watchmen  on  the  towers  '—the  physi- 
cian and  journalist— are  mired  in   busi- 
ness.    Those,   therefore,  who  envy  the 
merchant,  who  imagine  that  he  is  the 
man   who   has   the  '  easiest  time  of  it,' 
who  see  only  the  millionaire  picture,  are 
mistaken  in  their  estimate.    They  should 
keep  their  eyes  open  to  obituaries  like 
the  following,  which  we  clip  from  a  cur- 
rent number  of   a  well-known  newspa- 
per :     '  He  was  for   many  years  the  sen- 


90 


MEN  AND  THEIR  PROFESSIONS. 


ior  partner  of  the  firm  and  was  a  pros- 
perous merchant.  But  adversity  and  ill 
health  gathered  over  his  way.  Afflicted 
with  mental  disease,  his  last  years  were 
clouded,  and  he  passed  away  the  victim 
of  care  and  disappointment,  and  the  ob- 
ject of  sympathy.' 

THE    MERCHANT'S   CLERK. 

It  is  due  that  I  should  mention  the 
merchant's  clerk.  The  popular  belief 
that  his  is  a  life  free  from  the  trials, 
temptations  and  perplexities  of  the  man 
who  has  a  trade  or  tills  the  soil  is  an  er- 
roneous one.  There  is  no  man  who  is 
compelled  to  labor  for  his  daily  bread — 
and  all  men  ought  to  be  compelled  to  do 
diligence  or  go  hungry — that  has  a  more 
disagreeable  task.  Through  summer's 
heat  and  winter's  cold  he  is  '  cooped  up  ' 
behind  a  counter  and  is  face  to  face  all 
the  day  long  with  customers.  Some  of 
these  customers  know  what  belongs  to 
good  manners,  but  the  greater  number 
have  only  a  vague  idea  of  k  shopping  eti- 
quette,' and  are  nice,  polite  and  aristo- 
cratic in  their  imagination  only.  This 
latter  class — and  we  know  enough  of  hu- 
man nature  to  feel  confident  that  there  is 
not  a  woman  in  America  who  will  make 
a  personal  application  of  what  is  here 
truthfully  said — are  an  unmitigated  an- 
noyance, a  libel  on  good  breeding,  and 
are  liberally  hated  and  emphatically  de- 
spised by  clerks  who  have  no  alternative 
but  to  shirk  them  upon  their  fellows. 
There  is  not  a  merchant's  clerk  of  our 
acquaintance — we  have  no  fear  of  con- 
tradiction— but  can  give  the  names  of  a 
hundred  persons  who  are  dreaded  as  the 
plague  and  dodged  as  a  timid  man  would 
a  dog  with  the  hydrophobia.  There  are 
other  trying  ordeals  to  which  clerks  are 
subjected ;  such  as  dull  days  when  there 
is  nothing  to  do  but  stand  around,  first 
on  one  foot  and  then  on  the  other,  and 
wait  for  a  storm  to  clear  up  and  custom- 
ers to  put  in  an  appearance;  such  as 
irritable  and  unreasonable  masters ;  such 
as  insufficient  salary  to  meet  their  ex- 
penses; such  as  the  impossibility  to  ac- 
cumulate the  wherewith  to  clothe  their 
family — if  they  happen  to  be  blessed 
with  one — or  pay  their  tired  and  need-of- 
rest    wife's    expenses    to    her    country 


home ;  such  as  an  inability  to  save  a  few 
dollars  to  pilot  them  through  sickness 
and  support  them  in  their  old  age.  All 
these  things  should  be  considered  by 
country  boys  who  have  got  the  merchant 
clerk  maggot  in  their  crazy  heads,  and 
the  truth  should  be  stated  in  all  candor 
that  not  one  in  a  hundred  of  those  who 
go  behind  the  counter  become  '  merchant 
princes.'  It  has  been  our  observation 
that  when  a  business  man  wants  a  part- 
ner, or  is  compelled  to  promote  some 
one,  the  person  who  has  the  preference 
is  a  son,  brother  or  individual  who  is 
backed  by  money  not  his  own  and  who 
comes  to  the  establishment  without  ex- 
perience and  with  monstrous,  overhear 
ing  and  presuming  airs,  while  the  faith- 
ful clerk,  who  has  spent  his  strength  to 
build  up  the  business,  is  snubbed.  andT 
if  the  times  be  a  little  dull,  so  that  he  can 
not  readily  find  employment  elsewhereT 
is  cut  down  in  the  matter  of  salary  be- 
cause the  expense  of  the  concern  has  be- 
come greater  than  the  income.  These  are 
facts  that  admit  of  no  cavil,  and  there- 
fore we  say  to  every  young  man  who  is 
about  to  become  a  participant  in  the 
struggle  for  place,  consider  well  the  sit- 
uation. Do  not  despise  the  lessons  of 
the  experienced  or  imagine  that  you  are 
so  much  smarter  than  others  that  you 
will  escape  their  grievances,  for  it  is  not 
so  'much  in  the  possibility  of  success  now 
as  it  has  been  in  the  past. 

THE  MECHANIC. 

Concerning  the  mechanic,  whether  he 
be  first,  second  or  third  class,  much  may 
be  said.  Were  we  to  speak  at  length  it 
would  be  with  great  respect  and  sympa- 
thy, for  we  realize  that  he  is  indispensa- 
ble to  the  world,  that  much  of  the  pros- 
perity of  the  people  depends  upon  him, 
that  by  his  inventions  he  has  conferred 
blessings  that  cannot  well  be  estimated, 
and  that  just  now  he  is,  in  consequence 
of  the  general  depression  of  business,,  a 
victim  of  low  wages  and  in  most  case& 
has  a  hard  chance  in  the  matter  of  ob- 
taining employment  and  snpporting  his 
family.  To  discourage  young  men  from 
learning  a  trade  is  a  responsibility — even 
with  a  full  knowledge  of  the  times  and 
the  belief  that  low  wages  are  to  contin- 


DYER  HOOK  SANBORN,  A.M. 


91 


ue — that  but  few  men  would  care  to 
take,  and  hence  we  must  dodge  the  sub- 
ject with  the  commonplace  remark  that 
•  we  hope  the  times  will  be  better,  that 
they  will  soon  be  enabled  to  earn  the 
honest  dollar  of  their  daddies  and  be  re- 
lieved from  the  annoyances  and  embar- 
rassments which  now  surround  them.' 

THE   FARMER. 

Those  who  have  read  this  article  to 
this  caption  will  not  expect  '  sound  ad- 
vice '  from  us  in  this  paragraph,  and  al- 
though we  should  chance  to  '  hit  the  ex- 
act truth,'  would  be  slow  to  acknowledge 
it.  We  will  therefore  be  brief.  That 
farming  is  hard  work  is  an  indisputable 
fact.  That  farmers  have  cares  and  anxi- 
eties we  will  admit.  But  farming  has. 
to  a  large  degree,  been  reduced  to  a  sci- 
ence, and  the  man  who  uses  the  intelli- 
gence which  is  easily  obtained  succeeds 
better  than  those  in  professions  and  nu- 
merous other  callings,  and  although  he 
may  not  have  so  much  ready  money,  he 
has  that  which  answers  the  same  great 
purpose  and  which  is  about  all  the  mul- 
titude can  hope  for  at  any  time,  viz. : 
1  the  creature  comforts.'  He  is  also,  as 
a  rule,  free  from  embarrassments;  is  sub- 
ject to  no  man's  caprice;  is  in  no  fear  of 
a  sheriff;  can  have  a  holiday  now  and 
then  without  losing  his  pay.:  and  il  he  is 
a    willing    man    in  the   l  seasons,'   may 


place  his  family  beyond  the  pinching  and 
worryment  that  come  to  those  who  are 
dependent  upon  k  quick  '  or  '  glutted  ' 
markets.  All  these  possibilities,  with 
many  other  advantages — such  as  distance 
from  the  temptations  of  the  grog-shop, 
the  society  of  dead-beats  and  loafers, 
the  familiarities  of  vice,  and  animosities 
and  jealousies — are  less,  and  why,  in 
view  of  all  that  has  been  said  and  writ- 
ten, there  is  such  an  unsolved  problem 
as  '  How  shall  we  keep  our  young  people 
upcn  the  farms?'  is  beyond  our  compre- 
hension. We  note,  however,  that  multi- 
tudes of  mechanics,  traders  and  others 
have  become  disgusted  with  the  tread- 
mill of  their  chosen  callings  and  com- 
pelled to  acknowledge  from  the  ;  book  of 
experience '  that  the  most  reliable  feeder 
of  the  family  is  the  soil,  and  the  farmer 
who  '  means  business'  quite  as  honora- 
ble and  more  profitable  than  the  average. 
Therefore,  young  men,  consider  well 
your  situation  and  your  opportunity. 
Let  your  k  air  castles'  in  which  wealth 
abounds  be  but  the  dream  in  the  dark. 
Let  your  judgment  master  the  situation. 
Consider  that  there  are  more  applicants 
than  places,  more  blanks  than  prizes,  and 
if  you  have  a  gloomy  outlook,  stick,  make 
it  bright,  and  by  your  grit  and  industry 
make  it  pay. 


DYER  HOOK  SANBORN,  A.  M. 


The  writer  of  this  sketch 
and  1854,  a  mechanic,  working  in  Hop- 
kinton.  In  his  frequent  visits  to  the 
stores  and  post-office  he  was  accustomed 
to  meet  the  students  of  old  Hopkinton 
Academy,  with  Greek  and  Latin  books, 
an  algebra  or  geometry  in  their  hands, 
which  they  were  supposed  to  be  study- 
ing. Subsequent  developments  have 
shown  that,  in  some  cases,  there  was  no 
fact  in  the  supposition.  But  at  that  time 
they  seemed  to  the  writer  to  be  of  auoth- 


BY   REV.   SILAS   KETCHUM,   WINDSOR,  CT 

was.  in  1853    er  order  of  beings. 


Some  of  them  have 
since  become  such — eminently.  And  the 
supposed  ecstacy  of  their  employment, 
and  profundity  of  their  learning,  excited 
ambitions  and  aspirations  which  he  then 
had  no  means  of  gratifying  or  promot- 
ing. 

The  teacher  at  that  time  was  Prof. 
Dyer  H.  Sanborn.  To  get  him  from 
Tubbs  Union  at  Washington  was  thought 
by  the  trustees  and  townsmen  a  consid- 
erable acquisition.     His  fame  had   pre- 


92 


DYER  HOOK  SANBORN,  A.  M. 


ceded  him,  and  was  probably  at  that 
time  at  its  climax,  and  extensive.  An 
unusual  advent  of  students  from  abroad 
was  anticipated  and  realized.  So  many 
pupils,  it  was  said,  (the  writer  does  not 
speak  from  data  or  personal  knowledge) 
had  not  attended  that  institution  at  one 
time  for  many  years,  as  did  attend  it 
during  Prof.  Sanborn's  preceptorate; 
and  it  is  doubtful  if  so  many  ever  did  in 
any  one  term  afterward. 

As  the  writer  was  walking  home  one 
evening  he  was  accosted  by  the  Profes- 
sor,to  whom  he  had  never  before  spoken. 
The  popular  teacher  made  enquiry  in  an 
easy  and  kindly  way  as  to  the  opportu- 
nities, position  and  antecedents  of  the 
boy  mechanic,  and  learning  that  the  me- 
chanic was  not  altogether  content  to  re- 
main as  he  was,  gave  him  some  encour- 
aging words,  advised  him  about  his 
reading,  and  was  the  first  man  who  ever 
showed  to  him  the  possibility  of  pursu- 
ing those  studies  toward  which  he  had 
looked  with  longing  eyes  afar  off. 

The  acquaintance  thus  begun  by  the 
condescension  of  the  Professor  was  by 
him  encouraged  and  improved,  and 
eventually  ripened  into  a  closer  and 
more  intimate  friendship  than  often  ex- 
ists between  two  of  such  disparity  of 
years.  In  the  days  of  his  activity  many 
men  doubtless  enjoyed  his  confidence, 
and  thoroughly  knew  him  in  the  various 
relations  which  he  sustained  to  society. 
But  during  the  years  of  his  retirement 
at  Hopkinton,  the  writer  believes  there 
were  few  men  to  whom  the  Professor 
spoke,  of  himself,  of  his  history,  his  af- 
fairs and  designs,  more  unreservedly 
than  to  himself. 

While  therefore  he  feels  conscious  that 
he  thoroughly  understood  the  man,  and 
appreciated  him  for  not  more  nor  less 
than  he  actually  was;  and  esteemed  him 
mor.e  highly  as  he  knew  him  more  inti- 
mately than  the  generality  of  his  towns- 
men; he  confesses  himself  disqualified, 
by  the  very  circumstances,  from  attempt- 
ing an  impartial  analysis  of  his  charac- 
ter and  acquirements. 

But  Professor  Sanborn's  life  was  busy 
and  fruitful,  his  talents  versatile  and  va- 
riously employed.     He   sustained  at  dif- 


ferent times  relations  to  interests  widely 
diverse  and  unrelated.  His  influence 
with  the  young  of  both  sexes  was  marked 
and  unusual.  For  full  fifty  years  he  was 
an  instructor  of  youth,  and  at  the  time 
he  laid  down  the  ferule  had  had  perhaps 
a  greater^number  under  his  tuition  than 
any  other  man  in  the  State.  For  a  gen- 
eration at  least  his  name  was  familiar  to 
the  people,  and  the  positions  he  filled, 
if  not  eminent,  were  at  least  not  incon- 
spicuous in  public  affairs.  His  personal 
acquaintance  was  vast  beyond  any  enu- 
meration. And  yet,  so  far  as  the  writer 
is  aware,  no  connected  history  of  the  la- 
borious services  rendered  by  this  man, 
or  the  changes  that  marked  his  useful 
career,  has  ever  been  put  on  record. 

Of  the  facts  herein  brought  together 
some  were  obtained  from  an  obituary  in 
a  Seminary  paper  printed  at  Tilton,  some 
from  his  brother,  Prof.  E.  D.  Sanborn  of 
of  Dartmouth  College,  some  from  an  ex- 
amination of  catalogues,  registers,  ma- 
sonic proceedings,  school  reports  and 
other  documents,  and  many  were  com- 
municated by  the  gentleman  himself  in 
the  latter  years  of  his  life.  He  has 
served  his  generation  and  his  record  is 
on  high.  These  scanty  and  partial  mem- 
oranda may  also  serve  to  preserve  some 
knowledge  and  remembrance  of  it  to  the 
posterity  of  those  who  were  in  early 
years  his  pupils,  and  in  after  life  his 
friends. 

Dyer  Hook  Sanborn  was  named  for  his 
maternal  grandfather,  Capt.  Dyer  Hook 
of  Chichester,  formerly  (1760)  of  Kings- 
ton, and  one  of  the  original  proprietors 
of  Wentworth,  whose  daughter,  Hannah, 
married  David  E.  Sanborn  of  Gilmanton, 
and  became  the  mother  of  three  sons 
who  rose  to  distinction.  Of  the  father, 
David  E.,  and  of  the  Hon.  John  S.,  his 
youngest  son,  a  slight  account  is  given 
in  the  sketch  of  Prof.  Edwin  D.,  Gran- 
ite Monthly,  I,  289. 

Dyer  H.  was  born  in  Gilmanton,  29 
July,  1799;  and  died  in  Hopkinton,  14 
January,  1871.  Brought  up  on  his  fa- 
ther's farm,  which  was  a  mile  square,  he 
was  early  engaged  in  the  rural  pursuits 
common  to  the  life  of  a  farmer's  boy  at 
that  period.     But  having  an   active  and 


enquiring  mind,  and  being  of  a  feeble 
constitution,  he  turned  his  attention  to 
study  and  prepared  for  college  at  Gil- 
raanton.  Academy,  but  for  some  reason 
gave  up  the  intention  of  going  to  college 
and  never  entered. 

At  the  age  of  seventeen  he  commenced 
teaching  and  taught  winter  schools  for 
about  ten  years,  in  Pittsfield,  Deerfield, 
Gilmanton,  Wiscasset,  Me.,  and  Ames- 
bury,  Mass.,  working  on  a  farm  sum- 
mers. He  had  in  the  mean  time  mar- 
ried and  had  bought  a  place  in  Gilmanton 
which  he  carried  on,  and  served  some 
time  as  a  captain  of  militia.  He  then 
removed  to  Lynn,  Mass.,  and  engaged 
in  teaching  as  a  profession.  While  there 
he  commenced  and  pursued  a  course  of 
medical  studies,  and  it  is  believed  he  re- 
ceived the  degree  of  M.  D. ;  but  he  nev- 
er practiced  medicine. 

In  1828  he  removed  to  Marblehead, 
where  he  taught  for  several  years. 
Returning  to  New  Hampshire  he  became 
principal  of  the  Academy  at  Sanbornton 
Square,  and  prepared  for  the  press  an 
"Analytical  Grammar  of  the  English 
Language."  In  its  construction  he  used 
many  of  the  definitions  which  had  been 
employed  in  the  Grammar  of  John  L. 
Parkhurst,  published  in  1820,  for  which 
purpose  he  purchased  and  held  the  copy- 
right of  Parkhurst's  Grammar;  but 
gave  that  gentleman  credit  for  all  he 
used,  with  scrupulous  care.  His  Analyt- 
ii  al  Grammar  was  first  printed  at  Con- 
cord, in  1836.  The  sale  of  the  first  edi- 
tion was  rapid,  and  in  1839  it  was  revised 
and  stereotyped.  In  1846  it  had  gone 
through  eight  editions. 

In  1833  he  received  from  Waterville 
College,  and  in  1841  from  Dartmouth 
College,  the  honorary  degree  of  Master 
of  Arts. 

He  also  taught  at  Sanbornton  Bridge, 
now  Tilton,  and  became  Professor  of 
Mathematics  and  of  the  Natural  and  In- 
tellectual Sciences  in  the  New  Hamp- 
shire Conference  Seminary,  which  was 
then  located  on  theNorthfield  side  of  the 
river.  While  in  this  position  he  formed 
classes  for  normal  instruction,  and  pub- 
lished an  abridgment  of  his  larger  work 
under  the  form  and  title  of  "  Sanborn's 


DYER  HOOK  SANBORN,  A.M. 

Normal    School 


93 


Grammar,'"  Concord. 
1846,  which  passed  through  eight  edi- 
tions in  five  years, being  extensively  used 
in  certain  sections  of  New  Hampshire, 
and  probably  in  other  states,  till  super- 
ceded by  Weld's.  In  this  appeared  the 
well-known  grammatical  rhyme,  com- 
mencing, 

A  noun's  the  name  of  any  thing, 
As  ball,  or  garden,  hoop  or  swing, 

of  which   he  claimed   to  be   the  original 
author. 

At  what  time  the  writer  is  not  aware,  • 
but  thinks  it  was  while  connected  with 
this  institution,  Professor  Sanborn  re- 
ceived ordination  and  became  a  local 
preacher  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church.  He  never  took  an  appointment, 
or  belonged  to  conference,  but  he  often 
supplied  vacant  pulpits,  in  his  own  and 
other  denominations,  and  married  a  great 
number  of  people,  particularly  among 
his  former  pupils. 

In  1848  he  left  Sanbornton  and  was 
principal  of  Andover  Academy  one  year, 
when  he  became  principal  of  Tubbs  Un- 
ion Academy,  Washington,  and  was  ap- 
pointed School  Commissioner  of  Sulli- 
van County  in  1850,  serving  two  years. 
He  also  represented  Washington  in  the 
Constitutional  Convention  in  1851. 

With  the  fall  term  of  1853  he  entered 
upon  his  duties  as  principal  of  the  Hop- 
kinton  Academy.  Of  his  popularity  at 
that  time,  and  of  the  success  of  the 
school  under  his  administration,  mention 
has  already  been  made.  He  purchased 
a  small  place  in  Hopkinton  village  which 
was  henceforth  his  residence  during  his 
life.  This  he  took  a  great  delight  in 
adorning  and  improving,  and  paid  par- 
ticular attention  to  the  cultivation  of  the 
best  varieties  of  grapes,  pears  and  ap- 
ples. 

Having  long  been  a  personal  friend  and 
political  associate  of  Franklin  Pierce,  he 
was  offered  and  accepted  a  clerkship  in  the 
Treasury  Department  at  Washington,un- 
der  that  gentleman's  administration,  and 
entered  UDon  his  duties  in  1855.  In  1857 
and  1858  he  taught  a  select  school  in  Pitts- 
field;  but  receiving  the  appointment  of 
postmaster  of  Hopkinton  in  1859,  in 
place  of  Joseph  Stan  wood,  deceased,  he 


94  A  HYMN. 

never  taught,  any  except  private  pupils  after  that  war  with  the  Republican. 
afterward.  Fie  continued  in  the  office  Professor  Sanborn  published,  besides 
until  his  death,  and  was  for  many  years  the  books  above  named,  ••  A  GUsographi- 
also  superintendent  of  the  town  schools,  cal  Manual. "  1856,  and  "School  Mot- 
After  retiring  from  the  active  duties  of  toes,'*  1858.  He  was  a  frequent  contrib- 
his  profession  his  former  pupils  gave  him  utor  to  the  N.  H.  Journal  of  Education* 
a  complimentary  reception  and  benefit,  while  published,  and  for  various  periodi- 
with  an  elaborate  dinner,  and  literary  cals  in  and  out  of  the  state.  He  collect- 
exercises  adapted  to  the  occasion,  and  as  ed  with  great  labor  materials  for  a  his- 
a  testimonial  of  their  good  faith  they  tory  of  the  Sanborn  Family,  a  portion  of 
presented  him  a  purse  of  several  hun-  which  he  edited  and  prepared  for  the 
dred  dollars.  press,  but  did   not  live  to    complete  the 

In  Freemasonry  he  was  a  Knight  Tern-  work, 

plar,  and   was  a  chaplain   of  the   G,rand  About  two  years  before  his  decease  he 

Lodge  of  New  Hampshire  from   1S49  to  experienced  a  partial  paralysis,  severely 

1856.     He  held  for  many  years  a  commis-  effecting  one  side,  from   which    he  never 

sion  of  Justice    of  the  Peace  and   Quo-  fully  recovered ;  and  although   his  exit 

rum  throughout  the  State,  and  did  con-  was  not  unexpected,  his  final  illness  was 

siderable   justice  business.     Before  the  very  brief.      His    second    wife   survives 

war  of  the  Rebellion   he  affiliated   with  him,  but  by  neither  wife  left  he  any  is- 

the   Democratic  party ;  but   during  and  sue. 


A  HYMN. 


BY  MARY  HELEN  BOODEY. 

I  can  but  trust  in  God 
And  rest  within  His  arms, 

Whether  I  lie  beneath  the  sod 
Or  face  life's  wild  alarms. 

In  Him  is  all  my  joy; 

In  Him  is  all  my  peace ; 
I  work  in  His  employ. 

And  at  His  bidding  cease. 

He  doetb  all  things  well, 

He  loveth  every  soul; 
All  things  His  goodness  tell 

And  His  supreme  control. 

Father  of  life  and  light ! 

Being  all-wise  and  kind! 
Oh,  give  me  clearer  sight 

Who  am  so  weak  and  blind. 

Let  me  not  faint  and  fail 
Before  the  close  of  day, 

Oh,  let  not  doubts  assail 
The  heart  that  owns  Thy  sway. 

And  when  my  work  is  done, 
And  I  am  gathered  home, 

How  bright  will  be  the  sun  ! 
How  sweet  a  voice  say — Come  ! 


THE  TWO  LAST  SAGAMORES  OF  NEWICHAWANNOCK. 


95 


THE  TWO  LAST  SAGAMORES  OF  NEWICHAWANNOCK 


sligo  shore  was  his  small  and  rudely  cul- 
around    him    was   a 
with  game ;    near  his 


tivated    cornfield : 
dense  forest  filled 


dwelling  were  several  small  moulded 
hills  irrigated  by  pure,  gushing  springs, 
upon  whose  summit  there  clustered  lus- 
cious grapes  and  sweet  and  nourishing 
nuts.  At  his  fireside  could  be  heard  the 
gurgling  waters  of  Assabumbadoc  as 
they  fell  through  the  craggy  chasm  into 
the  fathomless  pool. 

If  he  turned  to  the  rising  sun  he  saw 
old  Agamenticus  sitting  upon  the  rim 
of  the  ocean,  the  pulpit  of  the 
Great  Spirit,  where  their  taaditions 
taught  them  He  came  down  concealed  in 
the  great  storm  cloud  to  watch  the  angry 
moods  of  the  ocean.    If  he  turned  to  the 

above  the 


towering 


BY   W.    F.    LOKD. 

[This  sketch,  from  the  pen  of  the  historian  of  Berwtck  ami  Somersworth,  will  be,  we  believe  of 
sufficient  interest  to  our  readers  dwelling  in  the  eastern  section  of  the  state,  as  well  as  to  all  interest- 
ed in  Indian  history,  to  warrant  its  republication  in  the  Gkanite  Monthly.] 

Rowles.  a  noted  Sagamore  of  Newich- 
awannock,  during  its  early  settlement  by 
the  English,  had  his  domicil  on  the 
easterly  side  of  the  river  near  Quamphea- 
gen  falls.  All  the  Indians  from  the  up- 
per waters  of  the  Newichawannock  to 
the  sea  were  his  subjects,  though  he  was 
under  the  great  Passaconway.  His  sub- 
jects had  been  greatly  diminished  by  the 
fearful  plague  that  had  flapped  its  ma- 
larious wings  along  the  New  England 
coast,  a  few  years  before  permanent  set- 
tlement had  been  made  in  Newichawan- 
nock. 

He  possessed  the  gift  of  prophesy  and 
predicted  to  the  early  settlers  the  im- 
pending bloody  conflicts  between  the 
Indian  and  white  man.  He  said  "  at  first 
the  Indian  will  kill  many  and  prevail  but 
after  a  few  years  they  will  be  great  suf- 
ferers and  finally  be  rooted  out  and  de- 
stroyed." 

The  dwelling  place  of  Rowles  upon 
the  banks  of  the  Newichawannock  was 
well  chosen  for  sustenance  and  pictur- 
esque beauty.  It  was  at  the  head  of  tide 
water ;  the  upper  waters  were  not  then 
as  now  yarded  up  to  be  daily  parceled 
out  and  harnessed  to  a  ponderous  mech- 
anism and  ladened  with  the  filth  of  fac- 
tories and  street  sewers,  but  it  flowed 
freely  from  the  crystal  lakes,  dancing 
and  laughing  through  the  high  mossy 
gorges  to  the  tide  water.  In  their  sea- 
son, countless  salmon  and  migratory  fish 
sported  in  its  crystal  waters  on  their 
passage  to  its  upper  sources ;  an  hour  in 
his  light  canoe  upon  a  receding  tide 
would  take  him  to  the  broad  Piscataqua 
which  the  early  explorers  found  so 
crowded  with  delicious  fish  that  they 
named  it  Piscataqua  (fish  water). 

Near  the  soft  green  meadows  on  the 


long 


setting  sun  he  saw 
forest,  draped  in  hazy  veils,  the 
chain  of  mountains  that  brace  up  the 
valley  of  the  Merrimack,  the  home  of 
Passaconaway,  his  great  lord  and  mas- 
ter, 

"Who  could  change  the  seared  and  yellow  leaf 
To  bright  and  living  green." 

Ferdinando  Gorges  had  by  royal  favor 
obtained  a  charter  of  all  the  laud  in  the 
western  part  of  Maine,  where  he  hoped 
to  build  up  an  empire  for  his  prosperity. 
He  founded  the  Agamenticus  plantation 
in  1623 :  within  its  limits  was  Newicha- 
wannock.  He  sent  over  scores  and  hun- 
dreds of  tenants  and'  servants.  Some 
having  no  taste  for  agriculture  were  early 
attracted  by  the  excellent  timber  that 
grew  upon  the  banks  of  the  Newicha- 
wannock  and  its  wonderful  facilities  for 
the  manufacture  and  transportation  of 
lumber. 

In  1643  Humphrey  Chadbourne,  for  a 
pittance,  purchased  the  homestead  of 
Rowles,  the  land  on  which  the  village  of 


96 


THE  TWO  LAST  SAGAMORES  OF  NEWICHAWANNOCK. 


South  Berwick  now  stands.  Seven  years 
later  Gov.  Godfrey  and  council  granted 
to  Richard  Leaders,  Assabumbadoc  falls 
and  adjacent  lands.  Dams  and  mills 
were  erected  there,  and  at  Quampheagen 
and  Salmon  Falls.  The  forests  melted 
away,  the  game  disappeared  and  migra- 
tory fish  could  no  longer  ascend  the 
river.  Every  means  on  which  Rowles 
and  his  people  had  relied  for  support  had 
been  swept  away. 

In  1670,  five  years  before  the  com- 
mencement of  the  Indian  wars.  Rowles 
being  bedridden  with  age  and  sickness, 
complained  of  the  great  neglect  with 
which  he  had  been  treated  by  the  English. 
At  length  he  sent  a  messenger  to  some 
ot  the  principal  men  of  Newichawan- 
nock  to  make  him  a  visit.  He  told  them 
"  he  was  loaded  with  years  and  that  he 
expected  a  visit  in  his  infirmities  from 
those  who  were  now  tenants  on  the  land 
of  his  fathers.  Though  all  of  these  plan- 
tations are  of  right  my  children's,  I  am 
forced  in  this  age  of  evil,  humbly  to  re- 
quest a  few  hundred  acres  of  land  to  be 
marked  out  and  recorded  for  them  upon 
the  town  books  as  a  public  act,  so  that 
when  I  am  gone  they  will  not  be  perish- 
ing beggars  in  the  pleasant  places  of 
their  birth." 

This  modest  request  of  the  dying 
Rowles  was  deemed  of  sufficient  im- 
portance to  be  attested  to  by  Major 
Waldron  and  others,  but  it  was  never 
granted.  Rowles  passed  away  beyond 
the  setting  sun,  leaving  no  inheritance 
for  his  children  in  the  places  of  their 
birth . 

His  son  and  successor,  Blind  Will— 
who  received  that  name  from  having  lost 
one  eye  —  regarding  the  premonitory 
counsel  of  his  father  with  sacred  respect, 
at  the  commencement  of  the  King  Phil- 


lip war,  about  1675,  he  entered  the  Eng- 
lish service  where  he  remained  two 
years,  or  until  his  death.  Although 
sometimes  distrusted  by  his  comrades 
because  he  had  a  red  skin  he  always 
proved  himself  loyal  to  the  English  and 
is  spoken  of  by  the  early  historians  as  a 
Sagamore  of  note  and  ability.  He  be- 
came the  trusted  friend  of  Maj.  Waldron, 
accompanied  him  on  various  expeditions 
against  the  Indians  and  acted  as  pilot  in 
the  expedition  to  Ossipee  lakes. 

After  the  English  made  an  alliance 
with  the  "  Mohawks "  against  the 
Eastern  tribes,  strange  Indians  were  re- 
ported to  be  in  the  vicinity  of  Coehecho. 
Maj.  Waldron  sent  Blind  Will  with  a 
company  to  ascertain  who  they  were. 
The  "Mohawks"  mistaking  them  for  en- 
emies rushed  upon  them  and  only  three 
escaped.  Blind  Will  was  dragged  away 
by  his  hair  and  perished  in  the  woods  at 
the  confluence  of  the  Isinglass  and  Cho- 
checho  rivers  in  the  south-west  part  of 
Rochester,  a  short  distance  above  the 
line  between  Rochester  and  Dover. 
This  location  still  bears  the  name  of 
"  Blind  Will's  Neck,"  and  the  old  inhab- 
itants in  that  locality  will  point  out  the 
spot  where  he  was  buried,  and  some  of 
them  insist  that  they  have  heard  his 
'k  war-whoop  "  as  they  pass  it  with  their 
teams  in  the  midnight  hour.  Few  of  the 
subjects  of  Rowles  remained  long  in  the 
valley  of  the  Newichawannock  after  his 
death.  A  century  ago  one  had  his  home 
on  the  banks  of  Worster's  river,  near  the 
Newichawannock,  by  the  name  of  Sun- 
set, a  suggestive  name.  He  was  buried 
in  an  unmarked  grave  in  the  old  Wors- 
ter  burying  ground  and  not  a  ray  of  twi- 
light from  the  departed  race  lingers  in 
the  pleasant  places  of  their  birth. 


Aih.-l-u-jlh  jlimk.NuiM  ■<>  Bofitou 


aZCyuPe 


THE 


GBANITE  MONTHLY. 


A  MAGAZINE  OF  LITERATURE,  HISTORY  AND 
STATE  PROGRESS. 


VOL.  II. 


NOVEMBER,  1878. 


NO.  4. 


GEN.  NATT  EH  AD. 


Passing  up  the  romantic  valley  of  the 
Merrimack,  that  queen  of  New  England 
rivers,  the  nursing  mother  of  our  great- 
est industries  as  well  as  the  brightest 
adornment  "of  our  most  beautiful  land- 
scapes, the  traveler  observes,  when  near- 
ly midway  between  Hooksett  and  Sun- 
cook,  upon  the  table-land,  commanding 
an  extensive  view  of  the  valley  in  either 
direction,  an  elegant  and  spacious  brick 
mansion  which  seldom  fails  to  attract 
more  than  mere  passing  notice.  It  is 
indeed  one  of  the  finest  country  resi- 
dences in  New  England,  the  elegance 
as  well  as  the  substantial  comfort  and 
convenience  of  its  interior  appointments 
fully  bearing  out  the  promise  of  its  ex- 
terior. This  mansion  is  the  residence  of 
one  of  New  Hampshire's  self-made  men 
— men  who  through  the  avocations  of 
manual  labor  and  the  stirring  discipline 
of  business  life  have  won  their  way  to 
competence  and  honor — commanding  the 
confidence  of  their  fellow  citizens  as 
manifested  in  their  elevation  through  the 
suffrages  of  the  people  to  positions  of 
trust  and  responsibility. 

Here  lives  Gen.  Natt  Head,  whom  the 
people  of  New  Hampshire  at  the  recent 
election — the  first  holden  under  the 
amended  constitution — selected  for  their 
chief  magistrate  for  the  term  of  two 
years  from  June  next. 


Gen.  Head  is  a  descendant  of  Nathan- 
iel Head,  who,  with  his  brother  John, 
came  from  Wales  to  America  and  set- 
tled in  Bradford,  Mass.,  but  subsequent- 
ly removed  to  Pembroke  in  this  State. 
He  had  three  sons,  Nathaniel,  James  and 
Richard.  The  former  was  the  grand- 
father of  the  subject  of  our  sketch.  In 
the  history  of  Chester,  by  Benjamin 
Chase,  it  is  related  of  him  that  in  his 
youth  he  paid  his  addresses  to  a  young 
lady  of  Scotch-Irish  descent  named 
Knox,  a  daughter  of  one  of  the  leading 
families  of  the  town.  Between  these 
families  there  was  a  feeling  of  hostility. 
While  driving  the  cattle  in  the  field  for 
his  father  one  day  the  old  gentleman 
asked  young  Nathaniel  if  he  intended  to 
marry  that  Irish  girl.  "  Yes,  father," 
was  the  reply.  "Then  understand," 
said  he,  "  you  can  never  share  in  my 
property."  "  Very  well,"  said  the  youth, 
"  I  will  take  care  of  myself,"  and  drop- 
ping his  goad-stick  in  the  furrow,  he  left 
the  field  and  bis  home,  and  went  out  to 
make  his  own  way  in  the  world.  He 
served  for  a  time  in  the  Revolution- 
ary army  and  attained  the  rank  of  Cap- 
tain. Having  married  the  young  lady 
of  his  choice,  Anna  Knox,  he  established 
his  home  in  a  log  cabin  in  that  part  of 
the  old  town  of  Chester  now  embraced 
in  Hooksett,  upon  the  very  site  now  oc- 


98 


GEN.  NATT  HEAD. 


cupied  by  the  residence  of  his  grandson. 
He  prospered  in  life  and  accumulated  a 
handsome  property.  He  was  a  man  of 
great  energy  and  independence  of  char- 
acter, as  well  as  sound  practical  judg- 
ment, and,  holding  the  position  of  Jus- 
tice of  the  Peace,  as  well  as  the  confi- 
dence of  the  people  throughout  the  com- 
munity, he  became  practically  the  law- 
yer for  all  the  surrounding  region,  and 
was  largely  engaged  in  the  settlement  of 
disputes  and  the  transaction  of  legal 
business  for  his  neighbors  and  towns- 
men. He  had  nine  children,  five  sons 
and  four  daughter.  Of  these,  Samuel, 
the  eldest,  was  the  proprietor  of  the 
celebrated  "  Head  Tavern  "  in  Hooksett. 
John,  the  youngest  of  the  five  sons,  and 
the  father  of  the  subject  of  our  sketch, 
remained  upon  the  homestead.  He 
married,  in  1791,  Anna  Brown,  a  daugh- 
ter of  William  Brown,  a  retired  sea  cap- 
tain, and  sister  of  Hon.  Hiram  Brown, 
the  first  mayor  of  Manchester,  now  a 
resident  of  Virginia,  and  father  of  the 
wife  of  Hon.  Isaac  W.  Smith  of  the  Su- 
preme Court.  He  became  an  influencial 
citizen  of  the  town, was  a  successful  farm- 
er, and  engaged  in  the  manufacture  and 
sale  of  lumber.  He  was  prominent  in 
the  militia,  and  attained  the  rank  of 
Colonel.  He  died  in  middle  life,  August, 
1836,  leaving  five  children  to  the  care  of 
his  widow,  a  woman  of  rare  mental  pow- 
ers, and  executive  ability  surpassing 
most  men,  who  proved  herself  fully 
equal  to  the  task  of  administering  the 
large  estate,  and  managing  and  even  en- 
larging the  extensive  business  in  which 
her  husband  had  been  engaged,  as  well 
as  rearing  her  children  to  become  true 
and  earnest  men  and  women,  and  valua- 
ble members  of  society. 

Natt  Head  was  the  eldest  son,  and 
third  child,  two  sisters  being  older  and 
two  brothers  younger  than  himself.  The 
eldest  of  the  sisters  married  the  late  Col. 
Josiah  Stevens,  formerly  of  Concord, 
who  died  in  Manchester  a  few  years 
since;  while  the  younger,  now  deceased, 
was  the  wife  of  Hall  B.  Emery  of  Pem- 
broke. The  eldest  of  his  two  brothers, 
John  A.  Head,  has  resided  many  years 
at    the  West,  and  is    now    Auditor    of 


Broome  County,  Iowa.  He  was  for 
some  time  engaged  as  a  contractor  in  the 
construction  of  the  Northwestern  rail- 
road, and  subsequently  several  years 
Superintendent  of  the  Iowa  division  of 
that  road.  The  youngest  brother,  Wil- 
liam F., still  resides  in  Hooksett,  living  in 
a  substantial  residence  not  far  from  that 
of  Natt,  the  two  having  all  along  been 
in  partnership  in  the  various  operations 
in  which  they  have  been  engaged,  farm- 
ing, lumbering,  brick-making,  contract- 
ing, etc.,  or  rather  they  have  done  busi- 
ness in  common,  never  dividing  a  dollar, 
but  each  using  what  he  needed  or 
pleased,  the  interest  of  the  other  broth- 
er and  sisters  having  been  purchased  by 
Natt  when  he  became  of  age.  His  father 
died  when  Natt  was  but  eight  years  old, 
and  the  advantages  afforded  by  the  dis- 
trict school,  supplemented  by  a  few  terms 
attendance  at  Pembroke  Academy,  fur- 
nished all  the  education  he  secured,  aside 
from  that  obtained  through  discipline  of 
active  life,  in  the  various  departments  of 
labor  and  of  business  in  which  he  has 
been  engaged,  Few  men  in  the  State 
are  more  exteusively  engaged  in  agri- 
cultural operations,  and  certainly  no  one 
has  done  more  to  promote  the  interests 
of  the  cause  of  agriculture.  The  Head 
farm  contains  some  two  hundred  acres 
of  cultivated  land, upon  which  is  cut,  an- 
nually, from  two  hundred  to  two  hund- 
red and  fifty  tons  of  hay.  Altogether, 
the  brothers  own  some  fifteen  hundred 
acres  of  land,  which  includes  several 
valuable  tracts  of  timber  land  in  other 
towns,  one  of  600  acres  lying  in  the  town 
of  Groton. 

The  lumber  business  in  which  their  fa- 
ther was  engaged  has  been  continued, 
fron  500,000  to  1,000,000  feet  of  lumber 
being  manufactured  annually  at  their 
mills.  As  manufacturers  of  brick,  how- 
ever, they  have  attained  their  greatest 
celebrity,  their  business  in  this  line  be- 
ing the  most  extensive  in  the  State,  and 
the  quality  of  their  brick  unsurpassed. 
This  business  was  commenced  by  their 
mother  after  her  husband's  decease,  soon 
after  the  beginning  of  mill  building  at 
Manchester,  which  opened  a  ready  mar- 
ket for  vast  quantities  of  this  valuable 


GEN.  NATT.  HEAD. 


99 


building  material,  for  the  manufacture 
of  which  the  extensive  beds  of  superior 
clay  along  the  river  at  this  point 
afford  superior  facilities.  They  manu- 
facture from  three  to  six  millions  of 
brick  per  annum,  selling  the  same  in  all 
parts  of  New  England.  Ten  millions 
were  furnished  by  them  for  the  construc- 
tion of  the  new  Massachusetts  State 
Prison  at  Concord,  and  several  millions 
for  the  Lawrence  Water  Works.  In 
their  extensive  operations  of  farming, 
lumbering  and  brick-making,  altogether, 
the  brothers  Head  give  .constant  employ- 
ment to  nearly  two  hundred  men,  with 
thirty  horses  and  several  yokes  of  oxen, 
all  of  which  are  kept  on  the  farm,  upon 
which  there  are  also  more  than  a  dozen 
dwellings,  occupied  by  the  families  of 
those  of  their  workmen  who  have  been 
long  in  their  employ. 

Aside  from,  or  supplementary  to,  the 
extensive  business  already  mentioned, 
Gen.  Head  has  been  largely  engaged 
upon  contracts  for  the  construction  of 
railroads  and  of  buildings.  A  large  por- 
tion of  the  work  on  the  Suncook  Val- 
ley railroad  was  done  by  him,  as  well  as 
much  upon  other  roads.  The  firm  of 
Head  &  Dowst,  contractors  and  builders, 
of  Manchester,  well  known  as  among  the 
most  extensive  building  firms  of  the  city, 
embraces  the  General  and  his  brother, 
whose  enterprise,  energy,  and  ample  re- 
sources have  contributed  largely  to  the 
success  of  the  firm. 

Gen.  Head  inherited  from  his  ancestors 
a  strong  taste  for  military  affairs,  which, 
with  musical  talents  of  high  order,  early 
led  him  into  prominence  as  a  military 
musician.  He  became  leader  of  the 
Hooksett  Brass  Band  at  sixteen  years  of 
age.  This,  by  the  way,  was  the  first 
band  that  ever  played  in  the  city  of  Man- 
chester, its  first  visit  being  on  the  occa- 
sion of  a  grand  Fourth  of  July  celebra- 
tion at  Amoskeag  in  1844,  the  first  year 
of  his  leadership.  He  was  subsequently, 
for  a  number  of  years,  a  member  of  the 
Manchester  Cornet  Band.  In  1847  he  be- 
came fife  major  in  the  Eleventh  Regi- 
ment of  the  State  Militia,  and  served  four 
years  in  that  capacity.  He  was  also 
chief  bugler  in  the  celebrated  organiza- 


tion known  as  the  Governor's  Horse 
Guards.  He  has  been  many  years  an  ac- 
tive member  of  the  Amoskeag  Veterans , 
and  commanded  that  famous  battalion 
four  years,  from  1869  to  1872,  inclusive. 
He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Ancient  and 
Honorable  Artillery  of  Boston,  and  an 
honorary  member  of  the  Boston  Lancers. 
In  the  position  of  Adjutant  General  of 
the  State,  to  which  he  was  appointed  by 
Gov.  Gilmore  in  1864,  and  which  he  held 
until  1870.  Gen.  Head  may  truly  be  said 
to  have  won  his  greatest  reputation,  as 
well  as  the  lasting  regard  of  a  large  por- 
tion of  our  people,  especially  the  soldier 
element.  He  came  iuto  the  administra- 
tion of  this  office  at  a  time  when  its  du- 
ties were  manifold  and  great,  and  to  their 
proper  fulfilment  constant  and  varied  ef- 
fort and  executive  ability  of  high  order 
were  absolutely  essential.  It  is  but  just 
to  say  that  he  gave  his  best  energies  to 
the  work  of  the  office,  and  although  find- 
ing its  affairs  in  a  most  unsatisfactory 
and  perplexing  condition,  by  constant 
and  persevering  effort  he  placed  the 
same  in  systematic  order.  In  Waite's 
"New  Hampshire  in  the  Rebellion,"  it 
is  said  of  Gen.  Head,  referring  to  his  ad- 
ministration of  this  office,  "that  on  as- 
suming its  duties  he  found  the  department 
very  incomplete,  but  little  matter  having 
been  collected  relating  to  the  outfit  of 
the  troops  and  their  achievements  in  the 
field,  although  New  Hampshire  had,  up 
to  that  time,  sent  to  the  war  twenty-six 
thousand  soldiers.  In  fact,  not  a  complete 
set  of  muster-in  rolls  of  any  regiment 
could  be  found  in  the  office.  In  the  face 
of  these  obstacles  and  discouragements, 
and  with  no  appropriation  to  draw  from, 
Gen.  Head  at  once  entered  upon  the  du- 
ties of  his  position,  employing  upon  his 
own  responsibility  three  clerks,  and  pro- 
curing the  necessary  outfit  of  the  office, 
trusting  in  the  Legislature  totreimburse 
him,  which  it  not  only  promptly  and 
cheerfully  did,  but  made  all  additional 
appropriations  for  the  department  that 
were  asked  for.  During  the  remainder 
of  the  war  no  State  in  the  Union  had  a 
more  faithful,  efficient  and  popular  Ad- 
jutant General  than  New  Hampshire. 
The  clerical  duties  of  the  office  were  per- 


100 


GEN.  NATT.  HEAD. 


formed  in  an  admirable  manner,  and  the 
method  by  which  the  records  of  our  sol- 
diers were  persistently  hunted  up  and 
placed  on  file,  and  the  order  and  system 
exhibited  in  carrying  on  and  preserving 
the  extensive  and  valuable  correspond- 
ence of  the  department  were  worthy  of 
the  highest  praise."  The  reports  of  the 
department  during  Gen.  Head's  adminis- 
tration of  the  office  are  voluminous  and 
complete,  embracing  the  record  of  every 
officer  and  soldier  who  entered  the  ser- 
vice of  the  State  during  the  war,  with  a 
sketch  of  the  history  and  operations  of 
each  of  the  several  regiments,  and  also 
embodying  a  complete  military  history 
of  New  Hampshire  from  the  first  settle- 
ment of  the  province  to  the  outbreak  of 
the  Rebellion.  The  preservation  and  ar- 
rangement of  the  battle-flags  of  the  New 
Hampshire  regiments,  in  the  rotunda  of 
the  State  House,  is  one  of  the  numerous 
evidences  of  Gen.  Head's  thoughtful  care 
in  the  administration  of  this  office. 

Aside  from  his  experience  in  the  Adju- 
tant General's  office,  Gen.  Head  has  been 
considerably  engaged  in  public  affairs. 
He  has  served  his  town  most  efficiently 
in  various  official  capacities,  and  was  a 
representative  therefrom  in  the  Legisla- 
ture for  the  years  1801  and  1862.  He  was 
a  candidate  for  the  State  Senate  in  old 
District  No.  Two,  in  1875,  when  the  fa- 
mous controversy  over  the  spelling  of 
his  name  upon  the  ballots  occurred,  and 
was  eleeted  to  the  Senate  from  that  Dis- 
trict the  following  year,  and  re-elected 
in  1877,  when  he  was  chosen  President 
of  the  Senate,  and  discharged  the  duties 
of  the  office  acceptably  and  efficiently. 

For  several  years  past  the  friends  of 
Gen.  Head  in  the  Republican  party  have 
advocated  his  nomination  as  a  candidate 
for  Governor,  and  at  the  Convention  in 
January,  1877,  when  Gov.  Prescott  was 
nominated,  he  received  a  very  flattering 
vote,  leading  all  candidates  except  Pres- 
cott. This  fact,  along  with  his  universal 
popularity,  gave  his  name  such  prestige 
before  the  Convention  in  September  last, 
that,  although  the  friends  of  Hon. 
Cnarles  H.  Bell  made  a  vigorous  effort, 
aided  by  a  large  proportion  of  the  party 
press  throughout  the  State,  to  secure  the 


nomination  of  that  gentleman,  Gen. 
Head  was  nominated  by  a  decided  ma- 
jority upon  the  first  ballot,  and,  although 
on  account  of  the  third  party,  or  so- 
called  Greenback  movement,  it  was 
scarcely  expected  by  his  most  sanguine 
friends  that  he  would  be  chosen  by  the 
popular  vote,  he  received  a  majority  of 
four  hundred  and  eighty-eight  votes  over 
all,  and  will  succeed  Gov.  Prescott  in  the 
gubernatorial  chair,  if  he  lives  until  June 
next.  It  is  safe  to  remark  in  this  con- 
nection that  no  man,  not  even  excepting 
Gov.  Prescott  himself,  has  ever  entered 
upon  the  duties  of  the  executive  office  in 
New  Hampshire  with  a  more  extensive 
acquaintance  with  the  people,  or  a  more 
intimate  knowledge  of  their  practical 
wants  and  requirements  than  Gen.  Head 
enjoys. 

He  is  one  of  the  Directors  of  the  Sun- 
cook  Valley  Railroad,  in  which  enter- 
prise he  was  one  of  the  active  movers. 
He  is  also  a  Director  of  the  New  Hamp- 
shire Fire  Insurance  Company,  and  Pres- 
ident of  the  China  Savings  Bank  at  Sun- 
cook.  He  has  been  a  member  of  the 
N.  H.  Historical  Society  for  ten  or  twelve 
years  past,  and  has  taken  a  strong  inter- 
est in  its  work  and  progress.  He  is  also 
an  active  member  of  the  Manchester  Art 
Association.  In  Free  Masonry  he  is  both 
active  and  prominent,  being  a  member  of 
Washington  Lodge,  Mt.  Horeb  Royal 
Arch  Chapter,  Adoniram  Council  and 
Trinity  Commandery  of  Manchester.  He 
is  also  a  member  of  the  Supreme  Coun- 
cil, having  received  all  the  degrees  of 
the  Ancient  and  Accepted  Scottish  Rite, 
and  all  in  the  Rite  of  Memphis  to  the 
94th.  He  was  recently  made  an  "hono- 
rary member  of  the  "Mass  Consistory 
S.\  P.-.  R.\  S.-.  32°  Boston."  He  is 
also  a  member  of  the  Independent  Order 
of  Odd  Fellows,  belonging  to  Friendship 
Lodge  of  Hooksett  and  Hildreth  En- 
campment of  Suncook.  Aside  from  these 
connections,  he  is  a  member  of  Oriental 
Lodge,  Knights  of  Pythias,  and  Alpha 
Lodge,  Knights  of  Honor,  of  Manches- 
ter, and  Excelsior  Temple,  of  Concord ; 
is  a  member  of  Pinnacle  Lodge  of  Good 
Templars  at  Hooksett,  and  Master  of 
Hooksett  Grange  of  the  the  Patrons  of 


BIRTHPLACE  OF  GEN.  STARK. 


101 


Husbandry,  which  organization  he  was 
one  of  the  pioneers  in  forming. 

As  Director  and  President  of  the  State 
Agricultural  Society*  which  latter  posi- 
tion he  has  held  constantly  since  1S68, 
Gen.  Head  has  labored  zealously  to  pro  • 
mote  the  welfare  of  the  farming  interest 
in  the  State,  and  the  success  which  has 
attended  the  annual  exhibitions  of  the 
Society  proves  conclusively  that  his  ef- 
forts have  not  been  in  vain.  He  origin- 
ated the  movement  looking  to  the  hold- 
ing of  Farmers'  Conventions  in  New 
Hampshire,  the  first  holden  in  the  State, 
and  we  believe  the  first  in  the  country, 
having  been  gotten  up  at  Manchester  in 
1868,  mainly  through  his  efforts  and  un- 
der his  direction.  At  this  meeting  prom- 
inent friends  of  agriculture  throughout 
New  England  and  New  York  were  pres- 
ent and  made  addresses,  and  much  was 
done  to  give  fresh  impetus  to  agricul- 


tural progress  in  the  State.  In  1869  he 
was  appointed  by  the  Governor  and 
Council  one  of  the  Trustees  of  the  State 
Agricultural  College. 

Gen.  Head  was  united  in  marriage, 
Nov.  18,  1863,  with  Miss  Abbie  M.  San- 
ford  of  Lowell,  Mass.,  by  whom  he  has 
had  three  children,  two  of  whom,  both 
daughters — Annie  twelve  and  Alice  eight 
years  of  age — are  living.  He  is  now 
just  fifty  years  of  age,  having  been  born 
May  20,  1828,  and  is  in  the  full  prime  of 
his  physical  and  mental  powers.  That 
he  may  live  long,  not  only  to  enjoy  the 
comforts  and  honors  which  he  has  won 
by  his  constant  and  varied  labors  and 
faithful  discharge  of  duty,  but  also  to 
render  the  State  and  his  fellow-men 
many  more  years  of  valuable  service,  is 
the  hope  of  his  thousands  of  friends  in 
all  parts  of  the  Granite  State,  and  be- 
yond her  borders. 


BIRTHPLACE  OF  GEN.  STARE. 


[The  following  article  was  recently  published  as  a  communication  in  the  Boston  Journal. 
Since  its  publication  the  correctness  of  the  writer's  assertion  has  been  questioned  by  the  Man- 
chester Mirror,  which  paper  states  that  a  great-granddaughter  of  Gen.  Stark— Mrs.  N.  E.  Morrill 
— is  now  lining  in  that  city,  and  that  she  knows  it  to  have  been  generally  understood  in  her 
childhood,  that  her  illustrious  ancestor,  whom  she  well  remembers,  was  born  upon  the  Atlantic 
Ocean  during  his  mother's  passage  to  this  country.  That  his  early  childhood  was  passed  in  the 
territory  now  known  as  Derry,  is  unquestionably  true,  and  probably  upon  the  spot  described  by 
the  writer.] 


Seven  cities  of  Greece  contended  for 
the  honor  of  Homer's  birthplace.  More 
than  half  this  number  of  towns  are  em- 
ulous of  the  honor  of  having  given  to  the 
world  New  Hampshire's  greatest  hero. 
Londonderry,  Derryfield,  Derry,  the 
mythical  Nuffield  and  substantial  Man- 
chester, are  by  various  authorities  as- 
signed as  the  place  where  John  Stark 
first  saw  the  light  of  day.  Edward  Ev- 
erett, in  his  biography  of  Stark,  solemn- 
ly gives  Nutfield  as  his  birthplace,  the 
truth  being  that  there  never  was  any  Nut- 
field  for  anybody  to  be  born  in.  That 
was  as  unreal  a  name  as  "  Molly  Stark," 
though  both  were  properly  used  on  oc- 
casion. 

Now  a  familiarity  with  Everett's  biogra- 
phy of  Gen.  Stark  is  as  much  a  part  of  a 
New  Hampshire  boy's  education  as  the 
Ten  Commandments  and  Lord's  Prayer. 


It  ought  to  be  just  as  familiar  to  every  boy 
in  the  whole  country ;  but  Everett,  in 
that  case,  needs  to  be  as  correct  as  Scrip- 
ture itself.  As  now  pnuted  he  certainly 
is  not.  A  brief  recital  of  the  history  of 
the  naming  of  these  different  towns  will 
set  this  matter  right  and  clear  up  the  con- 
confusion  now  existing  as  to  the  birth- 
place of  Gen.  Stark.  There  was  an  in- 
definite; and  extensive  tract  of  land  in  the 
region  of  what  is  now  Manchester,  and 
to  the  southeast  of  it,  called  before  it 
was  settled  by  the  whites,  Nutfield,  on 
account  of  the  abundance  of  walnuts, 
chestnuts  and  butternuts  which  it  pro- 
duced. The  original  settlers  of  London- 
derry, arriving  on  this  tract  in  1719, 
called  their  settlement  after  this  familiar 
name;  but  when  Stark  was  born,  in  1728, 
a  town  had  been  incorporated,  which 
they  named  Londonderry  from  their  old 


102 


BIRTHPLACE  OF  GEN.  STARK. 


home  of  that  name  in  Ireland,  they  hav- 
ing come  from  Scotland  through  Ireland 
to  America.  The  settlers,  previous  to 
their  incorporation  as  a  town  in  1722,  had 
organized  for  mutual  government  and 
protection,  and  this  organization  was 
called  Nuffield,  but  it  was  never  a  town 
for  any  purpose  of  taxation  or  for  hold- 
ing town  meetings. 

Londonderry  as  incorporated  in  1722 
was  a  very  much  larger  tract  of  land 
than  is  now  covered  by  its  territory.  In 
1751  Derryfield  was  chartered,  being 
formed  from  parts  of  Londonderry  and 
Chester  and  the  whole  of  Hurrytown. 
In  1810  the  name  Derryfield  was  changed 
to  Manchester,  and  in  1846  Manchester 
became  a  city,  parts  of  other  towns  being 
added  to  it  afterward.  In  1742  the  par- 
ish of  Windham  was  incorporated  by  the 
Provincial  Assembly  from  the  territory 
of  Londonderry,  a  part  of  which  wss  af- 
terward annexed  to  Salem,  and  the  rest 
became  the  present  town  of  Windham. 
A  part  of  Hudson  once  belonged  to  Lon- 
donderry, though  it  is  not  intended  here 
to  narrate  in  full  the  partition  of  Lon- 
donderry. It  is  enough  to  add  that  in 
1827  Derry  was  set  off  and  became  a 
town  by  itself,  and  that  it  was  in  what  is 
now  Derry  that  Stark  was  born.  Not 
unfairly,  though,  can  all  the  places 
named,  and  possibly  more,  claim  some- 
thing of  the  prestige  which  properly  at- 
taches to  the  birthplace  of  so  distin- 
guished a  character  as  General  Stark 
proved  to  be.  Mr.  Everett  needs  not  to 
be  corrected  when  he  says  of  the  services 
of  General  Stark  that  they  were  of  the 
highest  character  and  of  an  importance 
not  easily  surpassed,  those  of  Washing- 
ton excepted,  u  by  any  achievements  of 
any  other  leader  in  the  army  of  the  Rev- 
olution." 

A  visit  to  Derry  was  recently  made  by 
the  writer,  a  resident  of  Bennington, 
Vermont,  and,  of  course,  interested  in 
everything  connected  with  the  hero 
of  the  battle  of  Bennington,  a  short  ac- 
count of  which  may  interest  the  readers 
of  The  Journal.  Through  the  kindness 
of  the  corresponding  secretary  of  the 
old  Londonderry  Historical  and  Anti- 
quarian  Society — one  of   those  modest 


and  useful  societies  which  are  doing  so 
much  to  preserve  our  early  history — he 
found  himself  on  one  of  these  bright  au- 
tumnal mornings,  in  company  with  a  de- 
scendant of  Stark,  residing  in  Manches- 
ter, at  the  Windham  station  of  the  Man- 
chester and  Lawrence  railroad,  ready  to 
take  conveyance  to  the  southwestern  part 
of  Derry  near  that  section  of  the  town 
known  as  "  Derry  Dock."  The  historic 
spot  of  Stark's  birthplace  is  on  the  farm 
of  Mr.  John  H.  Low,  and  is  about  two 
miles  from  the  Windham  depot  on  a  road 
running  east  of  and  parallel,  or  nearly 
so,  with  the  Londonderry  turnpike.  It 
is  a  short  distance,  say  one  quarter  of  a 
mile,  north  of  the  crossing  of  the  Nashua 
&  Rochester  Railroad,  on  the  left  side  of 
the  road,  in  a  wooded  nook,  a  secluded 
and  romantic  spot,  facing  extensive 
meadows — probably  the  very  meadows 
where  a  marauding  party  from  Massa- 
chusetts were  put  to  route  by  the  early 
settlers,  headed  by  their  minister,  a  true 
McGregor,  who  did  no  discredit  on  this 
occasion  to  the  fighting  [qualities  of  the 
noted  Highland  chieftain  of  whose  coun- 
try he  was  and  whose  name  he  bore. 

As  these  meadows  were  a  part  of  the 
"  one  thousand  acre  wildernesse  farme" 
which  Massachusetts  granted  to  her  Gov. 
Leverett,  inhabitants  of  Massachusetts 
claimed  and  exercised  the  right  to  mow 
them.  Hence  the  dispute,  which  with  the 
Scotch-Irish  refugees  in  possession, could 
result  in  but  one  way. 

A  ravine  runs  up  from  the  road  on 
each  side  of  the  place  where  the  house 
stood.  The  site  itself  is  plainly  marked 
by  the  cellar  walls,  which  are  almost  in- 
tact. A  pine  tree  a  foot  and  a  half  in  di- 
ameter grows  up  out  of  the  cellar ;  a  large 
elm  spreads  its  graceful  branches  just 
behind,  and  the  remnants  of  an  apple 
orchard  are  scattered  about  among  the 
frequent  chestnut,  walnut  and  other 
trees  which  more  than  half  cover  the 
place.  The  house  evidently  faced  not  to 
the  road  but  to  the  south.  In  what  was 
its  front  is  a  large  rock  on  which,  after  a 
survey  of  the  spot  and  its  surroundings, 
we  partook  of  a  lunch  provided  for  us  by 
our  host.  With  a  wise  forethought  our 
antiquarian    caterer    had    appropriately 


CONTOOCOOK  RIVER. 


103 


brought  with  him  a  cork-screw  of  an  an- 
tique manufacture,  found  on  the  battle- 
field of  Bennington,  and  doubtless  once 
the  property  of  an  officer  captured  or 
killed  in  the  battle.  With  this  he  drew 
the  cork  from  a  bottle  of  rare  old  cider, 
the  contents  of  which  were  even  more 
appropriately  offered  us  in  a  wine  glass 
which  once  was  "Molly  Stark's."  We 
had  read  of  the  nectar  drank  at  the  ban- 
quetting  tables  of  the  gods,  but  what 
was  that  to  a  glass  of  foaming  New 
England  cider — the  cup  that  cheers  but 
not  inebriates — quaffed  at  the  birthplace  . 
of  John  Stark,  from  a  glass  that  once  his 
own  hand  had  filled ;  filled,  too,  from  his 
own  decanter,  and  perhaps  a  decanter  of 
that  old  Tobago  rum  which  John  Lang- 
don  gave  to  raise  funds  for  the  Benning- 
ton campaign ;  or  perhaps  of  that  which 
Stark  himself  ordered  from  Charlestown, 
Number  Four,  as  a  part  of  his  ammuni- 
tion with  which  he  fought  and  won  the 
Bennington  victory.  It  will  be  remem- 
bered in  explanation,  that  Stark,  at 
Charlestowry,  on  the  Connecticut  river, 
discovered  that  rum — so  necessary  in 
those  days  to  any  great  undertaking — 
was  scarce  where  he  was  going,  and  or- 
dered a  supply  to  be  forwarded.  It  was 
forwarded  and  used. 

The  attention  of  the  artist  should  be 
called  to  this  spot,  full  of  such  historic 
interest.    As  there  is  no  house  upon   it 


now,  and  as  aside  from  its  associations  it 
possesses  a  beauty  of  its  own,  the  con- 
tinuance of  which  in  this  world  of  chang  e 
cannot  be  assured,  no  time  should  be  lost 
in  obtaining  a  sketch.  Its  authenticity 
as  the  birthplace  of  Stark  is  believed  to 
be  beyond  question.  As  time  goes  on  , 
and  the  past  recedes  further  and  further 
from  our  view,  the  value  of  all  such 
places  identified  with  our  early  times  is 
proportionately  enhanced,  and  it  is 
therefore  important  that  their  exact  lo- 
cality be  securely  fixed,  and  their  ap- 
pearance transferred  to  canvas  and  pr  e- 
served. 

We  lingered  about  the  place  for  a  short 
time  enjoying  in  addition  to  what  of  th  e 
past  the  occasion  had  brought  us,  the 
fine  Indian  summer  day  which  nature 
had  given  us  for  our  visit.  Then,  turn- 
ing away,  we  journeyed  on  through  Der- 
ry,  the  upper  village  of  which  gave 
us  a  magnificent  view  of  an  extende  d 
prospect,  Wachusett,  Monadnock  and 
Kearsarge,  with  the  wide  expanse  of 
country  between  being  all  embraced  in 
the  range  of  vision  at*the  same  time.  A 
charming  day,  and  one  long  to  be  remem- 
bered, was  ended,  after  parting  with  our 
kind  host,  by  a  short  ride  to  Manchester, 
and  by  one  of  us,  at  least — to  bring  him 
back  to  the  nineteenth  century— a  politi- 
cal meeting  in  the  evening.        C.  m.  b. 


CONTOOCOOE  BIVER. 


BY  EDNA  DEAN  PROCTOR. 
[This  poem  is  from  "  Light  at  Eventide,"  a  paper  made  up  of  contributions  from  New  Hamp- 
shire authors  and  writers  of  note,  and  published  in  aid  of  the  "  Home  for  the  Aged,"  a  charitable 
institution  projected  at  Concord.] 

Of  all  the  streams  that  seek  the  sea 
By  mountain  pass,  or  sunny  lea, 
Now  where  is  one  that  dares  to  vie 
With  clear  Contoocook,  swift  and  shy? 
Monadnock's  child,  of  suow  drifts  born, 
The  snows  of  many  a  winter  morn, 
And  many  a  midnight  dark  and  still, 
Heaped  higher,  whiter,  day  by  day, 
To  melt,  at  last,  with  suns  of  May, 
And  steal,  in  tiny  fall  and  rill, 
Down  the  long  slopes  of  granite  gray ; 
Or,  filter  slow  through  seam  and  cleft 


104  CONTOOCOOK  RIVER. 

When  frost  and  storm  the  rock  have  reft, 
To  bubble  cool  in  sheltered  springs 
Where  the  lone  red-bird  dips  his  wings, 
And  the  tired  fox  that  gains  its  brink 
Stoops,  safe  from  hound  and  horn,  to  drink. 
And  rills  and  springs,  grown  broad  and  deep, 
Unite  through  gorge  and  glen  to  sweep 
In  roaring  brooks  that  turn  and  take 
The  over-floods  of  pool  and  lake, 
Till,  to  the  fields,  the  hills  deliver 
Contoocook's  bright  and  brimming  river! 

O  have  you  seen,  from  Hillsboro  town 
How  fast  its  tide  goes  hurrying  down, 
With  rapids  now,  and  now  a  leap 
Past  giant  boulders,  black  and  steep, 
Plun  ged  in  mid  water,  fain  to  keep 
Its  current  from  the  meadows  green? 
But;  flecked  with  foam,  it  speeds  along; 
And  not  the  birch  trees  silvery  sheen, 
Nor  the  soft  lull  of  whispering  pines, 
Nor  hermit  thrushes,  fluting  low, 
Nor  ferns,  nor  cardinal  flowers  that  glow 
Where  clematis,  the  fairy,  twines, 
Can  stay  its  course,  or  still  its  song ; 
Ceaseless  it  flows  till,  round  its  bed, 
The  vales  of  Henniker  are  spread, 
Their  banks  all  set  with  golden  grain, 
Or  stately  trees  whose  vistas  gleam — 
A  double  forest  in  the  stream ; 
And,  winding  'neath  tbe  pine-crowned  hill 
■   That  overhangs  the  village  plain, 
By  sunny  reaches,  broad  and  still, 
It  nears  the  bridge  that  spans  its  tide — 
The  bridge  whose  arches  low  and  wide 
It  ripples  through — and  should  you  lean 
A  moment  there,  no  lovelier  scene 
On  England's  Wye,  or  Scotland's  Tay, 
Would  charm  your  gaze,  a  summer's  day. 

And  on  it  glides,  by  grove  and  glen, 
Dark  woodlands,  and  the  homes  of  men, 
With  now  a  ferry,  now  a  mill ; 
Till,  deep  and  calm,  its  waters  fill 
The  channels  round  that  gem  of  isles 
Sacred  to  captives'  woes  and  wiles, 
And,  gleeful  half,  half  eddying  back, 
Blend  with  the  lordly  Merrimack ; 
And  Merrimack  whose  tide  is  strong 
Rolls  gently,  with  its  waves  along, 
Monadnock's  stream  that,  coy  and  fair, 
Has  come,  its  larger  life  to  share, 
And,  to  the  sea,  doth  safe  deliver 
Contoocook's  bright  and  brimming  river ! 

Brooklyn,  N.  J. 


THE   WIDOW'S  MISTAKE. 


105 


THE  WIDOW'S  MISTAKE. 


BY  HELEN  M.  RUSSELL. 


The  widow  Montgomery's  snug  little 
house  was  looking  its  best.  The  "  Fall 
cleaning "'  was  all  completed,  and  from 
the  kitchen  to  the  attic  everything  was 
as  neat  as  two  energetic  hands  could 
make  it — while  the  widow  herself, 
dressed  in  a  neat  home  suit  of  brown  al- 
paca, stood  watching,  from  the  sitting- 
room  window,  the  dead  leaves  which 
were  blown  about  by  the  chill  November 
wind.  She  was  a  happy  looking  little 
woman,  with  jet  black  hair  and  eyes,  and 
an  unmistakable  air  of  gentility  about 
her.  The  time  had  been  when  she  was 
the  petted  daughter  of  wealthy  parents, 
but  the  wealth  had  "  taken  wings," — the 
fond  parents  had  died,  and  she  had  mar- 
ried Alvin  Montgomery,  a  plain  carpen- 
ter, for  the  sake  of  a  homeland  because 
she  knew  he  loved  her.  In  short,  she 
"  married  in  haste  to  repent  at  leisure." 
The  young  husband  had  built  the  cottage 
and  taken  his  bride  home  soon  after  their 
marriage,  and  Hattie  Montgomery  had 
tried  hard  to  be  content ;  but  she  found 
this  life  very  different  from  what  had 
once  been  hers,  and  when  death  stepped 
into  the  home  circle  and  took  from 
thence  her  husband,  she  could  not  mourn 
with  any  deep  and  lasting  grief.  It  is 
true  she  missed  him,  and  really  mourned 
for  him,  because  she  thought  it  her  duty 
so  to  do,  and  because  he  had  always  been 
kind  to  her,  but  when  she  laid  aside  her 
robes  at  the  end  of  a  year,  people  said 
she  laid  aside  her  regrets  likewise. 
Whether  she  did  or  not  is  nothing  to 
me — I  have  only  to  tell  her  story  in  the 
fewest  words  possible.  r  Just  across  the 
way  from  the  widow's  cottage  stood  a 
large  white  house,  with  long  piazzas  and 
deep  bay  windows,  which  quite  threw 
into  the  shade  the  little  cottage  in  ques- 
tion, but  Mrs.  Montgomery  cared  little 
for  this.  To  be  sure,  she  worked  hard, 
and  the  sewing  machine  was  seldom  al- 


lowed to  remain  idle  long  at  a  time,  but 
she  somehow  managed  to  find  time  to 
read  her  favorite  books  and  practice  her 
favorite  selections  upon  the  piano,  which 
was  the  only  memento  she  possessed  of 
olden  days.  She  also  found  time  to  build 
castles  in  the  air,  which,  like  all  castles 
of  a  similar  nature,  tumbled  to  pieces  as 
soon  as  they  were  built. 

There  was  on»thing  which  Mrs.  Mont- 
gomery particularly  disliked,  and  that 
was  matchmaking.  "'  In  ten  cases  out  of 
a  hundred  such  marriages  proved  unhap- 
py," she  often  declared,  and  as  her  own 
marriage  was  reckoned  in  with  the  hun- 
dred, she  evidently  knew  whereof  she 
spoke.  It  is  a  pity  that  people  cannot 
find  pleasure  of  a  less  questionable  char, 
acter.  There  are  unhappy  marriages 
enough  which  people  enter  into  of  their 
own  free  will,  without  those  which  are, 
in  one  sense  of  the  word,  directly 
brought  about  by  interested  parties,  who, 
when  they  discover  the  evil  they  have 
wrought,  lift  their  hands  in  surprise  and 
exclaim  :  "  Well,  I  am  sure  I  am  not  to 
blame.  I  told  him  [or  herj  to  consider 
everything,  and  then  do  as  he  [or  she] 
thought  best,  and  if  they  really  decided 
to  marry,  never  to  blame  me  if  the  mar- 
riage proved  otherwise  than  happy." 
Of  course  they  are  not  to  blame — no  one 
would  think  of  blaming  them ;  and  they 
can  go  on  their  way  with  a  elear  con- 
science, and  perhaps  do  the  same  thing 
over  again,  and,  quite  as  likely  as  not, 
with  the  same  result.  In  spite  of  her 
horror  of  matchmaking,  however,  Mrs. 
Montgomery  had  a  scheme  in  her  little 
head  that  she  thought  a  very  wise  one. 
In  the  great  house  across  the  way,  pre- 
viously mentioned,  lived  Lester  Pierce. 
He  was  a  bachelor  somewhere  in  the  for- 
ties, wealthy,  handsome  and  honorable, 
a  noble  specimen  of  what  a  man  should 
be.     For  over   ten  years  he  had  lived 


106 


THE   WIDOW'S  MISTAKE. 


there  alone,  with  the  exception  of  his 
housekeeper  and  her  husband,  and  al- 
though he  bore  his  years  lightly,  the  sil- 
ver was  beginning  to  creep  into  the 
brown  hair  and  long  silken  beard.  "  Time 
he  had  a  wife,"  the  little  widow  had  said 
many  times  to  herself,  and  if  he  was  not 
disposed  to  help  himself  to  one,  why,  she 
would  try  and  select  one  for  him,  only  it 
must  be  brought  about  very  quietly. 

In  the  city  of  L .  lived  her  only 

brother.  He  had  once  been  quite 
wealthy,  but  the  hard  times  and  sudden 
failures  had  swept  away  his  property, 
and  now,  with  a  sick  wife  and  family  of 
seven  children,  he  found  life  to  be  a 
round  of  toil  and  trouble.  His  eldest 
child,  a  daughter,  was  very  beautiful — 
so  at  least  thought  the  widow  when  she 
received  a  letter  containing  an  account 
of  her  brother's  misfortunes,  together 
with  a  photograph  of  her  niece,  Ida 
Hartwell,  and  there  at  once  sprang  up  in 
her  wise  little  head  a  scheme  whereby 
she  could  secure  a  home  for  Ida — and  a 
wife  for  Lester  Pierce.  Not  for  worlds 
would  she  have  had  either  party  think 
she  was  matchmaking,  however,  so  she 
decided  to  write  and  invite  Ida  to  pass 
the  winter  with  her.  The  letter  had  been 
written,  dispatched  and  answered,  the 
invitation  accepted,  and  she  was  now 
awaiting  the  arrival  of  the  train  upon 
which  she  expected  her  neice  to  come. 

u  It  is  time  I  was  on  my  way  to  the  de- 
pot," soliloquized  Mrs.  Montgomery  at 
length,  turning  away  from  the  window, 
and  placing  upon  her  head  a  brown  vel- 
vet hat,  and  throwing  over  her  shoulders 
a  warm  shawl.  "  I  hope  I  shall  like  Ida, 
and  I  hope  Lester  Pierce  will  like  her, 
too.  It  will  be  so  nice  to  have  a  relative 
live  so  near  me.  Oh,  how  cold  it  is !  " 
she  exclaimed,  as  she  left  the  house,  lock- 
ing the  front  door  securely  behind  her. 

A  brisk  walk  of  a  quarter  of  a  mile 
brought  her  to  the  depot  just  as  the  cars 
steamed  slowly  up  to  the  platform.  Hur- 
rying forward,  she  eagerly  scanned  eve- 
ry face  as  the  passengers  alighted  one  by 
one.  At  length  she  saw  the  sweet  face 
of  her  niece,  and  in  a  moment  more  she 
had  taken  the  small  handsin  her  own  aud 
welcomed  her  in  the  most  cordial  manner. 


"Are  you  my  Aunt  Hattie?"  ques- 
tioned the  softest,  sweetest  voice  Mrs. 
Montgomery  had  ever  heard. 

"  Yes,  Ida,  and  I  am  so  glad  to  see  you. 
Come  this  way  and  we  will  find  your 
trunk.    Have  you  a  check  ?  " 

"  Yes,  here  it  is,  Auntie,"  replied  the 
girl,  as  she  hastened  to  assist  her  aunt  in 
securing  her  baggage. 

Fifteen  minutes  later  and  Mrs.  Mont- 
gomery, Ida  and  the  baggage  were  snug- 
ly ensconced  in  the  little  cottage,  having 
been  transferred  there  by  the  "hotel 
team,"  and  the  widow  silently  contem- 
plated her  niece  as  she  helped  to  remove 
the  girl's  wrappings.  She  was  very 
lovely,  with  an  innocent,  doll-like  ex- 
pression in  the  pure  young  face.  Rings 
of  sunny  hair  rippled  away  from  the 
somewhat  low  forehead,  and  hung  down 
over  her  slender  shoulders.  Her  eyes 
were  dark  blue,  with  a  merry,  roguish 
light  in  their  depths.  Her  face  was 
quite  pale — too  colorless  for  perfect 
health,  thought  the  widow,  as  she  bus- 
tled about  to  prepare  refreshments  for 
her  guest. 

"  I  am  so  glad  you  sent  for  me,  Aunt 
Hattie.  I  mean  to  be  as  happy  as  the 
day  is  long  here  with  you.  You  must 
let  me  assist  you,  so  that  I  shall  not  feel 
myself  a  burden  to  you,  and  then  I  can 
stay  as  long  as  I  like,  can  I  not?  " 

"  Indeed,  what  can  you  do  to  assist 
me,  my  dear?  Your  company  will  more 
than  repay  me  if  I  like  you  as  well  as  I 
think  I  will,"  returned  her  aunt,  as  she 
led  the  way  to  the  cosy  dining  room, 
where  a  delicious  supper  awaited  them. 
"  Oh,  Aunt  Hattie,  how  nice  and  pleas- 
ant it  is  here !  "  said  Ida,  when  the  win- 
dow shades  were  at  length  drawn,  the 
lamp  lighted,  and  they  had  seated  them- 
selves beside  the  round  table  which 
stood  in  the  center  of  the  room.  "Do 
you  know  I  fancied  you  were  old  and 
gray,  and  lived  in  a  horrid,  old-fashioned 
village  with  rickety, tumble-down  houses, 
your  own  the  most  of  all?  I  must  write 
to  papa  to-morrow  and  tell  him  how  sur- 
prised and  happy  I  am." 

"Your  ideas  of  country  life  were  un- 
doubtedly as  unpleasant  as  the  picture 
your  imagination  drew  of  me  and  my 


THE 
* 


WIDOW'S  MISTAKE. 


107 


surroundings,"  said  her  aunt  with  a 
smile.  "  But  did  not  your  father  en- 
lighten you  in  regard  to  my  being  old 
and  gray?  "  she  inquired. 

"  No,  he  only  laughed  when  I  told  him 
that  I  knew  you  were  old  and  cross,  and 
said  I  must  come  and  see  for  myself," re- 
turned Ida. 

Then  followed  questions  and  answers 
concerning  family  affairs,  and  it  was 
quite  late  when  they  at  length  retired  for 
the  night.  As  days  passed  on,  the  young 
girl's  delight  by  no  means  diminished. 
The  brisk  walks  which  her  aunt  urged 
her  to  take  every  day,  together  with  her 
happy  spirits,  soon  brought  roses  to  take 
the  place  of  lilies  in  the  sweet  face.  How 
to  bring  about  a  meeting  between  Lester 
Pierce  and  Ida  now  became  a  matter  of 
concern  to  Mrs.  Montgomery,  for,  as  she 
was  but  little  acquainted  with  that  gen- 
tleman and  seldom  met  him,  there  were 
not  so  many  opportunities  for  so  doing 
as  one  would  suppose ;  but  fate  at  length 
took  the  matter  in  hand.  It  happened 
on  this  wise. 

One  day  Ida  entered  the  sitting-room, 
where  her  aunt  sat  at  work,  and  hastily 
throwing  her  hat  and  sacque  upon  the 
nearest  chair,  she  waltzed  around  the 
room  once  or  twice,  finally  stopping  and 
throwing  her  arms  around  Mrs.  Mont- 
gomery's neck,  and  giving  her  a  kiss  on 
either  cheek. 

''What  has  happened  to  you,  Ida?" 
said  the  widow,  disengaging  herself 
from  the  girl's  grasp,  and  turning  around 
in  surprise. 

"  Oh,  Aunt  Hattie,  I  am  so  surprised 
and  delighted !  I  was  returning  from 'the 
post  office,  and  was  just  at  the  street 
crossing  this  side  of  Johnson  &  Hall's, 
when  I  heard  my  name  called.  I  turned 
around  and  saw  a  gentleman  and  lady 
coming  rapidly  towards  me.  At  first  I 
did  not  recognize  the  lady,  but  as  they 
drew  nearer  I  saw  to  my  delight  that  it 
was  my  old  schoolmate  and  dearest 
friend,  Susie  Pierce.  I  have  not  met  her 
before  for  two  years.  She  was  with  her 
uncle,  Lester  Pierce,  and  talks  of  stop- 
ping with  him  through  the  winter.  I  in- 
vited them  to  call,  and  Mr.  Pierce  said, 
turning  to  Susie,   '  My  dear,  I  am  under 


great  obligations  to  you  if  by  your  com- 
ing I  can  form  the  acquaintance  of  Mrs. 
Montgomery  and  her  niece,'  and  then, 
not  waiting  for  her  to  reply,  he  thanked 
me  very  politely  and  said  they  would  call 
this  evening,  if  agreeable.  Of  course 
you  don't  care  if  they  do  come,"  con- 
cluded the  girl,  as  she  raised  her  hat  and 
sacque  from  the  floor,  where  they  had 
fallen  during  her  pirouette  around  the 
room. 

"  Certainly  not,  Ida;  I  would  be  very 
glad  to  know  your  friend,  and  to  become 
better  acquainted  with  her  uncle,"  re- 
plied Mrs.  Montgomery  with  a  smile. 

Never  in  her  own  girlish  days  had  she 
taken  half  the  pride  in  herself  that  she 
did  that  evening  in  her  niece.  Certainly 
the  girl  had  never  looked  more  lovely, 
and  when  the  expected  guests  arrived  it 
was  no  wonder  that  Lester  Pierce's  eyes 
rested  in  admiration  upon  her. 

"  You  will  lay  aside  your  wrappings, 
Susie,  and  pass  the  evening  with  us,"  in- 
sisted Ida,  after  introducing  the  young 
lady  to  her  aunt.  "  This  must  not  be  a 
formal  call,  for  I  have  so  much  to  say  to 
you." 

"  I  promised  uncle  that  I  would  attend 
the  lecture  with  him,"  replied  Susie, 
turning  toward  her  uncle  with  a  smile. 

"  I  will  excuse  you,  if  such  be  your 
wish,  my  dear,  and  will  call  for  you  as 
I  return  home,"  replied  Mr.  Pierce. 

"  Thank  you,  uncle,  I  will  stop,  I 
think,  as  I  really  have  no  desire  to  attend 
the  lecture,"  said  Susie,  as  she  threw 
aside  her  hat  and  shawl  and  seated  her- 
self in  the  easy  chair  Ida  had  placed  at 
her  disposal. 

Susie  Pierce  was  as  plain  as  Ida  Hart- 
well  was  beautiful,  yet  one  seemed  to  for- 
get the  lack  of  beauty  in  the  dark  face 
when  they  came  to  know  her  intimately. 
She  was  a  brunette,  and  the  only  beauty 
her  face  afforded  was  her  large,  lustrous 
black  eyes.  There  was  so  much  soul  in 
them  (if  I  may  use  the  expression)  that 
instinctively  one  felt  the  beauty  of  the 
soul  which  looked  out  from  their  inmost 
depths.  She  was  dressed  in  a  black 
cashmere, relieved  only  by  snowy  lace  at 
the  neck  and  wrists. 

Mr.  Pierce  attended  the  lecture.      The 


108 


THE   WIDOW'S  MISTAKE. 


evening  passed  very  pleasantly  to  the 
young  ladies  in  recalling  their  school- 
days, while  Mrs.  Montgomery  busied 
herself  with  her  work. 

It  was  ten  o'clock  when  Mr.  Pierce 
called  for  Susie,  and  Mrs.  Montgomery 
managed  to  make  his  call  so  pleasant 
that  it  was  nearly  eleven  when  they  at 
length  rose  to  take  their  leave.  Mr. 
Pierce  invited  the  ladies  to  a  party  at  his 
house  on  the  following  Tuesday  eve. 

"The  old  house  needs  warming  up 
with  young  faces  and  happy  hearts.  I 
have  lived  alone  so  long  that  the  very 
walls  have  become  like  myself — desolate 
and  lonely.  I  thank  the  good  angel  that 
put  the  thought  in  Susie's  heart  to  visit 
me." 

"  Then  she  came  unexpectedly,"  said 
Mrs.  Montgomery. 

"  Yes,  I  knew  nothing  of  it  until  she 
came  into  my  reading  room  yesterday 
afternoon,"  returned  the  gentleman. 

"  His  reading  room,  as  he  calls  it,  is  a 
perfect  bachelor's  den,"  said  Susie,  with 
a  smile. 

"  Don't  slander  me  to  my  good  neigh- 
bors, Susie,"  said  he,  a  smile  lighting  up 
his  somewhat  sad  face ;  then  turning  to 
Ida,  he  said ;  "  Don't  be  ceremonious, 
Miss  Hartwell,  but  call  upon  us  when- 
ever you  wish — the  oftener  the  better. 
I  expect  Susie  will  get  homesick  and 
leave  me  at  the  end  of  a  fortnight." 

Susie  immediately  declared  her  inten- 
tion of  remaining  until  her  uncle  should 
send  her  away.  Then,  after  a  cordial 
good-night,  the  door  closed  upon  their 
retreating  forms. 

"  I  can  see  that  he  is  charmed  with 
Ida  already,"  said  Mrs.  Montgomery  to 
herself  as  she  retired  to  rest  that  night. 
"  I  really  believe  that  in  less  than  six 
months  she  will  be  his  wife." 

Some  may  think  that  the  widow  was 
strangely  disinterested  as  regarded  her- 
self, and  perhaps  she  was  so.  Certainly 
she  had  never  had  a  thought  that  there 
was  any  chance  for  her.  She  had  some- 
how missed  her  chance  in  life  for  true 
happiness — if  there  had  really  ever  ex- 
isted one — and  she  fancied  herself  done 
with  that  sort  of  thing  forever.  She  was 
not  sure,  even,  that  she  had  a  heart  like 


other  women,  and  consequently  was  sat- 
isfied to  let  matters  remain  as  they  were. 

The  night  of  the  party  came  and 
passed.  Nothing  quite  so  grand  had 
ever  before  taken  place  in  the  village  of 

A .     From  the  night  of  the   party 

there  was  a  continual  round  of  gayety — 
parties  and  (when  the  snow  came)  sleigh- 
rides,  festivals,  skating  parties,  etc. 
Lester  Pierce  seemed  to  enjoy  them  all 
with  all  the  zest  of  a  younger  man.  The 
widow  laughingly  shook  her  head  at  all 
entreaties  and  remained  at  home,  while 
Ida  and  Susie  remained  inseparable 
friends  and  depended  always  upon  Les- 
ter Pierce  as  their  escort.  Scarcely  a 
day  passed  that  he  did  not  call  at  the 
cottage,  and  it  had  come  to  be  an  ac- 
knowledged fact  that  he  found  great  at- 
traction there — people  being  divided  in 
their  opinions  as  to  which  should  prove 
the  favored  one.  Thus  the  winter  passed 
quickly  away. 

One  evening  in  the  early  spring-time 
Ida  and  Susie  were  invited  to  attend  a 
select  party  of  young  ladies  to  see  about 
arranging  matters  for  a  festival.  Mrs. 
Montgomery  sits  alone  in  her  sitting- 
room.  Her  work  has  fallen  in  a  heap  on 
the  floor,  and  her  head  rests  against  the 
back  of  her  easy  chair  in  a  weary,  listless 
way,  quite  the  reverse  from  her  usual 
energetic  manner.  In  fact,  she  has 
somehow  changed  since  we  first  saw  her. 
Her  round,  happy  face  has  lost  its  round- 
ness, and  there  is  a  look  in  the  black 
eyes  that  tells  of  a  mind  not  quite  at 
ease.  Suddenly  she  hears  a  step  with- 
out, and  then  the  bell  rings  a  quick,  pe- 
culiar peal,  the  sound  of  which  brings 
the  color  to  her  face  in  a  scarlet  wave. 

"  He  has  come  to  ask  my  consent  to 
pay  his  addresses  to  Ida.  I  ought  to  be 
glad,  but  I  am  afraid  I  am  not,"  she  mur- 
mured, as  she  hastened  to  open  the  door. 
As  she  had  supposed,  Lester  Pierce  stood 
before  her,  and  she  welcomed  him  with 
a  smile  and  cordial  good  evening.  At 
her  invitation  he  entered  the  house,  and, 
after  removing  his  hat,  he  seated  himself 
with  the  air  of  one  very  much  at  home. 
A  half  hour  passed  in  general  conversa- 
tion, when  he  suddenly  drew  his  chair 
nearer  that  of  Mrs.  Montgomery,  and 


CONGRESSIONAL  PAPEKS.    NO.  Ill— THE   "  THIRD  HOUSE."      109 


said  in  a  low  voice,  his  eyes  resting  upon 
her  face  with  an  eagerness  unusual  to 
him : 

"  Mrs.  Montgomery,  you  and  I  have 
been  very  good  friends  for  the  past 
three  months,  and  I  have  long  been  wish- 
ing to  tell  you  that  I  wish  much  to  be- 
come something  more  than  a  friend. 
You  have  certainly  noticed  my  frequent 
visits  here,  and  have  doubtless  guessed 
the  state  of  my  feelings.  I  am  not  much 
given  to  love-making,"  a  smile  passing 
over  his  face,  "but  I  wish  mnch  to  know 
if  my  suit  is  to  meet  with  success." 

He  paused,  waiting  for  her  to  speak, 
but  as  she  did  not,  he  continued  : 

"  Susie  goes  away  very  soon  now,  and 
then  I  shall  be  more  lonely  than  ever  be- 
fore, and — well,  some  say  I  have  lost  the 
best  years  of  my  life,  wasted  them  living 
alone,  and  perhaps  I  have.  I  am  not  a 
man  to  love  lightly,  and  once  having 
given  my  love  away,  it  must  be  for  all 
time.  Will  you  tell  me  if  that  love  is  in 
vain?" 

"  Indeed,  Mr.  Pierce,  I  cannot  tell 
you,  for  although  I  have  long  known  the 
state  of  your  feelings,  I  can  form  no  sort 
of  an  idea  as  regards  Ida's.  At  times  I 
have  thought  she  cared  for  you ;  at  oth- 
ers I  have  thought  she  didn't,"  replied 
Mrs.  Montgomery  quietly,  raising  her 
eyes  to  her  companion's  face.  He  was 
looking  at  her  in  surprise,  and  for  a  mo- 
ment made  no  reply ;  then  he  said  slowly : 


"  Is  it  possible  that  my  visits  here  have 
been  misinterpreted?  My  friend,  it  is 
your  dear  face  that  has  been  the  attrac- 
tion, and  you  are  the  one  I  love  and  have 
loved  since  long  before  Ida  came  here, 
although  I  was  but  little  acquainted  with 
you.  As  for  Ida,  she  is  as  dear  to  me  as 
my  own  niece,  which  is  saying  much, 
but  if  I  do  not  call  Hattie  Montgomery 
wife,  I  shall  never  call  any  one  by  that 
title.  Can  you  give  me  any  hope,  Hat- 
tie?" 

At  his  words  the  color  had  receded 
from  her  face,  and  her  head  had  fallen 
upon  her  clasped  hands.  The  surprise 
was  so  complete,  the  reaction  so  great — 
for  she  had  discovered  during  the  past 
few  weeks  that  she  had  a  heart — that 
several  moments  passed  ere  she  could  ut- 
ter a  word,  and  then  I  expect  she  did  a 
very  foolish  deed  for  a  woman  of  her 
years,  for  she  laid  her  head  upon  Les- 
ter's shoulder  and  actually  burst  into 
tears.  They  were  soon  wiped  away, 
however,  and  when  the  young  ladies  re- 
turned home  they  found  «a  very  happy 
couple  awaiting  them. 

It  was  not  until  years  had  come  and 
gone,  and  she  was  a  happy  wife  and 
mother,  that  Hattie  Pierce  told  of  her 
first  and  last  attempt  at  matchmaking, 
but  I  think  she  never  owned,  even  to  her- 
self, how  glad  she  was^that  the  attempt 
had  so  signally  failed. 


CONGRESSIONAL  PAPERS.    NO.  Ill— THE   "  THIRD  HOUSE." 


BT  G.  H.  JENNESS. 


In  the  popular  mind  nearly  all  con- 
gressional legislation  is  supposed  to  be 
more  or  less  unduly  influenced  by  the  or- 
ganization known  as  "the  lobby."  Exact- 
ly what  it  is,  who  supports  it,  who  consti- 
tutes it,where  it  is  located,  and  how  itop- 
erates,are  points  upon  which  the  popular 
mind  aforesaid  is  less  clear  than  in  a  gen- 
eral belief  in  the  lobby's  existence.  That 
eminent  statesman  from  the  backwoods 
of  Tennessee^ Mr.  Crutchfield,  who  held 
a  seat  in  the  Forty-third  Congress,  gave 


his  opinion  of  the  lobby  in  language, 
which,  if  not  elegant,  is  at  least  terse 
and  vigorous.  In  reply  to  an  inquiry  as 
to  whether  there  was  a  "  lobby  "  work- 
ing for  the  extension  of  a  certain  sewing- 
machine  patent,  Mr.  Cutchfield,  who  was 
a  member  of  the  House  Committee  on 
Patents,  said :  "Lobby?  that's  the  spook 
that  is  always  arter  me.  I  hain't  been 
in  Congress  only  one  term,  and  1  don't 
want  to  no  more.  I'll  be  dogged  if  I 
can    stand    it.    I  am    just    pulled    and 


110      CONGRESSIONAL  PAPERS.    NO.  Ill— THE    "THIRD  HOUSE." 


hauled  until  I  don't  know  where  I  am. 
*  *  *  *  This  is  my  last  year  in  Congress. 
I  am  goin'  to  get  shet  out  of  it  at  once. 
I  can't  stand  it.  Young  man,  when  this 
yer  Congress  is  busted  and  I  ken  in  hon- 
or tell  ye  all  I  know,  I  will  give  ye  still 
more  than  enough  to  fill  a  book  of  the 
blamedest  stuff  ye  ever  dreamed  about. 
I'm  goin'  to  have  my  experiences  pub- 
lished if  I  have  to  write  'em  out  myself. 
Lobby,  did  ye  say,  backin'  of  'em  sew- 
ing-machines? I  should  say  so !  Lobby? 
If  ye  were  a  member  ye'd  find  that  out. 
When  I  came  here  I  learned  a  few  things. 
Does  a  member  love  good  feedin'  ?  Then 
it  rains  invitations  to  the  biggest  kind  of 
feeds.  Does  he  love  drinkin'?  Whiskey 
runs  in  rivers  for  him  upon  every  hand. 
Is  it  women  he  wants  to  persuade  him? 
Then  women  it  is  of  every  kind,  big,  lit- 
tle, old,  young,  and  nary  one  of  'em 
with  any  morals  to  bother  'em.  Last,  if 
all  these  fail  to  fetch  him,  money  can  be 
had  in  bales  rather  than  to  loose  him.  I 
am  a  pore  man,  but  I  want  to  stay  an 
honest  one.  I  have  stood  it  out  two 
years  in  this  yer  place,  and  I  ain't  goin' 
to  resk  myself  here  any  longer." 

At  the  close  of  his  term  Mr.  Crutchfield 
renounced  the  pomps  of  Congressional 
life,  returned  to  the  purer  atmosphere  of 
his  mountain  home,  where  it  is  reasona- 
ble to  suppose  he  is  engaged  in  prepar- 
ing his  great  work  "  showing  up  "  the 
"  lobby  "  at  Washington.  His  vivid  de- 
scription is  that  of  a  steady-going  old 
farmer,  ignorant  of  the  world,  suddenly 
brought  into  contact  with  the  most  dis- 
reputable phase  of  Congressional  legis- 
lation. Unlike  many  others,  Mr.  Crutch- 
field  evidently  does  not  believe  the  "  lob- 
by "  to  be  a  mere  creature  of  imagina- 
tion. To  him  it  was  a  stern  reality,  or  to 
use  his  more  expressive  language,  "  the 
spook  that  was  always  arter  him,"  and 
which  finally  induced  him  to  leave  Con- 
gress rather  than  to  risk  the  chance  of 
having  his  integrity  questioned.  Other 
members  have  had  similar  experiences, 
and  have  withstood  all  the  blandish- 
ments the  "  lobby  "  could  offer;  while 
still  others,  possessed  of  less  Spartan  in- 
tegrity and  firmness,  stand  all  over  the 
land,  thrifty  monuments  of  the  mysteri- 


ous power  that  sits  enthroned  at  the  Cap- 
ital. 

The  "  lobby  "  is  no  myth :  neither  is  it 
so  offensively  conspicuous  as  many  im- 
agine. Whoever  expects  to  see  some- 
body rashing  around  whispering  in  Con- 
gressmen's ears  "  I'll  give  you  ten  thou- 
sand dollars  to  vote  for  the  Pacific  Rail- 
road bill,"  and  "  five  thousand  dollars  to 
vote  for  the  Brazilian  'subsidy'  bill," 
will  be  disappointed.  Nothing  of  the 
kind  occurs.  In  fact,  the  experienced 
lobbyist  is  careful  that  his  scheme  of  op- 
erations shall  "take  any  shape  but  that." 
A  person  might  haunt  the  corridors  of 
the  Capitol  for  years  without  ever  hear- 
ing a  proposition  of  this  kind  openly 
made.  There  are  better  methods  of  ex- 
erting "influence" — as  witness  the  rela- 
tions of  the  Credit  Mobilier  and  other  gi- 
gantic schemes.  An  invitation  to  "take 
stock"  in  what  promises  to  be  a  "safe  in- 
vestment," a  suggestion  that  a  certain 
project  will  prove  to  be  "a  good  thing," 
or  a  mild  hint  that  a  European  tour 
is  needed  to  perfect  a  congressman's 
health,  are  among  the  thousand  and  oue 
little  insinuations  thrown  out  by  the  pro- 
fessional lobbyist.  The  details  may  be 
left  to  such  times  and  circumstances  as 
are  mutually  satisfactory  to  the  contract- 
ing parties.  That  the  great  majority  of 
Representatives  and  Senators  are  cor- 
rupt, is  not,  for  a  moment,  to  be  believed ; 
but  that  some  of  them  have  shamelessly 
betrayed  their  trusts,  and  enriched  them- 
selves at  the  public  expense,  is  too  plainly 
evident  to  admit  of  denial.  The  "lobby" 
has  an  existence,  and  is  a  fixed  fact  as 
much  as  the  existence  of  Congress  it- 
self. Its  influence  is  far-reaching,  pow- 
erful, and  sometimes  potential.  It  takes 
advantage  of  everything,  and  scruples 
at  nothing.  It  leaves  no  methods  un- 
tried, however  base,  to  accomplish  its 
purpose.  It  embraces  in  its  membership 
the  least  reputable  of  both  sexes.  It 
has  talent,  wealth,  and  beauty  at  its  com- 
mand. It  can  and  does  to  all  out  ward  ap- 
pearances, make  and  unmake  those  who 
should  have  avoided  its  fatal  clutches. 
Apparently,  it  has  no  tangible  existence. 
You  cannot  find  its  headquarters,  or  its 
private  office.     You  cannot  interview  its 


CONGRESSIONAL  PAPERS.     NO.  Ill— THE    "  THIRD  HOUSE."      Ill 


president,  secretary,  or  executive  com- 
mittee. You  don't  know  where  to  look 
for  it,  or  where  to  rind  it :  but  somehow  or 
somewhere  there  is  a  mysterious,  unac- 
countable, and  powerful  influence  eman- 
ating that  facilitates  or  retards  the  pro- 
gress of  legislation  involving  great  rnon- 
ied  interests  of  a  public  or  private  na- 
ture. There  are  always  before  Congress 
numerous  and  cunningly  devised  schemes 
to  plunder  the  Treasury.  Many  of  them 
are  of  vast  magnitude,  and  some  of  them 
are  made  to  appear  to  be  a  national  ne- 
cessity. They  are  introduced  to  public 
notice  and  pushed  forward  by  able,  per- 
sistent, and  unscrupulous  men.  They 
easily  find  their  way  into  Congress 
through  the  manipulation  of  somefriendly 
or  interested  member.  Once  introduced 
they  are  subjected  to  the  ordinary  chanc- 
es of  legislation,  and  must  pass  through 
the  customary  routine  of  Congressional 
pulling  and  hauling.  To  push  all  such 
schemes  through  both  houses  of  Con- 
gress, and  to  favorably  '"influence"  the 
President,  is  the  principal  object  of  the 
lobby.  It  must  not  be  presumed  that  all 
schemes  in  which  the  lobby  is  interested 
are  dishonest.  Far  from  it.  All  is  fish 
that  comes  to  its  net.  If  it  is  an  honest 
claim  there  is  less  need  of  secrecy,  and 
the  work  can  be  done  openly  and  above- 
board.  It  is  only  necessary  for  th  i  claim- 
ant to  change  his  figures.  He  must  add 
a  sum  sufficient  to  cover  the  expenses  of 
the  lobby.  Then  if  he  gets  his  bill 
through,  and  escapes  the  clutches  of  the 
rapacious  sharks  that  lay  in  wait  for  him, 
he  is  fortunate  indeed.  The  great  rail- 
way and  subsidy  rings  "  lobby  "  upon  a 
grand  scale.  Champagne  suppers,  rail- 
way and  steamboat  excursions,  junketing 
parties  of  all  descriptions,  fashionable 
dissipation,  superb  dinners  at  "  swell  " 
restaurants,  board  at  the  best  hotels, 
costly  wines,  cigars,  and  stylish  turnouts, 
are  among  the  many  numerous  appli- 
ances that  a  powerful  lobby  always  has 
at  its  command.  The  condition  and  cir- 
cumstances of  every  member  of  Con- 
gress is  inquired  into  and  known.     If  a 


member  is  poor  and  in  need  of  money, 
advantage  will  be  taken  of  that  fact  to 
capture  him  if  possible.  If  he  takes  the 
bait,  all  right.  If  he  refuses  he  is  quite 
likely  to  be  held  up  to  public  scorn  in 
some  form  or  other.  To  its  shame  be  it 
said  the  press  has  frequently  been  an  ac- 
tive and  unscrupulous  ally  of  the  lobby. 
Cheap  newspapers  and  cheaper  writers 
have  sometimes  prepared  the  way  for 
the  favorable  consideration  of  disreputa- 
ble  schemes  for  public  plunder,  and 
abused  those  who  resisted  them.  Indeed 
the  great  metropolitan  journals  of  the 
country  have  not  been  found  entirely 
guiltless,  as  has  been  proven  by  past  in- 
vestigations. The  lobby  will  leave  no 
stone  unturned  to  secure  the  aid  of  every 
newspaper  of  influence,  no  matter  what 
its  name  or  politics.  As  an  illustration 
of  this  there  is  a  scheme  involving  mil- 
lions which  failed  at  the  late  session  of 
Congress.  The  fight  was  a  hot  one  and 
the  lobby  was  beaten.  One  of  the  inter- 
ested parties  is  chief  owner  in  a  great 
newspaper.  To  increase  the  chances  of 
success,  howver,  efor  his  favorite  meas- 
ure, he  furnished  a  large  sum  of  money 
to  maintain  another  brilliant  newspaper 
of  exactly  opposite  political  faith. 
Whether  final  success  awaits  this  enter- 
prising gentleman  remains  to  be  seen ; 
but  it  is  reasonably  safe  to  predict  that 
at  least  one  newspaper  funeral  would 
speedily  follow  the  passage  of  a  certain 
bill. 

The  lobby  will  always  maintain  an  ex- 
istence at  Washington  so  long  as  the  pri- 
vate claims  upon  the  government  aggre- 
gate hundreds  of  millions  of  dollars. 
There  always  has  been,  is  now  and  al- 
ways will  be  hundreds  and  thousands 
of  such  claims  of  varying  amounts  and 
infinite  variety.  Selfish  interests  will 
always  prompt  interested  parties  to  take 
every  advantage  and  use  every  appliance 
to  hasten  legislation  upon  such  of  these 
ciaims  as  may  directly  concern  them. 
The  lobby  is  a  pliant  tool  to  be  used  for 
all  such  purposes,  and  will  be  found  con- 
veniently near  whenever  needed. 


112 


OLIVER  CROMWELL. 


OLIVER  CROMWELL. 


BY  PROF.  E.  D.  SANBORN. 


It  is  not  probable  that  an  impartial  his- 
tory was  ever  yet  written.  No  writer 
can,  with  greater  justice,  lay  claim  to 
impartiality  than  the  learned  Athenian 
who  wrote  "  for  eternity."  Next  to 
Thucydides  stands  the  philosophic  Taci- 
tus, the  uncompromising  enemy  of  op- 
pression, and  the  fearless  defender  of  the 
oppressed.  In  modern  historians  and  bi- 
ographers it  is  in  vain  to  look  for  strict 
impartiality.  The  writers  of  histories 
are  partisans.  They  have  a  creed  to  de- 
fend or  a  system  of  government  to  sup- 
port. They  are  wily  advocates,  making 
use  of  the  facts  of  history  to  prove  their 
own  dogmas ;  or  they  are  the  pensioned 
hirelings  of  an  oppressive  aristocracy, 
perverting  the  truth  for  a  reward.  A 
partisan  or  a  pensioned  dependant  can 
not  write  history  well.  They  neither 
write  as  they  ought  nor  as  they  know 
how  to  write.  They  judge  of  men  by 
the  creed  or  politics  of  their  party,  hence 
they  fail  to  do  justice  to  individuals.  No 
man  expects  justice  from  an  opponent. 
A  statesman's  biography  cannot  be  writ- 
ten with  fidelity,  while  the  principles  he 
advocated  remain  unpopular.  The  advo- 
cate of  necessary  reform  will  always  be 
abused  by  the  majority.  Tyrants  never 
relish  discourses  upon  liberty,  nor  wily 
bigots  endure  homilies  upon  toleration. 
"  As  a  man  thinketh  in  his  heart,  so  is 
he."  Let  him  once  be  convinced  of  the 
divine  right  of  Kings  and  Priests  and  his 
hostility  to  democrats  and  independents 
will  know  no  bounds.  If  such  a  man's 
opinions  are  adopted  and  perpetuated  by 
others,  neither  time  nor  distance  will 
abate  the  virulence  of  their  advocates. 
The  Catholic  of  to-day  hates  Luther  as 
cordially  as  did  his  Catholic  contempora- 
ries. The  cavaliers  and  churchmen  of 
Victoria's  reign  assail  the  character  of 
Cromwell  with  as  much  bitterness  as  did 
those  of  the  time  of  Charles  the  First. 


The  injustice  of  contemporaries  is  pro- 
verbial. The  injustice  of  a  partisan  pos- 
terity is  equally  notorious.  The  parties 
which  the  living  patriot  encountered 
dispute  over  his  tomb,  nay,  they  contin- 
ue to  dispute  after  his  very  dust  has  min- 
gled with  its  parent  earth,  and  the  place 
where  his  bones  repose  is  forgotten.  Soc- 
rates, who  is  said  by  one  of  the  wisest  of 
the  Romans  to  have  brought  philosophy 
from  heaven  to  earth,  was  held  up  to  the 
contempt  of  an  Athenian  populace  by  a 
distinguished  comedian  as  an  impudent 
charlatan  and  a  reviler  of  the  gods  of  the 
people ;  and  after  the  lapse  of  2000  years 
there  are  not  wanting  men  who  defend 
the  shameless  satirist.  •  It  is  never  safe 
to  repeat  or  admit  the  charges  even  of 
an  enemy  who  is  reputed  honest,  with- 
out careful  examination.  Some  men 
seem  to  be  born  partisans.  Their  pecul- 
iar mental  constitution  inclines  them  to 
adopt  particular  opinions,  and  to  imbibe 
particular  sentiments.  They  adopt  what 
they  feel  to  be  right ;  not  what  reason 
commends.  They  reject  what  their  feel- 
ings oppose,  not  what  virtue  condemns. 
Hence  the  integrity  of  a  partisan  wit- 
ness cannot  secure  him  against  errors  of 
judgment.  The  more  honestly  he  enter- 
tains his  own  views,  the  moie  injurious 
will  he  be  to  his  opponent. 

These  remarks  apply,  with  peculiar 
significancy,  to  those  men,  who,  from 
their  austere  lives  and  devoted  piety, 
were  called  Puritans.  Their  history  has 
been  written  by  their  enemies.  Their  er- 
rors, their  foibles,  and  their  innocent  pe- 
culiarities, have  been  exaggerated  into 
the  most  odious  crimes.  The  good  deeds 
they  performed  have  been  studiously  dis- 
colored or  concealed;  the  virtues  they 
practiced  have  been  blackened  by  the 
grossest  slanders,  and  the  inconsiderable 
weaknesses  which  they,  being  men  of 
like  passions  with  others,   shared,  have 


OLIVER  CROMWELL. 


113 


been  diligently  set  forth  in  the  garb  of 
the  most  repulsive  cant  and  hypocrisy. 
Among  these  men  thus  willfully  traduc- 
ed by  malicious  enemies,  stands  pre-emi- 
nent the  leader  of  the  great  rebellion, 
Oliver  Cromwell.  At  the  mention  of  his 
name,  the  mind  is  at  once  beset  with  im- 
ages of  violence,  of  oppression,  tyranny, 
falsehood  and  hypocrisy.  Why  should 
the  name  of  Cromwell  be  associated  with 
all  that  is  vile  in  men  or  odious  in  de- 
mons? Did  he  walk  the  earth  an  incar- 
nate fiend?  Was  he,  as  his  foes  main- 
tained, in  league  with  the  Prince  of  dark- 
ness? Why  has  his  name  become,  in  his- 
tory, synonymous  with  usurper,  tyrant, 
and  hypocrite?  'Tis  true  he  won  a  king- 
dom by  his  valor.  So  did  David,  the 
man  after  God's  own  heart.  'Tis  true  he 
consented  to  the  death  of  an  imbecile, 
perjured  tyrant.  If  David  did  not  as 
much,  he  was  as  undoubtedly  reconciled, 
eventually,  to  the  removal  of  Saul,  and 
wore  his  roj  al  honors  without  reluctance. 
'Tis  true  that  Cromwell  punished  those 
who  conspired  to  overthrow  his  govern- 
ment and  refused  to  obey  his  laws.  So 
did  the  Hebrew  monarch.  'Tis  true  that 
Cromwell  believed  in  a  special  Provi- 
dence, and  ever  acknowledged  the  reign 
of  Jehovah.  'Tis  no  less  true  that  he 
prayed  earnestly  and  devoutly  to  the 
God  of  Heaven  for  divine  counsel  and 
guidance;  and  he  believed,  too,  in  his 
inmost  soul,  that  his  prayers  were  heard 
and  answered.  All  this  did  the  sweet 
Psalmist  of  Israel.  It  does  not,  there- 
fore follow,  because  Cromwell  consented 
to  the  death  of  Charles,  that  he  was  a 
regicide,  nor  because  he  wore  the  regal 
honors  that  he  was  a  usurper,  nor  be- 
cause he  prayed  and  sung  psalms  that  he 
was  a  hypocrite.  Had  he  been  as  reck- 
less as  Macedonia's  "  Madman  or  the 
Swede,"  had  be  been  as  profligate  as 
Csesar  and  as  bloodthirsty  as  Napoleon, 
had  he  combined  and  in  his  own  charac- 
ter, all  the  vices  of  military  chieftains 
from  the  days  of  Nimrod  to  Andrew 
Jackson,  and  at  the  same  time  been  as 
undevout  as  Paine  or  Voltaire,  he  might 
have  stood  in  peerless  grandeur  among 
earth's  mightiest  heroes,  without  a  stain 
of  meanness   upon   his   character.     Men 


have  been  so  long  accustomed  to  rever- 
ence power,  and  to  admire  the  conquer- 
or's nodding  plume  and  glittering  helmet, 
when  surrounded  with  all  the  "  pomp 
and  circumstance  of  glorious  war,"  that 
they  have  learned  not  only  to  tolerate  but 
to  laud  the  vices  of  their  heroes.  They 
expect  a  great  man  to  be  a  wicked  man. 
Public  character  and  private  virtue  are 
dissociated.  The  trappings  of  royalty,  the 
diadem,  the  purple  robe,  and  the  studded 
baldrick,  conceal  the  moial  diseases  of 
the  monarch ;  and  when,  like  Herod  of 
old,  arrayed  in  royal  apparel  and  seated 
upon  a  throne  he  makes  an  oration,  the 
people  shout;  "  it  is  the  voice  of  a  god 
and  not  of  a  man,"  though  he  may  al- 
ready be  smitten  with  a  moral  plague  by 
the  angel  of  the  bottomless  pit!  Had 
Cromwell  been  as  immoral  and  profligate 
as  other  conquerors  whom  the  world  de- 
lights to  honor,  his  very  wickedness 
would  have  abated  one  half  of  the  slan- 
ders with  which  the  press  has  teemed 
against  him.  But  he  was  a  religious 
man,  a  man  of  prayer.  In  this  he  was 
so  unlike  other  conquerors  that  the  mul- 
titude, at  once,  pronounced  him  a  hypo- 
crite. The  like  was  never  known  in  the 
biographies  of  a  thousand  heroes.  Great 
men  never  pray — never  make  God's  word 
the  standard  of  their  conduct.  For  a 
pretence  he  makes  long  prayers.  He  is 
a  deceiver — a  mean,  canting  hypocrite, 
say  they.  The  reputation  of  the  Pro- 
tector has  suffered  from  this  one  cause 
more  than  from  all  others.  It  was  not 
so  strange  a  thing  in  the  world's  history, 
or  in  England's  history  even,  that  a  king 
should  be  deposed  or  murdered,  that  the 
trial  and  condemnation  of  his  most  sa- 
cred majesty,  Charles  I.  should  have  so 
filled  the  hearts  of  men  with  horror  and 
loaded  the  memory  of  his  judges  and  ex- 
ecutioners with  ignominy.  Had  the 
king  been  removed  by  secret  assassina 
tion,  his  murderer  might  have  filled  his 
throne  with  no  reproach  of  meanness. 
Men  would  have  called  him  wicked,  no 
doubt,  but  the  very  daring  of  the  villany 
would  have  cloaked  its  enormity.  Men 
look  upon  Richard  III.  with  more  com- 
placency than  upon  Cromwell ;  and  why  ? 
Because  they,  erroneously,  suppose  that 


114 


OLIVER  CROMWELL. 


the  one  was  an  open  and  fearless  usurp- 
er, the  other  a  disguised  and  hypocriti- 
cal one.  Cromwell  and  his  compeers 
acted  under  a  deep  sense  of  religious 
responsibility,  and  with  a  strong  and  un- 
wavering conviction  that  their  cause  was 
the  cause  of  God.  Their  victories  were 
all  ascribed  to  God's  mercy.  His  guid- 
ing hand  was  everywhere  acknowledged, 
and  everywhere  proclaimed.  Believing 
that  they  were,  in  a  sense,  engaged  in  a 
holy  war,  they  sought  out  good  men  to 
do  battle  for  the  Lord. 

In  one  of  the  Protector's  speeches  to  a 
large  committee  of  his  second  Parlia- 
ment, he  briefly  alludes  to  his  early  ef- 
forts in  the  revolution,  in  connection  with 
his  friend  and  relative,  John  Hampden : 
"  At  my  first  going  into  this  engage- 
ment, [meaning  the  civil  war]  I  saw  our 
men  were  beaten  on  every  hand.  I  did 
indeed;  and  desired  him  [John  Hamp- 
den] that  he  would  make  some  additions 
to  my  Lord  Essex's  army,  of  some  new 
regiments ;  and  I  told  him  I  would  be 
servicable  to  him  in  bringing  such  men 
in  as  I  thought  had  a  spirit  that  would 
do  something  in  the  work.  This  is  very 
true  that  I  tell  you ;  God  knows  I  lie 
not.  Your  troops,  said  I,  are  most  of 
them  old  decayed  serving  men,  tapsters, 
and  such  kind  of  fellows;  and,  said  I, 
their  troops  are  gentlemen's  sons,  and 
persons  of  quality.  Do  you  think  that 
the  spirits  of  such  base  and  mean  fellows 
will  ever  be  able  to  encounter  gentlemen 
that  have  honor  and  courage  and  resolu- 
tion in  them?  Truly  I  did  represent  to 
him  in  this  manner,  conscientiously  and 
truly  I  did  tell  him  :  'You  must  get  men 
of  spirit,  and  take  it  not  ill  what  I  say. 
I  know  you  will  not — of  a  spirit  that  is 
likely  to  go  on  as  far  as  gentlemen  will 
go ; — or  else  you  will  be  beaten  still.'  I 
told  him  so ;  I  did  truly.  He  was  a  wise 
and  worthy  person,  and  he  did  think  that 
I  talked  a  good  notion  but  an  impractica- 
ble one.  Truly  I  told  him  I  could  do 
somewhat  in  it.  I  did  so,  and  truly  I 
must  needs  say  this  to  you,  the  result  was 
— impute  it  to  what  you  please — I  raised 
such  men  as  had  the  fear  of  God  before 
them,  as  made  some  conscience  of  what 
they  did,  and  from  that  day  forward,  I 


must  say  to  you,  they  were  never  beat- 
en, and  whenever  they  were  engaged 
against  the  enemy  they  beat  continually. 
And  truly  this  is  matfer  of  praise  to 
God,  and  it  hath  some  instruction  in  it 
to  our  men  who  are  religious  and  godly." 
In  another  speech,  he  uses  the  follow- 
ing language :  "  If  I  were  to  choose  any 
servant,  the  meanest  officer  for  the  army 
or  the  Commonwealth,  I  would  choose  a 
godly  man  that  hath  principles,  especial- 
ly where  a  trust  is  to  be  committed.  Be- 
cause I  know  where  to  have  a  man  that 
hath  principles."  Truly  he  did  know 
both  where  to  have  men  of  principle, 
and  how  to  choose  them.  He  selected 
the  best  and  wisest  for  places  of  trust 
and  responsibility.  Even  his  enemies 
admit  it.  Such  were  his  uniform  declar- 
ations, and  his  practice  corresponded  to 
them.  Does  any  one  call  this  cant,  hy- 
pocrisy and  meanness?  To  such  a  one  I 
would  say  in  the  words  of  Carlyle:  "The 
man  is  without  a  soul  that  looks  into  this 
Great  Soul  of  a  man,  radiant  with  the 
splendors  of  very  Heaven,  and  sees  noth- 
ing there  but  the  shadow  of  his  own 
mean  darkness.  Ape  of  the  dead  sea, 
peering  asquint  into  the  Holy  of  Holies, 
let  us  have  done  with  thy  commentaries. 
Thou  canst  not  fathom  it."  No  great 
man,  much  less  a  good  man,  ever  lived, 
of  whom  all  men  spoke  well.  Not  even 
he  "  who  went  about  doing  good"  re- 
ceived testimony  from  men.  "  Some 
said  he  is  a  good  man,  others  said  nay, 
but  he  deceiveth  the  people."  Because 
bigots  and  the  tools  of  tyrants  have  rep- 
resented the  Puritans  as  ignorant,  besot- 
ted fanatics,  are  we  bound  to  believe 
them?  There  are  not  wanting  men  in 
our  own  land  who  still  take  pleasure  in 
abusing  the  Pilgrims,  denouncing  them 
as  mere  political  adventurers,  unscrupu- 
lous partisans,  knavish,  time-serving 
hypocrites.  And  who  are  the  men  who 
at  this  late  period,  attempt  to  set  aside 
the  verdict  ot  many  generations,  and  to 
pour  contempt  upon  our  honored  ances- 
try, of  whom  the  world  was  not  worthy? 
These  are  they  who  light  wax  candles  in 
the  day  time,  who  venerate  Holy  Mother 
Church,  who  make  genuflexions  before  a 
crucifix,  and    consign  men    better    than 


OLIVER  CROMWELL. 


115 


themselves  over  to  the  uncovenanted 
mercies  of  God.  These  are  they  that 
venerate  the  faithless  Charles  as  a  mar- 
tyr of  blessed  memory,  and  devoutly 
lisp  the  praises  of  the  sainted  Laud !  It 
is  right  to  judge  of  men  by  their  works. 
Revelation  pronounces  those  blessed  who 
die  in  the  Lord:  the  reason,  too,  is  an- 
nexed :  "That  they  may  rest  from  their 
labors ;  and  their  works  do  follow  them." 
This  goodly  land  in  which  we  dwell  is 
eloquent  of  the  works  of  the  Puritans ; 
if  we  should  altogether  hold  our  peace 
concerning  them,  the  very  stones  would 
cry  aloud  in  their  behalf.  "  English  his- 
tory," says  Bancroft,  "must  judge  of 
Cromwell  by  his  influence  on  the  institu- 
tions of  England." 

If  the    Protector    were  now  alive,  he 
would  assent  with  his  whole  heart  to  this 
standard.     While  he  lived,  he  said  fear- 
lessly to  his  Parliament:  "  this  govern- 
ment [is]  a  thing  I  shall  say  little  unto. 
The  thing  is  open  and  visible,  to  be  seen 
and  read  of  all  men ;  and  therefore  let  it 
speak    for    itself."    And  what  does  this 
government  say  for  his  Highness?    Be- 
fore answering  this  question,  let  us  look 
at  Cromwell's  previous  history.     Little  is 
certainly    known    of  his  early  life.     In- 
deed we  know  little  of  him  till  he  was  forty 
years  of  age.     Th<>.  gay  butterflies  that 
swarmed  about  the  Court  of  Charles  II. 
sought  for  themselves  an  ephemeral  ce- 
lebrity by  inventing  scandalous  reports, 
not  only  of  Cromwell's  reign,  but  of  his 
early  life.    Host    of  the  anecdotes  that 
have  come  down  to  us  are  derived  from  a 
little   book    called  "Flagellum,    or  the 
Life  and  Death  of  Oliver  Cromwell,  the 
late   Usurper,"  by  James  Heath.    From 
this  polluted  source  has  flowed  a  contin- 
uous torrent  of  filthy  slime  and  mud  to 
bury,  in  ever  accumulating  infamy,  the 
memory  of  departed   greatness.     When 
royal  spite  and  priestly  vengeance  were 
digging  the  earth  from  mouldering  corp- 
ses; "when   St.  Margaret's  churchyard 
was  polluted  with  the  decayed  bodies  of 
a  hundred  patriots,  torn  from  their  last 
resting  place  to  glut  the  malice  of  His 
Most  Christian  Majesty,    together  with 
his  retinue  of  harlots  and  ghostly  advi- 
sers ;"  and   among  them   the  remains  of 


Admiral  Blake,  who  contributed  as  much 
as    any    other  man    that  ever    lived    to 
make   England    mistress    of  the    seas; 
"  when  the  gallows  was  graced  with  the 
rattling  bones  and  mouldering  clay  of 
the    high-souled  Oliver    and  bis  coadju- 
tors ;"  when  such  fantastic   tricks  were 
enacted    in  the    face    of   high    Heaven ; 
what  could  we  expect  from  the    mean, 
cowardly,  sycophantic   Heath,  who,  like 
his  prototype  in  the  desert,  sees  not  when 
good  cometh,  who  comes  like  Falstaff  to 
battle  upon  the  slain,  and  flesh,  his  maid- 
en sword  in  the  body  of  the  dead  hero? 
Of  this  man  and  his  work,  Carlyle  says : 
"Heath's  poor,  little,  brown,  lying  Fla- 
gellum  is  described,  by  one  of  the  mod- 
erns, as  '  Flagitium,'  and  Heath  himself 
is  called  '  carion  Heath,'  as  being  an  un- 
fortunate,   blasphemous    dullard,     and 
scandal    to    humanity; — blasphemous; 
'who  when  the  image  of  God  is  shining 
through  a  man,  reckons  it,  in  his  sordid 
soul  to  be  the  image*  of  the  Devil,  and 
acts  accordingly ;"  who  in  fact  has  no 
soul  except  what  saves  him  the  expense 
of  salt :  who  intrinsically  is  carrion  and 
not    humanity;    which    seems    hard    to 
measure  to  poor  James  Heath." 

Considering  the  origin  of  these  tales  of 
his  boyish  irregularities  and  dissipation, 
we  may  safely  set  them  down  to  the  cred- 
it of  his    slanderers,  and    at    once   pro- 
nounce them  false.     The  stories  of  his 
profligacy  while  a  student  at  law,  have 
not  the  least  foundation  in  fact ;  for  he 
never  was  in  the  Iuns  of  Court,    as  his 
veracious    biographers    pretend.      The 
books  of  all  the  Inns  have  been  diligent- 
ly   searched,    and    the    name  of  Oliver 
Cromwell  no  where  appears.  The  strong- 
est proofs  of  his  early  impiety  are  the 
penitential  confessions  of  Oliver  himself 
in  a  private  letter  to  a  friend.     Here  his 
language  is  vague  and  general.     He  does 
indeed  admit  that  he  had  been  the  chief 
of  sinners,  and  so  did  Paul ;  but  we  may 
not  wrest  this  confession  to  the  injury  of 
either.     Cromwell   early  became  a  truly 
religious  man,  and  from  the  time  of  his 
making  a  public  profession   of  religion 
till  he  became  the   most  prominent  man 
in  the  realm,  by  the  confession  of  his  en- 
emres,  he  Ted  a  consistent  life.     If  he  af- 


116 


OLIVER  CROMWELL. 


terwards  became  all  things  to  all  men.  to 
gratify  boundless  ambition,  -which  was 
his  easily  besetting  sin,  we  can  only  say, 
that  like  most  good  men.  he  sometimes 
acted  inconsistently  with  his  principles 
and  profession.  While  he  lived  as  a  re- 
tired and  qniefc  farmer  in  Huntingdon, 
and  afterwards  at  St.  Ives,  no  man  hath 
found  aught  to  censure  in  his  character 
or  conduct. 

At  the  age  of  twenty-nine  he  was  a 
member  of  the  3d  parliament  of  Charles, 
to  represent  his  native  Huutingdon.  Is 
it  probable  that  his  fellow  citizens,  who 
knew  his  whole  history,  would  have  se- 
lected such  a  scape-grace  as  he  is  repre- 
sented to  have  been,  to  fill  the  place 
which  his  honored  and  honorable  uncle, 
Sir  Oliver  Cromwell,  had  so  long  and  so 
creditably  occupied?  While  he  lived  in 
retirement,  his  enemies  being  unable  to 
impeach  his  morals,  would  fain  under- 
value his  capacity  for  business.  He  is 
represented  as  having  squandered  his 
mother's  and  his  wife's  estate  so  that  he 
was  reduced  almost  to  beggary.  After 
inheriting  a  considerable  estate  from  his 
uncle,  Sir  Robert  Stewart,  one  of  the 
turkey-buzzards  of  that  age  says :  "Short- 
ly after  having  again  run  out  of  all,  he 
resolved  to  go  to  New  England."  The 
testimony  of  Milton  will  set  this  forever 
at  rest.  He  says:  "  Being  now  arrived 
to  a  mature  and  ripe  age,  which  he  spent 
as  a  private  person,  noted  for  nothing 
more  than  the  cultivation  of  pure  relig- 
ion, and  integrity  of  life,  he  was  grown 
rich  at  home."  The  fact  that  he  was  able 
to  subscribe  £1000  for  raising  soldiers  at 
the  first  out-breaking  of  the  civil  war, 
shows  that  he  was  no  beggar.  In  par- 
liament, he  does  not  seem  to  have  acted 
a  prominent  part.  Whenever  he  does  ap- 
pear, it  is  always  in  defense  of  liberty 
and  religion.  The  civil  war  stirred  his 
mighty  mind  to  its  depths.  He  entered 
into  it  as  a  true  patriot  should  have  done, 
with  spirit,  energy  and  decision,  and  he 
never  deserted  the  true  interests  of  his 
country;  nor  did  he  desert  the  parlia- 
ment, even,  till  that  parliament  became 
a  quarrelsome  faction  and  deserted  him. 
In  the  commencement  of  his  career,  his 
future  destiny  had   never  dawned  upon 


him.  Hampden  first  discovered  his  su- 
perior talents,  and  he  is  said  to  have  re- 
marked, "should  this  contest  end  in  a 
war,  yonder  sloven,  (pointing  to  his 
cousin),  will  be  the  first  man  in  Eng- 
land." Cromwell  followed  fortune,  or, 
in  his  own  language,  the  "  leadings  of 
divine  Providence."  He  made  the  most 
of  his  position  on  every  step  of  the  lad- 
der by  which  he  rose  to  supreme  power. 
He  was  not-  conscious  even  of  his  own 
strength.  He  acted  under  strong  convic- 
tions of  the  'necessity'  of  the  course  he 
adopted.  To  a  spectator,  therefore,  he 
seemed  almost  like  one  inspired.  He 
moved  forward  with  a  directness  of  pur- 
pose, an  earnestness  and  a  certainty  of 
success  unparalleled  in  the  world's  his- 
tory ;  and  yet  it  was  a  favorite  remark  of 
his:  "No  man  often  advances  higher 
than  he  who  knows  not  whither  he  is 
going."  As  he  rose,  in  rank  and  power, 
he  filled  each  successive  office  with  the 
dignity  and  grace  of  a  hereditary  prince. 
His  mind  expanded  as  his  sphere  of  in- 
fluence enlarged.  An  English  Essayist 
observes  :  "  Cromwell,  by  the  confession 
even  of  his  enemies,  exhibited  in  his  de- 
meanor the  simple  and  natural  noble- 
ness of  a  man  neither  ashamed  of  his  or- 
igin nor  vain  of  his  elevation  ;  of  a  man 
who  had  found  his  proper  place  in  soci- 
ety, and  who  felt  secure  that  he  was  com- 
petent to  fill  it.  Easy  even  to  familiar- 
ity, where  his  own  dignity  was  concern- 
ed, he  was  punctilious  only  for  his  coun- 
try." 

His  private  letters  to  his  family  show 
the  kind  father,  the  affectionate  husband, 
and  the  true  economist.  His  public  dis-  * 
patches,  while  in  the  army,  breathe  the 
purest  patriotism  with  the  most  fervent 
piety.  He  ever  acknowledges  the  good 
hand  of  God  in  every  victory;  and  it  is 
said  Cromwell  never  lost  a  battle.  No 
one  can  reasonably  impute  this  habitual 
recognition  of  God's  power  and  provi- 
dence to  sheer  hypocrisy.  We  can  see 
no  possible  motive  for  such  deception. 
It  was  uncalled  for,  and  could  answer  no 
important  purpose.  It  is  far  more  chari- 
table to  believe  and  to  maintain  that  his 
prayers,  his  repeated  appeals  to  the  in- 
spired word,  and   his  fervent  thanksgiv- 


OLIVER  CROMWELL. 


117 


ings   to  Almighty  God    for  his  success,    he  would  have  been  obliged  to  resume  it 


were  the  spontaneous  outpourings  of  a 
devout  and  grateful  heart.  His  numer- 
ous speeches  to  his  several  parliaments 
are  all  characterized  by  the  same  zeal  for 
religion ;  the  same  earnest  and  apparent- 


the  next."  "  Puritans  or  royalists,  re- 
publicans or  officers,  there  was  no  one 
but  Cromwell  wlio  was  in  a  state  at  this 
time,  to  govern  with  anything  like  order 
and  justice."    That   fragment  of  a  con- 


ly  sincere  desires  for  the  highest  good  of    stitutional  assembly  denominated  by  way 


the  people.  'Tis  true  he  spoke  with  great 
caution,  because  every  word  was  treas- 
ured up,  and  would  be  made,  if  possible, 
a  weapon  for  his  own  destruction.  His 
sentences,  are,  therefore,  sometimes  in- 
volved, intricate,  and  obscure,  encum- 
bered with  repetitions,  and  frequently 
unfinished.  We  can  find  other  motives 
fer  this  hesitancy  and  circumlocution  be- 
sides fraud  and  intrigue.  The  critical 
position  in  which  ne  was  placed  suffi- 
ciently explains  them  all.  But,  says 
one,  palliate  his  conduct  as  you  will,  he 
was  still  a  usurper  and  a  tyrant.  Let  us 
hold  up  this  charge  to  the  light  of  truth. 
We  admit  that  he  held  power  which  the 
people  had  never  delegated  to  him,  and 
which  he  had  not  gained  by  hereditary 
descent.  If  no  circumstauces  will  jus- 
tify such  an  assumption  of  authority, 
then  Cromwell  must  rest  under  the  stig- 
ma of  exercising  unjust  power.  Let  us 
look  at  the  state  of  society  and  the  con- 
dition of  the  government.  As  Cromwell 
was  situated,  it  was  a  question  of  life 
and  death  with  him,  whether  he  should 
put  himself  at  the  head  of  the  State. 
Had  he  doubted,  or  hesitated,  or  shown 
fear  he  would  have  been  crushed,  and  an- 
archy dark,  fearful  and  bloody,  would 
have  followed.  TheCommonwealth  was 
rent  with  factions.  No  party  had  suffi- 
cient influence  to  lead  the  others.  All 
were  seeking  for  the  supremacy.  Roy- 
alists and  Republicans,  levelers  and  fifth 
monarchy  men,  Episcopalians  and  Pres- 
byterians, Independents  and  Quakers. 
The  nation  was  one  mighty  seething  pot 
of  isms,  political  and  religious.  No  man 
could  control  these  hostile  and  turbulent 
factions  but  Cromwell.  He  saw  it  and 
acted  accordingly.  I  do  not  mean  to  as- 
sert that  while  he  acted  from  an  evident 
necessity,  that  he  did  not  act  in  accord- 
ance .  ith  a  fully  developed  and  inexcu- 
sable ambition ;  but  as  Guizot  asserts, 


of  derision  the  "  rump  parliament," 
were  as  ambitious  of  power  as  the  Pro- 
tector. They  wished  to  make  the  power 
which  the  people  delegated  to  them  for 
a  season,  perpetual  and  perhaps  heredi- 
tary. They  were  about  to  curse  the  na- 
tion with  a  permanent  oligarchy.  Crom- 
well saw  it  and  resisted  their  usurpation. 
The  violent  dissolution  of  this  parlia- 
ment was  not  generally  ungrateful  to  the 
people.  Cromwell  says  himself :  '"So  far 
as  I  could  discern,  when  they  were  dis- 
solved, there  was  not  so  much  as  the 
barking  of  a  dog,  or  any  general  and  vis- 
ible repining  at  it."  When  he  assumed 
the  reins  of  government,  though  he  act- 
ed arbitrarily,  he  did  not  assume  unlim- 
ited power.  •'  For  himself,"  says  Ma- 
caulay.  "  he  demanded  indeed  the  first 
place  in  the  Commonwealth;  but  with 
powers  scarcely  as  great  as  those  of  a 
Dutch  Stadtholder  or  an  American  Pres- 
ident. He  gave  the  •'Parliament  a  voice 
in  the  appointment  of  ministers,  and  left 
to  it  the  whole  legislative  authority — not 
even  reserving  to  himself  a  veto  on  its 
enactments.  And  he  did  not  require 
that  the  Chief  Magistracy  should  be  he- 
reditary in  his  family.  *  *  *  Had  his 
moderation  been  met  by  corresponding 
moderation,  there  is  no  reason  to  think 
he  would  have  overstepped  the  line  which 
he  had  traced  for  himself."  When  the 
Parliament  which  he  summoned  began 
to  question  his  authority  to  rule,  the 
same  authoiity,  too.  by  which  they  were 
called,  and  under  which  they  acted,  he 
became  more  arbitrary  and  dismissed 
them  ;  and  who  would  not  have  pursued 
the  same  course?  The  necessity  under 
which  the  Protector  lay  of  assuming  des- 
potic power,  does  not  prove  him  guilt- 
less in  this  matter,  but  it  certainly  palli- 
ates the  crime,  if  crime  it  may  be  called. 
But,  says  an  objector,  why  pull  down  one 
tyrant  to  set  up   another?    The.domina- 


"  if  he  bad  abdicated  his  power  one  day    tion  of  Cromwell  was  as  odious  and  op- 


118 


OLIVER  CROMWELL. 


pressive  as  that  of  Charles ;  what,  then, 
had  the  people  gained  by  ten  years  of 
suffering,  toil  and  bloodshed?  I  answer, 
much,  every  way.  The  two  administra- 
tions, though  both  were  despotic,  were 
as  unlike  as  light  and  darkness.  I  do  not 
assert  this  without  authority. 

Of  Charles.   Macaulay,  than  whom  no 
man  is  better  versed  in  English  history, 
says  :  "  All  the  promises  of  the  king  were 
violated  without  scruple  or  shame.     The 
Petition  of  Right  to  which  he  had  in  con- 
sideration   of  money's    duly  numbered, 
given  a  solemn  assent,  was  set  at  naught. 
Taxes  were  raised  by  the  royal  authori- 
ty. Patents  and  monopoly  were  granted. 
The    old  usages    of  feudal    times   were 
made  preetxts  for  harrassing  the  people 
with    exactions  unknown  during  many 
years.     The    Puritans    were  persecuted 
with  cruelty  worthy  of  the  Holy  Office. 
They  were  forced  to  fly  from  their  coun- 
try.   They  were  imprisoned.     They  were 
whipped.     Their  ears  were  cut  off.  Their 
noses  were  slit.  Their  cheeks  were  brand- 
ed with  red-hot  iron."    Another  able  crit- 
ic observes  :  "  The  sovereign  was,  in  fact, 
a  Rob  Roy  on  a  large  scale ;  the  Richard 
Turpin  of  the  nation ;  and  his  represent- 
atives were    licensed    highwaymen  and 
freebooters,  levying  an  abominable  black- 
mail from  their  fellow  subjects."     Such, 
in  brief,  was  the  reign  of  the  faithless 
tyrant,  Charles  I.    England  was  bleed- 
ing at  every  pore.     The  rights  of  her  cit- 
izens were  all  abrogated.     The  land,  the 
property,  the  lives  of  the  people,  accord- 
ing to  the  prevailing  politics  and  religion, 
belonged    to  the   king  by  divine    right. 
Nothing    but    resistance    to    oppression 
could  arrest  the  encroachments    of  the 
government.    Resistance  was  made.  The 
tyrant  was  defeated.  The  abuses  of  many 
years  were  reformed ;  and  even  under  the 
usurper  Cromwell  England  was  essen- 
tially free.     Listen   to  some  brief  testi- 
mony   on    this    point.     Bancroft    says: 
"  Cromwell  was  one  of  those  rare  men 
whom  even    his    enemies    cannot    name 
without    acknowledging    his   greatness. 
The  farmer  of  Huntingdon,  accustomed 
only  to  rural  occupations,  unnoticed  till 
he  was  more  than  forty  years  of  age,  en- 
gaged in  no  higher  plots  than  how  to  im- 


prove the  returns  of  his  farm,  and  fill  his 
orchard  with  choice  fruit,  of  a  sudden 
became  the  best  officer  in  the  British  ar- 
my, and  the  greatest  statesman  of  his 
time>  subverted  the  English  constitution, 
which  had  been  the  work  of  centuries, 
held  in  his  own  grasp  the  liberties  which 
the  English  people  had  fixed  in  their 
affections,  and  cast  the  kingdoms  into  a 
uew  mould.  Religious  peace,  such  as 
England,  till  now,  has  never  again  seen, 
flourished  under  his  calmer  mediation ; 
justice  found  its  way  even  among  the  re- 
motest Highlands  of  Scotland;  com- 
merce filled  the  English  marts  with  pros- 
perous activity  under  his  powerful  pro- 
tection ;  his  fleets  rode  triumphant  in  the 
West  Indies ;  Nova  Scotia  submitted  to 
his  orders  without  a  struggle;  the  Dutch 
begged  of  him  for  peace  as  for  a  boon ; 
Louis  XIV.  was  humiliated;  the  pride  of 
Spain  was  humbled ;  the  Protestants  of 
Piedmont  breathed  their  prayers  in  secu- 
rity ;  the  glory  of  the  English  name  was 
spread  throughout  the  world." 

Such,  too,  is  the  concurrent  testimony 
of  all  historians,  both  friends  and  foes. 
Even  Clarendon  admits  his  ability  as  a 
statesman  and  his  successful  administra- 
tion. He  applies  to  him  what  was  said 
of  China,  k%  Ausum  eum  qua3  nemo  aude- 
ret  bonus,  perfecisse  qu88  a  nullo  nisi  for- 
tissimo perfici  possent."  The  same  prej- 
udiced historian  adds:  "He  reduced 
three  nations  to  obedience  at  homp,  and 
it  is  hard  to  say  which  feared  him  most, 
France,  Spain  or  the  Low  Countries;" 
and  while  he  thinks  that  he  will  be  look- 
ed upon  by  posterity  as  "  a  brave,  wick-  A 
ed  man,"  he  admits  that  "  he  had  some 
good  qualities  which  have  caused  the 
memory  of  some  men,  in  all  ages,  to  be 
celebrated."  The  best  men  and  the  wis- 
est men  in  the  kingdom  admitted  the 
equity  of  Cromwell's  administration. 
Such  men  as  Milton,  Locke,  and  Cud- 
worth  eulogized,  and  we  trust,  sincerel}' 
too,  the  virtues  of  the  Protector.  Never 
had  England  been  so  prosperous.  Never 
had  her  subjects  before  enjoyed  such 
freedom  of  worship.  Cromwell  was  far, 
very  far  in  advance  of  the  religious  men 
of  his  own  times  in  toleration.  He  al- 
ways maintained  that  men  had  a  right  to 


OLIVER  CROMWELL. 


119 


think  and  act  for  themselves  in  matters  of 
religion,  and  that,  as  long  as  they  behav- 
ed peaceably  they  were  free  to  dissent 
from  the  magistrate  and  the  priest.     To 
his  parliament  in  1654,  who  had  failed  to 
regulate  matters  in  religion  as  he  wished, 
he  said  :  '■  Those  who  were  sound  in  the 
faith,  how  proper  was  it  for  them  to  la- 
bor for    liberty,  for    a  just    liberty,  that 
men    should  not  be  trampled    upon  for 
their  consciences?    Had  not  they  labor- 
ed but  lately  under  the   weight  of  perse- 
cutions, and    was  it    fit  for    them    to  sit 
heavily  upon  others?    Is  it  ingenuous  to 
ask  liberty  and  not  give  it?    What  great- 
er hypocrisy  than  for  those  who  were  op- 
pressed by  the   bishops  to   become  the 
greatest  oppressors  themselves  as  soon 
as   the  yoke  was  removed?    "Cromwell 
ever  acted  in  accordance  with  these  sen- 
timents.   Though  some  religious  impos- 
tors were  punished  during  his  Protector- 
ate by  the  Parliament,  it  was  not  done 
by  his  approbation  or  consent.     He  was 
liberal  in  opinion  and  practice.     He  was 
a  sincere  and  honest  Independent,  both 
as  a  citizen  and  a  monarch.     His  views  of 
Apostolic  succession  would  be  not  a  little 
unpalatable    at    Oxford    at    the  present 
time.     Of  this  he  says:  "  I  speak  not,  1 
thank  God  it  is  far  from  my  heart — for  a 
ministry  deriving  itself  from  the  Papacy, 
and  pretending  to  that  which  is  so  much 
insisted  on — Succession.    The  true  suc- 
cession is  through  the  Spirit  given  in  its 
measure.     The  Spirit  is  given   for  that 
use.    To  make  proper  speakers  forth  of 
God's  eternal  truth,  and  that's  right  Suc- 
cession."   With  all  the  theological  light 
of  the  19th  century  who  can  define  Suc- 
cession better?    Who  at  this  day  enter- 
tains juster  views  of  religious  freedom 
and  of  the  true  end  of  a  church  organi- 
zation than  did  Oliver  Cromwell?    Here 
is  no  scourging,  no  boring  of  tongues,  no 
cutting  off  of  ears  and  slitting  of  noses 
for  dissent,  as  in  the  days  of  the  sainted 
martyr,  Charles.    No,  if  Cromwell  had 
not  been  thwarted  by  his  Parliament, 
plotted  against  by  the  royalists,  insulted 
and  abused  by  sectaries  he  would  have 


made  the  English  nation  the  freest,  the 
happiest  people  on  earth.  The  true  dif- 
ference between  him  and  Charles  was 
this:  Charles  ruled  for  his  own  advan- 
tage ;  Cromwell  for  the  advantage  of  the 
people.  Charles  sought  to  aggrandize 
himself.  Cromwell,  the  nation.  Charles 
wished  to  compel  a  uniformity  of  belief; 
Cromwell  aimed  at  a  unity  of  spirit  and 
action.  Charles  impoverished  the  nation ; 
Cromwell  enriched  it.  Charles  fled  be- 
fore his  enemies ;  Cromwell  subdued 
them.  Charles  failed  to  command  the 
respect  of  his  own  subjects;  Cromwell 
gained  the  respect  of  the  whole  world. 
Charles  contended  for  prerogative ;  Crom- 
well for  principles.  The  Court  of  Charles 
was  the  resort  of  intriguing  politicians, 
fawning  sycophants  and  shameless  har- 
lots; the  Court  of  Cromwell  was  little 
more  than  a  well  regulated  christian  fam- 
ily, characterised  by  simplicity,  purity 
and  decorum.  Such  was  Oliver  the  Pro- 
tector. England  has  never  known  his 
equal.  The  conqueror  of  Napoleon,  the 
"  iron  duke"  had  not  a  tithe  of  his  liber- 
ality and  far-reaching  sagacity.  The 
character  of  Cromwell  will  never  be  ap- 
preciated till  the  principles  he  advocated 
have  beeome  popular  in  England.  That 
time  hastens  on  apace.  During  the  last 
half  century  whole  mountains  of  mean 
slanders  have  been  rolled  from  the  clay 
of  the  insulted  hero.  Another  half  cen- 
tury will  reveal  to  an  admiring  world  the 
man  Oliver  as  he  was,  such  as  Milton 
saw  him  when  he  penned  the  following 

lines : 

"  Cromwell,  our  chief  of  men  who  through  a 

cloud, 
Not  of  war  only  but  of  detractions  rude, 
Guided  by  faith  and  matchless  fortitude, 
To   peace   and   truth   thy   glorious   way  hast 

plow'd, 
And  on  the  neck  of  crowned  fortune  proud 
Hast  reared  God's  trophies,  and  his  work  pur- 
sued, 
While  Darwent's  stream  with  blood  of  Scots  im- 
brued, 
And  Dunbar  field  resounds  thy  praises  loud  ; 
And  Worcester's  laureate  wreath  yet  much  re- 
mains 
To  conquer  still :  peace  hath  her  victories 
No  less  renowned  than  war  ;  new  foes  arise 
Threat'ning   to  bind   our   souls   with   secular 

chains. 
Help  us  to  save  free  conscience  from  the  paw 
Of  hireling  wolves  whose  gospel  is  their  maw." 


130  SORROW. 


SOBROW. 


BY  MARY  HELEN  BOODEY. 

Sorrow  sits  and  softly  sings 

While  she  flings 

O'er  the  strings 
Of  her  lute  her  fingers  white, 
With  tear-diamonds  bedight. 

Diamonds  deck  her,  head  and  foot, 

Well  they  suit 

On  her  lute, 
Glitter,  glitter,  like  the  rain, 
Sparkle,  sparkle,  without  stain. 

Every  diamond  is  a  tear; 

Jewels  dear; 

Without  fear 
Sorrow  wears  them  and  doth  shine 
As  she  were  a  diamond-mine. 

Sorrow  gathers  hour  by  hour 

Such  a  dower, 

Such  a  shower 
Of  the  bright,  translucent  gems 
Which  she  wears  in  diadems. 

When  -her  holy  work  is  done 

Every  one 

In  the  sun 
Glows  and  flashes  living  light 
That  would  dazzle  mortal  sight. 

Now  she  comes  and  sits  by  me, 

Moments  flee 

Dreamily ; 
As  I  weep  she  closer  clings, 
Working,  ever,  as  she  sings. 

Sorrow !  Sorrow !  go  thy  way, 

Do  not  stay 

Here  to-day, 
I've  shed  tears  enough  for  thee, 
Haste  away  !  I  will  be  free ! 

But  my  guest  doth  still  remain 

And  again 

Falls  the  rain 
Of  my  tears,  which  she  doth  take 
Singing  low,  " For  faith's  sweet  sake!" 


INDUSTRIES  IN  HOPKINTON. 


121 


INDUSTRIES  IN  HOPKINTON. 


BY  C.  C.  LORD. 


AGRICULTURE. 

An  early  occupation  of  civilization  is 
tilling  the  soil.  In  a  new  country  farm- 
ing is  often  the  main  support  of  the  pop- 
ulation. The  first  settlers  in  Hopkin- 
ton  were  mostly  farmers.  The  con- 
dition of  agriculture  was,  of  necessi- 
ty, crude.  Its  profits  were  uncertain  in 
a  corresponding  degree.  Besides  the 
natural  uncertainty  of  the  seasons,  the 
lack  of  intercommunication  between  lo- 
calities, and  the  attendant  imperfect 
means  of  transportation,  made  the  con- 
sequences of  local  failure  more  disas- 
trous. The  soil,  however,  was  new  and 
fertile.  When  it  brought  forth  it  did  so 
abundantly.  It  was  only  when  it  failed 
through  drought,  flood  or  cold  that  pop- 
ulation suffered — mostly  through  the  dif- 
ficulty of  communicating  with  immedi- 
ate and  abundant  supplies. 

As  population  and  social  facilities  in- 
creased,the  farms  were  not  only  self-sup- 
portive, but  on  fertile  years  corn  and 
grain  were  stored  in  the  granaries  of  the 
industrious.  Consequently,in  the  earlier 
times,  the  farmers  of  Hopkinton  sold 
corn  and  wheat,  instead  of  buying  them 
as  they  do  now.  In  the  case  of  infertile 
seasons,  the  stores  of  accumulated  pro- 
ducts became  available  in  the  suppres- 
sion of  famine.  In  1816,  there  occurred 
a  prominent  illustration  in  kind.  The 
year  was  very  unfruitful  through  an  in- 
tensity of  cold.  On  inauguration  day  in 
June,  there  was  snow  to  the  depth  of 
four  inches  on  a  level.  An  early  frost  in 
autumn  killed  all  the  corn.  The  farm- 
ers cut  it  up  and  shocked  it,  but,  being 
in  the  milk,  it  heated  and  spoiled.  As  a 
consequence  of  the  induced  scarcity, 
corn  sold  in  Hopkinton  as  high  as  $3.50 
a  bushel. 

Corn  and  grain  have  been  sold  in  this 


town  and  taken  to  Vermont  for  consump- 
tion. People  then  could  not  anticipate 
the  times  that  were  coming.  One  of  our 
townsmen  tells  us  he  very  well  remem- 
bers the  first  time  his  father  bought  a 
barrel  of  flour.  The  price  paid  was  only 
four  dollars,  but  the  act  of  purchase 
was  deemed  so  extravagant  as  to  be  al- 
most culpable.  It  could  not  then  be 
popularly  forseen  that  the  time  was  at 
hand  when  it  would  be  almost  as  rare  for 
a  farmer  in  Hopkinton  to  raise  his  own 
flour  as  it  was  then  rare  for  him  to  pur- 
chase it. 

In  the  earlier  times,  the  production 
and  maintenance  of  farm  animals  was 
also  much  larger.  In  districts  where  it 
is  now  comparatively  rare  to  find  a  yoke 
of  oxen,  the  supply  of  this  kind  of  stock 
was  multitudinous.  Nothing  was  more 
common  than  to  own  several  yokes  of 
large  oxen,  to  say  nothing  of  the  usually 
attendant  array  of  steers.  Not  more 
than  fifty  years  ago,  Mr.  R.  E.  French, 
our  present  townsman,  seeking  cattle 
for  the  down-country  markets,  bought 
over  seventy  head  in  one  day.  They 
were  all  purchased  in  one  district  in  this 
town,  and  the  transaction  required  less 
time  than  half  of  the  day.  At  the  pres- 
ent time  it  is  nothing  uncommon  for  a 
man  to  travel  over  parts  of  several  towns 
to  buy  a  single  yoke  of  oxen. 

Besides  the  usual  complement  of  horned 
stock  and  general  farm  animals,  there 
was  at  one  time  quite  a  specialty  in 
sheep.  Stephen  Sibley  and  Joseph 
Barnard  were  prominent  growers  of  this 
kind  of  stock.  Their  flocks  were  count- 
ed by  hundreds.  Considerable  effort 
was  made  to  secure  improved  animals. 
Stock  was  imported  from  Vermont,  New 
York,  and  perhaps  other  states,  and  the 
quality  of  the  local  flocks  materially  ad- 


122 


INDUSTRIES  IN  HOPKINTON. 


vanced.  The  prosperity  of  this  branch 
of  farming  industry  soon  met  with  an 
ignominious  defeat.  The  revenue  laws 
of  1832  and  1833,  reducing  the  duties  on 
imports  and  discouraging  local  manu- 
factures, so  reduced  the  price  of  wool 
as  to  materially  depress  the  interests  of 
sheep  growers.  The  flocks  declined.  A 
little  impulse  was  given  to  this  branch 
"of  industry  during  the  war  of  1861,  ow- 
ing to  the  demands  for  wool  created  by 
the  army,  but  it  was  only  temporary. 

The  soil  of  this  town  was  adapted  to 
growing,  all  the  staple  crops  of  New 
England,  but  its  subjection  to  the  uses  of 
the  husbandman  was  a  work  of  prodi- 
gious effort.  The  dense,  heavy  forests 
go  extensively  prevailing,  were  subdued 
by  labor  without  direct  profit.  Wood 
and  timber,  so  much  in  excess  of  the  de- 
maud,  were  comparatively  worthless. 
Even  many  years  after  the  complete  oc- 
cupation of  the  township,  a  large  pine 
tree,  several  feet  in  diameter  and  full  of 
clear  stuff,  was  sold  on  the  stump  for  the 
insignificant  sum  of  twenty-five  cents. 
The  freedom  with  which  the  best  of  tim- 
ber was  employed  in  the  humblest  uses 
of  building  attests  the  low  marketable 
estimate  placed  upon  it.  Acres  upon 
acres  of  primitive  forest  were  cut  down, 
the  logs  rolled  in  heaps,  and  the  fallen 
debris— trunks,  branches  and  boughs — 
burned  to  ashes.  Following  this  ex- 
ceedingly laborious  toil,  came  not  only 
the  difficult  task  of  plowing  and  plant- 
ing, but  the  almost  endless  labor  of  re- 
moving the  rocks  and  stones  that  thick- 
ly cumbered  the  surface  of  the  ground. 
Stones  were  utilized  in  the  division  of 
lots  by  walls,  which  were  often  thick, 
or  double.  On  an  ancient  location  on 
Putney's  Hill,  can  be  seen  stone  walls 
that  are  six  or  eight  feet  in  thickness. 
Heaps  of  stone  thrown  up  in  waste 
places  are  significant  monuments  of  the 
severe  toil  through  which  the  early  in- 
habitants of  this  town  reclaimed  the 
wilderness.    * 

With  experience  and  increased  social 
facilities, came  improvements  in  the  quali- 
ty of  the  products  of  the  soil.  The  in- 
troduction of  improved  varieties  of 
fruit  was  a  more  notable  event  on   ac- 


count of  the  facilities  for  improvement 
afforded  by  the  process  of  grafting.. 
About  seventy  years  ago  the  Bald- 
win  apple  was  introduced  into  this 
town  by  Stephen  Gage.  Since  then  it 
has  become  the  standard  winter  apple  in 
every  household  in  the  community.  We 
need  not  speak  of  the  many  varieties  of 
roots,  seeds  and  scions  that  have  come 
and  gone,  or  come  and  remained,  since 
the  earlier  times.  The  history  of  our 
town,  in  this  respect,  is  substantially 
uniform  with  that  of  many  others  in  its 
vicinity. 

Upon  the  ancient  farm  of  Mrs.  Eliza 
Putney,  upon  Putney's  Hill,  lies  an  an- 
cient broken  grindstone,  a  symbolic 
relic  of  a  past  rude  husbandry.  It  is  of 
common  granite  rock,  and  for  a  long, 
time  was  the  only  grindstone  in  the  im- 
mediate vicinity.  People  came  long  dis- 
tances to  grind  their  scythes  upon  it. 
Before  its  use,  people  from  this  town, 
used  to  go  to  Concord  to  grind  their 
scythes.  A  general  scythe-grinding  took, 
place  only  occasionally.  The  scythes 
were  kept  sharp  with  whetstones  as  long 
as  practicable,  and  then  a  party  gathered 
up  the  dull  scythes  in  the  neighborhood 
and  took  them  away  for  grinding. 
Snaths  at  that  time  were  made  by  hand. 
The  axe-handles  were  straight.  The 
plows  were  at  first  of  wood.,  faced  with 
iron.  Implements  of  all  kinds  were 
rude  and  imperfect,  besides  being  mostly 
the  products  of  the  skill  of  the  local 
blacksmith  and  carpenter.  The  intro- 
duction of  modern  implements  has  been 
a  gradual  but  comparatively  thorough 
work.  The  ancient  richness  of  the-  soil 
having  been  in  a  great  measure  exhaust- 
ed, the  introduction  of  fertilizers  from 
outside  has  become  a  permanent  traffic. 
The  utilization  of  the  newer  and  richer 
fields  of  the  West  has  brought  to  our 
doors  an  abundance  of  corn  and  grain, 
and  the  accidental  forms  of  cereal  pro- 
ducts. In  the  accidental  improvements 
of  farming— draining,  building,  etc., — 
our  town  has  made  creditable  progress. 
The  proximity  of  Hopkinton  to  Concord 
and  Fisherville,  populous  places,  has 
latterly  given  an  impulse  to  the  depart- 
ment  of   the    dairy.      Improved  dairy 


INDUSTRIES  IN  HOPKINTON. 


123 


stock  has  been  introduced  to  a  consider- 
able extent.  Among  our  most  enter- 
prising farmers  may  ^be  mentioned  Jo- 
seph Barnard,  James  M.  Connor,  Wood- 
buryjHardy,  John  W.  Page,  S.  S.  Page, 
Horace  Edmunds,  H.  H.  Crowell,  and 
others. 

MANUFACTURES. 

In  1738, Henry  Mellen  received  a  prom- 
ise of  a  gratuity  of  twenty-tive  pounds 
from  the  incipient  township,  on  condi- 
tion that  by  the  first  of  October  of  the 
same  year  he  should  erect  a  mill ;'  on  the 
reservation"  and  keep  it  in  repair  for 
three  years  next  following,  with  the  im- 
plied privilege  of  each  proprietor  to  ob- 
tain sawing  at  a  stipulated  price.  The 
list  of  proprietors'1  and  other  lots  given 
on  the  plan  of  occupation  originally 
drawn  gives  no  specific  location  of  the 
4,4  reservation."  Wherever  this  reserva- 
tion was,  if  there  was  ever  a  mill  built 
upon  it,  the  structure  was  probably  not 
located  on  any  very  considerable  stream. 
The  circumstances  of  the  new  township 
would  hardly  admit  of  an  immediate  im- 
portant manufactory  of  lumber.  In 
very  early  times  there  was  a  mill  on  the 
brook  now  utilized  by  Dea.  Timothy 
Colby,  but  farther  up  than  the  present 
lumber  works,  at  the  head  of  the  present 
poud.  The  foundations  of  the  ancient 
structure  can  be  seen  to  this  day.  We 
have  heard  it  said  that  this  spot  was  the 
site  of  the  first  mill  in  town.  It  may 
have  been.but  we  cannot  prove  it.  *  From 
the  few  facts  in  our  possession  we  con- 
clude that,  after  the  permanent  settle- 
ment of  the  town  mills  increased  with 
considerable  rapidity.  In  1791  the  fol- 
lowing persons  were  taxed  for  mills : — 
Nathaniel  Clement,  Moses  Titcoinb,  Jer- 
emiah Story,  Amos  Bailey,  Levi  Bailey, 
Joseph  Barnard,  John  Currier.  Eliphilet 
Poor,  Abraham  Rowell  and  Simeon  Dow, 
Jr.  The  principal  business  done  at 
these  mills  was  probably  sawing  lumber, 
grinding  corn  and  grain,  or  fulling  and 
dressing  cloth.     Nathaniel  Clement  and 


*  Since  writing  the  above  we  have  re- 
ceived information  which  leads  us  to  be- 
lieve that  the  first  mill  in  town  was  lo- 
cated on  the  site  of  the  old  Philip  Brown 
mill  described  in  this  article. 


Jeremiah  Story  were  in  partnership,  con- 
tinuing so,  probably,  till  1798,  when  both 
ceased  to  be  taxed  for  property  in  mills. 
Their  first  mill,  possibly  in  activity  be- 
fore 1791,  was  on  or  near  the  site  of  the 
old  Phillip  Brown  mill,  just  east  6f  the 
village, below  what  is  now  known  as  Mill's 
Pond.  Moses  Titcomb's  mill  was  after- 
wards known  as  Webber's ;  the  site  is  no 
the  well-known  Sibley  farm,  now  owned 
by  Dr.  C.  P.  Gage,  of  Concord.  Joseph 
Barnard's  mill  was  also  on  Dol- 
loph's  brook, so-called, near  its  outlet  into 
the  Contoocook  river.  John  Currier's 
mill  was  in  "  Stumpfield,"  on  the  well- 
known  brook  coursing  through  that  dis- 
trict. Abraham  Powell's  mill  was  ou  * 
the  Contoocook  river,  at  West  Hopkin- 
ton,  near  Powell's  bridge,  on  the  present 
mill  site.  Simeon  Dow's  mill  was  at 
Contoocook,  as  was  the  mill  of  Eliphilet 
Poor,  the  first  in  this  location.  We  can- 
not give  the  location  of  the  others. 

In  the  earlier  times,  manufactures 
were  very  much  scattered.  In  fact  ev- 
ery household  was  a  manufacturing  es- 
tablishment in  a  small  way.  Once  small 
mills  and  shops,  manufactories  of  lum- 
ber, leather,  and  various  domestic  arti- 
cles in  whole  or  in  part,  were  scattered 
through  the  town,  occupying  nearly  or 
quite  every  available  water  privilege, 
while  some,  like  the  tanneries,  were  of- 
ten on  highland  locations.  Since  the 
earlier  times,  many  men  have  been  en- 
gaged in  manufactures  in  this  town. 
We  can  only  mention  some  of  the  more 
important  establishments  and  owners. 

The  principal  water-power  being  on 
the  Contoocook  river,  at  the  village  of 
the  same  name,  which  has  grown  up  in 
a  large  measure  in  consequence  of  the 
local,  natural  privileges  offered  by  the 
stream,  there  have  been  a  number  of  the 
more  important  works  in  this  locality. 
Mills  of  greater  or  less  importance  were 
located  early  at  this  point,  among  the 
operators  being  Benjamin.  Hills,  who 
was  taxed  for  mill  property  in  this 
town  as  early  as  1795*,  and  whose  family 
name  gave  the  euphonious  title  of  "  Hill's 


♦In  1797-99,  Moses  Hills  was  taxed  for 
Mill  property  in  this  town. 


124 


INDUSTRIES  IN  HOPKINTON. 


Bridge  "  to  the  present  village  of  Con- 
toocook.  As  the  place  increased  in  size 
and  importance  more  notable  works  were 
established.  As  soon  as  1825,  Abram 
Brown  was  .a  mill  operator  or  owner. 
In  company  with  John  Burnhara,  he  car- 
ried on  a  notable  business  in  the  lumber 
and  grain  line  for  about  thirty  years. 
The  grist  mill  operated  by  these  two 
men  was  conducted  by  the  sons  of  John 
Burnham  till  the  fire  of  1873,  which  con- 
sumed it.  In  1826,  or  thereabouts,  Joab 
Patterson  established  himself  here  in  the 
business  of  a  clothier.  Subsequently  he 
took  into  partnership  his  brother,  David 
N.,  and  till  about  1860  the  two  carried  on 
*  business,  but  subsequently  to  1844  fol- 
lowing the  manufacture  of  woolen  cloths, 
which  they  sold  largely  to  people  in  the 
vicinity  in  exchange  for  wool  or  cash. 
For  a  short  time  another  brother  was 
connected  with  them.  On  the  north  side 
of  the  river,  a  mill,  on  the  site  of  the 
present  saw  mill  operated  by  the  Burn- 
ham  brothers,  was  built  by  Hamilton  E. 
Perkins  about  1835.  It  was  subsequent- 
ly burned  and  rebuilt.  The  present 
grist  mill,  owned  by  Col.  E.  C.  Bailey, 
occupies  a  building  erected  for  miscella- 
neous purposes  by  H.  E.  Perkins  a  short 
time  after  his  first.  Messrs.  Kempton  & 
Allen  began  the  manufacture  of  mack- 
erel kits  about  1850,  first  in  the  present 
Burnham  saw  mill;  afterwards  one  or 
both  occupied  the  old  Patterson  fac- 
tory, where  business  was  kept  up  till  the 
fire  of  1873.  For  a  few  years  subse- 
quently to  1864,  Messrs.  Jonathan  M.  & 
George  W.  Morrill  carried  on  woolen 
manufacturing  in  the  present  grist  mill 
building,  which  was  then  the  property 
of  Capt.  Paul  R.  George,  or  his  heirs. 
In  1874  the  brothers  Morrill  &  Kempton, 
kit  manufacturers,  erected  their  present 
steam  mill  about  a  half  mile  north  of  the 
village.  Grinding  was  also  done  at  their 
mill  during  the  first  years  of  its  exist- 
ence. A  year  or  two  subsequently  to 
the  erection  of  this  mill,  Colonel  Bailey 
put  in  the  machinery  of  his  present  grist 
mill.  He  is  at  present  the  exclusive 
owner  of  the  site  of  the  water  power  at 

Contoocook. 
About  1815,  Thomas  Kast  began   the 


manufacture  of  leather  on  the  spot  now 
occupied  by  Horace  J.  Chase,  employing 
the  present  water  power.  He  kept  up 
the  business  for  about  thirty  years,  and 
then  sold  out  to  Jonathan  Osgood.  In 
1852  the  works  passed  into  the  hands  of 
Mr.  Chase,  who  has  made  numeroas  im- 
portant additions  and  improvements  to 
them.  This  establishment  has  been 
twice  burned  out — once  during  its  occu- 
pancy by  Mr.  Kast  and  once  since  owned 
by  Mr.  Chase.  About  1830,  Benjamin  F. 
Clough  established  a  mill  at  what  is  now 
known  as  "  Cloughville."  Several  sons 
of  Mr.  Clough  have  since  been  engaged 
in  different  kinds  of  wooden  manufao 
tures  here,  and  several  mills  have  at 
times  been  in  operation.  As  soon  as 
1835,  John  Smiley  became  engaged  as  a 
miller  at  West  Hopkinton,  on  the  site  of 
the  old  Rowell  mill.  For  about  thirty 
years  "  Smiley's  Mills"  was  a  popular 
grinding  station  for  the  vicinity.  Grind- 
ing is  no  longer  done  at  this  station. 
The  traveler  who  now  takes  his  way  in 
the  valley  between  Putney  and  Beech 
Hills,  crossing  the  tortuous  Dolloph's 
Brook  where  it  runs  easterly  across  the 
road,  at  the  site  of  what  was  formerly 
Richard  Kimball's  mill,  will  hardly  con- 
ceive that  here,  where  is  now  nothing 
but  trees  and  bushes,  was  once  a  mill 
three  stories  in  height,  where,  in  addi- 
tion to  sawing  lumber,  the  managers 
ground  and  bolted  as  good  meal  and 
flour  as  perhaps  can  be  made  at  any 
place.  Yet  it  was  so.  Several  parties 
were  at  different  times  interested  in  this 
mill.  Nathaniel  Clement  and  Jeremiah 
Story  once  did  business  in  partnership  at 
this  location.  The  Clement  family  was 
prominently  connected  with  this  mill  in 
later  times.  The  mill  site  was  in  the 
possession  of  the  Story  family  till  1877. 
About  forty-five  years  ago,  much  en- 
thusiasm was  aroused  over  the  manufac- 
ture of  silk.  Silk  worms  and  mulberry 
trees  were  procured  from  older  New 
England  States  and  work  begun  in  ear- 
nest. Silk  thread  and  cloth  were  manu- 
factured, but  the  enterprise  died  about  as 
suddenly  as  it  was  born.  The  products 
of  this  business  cost  more  than  the  in- 
come.   Our  people  could  not  successful- 


INDUSTRIES  IN  HOPKINTON. 


125 


ly    compete  with  the  cheaper  labor  of 

Europe.     In  some  instances  remnants  of 

the  old  mulberry  orchards  can  be  to  this 

dav  seen. 

The  following    parties  are  taxed   for 

mill  property  the  present  year:— Eli  A. 
Boutw  11,  Charles  F.  Clough,  Benjamin 
C.  Clongh,  Timothy  Colby,  Henry  H. 
Crowell,  Carr  &  Wheeler,  AVadsworth 
Davis,  Amos  Frye,  Jr.,  Kempton  &  Mor- 
rill, Nathaniel  V.  Stevens,  Samuel  Spof- 
ford,  Nahum  M.  Whittier. 

TRADE. 

Trade  is  essenti  tl  to  civilization.  An 
incipient  community  has  its  quota  of 
tradesmen.  Soon  after  the  first  occupa- 
tion of  the  township  of  Hopkinton. 
stores,  or  domestic  trading  posts,  for  the 
accommodation  of  the  public,  began  to 
spring  up.  Reliable  data  of  the  earliest 
conditions  of  trade  in  this  town  are  very 
meagre.  In  1791,  the  following  persons 
were  taxed  for  stock  in  trade  and  money 
at  interest:— Capt.  Joshua  Bailey.  Capt. 
Chase,  Daniel  Herrick,  Samuel  Harris, 
Capt.  Stephen  Harriman,  Theophilis 
Stanley  and  Benjamin  Wiggin.  It  is  rea- 
sonable to  believe  that  only  a  part 
of  these  were  engaged  in  actual  traffic  in 
merchandise.  Some  may  have  been 
small  manufacturers.  Theophilis  Stan- 
ley and  Benjamin  Wiggin  were  tavern- 
ers,  though  Wiggin  also  kept  a  store, 
while  Stanley  worked  a  tannery. 

There  was  a  combination  of  circum- 
stances tending,  in  the  earlier  times,  to 
make  Hopkinton  a  comparatively  thriv- 
ing trading  post.  Besides  the  natural 
wants  of  the  local  population,  an  incen- 
tive was  afforded  in  the  fact  that  for 
many  years  Hopkinton  was  a  shire  town 
of  old  Hillsborough  County;  the  town 
also  occupied  a  prominent  position  on 
the  northern  frontier  of  New  Hampshire 
settlements.  In  consequence  of  these 
circumstances,  the  local  business  inter- 
ests advanced  rapidly  for  a  number  of 
years.  In  1800  the  following  persons 
were  taxed  for  stock  in  trade : — Joshua 
Bailey,  Esq.,  Samuel  Darling,  Reuben 
French,  Ebenezer  Lerned,  Isaac  Long, 
Nathaniel  Procter,  Theophilis  Stanley, 
Silas  Thayer,  Samuel  G.  Town,  Town  & 
Ballard,  and   David  Young.      Of   these 


Isaac  Long  was  a  book-binder  and  sel- 
ler; David  Young  a  cabinet-maker. 
There  were  others  whose  business  we 
cannot  describe,  unless  they  were  com- 
mon traders.  In  1810  there  were  Abram 
Brown,  Thomas  W.  Colby,  Reuben 
French,  Ebenezer  Lerned,  Isaac  Proc- 
tor, Theophilis  Stanley.  Stephen  Sibley, 
Joseph  Town,  and  Thomas  Williams;  in 
1820,  Buswell  &  Way,  Calvin  Campbell, 
Thomas  W.  Colby,  Timothy  Darling, 
George  Dean,  Thomas  Kast,  Isaac  Long, 
Jr.,  Ira  Morrison,  Stephen  Sibley,  Jo- 
seph B.  Town,  and  Thomas  Williams. 

For  a  time  it  was  thought  that  Hop- 
kinton might  become  the  permanent  cap- 
ital of  the  State.  The  year  1805  decided 
in  favor  of  Concord.  It  may  be  said  that 
here  was  the  beginning  of  a  tide  of 
events  that  ultimately  took  away  the 
business  ascendancy  of  this  town,  which 
rapidly  declined  in  thrift  in  the  latter 
part  of  the  first  half  of  the  present  cen- 
tury. In  the  clays  of  greatest  prosperity 
Hopkinton  village  was  the  center  of  a 
large  wholesale  trade.  Town  &  Ballard 
were  wholesale  and  retail  merchants, 
occupying  the  building  now  used  by 
Kimball  &  Co.  The  whole  lower  floor 
of  this  building  was  in  use  by  this  firm, 
and  numerous  clerks  found  busy  em- 
ployment, while  strong  teams  from  the 
upper  country  resorted  here  for  the  pro- 
ducts of  trade  and  barter.  During  this 
period  the  stores  of  Thomas  W.  Colby, 
Lerned  &  Sibley,  and  Thomas  Williams 
were  notable  places  of  business.  Colby's 
store  occupied  the  corner  now  used  by 
Gage  &  Knowlton  ;  Lerned  &  Sibley,  the 
building  now  occupied  by  Miss  Lydia 
Story ;  Thomas  Williams,  a  building 
standing  between  John  S.  Kimball's  and 
the  Congregational  meeting  house.  At 
this  time,  besides  other  stores,  were  the 
usual  attendant  establishments  repre- 
senting the  multiple  business  wants  of  a 
complex  community. 

In  the  earlier  times  trade  was  not  so 
closely  confined  to  the  villages  as  now. 
One  of  the  outposts  of  business  was  on 
the  Concord  road,  near  the  present  resi- 
dence of  Mr.  William  Long.  Nathaniel 
Proctor  was  a  trader  at  this  point,  as 
may  have  been  others.     Different  parties 


126 


THE  BOSTON  PORT  BILL. 


have  also  traded  in  a  store  that  stood 
near  the  present  residence  of  Mr.  Perley 
Beck,  at  the  four  corners  at  "  Stump- 
field."  Among  those  trading  in  Hopkin- 
ton  village  in  later  times  Joseph  Stan- 
wood,  Stephen  B.  Sargent,  James  Fel- 
lows and  Nathaniel  Evans  are  prominent. 
Among  the  earlier  traders  in  Contoocook 
was  Solomon  Phelps.  Ebenezer  Wyman 
came  to  Contoocook  over  forty  years 
ago,  and  till  lately  has  traded  most  of 
the  time  since,   doing  a   miscellaneous 


business.  Herrick  Putnam  and  Isaac  D. 
Merrill  were  also  well  known  merchants 
in  this  locality. 

The  following  parties  are  at  present 
engaged  in  trade  in  this  town  : — Gage  & 
Knowlton,  Kimball  &  Co.,  Curtice  &  Ste- 
vens, W.  H.  Hardy,  Eufus  P.  Flanders, 
G.  H.  Ketchum  (stoves,  tin  and  hard- 
ware), Miss  Julia  M.  Johnson  (ladies' 
goods).  The  first  two  firms  mentioned 
are  in  the  lower  village ;  the  other  par- 
ties in  Contoocook. 


THE  BRITISH  ACT  OF  PARLAIMENT,  KNOWN  AS    THE  BOSTON  POET 

BILL,   OF  1774,  AND  THE  LIBERALITY  OF  NEW  HAMPSHIRE, 

AND  OTHER  PLACES,  FOR    THE  RELIEF  OF  THE 

SUFFERERS  IN  BOSTON. 


BY  HON.   G.  W.  NESMITH. 


This  act  of  Parliament  went  into  ef- 
fect on  the  14th  day  of  June.  1774.  The 
harbor  of  Boston  was  blocked  up  by  four 
large  ships  of  war,  with  orders  to  inter- 
dict all  trade  by  sea.  Five  regiments  of 
troops  were  stationed  in  different  parts 
of  the  town  to  prevent  trade  with  the 
country.  The  intent  of  the  statute  was 
to  punish  the  rebellious  citizens  of  that 
town,  who  had  not  only  refused  to  pay 
duties  on  British  goods,  but  had  dared  to 
throw  overboard  cargoes  of  imported 
teas,  in  vindication  of  the  claim  that  tax- 
ation and  representation  should  go  to- 
gether, or,  in  other  words,  that  the  col- 
onies should  be  heard  before  taxes  on  im- 
ports should  be  imposed.  Again,  Bos- 
ton had  complained  of  the  quartering  of 
troops  within  the  limits  of  their  city  in  a 
time  of  peace,  and  as  a  consequence  of 
this  ty  ran  ideal  act  the  massacre  of  March, 
1770,  had  ensued  and  a  hostile  spirit  be- 
twoon  the  citizens  and  troops  had  been 
engendered.  The  tendency  of  the  Port 
Bill  was  to  produce  immediate  want  and 
suffering.  The  ordinary  commerce  and 
trade  of  the  town  being  prohibited,  the 
industries    of     the   citizens     destroyed, 


their  sources  of  living  dried  up,  their 
only  resource  left  was  either  to  abandon 
their  homes  entirely,  or  to  appeal  to  the 
charity  and  liberality  of  their  friends 
elsewhere  for  a  supply  of  the  necessaries 
of  life.  The  appeal  was  made.  The 
friends  of  liberty  yielded  a  ready 
response.  The  conduct  of  Britain  was 
everywhere  regarded  as  oppressive,  and 
a  deep  sympathy  was  felt  in  behalf  of 
the  sufferers.  The  newspapers  of  the 
day  inform  us  that  the  bells  in  the  town 
of  Falmouth  (now  Portland)  and  in  the 
city  of  Philadelphia  were  tolled  all  day, 
and  all  business  suspended  on  the  afore- 
said 14th  day  of  June,  in  consequence  of 
this  grevious  act  of  Parliament  being  en- 
forced upon  the  inhabitants  of  Boston. 
Large  meetings  of  the  citizens  of  Phila- 
delphia, Baltimore,  New  York,  Ports- 
mouth, and  various  other  cities  and 
towns  assembled,  and  passed  resolutions 
recommending  the  people  to  purchase  no 
more  British  goods,  and  to  consume 
no  more  tea,  strongly  sympathizing 
with  the  oppression  of  Boston,  and  ex- 
horting her  people  to  stand  firm  at  this 
trying  crisis. 


THE  BOSTON  PORT  BILL. 


127 


The  Provincial  Congress  of  Massa- 
chusetts and  New  Hampshire,  represent- 
ing the  people  of  each  State,  among  their 
spirited  resolves,  requested  their  fellow 
citizens  to  contribute  liberally  to  alle- 
viate the  burdens  of  those  persons  who 
are  the  more  immediate  objects  of  minis- 
terial resentment,  and  who  are  suffering 
in  the  common  cause  of  their  country. 
Donations  soon  began  to  now  into  the 
town  of  Boston  from  all  quarters.  On 
the  20th  day  of  June,  1774,  Newbury- 
port  contributed  two  hundred  pounds. 
June  30th,  Charleston,  South  Carolina, 
sent  two  hundred  and  five  casks  of  rice. 
The  editor  of  the  South  Carolina  Ga- 
zette severely  critisized  the  character  of 
the  Port  Bill,  stigmatizing  it  as  being  not 
a  production  of  Lord  North,  but  of  h — I. 
Ou  the  15th  jof  July,  Wethersfield,  Conn., 
and  vicinity,  sent  one  thousand  bushels 
of  grain  for  the  Boston  poor.  On  the 
same  day  the  editor  of  the  Boston  Chron- 
icle remarked  "  that  this  town  was  vis- 
ited by  Col.  Putnam,  of  Pomfret,  Conn., 
a  hero  renowned,  and  well  known 
'throughout  North  America.  His  gen- 
erosity led  him  to  Boston  to  succor  his 
oppressed  brethren.  A  fine  drove  of 
sheep  was  one  article  of  comfort  he  was 
commissioned  to  present  to  us."  Put- 
nam saw  enough  at  this'  visit  to  induce 
him,  when  first  hearing  of  the  battle  of 
Lexington,  some  months  after,  to  leave 
his  plow  in  the  furrow,  and  fly  to  the  res- 
cue of  his  friends. 

Soon  a  quantity  of  provisions  was  re- 
ceived from  the  friends  of  liberty  in  Que- 
bec, and  one  hundred  pounds  sterling 
from  Montreal,  and  one  thousand  pounds 
worth  of  West  India  rum  from  the  Island 
of  Barbadoes.  A  constituent  of  Edmund 
Burke,  resident  in  Bristol,  England, 
wrote  to  his  friend  and  correspondent 
here  to  pay  on  his  account  fifty  pounds, 
and  five  hundred  pounds,  if,  in  his  judg- 
ment, the  good  cause  demanded  it.  We 
cannot  stop  to  recount  the  liberal  dona- 
tions from  the  State  of  Massachusetts 
and  other  States.  Some  of  the  donations 
from  our  State  are  not  defined.  The  ac- 
count is  quite  general  in  this  language : — 
This  day  was  received  from  Londonder- 
ry, Amherst,  Hampton,   New  Ipswich, 


etc.,  provisions,  money,  etc.,  for  the  re- 
lief of  Boston.  In  other  cases  we  have  the 
following  items  :  Portsmouth  contributed 
three  hundred  pounds,  Exeter  two  hund- 
red pounds,  Rye  twenty  pounds,  South 
Hampton  fifteen  pounds,  Temple  ten 
pounds,  Poplin  (Fremont)  her  pair  of 
oxen,  delivered  to  Mr.  Foster  by  Zach- 
eus  Clough,  Esq.  Mr.  Foster  was  chair- 
man of  the  donation  committee  for  the 
town  of  [Charlestown,  which  was  em- 
braced in  the  common  calamity  with 
Boston.  John  Sullivan,  Esq.,  afterwards 
Gen.  Sullivan,  of  Durham,  and  the  min- 
ister of  the  parish,  Rev.  John  Adams, 
constituted  a  committee  who  collected 
some  funds  in  Durham,  and  the  vicinity, 
and  forwarded  the  same  by  a  messenger 
no  less  distinguished  than  Alexander 
Scammell,  who  was  then  a  student  at 
law  in  Sullivan's  office,  accompanied  by 
the  following  letter,  which  we  give  for 
purpose  of  showing  the  spirit  of  the 
hour.  The  letter  was  addressed  to  the 
donation  committee  of  Boston,  of  which 
Samuel  Adams  was  chairman  : — 

''Durham,  Nov.  21,  1774. 

Gentlemen — We  take  pleasure  in  trans- 
mitting to  you  by  Mr.  Scammell,  a  few 
cattle,  with  a  small  sum  of  money,  which 
a  number  of  persons  in  this  place,  ten- 
derly sympathising  with  our  suffering 
brethren  in  Boston,  have  contributed 
toward  their  support.  With  this,  or 
soon  after,  you  will  receive  the  donation 
of  a  number  in  Lee,  a  parish  lately  set 
off  from  this  town,  and  in  a  few  days  the 
contribution  of  Dover,  Newmarket,  and 
other  adjacent  towns.  What  you  here- 
with receive  comes  mostly  from  the  in- 
dustrious yeomanry  of  this  parish.  We 
have  but  few  persons  of  affluent  means, 
but  these  have  most  cheerfully  contrib- 
uted to  the  relief  of  the  distressed  in 
your  metropolis.  This  is  considered  by 
us  not  as  a  gift,  or  an  act  of  charity, 
but  a  debt  of  justice.  It  is  a  small 
part  of  what  we  are  in  duty  bound  to 
communicate  to  those  truly  noble  and 
patriotic  advocates  of  American  free- 
dom who  are  bravely  standing  in  the  gap 
between  us  and  slavery,  defending  the 
common  interest  of  a  whole  continent, 
now  gloriously  struggling  in  the  cause 
of  common  liberty.  Upon  you  the  eyes 
of  all  America  are  now  fixed.  Upon 
your  invincible  patience,  fortitude  and 
resolution,  depends  all  that  is  dear  to  us 
and  our  posterity. 

May  that  superintending  Gracious  Be- 
ing,  whose  ears  are  ever  open  to  the 


128 


THE  BOSTON  PORT  BILL. 


cries  of  the  oppressed,  in  answer  to  the 
incessant  prayers  of  his  people,  defend 
our  just  cause,  turn  the  counsels  of  our 
enemies  into  foolishness  and  deliver  us 
from  the  hands  of  our  oppressors,  and 
make  those  very  measures  by  which  they 
are  endeavoring  to  compass  our  destruc- 
tion the  means  of  fixing  our  invaluable 
rights  and  privileges  upon  a  more  firm 
and  lasting  basis.  It  seems  to  us  that  it 
may  prove  to  the  ultimate  advantage  of 
this  good  cause  in  America,  that  the  at- 
tacks of  our  enemies  are  made  to  that 
quarter  where  the  virtue  and  firmness  of 
the  inhabitants  could  brave  the  shafts  of 
the  military  tyrants  and  set  at  defiance 
the  threats  of  an  exasperated  and  des- 
potic minister. 

We  are  pleased  to  find  that  the  meth- 
ods sought  to  divide,  have  happily  united 
us,  and  by  every  new  act  of  oppression 
our  union  has  been  more  and  more 
strengthened;  and  we  can  with  truth  as- 
sure you.  gentlemen,  that  in  this  quarter 
we  are  engaged  to  a  man  in  your  de- 
fence, and  of  the  common  cause. 

We  are  ready  to  communicate  of  our 
substance  largely,  as  your  necessities 
shall  require,  and  with  our  estates  to 
give  also  our  lives,  and  mingle  our  blood 
with  yours  in  the  common  sacrifice  to 
liberty.  We  renewedly  assure  you  we  will 
not  submit  to  wear  the  chains  of  slavery 
which  a  profligate  and  arbitrary  ministry 
are  preparing  for  all  of  us.  That  Heaven 
may  support  you  under  your  distressing 
circumstances,  and  send  you  a  speedy 
and  happy  deliverance  from  your  pres- 
ent troubles,  is  the  earnest  prayer  of 
your  cordial  friends,  and  very  humble 
servants. 
(Signed) 

John  Adams,      I  committee 
John  Sullivan.  /  ^ommittee- 

This  letter  was  published  in  the  Bos- 
ton Chronicle  at  the  time.  Its  deter- 
mined zeal  and  fervor  naturally  tended 
to  influence  the  public  mind,  and  to  pre- 
pare the  friends  of  liberty  to  strike  for 
the  common  cause. 

The  patriots  of  Boston,  amid  all  their 
severe  trials,  were  encouraged  by  salu- 
tary advice  and  substantial  aid  to  perse- 
vere to  the  end  by  the  lovers  of  freedom 
everywhere.  They  were  doomed  to  en- 
counter the  perils  and  privations  of  two 
sieges.  The  first,  commencing  with  the 
14th  of  June,  1774,  continued  about  one 
year,  until  open  hostilities  commenced, 
and  was  prosecuted  to  gratify  the  ven- 


geance of  a  spiteful  British  Ministry. 
During  this  year  the  town  lost  nearly 
one-third  of  her  population,  who  felt 
compelled  to  remove  in  order  to  obtain 
the  means  of  living.  Many  of  those  who 
remained,  who  had  been  in  comfortable 
circumstances,  were  reduced  to  abject 
poverty.  All  classes  of  people  were 
made  poorer ;  none  were  enriched.  After 
the  engagement  at  Bunker  Hill,  the  be- 
siegers found  themselves  besieged  by  land, 
and  for  the  next  nine  months  the  Ameri- 
can army  held  the  avenues  to  the  town, 
and  the  hopes  of  the  patriots  were 
revived  and  their  condition  somewhat 
improved  by  a  friendly  intercourse 
with  the  troops  without.  During 
these  nine  months  the  British  troops 
were  obliged  to  depend  upon  their 
shipping  for  provisions.  The  patriots 
within  the  town  derived  much  consola- 
tion from  the  fact  that  the  British  troops 
were  involved  with  them  in  a  common 
suffering  for  a  supply  of  necessary  food 
and  fuel.  In  March,  1776,  Washington 
was   prepared    to    bombard    the    town. 

This  resort  was  expected  by  the  patri- 
ots, and  the  owners  of  property  feared 
the  results.  Gen.  Howe  threatened  to 
fire  the  town  if  Washington  persisted  in 
his  purpose.  Finally  Howe  proposed  to 
evacuate  the  town  if  no  attack  were 
made.  This  arrangement  was  concurred 
in,  and  on  the  18th  of  March  Howe  with- 
drew his  army,  giving  relief  and  great 
joy  to  the  inhabitants  of  the  town. 

In  the  afternoon  of  the  next  Sunday 
after  the  evacuation,  in  presence  of  the 
American  army.  Rev.  Mr.  Bridge,  Chap- 
lain in  his  brother's  regiment,  preached 
an  appropriate  discourse  from  II.  Kings, 
7th  chap.,  7th  verse — 'k  Wherefore,  they 
arose  and  fled  in  the  twilight, and  left  their 
tents,  and  their  horses,  and  their  asses, 
even  the  camp  as  it  was, and  fled  for  their 
life."  The  application  of  the  text  was  as 
follows:  "  The  text  describes  the  flight 
of  our  enemies,  as  they  left  their  tents, 
and  their  horses,  and  quite  a  number  of 
Tories  for  asses. 


4> 


Uu\s 


THE 


GBANITE  MONTHLY. 


A  MAGAZINE  OF  LITERATURE,  HIST OR Y  AND 
STATE  PROGRESS. 


VOL.  II. 


DECEMBER,  1878. 


NO.  5. 


HON.  MOODY  CURRIER. 


PThe  following  sketch  is  from  the  history  of  Boscawen,  by  C.  C.  Coffin,  recently  published.] 


The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  in 
the  town  of  Boscawen,  April  22. 1806.  At 
an  early  age,  his  parents  removed  to  Dun- 
barton,  and  thence  to  Bow,  where  his 
early  years  were  passed  on  a  farm,  at 
tending  the  district  school  about  six 
weeks  during  the  winter.  He  had  an  in- 
satiable desire  for  information,  and  de- 
voured all  the  books  he  could  lay  hi3 
hands  on,  reading  through  the  long  win- 
ter evenings  by  the  light  of  a  pitch  pine 
knot,  or  a  tallow  candle. 

He  fitted  for  college  at  Hopkinton 
Academy,  and  graduated  at  Dartmouth 
in  1S34,  Hon.  Daniel  Clark  of  Manches- 
ter, of  the  U.  S.  District  Court  for  this 
District,  being  one  of  his  classmates. 

Soon  after  leaving  college  he  taught 
school  in  Concord,  and,  in  company  with 
Hon.  Asa  Fowler,  edited  the  New  Hamp- 
shire Literary  Gazette.  He  was  after- 
wards principal  of  the  Hopkinton  Acad- 
emy for  one  year,  and  in  1836  became 
principal  of  the  High  School  at  Lowell, 
Mass.  He  held  that  position  for  five 
years,  and  in  1841  removed  to  Manches- 
ter, where  he  has  since  continued  to  re- 


ride.  During  his  residence  at  Hopkinton 
and  Lowell  he  studied  law,  and  on  going 
to  Manchester  was  admitted  to  the  Bar, 
and  became  a  law  partner  with  Hon. 
George  W.  Morrison.  In  1842  he  pur- 
chased an  interest  in  a  weekly  newspa- 
per, the  Manchester  Democrat,  and  de- 
voted a  part  of  his  time  to  editorial  la- 
bors for  about  a  year.  His  partnership 
with  Mr.  Morrison  was  dissolved  in  1S43, 
but  he  continued  in  the  practice  of  his 
profession  independently  until  1848.  In 
that  year  the  Amoskeag  Bank  was  or- 
ganized, and  he  became  its  cashier  and 
has  continued  in  the  banking  business 
since  that  time. 

Upon  the  organization  of  the  Amoskeag 
Savings  Bank,  in  1S52,  he  became  its 
Treasurer,  and  still  holds  the  office. 
When  the  Amoskeag  National  Bank  was 
organized  to  succeed  the  old  Amoskeag 
Bank,  in  1864,  he  became  its  President. 
He  has  been  a  Director  in  the  People's 
Bank  at  Manchester  since  it  was  organ- 
ized in  1874;  a  Director  in  the  Blodgett 
Edge  Tool  Company  during  the  existence 
of  the  corporation ;  President  and  Trea- 


130 


HON.  MOODY  CURRIER. 


surer  of  the  Amoskeag  Axe  Company 
since  its  organization  in  1S62 :  a  Director 
in  the  Manchester  Gas  Light  Company 
since  1862 ;  a  Director  in  the  Manchester 
Mills  since  the  "organization  of  the  cor- 
poration in  1874;  Treasurer  of  the  Con- 
cord &  Portsmouth  Railroad  Company 
since  1856 ;  Treasurer  of  the  Concord 
Railway  Company  in  1871-'72;  and  is 
now  Treasurer  of  the  New  England  Loan 
Company,  and  President  of  the  Eastern 
Railroad  Company  in  New  Hampshire. 

He  was  Clerk  of  the  New  Hampshire 
Senate  in  1843-,44.  and  was  elected  a 
member  of  that  body  from  the  3d  District 
in  1856-*57,  and  was  President  of  the 
Senate  in  the  latter  year.  He  was  elected 
Councillor  in  1860-'61,  and  was  Chairman 
of  the  War  Committee  of  the  Council 
during  the  first  fifteen  months  of  the  War 
of  the  Rebellion.  In  that  position  he  ex- 
hibited great  ability  and  energy,  and  ren- 
dered efficient  service  to  the  state  and  the 
nation.  He  entered  with  his  whole  soul 
into  the  business  of  raising  and  equipping 
troops,  and  won  great  praise  from  all 
parties  for  his  efforts  in  this  direction. 
The  first  eight  regiments  of  infantry,  the 
First  New  Hampshire  Battery,  together 
with  four  companies  of  cavalry  and  three 
companies  of  sharp-shooters,  were  or- 
ganized, equipped  and  sent  to  the  front 
with  the  utmost  dispatch,  while  Mr.  Cur- 
rier was  at  the  head  of  the  War  Commit- 
tee. In  compliment  to  him,  the  rendez- 
vous qf  the  Eighth  Regiment  at  Man- 
chester was  named  "Camp  Currier." 

Mr.  Currier  has  been  three  times  mar- 
ried. His  first  wife  was  Miss  Lucretia 
Dnstin  to  whom  he  was  married,  Dec.  8, 
1S36.  His  second  wife,  to  whom  he  was 
married  September  5,  1847,  was  Miss 
Mary  W.  Kidder.  He  was  married  to 
Miss  Hannah  A.  Slade,  his  present  wife, 
November  16,  1869. 

He  has  had  three  children,  one  of 
whom,  Charles  M.  Currier,  survives,  and 
is  the  Teller  of  the  Amoskeag  National 
Bank. 


Mr.  Currier  has  an  ardent  temperament 
and  versatile  talent.  His  practical  judg- 
ment is  shown  in  the  success  of  the  bank- 
ing institutions  which  he  has  managed 
for  many  years,  and  also  in  the  success 
of  the  various  other  enterprises  with 
which  he  has  been  connected  in  an  official 
capacity.  He  is  methodical  and  cautious 
in  his  habits,  and  has  always  sustained 
the  reputation  of  being  honorable  and 
upright  in  all  his  business  relations. 

He  maintains  a  high  rank  as  a  scholar 
and,  unlike  many  other  men  who  have 
enjoyed  the  advantages  of  a  liberal  edu- 
cation, he  has  throughout  his  whole  life 
taken  a  strong  interest  in  the  study  of 
literature,  science  and  philosophy.  He 
retains  a  taste  for  the  ancient  classics 
and  is  quite  familiar  with  the  French, 
German,  and  several  other  modern  lan- 
guages; he  has  written  many  pieces  of 
poetry,  at  intervals  of  leisure,  which  are 
very  creditable  in  taste  and  composition. 
He  is  an  independent  thinker  upon  all 
subjects,  and  though  he  is  decided  in  his 
convictions  and  frank  in  the  avowal  of 
his  opinions,  cheiishesa  tolerant  spirit, 
and  entertains  the  highest  respect  for 
those  with  whom  he  is  obliged  to  differ. 

By  industry  and  prudence  he  has  ac- 
quired a  handsome  fortune,  and  his  resi- 
dence is  a  model  of  taste.  He  is  liberal 
of  his  gifts  to  worthy  objects  and  espec- 
ially to  those  which  relate  to  intellectual 
culture.  In  1876  he  presented  to  the 
Manchester  City  Library  upwards  of  700 
volumes  of  valuable  books, — standard, 
classical,  illustrated,  ecclesiastical,  and 
scientific.  These  books  were  numbered 
and  classed  in  the  catalogue  of  the  libra- 
ry as  the  "  Currier  Donation."  In  ac- 
knowledgment of  this  generous  gift,  res- 
olutions of  thanks  to  Mr.  Currier  were 
passed  in  both  branches  of  the  City  Gov- 
ernment, and  by  the  Board  of  Trustees 
of  the  City  Library. 

He  has  been  for  many  years  a  member 
of  the  Unitarian  Society  of  Manchester, 
and  one  of  its  most  liberal  benefactors. 


NEW  HAMPSHIRE  HILLS.  131 


NEW  HAMPSHIBE  HILLS. 


[Among  the  prominent  men  of  the  last  generation,  few  are  better  known  or  more  widely  hon- 
ored tnan  Governor  Colby.  Living  In  the  quiet  town  of  New  London,  he  originated  and  carried 
on  a  variety  of  business  operations,  much  in  advance  of  his  times.  He  was  as  active  and  success- 
ful in  politics  as  in  business.  He  held  many  important  offices  in  town  and  state,  and,  in  1846, 
was  chosen  Governor  of  New  Hampshire.  His  only  daughter  was  educated  at  New  London 
Academy,  and  became  for  some  years,  one  of  the  most  thorough  and  successful  teachers  our 
State  has  ever  produced.  She  was  afterwards  married  to  James  Colgate,  Esq.,  one  of  the  most 
distinguished  bankers  of  New  York  City.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Colgate  are  widely  known  for  their  mu- 
nificent gifts  to  public  institutions  and  private  charities.  Mrs.  Colgate  loves  her  native  state. 
The  following  poetic  tribute  to  the  New  Hampshire  Hills,  is  from  her  pen:] 


New  Hampshire  hills !    New  Hampshire  hills ! 
Ye  homes  of  rocks  and  purling  rills, 
Of  fir  trees,  huge  and  high. 
Rugged  and  rough  against  the  sky 
With  joy  I  greet  your  forms,  once  more 
My  native  hills,  beloved  of  yore. 

Engraved  upon  my  youthful  heart 
With  keener  point  than  diamond's  art, 
I  see  you  when  the  world's  asleep 
And  memory  wakes,  with  fancies  deep, 
Visions  of  scenes,  though  old,  still  new, 
Then  lost  in  dreams,  I  gaze  on  you. 

New  Hampshire  hills !    New  Hampshire  hills ! 
The  electric  sound  my  spirit  thrills, 
With  thoughts  of  childish  ecstacies, 
And  dreams  of  glorious  symphonies, 
While  now  as  then,  I  see  you  stand, 
Erect  to  guard  our  granite  land. 

I've  watched  you,  at  the  early  dawn, 
Before  the  shades  of  night  had  gone, 
Arrayed  in  robes  of  soft  gray  mist 
Before  the  sun  your  brow  had  kissed, 
Then  laying  this  pure  vest  aside, 
Stand,  nobly  dressed  in  royal  pride. 

I've  seen  you  in  the  moon's  full  light, 
When  every  dell  was  brought  to  light ; 
When  rock  and  leaf  and  crag  lay  bare, 
Suffused  with  gleaming,  glint  and  glare, 
Then  blent  with  tints  that  knew  no  name, 
Thy  hues  and  dies  seemed  all  the  same. 


132  •  LAWYEES  AND  POLITICIANS. 

I've  watched  you  when  departing  day 

Shed  o'er  your  forms  a  softer  ray, 

Empurpling  all  your  verdure  o'er 

With  richer  hues  than  e'er  before; 

Then  touching  quick  your  peaks  with  gold, 

Too  glorious,  made  you  to  behold. 

I've  loved  you  when  the  moon's  mild  beams 
Shed  lights  and  shades  on  hills  and  streams, 
Too  strange,  mysterious,  dark  and'bright, 
For  realms  designed  for  human  sight; 
In  silence  then,  I've  stood  amazed, 
And  lost  to  all  but  you  have  gazed. 

New  Hampshire  hills !    New  Hampshire  hills ! 
The  sight  of  you  my  spirit  fills 
With  raptures  such  as  minstrels  feel, 
When  at  the  shrine  of  love  they  kneel, 
And  all  aglow  with  poet's  tire, 
Strike  with  delight  the  living  lyre. 

New  Hampshire  hills !    New  Hampshire  hills ! 
Sweet  peace  and  health  your  air  distills, 
As  fresh  as  when  the  earth  was  new, 
And  all  the  world  was  good  and  true; 
Emblems,  ye  are  of  royal  state; 
Majestic  hills,  bold,  grand  and  great. 

New  Hampshire  hills !    New  Hampshire  hills  ! 

Your  presence  every  passion  stills, 

And  hushed  to  peace  I  long  to  pass 

Far  up  your  heights  of  lovliness, 

And  stand,  the  world  beneath  my  feet, 

There  earth  and  heaven  enraptuied  meet. 


LAWYEES  AND  POLITICIANS. 


BY  HENRY  KOBINSON. 

A  writer  upon  "  Men  and  their  Profes-  ly  with  knowledge  as  by  Cheek:''     Imag- 

sions,"  in  the  Granite  Monthly  for  ine  the  modest  writer  before  the  seven 

October   hist,  assumes  to   slur  lawyers,  able  and  erudite  judges,  who  constitute 

Defence  is  unnecessary,  yet   we  venture  the  august  tribunal  of  the  highest  court 

a  few  suggestions  in  their  behalf.      Had  of  our  own  State,  or  before  the  Supreme 

his  ungenerous  insinuations  been  couched  Bench  of  the  United  States,  giving  vent 

in  more  respectful  language,  they  might  to  such  a  sentiment !     We  would  call  his 

have  been   worthy  of  more  considerate  attention  to  the  history  of  his  country, 

notice.      With  an   air  of  authority,  he  wherein  he  may  learn  that  from  the  ranks 

summarily  denounces  lawyers  in  general  of  the  legal  profession   have  come  our 

as  "Meu  who  are  not  burdened  so  heavi-  leading  statesmen,  our  most  gifted  ora- 


LAWYERS  AND  POLITICIANS. 


133 


tors,  our  best  writers  and  finest  scholars 
in  various  branches.  The  presidents, 
with  very  few  exceptions,  have  been 
lawyers,  and  a  large  majority  of  the  cab- 
inet officers,  senators  and  congressmen 
were  students  and  practisersof  the  law, 
and  whoever  states  that  these  men  suc- 
ceeded through  4,cheek,"  rather  than  by 
knowledge  and  ability,  insults  the  intelli- 
gence of  the  American  people.  "Cheek" 
is  alow  word,  and  has  a  low  meaning, 
but  pluck  is  an  essential  element  of  legal 
and  other  success.  Lawyers  as  a  class, 
are  as  well  educated  and  as  well  cultured 
men,  as  can  be  found  in  the  community, 
and  any  well  informed,  unprejudiced 
teacher,  clergyman,  doctor,  or  even 
school-boy,  will  tell  you  so.  They  are 
preferred  for  public  stations, — for  mem- 
bers of  the  Board  of  Education,  for  of- 
fices of  trust  and  responsibility  in  various 
organizations,  and  for  important  posi- 
tions in  society,  church  and  state.  Un- 
doubtedly, there  are  dishonorable  lawyers 
as  well  as  dishonorable  barbers  and 
butchers,  bakers  and  candlestick-makers, 
but  the  statistics  of  criminality  show 
lawyers  to  be  better  behaved  than  jour- 
nalists and  doctors,  and  even  the  minis- 
ters, who  generally  conduct  themselves 
pretty  tolerably  well.  Undoubtedly, 
there  are  ignorant  and  "cheeky"  law- 
yers, as  well  as  ignorant  and  "cheeky" 
scribblers  for  the  magazines;  but  the 
writer  speaks  of  them  as  a  class,  when 
he  writes  down  the  profession  "  as 
one  to  be  dodged  by  that  man  who  hopes 
to  live  a  life  acceptable  to  himself  and  the 
community." 

"No  rogue  e'er  felt  the  halter  draw, 
With  good  opinion  of  the  law." 

Has  the  writer  recently  received  a 
curt  collection  letter,  or  has  he  been 
righteously  whipped  in  a  law-suit?  All ! 
here  may  be  a  clue  to  his  biliousness. 
He  says,  people  should  not  complain, 
"except,  perhaps,  when  they  aspire  to 
office  of  honor,  trust  or  profit,  and  find  an 
attorney  and  counsellor  at  law  ready  to 
fill  the  bill  to  their  exclusion."  We  are 
sorry  that  the  writer  has  met  with 
disappointments  in  his  aspirations,  but 
he  is  unreasonable  in  blaming  lawyers  :.s 
a  class  for  his  personal  misfortunes.    He 


says,  "  lawwers  are  clannish;"  but  he  is 
in  error  in  his  statement,  for  they  are  al- 
most invariably  arrayed  one  against  an- 
other.    He  would  lead  us  to  believe  that 
lawyers  are  a  mean  set  of  people,  for  even 
amongst  his  friends   and   acquaintances 
"are  worthy  and  honorable  exceptions." 
We   do  not  happen  to  know  what  the 
writer's  associations  are,  but   do   know 
that  your  average  lawyer  is  a  good, whole- 
hearted citizen.     He  is  a  practical   man, 
— he  can  harness  a  horse  and  drive  it;  he 
can  make  a  speech,  write  an   article  for 
the  newspaper,  and  saw  a  cord  of  wood. 
The  sun  does  not  go  down  upon   his  pas- 
sion,— he  will  oppose  you  to-day ;  but  go 
a-fishing  with  you  to-morrow,     He  inves- 
tigates many  subjects ;  sees  many  things ; 
he    thinks    much,   travels    much,   reads 
much,  writes  much,  talks  much;  he  is  a 
broad  and  deep  student  of  human  nature, 
the  grandest  of  studies;  he  can  give  and 
take  hard  blows.     He  has  a  deep  respect 
for  members  of  his  own  and   other  pro- 
fessions and  trades,  and  has  warm  friend- 
ships and  many   acquaintances  amongst 
them.    He  is  a  genial  companion,  a  good 
family  man,  well-informed  and  handy  as 
a  friend.     He  is  public-spirited ;  does  not 
sit  in  judgment   on  other  men  and  their 
vocation  and  cases,  but  does  his  best  for 
his  clients.    He  has  an  immense  sense  of 
the  ridiculous;  but  a  deep  reverence  for 
things  holy,  and  is  charged  with  a  fund  of 
interesting  anecdote.     His  is  a  grand  and 
deep  science.     It  may  not  be  grander  and 
deeper  than  theology  or  medicine,  but  a 
life-time  of  application  to  it  would   fall 
far  £hort  of  its  accomplishment.     To   be 
a  good  lawyer,  he  must  love   his   work. 
Law  is  that  order  which  pervades  and 
constrains  all  existence, and  in  these  days 
of  civilization,  enlightenment,  invention, 
improvement,   progress. — in   these  days 
of  a  million  competitions   and   complica- 
tionsof  trades,  governments,  laws,  trans- 
actions, no  one  can  afford  to  sneer  at  an 
upright  lawyer.     Wherever  are  law  and 
order    and    peace,    there    are    lawyers. 
Where  all  is  chaos  and  confusion,  there 
is  no  mission  or  opportuity  for  lawyers. 
The  writer  referred  to  lias  gone   on   to 
discuss  the  members  of  other  professions 
and  has  drawn  some  vewy  invidious   dis- 


134 


LAWYERS  AND  POLITICIANS. 


criminations.  The  truth  is  that  we  are 
all  dependent  one  upon  another;  each  is 
important  in  his  place,  and  each  puts  his 
own  profession,  his  own  trade,  craft  or 
calling  at  the  head,  and  such  pride  is 
laudable,  for  every  man's  voi  ation,  be  it 
legitimate,  should  be  the  highest  in  his 
own  estimation.  The  writer  is  no  very- 
keen  observer,  else  he  would  have  learn- 
ed that  there  are  no  totally  depraved 
callings.  Human  nature  runs  about  the 
same  throughout  all  kinds  of  business. 
There  are  good  and  bad  men  in  every  de- 
cent department  of  life,  and — thank  God ! 
— the  good  are  in  the  majority,  and  our 
friend  ought  to  know  it.  It  may  seem 
otherwise  at  times;  the  day  is  not  always 
bright,  but  the  sunshine  is  much  more 
plentiful  than  the  thunder  clouds;  men 
may  lie,  but  truth  is  far  more  frequent 
than  falsehood.  We  have  not  the  time, 
the  inclination  or  the  space  to  point 
out  all  the  erroneous  impressions  con- 
♦  veyed  in  the  writer's  article,  but  it 
seems  a  duty  to  call  attention  to  one 
more,  at  least,  now  that  we  have  given 
the  matter  any  attention. 

He  classes  all  politicians  with  blear- 
eyed,  drunken  loafers  and  culprits,  who 
escape  prison,  where  they  rightfully  be- 
long, who  give  the  police  the  greatest 
uneasiness, — "  the  despised  of  the  com- 
munity, the  forsaken  of  God,  the  hated 
and  ignored  of  virtuous  women."  But 
what  does  he  mean?  A  saintly  teacher 
of  ours,  now  beyond  the  river  of  time, 
taught  us  that  Political  Ethics,  the  Sci- 
"'  ence  of  Government,  was  one  of  the 
grandest,  broadest  and  deepest  studies, 
and  in  later  days,  with  the  utmost  defer- 
ence, we  have  revered  the  names  of  the 
noble  statesmen,  as  we  have  been  wont 
to  call  the  politicians  who  have  compre- 
hended the  mighty  fabric  of  our  organic 
laws,  and  have  marshalled  the  people 
into  a  peaceful  union,  under  a  republican 
Government  and  a  Glorious  Old  Flag! 
Alas !  these  men  were  professional   poli- 


ticians,   and,   the    gentleman    declares, 
should  be  given   the  "cu*",  direct."    Yet 
Washington  and   Webster,  Lincoln  and 
Sumner,  and  hundreds  and  thousands  of 
other  great  men  were  politicians.    What 
would  we  be   without  politicians?    Are 
there  any  politicians  in  Kamtschatka  or 
Fegee  Islands?    Every  great  leader  is  a 
politician.    Every  loyal,  intelligent  citi- 
zen and  voter  takes  an  interest  in  poli- 
tics, and  is  in  some  measure  a  politician. 
Our  presidents,   our  senators,   our  con- 
gressmen, are  politicians,  and  the  better 
politicians  they  are,  the  better  qualified 
they  are  to  serve  their   constituency  to 
the  best  advantage.    The  wide  scope  of 
learning  has   divided  men  into   special- 
ties ;  the  ministers  preach  to  sinners ;  the 
doctors  visit  the  sick  ;  the  editors  prepare 
their  sheets ;  the  blacksmiths  fashion  and 
weld  iron ;  but  when  the  affairs  of  State 
and  general  government  get  entangled, 
and  we  are  threatened   with  revolution 
and  ruin,  we   look,   for  a  helmsman,  to 
somebody  who  has  made  politics  a  study 
and  a  business.      Are  these  somebodies, 
"blear-eyed,   drunken    loafers,"  or    are 
they  the  first  men  of  the  nation,  essential 
to  our  welfare  and  prosperity?    Ah,  sir, 
do  not  denounce  all  lawyers,  because  you 
are  so  unfortunate  as  to  have  a  tilt  with 
a  resolute  Collector;  nor  all  politicians, 
because  you  happen  to  meet  at  the  ballot 
box,  some  petty  ward-fugler,  who  never 
had  the  slightest  conception   of  the  sci- 
ence of  politics.    To  good  and  true  poli- 
ticians we  must  look  for  purification,  for 
harmony,  for  peace,  for  prosperity,  for 
good  government,  aud  when  we  give  the 
profession  of  politics  the  "cut  direct," 
down  goes  our  hope  of  union,  of  prog- 
ress, of  civilization,  of  Christianity  and 
all  honorable  advancement.   Young  men, 
if  your  tastes,  inclinations,  opportunities 
and  circumstances    will   admit,  become 
upright   and  able  politicians,   scholars, 
statesmen,  leaders  in  the  land. 


BAKER'S  RIVER. 


135 


BAKER'S  EIVEB. 


BY  HON.  J.   E.   SARGENT. 


Baker's  River  is  located  in  Grafton 
County,  mainly  in  the  towns  of  Ply- 
mouth, Rutnney,  Went  worth  and  War- 
ren, and  has  a  history,  like  all  the  other 
rivers  and  mountains  in  the  State,  and 
particularly  in  the  northern  part  of  it, 
many  of  which  histories,  if  they  could  be 
written  and  read  and  understood,  would 
prove  rich  in  stirring  incident  and  fraught 
with  instruction. 

This  river  is  made  up  of  two  principal 
branches,  known  as  the  North  and   the 
South  branches,   and  of  many   smaller 
streams  or  brooks  that  flow  into   them 
and    into    the    main    river    after    those 
branches    are   united.      The    North    or 
principal    branch   of  the  river   rises  in 
Moosehillock  mountain  in  the  town   of 
Benton,  formerly  Coventry.    Its  source 
is  north  east  of  the  northerly  or  highest 
peak  of  the  mountain.     There  is  a   cas- 
cade a  little  way  down  the   slope   of  the 
mountain,  and  about  north  east  from  the 
Summit  House,  which  is  visited  by  many 
travellers,  the  waters  of  which  descend 
to  a  level  piece  of  bog  or  swampy   land 
at  the  foot  of  the   mountain,  which  is 
some  half  a  mile  in  diameter  and   out  of 
which  flows  a  small  stream  which  is  the 
origin  of  the  North   branch  of  Baker's 
River.     After  descending  a  mile  or  two, 
a  branch  from  the  west   unites   with  it, 
which  comes  down  in  the  ravine  between 
the  two  spurs,   which   extend   easterly 
from    the  two  principal   peaks   of    the 
mountain.     At  Warren  Village,  there  is 
another  stream  entering  it  from  the  west, 
affording  valuable  water   power  and  mill 
sites,  and  a  half  a  mile  below,  near   the 
old  Clough  house  is  another   stream,  en- 
tering it  from  the  east,  in   the  bed  of 
which,  up   toward   the  mountains,  were 
discovered  the  first  grains  of  gold,  that 
were  found  in  the  neighborhood  of  War- 
ren. 


At  Wentworth  "Village,  a  branch, some- 
times called  the  South  Western  branch, 
but  more  commonly  Pond  Brook,  which 
is  the  outlet  of  Baker's  Pond,  so  called, 
in    Orford,   unites   with    Baker's    River 
from  the  west.      This    stream    was   so 
swollen  by  the  great  freshet  in  August, 
1856,  that  it   swept  away  mills,  shops, 
dwelling  houses,  barns  and  out-buildings, 
and  utterly  destroyed  all  of  Wentworth 
Village  that  was  located  upon  the  street 
that  extended   up  by  the    side  of  this 
stream  towards   Orford,  carrying  away 
all  the  foundations  even,  and  the  soil- 
upon  which  they  stood  down  to  the  solid 
ledge,  which  remains  to  this  day  in  near- 
ly the  same  condition.     This  river  has  a 
general    direction    nearly    south    down 
through     Warren    and      perhaps  *   half 
through  Wentworth,  then  it  turns   south 
easterly  and  then   easterly,  passing  out 
of  Wentworth  through  Rumney  and  Ply- 
mouth, and   empties  into   the  Pemiege- 
wassett,  just  north  of  Plymouth  Village. 
Just* before  it  passes  from  Wentworth 
into  Rumney,  the  stream  known   as  the 
South    Branch   flows    into  it  from   the 
south  west.     This  branch  is  said  to  have 
its  rise  in  the  town   of  Orange,  takes  a 
circuitous    route    through  the    easterly 
and  north  easterly  parts   of  Dorchester, 
thence  through  the  south   easterly  part 
of    Wentworth  to   its    union    with   the 
North  Branch,  which  is  known  as  Baker's 
River.      Just  below    Rumney   meeting- 
house, another  branch   called   Stinson's 
Brook,  which  is  the  outlet  to   Stinson's 
Pond,   so    called,    unites    with    Baker's 
River  from  the  north.     The  whole  length 
of  the  river  from  its  source  in  Moosehil- 
lock to  its  mouth  is  something  over  thirty 
miles.     The  length  of  the  South  Branch 
is  something  less  than  that  of  the  North 
Branch,  though  not  very  materially  less, 
on  account  of  its  very  circuitous  course. 


136 


BAKER'S  RIVER. 


The  Indian  name  of  Baker's  River  was 
"  Asqnamchuraauke,"  which  means  "the 
place  of  the  mountain  waters."  This 
name  was  given  to  it  by  the  natives,  be- 
cause of  the  place  where  it  rises,  and 
also  perhaps,  because  all  the  streams 
that  flow  into  it,  have  their  source  in  the 
mountains  that  lie  on  either  side  as  it  de- 
scends to  the  Pemigewassett. 

Moosehillock,  the  name  of  the  moun- 
tain on  which  Baker's  River  rises  as  it 
was  formerly  spelled  and  pronounced, 
would  seem  at  first  to  be  a  compound 
English  word,  made  up  of  moose  (an  an- 
imal) and  hillock,  meaning  a  little  hill. 
But  if  this  were  the  origin  of  the  name, 
then  it  must  have  been  most  inappropri- 
ately applied.  There  is  little  reason  iu 
calling    this  noble  mountain,  which   is 

4800  feet  high,  and  the  largest  and   high- 
est   in    all    the   northern  part  of    New 
Hampshire    or    Vermont    west    of   the 
White  Mountains,  a  hillock,  or  little  hill. 
If  the  word   moose  had  any  connection 
with  the  origin   of  this  name,  it   surely 
should  have  been  Moose  Mountain  instead 
of    Moose   Hillock.      To   have    called  it 
Moose  Hill  would  have  been  entirely  out 
of  place,  but  Moose  Hillock  is  still  worse. 
But  we  understand  that  the  name  of  this 
mountain    is    derived    from    the  Indian 
words  Mo-ose,  meaning  Bald,  and  auke, 
meaning  place,  the  letter  I  being  thrown 
in  for  the  sake  of  euphony,  making  Moose 
lauke,   the  "  Bald  place"    or  the   "Bald 
Mountain,"  a    much    more   appropriate 
and  significant  appellation  than  to  apply 
the  word   hillock  to  a  mountain    of  that 
size  and  consequence.     There  are  points 
from  which  this  mountain  may  be  viewed, 
where  the  resemblance  to  a   bald  head  is 
most  striking,  and  where  every  beholder 
would  at  once  be  struck  with  the  appro- 
priateness   of   the    Indian     appellative. 
The  name  has  now  come  to  be  spelled  in 
accordance  with  this  theory. 

The  original  dwellers  on  Baker's  River 
were  a  tribe  of  American  Indians  known 
as  the  Coos  auks  or  Coosucks,  as  they 
were  more  frequently  called.  This  is 
also  an  Indian  name,  made  up  of  two 
words,  Coos,  meaning  a  pine  tree  and 
auke,  meaning  place,  "the  place  of  the 
pine  tree,"  and  the  Coosauks  were  the 


dwellers  in  the  place  of  the  pine.  The 
word  auke  in  their  language,  meaning 
the  same  as  place  in  English,  was  ap- 
plied to  everything  that  had  locality, 
like  our  word  place.  Rivers,  mountains, 
countries,  lakes  were  all  places.  Coos 
was  the  name  given  by  the  whites  origi- 
nally to  all  that  portion  of  New  Hamp- 
shire, which  was  located  north  of  Con- 
cord on  the  Merrimack  River,  and  of 
Charlestown,  formerly  known  as  Charles- 
town,  No  4,  on  the  Connecticut  river; 
these  being  for  a  considerable  period  of 
time,  the  most  northerly  towns  that  were 
settled  in  the  State  bjr  whites.  All  north 
of  this  was  called  the  Coos  Country  or  the 
country  of  the  pine  tree,  from  the  large 
quantities  of  pine  that  grew  originally, 
in  the  valleys  of  the  Merrimack  and  Con- 
necticut rivers  and  their  tributaries. 

Portions  of  the  counties  of  Sullivan, 
and  Merrimack  and  all  of  Grafton,  have 
been  made  of  what  was  once  the  Coos 
Country,  and  after  taking  all  these,  we 
have  remaining  the  present  country  of 
Coos,  still  as  large  in  extent  of  territory 
as  any  other  in  the  State.  The  Coosauks 
thus  named  from  the  country  they  in- 
habited, wandered  over  the  valley  of  the 
Connecticut  to  the  country  of  the  St. 
Francis  tribe  in  Canada  on  the  north, 
to  the  Green  Mountains  on  the  west, 
and  to  the  White  Mountain  range  and  to 
Squaui  Lake  on  the  east,  including  the 
valleys  of  the  Pemiegewassett  and  Ba- 
ker's River.  The  Squam  Indians  occu- 
pied the  region  east  of  Squam  Lake  and 
so  north  on  the  east  side  of  the  White 
Mountains  and  extended  to  the  territory 
of  the  Penobscots  in  Maine. 

On  the  south  were  the  Penacooks,  the 
largest,  most  warlike  and  most  powerful 
tribe  in  the  State,  who  used  the  territory 
now  occupied  by  Concord,  then  called 
Penacook,  for  their  hunting  and  fishing 
grounds  and  also  for  agricultural  purpo- 
ses, to  raise  their  corn  and  beans.  The 
Coosauks  and  also  the  Squam  Indians 
were  subject  to  the  Penacooks;  received 
their  laws,  if  laws  they  might  be  called, 
from  them,  and  paid  them  tribute  in  furs 
and  beads  and  ornaments,  which  in  fact, 
constituted  not  only  the  currency,  but 
all  the  personal  property  of  the  Indian, 


BAKER'S  RIVER. 


137 


except  his  canoe  and  his  hunting,  fish- 
ing and  cooking  apparatus,  all  of  which 
were  of  the  roughest  and  most  simple 
character. 

Up  to  the  year  1700  and  later,  these 
hardy    Coosauks    traversed    freely     the 
places  where  thriving  villages  now  stand 
and  the  intervales   along  the  banks  of 
their  own  Asquamchumauke. .  This   riv- 
er from  its  mouth  to  just   below   Went- 
worth  Village  was  a  great  resort  for  the 
Indians.     As  they  passed  back  and  forth 
between    the    Pemigewassett    and    the 
Connecticut,  on  hunting  and  fishing  ex- 
cursions, or  for  the  purpose    of  traffic 
with  the  Squams  or  Peuacooks,  on  the 
one  side,  or  with  the  Canada  tribes  on 
the  other,  they  followed  up  this  river   to 
just    below    Wentworth  Village,  some- 
times in  their  canoes  and  sometimes   by 
laud.     Here  they  left  the  river  and  fol- 
lowed up  the  valley  of  Pond  Brook  to 
the  ponds  in  Orford  and  Piermont,  over 
what  was  termed  a  carrying  ground  or 
place,  and  from  thence  one  route  led  di- 
rectly across  to  the  Connecticut  River  in 
Piermont  and  another  turned  north  from 
the  upper  pond  and  extended  up  to  the 
place  where  long  afterwards  and   now 
long  ago,  was  Tarleton's  Tavern,  thence 
to  the  valley  of  the  Oliverian   Brook,  so 
called,  and  thence  to  their  encampments 
on  the   k,Ox  Bow."     A  line  of  spotted 
trees  indicated  these  routes,  known   as 
carrying  grounds. 

Some  of  the  early  exploring  parties  of 
the  whites  followed  this  route  from  Ply- 
mouth to  Wentworth,  thence  up  Pond 
brook  to  the  upper  pond  in  Piermont  and 
then  turning  northward  sought  the  val- 
ley of  the  Oliverian  Brook  or  River,  and 
thence  west  to  Haverhill.  Other  parties 
followed-Baker's  River  up  as  far  as  War- 
ren Village  and  thence  by  one  route  or 
another  crossed  over  to  the  Haverhill 
Valley.  Above  the  present  site  of  Went- 
worth Village,  the  Indians  did  not  use 
the  river  much  as  a  thoroughfare,  but 
they  pitched  their  tents  along  upon  its 
borders,  dwelling  there  in  summer,  and 
following  their  usual  avocations  of  hunt- 
ing and  fishing.  The  location  of  some  of 
these  camping  grounds  have  been  dis- 
covered, by  the  arrows  and  hatchets  of 


stone,  which  have  been  found  in   these 
places.  # 

The  Indians  had  undoubtedlj7  explored 
this  river  to  its  source,  and  were  well  ac- 
quainted with  its  origin,  as  the  name 
they  gave  it  would  imply.  They  had  an 
encampment,  or  a  place  of  favorite  resort 
at  the  mouth  of  the  river  upon  the  north 
side  of  it  upon  the  intervale  near  where 
it  unites  with  the  Pemigewassett.  Here 
they  built  their  wigwams;  here  they  de- 
posited their  furs  and  game ;  here  they 
had  their  sports ;  here  they  sang  their 
songs;  danced  their  war'  dances,  and 
smoked  the  pipe  of  peace.  Here,  Indian 
graves  and  bones  have  been  found,  also 
stone  mortars,  pestles,  hatchets,  arrows 
and  other  Indian  utensils. 

As  they  passed  up  and  down  the  river 
by  land,  they  soon  found  and  marked 
paths  from  point  to  point,  cutting  off  the 
bends  in  the  river  and  thus  shortening 
the  distance  and  making  the  route  more 
direct,  and  hence  many  of  the  first  roads 
laid  out  *by  the  whites  in  the  several 
towns  upon  the  river  were  laid  out  and 
built  upon  these  lines  of  spotted  trees, 
which  originally  marked  the  wandering 
Indians  path  from  hill  to  hill,  and  along 
the  valleys. 

But  a  question  naturally  arises  here, 
why  was  this  river,  the  Indian  "  As- 
quamchumauke, "  called  in  English,  *-Ba- 
ker's  River?"  We  find  that  it  was  so 
called,  when  the  first  settlers  came  on ; 
it  is  so  called  in  the  journal  of  Capt. 
Powers  in  1754,  of  whose  travels,  we 
shall  hereafter  speak. 

It  seems  that  early  in  the  year  1709, 
one  Thomas  Baker  was  taken  captive 
from  Deerfield,  Mass.,  by  the  Indians 
and  carried  up  Connecticut  River  to 
Lake  Memphremagog  and  thence  to  Can- 
ada. The  next  year  he  was  ransomed 
and  returned  by  the  same  route  to  his 
home  in  Northampton,  Mass.,  thus  hav- 
ing gained  a  knowledge  of  the  route  and 
of  some  of  the  haunts  of  the  Indians.  In 
1712,  he  raised  a  company  of  31  men,  in- 
cluding one  friendly  Indian,  as  a  guide. 
His  object  was  to  ferret  out  and  destroy, 
if  possible,  the  Indians  having  their  en- 
campment somewhere  upon  the  waters 
of  the    Pemigewassett  River.     He  then 


138 


BAKER'S  RIVER. 


held  the  title  of  Lieutenant,  and  went  di- 
rectly by  the  old  carrying  place  with 
which  he  was  familiar  to  the  Coos  or 
Cowass  intervales  in  Haverhill  and  New- 
bury. There  he  halted  and  following  the 
lead  of  the  Indian  guide  up  the  Oliverian 
Brook  to  the  height  of  land  south  of  and 
in  plain  sight  of  Moosilauke  and  then 
followed  a  small  brook  down  to  the  In- 
dian Asquamchumauke  in  Warren  and 
thence  through  Wentworth,  Rumney  and 
Plymouth  to  the  mouth  of -the  river. 

When  Baker  and  his  men,  who  had 
kept  on  the  west  and  south  side  of  the 
river,  came  near  its  mouth,  the  guide  sig- 
nified that  it  was  now  time  for  every 
man  to  be  on  the  lookout,  and  so  every 
one  moved  with  the  utmost  circumspec- 
tion,and  when  nearthejunction  of  this  riv- 
er with  the  Pemigewassett,  they  discov- 
ered the  Indians  on  the  north  bank  of 
the  Asquamchumauke,  sporting  among 
their  wigwams  in  great  numbers,  secure 
as  they  supposed  from  the  muskets  and 
the  gaze  of  all  "pale-faces."  This  was 
in  fact,  their  principal  village  or  settle- 
ment, where  they  deposited  their  booty 
and  stoi'ed  their  furs. 

Baker  and  his  men  chose  their  posi- 
tions and  opened  a  tremendous  fire  upon 
the  Indians,  which  was  as  sudden  to 
them  as  an  earthquake.  Many  of  the 
sons  of  the  forest  fell  in  death  in  the 
midst  of  their  sports;  but  the  living  dis- 
appeared in  an  instant  and  ran  to  call  in 
their  hunters.  Baker  and  his  men  lost 
no  time  in  crossing  the  river  in 
search  of  booty.  They  found  a  rich 
store  of  furs,  deposited  in  holes,  dug  in 
the  bank  of  the  river  horizontally— in  the 
same  manner  that  bank  swallows  dig 
their  holes. 

Having  destroyed  their  wigwams  and 
captured  their  furs,  Baker  ordered  a  re- 
treat, fearing  that  they  would  soon  re- 
turn in  too  large  numbers  to  be  resisted 
by  his  single  company.  And  it  seems 
that  the  Indians  were  fully  up  to  his  ex- 
pectations or  apprehensions,  for  not- 
withstanding, Baker  retreated  with  all 
expedition,  the  Indians  collected  and 
were  up  with  them,  when  they  had 
reached  a  poplar  plain  in  Bridgewnter; 
a  little  south  of  where  Walter  Webster 


formerly  kept  tavern,  here  a  severe  skir- 
mish ensued,  but  the  Indians  were  re- 
pulsed and  many  of  them  killed— several 
skulls  have  been  since  found  on  this 
plain  by  the  early  settlers,  some  of 
which  had  been  perforated  by  bullets, 
which  were  supposed  to  have  belonged 
to  those  who  fell  in  this  engagement. 

The  leader  of  the  Indians  in  these  en- 
gagements was  Walternumus,  a  distin- 
guished sachem  and  warrior,  and  in  one 
of  these  engagements  and  possibly  in 
this  one  at  Bridgewater,  he  was  slain. 
It  is  said  that  he  and  Baker  fired  at  each 
other  the  same  instant;  the  ball  of  the 
Indian  grazing  Baker's  left  eyebrow,  while 
his  passing  through  the  Indian's  heart, 
he  leaped  in  the  air  and  fell  dead.  The 
Indian  warrior  was  royally  attired,  and 
Baker  hastily  seizing  his  blanket,  which 
was  richly  ornamented  with  silver,  his 
powder  horn  and  ..other  ornaments,  has- 
tened on  with  his  men. 

But  notwithstanding  the  Indians  had 
been  repulsed,  the  friendly  Indian  ad- 
vised Baker  and  his  men  to  use  all  pos- 
sible diligence  in  their  retreat,  for  he  as- 
sured them  that  the  number  of  the  Indi- 
ans would  increase  every  hour  and  that 
they  would  surely  return  to  the  attack. 
Accordingly  Baker  pushed  on  the  retreat 
with  all  possible  dispatch,  and  did  not 
wait  for  any  refreshment  after  the  bat- 
tle. But  when  they  had  reached  New 
Chester  now  Hill,  having  crossed  a  stream 
his  men  were  exhausted,  through  absti- 
nence, forced  marches  and  hard  fighting 
and  they  concluded  to  stop  and  refresh 
themselves  at  whatever  risk,  concluding 
that  they  might  as  well  perish  by  the 
tomahawk  as  by  famine. 

But  here  again  was  a  call  for  Indian 
strategem.  The  friendly  Indian  told 
every  man  to  build  as  many  fires  as  he 
could  in  a  given  time;  as  the  pursuing 
Indians  would  judge  of  their  numbers  by 
the  number  of  their  fires.  He  told  them 
also  that  each  man  should  make  him  four 
or  five  forks  of  crotched  sticks,  and  use 
them  all  in  roasting  a  single  piece  of 
pork,  then  leave  an  equal  number  of 
forks  round  each  fire,  and  the  Indians 
would  infer,  if  they  came  up,  that  there 
were  as  many  of  the  .English  as  there 


BAKER'S  RIVER. 


139 


were  forks  and  this  might  turn  them 
back. 

The  Indian's  counsel  was  followed  to 
the  letter,  and  the  company  moved  on 
with  fresh  speed.  But  before  they  were 
out  of  hearing  and  while  the  fires  they 
had  left  were  still  burning,  the  pursuing 
Indians  with  additional  reinforcements, 
canie  up  and  counting  the  fires  and  the 
forks,  the  warriors  whooped  a  retreat, 
for  they  were  alarmed  at  the  numbers  of 
the  English.  Baker  and  his  men  were 
no  longer?annoyed  by  these  troublesome 
attendents  but  were  allowed  peacefully 
to  return  to  their  homes,  owing  their 
preservation,  no  doubt,  to  the  counsel  of 
the  friendly  Indian  who  acted  as  their 

guide.  Baker's  River  is  supposed  to  have 
been  so  named  to  perpetuate  the  remem- 
brance of  this  brilliant  affair  of  Lieut. 
Baker  at  its  mouth. 

This  is  the  first  party  of  whites  that 
we  have  any  authentic  account  of  having 
passed  along  the  course  of  this  winding 
river,  which  was  from  that  time  forth  to 
take  the  name  of  then-  illustrious  leader. 
The  date  of  this  expedition  of  Baker  is 
stated  by  Whiton  in  his  history  of  New 
Hampshire  to  have  been  1724,  but  this  is 
evidently  an  error,  as  the  journal  of  the 
Massachusetts  Legislature  shows  that 
Lieutenant  Thomas  Baker,  as  commander 
of  a  company  in  a  late  expedition  to 
Coos  and  over  to  Merrimack  River  and 
so  to  Dunstable,  brought  in  his  claim, 
for  Indian  scalps,  which  was  allowed 
and  paid,  in  May,  1712  and  an  additional 
allowance  made  for  the  same,  June  11, 
1712,  which  would  seem  to  fix  the  time 
beyond  question.  In  addition  to  other 
pay,  Baker  was  promoted  to  the  rank  of 
Captain,  by  which  title  he  is  generally 
known. 

The  next  time  that  Baker's  River  was 
explored  above  Plymouth  by  the  whites, 
that  I  find  any  account  of,  was  just  forty 
years  after  Baker's  expedition,  viz:  in 
the  spring  of  1752.  That  spring,  John 
Stark,  afterwards  General  Stark  of  New 
Hampshire,  the  hero  of  Bunker  Hill  and 
Bennington,in  company  with  his  brother, 
William  Stark,  Amos  Eastman,  then  of 
Rumford  (now  Concord),  but  afterwards 
of  Hollis,  N.  H.,  and  David  Stinson  of 


Londonderry  were  upon  a  hunting  expe- 
dition upon  the  Pemigewassett  and  so 
passed  up  Baker's  River  into  Rumney.  ' 
Here  just  below  Rumney  meeting  house 
near  the  mouth  of  the  brook  that  flows 
in  to  Baker's  River  from  the  north,  this 
party  was  surprised  by  a  party  of  ten 
Indians  under  the  command  of  Francis 
Titigaw,  who  is  supposed  to  have  be- 
longed to  the  St.  Francis  tribe  in  Canada. 
John  Stark  and  Eastman  were  taken  pris- 
oners ;  Stinson  and  Win.  Stark  attempt- 
ing to  escape  were  fired  upon  by  the  In- 
dians and  Stinson  was  shot,  killed, 
scalped  and  stripped  of  his  wearing  ap- 
parel. Wm.  Stark  escaped.  This  event 
and  the  death  of  Stinson,  as  connected 
with  it,  Avill  long  be  perpetuated  by  the 
mountain,  pond  and  brook  in  Rumney, 
which  bear  his  name  and  at  the  union  of 
which  brook  with  Baker's  River,  he  was 
slain.  This  event  is  said  to  have  taken 
place  April  28,  1752. 

From  the  mouth  of  Stinson's  Brook, 
John  Stark  and  Eastman  were  led  as  cap- 
tives, up  Baker's  River  through  Went- 
worth,  and  so  through  the  Ifeadoics  at 
Haverhill,  (then  so  much  talked  of  in 
Massachusetts  and  New  Hampshire)  to 
the  headquarters  of  the  St.  Francis  tribe 
in  Canada.  These  men  being  ransomed, 
returned  from  their  captivity  in  the  au- 
tumuofthe  same  year,  by  the  way  of 
Lake  Champlain  and  Charlestown,  No.  4. 

At  that  time,  the  Indians  were  masters, 
— the  whites  were  captives.  Then  the 
forests  were  unbroken  and  silence  and 
solitude  reigned,  where  now  the  peaceful 
farm  house  is  seen,  dotting  the  cleared 
and  cultivated  soil,  and  where  the  din  of 
business  and  machinery  is  now  constant- 
ly heard.  How  little  could  the  gallant 
Stark,  then  foresee  or  conjecture  the 
changes  that  a  hundred  years  and  more 
would  produce  in  the  face  of  the  country ; 
the  relative  position  and  power  of  the 
races;  of  the  march  of  civilization  and  of 
improvement  in  the  arts  of  peace  and  of 
war.  The  idea  of  railroads,  cars  and  tel- 
egraphic lines  was  not  then  conceived. 

And  who  can  predict  that  the  changes 
produced  in  the  next  century,  shall  be 
less  astonishing  than  those  that  have  oc- 
curred since  John  Stark  first  wandered  a 
captive,  along  the  banks  of  the  red  man's 


140 


BAKER'S  RIVER. 


Asquamchutnauke  and  pursued  bis  wind- 
ing and  sorrowful  way  up  through  the 
valleys,  now  so  pleasant  and  peaceful, 
and  by  the  site  of  the  present  villages, 
now  so  bus}7,  bustling  and  active. 

The  second  exploring  party  on  this 
river  was  a  company  sent  out  by  the 
General  Court  of  New  Hampshire,  in  the 
spring  of  1753,  to  explore  the  "  Coos 
Country",  with  directions  to  pursue  the 
track  of  the  Indians  as  they  came  from 
the  great  valley  to  Baker's  River  and  the 
Pemigewassett  and  returned  again  with 
their  prisoners.  This  company  was  led 
by  Col.  Lovewell,  Major  Tolford  and 
Capt.  Page,  with  John  Stark  for  their 
guide.  They  left  Concord  March  10, 
1753,  and  in  fifteen  days  reached  the  Con- 
necticut River  at  Piermont.  They  spent 
but  one  night  in  the  valley  and  returned 
by  way  of  Baker's  River.  This  expedi- 
tion having  proved  a  failure,  the  Govern- 
ment sent  another  company  under  Capt. 
Peter  Powers  of  Hollis,  N.  H.,  Lieut. 
James  Stevens  and  Ensign  Ephraim  Hall, 
both  of  Townsend,  Mass.,  to  effect  if  pos- 
sible, what  had  hitherto  been  attempted 
in  vain. 

This  company  started  from  Concord, 
then  Rumford,  June  15,  1754.  They 
passed  up  the  Pemigewassett  and  Ba- 
ker's River  to  Pond  Brook ;  thence  up  to 
Baker's  Pond;  thence  northerly, through 
the  east  of  Piermont  and  Haverhill,  till 
they  struck  the  Oliverian  Brook;  thence 
west  to  Connecticut  River  and  thence  up 
as  far  as  Lancaster  and  then  returned  by 
the  same  course. 

We  have  been  furnished  with  the  jour- 
nal of  Capt.  Powers  on  this  excursion  by 
the  Rev.  Grant  Powers,  formerly  of  Ha- 
verhill, who  was  a  descendant  of  the 
Captain.  We  will  give  a  few  extracts  re- 
lating to  their  journey  up  Baker's  River, 
introducing  such  comments  as  seem  ap- 
propriate, and  will  commence  with  the 
entry  in  the  journal  for  Thursday,  June 
20,  1754,  which  is  as  follows:  "We 
steered  our  course  one  turn  with  another, 
which  were  great  turns,  west,  north 
west,  about  two  miles  and  a  half  to  the 
crotch  or  parting  of  the  Pemigewassett 
River  at  Baker's  River  mouth ;  thence 
from  the  mouth  of  Baker's  River  up  said 


river  north  west  by  west,  six  miles. 
This  river  is  extraordinary  crooked  and 
has  good  intervales;  thence  up  the  river 
about  two  miles  north-west  and  there 
we  shot  a  moose,  the  sun  about  half  an 
hour  high  and  then  encamped. '' 

(This  was  about  8  miles  from  the 
mouth  of  the  river  and  must  have  been 
near  where  Rumney  village  now  stands, 
and  near  where  Stinson  had  been  shot, 
something  over  two  years  before.)  "Fri- 
day, June  21,  we  steered  up  the  said  Ba- 
ker's River  with  our  canoes  about  five 
miles  as  the  river  ran,  which  was  extra- 
ordinary crooked.  In  the  after-part  of 
this  day  there  was  a  great  shower  of 
haile  and  mine,  which  prevented  our  pro- 
ceeding any  farther,  and  here  we  camped 
and  here  left  our  canoes,  for  the  waterin 
the  river  was  so  shoal  that  we  could  not 
go  with  them  any  farther.  (This  wTas 
probably  somewhere  in  the  vicinity  of 
Smart's  Mills  in  Wentworth.) 

"Saturday,  June  22.  This  morning 
was  dark  and  cloudy  weather;  but  after 
ten  of  the  clock,  it  cleared  off  hot,  and 
we  marched  up  the  river  near  the  Indian 
carryingplace  from  Baker's  River  to  Con- 
necticut River  and  then  camped  and 
could  not  go  any  further,  by  reason  of  a 
great  shower  of  raine,  which  held  almost 
all  this  afternoon. 

"  Sunday,  June  23.  This  morniug  dark 
and  cloudy  weather  and  we  marched  up 
the  river  about  one  mile  and  came  to  the 
Indian  carrying  place',  and  by  reason  of 
the  dark  weather,  we  were  obliged  to  fol- 
low the  marked  way,  that  was  marked  by 
Major  Lovewell  and  Captain  Tolford  and 
others, from  Baker's  River  to  Connecticut 
River,  and  this  day's  march  was  but 
about  six  miles,  and  we  camped  between 
the  two  first  Baker's  Ponds,  and  it  came 
on  a  great  storm  of  rain,  which  prevented 
our  marching  any  farther,  and  on  this 
day's  march  we  saw  a  considerable  quan- 
tity of  white  pine  timber  and  found  it 
was  something  large,  fit  for  thirty  inch 
masts  as  we  judged.  But  before  this 
day's  march  we  saw  no  white  pine  timber 
that  was  very  large  on  this  Baker's  River, 
but  a  great  quantity  of  small  white  pine, 
fit  for  boards  and  small  masts.  And  on 
this  river  there  is  a  great  quantity  of  ex- 


BAKER'S  RIVER. 


141 


cellent  material,  from  the  beginning  of 
it,  to  the  place  where  we  left  this  river, 
aud  it  layeth  of  a  pretty  equal  proportion 
from  one  end  to  the  other,  and  back  of 
this  there  is  a  considerable  quantity  of 
large  mountains." 

"Monday,  June  24.  This  morning  it 
rained  hard  and  all  the  night  past  and  it 
held  raining  all  this  clay,  and  we  kept  our 
camp,  and  here  we  staid  the  night  ensu- 
ing and  it  rained  almost  all  night." 

"Tuesday,  June  25*.  This  morning 
fair  weather  and  we  swung  our  packs, 
the  sun  about  half  an  hour  high,  and  we 
marched  along  the  carrying  place  or 
road,  marked  about  two  miles  and  then 
steered  our  course  north,  twelve  degrees 
west,  about  twelve  miles  and  came  to 
that  part  of  the  Coos  intervale,  that  is 
called  Moose  Meadows  and  then  steered 
our  course  up  the  river  by  the  side  of  the 
intervale  about  north-east  and  came  to  a 
large  stream  that  came  into  the  inter- 
vale, which  is  here  about  a  mile  wide. 
This  stream  came  out  of  the  east  and  we 
camped  here  this  night." 

This  last  mentioned  stream  was  the  01- 
iverian  and  the  next  day's  journal  gives 
an  account  of  their  following  this  stream 
to  the  Connecticut  River  to  the  great  in- 
tervale there,  now  known  as  the  Ox  Bow. 
This  party  proceeded  on  up  as  far  as  LanT 
caster  aud  some  of  the  party  took  an  ex- 
cursion as  far  north  as  the  present  town 
of  Northumberland,  while  the  rest  of 
the  party  as  the  journal  says,  tarried 
to  mend  their  shoes  and  to  make  prepa- 
rations to  return  homeward.  We  have  an 
account  of  their  journey  back  as  far  as 
Haverhill  Corner  or  thereabouts, and  then 
the  journal  ceases  and  we  have  no  ac- 
count of  their  progress  or  encampments. 
It  would  seem  that  they  camped  on  the 
night  of  Saturday,  June  22,  1754,  near 
where  Col.  Joseph  Savage  of  Wentworth 
now  lives.  As  the  record  shows  that 
their  encampment  was  about  a  mile  be- 
low the  Indian  carrying  place,  which 
started  at  the  fording  place  a  little  below 
Wentworth  Village,  and  that  they  passed 
Sunday,  June  23,  mostly  in  the  town  of 
Wentworth,  in  pursuing  their  journey  up 
to  near  the  place  where  the  village  now 
stands,  then  after  fording  the  river  in 


passing  up  Pond  Brook  to  their  encamp- 
ment between  the  two  Baker's  Ponds. 
This  encampment  was  of  course  that 
night  in  the  edge  of  Orford,  probably 
near  the  former  dwelling  and  tavern  of 
Mr.  Nathan  Davis. 

After  this  party  of  exploration,  we  have 
occasional  accounts  of  parties  passing 
up  B  iker's  River.  It  seems  that  one 
Capt.  Hazen  in  1762,  with  a  party  of  men 
among  whom  was  Col.  Joshua  Howard, 
settled  in  the  present  town  of  Haverhill, 
N.  H.,  and  went  about  erecting  a  saw 
mill  and  grist  mill  there,  the  first  that  had 
been  undertaken  in  the  Coos  Country, 
north  of  Charlestown  and  Concord.  Col. 
Howard  used  to  relate  that  he  and  two 
others  of  the  Haverhill  party  were  the 
first  among  the  settlers  that  came  from 
Salisbury  in  the  straight  course  to  Ha- 
verhill. They  came  on  in  April,  1762. 
Jesse  Harriman  and  Simeon  Stevens, 
were  Col.  Howard's  companions  and  they 
employed  an  old  hunter  at  Concord  to 
pilot  them  through.  They  came  up  west 
of  New-found  Pond  in  Hebron,  and  so  up 
to  Rumney  or  West  Plymouth,  thence  up 
Baker's  River  through  Wentworth  and  a 
part  of  Warren,  to  where  the  brook 
comes  down  from  the  summit  and 
unites  with  Baker's  River.  They  then 
followed  that  brook  up  to  the  sumnlit, 
and  thence  followed  the  Oliverian  to  Ha- 
verhill. They  performed  the  journey 
from  Concord  to  Haverhill  in  four  days, 
which  was  for  that  time  considered,  far 
ahead  of  the  present  rail  road  speed. 

We  also  learn  that  the  crank  for  the 
first  saw  mill  at  Newbury,  was  drawn  on 
a  hand  sled  from  Concord  to  Haverhill 
on  the  ice  and  snow,  in  the  winter  proba- 
bly of  1762  and  '63.  The  party  that  went 
after  it  and  drew  it  up  were  Judge  Wood- 
ward and  John  Page  and  some  three  or 
four  others.  They  made  their  sled  and 
took  their  provisions  and  started.  They 
accomplished  the  down  journey  with 
ease,  but  on  the  return,  their  load  proved 
rather  heavy;  the  snow  was  very  deep; 
the  weather  very  severe  and  the  whole 
party  came  near  perishing  with  cold,  fa- 
tigue and  hanger.  They  came  by  New 
Found  Pond  to  Baker's  River,  thence  up 
the  Indian  carrying  place  through  Orford 


142 


BAKER'S  RIVER. 


and  Piertnont  to  Haverhill  Corner,  but 
at  last  they  arrived  in  safety,  at  their 
rude  homes  and  happy  firesides. 

The  first  settlements  of  the  towns  on 
Baker's  River  by  the  descendants  of  the 
English,  were  as  follows :  Plymouth 
was  granted  July  15,  1763,  to  Joseph 
Blanchard,  Esq.  and  others.  The  first 
settlement  was  made  in  August,  1764  by 
Zachariah  Parker  and  James  Hobart, 
who  before  the  next  winter  were  joined 
by  Jotham  Cummings,  Josiah  Brown, 
Stephen  Webster,  Ephraim  Weston,  Da- 
vid Webster  and  James  Blodgett,  all  of 
whom  except  Weston  were  from   Hollis. 

Rumney  was  first  granted  to  Samuel 
Olmstead,  afterwards  on  the  18th  of 
March,  1767,  to  Daniel  Braiuard  and  oth- 
ers. The  first  settlement  was  made  in 
October,  1765,  by  Capt.  Jotham  Cum- 
mings. who  was  joined  in  1766  by  Moses 
Suiart,  Daniel  Brainard,  James  Heath 
and  others.  Wentworth  was  granted 
November  1,  1766,  to  John  Page,  Esq., 
and  others.  It  received  its  name  from 
Gov.  Benning  Wentworth.  The  first 
settlements  were  said  to  be  made  in  1765, 
probably  before  the  date  of  the  charter, 
.by  a  Mr.  Davis,  probably  Abel  Davis, 
who  I  find  was  an  inhabitant  of  the  town 
at  the  earliest  date  I  can  find  on  the  rec- 
ords of  the  proprietors.  Warren  was 
granted  July  14, 1763,  being  prior  to  the  ■ 
Wentworth  charter,  but  this  charter  ran 
out  and  was  afterwards  extended.  The 
first  settlement  in  Warren  was  in- the  year 
1767.  The  first  settler  was  a  Mr.  Joseph 
Patch. 

For  many  years  after  the  first  settle- 
ments in  these  towns,  many  of  their  arti- 
cles of  subsistence,  flour,  potatoes  and 
seed  for  the  propagation  of  vegetables, 
were  transported  thither  from  Concord 
and  the  towns  in  that  region  upon  pack 
horses,  hand  sleds  and  in  knapsack's. 
There  were  no  roads  or  even  cart  paths 
for  a  time. 

The  first  time  an  ox  tea'm  ever  came 
through  from  Haverhill  to  Plymouth 
down  Baker's  River,  it  was  effected  by  a 
company  of  men,  who  went  out  express- 
ly for  the  purpose,  with  Jonathan  McCon- 
nel  of  Haverhill  as  the  leader.  It  was  an 
expedition  that  excited    much  interest 


with  the  inhabitants  at  home,  and  the 
progress  of  the  adventurers  was  inquired 
for  from  day  to  day  and  when  they  were 
returning  and  approached  Haverhill  Cor- 
ner, the  men  went  out  to  meet  them  and 
congratulated  them  upon  their  safe  re- 
turn. 

Thus  we  see  some  of  the  hardships  and 
privations  that  the  first  settlers  in  the 
neighborhood  of  Baker's  River  were  sub- 
jected to.  After  the  early  settlers  had 
got  the  wilderness  so  far  subdued  as  to 
raise  their  own  bread  stuff,  they  were 
compelled  to  go  from  this  quarter  to  Con- 
cord and  Salisbury  to  mill,  before  they 
could  get  their  flour  and  that  when  there 
was  no  road  or  hardly  a  path  through  the 
wilderness. 

But  soon  the  numbers  of  the  settlers 
increased.  Mills  were  erected,  roads 
were  constructed ;  the  forests  were  felled, 
farms  were  cleared  and  improved;  more 
capacious  and  convenient  dwellings  were 
built ;  schools  were  established ;  churches 
erected  and  so  civilization  and  the  arts 
have  advanced,  and  knowledge  has  in- 
creased. The  people  have  become  better 
and  better  educated,  more  and  more  in- 
telligent, until  we  find  at  this  time,  after 
a  lapse  of  a  century  and  a  half  and  more 
from  the  time  when  the  Indian's  "  As- 
quamchumauke"  was  first  explored  by 
the  white  man,  that  there  is  as  enlight- 
ened, as  intelligent,  as  enterprising,  as 
active  and  as  prosperous  a  people,  scat- 
tered along  on  the  banks  of  Baker's  Riv- 
er, as  any  other  tract  of  territory  in  our 
State  or  country  can  boast. 

During  all  these  changes  Baker's  River 
has  continued  to  flow  with  the  same 
ceaseless,  constant,  quiet  current,  re- 
gal ding  not  whether  her  banks  are  peo- 
pled by  the  red  or  white  men  ;  whether 
encampments  of  Indians'  huts  and  wis:- 
warns  skirt  her  borders;  or,  whether  the 
more  stately  habitations  of  the  independ- 
ent husbandman,  rise  upon  her  banks; 
or,  thickly  settled  villages  are  built  on 
ebher  side.  It  matters  not  to  her  whether 
she  be  called  Asquamchumauke  or  Ba- 
ker's River.  Under  whatever  name,  she 
still  remains  what  the  rude  native  Indian 
called  her,  "The  place  of  the  mountain 
waters."    But  among  all    the  change* 


BAKER'S  RIVER. 


143 


that  this  river  has  witnessed  upon  her 
borders,  perhaps  none  are  greater  than 
the  changes  produced  within  a  century 
in  the  facilities  and  means  afforded  for 
transportation  and  for  travel. 

Then,  the  Indian  with  his  birch  canoe 
paddled  up  its  waters,  or  carried  his  game 
and  furs  on  foot  upon  its  banks.  And  in 
this  way  the  whites  were  obliged  for  a 
long  time  to  travel  and  transported  their 
necessaries.  Then  rough  paths  were 
made,  so  that  pack  horses  and  men  with 
hand  sleds  passed  up  and  down  the  river 
laden  with  such  necessaries  as  the  early 
settlers  were  able  to  procure ;  then  the 
roads  were  widenedand  the  logs  removed 
and  the  stumps  cut  down  so  low,  that  an 
ox  team  with  a  cart  could  pass ;  then  the 
more  opulent  could  travel  in  their  gig 
wagons;  and  at  length,  after  great  im- 
provements in  the  roads,  and  carriages,  a 
new  idea  was  started,  which  was  the  idea 
of  a  turnpike,  a  stage  coach,  and  a  four  or 
a  six  horse  team. 

And  for  a  time  there  was  as  much  ex- 
citement in  regard  to  turnpikes  and 
stages  as  there  has  since  been  in  relation 
to  railroads.  For  many  years  did  the  old 
stage  coach  groan  under  its  load  of  pas- 
sengers, as  it  passed  up  and  down  daily 
upon  the  banks  of  Baker's  River,until  at 
length,  the  amount  of  business  seemed  to 
exceed  the  facilities  for  transportation. 
Then,  new  plans  are  laid ;  projects  more 
vast  and  important  are  discussed,  and  for 
a  time,  the  great  idea  of  a  rail  road  en- 
grossed the  public  mind,  in  the  valley  of 
our  favorite  river.  When  at  length,  she 
saw  upon  her  banks,  a  road  graded  to  a 
level ;  hills  cut  through ;  valleys  filled  up  ; 
and  upon  this  level  grade  those  iron 
bands  were  placed,  which  are  fast  encir- 
cling the  earth,  and  binding  states  and 
nations  together  by  ties  of  interest  as 
strong  as  human  love  of  gain. 

And  soon  the  iron  horse  was  heard  and 
seen ;  the  cars  sped  their  way  upon  the 
iron  track ;  and   the  age  of  steam   had 


come  and  was  duly  inaugurated  on  Ba- 
ker's River.  And  following  in  the  train 
of  these  improvements  came  the  tele- 
graph. Men  could  not  long  wait  for 
steam  to  convey  their  thoughts,  but  the 
electric  fluid  is  made  obedient  to  the  will 
of  man  and  does  his  bidding  and  conveys 
his  thought  with  lightning  speed ;  over- 
coming all  distance,  annihilating  space, 
and  enabling  men,  thousands  of  miles 
distant  to  converse  with  each  other  as  it 
face  to  face.  Along  the  course  of  Baker's 
River  does  the  magnetic  wire  convey  to 
all  the  dwellers^  upon  its  borders,  the 
events  transpiring  in  the  distant  portions 
of  our  country. 

What  changes  our  quiet  river    shall 
witness  in  another  century,   none    can 
predict ;  no  eye  can  see ;  no  thought  can 
conceive  what  changes  the  next  century, 
or  even  the  next  fifty  years,  will  produce 
and  witness.     Shall  we  in  that  time  be 
enabled  to  navigate  the  air?    Shall  elec- 
tricity and  magnetism  be  still  further  ap- 
plied so  as  to  not  only  afford  us  light  and 
heat,  but  also  to  furnish  us  with  a  motive 
power,  so  as  to  do  away  with  the  use  of 
steam   and  water  power  altogether?    or 
will  some  new  agent   be  discovered,  or 
some  new  application  of  the  agencies  al- 
ready understood,  be  made,  so  as  to  rev- 
olutionize all  our  present  ideas  of  speed, 
all  our  modes  of  business  and  all  our  hab- 
its   of  thought?     But    whatever    these 
changes  in   the  future  may  be,  Baker's 
River  will  still  move  on  as  it  has  done  in 
all  the  changes  of  the  past,  in  its  winding 
course;  fulfilling  silently  but  constantly, 
every  moment  as  well  as  every  year  and 
every  century,  its  great  mission  of  con- 
veying our  mountain   waters,  downward 
and  onward,  to  the  bosom  of  the  mighty 
deep,  and  at  the  same  time,  of  watering, 
fertilizing,  refreshing  and  beautifying  the 
whole  region  of  country  through   which 
it  flows,  thus  teaching  a  lesson  which  all 
would  do  well  to  learn  and  to  practice. 


144 


THE  DEAD  OF  1878. 


TEE  DEAD  OF  1878. 


During  the  year  just  past  the  "grim 
messenger"  has  summoned  fully  the 
usual  number  of  the  world's  good  and 
great — useful  and  honorable  men  in  the 
various  walks  of  life — from  the  scenes  of 
earthly  labor  to  higher  spheres  in  the 
world  beyond.  And  while  princes  and 
potentates,  statesmen,  scholars,  heroes, 
poets  and  divines — men  of  world-wide 
distinction  and  honor  have  been  called 
away  in  other  lands  and  states,  New 
Hampshire  has  lost  no  inconsiderable 
number  of  her  distinguished  citizens, 
representative  men  in  the  different  pro- 
fessions and  callings. 

From  the  ranks  of  the  legal  profession 
in  the  State,  a  number  of  well  known 
men. have  been  taken  during  the  year. 
Among  them  may  be  mentioned  William 
H.  Y.  Hackett  of  Portsmouth,  long 
prominent  in  public  and  official  life  as 
well  as  at  the  bar;  William  B.  Small  of 
Newmarket,  late  member  of  Congress, 
and  George  William  Burleigh  of  Somers- 
worth.  all  men  of  ability  and  distinction. 

In  the  record  of  names  of  New  Hamp- 
shire clergymen,  who  departed  this  life 
during  the  year,  we  find  those  of  Rev. 
Nathaniel  Bouton  of  Concord,  eminent 
as  a  historian  as  well  as  a  leading  divine 
of  the  Congregational  denomination  ; 
Eev.  Hosea  Quinby,  D.  D.,  of  Milton,  a 
prominent  Free  Will  Baptist;  Rev.  Lem- 
uel Willis  of  Warner,  one  of  the  oldest 
and  most  efficient  members  of  the  Uni- 
versalist  clergy  in  the  State,  and  Rev. 
Michael  Lucy  of  Exeter,  a  Catholic 
priest  of  high  character  and  reputation. 

The  medical  profession  has  lost  a  good- 
ly number  of  its  members ;  the  most  dis- 
tinguished of  whom  was  Dr.  Albert 
Smith  of  Peterborough,  long  a  member 
of  the  faculty  of  the  Dartmouth  Medical 
School  and  one  of  the  most  learned  and 
experienced  physicians  in  the  country. 
Others  iu  the  list  worthy  of  note  areDrs. 


John  Morrison  of  Alton  and  John  McNab 
of  Woodsville,  the  latter  dying  at  the  ad- 
vanced age  of  ninety-five  years  and  re- 
taining his  intellectual  and  physical  ac- 
tivity in  a  wonderal  degree  almost  to  the 
day  of  his  death. 

Among  our  well  known  educators  de- 
ceased in  1878.  were  Lorenzo  D.  Barrows, 
D.  D.,  President  of  the  N.  H.  Conference 
Seminary  at  Tilton,  who  was  also  a  prom- 
inent clergyman  of  the  Methodist  denom- 
ination, and  Ephraim  Knight  for  many 
years,  Professor  of  Mathematics  at  the 
New  London  Institution.  The  more 
prominent  representatives  of  the  press, 
who  departed  this  life  during  the  year 
were  the  venerable  John  T.  Gibbs  of  Do- 
ver, who  published  the  Dover  Gazette 
nearly  forty  years,  and  William  H.  Gil- 
more  of  Henniker,  formerly  of  the  Man- 
chester Democrat  and  Journal  of  Agri- 
culture, and  subsequently,  for  many 
years,  agricultural  editor  of  the  People 
at  Concord. 

Of  the  railway  managers  of  the  State, 
the  two  ablest,  most  notable  and  success- 
ful, whose  enterprise,  energy  and  sagac- 
ity had  contributed  more  than  that  of 
any  score  of  other  men  to  the  extension 
of  our  railway  lines  and  the  consequent 
development  of  our  material  resources — 
ex-Governor  Onslow  Stearns  of  Concord, 
President  of  the  Northern  and  Concord 
roads,  and  John  E.  Lyon  of  the  Boston, 
Concord  and  Montreal,  (who  although  a 
resident  of  Boston  was  to  all  practical 
intents  and  purposes  a  New  Hampshire 
man),  both  made  their  exit  from  earthly 
life  during  the  year. 

Among  prominent  manufacturers  dy- 
ing in  1878  were  Alexander  H.  Tilton 
of  Tilton  and  Nicholas  V.  Whitehouse  of 
Rochester;  among  the  representative 
farmers  of  the  State  deceased,  may  be 
named  Col.  Ezra  J.  Glidden  of  Unity  and 
Arthur  Clougu  of  Canterbury. 


THE  DEACON'S  PRAYER.  145 


THE  DEACON'S  PBAJEB. 


BY  WILL  E.  WALKER. 

'Tis  Christmas  clay.    The  cloudless  morn 
Recalls  to  earth  the  Light  once  born 
Beneath  that  glorious,  kindly  star 
Which  led  the  wise  men  from  afar — 
That  Light  whose  glory  ne'er  shall  cease, 
The  fount  of  life,  and  love,  and  peace. 

New  England  hills  are  cloaked  with  snow, 
And  snow-white  are  the  vales  below, 
Save  where,  'mid  leafless  trees,  is  seen, 
The  foliage  of  the  evergreen. 
The  widespread  forests  rule  the  land. 
Though  scarred  by  man's  relentless  hand. 

Within  a  quiet  valley,  where 
The  colonists,  with  toil  and  care, 
Have  built  their  dwellings,  without  fear 
The  people  come  from  far  and  near 
To  hear  what  Elder  Gray  would  say 
Unto  his  flock  this  Christmas  day. 
The  new-built  church  is  small  and  plain  ; 
What  matters  that,  if  souls  but  gain 
The  blessing  of  the  Lord,  which  waits 
Within  the  humblest  temple's  gates? 

Peace  dwells  within  this  vale;  afar 

The  devastating  tide  of  war 

Rolls  on,  as  'gainst  imperious. might 

The  men  oppressed  fight  for  the  right. 

Brave  men  have  left  this  quiet  spot, 

And  in  the  struggle  cast  their  lot 

For  indpcndence,  leaving  all 

The  joys  of  home  at  Freedom's  call. 

Brave  women  bade  their  loved  ones  go, 

And,  anxious,  wait  their  weal  or  woe. 

The  little  church  is  now  well  filled ; 

The  buzz  of  whispering  voices  stilled. 

The  hymn  is  sung,  the  prayer  is  said, 

A  Scripture  lesson  has  been  read 

Which  warns  the  people  of  their  sins ; 

Then  thus  the  Elder's  text  begins : 

"  Peace  on  the  earth,  good-will  to  men ! " 

He  told  the  story  old,  again, 

Of  Bethlehem's  "glory,  of  the  Child, 

All  holy,  harmless,  undented ; 


146  THE  DEACON'S  PRAYER. 

The  Son  of  Man,  who,  separate 
From  mankind's  sins,  to  high  estate 
Had  lifted  those  who  humhly  gave 
Their  hearts  to  Him — who  came  to  save 
From  sin  and  woe,  whose  love  divine 
Would  last  when  suns  no  more  should  shine. 

But  sin  still  lived,  and  still  gave  hirth 

To  woes  that  long  would  trouble  earth. 

1,1  E'en  now,  within  your  very  doors, 

Fell  war  its  desolation  pours 

Upon  your  households,  nor  departs 

Till  it  has  stricken  many  hearts, 

Laid  many  a  loved  one  'neath  the  sod. 

Whence  comes  our  help  except  from  God? 

It  seems  in  vain  to  seek  redress 

From  man  for  wrongs  which  selfishness, 

Oppression,  tyranny  and  pride 

Hath  righteous  deemed,  and  justified. 

Nor  wrongs  shall  cease,  nor  woes  be  stayed 

Till  God  the  righteous  cause  shall  aid. 

We  all  are  sinful,  and  we  need 

The  spirit  of  our  Lord  in  deed 

And  truth ;  so  let  us  humbly  pray 

That  soon  may  come  that  blessed  day 

When  tyranny  and  strife  shall  cease, 

And  foemen  say,  '  Good-will  and  peace?' 

Surely  in  this  our  hearts  will  share; 

Will  Deacon  Adams  lead  in  prayer?" 

Thus  closed  the  Elder's  sermon.    Near 
The  preacher,  with  attentive  ear, 
The  Deacon  listened.    He  had  dared 
War's  dangers,  and  but  ill  had  fared, 
When  Braddock,  at  a  heavy  cost, 
Indulged  his  pride,  his  army  lost; 
For,  maimed  in  bo(dy,  from  the  field 
By  comrades  borne — who  slowly  yield — 
This  soldier  brave  can  join  no  more 
The  ranks*in  which  he  fought  before, 
But,  crippled,  he  is  patriot  still, 
And  to  his  country  nobly  will, 
Through  sacrifice,  in  word  and  deed, 
Prove  true  in  this  her  hour  of  need. 
Three  sons  he  to  the  war  has  sent, 
And  two  have  fallen;  he  is  content, 
Since  they  fought  well,  and  bravely  gave 
Their  lives  their  country's  life  to  save. 

But  yesternight  had  brought  the  news 
That  Washington  must  surely  lose 
His  army ;  'twas  in  full  retreat, 
His  men  with  shoeless,  bleeding  feet, 
Half-clothed,  and  lacking  arms  and  food. 
By  twice  their  number  fast  pursued. 


THE  DEACON'S  PRAYER.  147 

All  night  before  the  Deacon's  eyes 
The  weary  patriot  army  flies. 
He  seems  to  hear  the  panting  breath 
Of  those  to  whom  repose  is  death 
Or  capture;  those  on  whom  depends 
His  country's  welfare;  son  and  friends 
Are  struggling  there  for  right,  not  wrong; 
They  ask  but  justice.     "  Lord,  how  long 
Wilt  Thou  withhold  Thy  mighty  arm? 
Wilt  Thou  not  save  the  weak  from  harm?" 

These  anxious,  troubled  thoughts  will  find 

A  place  within  the  Deacon's  mind 

As  he  attends  to  the  discourse 

Of  Elder  Gray;  and  still  will  force 

Itself  upon  him,  that  worn  band 

Of  patriots;  while  with  upraised  hand 

Seems  Freedom  standing  at  their  side, 

A  suppliant.     What  will  betide 

Ere  God  the  righteous  cause  shall  seal, 

And  peace  the  wounded  land  shall  heal? 

By  these  and  kindred  thoughts  possessed, 

He  hears  good  Elder  Gray's  request. 

The  Deacon  paused,  then  slowly  knelt. 
And  prayed.     The  trouble  which  he  felt 
Found  utterance,  and  sore  he  plead 
That  He  who  oppressed  Israel  led 
From  bondage  would  this  people  free, 
And  bless  their  land  with  liberty; 
Make  right  prevail,  e'en  though  its  price 
In  pain,  and  woe,  and  sacrifice, 
Were  great.    And  less  for  peace  he  prayed 
Than  justice,  and  that  God  would  aid 
The  patriots  in  this  their  hour 
Of  doubt,  distress  and  waning  power. 

Like  Moses,  when  he  humbly  dared 
To  pray  that  Israel  might  be  spared — 
Although  the  judgment  of  their  God 
Had  risen  with  its  avenging  rod 
To  smite  them — so  this  patriot  stood 
Between  his  Lord  and  nation ;  would 
Not  let  the  wrestling  angel  go 
Until  he  would  his  grace  bestow. 

The  congregation  sat  in  awe, 
With  faces  pale  or  tearful,  for 
The  presence  of  the  Lord  seemed  there 
In  answer  to  the  fervent  prayer. 
And  not  one  heart  but  many  thrilled, 
As  tremulous  with  feeling,  filled 
Anon  with  deep  entreaty,  then 
With  argument,  and  yet  again 


148  THE  DEACON'S  PRAYER. 

With  hope,  that  earnest  voice  is  heard 
«      Pleading  fulfilment  of  God's  word. 

The  Deacon  ceased ;  and  silence  fell 

Upon  the  people,  till  the  spell 

Was  broken  by  the  blessing  given, 

"  Good-will  and  peace  to  thee,  from  Heaven! " 


A  week  has  passed,  and  from  the  South 

Conies,  flying  on  from  mouth  to  mout'h, 

The  new.s  of  that  successful  feat 

At  Trenton.    Pausing  in  retreat, 

The  patriot  leader  backward  turned. 

And,  at  their  cost,  the  Hessians  learned 

The  daring  zeal  of  Washington. 

'Mid  drifting  ice  and  tempest,  on 

Blest  Christmas  night,  his  brave  men  crossed 

The  Delaware,  and  only  lost 

Four  comrades  in  the  raid,  but  took 

A  thousand  prisoners ;  well  might  look 

The  people  to  this  chief  to  save 

Their  country  with  his  soldiers  brave. 

Now  changed  the  people's  fear  to  joy, 

Fresh  hopes  their  hearts  and  hands  employ. 

Old  troops,  their  time  of  service  o'er, 

Agree  to  stay,  and  try  once  more ; 

While  with  their  service  just  begun, 

From  town  and  country,  one  by  one, 

Come  new  recruits,  with  ardor  fired, 

By  Freedom's  victory  inspired. 

Unto  our  quiet,  snow-bound  vale 
This  strangely-moving,  wondrous  tale 
Has  reached  at  last;  and  tears  and  smiles 
Greet  news  which  over  many  miles 
Had  passed,  spreading  such  joy  around 
As  now  within  this  vale  is  found. 
And  many  heartfelt  thanks  ascend 
To  Him  who  will  the  right  defend, 
And  oft  one  to  another  saith, 
"  Not  vainly  shall  we  ask  in  faith 
For  help  and  comfort  from  the  Lord ; 
The  Deacon's  prayer  had  its  reward." 


LIBRARY  QUESTION'S. 


149 


LIBRARY  QUESTIONS. 


BY  C.  W.  SCOTT. 


When  the  first  congress  assembled 
at  Philadelphia,  that  library  which 
then  opened  its  doors  to  the  dele- 
gates, was  one  of  the  thirty  possessed 
by  the  colonies,  and  had  upon  its  shelves 
a  tenth  of  the  45.000  volumes  in  similar 
collections  north  and  south.  A  hundred 
years  more,  and  when  in  the  same  city 
the  congress  of  the  world  assembled  to 
commemorate  the  success  of  that  nation- 
al venture,  the  government  laid  before  it 
a  twelve  hundred  page  volume  to  give 
but  a  brief  account  of  our  3,700  libraries, 
with  their  12,000,000  of  volumes.  The 
hundred  years  represent  the  growth 
from  such  libraries  as  was  that  of  Brown 
University,  to  such  as  is  that  of  the  city 
of  Boston.  The  first  described  by  "  250 
volumes,  and  they  such  as  our  friends 
could  best  spare;"  the  latter  perhaps 
the  best  public  library  which  the  world 
has  ever  seen. 

The  libraries  in  their  growth  have  been 
an  exponent  of  general  information  and 
of  public  education.  We  have  ceased  to 
be  sensitive  over  such  subjects  as  wheth- 
er cultivated  people  read  American 
books,  and  are  considering  how  part  of 
the  American  people  can  best  get  the 
material  for  reading,  and  how  the  rest 
can  be  made  to  read.  But  while  there 
has  been  so  large  a  growth  in  the  num- 
ber and  size  of  libraries,  there  has  not 
been  a  corresponding  advance  towards 
uniform  methods  in  their  administration. 
Here  and  there  have  been  devised  and 
carried  on  at  great  expense,  systems 
apparently  perfect  in  their  plan  and  suc- 
cessful in  their  operation;  but  towards 
a  library  science  and  its  acknowledgment 
by  the  public,  comparatively  little  has 
been  done,  and  most  of  that  little  has 
been  accomplished  within  a  few  years. 
It  is  a    question  whether  the  last    ten 


years  have  not  done  more  than  the  pre- 
ceding ninety  towards  the  recognition,  of 
such  a  science.  The  responsibility  for 
having  made  no  more  progress  must  be 
decided  between  libraries  and  the  public. 
Or  perhaps  to  state  it  better,  it  results 
from  the  officials  and  the  mode  in  which 
they  have  worked.  There  has  been  no 
special  training  for  the  majority  of  men 
who  have  taken  charge  of  collections  of 
books,  and  in  many  cases  there  has  been 
no  attempt  to  make  up  the  deficiency,  or 
to  do  better  than  second-class  work. 
With  that  comfortable  feeling  of  capac- 
ity which  inclines  the  average  American 
to  believe  that  he  can  do  everything, 
newspaper  editing  and  office-holding  in- 
cluded, nine  men  out  of  ten  who  have 
received  more  than  a  common  school  ed- 
ucation, or  have  a  taste  for  reading, 
think,  if  they  are  out  of  employment, 
that  they  are  fully  equal  to  library  ad- 
ministration. Hence  a  library  has  come 
to  be  considered  as  a  kind  of  panacea  for 
those  ills  which  come  to  superannuated 
and  unsuccessful  men  in  all  the  profes- 
sions. This  view  is  frequently  seen  in 
practice;  in  fact  one  can  hardly  meet 
with  an  article  on  library  organization, 
where  it  is  not  mentioned.  Many  an  ap- 
plicant for  the  position  of  librarian 
speaks  of  his  qualifications  much  as  did 
the  Maine  man,  who  upon  presenting 
himself  at  a  shipping  station,  said  "  he 
was  not  exactly  a  green  hand,  for  he  had 
tended  saw  mill." 

Generally  speaking,  the  man  who 
draws  a  book  thinks  there  is  but  little 
labor  required  to  get  it  from  and  return 
it  to  the  case,  and  he  understands  nothing 
of  the  real  labor  which  lies  back  of  this ; 
hence  he  sees  nothing  very  intellectual 
in  arrangement  and  management.  With 
such  the  librarian  will  get  little  credit  if 


150 


LIBRARY  QUESTIONS. 


he  does  his  work  well.  At  best  he  must 
do  much  which  is  difficult,  is  not  com- 
prehended by  the  public,  and  is  ignored 
by  perhaps  the  majority.  Many  have  re- 
garded his  work  as  purely  mechanical, 
classed  him  far  below  the  professions, 
estimated  his  services  by  those  of  the 
laborer,  and  been  satisfied  with  the 
work  of  a  shoddy  contractor.  This  is 
illustrated  by  the  case  of  a  fine  town  li- 
brary containing  several  thousand  vol- 
umes and  kept  to  public  satisfaction.  In 
its  catalogue  one  finds  new  chemistry 
and  manual  of  chemistry  in  different 
places,  an  and  the  treated  as  leading 
words,  and  no  assistance  in  topical  re- 
search. When  people  look  through  a 
large  library  and  then  remark :  "how 
long  it  must  take  you  to  read  all  of  these 
books,"  we  are  not  surprised  if  they 
think  that  in  some  way  every  book  can 
take  care  of  itseif.  But  there  are  those 
who  are  familiar  with  the  results  of  the 
best  work  and  do  not  begin  to  appre- 
ciate the  high  grade  of  experience  and 
education  which  enters  into  it.  As  Mr. 
Winslow  remarks,  doubtless  having  cer- 
tain Boston  officials  in  mind,  "  they  say 
we  have  nothing  to  do  and  are  fully 
equal  to  it." 

Not  long  since  one  of  the  most  flour- 
ishing New  England  cities,  almost  perse- 
cuted a  cataloguer  who  spent  over  two 
years  on  ten  thousand  volumes  instead 
of  disposing  of  them  in  six  months  as 
was  expected.  Take  the  matter  of  cata- 
logue, or  as  it  has  been  called  "  the  eye 
of  the  library,"  and  we  have  a  work 
which  is  never  completed.  It  alone  re- 
quires more  labor  than  is  publicly  sup- 
posed to  be  necessary  for  the  entire  ad- 
ministration of  a  library.  "The  catalogue 
of  the  Boston  Athenaeum  library  will 
cost  $100,000;  and  the  cataloguing  of 
Harvard  College  library  has  employed 
eighteen  persons  for  sixteen  years,  and 
the  work  is  not  more  than  half  complet- 
ed." But  cataloguing,  although  the 
heaviest,  is  only  one  of  the  eighteen  rou- 
tine duties  mentioned  by  Rhees  in  his  li- 
brary manual.  Again,  routine  work 
is  not  sufficient;  there  is  a  demand  for 
as  high  a  grade  of  education  and  as 
much  training  as  enters  into  any  of  the 


professions.  More,  there  is  a  claim  that 
library  administration  does  belong  to  a 
profession  rather  than  an  employment. 
Not  that  librarians,  in  imitation  of  quacks 
and  slight  of  hand  performers,  will  be- 
stow upon  themselves  the  title  of  profes- 
sors of  bibliography.  Nor  will  colleges 
soon  be  likely  to  follow  the  suggestion 
made  by  Mr.  Perkins,  and  appoint  pro- 
fessors of  books  and  reading,  although  it 
would  be  both  practical  and  useful. 

But  at  le  ist  librarians  may  claim  the 
same  distinctions  as  are  made  elsewhere; 
as  are  made  between  the  man  who 
pumps  the  organ  and  he  who  fingers  the 
keys ;  as  are  made  between  the  teacher 
of  a  primary  school  and  the  ripe  culture 
which  fills  the  chairs  of  a  college.  They 
have  a  right  to  claim  that  the  man  who 
comes  to  the  business  with  the  training 
of  years, or  has  by  experience  fitted  him- 
self far  the  work,  shall  no  more  be  class- 
ed with  the  man  who  can  do  nothing 
about  a  library,  except  to  dust  books  and 
charge  them  in  a  ledger,  than  the  in- 
ventor shall  be  classed  with  the  hod- 
carrier  or  the  1  iwyer  with  his  copyist. 
Not  to  say  much  of  the  qualifications  of 
a  librarian  —  whether  business  ability 
shall  be  first,*or  whether  the  book-worm 
is  alone  competent,  or  again  whether  the 
man  is  best  whose  mind  is  a  cyclopaedia, 
inert  in  itself  but  useful  to  any  one  that 
cares  to  turn  the  leaves.  Leaving  out 
these  questions,  it  is  evident  that  a  good 
general  education  is  necessary,  and  that 
it  must  be  only  the  basis  for  his  training. 
It  is  this  special  training  which  will  de- 
velop library  science,  give  it  a  rank  with 
the  public,  and  allow  the  public  in  turn 
to  be  helped  by  it.  In  Germany  a  plea 
for  this  science  has  been  made  by  Dr. 
Rullman*  of  the  University  of  Freiburg. 
He  argues  the  advantages  of  a  uniform 
system,  and  says  in  regard  to  special 
training,  "Both  theoretically  and  prac- 
tically the  opinion  is  gaining  ground 
that  only  a  man  specially  trained  for  it 
can  successfully  fill  the  place  of  libra- 
rian. Such  training  belongs  very  prop- 
erly to  the  university  course."   The  plan 

*See  government  report  on  libraries. 
The  statistics  used  are  mostly  from  the 
same  source. 


LIBRARY  QUESTIONS. 


151 


mapped  out  c  overs  three  years  of    lec- 
tures, and  contains  among  others,  these 
subjects:   general  history;  encyclopedia 
of  science,   with    special    regard   to  the 
best  way  of  defining  the  limits   of  each 
science;  history  of  literary  productions, 
printing,    and    the    book    trade ;    some 
knowledge  of  the  fine' arts;  and  instruc- 
tion in  library  economy.    In  this  coun- 
try even,  with  the  tact  of  doing  without 
it,  special  training  is  fast  becoming  a  ne- 
cessity.    A  college  education   is  only  a 
starting  point,  and  a  subordinate    place 
in  a  libiary  has  a  tendency  to  give  only 
a  knowledge  of  part  of  the  routine  du- 
ties, and  to  produce  skilled,   rather  than 
educated  labor.     The  student   who  has 
passed  through  his   three  years'   course 
and  graduated  from  a  school  of  theol- 
ogy, law  or  medicine,  has  probably  done 
less  work    than   would    be   required   to 
make    him    reasonably  proficient  in  li- 
brary  management.      While     so    many 
technical  and  professional  schools   like 
civil  engineering  are  maintained  through- 
out the  country,  it  seems  reasonable  to 
suppose  that  there  could  be  supported 
one  school  for  making  teachers  for  book 
uses.     The  course    of    such    a    school 
might  extend  through  two  years,  part 
of  the  time  being  given  to  lectures  and 
recitation,  and  each  person  attending  be- 
ing required  to  be  a  student  for  the  rest 
of  the  year  in  some  library.    Such  a  plan 
would  reduce  the  expeuse,  aid  libraries 
in  much  of  their  work,  and  give  a  class 
of    men    educated    and    practical,   who 
would  be  familiar,  not  with  a  particular 
library,  but  with  libraries.     And  this  in- 
troduces a  second  reason  why  there  has 
been  no  more  progress  in  library  science 
— it  is  because  every    man    has   worked 
for  himself,  and    has  -made  little  use  of 
the  improvements  introduced  by  others. 
So  in  the  beginning  there  is  the  loss  of 
time  in  working  out  plans  which  are  no 
advance    on    existing    ones,    instead  of 
adopting  settled  ones  as  a  starting  place 
for  improvements.    Systems    of  classifi- 
cation illustrate  this.    Further  on  there 
is  a  loss  when  in  every  library  is  being 
done  that  which   might  be  multiplied  at 
a  small   cost  by  printing.     And    in   the 
end  there  is    the  greatest    loss  in  those 


things  most  essential  for  the  use  of  read- 
ers, but,  from  their  expense,  out  of  the 
reach  of  most  libraries.  Many  of  these 
difficulties  may  be  met  by  co-operation. 
Reference  has  already  been  made  to  cat- 
aloguing; this  is  costing,  without  print- 
ing, from  fifteen  to  fifty  cents  a  volnme, 
and  may  cost  even  more.  As  has  been 
proposed  this  work  might  be.  done  at 
some  central  library,  and  the  cards 
printed  and  furnished  at  a  small  cost; 
or,  as  again  suggested,  the  publisher 
might  print  slips  with  each  book.  Most 
libraries — particularly  .college  libraries 
where  most  of  the  reading  is  done  tow- 
ards an  object  or  around  a  subject — can- 
not use  more  than  half  their  value  with- 
out an  index  catalogue;  a  co-operative 
system  of  cataloguing  will  give  it  at  the 
expense  of  a  make-shift.  Again  a  large 
part  of  the  thought  most  useful  to  schol- 
ars and  many  others,  has  been  expressed 
through  the  reviews.  It  is  hopelessly 
locked  up  without  an  index;  but  there 
is  none  covering  the  last  twenty-five 
years,  and  no  library  alone  can  hope  to 
fill  the  blank.  This  work,  which  is  a 
revision  of  Poole's  index,  is  in  a  fair 
way  to  be  completed,  either  by  Ameri- 
can co-operation  or  by  the  English  index 
society.  Then  there  would  be  a  gain  to 
users  as  well  as  to  managers,  if  there  ex- 
isted a  uniform  system  for  libraries. 
There  should  be  hardly  more  difference 
in  the  manner  of  managing  these  than 
in  the  modes  of  teaching,  and  a  book 
user  should  be  almost  as  much  at  home 
in  one  library  as  in  another,  meeting 
new  books  as  new  faces,  but  feeling  the 
general  atmosphere  unchanged.  Some 
have  gone  so  far  as  to  hope  for  a  uni- 
versal system  of  classification,  which 
would  give  to  every  book  at  the  time  of 
its  publication,  an  unchanging  number, 
designating  its  place  in  every  library. 
For  the  greatest  utility  this  would  need 
to  be  accompanied  by  general  cata- 
logues, or  bibliographies,  so  that  those 
books  in  a  given  library  could  be  desig- 
nated by  marks,  and  users  would  know 
what  books  to  look  for   elsewhere. 

The  plan  of  a  fixed  number  is  partially 
met  by  the  "  Amherst  system,"  which 
makes  use  of  a  decimal  classification  in 


152  LIBRARY  QUESTIONS. 

such  a  way    that    all  books  on  a  given  on  a  librarian's  work  in  the  Atlantic  for 

subject    have    a  common    number.     If  November,  1876.    There  was  also  a  con- 

this  was  in  general  use  shelf  catalogues  ference  at  London,  during  October  of 

would  become  classified  lists,  and  any  the   last  year,   and  it  seems    that  #such 

person  could  locate  a  book  as  easily  as  a  meetings    will    become     common.      At 

letter  in  a  word,  or   having  given  the  this  meeting  seven  countries  were  repre- 

numberof  a  book,  know  the  subject  treat-  sented,    and    the  American    delegation 


ed  by  it. 

To  settle  such,  and  many  other  ques- 
tions, to  forfeit  by  the  results  of  expe- 
rience, to  secure  uniformity  and  econo- 
my in  administration,  and  to  give  the 


took    a  leading  part   in  all  the    discus- 
sions. 

If  a  librarian  seeks  for  discoveries  and 
wants  his  Africa,  he  will  find  it  in  bibli- 
ography.   No  one  man  can  ever  fully  ex- 


profession  a  better  and  more  useful  posi-  plore  the  subject,  and  hence  he  must  al- 
tion  with  the  public,  is  ttie  aim  of  the  re-  ways  feel  that  he  has  not  perfectly  mas- 
cently  formed  library  association.  As  tered  his  profession.  Not  only  that,  he 
far  back  as  1853  there  was  a  meeting  may  expect  to  be  approached  from  every 
looking  toward  such  a  result.  Since  department  of  learning  and  must  not  be 
then  there  have  been  from  time  to  time  surprised  if  specialists  deem  him  ignor- 
volumes  of  library  sketches  or  statistics,  ant.  More  than  this,  there  is  a  field 
discussions  by  the  Social  Science  Associa-  which  stretches  from  the  present  back 
tion,  articles  in  the  reviews,  and  notes  into  the  past  as  far  as  pen  and  ink  have 
by  the  press  on  improvements  made  or  left  a  record.  It  is  filled  with  titles,  au- 
needed.  But  the  interest  for  several  -triors,  printers,  prices,  histories  of  edi- 
years  increasing, found  expression  during  tions,  and  literary  notes.  It  has  its 
the  centennial  year.  There  was  first  the  scholars  and  writers,  going,  back  from 
government  report  on  libraries,  which  Allibone  through  Lowndes  and  Brunet, 
contained  the  results  of  the  best  work  and  among  these  are  the  specialists. 
and  thought  in  the  country,  and  took  the  There  are  the  men  who,  as  have  some  of 
place  of  a  cyclopseedia.  Then  was  the  French,  consider  the  bibliography  as 
formed  the  Library  Association  which  the  science  of  all  sciences,  dividing  it 
held  its  first  annual  meeting  at  Philadel-  into  material  and  intellectual,  and  intro- 
phia  in  October.  During  the  summer  ap-  ducing  a  special  science  for  manuscripts, 
peared  the  first  number  of  the  American  Some  of  these  have  written  volumes 
Library  Journal.  The  first  volume  of  which  are1  marvels  of  usefulness,  and 
this  monthly  comprises  450  quarto  pag-  have  made  of  books,  divisions  and  sub- 
es,  in  its  appearance  has  few  equals,  and  divisions  so  learned  and  minute  that  it 
contains  probably  the  best  index  ever  is  less  labor  to  do  without  than  to  master 
printed  with  an  American  periodical.  It  them.  Others  have  made  classifications 
numbers  among  its  contributors  repre-  purely  fanciful,  like  that  of  Denis  who 
sentatives  of  nearly  all  the  large  libra-  had  a  division  into  seven  classes,  based 
ries,  treats  of  no  literary  subjects  and  upon  the  words  of  Solomon:  '-Wisdom 
working  with  commiteees,  discusses  all  hath  builded  a  house,  she  hath  hewn  out 
questions  relating  to  libraries  from  cap-  her  seven  pillars ;"  or  like  that  of  another 
ital  letters  to  catalogues.  Of  course  writer  who  proposed  to  group  all  books 
some  recommendations  are  not  binding,  under  morals,  sciences,  and  devotion, 
but  as  they  come  from  a  comparison  of  Then  there  are  the  men  who  are  misers 
the  best  methods,  and  there  is  a  strong  of  books,  whose  happiness  is  bound  up 
desire  to  get  at  uniformity,  they  are  pret-  in  large  paper  copies  and  rare  editions— 
ty  sure  to  recommend  themselves  and  Aldines  and  Elzivers.  They  are  the  col- 
come  into  generai  use.  The  work  done  lectors  divided  by  Burton  in  his  Book 
has  awakened  much  biblic  interest  and  Hunter  into  "  private  prowlers "  and 
there  have  been  frequent  comments  and  "  auction  haunters."  '"Book  madmen," 
discussions  in  the  daily  press.  Among  they  are  called  by  Dibdin,  who  was  the 
longer  articles  the  most  noticable  is  one  much  honored  historian  and  admirer  of 


LIBRARY  QUESTIONS.  153 

the  disease.    Its  symptoms  we  have  in  seum.    It  may    not,  like  the  library  of 

his    '"Bibliomania,"   as   well    as    many  Paris,  count  its  books  by  millions;  but 

notes  on  men  who  have  spent  their  lives  every  volume  must  be  like  a  sentinel  on 

in  the    collection    of   books    "  cheaply  duty,  and  the  arrangement  must  be  such 

bought  with  thrice  their  weight  in  gold."  that  it  can   be  determined  at  once  what 

In  his    imagination    an    auction  was   a  belongs  to  any  department  or  subject, 

skillfully  manceuvered    battle,  and  the  The  old  world  has  beyond  comparison 

sale    of    a    "Boccacio"    ua    Waterloo  more  resources  for  the  scholar  in  its  li- 

among  books."  braries;  but  in  rapidity  of  circulation, 

But  pleasant  as  this  field  may  be  to  a  inflexibility  of  management,  in  ability  to 
man  of  leisure,  and  profitable  as  it  is  to  reach  the  people,  and  in  much  that  goes 
librarians,  few  are  those  who  can  indulge  to  constitute  the  true  public  library,  Eu- 
the  taste,  or  become  book-hunters.  An  rope  must  yield  to  America.  In  fact  it 
American  librarian,  with  indexing,  cir-  claimed  that  the  popular  library,  tak- 
culation  and  the  books  of  the  day  crowd-  ing  that  of  Philadelphia  as  the  represent- 
ing every  department, must,  in  a  majority  ative,  is  older  here  than  in  England, 
of  cases,  consign  bibliography  as  well  The  public  library  of  the  future  is  to  be 
as  antiquarian  and  many  other  kinds  of  like  the  school,  within  the  reach  of  ev- 
research,  to  specialists.  He  must  first  ery  one.  It  is  to  have  the  benefit  of  spe- 
be  practical,  and  administer  for  the  ma-  cial  laws  and  possibly  special  taxes,  to 
jority,  yet  if  he  would  be  in  the  highest  be  paid  the  most  cheerfully  of  all. 
sense  successful,  he  must  not  only  live  Small  assessments  accomplish  large  re- 
in the  atmosphere  of  the  catalogue,  but  suits  in  furnishing  reading,  and  there  is 
also  consider  bibliography,  with  its  more  the  constantly  increasing  assistance  of 
than  twenty  thousand  volumes,  as  a  con-  endowments.  The  commissioner  of  edu- 
tinually  to  be  drawn  upon  andiuexhaust-  cation  notes  that  of  thirty  seven  towns 
ible  storehouse.  and  cities  where  libraries  have  been  es- 

A  perfect  library  system  is  one  of  tablished,  thirty-two  voted  unanimously 
those  things  which  are  many  years  in  for  them,  and  in  the  remaining  five  cities 
the  future.  We  can  tell  some  of  the  the  vote  was  three  to  one  in  their  favor, 
conditions  which  must  enter  into  it  and  Eight  states  already  have  library  stat- 
quite  definitely  many  things  which  must  utes  and  eleven  states  have  public  libra- 
be  excluded.  The  old  world  has  price-  ries.  It  is  noticable  that  of  the  li- 
less  treasures  in  manuscripts  and  untold  braries  mentioned  Massachusetts  pos- 
wealth  in  volumes,  but  from  the  very  sesses  two-thirds,  and  the  same  ratio  of 
bulk  of  the  collections  as  fouud  in  the  the  1,300,000  volumes.  But  while  this 
large  libraries,  a  change  of  system  be-  small  part  of  our  really  public  libraries 
cemes  impossible.  The  past  has  be-  has  only  a  fifth  more  volumes  than  the 
queathed  them  methods  cumbersome  and  British  Museum,  it  represents  a  wide  in- 
uusuited  to  the  present  and  to  a  reading  fluence  in  a  circulation  of  nearly  five 
people.  The  improvements  in  methods  millions,  and  probably  twice  that  num- 
of  administration  are  not  to  he  found  in  Der  0f  readers.  As  the  use  of  all  classes 
the  old  collections,  with  their  flavor  of  0f  libraries  increases,  so  must  the  scien- 
scholarship  and  antiquity,  but  in  the  li-  tific  knowledge  of  how  to  use  them, 
braries  which  have  grown  up  in  the  And  it  is  probable  that  in  the  future  li- 
manufacturing  places  like  Manchester  brary  manuals  will  become  text  books 
and  Leeds.  The  model  library  is  not  to  rather  than  catalogues,  and  that  their 
be  arranged  by  gilt  edges  as  was  said  of  principles  will  be  deemed  as  essential  to 
one  old  collection.  It  is  not  to  be  an  in-  readers  as  book-keeping  to  business  men. 
accessible  buried  assemblage  of  books  In  colleges  there  is  no  sufficient  reason 
and  manuscripts  like  that  of  the  Vatican.  why  a  limited  time  should  not  be  given 
And  it  must  not  be  without  an  index,  to  the  study  of  bibliography  or  some- 
aud  hence  open  to  the  charge  of  being  thing  allied  to  it ;  and  any  student  would 
pathless,  as  is  said  of  the   British    Mu-  be  doubly  paid  for  the  time  given  by  the 


154 


MILITARY  AFFAIRS  IN  HOPKINTON. 


ease  with  which  he  would  get  at  any  de- 
sired subject.  Judging  from  their  ten- 
dencies, libraries  will  grow  into  a  com- 
mon form ;  classifications  will  be  used 
which  will  save  time  and  convey  infor- 
mation; co-operative  systems  of  cata- 
loguing will  reduce  the  drudgery  of  the 
librarian;  divisions  into  special  and  pro- 
fessional libraries  will  enable  him  to 
know  books  better  than  by  their  titles; 
and  indexes  will  make  available  all  ar- 
ticles of  the  day  in  periodicals. 

There  is  no  slight  question  as  to  what 
books  shall  be  chai  acteristic  of  the  libra- 
ry of  the  future.  Shall  we  attempt  to  cre- 
ate a  higher  standard  of  taste?  or  shall  we 
feed  the  mind  in  its  crude  form?  Shall 
we  draw  the  line  between  the  false  and 
the  true  at  fiction?  or  shall  we  make  that 
the  nucleus  supplying  it  to  the  full  de- 
mand and  believing  with  Mr.  Poole  that 
people  read  books  better  than  them- 
selves? Shall  we  agree  with  George 
Ticknor  that  a  second-class  book  that  will 
command  one  reader  is  better  than  a 
first-class  one  which  will  remain  upon 
the  shelf?  Shall  we  attempt  to  save  ev- 
ery printed  scrap?  or  shall  we  with  the 


founder  of  the  Rush  library  leave  out  all 
newspapers,  calling  them  "  teachers  of 
disjointed  thinking  ?"  Settle  these  and 
many  other  questions  as  we  may,  the  li- 
brary of  the  future  is  to  go  hand  in  hand 
with  the  school  and  to  that  alone  will 
its  educational  influence  be  secondary. 
The  librarian  must  in  the  best  sense  of 
the  word,  be  a  teacher  as  well  as  a 
guide-board  and  a  cyclopaedia  in  quota- 
tion marks.  He  is  to  furnish  facts  for 
the  business  man  and  artisan,  help  the 
scholar  to  the  best  thoughts,  have  at  his 
command  that  which  will  give  to  every 
mind  amusement  and  sympathy,  and  be 
the  means  of  making  many  a  never  to  be 
dissolved  friendship  between  the  living 
men  of  the  dead  past  and  the  living  men 
of  the  living  present.  Holmes  has  spok- 
en of  libraries  as  chemical  laboratories 
where  all  the  best  thoughts  of  men  have 
been  crystalized.  But  the  large  library  of 
which  we  are  speaking,  will  be  a  uni- 
versity on  the  most  liberal  plan,  where 
the  doors  will  never  be  closed  and  the 
sessions  never  end;  where  every  man 
will  elect  for  himself  and  the  course 
cover  the  entire  domain  of  knowledge. 


MILITARY  AFFAIRS  IN  HOPEINTON. 


BY  C.  C.  LORD. 


The  early  settlers  in  Hopkinton  soon 
experienced  the  effects  of  war.  It  was 
in  consequence  of  the  French  War  that 
the  Indians  broke  into  Woodwell's  gar- 
rison, surprised  six  persons  in  their  beds 
and  hurried  them  away  into  captivity, 
on  the  22d  of  April,  1746.  From  the 
same  cause  Abraham  Kimball  and  Sam- 
uel Putney  were  captured  by  the  In- 
dians on  the  13th  of  April,  1758.  From 
the  second  volume  of  the  report  of. 
the  Adjutant  General  of  New  Hamp- 
shire for  1866,  we  take  the  following 
item : 

"On  the  27th*  of  April  [1746]  an  attack 

*The  reader  will  notice  a  slight  dis- 
crepency  between  the  statements  of 
this  quotation  and  our  foregoing  account; 
it  is  a  result  of  a  difference  between  au- 
thorites. 


was  made  at  Hopkinton.  by  the  Indians, 
and  eight  persons  taken  captive.  Capt. 
John  Goffe  was  ordered  to  pursue  the 
enemy,  and  in  six  days  he  was  at  Pen- 
acook  (now  Concord),  with  a  company 
of  fifty  men  in  pursuit  of  them.  .While 
at  Penacook,  news  came  of  an  attack 
upon  Contoocook  (now  Boscawen). 
Capt.  Goffe  immediately  went  in  pursuit 
of  the  enemy,  but  without  success. 
This  scout  ended  about  the  20th  of  May. 
Only  a  few  of  the  men  composing  it  are 
known,  as  the  roll  is  lost,  and  those  only 
from  the  fact  that  Capt.  Goffe  persuaded 
them  to  re-enlist  for  another  scout  often 
days." 

These  re-enlisted  men  were  John 
Goffe,  Nathaniel  Smith,  William  Walk- 
er, Philip  Kimball,  James  Stickney.  Ste- 


MILITARY  AFFAIRS  IX  HOPKINTON. 


155 


passed  making  the  selectmen  a  commit- 
tee to  provide  for  the  families  of  non- 
commissioned officers  and  soldiers.  In 
1779,  March  1,  the  town  passed  a  signifi- 
cant vote,  affecting  the  pecuniary  com- 
pensation of  its   "continental   soldiers," 

be  made  good 


phen  Flood,  Jonathan  Stevens,  Josiah 
Heath,  Solomon  Goodwin,  Herbert  Mor- 
rison, James  Vants,  William  MacAdams, 
William  MacKeen,  Joseph  Simons, 
Zachariah   Eastman,  Caleb  Dalton. 

In  all  new  countries  the  administration 
of  government  is  largely  dependent  upon  who,  it  decreed,  should 
military  force.  The  first  provincial  mi-  as  to  the  depreciation  of  money.'1  The 
litia  law  affecting  the  people  of  New  fact  that  a  man  was  then  demanding  fif- 
Hampshire  was  passed  in  1718,  and  re-  teen  dollars  a  day  for  labor  attests  the 
quired  that  all  persons  from  sixteen  to  importance  of  this  act.  In  1780,  Nov. 
sixty  years  of  age, excepting  negroes  and  20, the  soldiers'  rates  were  made  payable 
Indians,  should  be  liable  to  military  duty,  in  coin  as  well  as  in  money-;  and  on  the 
When  national  independence  came  to  be  5th  of  February  of  the  following  year, 
agitated  and  a  new  government  antici-    Maj.  Chandler  and  the  commissioned  offi- 


pated,  new  laws  were  demanded.  In 
177G,  a  law  was  passed  instituting  two 
militaiy  bands,  known  as  the  Training 
Band  and  the  Alarm  Band.  The  first 
band  included  all  the  able  bodied  men 
from  sixteen  to  fifty  years  of  age,  ex- 
cepting public  officers,  negroes,  mullat- 
toesand  Indians;  the  second,  all  persons 
from  sixteen  to  sixty-five,  not  included 
in  the  first. 

The  active  interest  in  the  war  for  inde- 
pendence taken   by  the  citizens  of  Hop- 


cers  were  authorized  to  employ   soldiers 
and  hire  money  for  the  purpose.* 

Hopkinton  men  fought  on  many  bat- 
tle-fields of  the  Revolution,  side  by  side 
with  others  of  the  different  New  England 
provinces.  The  records  of  the  distinc- 
tive part  performed  by  Hopkinton  men 
are  very  meagre.  While  the  soldiers 
were  fighting  abroad,  public  vigilance 
was  alert  at  home.  On  March  4,  1776, 
the  town  passed  an  act  deposing  certain 
resident  parties  suspected   of  disloyalty 


kinton  is  attested  by  the  following  scrap     from  the  privileges  of  public  trust,  and 

making  official  recognition  of  such  a 
deed  of  public  hostility.  The  list  of  sol- 
diers representing  this  town  in  the  Rev- 


of  an  account: 

Hopkinton  Account. 


Capt.  Jonathan  Straw,  pav  Roll  to 
Cambridge,  1775,  £60,  17  s..  9  d. 

Capt.  Joshua  Bavley,  pay  Roll,  Alarm 
at  Coos,  1780,  £12,"Ss.,  7d. 

The  local  population  in  Hopkinton 
was  profoundly  stirred  by  the  passing 
events  of  the  Revolution.  On  March  4, 
1776,  Maj.  (Isaac)  Chandler,  Joshua  Bay- 
ley  and  Moses  Hill  were  made  a  commit- 
tee of  safety.  On  January  14,  1777,  an 
act  was  passed  procuring  shovels, spades, 
one  hundred  pounds  of  gun  powder,  with 
lead  and  flints*.  On  March  31,  the  town 
voted  to  raise  sufficient  money  to  procure 
twenty-six  men  for  the  army;  and  on 
April  14,  that  service  already  done  should 
be  considered  equal  to  service  to  come ; 
and  again,  on  June  9,  that  the  militia 
should  have  the  same  pay  as  soldiers. 
On  the  loth  of  January,  1778,  a  vote  was 


olution  is  long  and  honorable.  In  fact 
its  length  prevents  its  introduction  into 
the  present  article. 

The  success  of  the  war  for  indepen- 
dence and  the  formation  of  a  permanent 
plan  of  government  determined  new  mil- 
itary laws.  In  the  year  1786  the  Legis- 
lature" of  New  Hampshire  passed  a  law 
instituting  a  training  band,  of  men  from 
sixteen  to  forty  years  of  age,  and  an 
"alarm  list,"  of  men  from  forty  to  sixty. 
Each    town  of  thirty-two  privates   and 


*At  that  time  an  old  law  required  each 
town  to  keep  on  hand  for  emergencies, 
one  barrel  of  gunpowder,  two  hundred 
pounds  of  lead  and  three  hundred  flints. 


*In  elucidation  of  the  price  paid  to 
Revolutionary  soldiers  from  thisf  town, 
we  offer  the  following  from  the  records 
of  a  town  meeting  held  on  the  loth  of 
May.  1777: 

"  Voted  to  accept  the  raits  that  is  al- 
ready made  for  the  warefare. 

"  Voted  to  allow  to  those  Persons 
which  hired  men  for  three  year  before 
thear  was  any  Committee  Chose  in  Town 
for  to  hire  men  for  three  year  Equal 
month  with  those  which  the  Committee 
hired  at  Ninty  D'olars  the  three  year." 


156 


MILITARY  AFFAIRS  IN  HOPKINTON. 


the  proper  number  of  officers,  should  be 
entitled  to  form  a  company;  a  town  of 
ninety-two  should  have  two  companies. 
In  the  year  1792,  a  law  was  passed 
making  companies  in  Boscawen,  Salis- 
bury, Andover,  New  London  and  Kear- 
sarge  Gore  constitute  a  first  battalion, 
and  the  companies  in  Hopkinton,  War- 
ner, Sutton,  Fishersfield  and  Bradford  a 
second  battalion,  which  should  together 
constitute  a  21st  regiment.  Iu  1S19, 
the  companies  in  Boscawen,  Hopkinton, 
Salisbury  and  Andover  were  made  to 
constitute  a  21st  regiment.  In  1842,  the 
companies  in  Hopkinton,  Henniker  and 
Warner  were  made  to  constitute  a  40th 
regiment.  In  1851,  the  New  Hampshire 
militia,  excepting  what  existed  upon 
paper,  was  practically  abolished. 

The  militia  law  of  1792,  with  some 
modifications  and  amendments,  was  the 
essential  law  until  the  abolition  of  an- 
cient military  customs.  Under  this  law 
the  militia  of  this  town  were  called  out 
for  inspection  and  exercised  in  drill  at 
least  twice  a  year,  in  spring  and  fall, 
dressed  in  their  common  garb  of  citizen- 
ship. The  officers  of  companies  were 
attired  in  a  swallow-tailed  coat,  with 
bell-buttons,  and  wore  a  bell-crowned 
cap  and  plume.  Independent  compa- 
nies, however,  were  thoroughly  uni- 
formed. A  body  of  cavalry  known  as 
"The  Troop,"  belonging  to  the  old 
21st  regiment,  and  subsequently  mus- 
tering with  the  new  40th  regiment, 
contained  members  from  Hopkin- 
ton, who  were  dressed  in  a  red  coat 
trimmed  with  yellow  facings,  white 
pants,  a  bell-crowned  cap,  and  a  white 
plume  with  a  red  tip.  Connected  with 
the  21st  regiment,  and  continuing  until 
1S51,  was  a  company  of  Hopkinton  rifle- 
men, who  for  many  years  wore  a  blue 
suit — spencer  and  pants— a  bell-crowned 
cap  and  black  plume;  afterwards  they 
adopted  a  gray  suit,  with  a  modern  cap 
surmounted  with  three  black  feathers. 
There  was  also  a  company  of  light  in- 
fantry dressed  in  a  blue  coat  and  white 
pants,  ornamented  on  the  lower  leg 
with  two  rows  of  black  buttons,  and 
wearing  a  bell-crowned  cap  with  a  white 
plume  tipped  with   red.-     The  light  in- 


fantry was  subsequenty  superseded  by 
the  "Cold  Water  Phalanx,"  a  company 
of  men  dressed  in  a  black  velvet  coat, 
trimmed  with  red,  and  white  pants  bear- 
ing a  red  stripe,  and  a*lso  wearing  a  mod- 
ern cap  with  three  white  feathers. 

There  are  still  living  in,  Hopkinton 
many  of  the  old  officers  of  militia. 
Among  them  are  Col.  William  Colby 
Capt.  Benjamin  Lovering,  Capt.  William 
Palmer,  Capt.  Moses  Hoyt,  Capt.  Isaac 
Story  and  Capt.  E.  E.  Currier. 

In  the  earlier  times  a  tract  of  land 
was  set  apart  by  the  town  for  a  "  train- 
ing field."  The  spot  selected  was  on 
Putney's  Hill,  on  the  present  Rowell 
farm,  south  of  the  house,  on  the  west 
side  of  the  principal  road.  In  the  year 
1796,  the  town  voted  to  lease  the  field 
for  999  years,  and  it  passed  into  the  pos- 
session of  Nathaniel  Rowell,  and  subse- 
quently into  the  hands  of  Moses  Rowell, 
whose  descendants  own  it  to  this  day. 
In  later  times  rents  were  paid  for  the 
use  of  grounds  for  military  parade. 

The  war  of  1812  found  the  people  of 
Hopkinton  ready  to  do  their  part  in  main- 
taining the  integrity  of  the  country. 
On  July  6,  1812,  the  town  voted  to  al- 
low a  compensation  of  seven  dollars  a 
month  to  all  soldiers  detached  from  their 
regiments  as  a  relay  corps  by  order  of 
the  general  government.  Ten  dollars  of 
each  man's  wages  was  to  be  paid  in  ad- 
vance, and  two  dollars  upon  "signing 
his  name."  In  1814,  October  5,  twelve 
dollars  a  month  was  voted  to  all  sol- 
diers put  under  special  governmental 
requisition,  with  two  dollars  upon  en- 
tering actual  service.  The  last  clause  of 
this  vote,  however,  was  afterward  re- 
scinded. 

During  the  progress  of  hostilities, *two 
recruiting  officers,  Gibson  and  Peck, 
were  stationed  for  a  longer  or  shorter 
time  at  Capt.  Brimsley  Perkins'  tavern, 
where  they  enlisted  men  for  the  army. 
Many  men  enlisted  for  this  war  have  lost 
their  identity  in  the  regiment  to  which 
they  belonged.  The  first  volunteers 
from  this  town  were  mostly  or  wholly 
included  in  the  1st  regiment  of  New 
Hampshire  troops,  enlisting  for  one 
year    and    rendezvousing    at    Concord. 


MILITARY  AFFAIRS  IN  HOPKLNTON. 


157 


The  field  and  staff  officers  of  this  regi- 
ment were  as  follows : — Aquila  Davis, 
Colonel;  John  Carter,  Lieutenant-Colo- 
nel; William  Bradford,  Major;  James 
Minot,  1st  Lieutenant  and  Adjutant;  Jo- 
seph Low,  2d  Lieutenant  and  Quarter- 
master; Henry  Lyman,  Acting  Sur- 
geon's Mate;  John  Trevitt,  Acting  Sur- 
geon's Mate ;  Timothy  D.  Abbott,  Ser- 
geant Major;  Nicholas  G.  Beane,  Quar- 
termaster Sergeant ;  Thomas  Bailey, 
Drum  Major;  Nehemiah  Osgood,  Fife 
Major. 

This  regiment  went  into  camp  on  the 
first  of  February,  1813,  and  left  for  Bur- 
lington early  in  the  spring.  On  the  first 
day  of  its  march  it  passed  through  Hop- 
kinton,  halting  at  the  village  for  rations. 
This  halt  gave  many  people  an  opportu- 
nity to  reflect  upon  the  trials  of  soldiers. 
Although  the  troops  had  marched  only 
seven  miles,  some  were  already  jagged 
and  footsore. 

The  1st  Regiment  of  New  Hampshire 
"Volunteers  was  soon  disbanded.  On  the 
29th  of  January,  1813,  Congress  repealed 
the  u  Volunteer  Act,"  and  the  soldiers 
enlisting  under  this  act  were  re-enlisted 
into  the  regular  United  States  Army,  or 
reformed  into  new  regiments,  to  serve 
till  the  time  of  their  volunteer  service 
expired.  The  soldiers  of  the  1st  New 
Hampshire  Regiment  of  Volunteers  who 
were  not  re-cnlisted,  were  consolidated 
with  Col.  McCobb's  regiment  from 
Maine,  becoming  known  as  the  45th  reg- 
iment, with  field  and  staff  officers  as  fol- 
lows :— Denny  McCobb,  Colonel ;  Aquila 
Davis,  Lieutenant-Colonel;  H.  B.  Bree- 
vort,  1st  Major;  Daniel  Baker,  2d  Ma- 
jor; Joseph  Low,  Paymaster;  Daniel 
G.  Kelley,  Sergeant  Major.  This  regi- 
ment, at  the  expiration  of  the  term  of 
enlistment,  was  recruited  by  Paymaster 
Low,  and  was  at  Burlington  for  service 
in  the  early  spring  of  1814. 

The  well-remembered  alarm  at  Ports- 
mouth aroused  afresh  the  military  spir- 
it of  New  Hampshire  in  1S14.  During 
the  winter  of  1813  and  1814,  British  ves- 
sels of  war  were  cruising  along  the  New 
England  coast,  while  maintaining  a  ren- 
dezvous at  Bermuda  Islands,  as  well  as 
one  at  Gardiner's  Bay,  at  the  east  end  of 


Long  Island,  their  naval  depot  being  at 
Halifax,  in  Nova  Scotia.  On  the  8th  of 
April,  1S14,  a  British  force  ascended  the 
Connecticut  River  and  destroyed  about 
twenty  American  vessels  collected  there 
for  safety.  On  the  23d  of  the  same 
month,  Admiral  Cockburne,  rendezvous- 
ing at  the  Bahamas,  issued  a  proclama- 
tion declaring  the  whole  Atlantic  coast 
of  the  United  States  in  a  State  of  block- 
ade. Soon  after  about  thirty  or  forty 
American  coasting  vessels  were  de- 
stroyed in  Massachusetts  Bay.  These 
circumstances  spread  great  alarm,  not 
only  throughout  New  England  in  gen- 
eral, but  throughout  New  Hampshire, 
particularly  on  account  of  the  insecurity 
of  the  harbor  and  town  of  Portsmouth 
and  the  adjacent  navy  yard  at  Kittery, 
Me.  A  detachment  of  eight  companies 
of  militia,  under  the  command  of  Maj. 
Edward  J.  Long, were  ordered  to  the  de- 
fense of  Portsmouth. 

Very  soon  an  event  occurred  arousing 
the  ardor  of  the  people  of  New  Hamp- 
shire to  a  high  pitch.  We  copy  an  ac- 
count of  the  occurrence  from  the  ''An- 
nals of  Portsmouth,"  by  Nathaniel  Ad- 
ams: 

"  Tuesday,  June  21st,  between  the 
hours  of  ten  and  eleven  o'clock  in  the 
evening,  the  town  was  alarmed  by  a  re- 
port that  the  British  were  landing  at 
Rye  Beach.  Alarm  bells  were  rung 
and  signal  guns  fired.  All  the  military 
companies  turned  out  with  alacrity  and 
prepared  for  the  attack.  A  martial  spir- 
it pervaded  all  ranks,  and  they  glowed 
with  ardor  to  be  led  to  the  place  of  dan- 
ger. Expresses  were  dispatched  to  as- 
certain the  situation  of  the  enemy,  and 
the  report  proved  to  be  without  founda- 
tion. It  was  occasioned  by  some  boats 
of  a  suspicious  character  that  were  ob- 
served off  Rye  Harbor  by  the  the  guard 
stationed.  The  inhabitants  again  re- 
tired stationed  ther  the  sweets  of  re- 
pose." 

Although  the  above  affair  was  only  a 
"scare,"  there  is  no  doubt  the  British 
intended  an«attack  on  the  defenses  of 
Portsmouth  and  destruction  of  the  adja- 
cent navy  yard.  Report  tells  us  that, 
after  the  close  of  the  war,  a  British  offi- 


158 


MILITARY  AFFAIRS  IN  HOPKINTON. 


cer  confessed  to  an  American  colonel  The  citizens  of  this  town  took  but  lit- 
that.  during  the  investment  of  the  New  tie  active  interest  in  the  Mexican  War. 
England  coast,  he  ascended  the  Piscata-  Capt.  Paul  R.  George  was  a  Quarter- 
qua  river,  in  the  disguise  of  a  fisherman,  master  in  that  war,  taking  with  him  El- 
and inspected  the  defenses  of  Ports-  bridge  Burbauk  and  David  Caiton.  We 
mouth,  reporting  to  his  commanding  of-  do  not  know  that  there  were  other  resi- 
ficer  on  his  return  that  the  place  was  dents  of  this  town  in  that  service.  All 
abundantly  defended  and  swarmed  with  three  of  the  parties  returned, 
soldiers.  This  information  doubtless  The  civil  war  of  1861  found  the  citi- 
had  its  influence  in  diverting  the  British  zens  of  this  town  in  a  state  of  mind  com- 
from  the  proposed  attack.  mon  to  a  large  part  of  our  country's  pop- 
The  popular  excitement  created  by  uiation.  So  long  a  time  had  passed 
this  alarm  at  length  induced  the  Gov-  since  the  pe0ple  of  our  town  had  taken 
ernor,  on  the  7th  of  September,  to  order  any  active  interest  in  war,  the  experi- 
out  detainments  from  twenty-three  reg-  ence  had  come  to  be  looked  upon  as  a 
iments  of  militia  for  the  stronger  defense  comparative  impossibility,or  the  threat- 
of  Portsmouth.  Two  days  after  he  is-  ened  contest  would  be  an  event  of  the 
sued  general  orders  putting  all  the  mi-  shortest  possible  duration.  However, 
litia  of  the  State  in  readiness  for  march-  when,  on  the  13th  0f  April,  the  hom- 
ing at  a  moment's  notice;  the  detach-  bardment  of  Fort  Sumpter  made  the 
ments  from  the  twenty-three  regiments  presence  of  war  inevitable,  the  ardor  of 
were  to  march  to   Portsmouth  immedi-  our    p0pulace    became    deeply  aroused. 


ately.  Arrived  at  their  place  of  destina- 
tion, the  detached  infantry  was  organ- 
ized into  a  brigade  of  five  regiments  and 


Bells  were  rung,  flags  suspended,  pro- 
cessions formed  and  speeches  made. 
The  call  of  the  President  on  the   15th  of 


one  battallion,  under    the  command  of    the  monthi  for  an  army  of  75?000  men, 


Brigadier  General  John  Montgomery, 
assisted  by  James  I.  Swan,  Brigade- 
Major,  and  George  H.  Montgomery,  Aid- 
de-Camp. 

The  following  soldiers  from  Hopkin- 
ton  were  in  the  First  Regiment,  Lieut. 
Col.  Nat.  Fisk,  in  Capt.  Jonathan  Bean's 
company: — Thomas  Towne,  1st  Lieu- 
tenant, acting  Quartermaster  from  Sep- 
tember 18;  Moses  Gould,  Sergeant; 
Robert  A.  Bradley,  Samuel  Burbauk, 
Barrach  Cass,  David  C.  Currier,  Amos 
Eastman,  John  J.  Emerson,  Ebenezer 
Morrill,  John  Morey,  Isaac  Pearce,  Ha- 
zen  Putney,  Jacob  Straw, William  Wheel- 
er, privates.  These  men  were  all  enlist- 
ed for  a  service  of  ninety  days  from  Sep- 
tember 11,  1814.  The  following  were  in 
the  Second  Regiment,  Lieut.  Col.  John 
Steele,  in  Capt.  Silas  Call's  Company:— 
Nathaniel  Morgan,  Sergeant;  Jacob 
Chase,  Amos  Frye,  John  Johnson,  John 
Hastings,  Alvin  Hastings,  Francis  Stan- 
ley (died  in  service),  James  Eastman, 
Amos  Sawyer,  Jonathan  Gove,  William 
M.  Crillis,  John  Burnham,  privates. 
These  men  were  all   enlisted  on   the  2d 

of  October,  1814.  to  dates  running  from 
November  S  to  November  19. 


confirmed  the  patriotism  of  our  young 
men,  and  they  soon  began  to  enlist  into 
the  ranks.  The  first  man  enlisted  in  the 
town  was  James  B.  Silver;  he  was  en- 
listed in  Dea.  Nathaniel  Evans'  store, 
where  Kimball  &  Co.'  now  trade,  by  J. 
N.  Paterson,  of  Contoocook,  who  had 
just  taken  out  enlistment  papers.  Oth- 
er parties  from  this  town  had  already 
enlisted  in  Concord.  Patterson  enlisted 
a  number  of  men,  who  rendezvoused  at 
Contoocook  until  they  were  ordered  to 
join  the  Second  Regiment  of  New  Hamp- 
shire Volunteers  at  Portsmouth.  On 
their  departure  they  were  escorted 
through  the  main  street  to  the  depot  by 
the  Hopkinton  Cornet  Band,  which  also 
accompanied  them  to  Portsmouth.  A 
large  number  of  people  witnessed  their 
departure  with  evident  manifestations  of 
grief  at  the  occasion  and  the  loss. 

During  the  progress  of  the  war  the 
town  of  Hopkinton  did  her  part  in  main- 
taining the  cause  of  the  Union.  One  of 
her  first  public  acts,  after  the  beginning 
of  hostilities,  was  to  adopt  the  State 
law,  passed  June  session,  1861,  authoriz- 
ing the  towns  to  provide  assistance  for 


MILITARY  AFFAIRS  IN  HOPKINTON. 


159 


the  families  of  volunteers;  this  was  done 
on  the  29th  of  October. 

The  summer  of  1S62  witnessed  a  new 
impetus  to  military  affairs.  On  the  4th 
of  August  of  that  year  the  President  of 
the  United  States  issued  a  call  for  300,- 
000  men  for  a  service  of  nine  months. 
Under  two  calls,  both  issued  in  July, 
1S61,  the  government  had  already  made 
demands  for  600,000  men  for  three 
years.  Impelled  by  these  calls,  at  a  pub- 
lic meeting  held  on  the  26th  of  August, 
1862,  the  town  voted  to  pay  $150  each  to 
all  soldiers  who  had  enlisted  for  the  war 
since  the  last  call  for  troops;  to  all  who 
had  or  would  enlist  after  the  first  of  Au- 
gust to  fill  up  old  regiments,  $200  each; 
to  all  who  would  enlist  for  nine  months, 
$75  each;  and  to  all  who  would  from 
that  date  enlist  for  three  years,  and  dur- 
ing the  war.  $200  each.  The  same  day  a 
vote  was  passed  to  assist  the  families  of 
soldiers  to  an  extent  not  exceeding 
twelve  dollars  a  week, — or  four  dollars 
for  a  wife  and  the  same  amount  for  each 
child  not  exceeding  two.  Soon  after, 
Patrick  H.  Stark  and  Daniel  E.  Howard 
were  made  enlisting  officers.  On  the  2d 
of  October  the  same  year,  another  vote 
was  passed,  giving  $150  to  men  enlisting 
for  nine  mouths,  or  $200  each  if  the 
quota  was  filled. 

The  year  1S04  was  one  of  great  activity 
in  the  United  States.  The  resolution  to 
maintain  the  integerity  of  the  Union 
became  as  determined  as  the  urgency  of 
the  situation  was  great.  On  February 
1st  of  that  year,  a  call  was  issued  for 
500,000  men  for  three  years,  a  part  of 
whom  were  to  be  credited  to  the  darft, 
under  a  call  for  300,000  men,  on  the  17th 
of  October,  1863,  the  enforcement  of 
which  draft  was  not  completed,  owing  to 
a  defect  in  the  law  under  which  it  was 
made.  The  call  of  February  I,  there- 
fore, formed  a  total  of  all  calls  after 
1862.  On  the  14th  of  March,  1S64,  an  ad- 
ditional call  for  200,000  was  issued;  this 
was  succeeded  by  a  call  for  500.000  on 
the  18th  of  July,  and  another  and  a  last 
one  for  300,000  on  the  19th  of  December 
of  the  same  year. 

The  urgency  of  the  national  situation 
during  the  memorable  year  of  1864  gave 


a  spirited  activity  to  the  people  of  New 
Hampshire.  Such  words  as  were  ut- 
tered hy  Gov.  Gilmore  in  his  proclama- 
tion of  the  16th  of  July  lully  awakened 
the  people  of  the  different  towns  to  a 
practical  comprehension  of  the  situation. 
"Our  quota,"  said  the  Governor,  "is  to 
be  filled  by  volunteering  if  we  can,  by 
drafting  if  we  must."  In  view  of  the 
reigning  crisis  of  that  year,  the  town  of 
Hopkinton  took  formal  action  on  the 
4th  of  June,  voting  to  raise  $40,000  for 
the  encouragement  of  voluntary  enlist- 
ments, and  also  to  pay  $300  each  to 
drafted  men  or  their  substitutes.  On 
the  Sth  of  November,  the  town  voted  to 
authorize  the  selectmen  to  enlist  or  oth- 
erwise procure  soldiers  in  anticipation  of 
any  call. 

Enough  has  been  written  to  illustrate 
the  general  promptness  and  liberality 
with  which  the  town  of  Hopkinton  as- 
sumed her  share  of  the  pecuniary  bur- 
dens of  the  war.  The  responses  to  her 
appeals  for  volunteers  were  fully  as 
ready  and  prompt  as  could  be  expected 
in  a  town  of  her  population  and  charac- 
ter. Only  a  few  of  her  population  were 
drafted  into  the  army  of  the  United 
States.  We  think,  also,  that  none  of 
our  people  were  compelled  by  the  draft 
to  take  a  position  in  the  ranks  of  war. 
Of  those  entering  the  army,  many  re- 
turned, but  also  many  died.  Some  of  the 
bodies  of  the  dead  were  brought  home 
and  interred,  but  others  sleep  in  distant 
or  unknown  grounds;  their  memory  is 
cherished  in  the  hearts  of  a  grateful  peo- 
ple. 

The  Report  of  the  Adjutant  General  of 
New  Hampshire,  Vol.  II.  1S65,  thus 
states  the  summary  of  our  war  record  : 
Enrollment,  April  30,  1S65,  180;  total  of 
quota  under  all  calls  from  July,  1863, 
86;  total  credits  by  enlistments  or  drafts, 
115;  surplus,  29. 

The  amount  of  money  authorized  to  be 
appropriated  for  war  uses,  exclusive  of 
sums  paid  to  soldiers'  familes,  was  some- 
thing over  $100,000. 

The  length  of  this  article  precludes 
mention  of  the  names  of  our  soldiers  en- 
gaged in  the  war  of  1861. 


160  DECEMBER  2,  1878. 


DECEMBER  2,  1878. 


A  dull,  brown  earth,  o'erarched  by  dull  gray  sky; 

Cold,  sobbing  raindrops  dripping  over  all ; 

Stark  trees  with  arras  that  wildly  rise  and  fall, 
Made  frantic  as  the  dirge-like  winds  sweep  by. 
Like  tattered  rags  the  vines  hang  from  the  rack; 

No  spot  of  color  shows,  the  eye  to  cheer; 
The  wet.  black  walks,  like  mirrors  picture  back 

The  dismal  scene,  and  make  it  doubly  drear. 
One  lonely  face  looks  from  a  window  nigh  ; 

One  lonely  passer  plods  the  sloppy  street. 
The  world  is  dead ;  and  nature's  wailing  cry 

Thrills  human  hearts  with  its  own  anguish  deep. 
O,  spread  the  snowy  pall  and  hide  from  sight 
This  wreck  of  what  was  once  so  fair  and  bright. 

— Laura  Garland  Carr. 


FBOM  THE  GERMAN  OF  HEINE. 


Art  thou  truly,  wholly  changed? 

Have  I  truly,  wholly  lost  thee? 
To  all  the  world  will  I  complain 

That  thou  hast  hardly  used  me. 

O,  say  ye  most  unthankful  lips, 
How  can  ye  speak  in  scornful  ways 

Of  the  man  who  oft  and  fondly 
Kissed  you  in  the  happy  days? 

—Ellen  M.  Mason. 


r^3>*N 


■  THE 


GRANITE    MONTHLY. 


A  MAGAZINE  OF  LITERATURE,  HISTORY,  AND 
STATE  PROGRESS. 


vol.  ii. 


MARCH,  1879. 


jSTO.  6. 


HERBERT  E.  N ORRIS. 


Among  the  young  men  of  New- 
Hampshire  whose  names  have  been 
prominent  in  our  state  politics  during 
the  past  few  years,  Herbert  F.  Norris  of 
Epping,  is  one  of  the  most  active  and 
well  known. 

The  Norrises  of  Epping,  and  most  of 
those  bearing  the  name  in  this  section 
of  the  country,  are  the  descendants  of 
seven  brothers  who  were  among  the  first 
settlers  of  that  town,  then  a  portion  of 
Exeter,  who  located  upon  farms  in  the 
same  vicinity,  all  lying  along  the  road 
from  Epping  village  to  West  Epping. 
The  name  was  prominent  in  the  early 
history  of  the  town,  several  of  its  repre- 
sentatives taking  a  prominent  part  in 
public  and  military  affairs.  We  find,  in 
fact,  that  precisely  one  hundred  years 
previous  to  the  election  of  the  subject 
of  our  sketch  as  a  member  of  the  legis- 
lature from  Epping,  in  1877,  the  town 
was  represented  in  that  body  by  one 
Josiah  Norris. 

Herbert  F.  Norris  was  born  in  Ep- 
ping, July  28,  1849.  He  is  the  eldest 
of  five  children  (two  sons  and  three 
daughters)' of  Israel  F.  Norris,  a  farm- 
er, of  that  town.  His  early  years  were 
spent  in  labor  upon  his  father's  farm, 
and  in  attending  the  district  school. 
Subsequently    he    attended    the    high 


school  in  the  neighboring  town  of  Ray- 
mond about  a  year,  and  was  afterwards 
engaged  in  teaching  several  terms  in 
his  own  town.  In  December,  1870,  he 
entered  the  N.  H.  Conference  Seminary 
at  Tilton,  and  graduated  in  the  college 
preparatory  course  in  the  summer  of 
1872,  taking  high  rank  in  his  class, 
which  was  one  of  the  largest  ever  grad- 
uated from  that  institution.  While  in 
the  Seminary  he  developed  a  decided 
talent  for  debate,  and  was  an  acknowl- 
edged leader  in  society  matters.  He 
had  contemplated  a  college  course  at 
Dartmouth,  but  was  prevented  from  en- 
tering with  the  class  that  year,  by  a  se- 
vere illness,  and  finally  relinquished  the 
idea.  Upon  his  recovery  he  engaged 
in  teaching,  being  successively  engaged 
at  West  Epping,  Fremont,  and  South 
Newmarket,  and  going  immediately 
from  the  latter  place  to  take  charge  of 
the  Academy  at  Canaan,  for  the  spring 
term  of  1873.  Subsequently  he  taught 
another  term  of  school  at  Epping,  re- 
turning to  Canaan  as  principal  again  in 
the  fall,  and  also  teaching  the  next 
spring  term  of  that  academy.  Mean- 
time, in  December,  1873,  ^e  entered 
as  a  student  at  law  in  the  office  of 
Eastman,  Page  &  Albin  at  Concord, 
and  upon  the  close  of  the    spring   term 


162 


HERBERT  F.  NORRIS. 


of  1874  at  Canaan,  he  established  him- 
self in  the  office  for  the  completion  of 
his  legal  course.  While  pursuing  his 
studies  here,  he  was  engaged  to  some 
extent  in  newspaper  work,  and  became 
the  regular  New  Hampshire  corre- 
spondent of  the  Boston  Post.  He  also 
served  for  two  years  as  clerk  of  the 
Concord  police  court,  and  taught  for 
two  terms  in  the  Concord  schools.  He 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  at  the  October 
term  for  1876,  at  Concord,  and  imme- 
diately commenced  practice  in  the  of- 
fice where  he  had  pursued  his  studies, 
as  a  partner  of  W.  T.  Norris,  Esq.,  of 
Danbury,  who  had  previously  become 
a  member  of  the  firm,  in  place  of  Mr. 
Albin,  the  firm,  of  Page  &  Norris  then 
being  dissolved.  The  firm  of  W.  T. 
and  H.  F.  Norris  continues,  and  en- 
joys a  liberal  share  of  patronage,  espe- 
cially in  criminal  practice.  The  firm 
were  engaged  in  the  defence  of  the  no- 
torious La  Page,  and  also  of  Johnson, 
the  Bristol  wife  murderer. 

Mr.  Norris  comes  of  Democratic 
stock,  and  has  from  boyhood  been 
strongly  attached  to  the  principles  of 
the  Democratic  party,  for  whose  success 
he  has  earnestly  labored.  He  has  been 
a  delegate  to  the  Democratic  state  con- 
vention from  his  native  town,  where  he 
has  always  maintained  his  voting  resi- 
dence, nearly  every  year  since  attain- 
ing his  majority,  and  has  taken  an 
active  part  in  the  deliberations  of  that 
body.  He  was  also  for  two  years  pre- 
vious to  October  last,  secretary  of  the 
Democratic  state  committee,  and  did 
efficient  work  in  the  conduct  of  politi- 
cal campaigns.  » 

In  1877,  Mr.  Norris  was  chosen  a 
member  of  the  legislature  from  Epping, 
and  during  the  session  of  that  year 
took  an  active  and  prominent  part  not 
only  in  the  debates  upon  the  floor,  but 
in  the  work  of  the  Judiciary  Commit- 
tee, of  which  he  was  a  member.  Re- 
elected to  the  house  in  1878,  he  was  hon- 
ored by  the  Democratic  members  with  a 
unanimous  nomination  for  the  speaker- 
ship, a  position  which  he  was  eminently 
qualified  to  fill  had  the  strength  of  his 
party  been  adequate  to  his  election. 
During  the  protracted  session  of  last 


summer,  which  tested  severely  the  ca- 
pacity of  various  members  on  each 
side  of  the  house  for  leadership,  debate 
and  general  legislative  work,  he  won  a 
high  reputation  in  all  these  capacities. 
With  large  mental  resources  and  per- 
fect self-control,  never  taken  by  surprise 
by  any  device  of  his  opponents,  he 
proved  himself  equal  to  all  emergen- 
cies, gaining  in  the  various  contests 
which  occurred,  the  fullest  confidence 
of  his  own  party  as  an  able  and  fearless 
leader,  and  of  the  opposition  as  an 
honorable  though  uncompromising  foe. 
He  was  the  youngest  member  of  the 
Judiciary  Committee  in  the  house,  and 
the  youngest  man  who  has  served  upon 
that  committee  for  many  years.  As  a 
ready  debater  he  had  few  equals,  and 
no  superiors  in  the  house.  His  man- 
ner as  a  speaker  is  easy  and  pleasing. 
He  states  his  positions  plainly  and  for- 
cibly, and  draws  his  conclusions  in  a 
clear  and  logical  manner. 

The  Manchester  Mirror,  in  reviewing 
the  history  and  personnel  of  the  last 
legislature,  alluded  to  Mr.  Norris  in 
the  following  terms  :  "  No  Democrat 
in  the  house  has  grown  so  much  in 
popular  estimation  this  session  as  he, 
and  he  is  altogether  the  worst  customer 
the  majority  have  to  deal  with.  He  has 
improved  much  as  a  parliamentarian 
and  a  speaker,  and  there  are  not  many 
men  on  either  side  who  can  match  him 
in  either  capacity.  His  strongest  point 
is  his  ability  to  use  all  his  powers 
at  a  moment's  notice,  and  to  adapt  him- 
self to  the  demands  of  the  occasion." 
The  Independent  Statesman  also 
paid  him  the  following  handsome  com- 
pliment :  "Herbert  F.  Norris,  'the 
Young  War  Eagle  from  Epping,'  and 
the  parliamentary  leader  of  the  minori- 
ty did  full  justice  to  the  confidence  re- 
posed in  him  by  his  party  associates. 
Alert  and  ready,  he  gave  the  majority  a 
good  deal  of  trouble  and  the  Speaker 
no  end  of  perplexity.  *  *  * 
Cool  of  manner,  moderate  of  speech 
and  persistent  in  purpose,  he  could  not 
be  easily  disconcerted  or  put  down." 

Mr.  Norris  is  the  youngest  man  who 
has  received  a  nomination  for  congress 
from  either  party  in  this  state,  since  the 


VARIATIONS.  163 

time  of  Franklin  Pierce,  being  now  nated  with  remarkable  unanimity  upon 
under  thirty  years  of  age.  He  was  the  first  formal  ballot,  as  the  candidate 
united  in  marriage  in  May  last,  with  of  his  party  for  Representative  in  Con- 
Miss  Belle  E.  Mower,  daughter  of  L.  gress,  receiving  194  votes,  against  2S 
L.  Mower,  Esq.,  clerk  of  the  common  for  Lafayette  Chesley,  1 7  for  Thomas 
council  of  the  city  of  Concord.  J.  Smith,  and  8  for  Thomas  J.  Whipple, 

As  a  member  of  the  Rockingham  and  this  without  any'  effort  upon  his 
county  delegation  the  past  two  years,  part  to  secure  the  nomination.  He  ac- 
Mr.  Norris  has  actively  participated  in  cepted  the  candidacy,  and  immediately 
the  consideration  of  county  affairs,  and  entered  upon  an  active  canvass,  ad- 
was  appointed  one  of  the  county  Audi-  dressing  the  people  upon  the  issues  of 
tors  each  year  by  the  delegation.  the  day  in  various  sections  of  the   dis- 

At    the    Democratic    Congressional  trict,  and  making  a  gallant  contest,    al- 

Convention  for  the  First  Congressional  though  little  hope  of  the  success  of  his 

District,  at  Rochester,    on   the   first  of  party   in   the    district   was  entertained 

October    last,  Mr.    Norris   was   nomi-  from  the  start. 


VARIATIONS. 


LAURA   GARLAND    CARR. 

We  turn  dame  Nature's  plans  about 

To  suit  our  wayward  fancies, 
When  driving  storms  and  winds  are  out, 

And  frost  views  meet  our  glances ; 
The  fruits  and  berries  that  grew  bright 

In  pleasant  sun  and  showers. 
Bring  summer  flavors  to  delight 

Tbe  dreary  winter  hours. 

By  a  few  tricks  of  light  and  heat 

The  floral  seasons  vary. 
And  wax-like  May  buds  open  sweet 

In  snow-bound  January. 
The  cold  grows  tierce.     In  many  a  farm 

The  icy  evils  gather ; — 
In  vine-decked  rooms,  by  firesides  warm, 

We  laugh  at  winter  weather. 

O,  happy  they  who  can  defy 

Years  as  we  do  the  season ! 
Who  keep  youth's  buoyant  spirits  by 

To  blend  with  age's  reason. 
Though  hair  grows  white,  and  face  and  form 

Show  Time's  defacing  finger, 
He  cannot  chill  the  heart-beats  warm, 

Where  youthiul  fancies  linger. 


164 


EARLY  HISTORY  OF  THE  CONCORD  PRESS. 


EARLY  HISTORY  OF  THE  CONCORD  PRESS. 


BY    ASA    McFARLAND. 


The  first  weekly  newspaper  published 
in  Concord,  made  its  appearance 
January  6,  1 790.  It  was  issued  by 
Mr.  George  Hough,  a  native  of  Boz- 
rah,  Conn,  who  came  to  Concord  from 
Windsor,  Vt.,  where  he  had  published 
the  Vermont  Journal.  The  four  pages 
of  the  Herald  were  each  nine  by  four- 
teen inches,  and  bore  the  marks  of  care 
and  correct  taste.  Within  a  year  or  two 
the  paper  was  enlarged  and  appeared 
as  the  "Courier  of  New  Hampshire." 

I  have  derived  great  satisfaction  in 
examining  such  files  of  "  Hough's  Con- 
cord Herald "  and  his  "  Courier  of 
New  Hampshire"  as  came  in  my  way  ; 
and  am  of  opinion  that  if  those  files 
were  now  submitted  to  a  discriminating 
committee  of  printers,  they  who  com- 
posed it  would  be  surprised,  that  with 
his  scanty  materials  and  the  rude  hand 
press  of  those  days,  Mr.  Hough  con- 
trived to  bring  out  a  sheet,  which,  for 
typographical  correctness,  methodical 
arrangement,  and  general  good  taste, 
would  come  off  victor  in  a  competi- 
tive examination  with  many  journals  of 
the  present  day. 

I  knew  George  Hough  in  my  boy- 
hood days — he  being  a  frequent  and 
ever-welcome  guest  in  my  father's 
house,  and  a  favorite  whithersoever  he 
went.  He  permitted  his  "moderation 
to  be  known  of  all  men,"  and  I  can 
never  forget  the  care  with  which  he 
always  prepared  and  the  deliberation 
with  which  he  ate  an  apple,  when  that 
was  the  fruit  passed  around,  or  how 
systematically  he  punctuated  his  path, 
as  he  walked  from  his  dwelling,  now 
the  abode  of  Dr.  Russell,  to  his  office. 
I  was  several  months  in  his  office,  sup- 
plying the  place  of  Moses  G.  Atwood, 
Esq.,  who  died  some  years  ago  in  Alton, 
111.,  and,  in  common  with  all  who  were 
ever  in  his  service,  bear  testimony  to 
his  uniform   kindness.     As  was  apt  to 


be  the  case  with  printers  of  papers  at 
that  time,  he  had  not  much  aptitude 
with  his  pen,  except  to  write  a  very 
round,  legible  and  faultless  hand.  He 
had  passed  through  no  training  that 
prepared  him  to  perform  literary  labor, 
even  for  the  columns  of  a  village  jour- 
nal. He  wrote,  however,  with  gram- 
matical accuracy,  but  had  very  little 
mental  vigor,  and  it  may  be  doubted  if 
he  could  have  written  a  pungent  para- 
graph, however  favorable  the  opportu- 
nity, or  whatever  his  provocation.  But 
his  correct  mechanical  taste  and  nat- 
ural good- sense  were  auxiliaries  which 
enabled  him  to  produce  a  weekly  pa- 
per that  was  by  no  means  so  far  behind 
those  of  Boston  as  Concord  was  less 
than  the  commercial  metropolis  of  New 
England.  He  had  such  appreciation 
of  the  necessities  of  readers  that  he 
was  careful  to  select,  from  the  meagre 
supplies  at  his  command,  an  amount  of 
foreign  and  domestic  occurrences  fully 
equal  to  the  capacity  of  his  columns, 
and  to  issue  his  supplies  with  as  much 
prompitude  and  completeness  as  was 
practicable  at  a  period  in  our  history 
when  the  transportation  of  mails  was 
irregular,  the  arrival  of  ships  still  more 
so,  and  village  journals  were  diminu- 
tive sheets.  I  have  many  times 
taken  notice,  in  files  of  Hough's 
"  Courier  of  New  Hampshire,"  of  its 
foreign  news  feature,  and  been  enter- 
tained by  perusal  of  its  columns  long 
after  the  events  there  recorded  ceased 
to  disturb  and  interest  mankind.  The 
celebrated  speech  of  Maximilian  Ro- 
bespierre, delivered  in  the  national  con- 
vention of  France,  July  26,  1794, 
three  days  only  before  its  author  as- 
cended the  scaffold,  is  to  be  found  in 
the  Courier, — a  proof  that  Mr.  Hough 
was  desirous  of  doing  all  in  his  power 
to  supply  readers  with  the  momentous 
transactions  of  that  period. 


EARLY  HISTORY  OF  THE  CONCORD  PRESS. 


165 


Mr.  Hough  was  not  without  a  com- 
petitor, even  in  this  circumscribed 
newspawer  field.  "The  Mirror,"  by 
Elijah  Russell,  was  issued  several  years 
at  the  north  end  of  Main  street.  It 
never,  I  think,  equaled  Hough's  Her- 
ald, or  his  Courier  of  New  Hampshire. 
Such  numbers  as  I  have  seen  lacked 
evidence  of  the  good  sense  and  cor- 
rect taste  perceptible  in  sheets  of  which 
Mr.  Hough  had  the  supervision. 

Many  of  the  inland  journals  of  that 
period  partook  of  scrap-book  charac- 
ter. Riddles,  acrostics,  bon  mots, 
anecdotes,  bad  verses,  weak  communi- 
cations, and  wretched  "  hits  "  at  one 
another  by  rival  local  politicians,  con- 
stituted the  average  bill  of  fare  of  "  The 
Mirror"  and  its  north-end  successor 
"The  Star."  Neither  in  the  Mirror, 
the  Star,  nor  the  Courier  was  such  a 
production  ever  found  as  what  has  been 
known  as  "a  leader  :"  an  article  occu- 
pying a  conspicuous  position,  and  treat- 
ing some  topic  of  timely  popular  con- 
cern with  vigor  and  ability,  and  at 
sufficient  length  to  set  it  forth  in  a  proper 
maimer.  If  articles  of  that  character, 
since  so  common  in  the  journals  of 
New  Hampshire,  had  appeared  in  those 
published  in  the  closing  years  of  the 
last  century,  or  early  ones  of  this,  the 
people  would  have  believed  that  indeed 
-''a  Daniel  had  come  to  judgment." 
The  town  would  certainly  have  been 
■stirred,  and  the  author,  if  discov- 
ered, been  regarded  as  a  mira- 
cle of  literary  power.  The  "  lead- 
ers "  of  journals  here  spoken  of 
were  apt  to  be  the  record  of  a  mar- 
riage, the  weight  of  an  overgrown  beet 
or  calf,  or  such  a  paragraph  as  this,  in 
Hough's  Herald,  December  7,  1 790  : 
"  No  Boston  post  arrived  ;  all  news, 
we  believe,  is  frozen  up  by  the  cold 
weather.  We  have  not  even  a  report 
with  which  we  can  serve  up  a  paragraph 
for  our  hungry  customers." 

I  am  not  in  possession  of  the  means 
by  which  to  trace  the  rise,  progress  and 
fall  of  the  several  papers  which  bore 
the  Concord  imprint  from  1790  to 
1809,  but  it  is  certain  that  the  life  of 
each  was  a  constant  but  unavailing 
struggle  against  circumstances,  the  dis- 


couraging nature  of  which  can,  even  at 
this  distant  day,  be  readily  appreciated. 
The  people  had  not  become  accustomed 
to  the  expenditure  of  money  for  the 
gratification  of  literary  taste  ;  indeed, 
many  mechanics,  traders  and  farmers 
were  often  at  their  wit's  end  to  obtain 
money  with  which  to  pay  their  taxes 
and  provide  for  more  imperatively  ne- 
cessary articles  than  books  and  papers. 
Inter-communication,  also,  was  slow 
and  uncertain.  Partisan  politics  had 
not  become  permeated  by  enduring 
heat,  and  only  few  men,  not  the  mass 
as  now,  had  formed  the  habit  of  dili- 
gently following  up  current  political 
events.  Within  my  recollection  all  the, 
papers  received  in  a  week  in  Concord 
from  abroad  could  be  placed  in  the 
crown  of  a  stove-pipe  hat  of  the  pres- 
ent day,  and  the  garment  worn  without 
much  discomfort,  while  town  subscri- 
bers of  the  local  press  did  not  proba- 
bly mimber  an  hundred  and  fifty. 

But  the  papers  of  that  period  were 
equal  to  the  encouragement  they  re- 
ceived. Greater  expenditure  in  their 
behalf  would  not  have  materially  aug- 
mented their  income,  and  I  have  no 
hesitation  in  saying  that  Hough's 
"Courier  of  New  Hampshire"  was  as 
fully  up  to  those  times,  and  as  com- 
pletely answered  the  requirements  of 
the  people,  as  journals  of  the  present 
day. 

In  1806,  William  Hoit  and  Jesse  C. 
Tuttle  commenced  a  paper  bearing  the 
title  "  Concord  Gazette,"  of  which 
more  will  be  found  in  a  succeeding 
portion  of  this  essay.  How  long  the 
firm  of  Hoit  &  Tuttle  existed,  I  cannot 
•say,  but  in  October,  1808,  the  senior 
member  was  encouraged  to  embark  in 
a  second  enterprise,  and  commenced 
the  publication  of  "The  American  Pat- 
riot." Its  projectors  were  influential 
men,  then  bearing  the  partisan  name  of 
Republicans,  afterward  assuming  that 
of  Democratic  Republicans,  and,  later 
still,  Democrats.  I  knew  Mr.  Hoit 
well,  for  he  here  labored  in  his  pro- 
fession, I  think,  nearly  fifty  years,  and  I 
obtained  some  particulars  regarding 
the  establishment  of  the  "American 
Patriot,"  which,    but    for   him,    would 


i66 


EARLY  HISTORY  OF  THE  CONCORD  PRESS. 


have  passed  into  oblivion.  The  Pat- 
riot was  commenced  in  a  small  one- 
story  building,  standing  where  is  now 
the  dwelling  of  the  family  of  the  late 
J.  Stephens  Abbott,  Esq.  Mr.  Hoit 
had  within  him  a  humorous  vein,  and 
his  narrative  of  circumstances  attend- 
ing the  birth  of  the  Patriot  was  of  an 
amusing  character.  The  plan,  he  in- 
formed me.  was  that  the  literary  labor 
upon  the  Patriot  should  be  performed 
by  an  "Association  of  Gentlemen." 
Several  of  this  class  assembled  in  the 
office  the  night  preceding  the  appear- 
ance of  the  first  number,  and  remained 
until  morning,  to  the  discomfort  of 
Hoit  and  his  workmen.  Of  the  num- 
ber was  Phillip  Carrigan,  author  of  the 
map  of  New  Hampshire,  which  bears  ' 
his  name.  The  occasion  became  of 
very  hilarious  character,  and  would 
undoubtedly  have  been  more  so  had 
the  "Association  of  Gentlemen"  been 
capable  of  penetrating  the  future,  and 
discerning  the  long  period  which  the 
paper  then  about  to  appear  would  en- 
dure. But,  according  to  the  narrative 
to  us,  some  members  of  the  association- 
became  so  full  of  good  drink  that  they 
fell  asleep,  and  so  remained  through 
the  night. 

The  commencement  of  the  "  Amer- 
ican Patriot  "  was  attended  by  circum- 
stances of  no  more  favorable  charac- 
ter than  accompanied  preceding  at- 
tempts, except  that  Concord  had  been 
chosen  in  which  to  permanently  hold 
the  sessions  of  the  legislature.  In  all 
probability  the  Patriot,  after  brief  ex- 
istence, would  have  gone  into  the  same 
grave  as  its  predecessors,  but  for  the 
fortunate  circumstance  that  it  came  in- 
to the  custody  of  a  gentleman  of  the 
ability,  industry  and  tact  necessary  not 
merely  to  rescue  it  from  the  fate  of 
other  village  journals  here,  but  to  make 
it  a  power  in  New  Hampshire.  This 
person  was  the  late  Hon.  Isaac  Hill, 
who  in  his  day  acquired  a  reputation  as 
a  political  writer  and  journalist  second 
to  that  of  no  other  newspaper  con- 
ductor. He  came  to  Concord  soon 
after  the  expiration  of  his  apprentice- 
ship with  Joseph  Cushing,  proprietor 
and  publisher  of  the  "Amherst  Cabi- 


inet."  The  "American  Patriot"  had 
been  six  months  -in  existence.  The 
first  number  printed  by  Mr.  Hill  is 
dated  April  18,  1809,  and  thencefor- 
ward the  people  of  New  Hampshire 
came  within  an  influence  they  had  only 
imperfectly  realized — the  power  of  the 
press  to  mold  and  guide  popular 
opinion.  Mr.  Hill  was  a  man  of  de- 
cided convictions  and  untiring  industry, 
wrote  with  great  facility  and  vigor,  and 
possessed  that  electric  force  by  which 
a  writer  upon  political  affairs  imparts 
to  others  the  convictions  and  zeal  pos- 
sessed by  himself.  Under  his  guiding 
hand  the  success  of  the  Patriot  was 
certain.  It  soon  became  a  successful 
journal,  attaining  a  wide  and  constant- 
ly increasing  circulation  ;  greater  than 
that  of  any  preceding  or  contemporary 
journal  in  New  Hampshire.  A  circum- 
stance which  accelerated  its  growth- 
was  that  difficulty  with  England  which 
culminated  in  what  is  known  as  the  war 
of  1812-15.  That  the  Patriot,  in  the 
hands  of  Mr.  Hill,  would  have  become 
permanent,  even  in  years  of  profound 
calm,  there  is  no  reason  to  doubt :  but 
it  is  equally  certain  that  its  growth 
would  have  been  less  rapid,  because  of 
the  natural  sluggishness  of  mankind  un- 
til moved  by  exciting  causes  ;  the  dis- 
inclination of  the  people,  during  the 
first  twenty  years  of  the  period  here  in 
review,  to  expend  money  for  the  grati- 
fication of  literary  taste,  and  the  lim- 
ited amount  of  money  in  circulation. 

The  only  competitor  of  the  "New 
Hampshire  Patriot,"  from  its  com- 
mencement until  the  year  1823,  was- 
the  "Concord  Gazette"  of  which  men- 
tion has  just  been  made  ;  Hoit  &  Tut- 
tle  proprietors  and  publishers.  The 
scanty  materials  employed  in  printing 
the  Gazette  were  purchased  of  Dudley 
Leavitt,  the  celebrated  almanac  author, 
and  were  brought  hither  from  Gilman- 
ton  Corner  in  a  two-horse  wagon. 
They  had  been  used  for  printing  one 
number  of  the  almanac,  and  a  village 
paper.  The  circumstance  that  only 
two  horses  were  required  to  transport 
two  men  and  the  materials  with  which 
a  weekly  paper  was  equipped,  sixty-five 
years  ago,  is  of  sufficiently  suggestive 


EARLY  HISTORY  OF  THE  CONCORD  PRESS. 


167 


character,  without  any  elaboration,  to 
prove  the  slender  resources  and  the 
equally  moderate  requirements  of  the 
people  of  that  generation  upon  the 
craft. 

The  "Concord  Gazette"  was  com- 
menced with  the  .advice  and  under 
promise  of  material  aid  from  gentle- 
men of  the  Federal  party  in  Concord 
and  vicinity.  Its  various  publishers 
were  Hoit  &  Tuttle,  Tuttle  alone,  and 
Joseph  and  William  Spear.  Excepting 
a  brief  period  when  the  paper  was  in 
charge  of  the  late  Hon.  John  Kelley  of 
Exeter,  it  really  had  no  reliable  hand 
at  the  helm.  But  through  the  force  of 
external  circumstances  the  Gazette  had 
a  good  circulation  during  several  years  ; 
.but  when  the  war  was  over,  and  the 
political  excitement  it  caused  had 
subsided,  the  Gazette  languished,  and 
languishing  expired,  in  181 8 — in  the 
twelfth  year  of  its  age.  I  remember 
the  paper  well  as  it  appeared  through 
those  years  of  its  life  that  succeeded 
1812.  It  had,  for  a  vignette,  awretched 
imitation  of  the  eagle,  a  "counterfeit 
presentment "  of  the  emblem  bird,  so 
badly  engraven  that  its  groundwork  was 
black  as  ink.  This  caused  the  Patriot 
to  adopt  the  practice  of  speaking  of 
the  Gazette  as  the  "  crow  paper."  But 
the  party  whose  views  it  espoused  had 
no  other  journal  in  central  and  north- 
ern New  Hampshire,  and  they  were 
subjected  to  "  Hobson's  choice" — the 
Gazette  or  nothing.  William  Hoit 
and  Jesse  C.  Tuttle  were  the  only  pub- 
lishers of  the  Gazette  whom  I  knew, 
and  only  them  because  they  ended 
their  days  in  Concord,  within  the  re- 
collection of  some  men  now  in  our 
midst ;  each  living  many  years  after  the 
Gazette  ceased  to  be.  Mr.  Hoit  was 
a  native  of  Concord,  but  when  a  lad 
went  hence  with  his  father's  family  to 
Wentworth.  He  served  five  years  as 
an  apprentice  to  the  printing  business 
in  Peacham,  Vt.,  which  town  he  left  on 
becoming  of  age,  and  entered  into  the 
service  of  Mr.  Hough,  in  Concord. 
His  was  almost  wholly  a  printing-office 
education,  but  he  became  a  good 
scholar  in  the  English  language,  and 
was  the  most  correct  compositor  whose 


proofs  I  ever  read.  He  rarely  omitted 
or  duplicated  a  word  :  but  his  surprise 
one  day  amounted  to  consternation — a 
day,  too,  in  the  evening  of  which  the 
Statesman  went  to  press — when  the 
discovery  was  made  that  he  had  left  an 
"out"  of  somewhat  colossal  propor- 
tions :  being  all  the  toasts  or  sentiments 
at  a  celebration  of  American  Inde- 
pendence in  Plymouth,  written  in  the 
close  chirography  of  the  late  N.  P. 
Rogers,  Esq.  His  general  information 
was  far  above  that  of  his  associate,  Mr. 
Tuttle,  and  the  anecdote  is  not  fictitious 
that  a  dispute  arose  between  Hoit  and 


Tuttle  in  regard  to 


tain   word  found  in  the 

then  being  put  in  type. 

was   as   follows  :  "The  armv  of  Bona- 


capitalizing  a  cer- 
foreign  news 
The  sentence 


Mr.    Tuttle 
was  a  place 


parte  is  in  jeopardy." 
maintained  that  jeopardy 
in  Europe,  and  therefore  should  com- 
mence with  a  capital  letter,  while  his 
associate  took  the  negative  of  the 
question.  Hon.  Thomas  W.  Thomp- 
son being  in  the  office,  or  passing  in 
the  street,  was  chosen  arbiter,  and  of 
course  decided  for  Mr.  Hoit.  Mr. 
Tuttle  was  a  native  of  Goffstown,  and 
became  an  apprentice  to  Mr.  Hough. 
He  was  a  worthy  man,  but  without  apt- 
itude for  the  successful  pursuit  of  his 
chosen  calling.  He  did  not  remain 
long  in  the  printing  business  after  the 
discontinuance  of  the  Gazette,  in  18 18, 
but  became  otherwise  employed ; 
finally  becoming  the  lessee  of  a  grist 
mill,  now  known  as  Brown's,  in  Bow. 

During  the  interval  between  the  dis- 
appearance of  the  "  Concord  Gazette" 
•  and  the  commencement  of  the  "New 
Hampshire  Statesman" — 1818  to  1823 
— a  sectarian  paper,  known  as  the 
"  New  Hampshire  Observer,"  made  its 
appearance.  Its  establishment  was 
encouraged  by  Congregational  clergy- 
men and  laymen.  George  Hough  was 
printer  and  publisher ;  but,  as  seems 
often  to  have  been  the  case  in  news- 
paper undertakings  of  that  and  a  pre- 
ceding period,  no  arrangement  of  re- 
liable nature  was  made  for  regular  liter- 

for    an 
was    as 
much  the  plan  as  there  was  one  at  the 


ary    assistance.      The   scheme 
"Association   of  Gentlemen  " 


i68 


EARLY  HISTORY  OF  THE  CONCORD  PRESS. 


start.  Samuel  Fletcher,  then  a  young 
Concord  lawyer,  was  to  furnish  "lead- 
ers," Mr.  Hough  to  make  selections, 
and  various  clergymen  were  to  furnish 
articles  upon  such  topics  as  came  to 
mind.  My  father,  being  the  only  Con- 
gregational clergyman  within  six  miles 
of  the  Observer  establishment,  was  of 
course  expected  to  perform  regular  and 
gratuitous  service  in  its  behalf.  But 
Mr.  Fletcher  undoubtedly  soon  found 
that  he  could  not  prosper  with  two 
irons  in  the  fire,  as  my  father  did,  that 
he  had  parish  work  enough  to  occupy 
his  time,  while  the  out-of-town  clergy- 
men gradually  ceased  to  make  contri- 
butions. The  result  was  that  good 
Mr.  Hough  was  not  long  in  ascertain- 
ing— as  others  had  before  him — that 
an  "Association  of  Gentlemen"  is  not 
a  newspaper  support  of  reliable  char- 
acter. The  "Observer"  was  com- 
menced January,  1819,  and  Mr.  Hough 
contrived  to  sustain  it  until  the  autumn 
of  1822,  when  it  was  sold  to  Mr.  John 
W.  Shepard,  a*  gentleman  several  years 
in  trade  at  Gilmanton,  his  native  place. 
He  commenced  with  .an  office  of  his 
own,  in  a  chamber  over  the  old  corner 
store,  where  the  Masonic  Temple  now 
stands.  Thence  the  office  was  trans- 
ferred to  a  building  which  stood  oppo- 
site the  State  House  yard,  now  placed 
back  of  the  bakery  of  Mr.  Bradbury, 
and  occupied  by  Mr.  Daniel  A.  Hill, 
for  the  repair  of  household  furniture. 
Mr.  Shepard  made  a  change  which 
was  no  improvement,  as  many  did  be- 
fore and  have  since.  He  dropped  the 
word  "Observer"  and  thenceforth  the 
paper  was  known  as  the  "New  Hamp- 
shire Repository."  It  had  a  life  of 
trial  and  vicissitude,  the  stages  of  which 
it  is  unnecessary  to  trace.  It  is  suffi- 
cient to  say  that  in  the  course  of  its 
existence  it  took  a  journey  to  Ports- 
mouth, and  was  published  for  a  time 
by  Messrs.  Miller  &  Brewster,  and  even 
another  to  Portland,  but  eventually  re- 
turned to  the  place  of  its  birth.  It 
was  known  through  many  of  its  last- 
years  as  the  "  Congregational  Journal," 
which  title  it  bore  at  the  time  its  sub- 
scription list  was  purchased  of  B.  W. 
Sanborn,  Esq.,  by  the  proprietors    of 


"  The  Congregationalism"  The  life  of 
the  paper  embraced  a  period  of  forty- 
four  years,  and  during  its  last  years 
there  was  no  lack  of  ability  in  its  col- 
umns ;  Rev.  Henry  Wood  and  Rev. 
Benjamin  P.  Stone  having,  separately, 
had  charge  of  it.  It  was  published 
seventeen  years  by  Mr.  Sanborn  ;  but 
it  having  ceased-to  be  self-sustaining, 
that  gentleman  sold  the  subscription 
list,  as  stated  above. 

There  were  jealousies  between  North- 
End  Democrats  and  their  down-town 
political  brethren  so  long  ago  as  fifty 
years.  They  at  the  North-End  re- 
garded those  beneath  the  shadow  of 
of  the  State  House  as  desirous  of  giv- 
ing law  to  the  Democratic  party.  The 
last-named  men  were  spoken  of  as 
"  Parliament-corner  politicians  ;"  aterm 
which  included  Isaac  Hill,  William  Low, 
Joseph  Low,  Richard  Bartlett,  Jacob 
B.  Moore,  and  a  few  other  active  and 
influential  men  south  of  the  present 
City  Hall.  Those  North-End  gentle- 
men of  the  same  party  who  were  be- 
coming, if  not  alienated  from,  at  least 
jealous  of  their  down-town  brethren, 
and  who  immediately  or  more  remote- 
ly partook  of  this  feeling,  were  John 
George,  Robert  Davis,  Samuel  Coffin, 
Abiel  Walker,  Francis  N.  Fiske,  Charles 
Walker,  Samuel  Sparhawk,  and  other 
less  conspicuous  men.  There  were 
also  Democrats  in  other  portions  of 
New  Hampshire  who  had  become 
jealous  of  the  "  Parliament  corner " 
leaders,  and  this  at  first  slight  misunder- 
standing, or  disaffection,  culminated  in 
the  commencement  of  the  journal 
known  as  the  "  New  Hampshire  States- 
man," January  6,  1823;  a  paper  that 
is  one  of  the  very  few  which,  growing 
out  of  a  mere  feud  among  local  politi- 
cians, became  a  permanent  establish- 
ment. Luther  Roby,  then  in  business 
at  Amherst,  moved  to  Concord,  and 
became  printer  and  publisher  of  the 
Statesman,  and  Amos  A.  Parker,  then 
in  the  practice  of  law  at  Epping,  was 
engaged  to  conduct  it. 

To  revert  to  the  preceding  year  :  In 
June,  1822,  Hon.  Samuel  Dinsmoor, 
senior,  of  Keene,  was  nominated  for 
governor  by  the  Democrats  (or  Repub- 


EARLY  HISTORY  OF  THE  CONCORD  PRESS. 


169 


licans  as  they  were  then  styled) ,  in  the 
legislature  of  that  year  ;  candidates  for 
governor  and  for  congress  being  then 
nominated  in  June  by  members  of  the 
lesislature.  In  the  following  winter 
Hon.  Levi  Woodbury  of  Portsmouth, 
then  one  of  the  Justices  of  the  Su- 
perior court,  was  nominated  for  gov- 
ernor by  an  irregularly  constituted  as- 
semblage of  people  in  attendance  upon 
a  term  of  court  in  session  at  Portsmouth. 
The  Patriot  sustained  the  nomination 
of  the  legislative  convention,  and  came 
out  in  strong  rebuke  of  this  procedure 
at  Portsmouth,  which  really  was  an 
open  revolt,  by  so  many  Democrats  as 
participated  in  the  nomination  of  Judge 
Woodbury,  against  the  regular  nomina- 
tion of  the  party  the  preceding  June. 
But  the  Portsmouth  transaction  was 
countenanced,  if  not  shaped,  by  the 
Plumers  of  Epping,  Judge  Butler  of 
Deerfield,  the  North-End  Democrats 
in  Concord,  and  other  equally  conspic- 
uous and  influential  politicians  in 
.  various  parts  of  the  state.  Although 
the  Federal  party  had  been  disbanded, 
yet  thousands  who  were  members  of  it 
naturally  sympathized  with  any  proced- 
ure in  conflict  with  the  Patriot,  and, 
with  nearly  one  accord,  went  into  the 
support  of  Judge  Woodbury,  who  was 
chosen  over  Gen.  Dinsmoor  by  4026 
majority. 

The  Statesman  of  course  advocated 
the  election  of  Judge  Woodbury  :  in- 
deed, I  have  supposed  that  when  it 
was  commenced  it  was  undersotod  that 
a  rebellion  was  on  foot  against  the 
nominee  of  the  June  convention.  But 
the  triumph  of  the  North-End  gentle- 
men was  transitory,  for  one  of  the  first 
important  appointments  by  Governor 
Woodbury  was  that  of  Hon.  Richard 
H.  Ayer  of  Hooksett,  to  be  sheriff  of 
the  newly  formed  county  of  Merrimack. 
This  was  a  suitable  selection — fitness 
being  the  standard — but  one  which 
created  disappointment ;  indeed,  dis- 
pleasure throughout  the  ranks  of  those 
by  whose  votes  Judge  Woodbury  was 
made  governor.  Mr.  Ayer  was  broth- 
er-in-law of  Mr.  Hill,  and  exerted  all 
his  power  to  thwart  the  election  of  Gov. 
Woodbury,  who,  in  fact,  by   this  and 


other  procedures,  turned  his  back  upon 
his  supporters,  and  distinctly  indicated 
to  them  that  he  should  henceforth  seek 
promotion  in  another  quarter.  He  was 
governor  only  one  year. 

The  generous  promise  of  material 
aid  to  Mr.  Roby,  if  he  would  com- 
mence the  Statesman,  having  failed  of 
fulfillment,  and  the  chief  motive  for 
setting  it  on  foot  having  been  thwarted, 
at  least  for  the  time,  and  the  zeal  of 
its  godfathers  having  become  indiffer- 
ent to  its  fate,  the  paper  commenced 
to  languish,  and  would  have  ceased  to 
be,  but  for  an  arrangement  of  which  I 
proceed  to  make  mention,  finding  it 
necessary  to  retrace  my  steps,  and  speak 
of  another  journal,  which  came  into 
existence  a  year  and  four  months  after 
the  birth  of  the  Statesman. 

In  May,  1824,  the  good  George 
Hough  being  still  alive,  though  far  ad- 
vanced in  years,  and  without  much 
worldly  substance,  was  induced  by  his 
fast  friends  to  commence  a  paper, 
which  bore  the  name  of  "Concord 
Register."  The  promises  to  Mr. 
Hough  were  made  good  at  the  start, 
and  he  was  furnished  with  such  means 
that  he  brought  out  a  paper  surpassed 
in  typographical  appearance  by  no 
other  in  the  state.  It  was  of  large  di- 
mensions for  those  times,  printed  with 
new  materials,  and  arranged  with  the 
good  taste  and  care  for  which  Mr. 
Hough  was  distinguished.  The  Reg- 
ister was,  in  truth,  a  very  comely  publi- 
cation, filled  with  useful  and  enter- 
taining matter,  and  in  its  editorial  col- 
umns there  was  no  lack  of  ability. 
These  columns  were  nominally  filled 
by  George  Kimball,  Esq.,  who  had  read 
law,  but  was  for  a  time  teacher  in  the 
public  schools  here.  He  was  a  native  of 
New  Hampshire,  but  had  been  a  resi- 
dent of  the  island  of  Bermuda,  where 
he  married  a  lady  who  was  said  to  be 
the  owner  of  several  slaves.  As  the 
Patriot  disposed  of  the  Concord  Ga- 
zettee  by  styling  it  "  the  crow  paper," 
so  it  put  Mr.  Kimball,  of  the  Concord 
Register,  in  a  disadvantageous  position 
by  uniformly  alluding  to  him  as  "  the 
Bermuda  man."  Mr.  Kimball  was  a 
gentleman  of  intelligence ;    a  pleasant 


170 


EARLY  HISTORY  OF  THE  CONCORD  PRESS. 


companion,  of  amiable  disposition, 
good  at  telling  a  story  or  relating  an 
anecdote,  and  a  writer  of  fair  ability. 
But  he  had,  like  other  men,  his  infirm- 
ities. He  was  exceedingly  indolent,  a 
great  snuff  taker,  and  fond  of  exhila- 
rating and  intoxicating  liquors  ;  and  it 
often  came  to  pass  that  when  publica- 
tion day  was  at  hand  there  was  a  lack 
of  supplies  for  the  editorial  columns. 
Then  he  was  wont  to  resort  to  George 
Kent,  Esq.,  whose  pen  had  been  all 
along  the  chief  instrument  by  which 
the  Register  was  making  its  way  in 
popular  regard. 

But  without  dwelling  farther  upon 
this  portion  of  the  topic,  I  proceed  to 
say  that  in  September,  1826,  the  "New 
Hampshire  Statesman"  and  the  "Con- 
cord Register"  were  united,  the  full 
title  of  each  being  retained-  The 
Statesman  abandoned  its  North-End 
quarters,  in  a  building  that  was  the  abode 
.  of  the  late  Dr.  Ezra  Carter,  and  came 
down  to  the  office  of  Mr.  Hough,  sit- 
uated upon  ground  now  occupied  by 
Phenix  Block.  The  united  paper  was, 
however,  not  long  printed  by  Mr. 
Hough,  who  had  passed  his  seventy- 
fifth  year ;  for  about  the  time  of  the 
consolidation  here  spoken  of,  Mr. 
Thomas  G.  Wells,  who  had  been  pub- 
lishing a  paper  entitled  the  "  Amherst 
Herald,"  the  subscription  list  of  which, 
with  the  printing  materials,  were  brought 
to  Concord, — Mr.  Wells  having  pur- 
chased an  interest  in  the  Statesman  and 
Register.  But  being  desirous  of  trying 
his  fortune  in  a  new  and  distant  field, 
Mr.  Wells  sold  his  interest  in  the  paper 
to  Moses  G.  Atwood  and  Asa  McFar- 
land,  February,  1826,  and  within  a  few 
months  sailed  for  Valpraiso. 

It  here  comes  in  order  to  speak  of 
the  rise  of  another  paper.  In  1826, 
John  Quincy  Adams  being  president  of 
the  United  States  by  a  congressional, 
not  popular,  election,  and  a  strictly  mi- 
nority president,  it  was  very  obvious 
that  his  re-election  would  be  sharply 
contested,  and  that  Gen.  Andrew  Jack- 
son— his  most  formidable  competitor 
in  the  election  of  1824 — would  be 
brought  forward  again  in  1828.  It  was 
also  apparent,  as  early  as  1826,  that  al- 


though Mr.  Adams  was  the  choice  of 
New  England,  and  a  favorite  of  a  large 
portion  of  the  Democratic  Republicans 
of  New  Hampshire,  the  Patriot,  never- 
theless, which  had  in  1824  sustained 
Wm,  H.  Crawford  of  Georgia,  would 
support  Gen.  Jackson  in  1828.  Among 
the  Democratic  supporters  of  Mr. 
Adams  was  a  host  of  influential  men, 
found  in  every  portion  of  New  Hamp- 
shire. To  name  a  few  of  those  in  Con- 
cord is  to  indicate  the  character  and 
position  of  Mr.  Adams'  supporters  in 
this  state.  Jacob  B.  Moore  was  one  of 
these.  He  was  associated  with  Mr. 
Hill  in  the  Patriot  up  to  the  year 
1822.  Richard  Bartlett,  secretary  of 
state ;  Joseph  Low,  adjutant  and  in- 
spector general ;  Samuel  Sparhawk, 
cashier  of  the  "  Upper  Bank,"  so  called, 
in  distinction  from  the  Lower  Bank ; 
Gen.  Robert  Davis ;  and  others,  less 
prominent,  but  equally  active  politi- 
cians. The  Statesman  and  Register 
was  sustaining  Mr.  Adams;,  but  that 
journal  being  regarded  by  the  Adams 
Democrats  as  the  representative  of 
what  remained  of  the  Federal  party, 
and  in  the  interests  of  such  men  as 
William  A.  Kent,  Stephen  Ambrose, 
Abel  Hutchins,  Wm.  Kent,  Richard 
Bradley,  Robert  Ambrose,  Benjamin 
Gale,  Charles  and  George  Hutchins, 
and  other  well-known  men  of  Concord 
and  elsewhere  in  New  Hampshire,  a 
new  paper  was,  by  the  Democratic 
wing  of  the  Adams  party,  regarded  as 
necesssary.  This  desire  came  to  ma- 
turity, and  in  September,  1826,  Jacob 
B.  Moore,  then  carrying  on  the  busi- 
ness of  bookseller  and  printer,  com- 
menced "The  New  Hampshire  Jour- 
nal." The  first  number  contained  an 
account  of  the  frightful  and  melancholy 
occurrence  in  the  Notch  of  the  White 
Hills,  August  26,  known  as  the  destruc- 
tion of  the  Willey  family.  This  nar- 
rative was  from  the  pen  of  Mr.  Moore, 
who,  with  Richard  Bartlett,  were  upon  an 
excursion  to  the  mountains  at  the  time 
of  the  awful  deluge  which  fell  upon 
those  hills  and  valleys,  and  themselves 
narrowly  escaped  being  swept  into  a 
swollen  and  raging  torrent. 

Mr.  Moore  was  a  gentleman  of  un- 


THE  AFFECTIONS. 


171 


tiring  industry,  much  ability  as  a  writer, 
good  executive  capacity,  well  read  in 
political  history  and  general  literature, 
and  an  enterprising  man  of  business  ; 
pushing  with  all  his  might  such  under- 
takings as  he  projected.  Through  the 
force  of  his  own  pen  and  that  of  others 
whom  he  enlisted  in  his  service,  and  a 
thorough  canvass  of  the  state  for  sub- 
scribers, the  Journal,  early  in  1828,  had 
more  than  four  thousand  subscribers  ; 
a  great  circulation  for  that  period,  when 
every  inland  paper  was  printed  upon  a 
hand-press.  Having  just  before — Feb- 
ruary, 1828 — embarked  in  the  States- 
man, and  being  young  and  timid,  I  was 
fearful  that  our  establishment  would  be 
wrecked  and  my  investment  of  five 
hundred  dollars  go  to  the  bottom.  But 
when  the  presidential  election  of  1828 
had  become  a  receding  incident  in 
public  affairs,  and  the  heat  of  the  fiery 
campaign  was  succeeded  by  compara- 
tively calm  weather,  the  Journal  rapidly 
lessened  in  circulation.  Mr.  Moore, 
becoming  weary  of  journalism,  trans- 
ferred  the   establishment   to    Richard 


Bartlett,  who,  as  secretary  of  state,  had 
been  superseded  by  Col.  D.  S.  Palmer, 
his  deputy  in  the  office.  Mr.  Bartlett 
was  pronounced  one  of  that  description 
of  men  who  can  do  better  writing  for 
others  than  themselves.  He  had  per- 
formed yeoman  service  while  the 
Journal  was  in  possession  of  Mr. 
Moore,  but,  when  in  his  own  custody, 
ruined  his  articles  by  putting  too  fine 
a  point  upon  them.  The  paper  con- 
tinued to  decline — which  it  probably 
•  would  into  whose  possession  soever  it 
had  fallen;  and  my  fear,  in  1827,  that 
the  Statesman  would  be  irreparably 
damaged  by  its  vigorous  competitor, 
then  sweeping  all  before  it,  not  only 
proved  groundless,  but  entirely  the  re- 
verse, for  in  May,  1830,  the  Journal 
was  united  with  the  Statesman,  and  the 
consolidated  paper  took  the  title,  "  New 
Hampshire  Statesman  and  State  Jour- 
nal." Except  for  this  arrangement, — 
perfected  by  leading  men  to  save  the 
feelings  and  property  of  Mr.  Bartlett, 
— The  Journal  must  have  been  discon- 
tinued for  want  of  support. 


THE  AFFECTIONS. 


BY    MARY    HELEN    BOODEY. 


My  friend,  it  does  not  seem  that  there  should  be 
Comparisons  'twixt  bond  and  bond ; — I  think 

Each  plummet  in  the  heart  doth  deeply  sink, 
Each  tie  holy  in  its  own  degree, 
And  truth,  like  air,  is  full  as  it  is  free. 

Why  need  we  fear,  as,  leaning  o'er  the  brink 

Of  our  own  being,  we  yet  long  to  drink 
In  larger  draughts  of  God's  equality, 
Of  kindly  care  for  all ;  we  can  but  see 

That  He  hath  planned  so  infinitely  well 
.For  every  human  heart,  for  you  and  me, 

That  in  the  rapturous  gladness  that  will  swell 
The  sweet,  sweet  future's  music  there  will  be 

Not  one  tone  missing  from  the  perfect  spell. 


172 


DECISIONS  OF  CHIEF  JUSTICE  SMITH. 


DECISIONS  OF  CHIEF  JUSTICE  SMITH. 


[Smith's  Decisions.  Reports  of  the  cases 
decided  in  the  superior  and  supreme 
judicial  courts  of  New  Hampshire  from 
1802  to  1816,  with  opinions  in  the  circuit 
and  district  courts  of  New  Hampshire, 
with  extracts  from  the  treatise  on  pro- 
hate  law,  &c,  hy  Chief  Justice  Smith. 
Selected,  edited  and  annotated  by  his 
son,  Ex-Judge  Jeremiah  Smith.  Bos- 
ton :  Published  by  Little.  Brown  &  Co. 
From  the  press  of  John  Wilson  &  Son, 
1S79.1 

This  volume  is  a  mirror  of  the  law 
of  "the  olden  time,"  in  its  best  estate. 
Chief  Justice  Smith  was  the  pioneer  in 
the  field  of  jurisprudence  in  New  Eng- 
land as  Kent  was  in  New  York. 

Kent  at  thirty-four,  in  February, 
1798,  became  puisne  Judge  of  the  su- 
preme court  of  New  York,  and  at  forty- 
two,  in  July,  1806,  its  chief  justice. 

Parsons  at  fifty-six,  in  July,  1806, 
was  made  chief  justice  of  the  supreme 
judicial  court  of  Massachusetts. 

Smith,  after  serving  four  terms  in 
'  congress,  and  as  judge  of  probate  in 
the  county  of  Rockingham,  was  at  for- 
ty-one, on  Feb.  20,  1801,  made  Judge 
of  the  circuit  court  of  the  United  States 
for  the  district  of  New  Hampshire  ;  and 
on  May  17,  1802,  chief  justice  of  the 
highest  court  in  this  state.  He  held 
this  position  until  1809,  when  he  was 
over-persuaded  by  certain  of  his  politi- 
cal friends,  among  whom  was  Daniel 
Webster,  to  abandon  it  for  that  of  gov- 
ernor, because  the  supposed  interests 
of  the  federal  party  required  the  nomi- 
nation of  its  most  available    candidate. 

On  July  12,  i8i3,he  again  became 
chief  justice,  and  held  that  place  until 
June  29,  1 81 6,  when  he  was  swept  from 
it  by  the  political  revolution  of  that 
year. 

Prior  to  the  appointment  of  Judge 
Smith  in  1802,  the  law  in  this  state  as  a 
science  had  no  existence.  For  this 
there  are  two  principal  reasons  : 

1.  Under  the  proprietary  govern- 
ment of  Mason,  we  had  no  law   of  our 


own,  either  statute  or  common.  As 
late  as  1660,  Mason  claimed  that  New 
Hampshire  and  Maine  were  governed 
by  the  law  of  the  mother  country. 
Portsmouth,  Dover,  Exeter  and  Hamp- 
ton were  little  principalities,  and  did 
substantially  as  they  pleased.  The 
province  as  such  had  no  existence  be- 
fore the  union  with  Massachusetts,  in 
1 64 1,  nor  until  after  the  forced  separa- 
tion in  1679. 

The  first  code  of  laws  enacted  in  this 
province  in  1679-1680  was  in  substance 
a  re-enactment  of  the  Mosaic  code, 
was  sent  to  the  mother  country  for 
royal  sanction,  and  was  disallowed  by 
the  Privy  Council  as  many  others  after- 
wards were. 

During  the  reign  of  James  II.  the 
laws  were  silent.  A  trinity  of  pro-con- 
suls ruled  and  robbed,  the  people.  In 
1692,  seventy  years  after  the  settle- 
ment, we  were  entirely  destitute  of  what 
is  called  written  law.  Many  statutes 
were  enacted  after  this  time  which  nev- 
er received  the  sanction  of  the  king  and 
council. 

No  laws  were  published  until  1716, 
when  an  edition  of  sixty  pages  folio 
was  published  in  Boston.  In  1718, 
seventy-two  pages  were  added,  and  in 
1  719,  twenty-four  pages  more.  After 
this,  and  before  1728,  sixteen  pages 
more  were  added,  making  in  all  a  vol- 
ume of  one  hundred  and  seventy-two 
pages.  There  was  no  printing  press  in 
this  province  till  1756.  An  edition  of 
the  statutes  was  published  here  in  1760, 
but  discarded  as  not  authentic,  and  a 
new  and  carefully  printed  edition  was 
published  in  1 7  7 1 .  After  the  revolu- 
tion, the  statutes  were  printed  in  folio 
till  1 789,  when  an  octavo  edition,  con- 
taining the  public  and  some  of  the  pri- 
vate laws,  was  published  by  order  of 
the  legislature.  The  dissatisfaction  of 
the  public  compelled  the  publication  of 
anew  and  revised  edition  in  1792, 
which  was  followed   by   the  edition   of 


DECISIONS  OF  CHIEF  JUSTICE  SMITH. 


173 


1797,  and  afterwards  by  the   more   co- 
pious one  of  1S05. 

The  statute  law  when  Judge  Smith 
came  to  the  bench  was  in  a  crude,  cha- 
otic, and  unsatisfactory  condition,  and 
the  common  law  far  worse. 

2.  With  notable  exceptions,  like  the 
Livermores,  which  prove  the  rule,  the 
bench  was  filled  with  broken-down 
ministers,  lumbermen,  bankrupt  traders 
and  cheap  lawyers.  From  two  to  four 
of  these  judges  as  the  quorum  varied, . 
attended  each  trial  term,  if  they  did 
not,  as  sometimes  happened,  forget  the 
time ;  and  not  unfrequently  they  all 
charged  the  jury  in  the  same  cause,  dif- 
fering oftentimes  as  much  as  the  op- 
posing counsel.  Chancellor  Kent  told 
the  rest  in  describing  the  condition  of 
things  when  he  came  to  the  bench  in 
New  York.  "When  I  came  to  the 
bench,"  says  the  Chancellor,  "there 
were  no  reports  or  state  precedents. 
The  opinions  from  the  bench  were  de- 
livered ore  teiats.  We  had  n,o  law  of 
our  own,  and  nobody  knew  what  it 
was.  I  first  introduced  a  thorough  ex- 
amination of  cases  and  written  opin- 
ions." 

Smith  was  a  strong  man.  It  needed 
some  iron  hand  to  purge  the  Augean 
stable  and  he  came.  He  was  one  of 
the  best  representatives  of  that  indus- 
trious, tough,  enduring,  Scotch-Irish 
stock,  who  regarded  it  as  recreation  to 
work  or  fight  from  dawn  till  set  of  sun, 
and  then  to  spend  half  the  night  in 
jest,  and  song,  and  story.  At  forty, 
Smith  was  a  profound  lawyer.  He  had 
absorbed  the  history  of  New  England, 
and  especially  of  this  province  and 
state,  as  a  sponge  does  water.  At  this 
time  he  was  the  greatest  master  of  pro- 
bate  law  in  New  England.  No  one 
since  has  equalled  him ;  and  no  one 
in  this  state  has  approached  him  ex- 
cept the  late  Charles  H.  Atherton. 
He  prepared  two  large  manuscript  vol- 
umes on  the  subject.  It  cost  a  vast 
amount  of  time  and  labor  and  was  an 
able  work  of  great  value.  It  was  the 
reservoir  from  which  Webster,  Chief 
Justice  Richardson,  and  others  hardly 
less  eminent,  continually  drew.  Not- 
withstanding he  was  a  busy  man  of  af- 


fairs, he  was  top-heavy  with  law  learn- 
ing when  he  came  to  the  bench,  and 
when  he  retired  at  the  age  of  fifty-six, 
he  had  accomplished  more  than  ought 
to  be  expected  of  those  at  seventy-five, 
who  now  stand  in  the  fore-front  of  the 
profession  with  the  aid  of  all  the  mod- 
ern appliances.  How  he  did  it,  heav- 
en only  knows  ! 

Upon  coming  to  the  bench  Judge 
Smith  promptly  introduced  the  practice 
of  allowing  a  single  judge  to  direct  the 
course  of  trials,  at  the  trial  terms  of  re- 
serving cases  and  questions  for  the  con- 
sideration of  the  whole  court,  and  of 
preparing  written  opinions. 

This  brought  order  out  of  chaos,  but 
the  labor  was  immense.  Besides  that 
expended  on  the  great  work  of  his  life, 
the  treatise  on  probate  law,  he  presided 
at  the  trial  terms,  examined  the  cases, 
and  prepared  the  written  opinions  in  all 
cases  heard  in  banc  numbering  from 
sixty  to  seventy  yearly,  and  making 
fourteen  manuscript  volumes  with  a 
manuscript  digest. 

Partisan  madness  prevented  the  pub- 
lication of  these  opinions  when  that 
publication  was  demanded  by  every  ra- 
tional consideration  of  the  public  inter- 
est. Had  they  been  published  when 
they  ought,  thousands  and  tens  of  thou- 
sands of  the  money  of  individuals  and 
the  public  would  have  been  saved,  for 
a  very  large  proportion  of  the  questions 
heard  before  Judge  Smith  have  since 
been  litigated  at  great  expense. 

The  volume  before  us  is  mainly  a  se- 
lection from  the  cases  and  the  treatise 
referred  to.  We  fear  that  the  editor 
from  an  excess  of  caution,  and  from 
considerations  which  would  naturally  in- 
fluence a  son,  has  given  us  less  than  he 
ought. 

The  cases  reported  are  in  the  main, 
valuable.  First,  because  they  involve 
important  questions  of  constitutional  and 
municipal  law,  taxation,  the  construc- 
tion of  statutes  relating  to  deeds  and 
other  instruments,  the  rights,  powers 
and  duties  of  judges  of  probate,  sheriffs 
and  receiptors.  They  contain  a  very 
able  discussion  of  the  great  questions  of 
religious  toleration,  the  right  to  tax 
clergymen,  and  the  history   of  proprie- 


174 


DECISIONS  OF  CHIEF  JUSTICE  SMITH. 


taries  and  town  corporations  not  to  be 
found  elsewhere  in  so  compact  a  form. 
Secondly,  the  principles  underlying 
these  decisions  have  been  frequently 
considered  in  a  variety  of  forms  by 
many  of  the  American  courts  as  well  as 
our  own.  Thirdly,  the  compiler  him- 
self, late  one  of  the  ablest  and  clearest 
headed  members  of  our  supreme  court, 
has,  by  the  notes  which  he  has  append- 
ed to  these  cases,  given  the  profession 
in  a  compact  form  a  concordance  of 
the  decisions  here  and  elsewhere, 
wherever  the  same  or  similar  questions 
have  been  considered.  These  notes 
show  great  care  and  are  exceedingly 
valuable. 

We  note  the  following  as  cases  of  in- 
terest :  Muzzy  v.  the  Assessors  of  Am- 
herst, N.  H.,  1-38. 

This  was  the  pioneer  decision  here 
in  favor  of  religious  toleration.  A  ma- 
jority of  the  court,  Wingate,  J.,  dissent- 
ing, held  that  Presbyterians  and  Con- 
gregationalists  were  not  the  same  re- 
ligious sect,  &c.,_within  the  meaning  of 
the  constitution.  Before  Smith  was  ap- 
pointed, the  court  had  decided  that 
Universalists  were  of  the  same  "persua- 
sion, sect,  or  denomination,"  as  Con- 
gregationalists,  and  could  be  taxed  for 
the  support  of  settled  ministers  of  the 
Orthodox  church.  This  decision  was 
affirmed  in  Henderson  v.  Erskine, 
Cheshire,  Oct.  term,  1802,  by  Judges 
Farrar  and  Liver  more.  Smith  took  no 
part  in  this  decision,  though  he  seem- 
ingly acquiesced  in  it  as  the  settled 
law  of  the  state.  But  though  a  Unita- 
rian himself,  when  it  came  to  the  ques- 
tion whether  the  Presbyterians  must  pay 
tribute  in  this  way  to  the  Congregation- 
alists  he  stood  up  stoutly  for  the  inde- 
pendence of  the  church  of  Scotland,  to 
which  his  kith  and  kin  belonged. 

In  Kidder  v.  the  Assessors  of  Dun- 
stable, 155,  .Cheshire,  April  term,  1807, 
the  case  of  Kelly  v.  the  Selectmen  of 
Warner  is  cited,  but  without  any  at- 
tempt to  summarize  the  history  of  that 
once  famous  case,  nor  does  the  chief 
justice  seem  to  have  understood  what 
the  facts  really  were. 

The  Rev.  William  Kelly  was  born  at 
Newbury,  Massachusetts,    October   30, 


1744,  graduated  at  Harvard,  in  1767, 
and  was  ordained  at  what  is  now  War- 
ner, N.  H.,  February  5,  1772,  where  he 
resided  till  his  death,  May  18,  1813. 
Warner j  at  the  time  of  the  ordination, 
was  so  thinly  inhabited,  that  after  the 
council  had  convened  it  was  rumored 
among  the  people  that  there  were  not 
enough  professors  of  religion  in  town  to 
form  a  church,  and  therefore  the  ordi- 
nation must  fall  through.  In  this 
.emergency  an  old  Dutch  hunter,  who 
had  lately  moved  into  town  from  New 
York,  anxious  to  help  the  council  out 
of  their  supposed  dilemma,  sent  them 
word  that  rather  than  not  have  them 
proceed  he  would  join  the  church 
himself,  but  if  they  could  get  along 
without  him  he  would  rather  not.  The 
council  went  on  without  his  assistance. 
Kelly  received,  by  way  of  settlement, 
$100,  with  an  annual  salary  of  ^40,  to 
be  increased  till  it  should  equal  p£6o 
per  annum,  and  twenty  cords  of  wood. 
About  1792,  Kelly  found  such  inroads 
made  upon  his  society  as  to  render  his 
support  burdensome  to  his  friends,  and 
thereupon  gave  up  his  contract,  and 
afterwards  was  repeatedly  refused  a  dis- 
mission. Soon  after  this  an  unfriendly 
board  of  selectmen  taxed  his  property, 
and  collected  the  tax  by  distress.  Kel- 
ly brought  suit  against  the  selectmen 
which  the  town  defended,  and  at  the 
May  term,  1798,  the  court  decided  that 
the  property  of  a  settled  minister  of  the 
gospel,  under  his  own  management, 
was  exempt  from  taxation.  On  March 
11,  1 80 1,  after  he  had  won  this  cause, 
Kelly  was  dismissed  by  a  council  called 
at  his  own  request. 

Fisher  v.  Steward,  60,  is  a  Claremont 
case.  The  court  held  that  one  who 
finds  a  swarm  of  bees  in  a  tree  on  an- 
other's land,  marks  the  tree,  and  noti- 
fies the  land-owner,  has  no  right  to  the 
honey.  This  case  shows  the  strength 
of  traditionary  law.  Many  people  be- 
lieve to  this  day  that  the  contrary  is 
true  because  the  tradition  has  come 
down  to  them  on  the  stream  of  genera- 
tions as  an  heir-loom. 

In  Melven  v.  Darling,  74,  it  was  held 
that  an  unsatisfied  judgment  against  a 
trustee  in   foreign   attachment   for   the 


DECISIONS  OF  CHIEF  JUSTICE  SMITH. 


i75 


amount  of  a  debt  secured  by  a  mort- 
gagees a  bar  to  a  suit  afterwards 
brought  by  the  principal  defendant  up- 
on the  mortgage  against  the  trustee. 
The  dicta  in  this  state  upon  this  point 
have  been  very  conflicting  and  it  must 
be  a  wise  man  who  knows  what  the  law  is. 

Morey  v.  Orford  Bridge,  91,  contains 
a  valuable  discussion  of  the  constitu- 
tional question  as  to  whether  a  grant  of 
a  ferry  and  the  like  is  a  contract  which 
the  constitution  of  the  United  States 
prohibits  the  states  from  impairing. 
This  decision  was  made  six  years  be- 
fore the  opinion  was  given  by  Chief 
Justice  Marshall,  in  Fletcher  v.  Peck. 
Judge  Smith  held  that  the  grant  of  a 
ferry  is  against  common  right  and  must 
therefore  be  construed  strictly.  This 
doctrine  was  affirmed  in  the  supreme 
court  of  the  United  States  in  the 
Charles  River  Bridge  case,  contrary  to 
the  opinions  of  Marshall  and  Story. 
Judge  Smith  also  held  that  a  ferry  and 
a  bridge,  though  they  serve  the  same 
end,  are  things  totally  distinct  in  their 
nature  ;  that  a  grant  of  a  ferry  does  not 
prohibit  persons  from  crossing  or  ena- 
bling others  to  cross  in  any  other  way  ; 
and  that  the  grant  of  a  ferry  would  not 
infringe  the  grant  of  a  bridge. 

In  Frost  v.  Brown,  113,  it  was  held 
that  where  a  minor  had  contracted  for 
his  own  services,  and  his  employer  had 
agreed  to  pay  him  therefor,  his  earn- 
ings could  not  be  attached  on  trustee 
process  by  a  creditor  of  his  father.  Ig- 
norant of  its  existence,  the  legislature 
many  years  afterwards,  re-enacted  this 
decision. 

In  the  case  of  St.  John's  Church  at 
Portsmouth,  17S,  it  was  held  that  the 
exercise  of  corporate  privileges  for  up- 
wards of  a  century,  recognition  in  an- 
cient records  and  papers,  and  in  acts 
of  the  legislature,  were  evidence  of  due 
incorporation.' 

In  Currier  v.  Basset,  191,  it  was  held 
that  towns  may  settle  disputed  lines  so 
far  as  respects  jurisdiction. 

In  the  case  of  Flanders  v.  Herbert, 
205,  it  was  held  that  a  writ  of  attach- 
ment, without  a  declaration,  is  not  a 
writ,  and  that  no  officer  could  justify 
under  it.  - 


In  Doe  v.  Morrell,  255,  it  was  held 
unlawful  for  one  tenant  in  common  of 
a  house,  to  make  partition  with   a    saw. 

We  had  before  heard  of  an  eccentric 
lawyer  in  Vermont,  who  summarily  dis- 
solved the  firm  of  which  he  was  a  mem- 
ber, by  sawing  his  partner's  name  off 
their  common  shingle. 

In  Cornish  v.  Kenrick,  270,  the  his- 
tory of  the  origin  of  proprietary  and 
town  governments  is  summarized.  An 
examination  of  the  reports  of  the  su- 
preme court  of  the  United  States  and 
of  the  states,  shows  that  nobody  out- 
side of  New  England,  and  compara- 
tively few  within  it,  ever  understood 
either. 

The  opinion  in  Boynton  v.  Emerson, 
298,  was  the  foundation  of  the  magnifi- 
cent argument  of  Parker  Noyes  which 
carried  the  court  with  him  in  the  noted 
case  of  Weld  v.  Hadley,  1  N.  H.,  295, 
in  which  it  was  held  that  a  tender  of 
specific  articles,  unaccepted,  vested  the 
property  in  the  chattels  in  the  person 
making  the  tender. 

In  Hodgdon  v.  Robinson,  320,  it 
was  held  that  where  an  execution  is  ex- 
tended upon  two  tracts  of  land,  it  is 
not  necessary  that  the  same  persons 
should  be  appraisers  on  both  tracts. 

Thompson  v.  Bennet,  327,  contains 
a  masterly  opinion  by  the  chief  justice 
that  a  deed  attested  by  only  one  wit- 
ness is  inoperative.  This  decision  was 
afterwards  disregarded  by  the  majority 
of  the  superior  court,  and  from  that 
time  to  this  confusion  has  reigned.  The 
decision  in  French  v.  French,  2  N.  H., 
234,  was  as  bold  an  act  of  judicial  usur- 
pation as  that  in  Taltarum's  case. 

The  editor  makes  an  ingenious  effort 
to  reconcile  the  decisions  in  Hastings 
v.  Cutler,  24  N.  H.,  48 1,  and  in  Bar- 
ker v.  Bean,  25  N.  H.,  412,  and  we 
presume  would  reckon  Gooding  v.  Ri- 
ley, 50  N.  H.,  400,  as  in  harmony  with 
Barker  v.  Bean.  It  would  seem  impos- 
sible to  any  one  who  knew  the  real 
facts  to  reconcile  these  two  cases.  The 
truth  is  that  when  Hasting  v.  Cutler 
and  Barker  v.  Bean  were  decided,  one 
judge  as  a  rule  knew  little  about  the 
opinions  of  any  other  judge.  The 
cases  were  divided  among  the  judges. 


176 


GOOD  LUCK 


Each  one  wrote  the  opinions  in  the 
cases  assigned  to  him,  and  to  use  the 
pointed  language  of  Judge  Perley, 
"took  the  responsibility  of  it."  The 
judges  who  in  form  decided  these  two 
cases,  never  looked  far  enough  to  see 
that  they  had  made  two  antagonistic 
and  irreconcilable  decisions  ;  and  Good- 
ing v.  Riley  has  a  history  of  its  own. 

In  Chesterfield  v.  Hart,  350,  it  was 
held  that  an  infant  of  sufficient  proper- 
ty, was  liable  under  the  pauper  statutes 
for  the  support  of  her  grandmother. 

In  Porter  v.  Tarlton,  372,  it  was  held 
that  a  sheriff  who  delivered  attached 
goods  to  a  receiptor,  did  so  at  his  own 
risk,  unless  the  taking  of  the  receipt 
was  directed  or  ratified  by  the  creditor. 
This  was  undoubtedly  the  ancient  law 
in  this  state.  It  has  also  been  so  held 
in  other  jurisdictions.  The  modern 
doctrine  in  this  state  that  a  sheriff  was 
bound  to  accept  a  receiptor  was  the  re- 
sult of  judicial  legislation.  Whether  it 
was  rational  or  not,  is  one  thing ; 
whether  it  was  the  law  or  not,  another. 
It  is  obvious  that  a  receipt  is  a  con- 
tract. Like  other  contracts  it  should 
receive  a  rational  interpretation.  To 
meet  the  supposed  equities  of  particu- 
lar cases,  the  courts  have  warped  such 
contracts,  and  adopted  abortive  views 
of  them,  and  in  order  to  support  refine- 
ments without  reason,  and  distinctions 
without  sense,  they  have  been  com- 
pelled to  invent  a   history   which   they 


ought  to  have  known  never  existed. 
JSTot  a  few  of  these  contradictory  de- 
cisions, owe  their  existence  to  the  fact 
that  the  judges  were  not  aware  of  the 
decisions  which  had  been  previously 
made  upon  the  same  point.  As  illus- 
trations, Phelps  v.  Gilchrist,  28  N.  H., 
266;  and  Sanborn  v.  Buswell,  51  N. 
H.,  573,  are  in  point  as  respects  Rem- 
ick  v.  Atkinson,  n  N.  H.,  256.  In 
their  attempts  to  reach  justice,  our  court, 
in  the  matter  of  receipts,  and  the  su- 
preme court  of  the  United  States,  in  the 
bond  and  tax  cases,  have  created  an 
anomalous  class  of  contracts  and  made 
a  deformity  ofthe  law  so  that  it  now  de- 
pends upon  arbitrary  precedents  in- 
stead of  legal   principles. 

In  Bryant  v.  Ela,  396,  the  court  held 
in  effect,  that  where  no  personal  service 
is  had  upon  the  defendant,  the  court 
had  no  jurisdiction  over  him  for  any 
other  purpose  than  as  affects  the  prop- 
erty attached  ;  that  such  suits  were  pro- 
ceedings in  rem  ;  that  they  were  re- 
stricted in  their  scope  to  the  property 
attached  •  and  that  the  attachment  was 
the  necessary  foundation  for  any  fur- 
ther proceedings.  This  decision  re- 
ceives strong  support  from  a  recent  de- 
cision of  the  supreme  court  of  the 
United  States,  that  in  those  states  where 
a  sale  is  allowed  instead  of  an  attach- 
ment, no  jurisdiction  can  be  acquired 
without  personal  service.' 


GO  OB  LUC  A'. 


FROM   THE    GERMAN    OF    GEIBEL. 

Good  luck  is  only  a  flighty  thing. 
And  has  been  from  the  beginning; 
Yon  may  limit  for  her  all  the  world  round 
And  yet  the  creature  may  not  be  found. 

Throw  yourself  on  the  dewy  grass. 
Am!  sing  your  songs  to  the  tickle  lass; 
Quickly,  perhaps,  from  out  the  blue  skies, 
She  may  descend  to  sooth  your  sighs. 

Then  you  must  seize  and  hold  her  close, 
But  do  not  make  your  complaints  verbose : 
Though  she  so  long  has  kept  you  waiting, 
Mayhap  a  new  flight  she  is  meditating. 


-Lucia  Moses. 


CONGRESSIONAL  PAPERS.— ILLUSIONS  DISPELLED. 


177 


CONGRESSIONAL  PAPERS,  No.  4.— ILLUSIONS  DISPELLED. 


BY    G.    H.    JENNESS. 


Many  erroneous  ideas  prevail  con- 
cerning   congress,    among    those     not 
familiar  with  its  interior  workings.    The 
newspaper,  that  omnipresent  vehicle  of 
modern  intelligence,  fails  to    delineate 
all  the  peculiar  phases  of  our  American 
parliament.      Even  the   Congressional 
Record  itself,  which  is  supposed  to  be 
an  exact  official  record  of  proceedings, 
is  also  made  to  convey  a  harmless  de- 
ception  by  its  burden  of  long-winded 
speeches   that   were   never    delivered. 
Take  a  case  in  point.     The  "Record" 
of  the  forty-fifth  congress,  second  ses- 
sion, contains  many  very  able  speeches 
upon  American  finance,   purporting   to 
be   the  extemporaneous   eloquence  of 
approval,    disapproval,    or    indignation 
generated   by  the  president's  veto  of 
the  silver  bill.     The  actual   delivery   of 
those   speeches  would   have    occupied 
one  or  more  of  the  entire  daily  sessions 
of  the  house.     As   it  was,  the  ■  bill  was 
passed  in  both  branches   of  congress, 
and  became  a  law  in  spite  of  the  pres- 
ident's veto  in  less  than  four  hours  af- 
ter it  left  the  White  House,   all  debate 
being   cut   off    in   the   house   by  Mr. 
Alexander  H.  Stephens'  demand  for  the 
previous  question.     "Leave  to  print"  is 
the  mysterious  process  by  which  this 
feat  of   parliamentary    legerdemain    is 
accomplished.     The  advantages  of  the 
plan  are  obvious.      It   affords  time  for 
preparation,  relieves  the  listeners  and 
avoids  the  pangs  of  delivery.      It  also 
conveys    to    the    honorable    member's 
constituents  the  pleasing  delusion,  that, 
in  times  of  great  public  emergency,'  the 
honorable  member  aforesaid  is  at  his  post, 
flinging  his  eloquence  into  the  congres- 
sional arena,  and  fiercely  gesticulating 
to  the  admiring  crowds  who  listen  with 
breathless  attention  to  his  impassioned 
oratory.     The   local   newspaper    takes 
up  the  theme,  and  with  the  Congres- 


sional Record  for  a  breastwork,  marks 
out  a  campaign,  throws  up  the  lines  of 
defense,  and  challenges  the  political 
enemy  to  prove  that  the  failure  to  re- 
elect the  author  of  so  much  extempo- 
raneous ( ?)  eloquence  would  not  be 
a  national  calamity,  and  perhaps  imperil 
the  very  existence  of  the  government 
itself. 

Another  safety  valve  for  the    escape 
of    congressional   eloquence    when    it 
reaches  the  danger  line,  is  the  Saturday 
session,  and  an  occasional  evening  ses- 
sion "for  debate  only."     At  these  mo- 
mentous gatherings  the  audience  upon 
the  floor  of  the  house  numbers  from 
three  to  twenty-five,  the  latter,  in   con- 
gressional parlance,  being  considered 
"a  good   house."     The   best   speakers  , 
on    either   side    never   resort    to     this 
method   of    firing   the    hearts  of  their 
constituents,    for    it   is   considered    a 
great  waste  of  the  raw  material.     Banks, 
Butler,    Garfield    Hale,    Frye,    Kelley, 
Cox,  Blackburn,  Tucker,  Gibson,   Cly- 
mer,  and  McMahon,   are  never  found 
talking  to  empty  benches  and  galleries, 
but  carefully  husband    their   resources 
for  the  "field  days"  that  seldom  come 
unannounced.     A  judicious    expendi- 
ture of  printer's  ink  generally  conveys 
to  an  anxious  and  expectant  public  the 
intelligence  that  "something  is   up"   in 
the   house   at   the   proper  time  before 
that  "something"  occurs.      There    are 
exceptions   to   this,     as,   for   instance, 
when  some  unguarded  "hit"  brings  on 
a  running  debate,  in  which    the    heavy 
artillery  are  compelled  to  take  the  field, 
even  if  not  rewarded  by  the  smiles  and 
plaudits    of    "fair  women    and     brave 
men"   in   the   gallery.     The   few  men 
who    command   the    attention    of    the 
house,  or  the  country,  are  alternately 
praised  and  abused  by  the   press,  and 
their  names  perpetually  paraded  before 


178         CONGRESSIONAL  PAPERS.— ILLUSIONS  DISPELLED. 


the  people.  The  "evening  session" 
member  drops  into  obscurity  after  the 
customary  "notice"  of  his  effort  by  the 
local  newspaper,  and  his  popularity 
with  such  of  his  constituents  as  judge 
congressmen  by  their  speeches  only,  is 
measured  by  the  number  of  printed 
copies  sent  into  his  district. 

Those  who  estimate  the  work  of  con- 
gress by  the  speech-making,  or  the  pro- 
ceedings in  open  session,  fail  to  do  that 
honorable  body  common  justice.  The 
real  work  in  both  branches  is  done  in 
the  committee-rooms.  Here  is  where 
the  multitude  of  petitions  are  sent,  pa- 
pers referred,  arguments  offered,  wit- 
nesses examined,  and  all  the  details  of 
legislation  perfected.  The  "sacred 
right  of  petition"  is  being  indulged  in 
to  an  extent  never  before  known  in  the 
history  of  American  legislation,  and  it 
adds  heavily  to  the  burdens  of  com- 
mittees who  are  obliged  to  take  cogni- 
zance of  their  contents.  During  the 
first  five  months  of  the  forty-fifth  con- 
gress, the  number  of  petitions  referred, 
daily,  to  the  appropriate  committees 
•  varied  from  one  hundred  to  three 
hundred,  the  bulk  of  which  went  to  the 
committee  of  ways  and  means,  com- 
merce, and  invalid  pensions.  The 
humblest  citizen  in  the  obscurest  ham- 
let in  the  land  may  petition  congress 
for  a  redress  of  greivances,  payment  for 
services  rendered,  or  for  damages  in- 
flicted upon  his  barnyard  fence  during 
our  "late  unpleasantness,"  and  rest  as- 
sured that  his  petition  will  be  as  care- 
fully introduced,  referred,  indexed, 
filed,  and  considered  as  if  it  were  a  mat- 
ter of  the  gravest  national  importance. 
During  the  five  months  previously  re- 
ferred to,  over  five  thousand  bills  were 
introduced  in  the  house  alone,  nearly 
all  of  which  were  read  and  referred  to 
committees.  A  few  pass,  under  a  sus- 
pension of  the  rules,  but  by  far  the 
larger  portion  are  carefully  considered 
in  committee  before  being  reported  to 
the  house.  The  house  meets  at  noon, 
daily,  and  usually  adjourns  before  five 
o'clock  ;  but  the  committee-man's  work, 
like  a  woman's,  is  never  done.  The 
ablest  men  on  all  the  leading  commit- 
tees  work    more   hours,  and  tax  their 


physical  endurance  and  mental  powers 
to  a  greater  degree  than  they  would  if 
at  home  in  their  counting-rooms  or 
offices.  The  ability  of  the  practical 
legislator  is  tested  more  in  the  commit- 
tee room  than  upon  the  floor  of  the 
house,  for  it  has  been  found  upon  many 
noted  occasions  that  fine  oratory  and 
practical  hard  work  are  not  closely  re- 
lated. Both  are  essential,  and  neither 
can  well  be  dispensed  with,  particular- 
ly the  hard  work.  There  are  many  men 
in  congress  who  seldom  make  a  speech, 
whose  names  are  scacely  ever  seen  in 
the  papers  outside  of  their  own  states, 
who  are  comparative  strangers  to  the 
readers  of  the  Record,  whose  good 
judgment  and  practical  sound  sense  has 
great  influence  in  shaping  legislation 
and  enacting  good  laws.  The  daily 
sessions  then,  instead  of  being  a  true 
exponent  of  the  work  being  done  by 
our  law-makers,  are  merely  for  the  pur- 
pose of  comparing  notes,  supplying 
omissions,  perfecting  details,  or  smooth- 
ing up  work  roughed  out  by  the  differ- 
ent committees.  The  "field  days"  are 
elaborately  reported  and  highly  colored 
by  correspondents  v/hose  fertile  imagi- 
nations are  equal  to  any  emergency  ; 
but  the  business  days  and  weeks  when 
no  "oratory"  is  heard  or  expected,  are 
but  little  noticed  either  in  Washington  or 
the  country  at  large.  These  are  the  days 
and  weeks  when  the  clear-headed  and 
far-seeing  practical  men  of  business  lay 
aside  all  nonsense  and  political  bun-  0 
combe,  and  use  their  best  judgment  in 
devising  ways  and  means  whereby  our 
good  uncle,  whose  surname  is  Samuel, 
is  enabled  to  provide  for  the  support  of 
his  large  and  growing  family,  and  to 
pay  his  honest  debts.  The  appropria- 
tion bills  are  drawn  with  very  great  care 
and  require  many  weeks  of  the  severest 
mental  labor  to  perfect  them.  To  pro- 
vide/or  the  support  of  every  branch  of 
the  government  in  all  its  details  is  the 
task  allotted  to  the  committee  on  ap- 
propriations. The  army  and  navy,  the 
consular  and  diplomatic,  the  river  and 
harbor,  the  pension,  the  post-office,  the 
Indian,  the  legislative,  the  deficiency, 
and  the  sundry  civil  are  the  principal  ap- 
propriation bills  that  emanate  from  this 


CONGRESSIONAL  PAPERS.— ILLUSIONS  DISPELLED.        179 


committee.  Four  or  five  of  the  eleven 
will  contain  from  fifty  to  one  hundred 
and  ten  printed  pages  each,  document 
size,  which  fact  is  sufficient  to  convey 
the  idea  that  a  position  on  the  appro- 
priation committee,  at  least,  is  no  sine- 
cure. Indeed  the  amount  of  work 
performed  by  the  average  congressman 
is  much  greater  than  is  popularly  sup- 
posed. The  work  in  committee,  the 
daily  attendance  at  the  regular  sessions, 
the  calls  at  the  departments  on  official 
business,  the  immense  private  corres- 
pondence from  clamorous  constituents 
who  want  a  book,  or  a  speech,  or  an 
office,  all  add  to  the  cares  and  respon- 
sibilities of  the  honorable  M.  C.  Then 
if  his  family,  if  he  has  one,  is  desirous 
of  cutting  a  dash  in  "Washington  so- 
ciety," the  poor  man  is  "toted"  around 
to  all  the  balls,  pound-parties,  lunches 
and  "receptions"  given  by  the  notables 
from  Lord  A  down  to  Esquire  Z,  and 
filled  up  with  frozen  cream,  boiling 
coffee,  terrapin  soup,  and  iced  cham- 
pagne. He  must  call  on  all  the  offi- 
cials, high  and  low,  stand  the  "crush" 
at  the  president's  reception,  and  fur- 
nish the  female  interviewer  the  full  par- 
ticulars concerning  the  style  and  cost 
of  his  wife's  wardrobe. 

The  preparation  of  speeches,  if  he 
be  given  to  speech-making,  requires 
much  care  and  time  on  the  part  of  the 
congressman  who  aspires  to  renown  in 
that  direction.  On  all  possible  subjects 
connected  with  legislation  the  field  has 
been  thoroughly  gleaned  many  times 
over.  International  and  constitutional 
law,  diplomacy,  the  tariff,  internal  im- 
provements, and  every  conceivable  sub- 
ject upon  which  any  considerable  num- 
ber of  citizens  are  supposed  to  take  the 
slightest  interest,  has  been  a  matter  of 
public  discussion  in  the  two  houses  of 
congress  ever  since  their  existence.  It 
is  not  expected,  therefore,  "that,  upon 
general  topics,  the  average  member 
will  be  able  to  say  anything  remarkably 
new,  or  strikingly  original.  He  will  be 
fortunate  indeed  if  somebody  does  not 
hop  up  and  point  him  to  the  volume, 
page,  column,  and  paragraph  in  the 
Record  or  Globe,  of  ten,  twenty,  or 
forty  years  ago,  where  almost  his  exact 


language  may  be  found.  This  strange 
condition  of  affairs  may  be  accounted 
for  by  the  fact  that  upon  certain  spe- 
cific questions  of  a  public  nature,  the 
reference  to  standard  works  in  the  con- 
gressional libraries  are  the  only  reliable 
data  upon  which  to  build  the  super- 
structure of  a  speech.  It  is  not  to  be 
wondered  at,  then,  that  hundreds  of 
men,  searching  for  the  same  facts  upon 
the  same  subject,  in  the  same  books, 
should  frequently  stumble  upon  '  the 
same  paragraph  in  elucidating  their 
views.  Then,  again,  they  must  rely  on 
the  knowledge  and  judgment  of  the  li- 
brarian, who  hunts  up  the  "references" 
on  a  given  subject.  Without  the  libra- 
rian and  his  assistants,  any  man  would 
be  as  helpless  as  a  ship  at  sea  without 
a  rudder.  The  various  libraries  in  the 
capitol  contain  a  half-a-million  volumes, 
which  is  a  pile  of  books  the  size  of 
which  no  one  would  form  any  adequate 
idea,  who  has  not  seen  them.  Amid 
the  miles  of  shelving,  and  the  hundreds 
of  alcoves,  one  might  hunt  a  year  for 
a  certain  book  and  not  be  able  to  find 
it.  The  librarian,  however,  with  his 
wonderful  system  of  indexing,  and  his 
vast  practical  knowledge,  gained  only  by 
years  and  years  of  experience,  will  soon 
find  whatever  is  needed.  Let  a  mem- 
ber make  known  his  desire  to  find  the 
decision  of  a  county,  state  or  supreme 
court  upon  any  case,  the  opinion  of 
any  noted  jurist  upon  any  question  of 
law,  the  cost  of  keeping  a  soldier  in 
1840,  the  price  of  army  blankets  in 
1850,  the  revenue  derived  from  the 
importation  of  quinine  in  i860,  the 
number  of  tons  of  pig-iron  produced 
in  Pennsylvania  ;  in  short,  if  he  wants 
any  particular  information  upon  any 
given  snbject,  the  old  "  book  worms  " 
in  the  libraries  can  produce  it  for  him 
in  an  incredibly  short  space  of  time. 
There  is  a  man  in  the  house  library 
who  knows  it  so  well  that  he  is  regarded 
as  a  permanent  fixture.  He  has  been 
discharged  once  or  twice  on  account  of 
political  changes,  but  soon  reinstated. 
They  can't  do  without  him.  He  has 
probably  contributed  indirectly,  more 
pages  to  the  Congressional  Record,  dur- 
ing the  last  dozen  years,  than  any   man 


i8o 


SUNSHINE  AFTER  CLOUDS. 


living.  He  is  not  an  M.  C.  and  is  not 
much  seen  upon  the  floor,  but  there 
would  be  some  fearful  gaps  in  a  good 
many  congressional  speeches  if  his 
work  were  blotted  out.  He  is  one  of 
the  "book  worms"  of  the  house  libra- 
ry, belongs  to  the  noble  family  of 
Smiths,  and,  horrible  to  think  of  (to 
some),  is  an  American  citizen  of  Afri- 
can descent. 

Under  the  circumstances  herein  al- 
luded to,  the  charge  of  plagiarism,  to 
which  the  honorable  member  may  have 


laid  himself  liable,  should  be  lightly 
treated  and  generously  overlooked.  It 
is  well  nigh  impossible  to  get  up  an 
"original"  speech  in  congress  upon 
the  standard  legislative  subjects,  and 
the  few  attempts  to  do  so  are  not  well 
calculated  to  stimulate  enterprise  in 
that  direction. 

The  purpose  of  this  article  is  not  to 
tear  away  too  much  of  the  veil  that 
surrounds  our  lawgivers,  but  just  enough 
to  dispel  some  of  the  harmless  illusions 
that  exist  in  the  public  mind. 


SUNSHINE  AFTER  CLOUDS, 


BY    HELEN    M.    RUSSELL. 


CH AFTER   I. 

"  You  are  very  tired  tonight,  are  you 
not,  Margie  ?  Your  work  has  been 
harder  than  usual  today,  I  know  by 
your  flushed  cheek  and  heavy  eyes. 
Oh  my  child  !  how  I  wish  I  might  take 
a  portion  of  your  heavy  burden  upon 
myself."  Mrs.  Benson  raised  herself 
from  the  lounge  where  she  had  been 
reclining  and  gently  drew  her  daughter 
to  her  side.  It  was  a  poor  room,  but 
neat  as  wax.  The  uncovered  floor  was 
white  and  clean.  The  few  chairs  and 
small  table,  and  well-worn  lounge  were 
neatly  dusted.  ■  The  window  curtain 
which  shaded  the  one  small  window 
was  snowy  white  ;  but  over  all  the  signs 
of  extreme  poverty  cast  a  shadow  that 
told  of  toilsome  days  and  weary  nights. 
Mrs.  Benson  was  a  confirmed  invalid. 
The  thin  cheeks,  with  their  hectic  flush, 
told  that  death  was  very  near  her.  Her 
large  brown  eyes  were  filled  with  un- 
shed tears  as  she  tenderly  drew  her 
daughter  to  her  side.  Margie  Benson 
laid  her  head  for  a  moment  upon  her 
mother's  shoulder,  with  a  low  sigh,  then 
she  lifted  it,  and  the  dark  brown  eyes 
rested  lovingly  upon  the  face  so  dear 
to  her,  as  she  replied  :  "  No,  mother, 
my  work  has  not  been  more  tiresome 
than  usual ;  but  our  wages  have  been 
lowered.  Mr.  Brown  says  he  cannot 
afford  to  pay  as  much  as  he  has  been 


paying,  and  I  don't  know  how  we  shall 
live.  If  I  could  find  something  else  to 
do  I  would  leave  the  mill,  but  that  I 
cannot  do,  I  suppose.  If  father  would 
not  drink  !"  This  last,  with  a  bitter 
sob,  as  the  brown  head  sank  down 
again  to  its  resting  place.  "  If  father 
would  not  drink!"  How  many  hun- 
dreds, aye  thousands  of  poor  girls 
have  uttered  that  self-same  cry,  wrung 
from  their  inmost  hearts.  The  shame 
and  misery,  the  anxious  days  and  fear- 
ful nights  of  a  drunkard's  family,  are 
known  only  to  themselves.  For  a  mo- 
ment Mrs.  Benson  made  no  reply.  It 
was  not  often  that  Margie  gave  way  to 
her  feelings  like  this,  but  tonight  she 
was  so  heart-sick  and  discouraged  that 
she  gave  up  to  the  sorrow  that  cast  a 
blight  upon  her  young  life.  Compelled 
oftimes  to  furnish  her  father  with 
means  to  procure  vhis  potations,  her 
very  soul  shrank  from  the  injustice  of 
her  unnatural  parent.  Gently  Mrs. 
Benson  stroked  the  curling  hair  away 
from  her  daughter's  flushed  face  ere 
she  replied.  Then  she  said  softly : 
"Margie,  where  has  your  courage 
gone  ?  If  you  lose  that,  what  will  be- 
come of  us?"  "Oh,  my  mother,  for- 
give me.  I  do  wrong  to  worry  you 
like  this."  She  paused  for  a  moment, 
and  then  said  :  "  I  shall  not  give  him 
any  more  money.     I  do  not  think  he 


SUNSHINE  AFTER  CLOUDS. 


1S1 


will  beat  me  and  I  do  not  mind  his 
harsh  words — much.  After  all,  it  is  not 
so  bad  as  it  might  be,  mother,"  said 
she,  trying  to  speak  cheerfully,  as  she 
arose  from  her  seat  and  bustled  about 
to  prepare  her  frugal  supper.  Twenty 
minutes  later  she  assisted  her  mother 
to  a  seat  at  the  table,  and  altho'  she 
pressed  the  invalid  to  partake  of  the 
toast  she  had  prepared  for  her,  she  ate 
but  little  herself.  Her  heart  beat  rap- 
idly at  every  footstep  near  the  door, 
for  she  well  knew  that  if  her  father  re- 
turned at  all  that  night,  he  would  re- 
turn intoxicated,  as  she  had  herself 
seen  him  reeling  into  a  drinking  saloon 
when  on  her  way  home  from  the  fac- 
tory. She  felt  the  disgrace  keenly,  this 
young  girl  whose  thoughts  and  aspira- 
tions were  so  much  above  the  sphere 
in  which  circumstances  placed  her. 
Her  only  sister,  Clara,  had  married,  two 
years  before,  a  well-to-do  farmer,  re- 
siding in  Vermont,  and  she  had  been 
very  kind  to  the  mother  and  sister  in 
their  bitter  sorrows,  often  sending  them 
money  and  cheering  words,  which  came 
like  rays  of  sunlight  into  the  drunkard's 
home.  Margie  sat  thinking  sadly  of 
their  poverty,  her  mother's  ill-health 
and  her  father's  intemperance,  until 
Mrs.  Benson  slowly  arose  from  the 
table,  then  she  hastily  sprang  forward 
and  assisted  her  to  a  seat  near  the  fire, 
and  bustling  about,  soon  had  the  room 
restored  to  its  usual  order.  "  Mother, 
had  you  not  better  retire  ?  It  is  getting 
quite  cool  here  and  the  coal  is  nearly 
gone.  You  will  be  more  comfortable 
in  bed.  I  will  throw  my  shawl  over 
my  shoulders  and  wait  up  for  father.  I 
fear  he  will  be  late  tonight."  Mrs. 
Benson  raised  her  eyes  to  her  daugh- 
ter's face  and  said  sadly  :  "Yes,  Mar- 
gie, I  will  do  as  you  wish.  I  cannot 
see  him  in  his  degredation  tonight,  I 
am  not  equal  to  it.  Rest  here  on  the 
lounge  until  he  comes.  If  you  refuse 
him  money  he  will  pawn  this  miserable 
furniture,  and  we  shall  have  nothing. 
Oh,  Margie,  what  a  curse  rum  is.  It 
has  changed  your  father  from  a  noble 
man  to  a  miserable  wretch,  as  it  has 
done  many  others.  What  will  become 
of  you,  my   poor   child,   when   I    am 


gone?"  Slowly  and  feebly  she  arose, 
and,  leaning  on  her  daughter,  she 
sought  her  own  room.  "  Mother  seems 
more  feeble  tonight  than  ever  before," 
said  Margie  to  herself,  as  at  length  she 
stood  alone  in  the  little  kitchen.  "  She 
will  soon  be  out  of  this  grief  and 
trouble,  while  I  must  live  on,  doubly 
wretched  without  her  dear  presence. 
Oh,  surely  my  lot  is  very  hard,"  she 
moaned,  as  extinguishing  the  lamp,  she 
drew  aside  the  window  curtain  and 
knelt  beside  the  window,  thus  beginning 
her  long  watch.  Night  after  night  she 
had  knelt  there,  watching  for  her  father, 
that  she  might  be  ready  to  open  the 
door  for  him  and  keep  him  quiet  if  pos- 
sible. Usually  he  was  stupid  and  sul- 
len and  easily  led,  but  if  he  was  thirst- 
ing for  liquor,  and  had  no  money  to 
obtain  it,  he  would  curse  and  swear  at 
his  poor  wife  and  wretched  daughter 
until  he  got  what  little  money  they  had, 
then  he  would  leave  them,  and  spend 
the  money  thus  obtained  at  some  of 
the  many  filthy  dens  which  infested  the 
city.  The  fire  died  entirely  out  in  the 
little  stove,  and  at  length  Margie  arose 
shivering  from  the  window,  and  wrap- 
ping a  shawl  around  her,  threw  herself 
upon  the  lounge,  dropping  into  a  light 
slumber  which  lasted  until  the  little 
clock  on  the  mantel  struck  two*  "  He 
will  not  come  home  tonight.  Doubtless 
he  has  got  into  the  station  house  again. 
I  am  sorry  I  didn't  try  to  induce  him 
to  come  home  with  me,  but  how  could 
I  enter  that  vile,  filthy  place?  And, 
beside,  mother  has  strictly  forbidden  it, 
too.  Oh,  the  shame  of  being  a  drunk- 
ard's daughter,"  said  Margie,  as  she 
arose,  and  shivering  with  cold,  stole 
noiselessly  into  her  mother's  room,  and 
without  disrobing  lay  down  beside  the 
invalid,  whose  regular  breathing  told 
Margie  that  her  mother,  at  least,  was 
resting  peacefully,  forgetting  in  sleep 
her  many  sorrows.  '  Margie  was  up 
long  before  day,  and  had  prepared  the 
scanty  breakfast  for  her  mother  and 
herself.  It  was  snowing  rapidly,  the 
flakes  falling  thicker  and  faster  as  the 
morning  deepened.  At  half-past  six 
Margie  stood  ready  to  depart  for  her 
day's  labor,  everything  that  her  mother 


182 


SUNSHINE  AFTER  CLOUDS. 


would  need  being  placed  close  at  hand, 
she  at  length  bade  her  goodbye,  and 
hastened  away.  After  her  daughter's 
departure,  Mrs:  Benson  sat  for  a  long 
time  before  the  fire.  Anon  it  began  to 
grow  light,  and  then  she  amused  her- 
self by  watching  the  flakes  of  snow  as 
they  fell  faster  and  faster  upon  the 
window  ledge.  The  days  were  very 
long  to  the  poor  woman,  especially 
those  which  found  her  unable  to  busy 
herself  with  some  light  needle  work 
with  which  she  essayed  to  earn  a  little 
money,  much  against  Margie's  wishes. 
Her  thoughts  this  morning  had  some- 
how gone  back  into  the  past — a  past 
that  seemed  like  heaven  when  com- 
pared to  the  misery  of  the  present. 
Could  it  be  that  she  was  the  daughter 
of  wealthy  parents,  carefully  guarded 
from  every  want,  idolized  as  only  daugh- 
ters often  are  ?  Ah,  well !  that  was 
ended.  She  had  chosen  her  own  lot  in 
life  and  the  consequences,  let  them  be 
what  they  would,  must  be  borne.  She 
knew  that  all  trouble  would  soon  end 
for  her,  but  the  thought  of  the  dear 
ones  she  must  leave  behind,  especially 
Margie,  filled  her  already  aching  heart 
with  keenest  anguish.  Suddenly  there 
came  a  knock  upon  the  outer  door,  and 
in  answer  to  her  low  "  come  in,"  the 
door  was  thrown  open,  and  a  gentle- 
man, well  wrapped  up  in  a  heavy  coat 
and  muffler,  his  fur  cap  drawn  down 
over  his  face,  entered  the  room. 

Throwing  off  his  wet  outer  garments, 
and  tossing  them  into  one  corner  of  the 
room,  he  turned  toward  Mrs.  Benson, 
who  sat  watching  him  in  surprise. 
"  Don't  you  know  me,  Margaret?"  The 
rich  mellow  tones  of  the  gentleman's 
voice  fell  upon  Mrs.  Benson's  ear  like 
strains  of  half  forgotten  music,  while 
one  glance  into  the  dark  brown  eyes, 
which  looked  sadly  into  her  own,  and 
were  so  strangely  like  her  own,  told 
her  that  her  only  brother  stood  before 
her.  With  a  low  cry  of  intense  joy 
she  half  rose  to  her  feet,  sinking  back 
again  and  holding  out  both  hands, 
while  the  single  word,  "brother!"  fell 
from  her  pale  lips.  "My  sister,  my 
poor,  wronged  sister  !"  said  the  gentle- 
man, as   he    clasped  the   fragile   form 


my 
It 


close  to  his  bosom,  and  mingled  his 
tears  with  her  own.  "William, 
brother  !  Oh  !  it  must  be  a  dream, 
cannot  be  true  that  we  meet  again, 
meet  when  I  most  need  your  strong 
arm  to  lean  upon,"  she  murmured, 
drawing  away  from  him  and  gazing 
eagerly  into  the  handsome  face  of 
the  gentleman,  who  was  regarding 
her  with  joy  and  sorrow  both  depicted 
on  his  noble  countenance.  "Thank 
God  !  I  have  found  you  at  last," 
said  he,  reverently.  "We  will  never 
part  again  until  death  parts  us.  Poor 
sister,  that  I  should  find  you  thus. 
What  a  change,  Margaret  !  I  can  hard- 
ly believe  my  own  eyes,"  and  burying 
his  face  in  his  hands,  he.groaned  aloud. 
Then  he  started  up  and  glanced  around 
the  miserable  room,  strode  to  the  little 
bedroom  where  the  wretched  pallet, 
which  served  as  a  bed  for  his  poor 
sister,  met  his  eye  ;  then  he  burst  forth 
angrily,  fiercely.  "And  so  this  is  what 
that  rascal  of  a  Tom  Benson  has 
brought  you  to.  He  was  never  half 
good  enough  for  you  in  his  best  days. 
Alas  !  poor,  stern,  unyielding  father  was 
right,  when  he  said  you  had  better  been 
laid  away  in  your  grave  than  to  have 
become  the  wife  of  such  a  man.  It 
proved  to  be  the  hovel  instead  of  the 
palace,  Margaret."  Over  the  pale,  thin 
face  of  the  invalid  the  blood  rushed  in 
a  crimson  wave,  and  receding,  left  her 
paler  than  before,  while  her  thoughts 
flew  back  to  a  scene  far  different  from 
this.  The  large,  magnificent  drawing- 
room  and  all  the  insignia  of  wealth  sur- 


rounding them 


herself  and  this  self- 
same brother,  standing  side  by  side — 
and  in  answer  to  die  words,  "  Margaret, 
he  is  not  good  enough  for  you,  even  if 
he  were  your  equal  in  other  respects, 
what  will  you  do,  reared  as  you  have 
been,  as  the  wife  of  a  man  compara- 
tively poor?"  She  had  made  answer: 
"  I  love  him,  William,  and  could  be 
happier  with  him  in  a  hovel  than  with 
any  one  else  in  a  palace."  Young  and 
impulsive,  she  believed  for  the  time 
being  that  she  spoke  the  truth ;  expe- 
rience, however,  had  taught  her  a  bit- 
ter lesson.  Experience  is  a  hard  teach- 
er, but  a  most  thorough  one.     I  woa- 


SUNSHINE  AFTER  CLOUDS. 


183 


der  if  anyone  in  the  world  ever  did,  or 
ever  will  live  just  such  a  life  as  he  or 
she  fondly  hoped  and  expected  to  live. 
For  example,  one  sees  upon  a  rose- 
bush, a  fair,  perfect  rose,  and  essays  to 
pluck  it,  when  lo  !  at  a  touch  the  leaves 
fall  out  and  lay  upon  the  ground  be- 
neath, or  if  perchance  allowed  to  gather 
it  in  its  beauty,  there  are  thorns  hidden 
from  sight  that  were  little  thought  of. 
Just  so  with  many — I  had  nearly  said 
most  lives.  The  future  seems  "bright 
with  promise,"  but  often,  too  often, 
we  find  that  "  distance  lends  enchant- 
ment to  the  view."  But  to  return  to 
my  story.  "  Not  much  better  than  a 
hovel,  William,"  she  said,  the  tears 
coming  afresh  to  her  eyes.  "  But,  in- 
deed, I  never  regretted  my  marriage 
until  he  took  to  drink."  Forgive  me, 
sister,  I  was  wrong  to  speak  as  I  did, 
but  the  surprise  and  sorrow  of  finding 
you  like  this  must  be  my  excuse.  How 
many  children  have  you?"  "Two, 
living.  My  Willie  died  when  only  two 
years  of  age.  I  thought  it  hard  to  part 
with  him  then,  but  I  am  so  glad  now 
that  he  was  spared  this  misery  and  his 
father's  wretched  example.  Clara,  my 
eldest  daughter,  is  married.  Margie  is 
at  work  in  the  factory,  and  it  is  to  her 
that  I  look  for  what  few  comforts  I 
have.  Ah,  brother  !  my  life  is  not 
much  like  the  one  I  knew  when  I  was 
Margaret  Roden.  When  father  disin- 
herited me,  I  thought  my  heart  would 
break,  at  first,  for  I  missed  you  all  so 
much ;  but  you  were  kind  to  me,  and 
my  home,  tho'  humble,  was  neat  and 
comfortable,  and  I  had  all  the  real 
necessaries  of  life.  That  was  twenty 
years  ago,  brother,  and  for  ten  years, 
all  went  well.  We  had  two  lovely 
daughters,  and  when  our  little  Willie 
was  born,  we  thought  our  cup  of  hap- 
piness nearly  full,  especially  as  Tom 
was  succeeding  very  well  in  business. 
When  only  two  years  old,  our  lovely 
boy  was  taken  from  us,  and  soon  after 
we  lost  about  five  thousand  dollars  at 
one  time,  and  two  thousand  more  at 
another,  nearly  all  we  had.  I  never 
blamed  Tom  for  that,  but  with  all  the 
trouble,  he  got  discouraged,  took  to 
drinking,  and  so  things  have  gone  from 


bad  to  worse.  I  have  lost  my  health, 
and  the  end  for  me  is  not  far  distant. 
And  now,  after  all  these  years,  why  are 
you  here?"  She  paused,  exhausted, 
and  leaned  her  head  upon  her  clasped 
hands.  "Let  me  help  you  to  the 
louuge,  that  you  may  rest  there  while  I 
tell  you  my  story,"  said  her  brother, 
and  he  tenderly  assisted  her  to  the  mis- 
erable apology  for  a  lounge,  and 
adjusted  the  cushion  as  handily  as 
Margie  could  have  done.  Lastly  he 
threw  a  comforter  over  the  invalid, 
then  after  waiting  until  the  violent 
coughing  spell,  which  racked  her  poor 
frame,  was  over,  he  said  sadly  : 

"  Father  died  six  months  ago,  and 
since  that  time  mother  and  I  have 
sought  foi  you,  advertised  in  dailies, 
far  and  near,  with  no  success  whatever. 
Mother  was  discouraged,  but  I  would 
not  give  up.  I  had  secretly  been  on 
the  search  for  many  long  years,  sister. 
Do  not  think  you  have  been  forgotten. 
I  arrived  here  day  before  yesterday  and 
began  a  search  with  little  or  no  hope 
of  success.  Last  night  I  saw  a  young 
lady  enter  a  small  grocery  store,  and 
her  likeness  to  yourself  startled  me. 
I  followed  her,  intending  to  question 
her,  but  I  saw  that  the  proprietor  knew 
and  trusted  her,  so  I  waited  until  after 
she  had  left  the  store,  and  then  made 
inquiries.  At  first  he  would  tell  me 
nothing,  but  when  I  told  him  my  rea- 
sons for  inquiring,  he  gladly  told  me 
all  I  wished  to  now,  with  one  exception, 
he  did  not  know  where  you  lived.  He 
promised  to  ascertain  as  soon  as  possi- 
ble and  let  me  know.  This  morning 
he  came  to  my  hotel  with  the  desired 
information,  and  I  hastened  hither  at 
once."  "Did  my  father  ever  forgive 
me?"  asked  Mrs.  Benson,  huskily. 
"Yes,  Margaret,  and  wished  so  much 
to  see  you  before  he  died,  that  he 
might  ask  your -forgiveness.  His  death 
was  very  sudden.  He  had  no  time  to 
alter  his  will,  but  he  trusted  me  to  give 
you  one  half  of  his  property,  and  I 
gladly  promised  to  do  so,  if  I  could 
find  you.  Thank  God,  I  have  suc- 
ceeded." "And  mother  is  well,"  asked 
Mrs.  Benson.     "Yes,  Margaret." 

"Have   you  no    family,   William?" 


1 84 


SUNSHINE  AFTER  CLOUDS. 


"No,  sister,  I  have  never  married  and 
probably  never  shall.  I  entered  the 
store  as  clerk  soon  after  your  marriage, 
and  for  ten  years  have  been  junior 
partner,  succeeding  to  the  whole  busi- 
ness at  father's  death.  And  now,  Mar- 
garet, this  miserable  life  must  end. 
You  have  killed  yourself  for  Tom  Ben- 
son. I  can  see  that,  but  at  least  you 
can  die  in  peace  and  plenty.  I  shall 
take  rooms  for  you  where  you  can  be 
quiet,  and  telegraph  for  mother  at  once. 
As  soon  as  practicable  you  must  be 
moved  out  of  this  den,  Margie  bids 
adieu  to  factory  life  at  once.  As  for 
Tom,  he  can  take  care  of  himself.  I'll 
have  nothing  to  do  with  him,"  he  con- 
cluded, bitterly.  "William,  I  cannot 
leave  him  like  this,  indeed  I  cannot. 
After  all  he  is  my  husband,"  murmered 
Mrs.  Benson  sadly.  "Well,  well,  sister, 
when  Margie  comes  we  will  see  what 
can  be  done.  Just  be  as  quiet  as  you 
can  while  I  go  out  for  an  hour  or  so." 
Tenderly  William  Roden  bent  over  his 
sister,  loved  so  dearly  in  other  days, 
and  pressing  a  kiss  upon  her  wasted 
cheek,  he  turned  away  with  tears  in  his 
eyes,  and  hastily  replacing  his  coat  and 
muffler,  he  hurriedly  left  the  house. 
Left  to  herself,  Mrs.  Benson  burst  into 
tears  of  mingled  joy  and  sorrow.  For 
twenty  long  years  her  parents  and  only 
brother  had  been  the  same  as  dead  to 
her.  After  her  marriage,  she  had 
written  letter  after  letter  to  her  father, 
praying  for  forgiveness,  but  when  she 
found  they  were  of  no  avail,  she  reso- 
lutely tried  to  forget  them  all.  Her 
mother  and  brother,  she  well  knew,  still 
loved  her,  but  Mr.  Roden,  stern  and 
unyielding,  had  forbidden  them  to  see 
her,  even  going  so  far  as  to  threaten  to 
disinherit  his  son  if  his  commands 
were  not  obeyed.  About  two  years 
after  their  marriage,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ben- 
son removed  to  the  city  of   M , 

leaving  behind  them  no  trace  of  their 
whereabouts.  Through  all  the  long 
years  that  followed,  Mrs.  Benson  had 
never  heard  one  word  concerning  her 
relatives,  and  therefore  her  surprise 
was  great  indeed,  when  her  brother  so 
unexpectedly  entered  her  home. 


CHAPTER    II. 

"I  tell  you  it  is  of  no  use  !  Go 
away  and  let  me  alone,  William  Ro- 
den !" 

Tom  Benson  sat  in  his  miserable 
home  near  the  close  of  a  bitter  cold 
day,  about  a  week  after  the  events  nar- 
rated in  the  preceding  chapter.  There 
was  no  fire  in  the  stove,  and  dreary 
and  cheerless  enough  seemed  the  drunk- 
ard's home,  as  Mr.  Roden  entered  it, 
having  been  searching  for  the  misera- 
ble man  for  several  days.  True  to  his 
promise,  he  had  conveyed  his  sister  to 
a  pleasant  suite  of  rooms  in  a  quiet  lo- 
cality, and  then  telegraphed  for  his 
mother,  who  had  soon  arrived.  Mar- 
gie had  seen  her  father  and  told  him  of 
the  change  in  their  lives,  and  begged 
him  to  see  her  uncle  William.  This  he 
had  utterly  retused  to  do,  and  had 
managed  to  keep  out  of  the  gentle- 
man's sight  until  the  afternoon  in 
question.  But  at  length  he  had  been 
compelled  to  drag  his  miserable  body 
to  his  old  home,  the  tenement  where 
his  wife  and  daughter  had  passed  so 
many  weary  hours.  Here  Mr.  Roden 
had  found  him,  and  had  sought  to 
awaken  within  his  heart,  hope  that  he 
might  yet  reform.  It  is  true  he  had 
shrank  from  the  task  his  sister  had  al- 
loted  him,  for  he  despised  the  besotted 
wretch,  and  had  no  pity  for  him,  until 
he  saw  him  so  worn  out  and  de- 
spairing, seated  before  the  tireless 
stove,  his  face  buried  in  his  trembling 
hands.  He  remembered  him  as  he 
had  seen  him  in  other  days,  tall,  erect 
and  handsome,  and  for  his  sister's  sake 
resolved  to  do  everything  in  his  power 
to  help  him  overcome  the  passion  for 
strong  drink  that  had  been  his  ruin. 

"Tom,  your  wife  loves  you  yet,  and 
only  this  morning,  begged  me  to  find 
you  and  bring  you  to  her  side.  She  is 
very  comfortable  in  her  new  nome,  and 
the  physicians  bid  us  hope  that  she 
may  be  much  better,  with  good  care 
and  nourishment,  such  as  she  is  now 
receiving.  Now,  Tom,  let  me  hear  you 
say  you  will  try  and  you  shall  have 
every  facility  in  my  power  to  bestow,  to 
help  you  on  your  way.      Only  say  you 


SUNSHINE  AFTER  CLOUDS. 


185 


will  try."  During  his  words,  William 
Roden  had  kept  his  eyes  fixed  upon 
the  poor  wretch  before  him,  and  he  saw 
that  he  was  visibly  affected,  but  he 
made  no  reply.  Mr.  Roden  resumud 
after  a  few  moments  silence.  "  I  will 
go  out  and  get  some  coal  for  a  fire,  and 
something  for  you  to  eat,  and  then 
after  'you  are  warmed  and  have  had  a 
good  dinner,  you  will  feel  more  like 
talking  with  me.  Will  you  promise  to 
remain  here  while  I  am  away?"  At 
that  moment  the  outer  door  opened 
and  Margie  entered  the  room.  One 
week  had  made  a  great  change  in  her 
appearance.  The  beautiful  brown  eyes 
had  in  a  measure  lost  their  look  of  sor- 
row, though  a  cloud  darkened  their 
brightness  as  they  rested  on  the  bowed 
form  of  her  father.  The  sweet  face, 
however,  wore  a  happier  look,  and  just 
the  faintest  of  pink  flushes  rested  in 
the  delicate  cheeks.  She  was  dressed 
neatly  and  warmly,  and  her  step  light 
and  elastic  with  new  life,  told  how  much 
a  little  comfort  can  do  for  one  who  has 
suffered  the  pangs  of  poverty  and  de- 
spair. Mr.  Roden's  eyes  rested  long- 
ingly upon  her  as  she  stepped  forward, 
and  pausing  by  her  father's  side,  she 
laid  one  slender  gloved  hand  upon  his 
worn,  threadbare  coat  and  said  : 

"  Father,  have  you  no  word  for  your 
daughter  Margie?  Mother  wishes  to 
see  you  at  once,  she  is  much  better  or 
would  be  if  you  would  but  go  to  her. 
Say,  father,  will  you  go?" 

"I  am  ashamed  to  go,  Margie,  I 
have  abused  you  so  much  that  I — Oh, 
Margie,  my  child,  my  child  !"  Down 
upon  her  knees  sank  the  young  girl, 
and  throwing  her  arms  around  her 
father's  neck,  she  drew  his  head  down 
until  it  rested  upon  her  shoulder.  Then 
she  tenderly  drew  off  the  old  battered 
hat,  and  brushed  back  from  his  fore- 
head the  matted  hair,  sobbing  all  the 
while.  "Oh,  my  dear,  dear  father,  we 
will  forget  that  dreadful  time,  and  you 
will  be  my  loving  father  once  more. 
Say  you  will  go  with  me." 

"  If  you  think  you  can  save  me,  I 
will  go  with  you,  but  William — Margie 
— I  am  not  worth  the  trouble,"  he  re- 
plied, raising  his  head  from  his  daugh- 


ter's shoulder  and  brushing  away  the 
tears  that  had  rolled  down  his  cheeks. 
"Will  you  go  at  once?  "  said  Margie, 
eagerly.  "I  cannot  go  to  her  looking 
like  this,  Margie,"  said  her  father  as  he 
looked  down  upon  his  ragged  clothes 
and  worn  shoes.  Mr.  Roden  then 
spoke  :  "  I  think,  my  dear,  that  he  had 
better  have  a  fire  here,  and  something 
to  eat,  and  then  we  will  make  a  few 
calls  before  going  to  your  mother.  He 
wants  to  leave  behind  him  every  possi- 
ble trace  of  the  life  he  has  led,  and  he 
is  right.  Yes,  uncle  William,  I  will  soon 
have  a  fire  and  some  nourishment  for 
him."  She  left  the  room  as  she  spoke, 
but  soon  returned  bearing  kindlings  and 
coal,  and  very  soon  had  a  warm  fire 
burning  in  the  little  stove.  Then  she 
hurried  out  upon  the  street,  returning 
soon  with  oysters,  crackers  and  tea, 
which  she  quickly  prepared  and  placed 
upon  the  little  table.  Her  father  ate 
but  little,  but  arose  from  the  table  evi- 
dently refreshed. 

It  was  growing  quite  dark  when  the 
two  men  left  the  house.  Margie  waited 
only  long  enough  to  tidy  up  the  little 
kitchen  for  the  last  time.  When  all  was 
arranged  to  her  satisfaction,  she,  too, 
left  the  house,  locking  the  door  behind 
her.  Meeting  their  landlord  soon  after, 
she  gave  him  the  key,  telling  him  he  was 
welcome  to  the  furniture,  or  anything 
else  the  rooms  contained.  Then  she 
hurried  on  her  way,  feeling  that  she  had 
really  done  with  her  old  life  and  its 
surroundings  forever.  An  hour  later 
as  she  sat  beside  her  mother  telling  her 
over  and  over  again  the  joyful  news, 
the  door  opened  and  Mrs.  Roden  en- 
tered the  room.  She  was  a  lovely  lady, 
with  silver  gray  hair,  and  a  sweet,  sad 
look  in  the  gentle  blue  eyes  that  rested 
so  lovingly  upon  her  daughter,  as  she 
came  slowly  forward.  "  Margaret,  your 
husband  has  come  and  is  waiting  to  see 
you.  Shall  I  bid  him  come  in?"  "Yes, 
dear  mother,  I  would  see  him  at  once." 
Even  Margie  could  hardly  believe  that 
the  man  who  soon  entered  the  room 
and  knelt  so  penitently  before  her 
mother,  could  be  her  father.  His 
long,  unkempt  hair  and  beard  had  been 
closely  trimmed,  and   a  neat   suit    of 


1 86 


MANNERS  AND  CUSTOMS  IN  HOPKINTON. 


black  had  taken  the  place  of  the  rags 
he  had  so  lately  worn.  It_  was  no  easy 
task  for  him  to  conquer  his  appetite  for 
strong  drink.  Those  who  witnessed  the 
struggle  never  forgot  it.  They  pitied 
and  helped  him,  and  Mrs.  Benson 
lived  to  see  her  husband  entirely  cured. 
For  a  time  they  fondly  hoped  and  be- 
lieved her  better,  but  toward  spring 
she  grew  worse.  It  was  her  great  de- 
sire to  return  to  her  old  home,  where 
she  had  passed  her  happy  girlhood 
days,  and  the  first  of  May  they  de- 
parted from  M .     She  bore  up 

wonderfully  and  when  they  reached 
home,  declared  herself  better  than 
when  she  started,  but  as  soon  as  the 
excitejnent  and  pleasure  of  reaching 
her  loved  home  was  over,  in  a  meas- 
ure, she  began  to  sink,  and  there  came 
a  day,  at  last,  when  her  weeping  friends 


gathered  around  her  bedside  to  receive 
her  last,  kind,  loving  words.  Clara  had 
been  summoned  home,  and  with  all 
her  friends  surrounding  her,  Mrs.  Ben- 
son breathed  her  last. 

Margie  had  already  become  the  light 
of  her  grandmother's  home,  and  as 
soon  as  her  grief  at  her  mother's  death 
had  in  a  measure  subsided,  she  began 
to  look  eagerly  forward  to  an  education, 
and  succeeded  in  becoming  an  accom- 
plished woman.  Mr.  Benson  entered 
the  large  establishment  of  Roden  & 
Co.,  as  clerk,  and  came  to  be  much 
respected  by  all  who  associated  with 
him.  Most  especially  was  he  noted 
for  his  kindness  to  those  who  were 
treading  the  downward  path,  he  had 
once  trod,  and  more  than  one  owed 
their  entire  reform  to  him. 


MANNERS  AND  CUSTOMS  IN  HOPKINTON.— No.  i. 


BY    C.    C.    LORD. 


DOMESTIC. 


In  the  early  days  of  this  township, 
the  domestic  customs  were  copied  from 
the  olden  districts  of  Massachusetts,  and 
were  largely  in  common  with  those  of 
all  rural  New  England,  so  far  as  the 
conditions  of  this  primative  wilderness 
would  allow.  The  dwellings  were  at 
first  small  and  incommodious,  as  well 
as  built  of  logs.  Such  habitations  were 
often  if  not  always  noorless,  with  sel- 
dom if  ever  more  than  one  room, 
though  they  might  have  afforded  a  loft 
for  the  depositing  of  articles,  or  for 
other  purposes.  An  open  fire  place 
and  a  chimney,  and  sometimes  an 
oven,  were  necessary  appendages  of  a 
local  domestic  establishment.  Subse- 
quently to  the  log  hut  followed  the 
framed  house.  Framed  houses  were 
largely  built  upon  a  substantially  uni- 
form plan.  A  huge  chimney  stack,  a 
brick  oven  and  fire  places  proportioned 
in  number  to  the   represented   compe- 


tency of  the  owner,  occupied  a  central 
position  in  every  dwelling.  The  back 
part  of  the  house  was  mostly  taken  up 
by  the  kitchen,  which  was  often  flank- 
ed on  one  side  by  three  small  apart- 
ments— a  buttery,  an  entry  and  a  cel- 
lar-way. The  last  was  generally  sur- 
mounted by  a  stair-way  leading  to  the 
chamber  or  attic,  by  a  door  leading 
from  the  entry.  A  front  room  and  an 
entry,  the  latter  in  front  bf  the  chim- 
ney stack,  and  often  large  enough  to 
contain  a  bed,  completed  the  accom- 
modations of  the  lower  floor.  The 
chamber  was  generally  an  open  space 
covered  by  the  naked  roof.  This  de- 
scription, however,  applies  to  the 
house  of  the  poorer  resident.  Some- 
times an  additional  joint,  affording  two 
extra  rooms,  a  front  and  a  back,  was 
built  to  the  structure  ;  sometimes,  also, 
the  original  plan  allowed  two,  square 
front  rooms,  a  front  entry,  and  a  kitch- 
en in  the  rear,  flanked  by  such  accom- 
modations as  the  taste   of  the   builder 


MANNERS  AND  CUSTOMS  IN  HOPKINTON. 


187 


directed,  but  very  often  on  one  side  by 
the  buttery,  entry  and  stairways,  and 
on  the  other  by  a  bedroom. 

As  the  material  prosperity  of  the  ear- 
ly inhabitants  increased,  there  was 
evinced  a  decided  inclination  to  build 
houses  with  two  stories.  Many  of  the 
two-storied  houses  erected  were  only 
duplicates  of  the  apartments  of  the 
prevailing  lower  edifice.  The  matter 
of  size  was  apparently  entertained  as 
an  element  of  importance  in  the  con- 
struction of  two-storied  houses.  Pride 
may  have  borne  its  part  in  this  matter, 
since  some  of  these  large  buildings 
were  never  finished  completely.  On 
the  other  hand,  the  early  attractions  of 
the  newer  western  country  left  many 
of  the  provided  prospective  domestic 
accommodations  unneeded. 

The  early  framed  houses  in  this  vi- 
cinity were  very  strongly  built.  Near 
the  top  of  Putney's  hill  stands  the  first 
parsonage  in  the  town,  said  to  be  also 
the  first  framed  house,  built  for  the 
Rev.  James  Scales,  the  first  minister. 
The  ancient  edifice  is  36  feet  and  4  in- 
ches in  length,  and  28  feet  and  4  in- 
ches in  width.  Its  posts  are  15  feet 
high,  and  the  slope  of  the  roof  is  10 
feet.  The  corner  and  side  posts  are  of 
solid  oak,  8  inches  square,  with  expan- 
sions at  the  top  for  the  accommoda- 
tion of  upper  timbers.  The  plates,  of 
clear,  solid  hard  pine,  are  10  1-2  by  7 
inches ;  the  attic  beams,  of  similar 
stuff,  are  9  by  8  inches ;  the  rafters,  of 
oak,  are  6  by  5  inches,  the  end  ones 
also  being  braced  ;  the  oak  ribs  are  6 
by  3  inches.  The  fact  that  $400  has 
been  spent  upon  this  house  since  its 
occupation  by  the  Rev.  James  Scales, 
and  it  is  even  now  unfinished,  suggests 
some  idea  of  the  rudeness  of  the  home 
of  that  pious  gentleman.  This  house, 
like  many  others  of  its  time,  was  loca- 
ted with  its  front  to  the  south,  thus  en- 
abling it  to  serve  as  a  sun-dial.  This 
custom  of  locating  houses  was  often 
followed  without  regard  to  the  position 
occupied  with  respect  to  the   highway. 

The  ancient  kitchen  fireplace  was 
the  largest  of  all  and  yearly  devoured 
immense  quantities  of  fuel,  selected 
and  arranged  as  fore-stick,  back-stick 
and  superimposed   material.      Resting 


on  fire-dogs  or  andirons,  the  fuel  burn- 
ed, while  pots  and  kettles  suspended 
on  the  crane  by  pot-hooks  and  tram- 
mels, contained  the  resolving  culinary 
preparations  of  divers  kinds.  Baking 
was  done  by  the  assistance  of  the  re- 
flecting surfaces  of  the  tin  baker,  or  by 
the  cruder  method  of  burying  the  ma- 
terial to  be  cooked  in  the  ashes.  The 
brick  oven  was  also  periodically 
brought  into  requisition  in  the  prepara- 
tion of  food. 

The  introduction  of  stoves*  gradually 
brought  about  a  revolution  in  domestic 
affairs.  The  work  of  change  began 
about  sixty  or  seventy  years  ago.  The 
innovation  was  at  first  attended  with 
ridicule  and  scorn.  Necessity,  how- 
ever, wrought  its  own  modified  results 
in  spite  of  captious  opposition.  Among 
the  patterns  of  stoves  first  introduced 
were  the  James,  the  Morse,  and  the 
Moore.  Neither  of  these  would  com- 
pare favorably  with  the  present  styles 
of  kitchen  stoves,  either  in  economy  of 
fuel  or  ease  of  culinary  results.  How- 
ever, the  adoption  of  the  first  stoves 
was  an  important  step  in  the  path  of 
domestic  prudence.  With  a  continued 
complement  of  ancient  fireplaces  in  ev- 
ery dwelling-house,  the  native  supply 
of  fuel  would  before  this  time  have 
been  practically  exhausted. 

In  the  earliest  days  of  this  settle- 
ment, the  fire  of  the  domestic  hearth 
was  renewed  by  the  use  of  a  flint,  a 
steel  and  a  supply  of  tinder.  The  in- 
troduction of  the  lucifer  match  put  an 
end  to  the  less  convenient  practice  of 
kindling.  The  introduction  of  the  an- 
cient clock,  with  open  works  and  visible 
pendant  weights,  relieved  society  of  the 
necessity  of  locating  dwelling-houses 
directly  with  respect  to  the  cardinal 
points  of  the  compass.  The  tall,  en- 
cased clock!,  now  frequently  seen,  fol- 

*Daniel  Chase  is  said  to  have  been  the  owner  of 
the  first  stove  ever  used  in  this  town.  It  was  of 
very  thick  iron  castings,  and  much  heavier  than 
an  average  stove  of  the  present  day. 

fMany  ancient  clocks  were  made  by  Abel  and 
Levi  Hutchins  of  Concord.  .Sometimes  the  un- 
cased works  were  purchased  ot  the  manufacturers 
and  afterwards  enclosed.  David  Young  is  said  to 
have  been  the  maker  of  the  first  clock-case1  con- 
structed here.  In  the  rooms  of  the  New  Hamp- 
shire Antiquarian  .Society,  at  Contoocook,  may  be 
seen  the  first  complete  tall  clock  ever  brought  into 
this  town.  It  was  made  in  1733,  by  10NATHAN 
BLASDEL,  and  was  brought  to  this  town  in  1776. 
by  Benjamin  B.  Darling. 


i88 


MANNERS  AND  CUSTOMS  IN  HOPKINTON. 


lowed,  to  be  in  its  turn  superseded  by 
timepieces  of  still  more  modern  con- 
struction. The  kitchen  ware,  some- 
times of  wood,  or  of  porcelain,  or  of 
pewter,  exhibited  features  of  less  dis- 
tinctive importance,  though  of  different 
relative  value  when  china  was  as  rare 
as  now  is  silver,  and  pewter  as  rare  as 
china.  The  general  furniture  of  a 
household,  of  which  there  are  so  many 
lingering  representations,  needs  no 
special  description. 

Out  of  doors,  improved  utensils  were 
adopted  as  time  advanced.  We  have 
already  given  some  account  of  these  in 
our  article  on  local  industries.  Joshua 
Morse  owned  the  first  wheelbarrow 
used  in  the  town.  The  wheel  was  a 
simple,  solid  truck,  wrought  from  a 
piece  of  plank.  This  implement  was 
in  use  many  years  ago.  The  first  wag- 
gon had  wooden  axles,  and  the  body 
had  no  braces  or  springs.  The  seat 
was  suspended  on  a  pair  of  wooden 
strips  running  longitudinally  and  acting 
in  some  degree  as  springs.  The  first 
sleigh  was  double,  being  capable  of 
conveying  at  least  six  persons.  The 
first  single  sleigh  was  owned  by  Jona- 
than Chase,  father  of  Daniel.  The  first 
wagon  seat,  like  the  first  sleigh  seat, 
contained  a  cavity  or  "box"  for  the 
convenient  transportation  of  different 
articles. 

We  have  already,  in  a  previous  arti- 
cle, spoken  of  each  household  of  the 
olden  time  as  a  local  manufactory. 
Men,  women  and  children  wore  largely 
only  cloths  of  domestic  manufacture. 
Wool  was  carded,  spun,  and  wove  by 
hand,  fulled  at  the  mill,  and  at  home 
made  into  garments  for  both  sex*es. 
Flax  was  treated  in  a  similar  manner. 
The  implements  employed  in  the  ma- 
nipulation of  wool  and  flax  can  now  be 
found  scattered  here  and  there  in  dif- 
ferent places.  Cotton  was  frequently 
purchased  in  the  form  of  yarn  and 
woven  in  textile  combination  with 
wool.  The  laborious  and  slow  produc- 
tion of  fabrics  necessitated  a  stinted 
economy  in  dress.  Ladies'  gowns  had 
fewer  breadths  and  both  sexes  had  few- 
er changes  of  raiment.  The  provision 
of  comfortable    supplies    of  domestic 


conveniences  required  diligent  labor  of 
the  whole  available  household  through- 
out the  year. 

In  the  olden  time,  as  now,  improve- 
ments were  at  first  within  the  privileges 
of  the  wealthier  class.  Consequently, 
they  were  more  properly  included  in 
the  department  of  domestic  luxuries. 
As  the -local  tendencies  of  population 
became  more  defined,  the  village  be- 
came the  natural  centre  of  refined  do- 
mestic attractions.  Here  luxuries  early 
became  more  generally  known  than  in 
the  more  rural  districts  and  their  glare 
and  fascination  proportionally  influ- 
enced the  imagination  of  the  less  fa- 
vorably endowed.  To  cite  a  case, 
John  Harris,  Esq.,  owned  the  first  floor 
carpet  ever  seen  in  Hopkinton.  The 
introduction  of  this  luxury  excited  un- 
measured popular  comment. 

SOCIAL. 

The  privilege  of  socially  comming- 
ling is  always  highly  esteemed  in  every 
local  community.  Very  soon  after  the 
settlement  of  this  town,  the  universal 
taste  for  sociability  began  to  exhibit  it- 
self. People  met  in  lesser  circles  with 
their  private  friends  or  joined  the  gen- 
eral company  on  occasions  of  greater 
social  festivity.  In  every  locality  more 
stated  occasions  of  popular  gatherings 
are  selected  or  set  apart.  In  the  ear- 
lier days  of  this  township,  a  "raising" 
naturally  became  the  incentive  to  a 
popular  demonstration  of  sociability. 
The  erection  of  the  frame  of  an  im- 
portant edifice  brought  out  the  majori- 
ty of  the  entire  settlement  —  men, 
women  and  children.  It  was  often 
followed  by  a  grand  demonstration  of 
hilarity.  When,  about  one  hundred 
years  ago,  Jeremiah  Story  raised  the 
frame  of  his  two-storied  dwelling  house, 
the  younger  people  in  the  neighbor- 
hood supplemented  the  event  by  a 
grand  party  in  the  temporary  house  of 
their  host,  where  some  of  them  "danced 
all  night  till  broad  daylight."  The  au- 
tumnal husking  was  another  occasion 
ofjovialty.  Both  sexes  collected  at 
huskings,  shucked  the  corn-ears,  paid 
forfeits  of  red  ones,  consumed  a  hearty 
supper,  of  which  baked   beans,   pump- 


MANNERS  AND  CUSTOMS  IN  HOPKINTON. 


1S9 


kin  pies,  and  attendant  gratuities  of  the 
farmer's  kitchen,  formed  an  important 
part,  and  frequently  crowned  the  fes- 
tivity with  a  social  dance  to  the  music 
of  the  violin.  When  instrumental  mu- 
sic was  wanting,  dancing  was  kept  up 
to  the  jingling  melody  of  the  best  sing- 
ers in  the  company. 

Hopkinton  being  several   times    the 
seat  of  the  State  Government,    and    al- 
ways close  to  the   permanent   Capitol, 
inauguration  day,  or  '"lection,"  natural- 
ly afforded  the  people  of  this   town   a 
regularly-recurring  opportunity   to    ex- 
ercise their  taste  for  social  amusement. 
The  fascination  of  official    dignity,    the 
display  of  military,  and    accidental    ar- 
ray of  attractive   and   diverting   sights 
and  sounds, — all  conspired  to   present 
an  entertainment  not  likely  to  be  over- 
looked by  the  masses    of  any    society. 
Training  and  muster  days  also   implied 
attractions  appealing  to  the  same  social 
passion.     The  muster  day,  particularly, 
.was  a  time  of  greater  local  interest  and 
excitement.     The  mimic  war,  attended 
by  the  thousand  and  one  features   that 
always  cluster  around  an  out-door  pub- 
lic   exhibition   set   the   hearts    of  the 
whole  community   agog.      Nor  would 
our  references  be  complete   unless   we 
mentioned  further   those    opportunities 
of  social  festivity  arising  from  the   gen- 
eral inter-dependence  of  society  in  the 
prosecution    of    personal     enterprises. 
The  raising  and  the    husking   are    only 
preliminary    in    a    list    including    the 
quilting,  the  apple-paring,    and  similar 
events  of  a  more  social  character. 

In  the  past  history  of  this  town  was 
developed  a  social  feature  for  which 
we  cannot  to-day  show  an  adequate 
compliment.  When  Hopkinton  was  a 
centre  of  commercial  and  political  in- 
fluence, there  was  a  corresponding  rep- 
resentation of  those  who  tread  only  the 
higher  paths  of  social  popularity  and 
privilege.  There  were  gentlemen  and 
ladies  of  the  old  school,  who  not  only 
enjoyed  the  better  surroundings  afford- 
ed by  their  position  and  power,  but  al- 
so trained  their  households  in  a  rigid 
etiquette  that  placed  a  social  value  on 
the  words  and  acts  of  the  individual 
unentertained  in  the  ranks  of  the  great 


commonalty.  Inevitable  later  changes 
have  left  but  comparatively  little  of  that 
higher  sociability  once   so   prominent. 

MORAL. 

In  general,  throughout  the  history  of 
this  town,  its  people  have  exemplified 
the  traits  of  character  proverbially  as- 
cribed to  New  England.  Great  crimes 
have  been  few,  the  population  being 
mostly  of  that  industrious  class  finding- 
no  place  for  overt  acts  against  the  laws 
of  good  society.  However,  a  person 
familiar  with  only  the  present  state  of' 
our  social  life  can  have  but  little  con- 
ception of  the  peculiar  features  of  hu- 
man character  always  largely  obtaining 
in  a  pioneer  state  of  civilization.  They 
are  only  individuals  of  resolute  will  and 
overwhelming  personal  force  that  can 
subdue  a  wild  region,  full  of  wild 
beasts  and  wild  men.  Such  as  subdue 
such  a  wilderness  are  both  positive  and 
stern  both  in  their  morals  and  immor- 
als.  In  an  intense  illustration  of  a  vig- 
orous ideal,  the  first  settlers  in  a  new 
country  strike  heavily  right  and  left, 
dealing  energetic  and  telling  blows, 
whether  battling  for  the  right  or  wrong. 
In  time  the  increase  of  social  and  re- 
fining facilities  tends  more  to  soften 
than  to  obliterate  the  essential  outlines 
of  character  pertaining  to  an  incipient 
community,  struggling  for  existence  in 
a  new  country.*  Hence,  in  contem- 
plating the  mental  character  of  a  peo- 
ple like  ours,  assuming  the  essentials 
to  have  been  the  same  since  the  be- 
ginning of  local  history,  it  becomes  our 
imaginations  to  intensify  their  concep- 
tions the  further  back  they  extend  into 
the  past. 

There  was  one  feature  of  the  earlier 
moral  life  of  this  town  that  requires  a 
more  special  explanation.  All  frontier 
life  is  liable  to  be  involved  with  the  ex- 
periences of  criminal  adventures. 
When  Hopkinton  occupied  a  promi- 
nent  position    on   the   northern   New 

*In  perusing  the  earlier  records  of  this  town- 
ship, one  sees  an  Illustration  of  this  theory  in  the 
progressive  conduct  of  local  legislation  frequently 
required  to  accomplish  various  ends.  Acts  were  at 
first  passed  and  rescinded  in  multitudinous  in- 
stances. The  incorporation  of  the  township,  in 
1765,  in  a  large  measure  appears  to  have  softened 
many  asperities  and  essentially  established  the 
unity  and  prosperity  of  the  community. 


190 


MANNERS  AND  CUSTOMS  IN  HOPKINTON. 


Hampshire  frontier,  it  became  the  facile 
resort  of  thieves,  smugglers,  counter- 
feiters, and  other  outlaws,  seeking  the 
awards  of  their  nefarious  traffic.  The 
obscure  haunts  of  wood  and  dell  afford- 
ed many  an  opportunity  of  conducting 
outlawry,  which  has  left  too  few  reliable 
data  to  encourage  an  exact  narration. 
Horse-thieving,  smuggling  and  counter- 
feiting were  conducted  by  gangs  of  ac- 
complices that  operated  on  a  line  ex- 
tending from  Canada  to  Massachu- 
setts. Secret  meetings .  were  held  in 
out-of-the-way  places,  like  the  dark 
glen  on  the  Sibley  brook,  as  it  ap- 
proaches the  meadow  on  Dolloph's 
brook,  where,  on  a  dark,  rainy  night,  a 
party  is  said  to  have  discovered  a  whole 
convention  of  men,  supposed  to  be 
consulting  for  mutual  criminal  advan- 
tage. Smuggling  was  carried  on  in 
goods  surreptitiously  ponveyed  across 
the  Canada  border  and  thence  south- 
wardly to  places  of  profitable  destina- 
tion. Goods  were  conveyed  in  par- 
cels, united  in  lots,  and  distributed 
again  in  packages,  to  suit  the  conven- 
ience of  the  operators.  The  partially 
settled  state  of  the  country  facilitated 
these  operations  so  far  that,  with  all  the 
wariness  of  public  officials,  very  little 
progress  was  made  in  arresting  the 
crime.  The  counterfeiters  dealt  both 
in  spurious  notes  and  coin  ;  the  former 
were  largely  purchased  in  Canada, 
and  the  latter  to  some  extent,  possibly, 
manufactured  here.  In  the  chimney 
of  an  old  house  on  the  Sibley  farm, 
taken  down  in  1878,  by  Dr.  C.  P.  Gage 
of  Concord,  was  a  vault  or  cavity,  un- 
like anything  customarily  found  in  old 
chimneys,  and  supposed  to  have  been 
designed  in  furtherance  of  counter- 
feiting. The  fact  that  a  former  propri- 
etor was  confined  in  the  State  Prison 
in  Charlestown,  Mass.,  for  dealing  in 
spurious  money,  added  force  to  the 
suspicion.  Different  places  in  this 
town  have  been  pointed  out  as  possi- 
ble or  probable  scenes  of  former  crimi- 
nalities in  the  line  described,  and 
which  now  belong  to  a  shadowy  histo- 
ric past. 

The  present  subject  would  be  in- 
complete without  a  reference  to  the  use 
of  intoxicating  liquors.     At  the  time  of 


the  settlement  of  Hopkinton,  the  prac- 
tice of  alcoholic  stimulation  was  essen- 
tially universal.  Rum,  or  some  other 
intoxicant,  was  considered  an  indispen- 
sable household  article.  Alcoholic 
liquors  were  drank  at  home  and 
abroad.  All  social  courtesies  were 
confirmed  in  drinking.  The  neighbor 
who  congratulated  at  the  event  of  birth, 
the  friend  at  the  fireside,  the  laborer  in 
the  field,  the  customer  at  the  counter, 
the  guest  at  the  wedding,  the  clergy- 
man on  his  parochial  rounds,  and  the 
mourner  at  the  funeral,  were  all  treated 
to  liquor.  On  gala  days  and  occasions 
fabulous  quantities  of  intoxicants  were 
consumed.  When  the  first  Baptist 
church  in  the  town  was  raised,  the 
brethren  provided  a  barrel  of  rum,  and 
a  complimentary  supply  of  sugar,  for 
the  refreshment  of  the  company.  Dur- 
ing one  town-meeting  in  the  older 
time,  over  sixty  dollars  worth  of  liquor 
was  sold  in  small  quantities*  in  one 
store  alone.  During  the  continuance 
of  the  general  traffic  in  liquor,  Ira  A. 
Putney,  a  teamster,  conveyed  from  the 
lower  country  into  one  store  in  this 
town,  thirty-six  hogsheads  of  rum  in 
six  weeks.  Possibly  a  considerable 
part  of  this  quantity  was  consumed  in 
other  places,  being  distributed  to 
traders  more  distant  from  the  southern 
centres  of  wholesale  traffic. 

Previously  to  the  great  temperance 
reformation,  which  begun  in  this  town 
about  fifty  years  ago,  the  popular  traffic 
in  and  consumption  of  alcoholic  liquors 
was  carried  on  without  special  moral 
consideration,  though  to  some  extent 
under  legal  cognition. f     The   redemp- 

*In  1783,  Rev.  Elijah  Fletcher  settled  a  bill  at 
the  store  of  Abel  Kimball.  There  were  thirty- 
eight  charges  in  the  bill,  and  they  were  all  for 
small  quantities  of  liquor,  ranging  from  a  dram  to 
a  "point,"  including  glasses  and  "mugs  of  flip." 
The  evidence  of  mutual  settlement  at  the  bottom 
of  the  account  is  as  follows  : 

Jan.  29, 1783.  Reckoned  and  Settled  all  account! 
from  the  Beginning  of  the  World  to  this  Day,  and 
nothing  Due  on  either  Side. 

Elijah  Fletcher. 
Aisel  Kimball. 

fThe  following  extract  from  the  records  of  this 
town  illustrates  : 

STAIE  OF  NEW  HAMPSHIRE. 
Merrimack  ss. 

To  the  Honorable  Samuel  Morrill,  Judge  of  the 
Probate  for  said  County. 

We,  your  Petitioners,  humbly  sheweth  that- 


■  of  Hopkinton,  in  said  county,  is   in   a  habit 
of  being  almost  continually  intoxicated,  which  un- 


A  REVIEWER  REVIEWED. 


191 


tion  of  local  society  from  this  extended 
sway  of  alcohol  was  however  mostly  ef- 
fected by  moral  suasion.  Rev.  Roger 
C.  Hatch  of  the  Congregational  church, 
Rev.  Michael  Carlton  of  the  Calvinist 
Baptist  church,  Rev.  Arthur  Caverno, 
of  the  Freewill  Baptist  church,  Dr. 
James  Gregg,  and  perhaps  others,  were 
prominent  local  apostles  of  temperance. 
Through  the  influence  of  men  of  high 
moral  stamina,  who  presented  econom- 
ic, moral  and  spiritual  motives,  a  great 
work  of  popular  reform  was  instituted. 
However,  a  strict  regard  for  historic 
truth  requires  us  to  suggest  that,  in  re- 
fits him  for  any  kind  of  business,  and  is  spending 
his  property,  and  when  under  the  influence  of  ar- 
dent spirits  is  very  violent  and  abusive  to  his  fam- 
ily, and  there  is  some  property  still  left  under  very 
peculiar  circumstances.      We  therefore  pray  your 

Honour  to  appoint  Guardian  over  said 

agreeably  to  the  laws  of  said  State  in  such    cases 
made  and  provided,  as  in  dutv  bound  will  pray. 
July  Oth,  1S-26. 

Bi  dwell  Emerson,    )  Selectmen 
Stephen  Darling,     >        of 
Stephen  Sibley,        >  Hopkinton. 


viewing  this  great  revolution,  allowance 
must  be  made  for  the  fact  that  among 
those  abandoning  the  use  of  intoxicants 
at  that  time  there  were  many  who  had 
adhered  to  the  use  of  liquor,  not  from 
any  passion  for  it,  but  simply  in  fulfill- 
ment of  a  popular  custom.  The 
knowledge  of  this  fact  incurs  a  charita- 
ble consideration  for  the  moderate  suc- 
cess of  the  modern  temperance  reform- 
er, who  has  almost  wholly  to  combat 
causes  that  lie  in  the  deeper  recesses 
of  the  human  mental  or  moral  constitu- 
tion ;  since  men  who  are  accustomed 
to  commit  acts  in  the  face  of  popular 
sentiment  are  more  difficult  of  effective 
moral  approach  through  any  avenue. 
.  Since  later  times,  permanent  socie- 
ties have  been  formed  here  in  the 
name  of  temperance.  In  1874,  an  or- 
ganization of  Good  Templars  was  form- 
ed in  the  village  of  Contoocook ;  in 
1878,  one  in  Hopkinton  village. 


A  REVIEWER  REVIEWED. 


BY    WILLIAM    O.    CLOUGH. 


The  author  of  the  flattering  tribute  to 
"injured  innocense" — a  studied  eulogy 
of  the  wonderful  learning,  eminent  tal- 
ent, honest  purpose,  respectability,  dis- 
interested and  distinguished  public  and 
private  services,  ability  to  "harness  a 
horse,"  drive  a  duck  to  water,  and  the 
beautiful  christian  virtues  of  the  men 
who  "see  many  things,"  who  "think 
much,  travel  much,  read  much,  write 
much,  talk  much,"  smoke  much  and 
pray  without  ceasing — vide  the  Granite 
Monthly  for  December,  1878 — is  un- 
doubtedly a  lawyer  of  the  class  com- 
plained of  as  thriving  on  the  misunder- 
standings and  misfortunes  of  their  fel- 
lowmen  in  the  humbler  walks  of  life.  A 
lawyer  forsooth  !  To  attribute  a  review 
of  this  character  to  any  other  profes- 
sional man  would  be  to  do  an  injustice, 
violence  if  you  please,  to  the  public  es- 
timate of  the   cloth.      The    ear-marks, 


and  the  arraignment,  the  avoidance  of 
context  in  the  matter  he  would  criti- 
cise, and  the  begging  of  the  question 
at  every  point  all  bear  too  true  a  re- 
semblance to  the  style  of  composition 
of  the  average  lawyer  to  be  mistaken 
by  even  a  billious  magazine  scribbler. 
Yes,  my  would  be  smart  critic  must 
be  a  cheeky  lawyer.  No  other  profes- 
sional man  who  is  in  his  right  mind, 
certainly  no  mortal  of  common  clay, 
who  respects  himself  and  venerates  the 
truth,  would  be  guilty  of  such  unfair- 
ness as  is  manifest  throughout  "Law- 
yers and  Politicians."  But  why  do  I 
complain  ? 

1.  This  reviewer,  this  "Daniel  come 
to  judgment"  lawyer,  like  the  world 
over,  argues  but  one  side  of  the  cause. 
He  introduces  testimony  not  warranted 
by  the  facts,  and  draws  upon  his  imag- 
ination for  conclusions    in    a   manner 


192 


A  REVIEWER  REVIEWED. 


that  makes  him  ridiculous  even  to  those 
favorable  to  vices.  An  honest  reviewer 
makes  mention  of  the  article  in  which 
he  finds  sentiments  that  conflict  with 
his  own  as  a  whole.  He  throws  no 
mud  at  its  author,  and  seeks  no  quarrel. 
He  does  not  guess  at  grievances  or  hy- 
pothicate  .motives.  He  is  exceedingly 
careful  to  understand  the  author's  crea- 
tion that  he  would  desert,  to  commend 
whatever  is  commendable  as  well  as  to 
condem  whatever  seems  to  him  wrong 
in  theory  and  spirit.  Not  so  with  this 
new  school  reviewer.  He  brushes 
aside  all  these  considerations  and  pro- 
ceeds with  the  "cut  direct."  We  com- 
plain, therefore,  of  ungenerous  treat- 
ment, and  insist  that  we  have  been, 
placed  in  a  wrong  light.  And  why? 
For  the  simple  reason  that  what  we 
said  about  lawyers  was  very  meager, 
and,  on  the  whole,  quite  complimenta- 
ry. Taken  in  connection  with  other 
matter  in  the  article,  its  spirit  need  not 
be  misunderstood — the  whole  being  a 
review  of  the  lesser  side  of  professional 
men  rather  than  the  larger ;  of  the 
things  to  be  avoided  by  those  starting 
out  in  life,  rather  than  a  measure  of  the 
measurer  of  success  or  failure  those  far 
advanced  in  life  have  attained.  The 
very  text  was  balanced  with  exceptions, 
so  that  the  application  was  in  every 
readers  possibility.  The  argument,  if 
argument  there  was,  accommodated  it- 
self to  a  "class"  within  a  profession, 
and  with  those  who  understand  the 
mystery  of  a  mouse-trap  there  is  no  oc- 
casion for  misunderstanding.  Those, 
therefore,  who  are  above  the  pettifogg- 
er and  the  cheap  demagogue,  are  not 
disturbed  by  what  is  unquestionably 
true  of  men  in  the  law  business,  and, 
unlike  vain  and  silly  women,    are    con- 


tent that   others    should    sound   their 
praise  or  speak  their  condemnation. 

2.  No  other  professional  man,  aside 
from  the  "class"  of  lawyers  mentioned, 
would  attempt  to  magnify  the  virtues  of 
a  mere  politician,  on  the  hypothesis  that 
the  article  he  is  grieved  about  assails 
them,  when  in  truth  and  in  fact  every 
word  he  quotes  (as  he  must  know)  is 
set  down  against  another  class — the 
gambler  and  sporting  man.  In  this 
particular  his  review  ceases  and  bitter 
irony  possesses  him.  He  is  terribly 
out  of  joint  with  the  times,  and  withal 
severe  on  the  author.  "The  'professor 
of  politics'  needs  no  special  notice  in 
New  Hampshire.  He  is  an  ever  pres- 
ent individual,  and  what  he  don't  know 
— unless  he  is  mightily  mistaken,  and 
he  never  will  admit  as  much — no  mag- 
azine writer  can  tell."  Only  this  and 
nothing  more  is  said  about  politicians, 
and  hence  my  learned  and  discourte- 
ous reviewer,  who  quoted  me  as  saying 
all  manner  of  evil  against  them,  must 
stand  convicted  of  perverting  the  facts 
to  make  out  a  case — not  an  uncommon 
occurrence  with  cheap  lawyers.  My 
conclusion  is  that  he  should  summons 
for  the  spirit  of  his  "saintly  teacher," 
and  request  to  be  taught  that  the  first, 
last,  and  only  qualification  of  a  reviewer 
is  honesty.  After  he  has  learned  this 
lesson  he  should  be  told  by  some  "bili- 
ous magazine  scribbler,  who  has  been 
righteously  whipped  in  a  law-suit,"  that 
his  argument — it  is  not  a  review — re- 
putes itself;  that  no  better  evidence  of 
the  statement  that  lawyers  are  "not 
burdened  so  heavily  with  knowledge  as 
by  cheek"  is  needed  among  ordinary 
people  than  the  exhibition  he  makes  of 
himself  as  a  would-be  reviewer. 


TPECE 


GRANITE    MONTHLY. 


A  MAGAZINE  OF  LITERATURE,  HISTORY,  AND 
STATE  PROGRESS. 


VOL.  II. 


APRIL,  1879. 


KO.  7. 


COL.  JOHN  BATCH  GEORGE. 


When  a  biographer  encounters  the 
duty  of  describing,  in  the  abstract,  a 
character  which  demands  greater  elab- 
oration in  order  to  do  it  reasonable  jus- 
tice, he  must  be  excused  for  the  rough- 
ness of  the  outlines,  which,  with  the 
proper  shadings  thrown  in,  would  give 
his  descriptive  picture  more  satisfactory 
approximation  to  its  required  fidelity. 
In  the  present  instance  limitation  of 
space,  and  partial  opportunity  to  glean 
matters  of  fact  and  incident  suitable  for 
biographical  record,  justify  the  claim 
on  the  reader  for  such  excuse.  In  so 
far  as  details  are  given,  however,  they 
will  be  found  correct. 

John  Hatch  George,  son  of  John 
George,  Esq.,  and  Mary  Hatch,  his 
wife  by  a  second  marriage,  was  born  in 
the  house  in  Concord,  N.  H.,  now  the 
Colonel's  residence  in  that  city,  on  the 
twentieth  day  of  November,  1824,  and 
is  now,  therefore,  in  his  fifty-fifth  year. 
The  native  place  of  his  father  was  Hop- 
kinton,  but  from  his  early  manhood  un- 
til the  period  of  his  death  he  was  a  res- 
ident in  Concord,  where  he  held  the 
common  respect  of  the  citizens  as  a 
man  of  great  energy  and  of  unalloyed 
integrity.  He  died  in  1843.  Mary 
Hatch,  mother  of  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  survived  her  husband  four 
years.     She  was  a  daughter  of  Samuel 


Hatch,  Esq.,  of  Greenland.  Of  the 
same  family  were  the  father  of  Hon. 
Albert  R.  Hatch  of  Portsmouth,  and 
the  mother  of  John  S.  H.  Frink,  Esq., 
both  of  whom  stand  high  in  profession- 
al and  political  relations  in  New  Hamp- 
shire— worthy  descendants  of  a  worthy 
ancestry,  noted  for  great  native  abili- 
ties, honesty,  industry  and  persever- 
ance. 

The  boyhood  of  Col.  George,  as 
contemporaries  say,  was  unmarked  by 
any  special  indication  of  that  decided 
description  which  sometimes  heralds  a 
boy's  preference  for  a  life  pursuit.  He 
was  slow  neither  at  learning  or  at  play. 
If  he  had  a  prevailing  passion  it  was 
for  the  possession  and  care  of  domestic 
animals,  on  which  he  lavished  great 
wealth  of  kindness,  a  quality  which  has 
grown  with  his  growth  and  strength- 
ened with  his  strength.  His  farm  man- 
ager is  authority  for  the  opinion  that 
"he  would  kill  his  animals  with  kind- 
ness were  they  so  unfortunate  as  to 
have  his  constant  personal  attendance." 
His  love  for  rural  pursuits  was  a  hered- 
itament, and  also  clings  to  him  with  in- 
creasing vigor  unto  this  day. 

He  was  educated  at  the  public 
schools  in  Concord,  and  was  fitted  for 
college  at  the  Old  Academy  in  that 
city.      He    entered    as    a   student   at 


194 


COL.  JOHN  HATCH  GEORGE. 


Dartmouth  college  in  1S40,  without 
having  any  special  profession  in  future 
view,  and  deported  himself  with  credit 
while  there.  When  his  father  died, 
some  three  years  afterward,  he  had  to 
resign  his  college  course,  but  his  grad- 
uating degree,  and  that  of  Master  of 
Arts,  was  subsequently  conferred  on 
him  by  the  Faculty  of  Dartmouth. 

It  was  fortunate  for  him,  and  largely 
also  due  to  the  promising  character  of 
young  George,  at  this  most  important 
period  of  his  life,  that  his  family  en- 
joyed the  friendship  of  Ex-President 
Franklin  Pierce.  All  who  were  privi- 
leged with  the  personal  acquaintance  of 
that  eminent  man  knew  the  peculiar 
skill  he  had  in  the  discovery  of  latent 
merit  among  the  youth  whom  he  hon- 
ored with  his  friendship,  and  the  more 
than  kindly  interest  he  took  in  many, 
who,  only  for  his  encouragement, 
would  have  lacked  the  spirit  to  aspire. 
Without  previous  consultation  concern- 
ing his  inclination  towards  the  study  of 
law,  Gen.  Pierce  invited  young  George 
to  enter  his  office  and  prepare  for  ad- 
mission to  the  bar.  That  the  youth 
had  what  is  called  "a  legal  mind"  had 
been  a  quiet  discovery  made  by  his 
friend  and  patron,  who  was  then  at  the 
head  of  the  law-firm,  in  Concord,  of 
Pierce  &  Fowler.  Here,  for  three  years, 
Col.  George  applied  himself  diligently 
to  his  studies,  passed  a  reputable  ex- 
amination, and  was  admitted  to  the  bar 
in  1 846,  and  at  once  entered  into  part- 
nership with  Gen.  Peaslee,  and  on  the 
practice  of  law  under  the  firm-name*  of 
Peaslee  and  George,  which  united  in- 
terest continued  until  1851,  when  he 
formed  a  copartnership  with  Sidney 
Webster,  Esq. 

Prior  to  his  majority  Col.  George 
had  been  hovering  round  the  verge  of 
politics,  and,  at  every  circuit  of  the 
whirlpool  he  was  drawn  nearer  to  its 
vortex.  For  many  years,  and  with  but 
few  interruptions,  the  Democracy  had 
guided  the  politics  of  New  Hampshire 
up  to  1847,  when  the  Colonel  held  his 
first  public  office  as  clerk  of  the  State 
Senate.  This  office  he  filled  in  1848, 
and  again  in  1850.  In  1849  he  was 
appointed  Solicitor  for  the   county  o( 


Merrimack,  re-appointed  in  1854,  and 
removed  by  address,  solely  for  political 
reasons,  in  1856. 

The  same  year  in  which  he  was 
made  Solicitor  for  Merrimack  county 
he  was  married  to  Miss  Susan  Ann 
Brigham,  daughter  of  Levi  Brigham, 
Esq.,  of  Boston.  Mrs.  George  died  in 
1863,  leaving  five  children — three  sons 
and  two  daughters.  In  1865  he  was 
again  married  to  Miss  Salvadora  Meade 
Graham,  daughter  of  Col.  James  D. 
Graham,  of  the  United  States  Engi- 
neers. He  has  had  one  daughter  by 
this  marriage.  His  eldest  son,  John 
Paul,  graduated  last  year  at  Dartmouth 
college,  and  is  now  studying  at  Har- 
vard Law  School.  His  eldest  daugh- 
ter, Jane  Pierce,  is  married  to  Mr.  H. 
E.  Bacon,  of  Portland,  Maine,  and  his 
second  son,  Charles  Peaslee,  is  at  the 
United  States  Naval  School  at  Annapo- 
lis, Md.  A  son  and  daughter — Benja- 
min Pierce  and  Ann  Brigham — are  at 
home. 

Famous  as  the  bar  of  New  Hamp- 
shire has  been  for  its  eminent  men,  few 
of  their  number  gained,  so  early  in 
their  legal  career  as  did  Col.  George, 
such  reputation  for  skill  and  devotion 
to  the  interests  of  clients.  His  success 
was  remarkable,  and  yet  it  was  simply 
the  meet  reward  of  the  most  devoted 
study  and  perseverance  in  professional 
duty.  Gifted  with  a  powerful  physical 
organization  he  accomplished  miracles 
of  labor  in  the  legal  and  political  fields. 
He  was  fortunate  in  the  sympathy  and 
aid  he  received  in  both  relations  from 
his  partners,  Gen.  Peaslee  and  Sidney 
Webster,  Esq.,  and  until  the  latter  gen- 
tleman, in  1852,  became  the  private 
Secretary  of  President  Franklin  Pierce, 
when  the  brief  copartnery  was  dis- 
solved. In  1853  he  formed  another 
partnership  with  Judge  William  L.  Fos- 
ter, with  which  Hon.  Charles  P.  San- 
born, ex-Speaker  of  the  New  Hamp- 
shire House  of  Representatives,  subse- 
quently became  associate.  The  firms 
thus  severally  constituted  held  high 
reputation  in  the  locality  and  state,  and 
managed,  with  admirable  skill,  and 
great  success,  many  of  the  prominent 
civil  and  criminal  cases  in   Merrimack, 


COL.  JOHN  HATCH  GEORGE. 


i95 


Grafton",  and  other  counties  in  the  state. 
Our  gleanings    are    defective    in   their 
record  of  the  leading  cases — civil    and 
criminal — in  which   Col.    George    had 
prominence  as  leading  counsel,  as  pub- 
lic prosecutor,  or  otherwise.       He    was 
prosecutor  in  the  case  of  State  v.  Has- 
kell, a  negro  man,  and   wife,   in    1855, 
when  sentence  of  death  passed  on  Has- 
kell for  murder,  which  doom  was  com- 
muted to  imprisonment  for  life.     Being 
officially  engaged  on  this  trial  the  mem- 
ory of  the  writer  enables   him   to  state 
that  the  conduct  of  this    case    by   the 
prosecutor  was   managed    with    great 
skill,  and  without  that   redundancy   of 
immaterial  testimony,    and   surplusage 
of  words  in  argument,  which  very  often 
render  trial  proceedings,    which    ought 
to  be  of  grave  and  dignified  character, 
almost  ludicrous.     Other  capital  cases, 
defended  by  Col.  George,  and  followed 
by  acquittals,  were   those    of  State   v. 
Scammel,   tried    in    Grafton    county ; 
State  v.  Young,    tried    in    Rockingham 
county,  and  State   v.    Sawyer,  decided 
in     Grafton      county.      Among     Col. 
George's  more  memorable   civil  cases 
were  those   of    Smith   v.    the    Boston, 
Concord  and  Montreal  railroad  ;  Con- 
cord railroad  v.  Clough  ;  Frost    v.    the 
city  of  Concord  ;  Tufts'  Brick   Compa- 
ny v.  Boston  and  Lowell  railroad,   and, 
recently,  and  still  unfinished,    the    suit 
Commonwealth  of  Massachusetts    and 
the  pier  accident  case  at  Salem. 

In  1 85 1  and  during  the  two  succeed- 
ing years,  and  again  in  1S56,  he  was 
chairman  of  the  Democratic  state  com- 
mittee, during  which  he  did  much  ac- 
tive service.  He  was  especially  prom- 
inent  in    orsranizinsr    the     Presidential 

O  O 

campaign  which  resulted  in  the  elec- 
tion of  his  intimate  personal  friend — 
Gen.  Franklin  Pierce.  From  1852 
until  i860  he  was  a  member  of  the 
national  Democratic  committee  ;  and, 
from  1853  until  1858,  he  was  United 
States  Attorney  for  New  Hampshire. 
In  1853  he  was  elected  a  member  of 
the  state  legislature,  but  he  resigned 
his  seat  on  accepting  the  appointment 
of  U.  S.  Attorney. 

It  may  properly  be  mentioned  here 
that  Col.  George  had  a  narrow  escape 


from  becoming  Secretary  for  the  terri- 
tory of  Minnesota.     That  appointment 
was  offered  him  and  accepted,  and  all 
arrangements  were  made  to  enable  him 
to  go  to  the  north-west.     On  going  to 
Washington  he  was  informed  by  Presi- 
dent Pierce  that  he  need  not  hasten  his 
departure   for  a  couple  of  weeks,  nor 
until  the  President  and  he  should  have 
an  opportunity  to  talk  over  old  home 
matters ;     but    some    business    having 
been  left  undone  in  New  Hampshire 
by  the  colonel,  he  sought  permission  to 
return  and  complete  it,  for  which  he 
had  leave.     On  arriving  at  home  such 
was  the  pressure  brought  to  bear  on  him 
by  his  old  clients,  and  such  the  impor- 
tance and  value  of  new  encouragements 
presented  him,  as  to  induce  him  to  give 
up    the    Minnesota   appointment   and 
resume     his    profession    in    Concord, 
greatly  to  the  satisfaction  of  his  friends 
in  social,  political  and  business  relations. 

Although  primarily,  in  his  military 
career,  he  was  a  member  of  that  nu- 
merous body  whichhold  colonelcies  by  a 
merely  ornamental  tenure,  it  cannot 
be  said  of  him  that  he  "never  set  a 
squadron  in  the  field  ;"  for,  besides  be- 
ing aid-de-camp  and  chief  of  staff  of 
Gov.  Dinsmore  during  three  years,  up 
to  1850,  for  several  years  from  the  or- 
ganization he  commanded  company  A. 
of  the  "Governor's  Horse  Guards," 
one  of  the  finest,  be.st  equipped  and 
most  thoroughly  drilled  cavalry  corps 
in  New  England,  and  one  in  which  the 
people  of  the  state  had  just  pride. 

From  1847  until  1866,  Col.  George 
was  clerk  and  counsel  for  the  Concord 
railroad.  In  1867  he  moved  his  office  to 
Boston,  he  having  accepted  the  position 
of  Solicitor  for  the  Boston  and  Lowell 
and  associate  railroads — a  position  he 
now  holds.  He  has  a  peculiar  fitness  for 
this  office,  through  his  being  thoroughly 
conversant  with  railroads,  their  laws  and 
modes  of  their  management.  In  Feb- 
ruary, 1870,  at  the  special  request  of 
the  leacling  citizens  of  Concord,  he  de- 
livered a  public  address  on  "  Railroads 
and  their  Management,"  which  was  ex- 
haustive of  the  subject  and  created 
great  local  as  well  as  wide  national 
interest.     It  was  reported  by  a  short- 


196 


COL.  JOHN  HATCH  GEORGE. 


hand  expert,  published  and  extensively- 
circulated,  and  is  held  as  reliable  au- 
thority regarding  the  theory  of  railroad 
management.  His  connection  with 
railroads  has  been  intimate  and  extend- 
ed. He  is  director  of  the  Mount 
Washington,  the  Profile  and  Franconia, 
and  also  of  the  Peterborough  railways. 
He  was  one  of  the  originators  and  ear- 
liest advocates  of  the  Concord  and 
Claremont  and  Contoocook  Valley 
roads,  and  has  aided  largely  in  the 
construction  of  the  various  lines  which 
have  conserved  to  Concord  its  central- 
ity.  There  are  ways  and  means  whereby 
men  receive  much  popular  reputation 
and  credit  for  services  as  hollow  and 
objectless  as  those  of  Col.  George  were 
substantial  and  valuable  ;  yet  it  is  but 
just  to  say  in  behalf  of  the  wise  and 
discriminating  among  our  people  that 
they  put  the  genuine  patriotic  value  on 
his  efforts  and  esteem  the  man  accord- 
ingly as  a  people's  friend. 

Last  year  Col.  George  was  appointed 
a  Trustee  for  the  N.  H.  Asylum  for  the 
Insane.  Lie  has  largely  and  influen- 
tially  participated  in  local  affairs  in 
Concord.  For  many  years  he  labored 
earnestly  in  the  improvement  of  the 
public  schools,  and  took  deep  interest 
in  the  elevation  of  the  standard  of  edu- 
cation taught  therein.  He  invariably 
upheld  that  the  perfection  of  the 
school  buildings  was  essential,  as  a  pre- 
cursor of  the  required  improvement  in 
the  educational  course.  Because  of 
this  sentiment,  he  was  employed  on 
building  committees  chosen  to  manage 
the  erection  of  several  of  our  school 
buildings,  which,  for  completeness  and 
adaptability  to  their  uses,  Concord  is  so 
justly  noted.  In  1877  he  was  chosen 
a  member  of  the  Board  of  Education 
of  the  Union  District.  In  course  of  his 
very  active  service  in  these  relations, 
he  has  never  made  pecuniary  charge 
on  his  fellow  citizens  for  his  labors, 
whether*  rendered  as  a  lawyer  or  as  a 
citizen.  If  the  city  records  bear  any 
evidence  of  such  charge  having  been 
recognized,  whatever  it  may  be,  the 
amount  was  never  received  by  the  col- 
onel, but  went  back  to  the  city  schools 
in  some  shape  or  another,  useful  and 


necessary.  When  the  effort 'to  re- 
move the  State  Capitol  was  made,  he 
exerted  every  energy  in  his  power  to 
prevent  the  success  of  this  design,  and 
labored  with  great  dilgence  and  selt 
sacrifice  in  that  direction. 

As  previously  stated,  Col.  George 
entered  the  arena  of  politics  almost  at 
the  outset  of  his  active  life.  Nature 
and  mental  acquirements  combined  to 
give  him  prominence  in  politics  while 
yet  almost  a  youth.  His  recognized 
energy  and  executive  skill  gave  him 
the  chairmanship  of  the  committee 
appointed  to  receive  President  Franklin 
Pierce  on  his  visit  to  his  native  State 
and  home  in  1854,  and  many  will  re- 
collect the  success  attending  that  great 
event.  In  1859  he  was  the  Demo- 
cratic nominee  as  candidate  to  represent 
the  Second  District  in  the  House  of 
Representatives  of  the  United  States, 
but  failed  of  an  election.  In  1863  he 
was  again  nominated  for  that  office, 
and  made  a  vigorous  canvass  of  the 
district — making  twelve  addresses  per 
week  during  a  month  or  more — but 
was  again  defeated  after  a  very  close 
vote.  In  1866  he  was  the  nominee  of 
the  Democratic  members  of  the  legis- 
lature of  that  year  as  candidate  for  the 
United  States  Senate.  His  fellow 
Democrats  gave  him  the  -full  strength 
of  their  vote,  but  the  Republicans  were 
largely  in  the  majority  against  him. 

A  man  may  be  mistaken  in  his  no- 
tions, and  be  very  earnest  and  persistent 
in  their  assertion,  but  he  will  be  always 
respected  when  his  views  are  believed 
to  be  honestly  entertained  and  pro- 
nounced. The  people  only  hold  in 
contempt  a  man  who  has  convictions, 
and  who  is  afraid  to  express  them  when 
circumstances  demand  their  explana- 
tion. Col.  George  is  no  such  man.  He 
is  credited  with  thinking  profoundly  of 
what  he  says,  and  saying  firmly  what  he 
has  thought.  He  may  offend  men's 
opinions  or  prejudices  by  what  he  says, 
but  he  seldom  or  ever  loses  their  respect, 
because  of  their  conviction  of  his 
rigid  honesty  of  argument  or  purpose. 
Socially  speaking,  and  notwithstanding 
his  variance  in  political  opinion  with 
the  majority  of  his  fellow  citizens  of 


COL.  JOHN  HATCH  GEORGE. 


197 


Concord,  no  public  man  can  count 
more  devoted  personal  friends  and 
admirers  amid  his  political  opponents 
than  he.  His  experiences  have  proved 
the  falsity  of  the  poet's  contrary  asser- 
tion, and  that  honesty  is  not  a  ragged 
virtue,  but  a  covering  which  no  good 
and  patriotic  man.  and  worthy  citizen, 
can  reputably  refuse  or  decline  to  wear. 
In  all  respects,  aside  from  politics  or 
matters  of  public  dispute,  Col.  George's 
social  character  stands  high  among  his 
fellow  citizens. 

The  "brethren  of  the  mystic  tie " 
have  in  him  an  exalted  member  of 
their  most  worthy  fraternity,  He  exists 
among  their  number  as  a  "Sovereign 
Grand  Inspector"  of  the  33d  and  final 
degree  in  Masonry,  and  as  an  active 
member  of  the  "  Supreme  Council  of 
the  Ancient  and  Accepted  Scottish  Rite 
of  the  Northern  Jurisdiction  of  the 
United  States,"  and  has  taken  all  the 
lower  degrees.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Blazing  Star  Lodge,  and  of  the 
Mount  Horeb  Commandery  of  Con- 
cord, and  was,  for  several  years,  Com- 
mander of  the  latter  organization.  Of 
most  of  our  local  charities,  he  is  a 
quiet  but  liberal  supporter ;  and  the 
incidental  demands  of  benevolence 
find  him  always  a  ready  friend. 

Notwithstanding  the  great  pressure 
of  professional  and  other  duties,  much 
attention  is  given  by  Col.  George  to  ag- 
riculture, and  those  improvements  con- 
nected therewith,  sanctioned  alike  by 
modern  science  and  experience.  He 
owns  a  fine  farm  just  over  the  western 
boundary  of  Concord,  in  the  town  of 
Hopkinton,  where  the  improvement 
and  enrichment  of  the  soil,  and  the 
breeding  and  raising  of  horses  an^  Jer- 
sey cattle  form  part  of  his  summer  pur- 
suits. It  is  not  certain  that  he  will  add 
largely  to  his  fortune  by  his  efforts  as  a 
"gentleman  farmer  ; "  but  the  external 
aspects  of  his  management  are  such  as 
to  make  those  efforts  valuable,  at  least, 
as  examples.  His  rules  providing  for 
cleanliness,  comfort  and  kindness  to- 
wards his  farm  animals  are  seen  in  their 
fine  condition,  and  reported  to  be  profit- 
ably justified  by  their  superior  produce. 
No  better  proof  of  a  man's   nobility  in 


the  ranks  of  humanity  can  be  found 
than  in  his  kindness  towards  his  dumb 
animals. 

And  now,  in  conclusion,  a  few  words 
as  to  Col.  George's  status  as  a  politician 
and  a  lawyer.      As   has    already    been 
shown  he  is  a  Democrat.     Keeping  al- 
ways in  view  the    foundation  principles 
on  which  that  policy  rests,  he    is    what 
may  be  properly  called    a  progression- 
ist.    He  recognizes — what  many   can- 
not do — the  fact  that   the  science    of 
politics  advances,  as  does  every   other, 
and  that,  while  fundamental   principles 
never    vary,     circumstances    occur   to 
change  the  rigid  rule  of  their    applica- 
tion, though  not  to  materially  vitiate  its 
force  or  shut  it  out    of  due   considera- 
tion.    The  political  influences  of  today 
may  not  be  fit  to  govern  in  what   those 
of  tomorrow    may    demand  ;    and    he 
can  only  be  a  narrow-minded  man  who 
can  think  otherwise  and  act  according- 
ly.    He  certainly  can  have  no  pure  el- 
ement of    statesmanship    within    him. 
But   associated  with    this   progressive- 
ness  there  is  no  feature  of  vaccillation 
or  radical  change  and    departure    from 
the  organic  principles  of  his    party   in 
Col.  George.     He  is  as  true  as  steel  to 
both,  and  no  man  among  the    Democ- 
racy of  New    Hampshire   has  a  larger 
share  of  the  confidence  and  respect   of 
his  compatriots.     His  public  addresses 
are  held  by  his  admirers  as    models    of 
honest,  terse,  pertinent  and  well-judged 
and  founded    argument ;  and    he    cer- 
tainly carries  an    audience    along   with 
him,  not  by  the  use  of  clap-trap    and 
sensationalism,  but  by  the  bold,  acute- 
ly analytical,  and  forcible  representation 
of  sound  logical  facts.     He  is   held   to 
be  one  of  the    most  solid,    as   well   as 
most  influential,  stump  speakers  in  New 
Hampshire,  and  his  political  opponents 
do  not  deny  this.     His  memory  acts  as 
an    encyclopedia   of  political    history, 
state  and  national,  and  this  always  gives 
him   wonderful    advantage    as   an   im- 
promptu orator — a  duty  he  has  invaria- 
bly to  attend  to  when  many  or  few   are 
met  together  for  political    deliberation. 
When  his  reputation    and    character 
as  a  lawyer  comes  up   the   writer   con- 
fesses that  the  task   of  describing  the 


198 


IN  RUINS. 


latter  puzzles  him  somewhat.  There  is 
no  room  for  hesitation  in  saying  that, 
in  eminence  of  ability,  determination 
in  arranging  the  means  of  success, 
preparation  to  meet  and  confute  oppos- 
ing arguments,  and  unwavering  general 
devotion  to  what  he  deems  the  just  in- 
terests of  his  clients,  no  professional 
man  in  New  England  is  more  than  his 
peer.  To  gainsay  this  fact  would  be  to 
controvert  the  opinions  of  the  best  men 
on  the  bench  and  at  the  bar,  and  to  at- 
tribute solely  to  friendly  admiration 
what  is  assuredly  a  well  recognized 
truth.  So  much  for  reputation ;  but 
what  can,  or  should,  be  said  as  to  Col. 
George's  manner  as  a  lawyer?  It  is 
confident,  agressive,  bold  and  indepen- 
dent of  every  consideration  but  direct- 
ness ;  it  shows  no  aspect  of  favor  for 
aught  but  the  purpose  in  issue.  Some- 
thing has  been  here  recorded  of  the 
qualities  of  his  political  addresses.  The 
same  bold  fearlessness  of  men,  and  of 
opposing  opinions,  the  same  integrity 
of  sentiment  and  expression,  the  same 
disregard  of  what  offence  the  truth,  as 
he  views  it,  may  give  to  the  opposition, 
are  characteristic  of  him  as  a  pleader  at 
law.  Here,  also,  what  may,  and  does 
seem  to  sound  harshly  from  his  lips  is 


materially  reconciled  to  the  listener's  fa- 
vorable judgment  by  the  pleader's  man- 
ifest earnestness,  honesty  and  unadult- 
erated devotion  to  the  truth,  and  the 
interest  of  his  client,  founded  on  his 
views  thereof.  There  is  no  surplusage 
of  words  in  Col.  George's  legal  prelec- 
tions. He  is  a  very  Gradgrind  for  facts, 
and  uses  them  always  with  direct  and 
sledge-hammer  force,  cultivating  cata- 
pult pith  rather  than  the  pelting  of  his 
opposition  with  roses.  Every  energy 
is  directed  towards  power  and  conquer- 
ing effect.  To  use  the  expression  of 
one  who  thoroughly  knows  the  subject 
of  this  imperfect  sketch  :  "the  man  in 
trouble  who  has  Col.  George  for  his 
friend  and  advocate  is  lucky  indeed  : 
he  who  is  in  legal  difficulty,  and  has 
him  to  oppose  him  is  assuredly  to  be 
pitied." 

Col.  George  is  of  robust  build,  about 
five  feet  ten  inches  in  height,  approxi- 
mates two  hundred  pounds  weight,  is 
of  strong  constitution,  enjoys  excellent 
health,  has  immense  working  power  of 
mind  and  body  ;  and,  if  all  reports  are 
true,  it  is  not  likely  that  he  will  live  a 
long  and  active  life  and  go  "over  the 
hill  to  the  poor-house"  at  its  close. 


IN    RUINS. 


BY   ABBA   GOOLD   WOOLSON; 

All  through  the  summer's  rosy  hours 

I  built  my  castle  fine  ; 
And  not  a  soul  should  dwell  therein, 

Save  only  mine  and  thine, 
My  Love, 

In  loneliness  divine. 


No  cost  of  make,  or  wealth  of  hue 
I  spared  from  base  to  dome  ; 

"Where  lordly  monarchs  choose  to  bide 
They  rear  a  kingly  home  ; 

And  so 
This  rose  like  silver  foam. 


MARCH.  199 


Stand  here  upon  the  sunlit  plain 

And  see  how  fair  it  shines  ; 
Untaught  I  planned  its  airy  towers 

And  shaped  its  perfect  lines  ; 
For  love 

All  excellence  divines. 

But  while  I  gaze,  a  dusky  film 

Across  its  splendor  falls  ; 
My  purples  and  my  gold  are  dim — 

What  ails  the  reeling  walls  ? 
What  doom 

Sends  terror  through  its  halls  ? 

The  keen  air  sweeps  adown  the  hill : 

Give  me  a  hand  to  hold  ; 
I  shiver  in  these  breezes  chill 

That  grow  so  fierce  and  bold  , 
Yet  hearts 

May  laugh  at  Winter's  cold. 

That  hand  of  thine,  so  fair  and  strong, 
I  thought  could  clasp  me  warm  ; 

It  melts  within  my  burning  grasp 
Like  touch  of  ghostly  form  ; 

I  hear 
No  heart-beat  through  the  storm. 

Great  winds  from  out  the  heavens  leap  ; 

No  castle-dome  appears  ; 
Rain  dashes  on  mine  upturned  face, 

To  quench  the  hope  of  years  : 
Pour,  floods ; 

Yet  faster  flow  my  tears. 


MARCH. 


BY    ALICE    ESTELLE    FRIESE. 

It  was  a  fierce,  wild  March  night.  Visions  of  the  cosy  parlor,  with  its 
One  can  fancy  such  scenes  quite  com-  tempting  tea-table  so  daintily  arranged, 
fortably  in  cheerful,  well-lighted,  close-  and  the  pretty,  charming  wife  who  pre- 
curtained  rooms  ;  but  to  breast  the  sides  so  gracefully,  flit  across  his  brain  ; 
driving  storm  of  sleet  and  rain  outside,  but  even  their  alluring  promises  can- 
is  quite  another  matter.  So  thought  not  blind  him  as  to  the  discomforts  of 
Mr.  Thorpe,  a   respectable    tradesman  the  present ;  and  with    a   gasp    of  de- 

in  the  thriving,  bustling  town  of  L spair  he  tucks  the  wreck  of  an  umbrel- 

as  he  hurried  on  through  the   darkness,  la  under  his   erm,    buttons    his    heavy 

and  the  ever  increasing  violence  of  the  coat  closer  around  him,  and  strides   on 

gale.  through  the  gloom.     No   one   is   astir 


!00 


MARCH. 


tonight ;  no  sign  of  life  meets  him  in 
the  usually  well-filled  streets.  "  Every- 
one is  safely  housed,  but  myself,"  he 
mutters  to  the  unpitying  darkness.  But 
even  as  he  is  speaking,  a  form,  tall  and 
slight,  starts  out  from  the  shadows  a 
few  paces  ahead,  and  pauses  for  a  flash 
of  time  under  the  uncertain  light  of  the 
solitary  street-lamp,  which  lamps  in 
our  aspiring  villages  are  placed  at  un- 
determinable distances  from  each 
other,  wherever  one'  long  straggling 
street  happens  to  meet  another,  seem- 
ing to  say  to  the  night  pedestrian, 
"you  have  safely  traversed  the  impen- 
etrable darkness  thus  far,  behold  I  in- 
vite you  to  a  continuation  of  the  same. " 

As  the  figure,  evidently  a  woman's, 
stands  thus  for  a  moment  clearly  de- 
fined against  the  dark  background,  Mr. 
Thorpe  is  half  inclined  to  fancy  that  it 
turns  to  meet  his  advancing  steps  with 
a  gesture  of  entreaty  ;  then  suddenly 
and  swiftly  glides  on,  and  is  lost  from 
sight. 

I  say  he  is  inclined  to  fancy  that  she 
appealed  to  him  for  aid  ;  but  being  an 
extremely  practical  man,  he  never  al- 
lows himself  such  vagaries  ;  so  he  ban- 
ishes the  fancy,  and  hurries  on.  At 
last  he  has  reached  his  own  home.  The 
cheery,  welcoming  light  streaming  out 
from  the  windows,  sends  a  cheerful, 
happy  feeling  through  his  entire  being  ; 
and  with  a  laugh  of  defiance  at  the 
mad  fury  of  the  storm,  he  springs  up 
the  steps  to  the  sheltering  porch,  when 
suddenly  at  his  very  door  his  foot 
touches  something  soft  and  yielding, 
while  at  the  same  time,  a  little  troubled 
cry  is  heard,  mingled  with  the  weird, 
uncanny  voices  of  the  wind.  Half  in 
wonder,  half  in  fear  he  seizes  a  myste- 
rious bundle  at  his  feet,  and  presently 
appears  before  the  astonished  gaze,  of 
his  wife,  half  drenched  with  the  storm, 
a  hopeless  expression  of  bewilderment 
and  perplexity  upon  his  countenance, 
while  in  his  arms  he  holds  out  for  her 
inspection  the  same  mysterious  bundle, 
from  which  various  small  cries  issue, 
from  time  to  time,  at  irregular  inter- 
vals. The  contents  of  »the  aforesaid 
bundle  being  duly  examined,  they 
prove  none  other  than   a   round-faced, 


charmingly  beautiful,  black  eyed  baby 
girl.  There  is  nothing  in  the  "make- 
up "  of  the  child  or  its  wardrobe  that 
even  the  most  fastidious  might  criti- 
cise ;  every  article  of  clothing  is  of  the 
finest  texture,  and  delicately  wrought. 
Evidently  this  is  a  waif  from  the  very 
lap  of  luxury,  and  refinement ;  and  yet 
an  outcast  and  homeless. 

Tenderly,  lovingly,  pretty  Mrs. 
Thorpe  touches  and  caresses  the  little 
stranger,  saying  half  hesitatingly,  "we 
will  care  for  her  tonight,  Charles,  and 
tomorrow  we  must  make  an  effort  to 
find  her  parents  ;  or  if  they  cannot  be 
found,  perhaps  the  matron  of  the  or- 
phans' home  would  take  her  ;  she  seems 
so  unusually  interesting,  that  I  should 
like  to  be  sure  she  is  well  cared  for,  if 
no  one  is  to  claim  her." 

"Claim  her  !"  impatiently  interrupts 
Mr.  Thorpe  ;  "  You  talk  like  a  woman  ! 
As  if  any  one  ever  claimed  what  they 
were  glad  to  be  rid  of. "  "  But, " — his 
voice  softening  a  little  as  he  spoke,  for 
in  spite  of  himself  the  remembrance  of 
the  unknown  woman  under  the  street- 
lamp,  and  her  mute  appeal  to  him  for 
sympathy  and  help,  clings  to  him  ;  and 
for  once,  without  arriving  at  his  conclu- 
sion by  a  careful  method  of  reasoning, 
very  unlike  his  usual  self,  he  in  some 
strange,  undefined  way,  closely  associ- 
ates in  his  mind  the  memory  of  this 
woman,  and  the  presence  of  the  little 
stranger  in  his  home — 

"  But,  Mary,  you  might  as  well  keep 
the  child  ;  she  seems  as  well  disposed 
as  such  afflictions  usually  are,  and  al- 
though I  don't  approve  of  babies,  and 
therefore  wash  my  hands  of  the  whole 
affair,  still  it  might  be  a  good  thing  for 
you  ;  the  vacant  place  in  the  house- 
hold, you  know,  will  at  last  be   filled.  " 

Still  later,  after  Mrs.  Thorpe  had  suc- 
ceeded in  coaxing  the  smiles  to  chase 
away  the  tears,  and  to  play  hide  and 
seek  among  the  convenient  dimples  in 
the  baby's  cheeks  and  chin,  she  ven- 
tures the  question,  "What  shall  we  call 
her?"  for  of  course  every  baby  must 
have  a  name. 

"  Call  her  March  ;  it  would  be  quite 
apropos,"  suggests  her  husband  quick- 
ly.    "Yes,  but,"  said  Mrs.  Thorpe,  "it 


MARCH. 


201 


seems  almost  like  an  evil  omen  to  give 
her  such  a  dreary,  cheerless  name. " 
"Nonsense,  my  love,"  returns  Mr. 
Thorpe,  "What's  in  a  name?"  And  so 
it  is  settled,  and  baby  March  hence- 
forth becomes  an  important  member  of 
the  Thorpe  household. 

If  I  were  giving  a  sermon,  instead  of 
attempting  to  write  a  story,  I  should 
here  remark  that  Mrs.  Thorpe  was  of 
the  type  of  women  that  many  men 
most  desire  for  a  wife — pretty,  gentle, 
submissive,  yielding,  and  for  the  good 
of  the  human  race  in  general.  I  would 
urge  the  fair  sex  to  fashion  themselves 
in  an  entirely  different  mould  ;  and, 
whether  matron  or  maid,  to  stand  firm 
and  self-reliant  in  their  own  true 
womanhood  j  for,  although  these  shy, 
helpless,  clinging  ways  may  seem  to 
the  masterful  lover  the  very  embodi- 
ment of  womanly  grace,  yet  they  only 
tend  to  make  the  one  selfish  and  arro- 
gant, and  the  other  abject  and  un- 
womanly. But  as  such  is  not  my  pur- 
pose, I  shall  leave  all  this  unsaid,  and 
proceed  at  once  with  the  story. 

Time  drags  wearily  with  the  heavy- 
hearted,  and  all  too  quickly  speeds 
with  the  gay.  To  Mr.  Thorpe's  quiet 
home  it  has  brought  no  sudden  trans- 
formation. The  head  of  the  house  has 
gone  on  in  his  matter-of-fact  way,  add- 
ing, year  by  year,  to  his  well-filled  cof- 
fers, until  he  has  come  to  be  acknowl- 
edged in  business  parlance,  "one  of 
the  heaviest  men  of  the  town,"  which 
is  quite  as  true  literally.  Mrs.  Thorpe, 
the  matron,  is  as  charming  and  pretty 
as  the  Mrs.  Thorpe  of  earlier  years  ; 
while  March  has  grown  from  babyhood 
past  childhood  into  dawning  woman- 
hood, the  pet  and  idol  of  the  home. 
No  clue  has  ever  been  given  as  to  her 
mysterious  advent  among  them ;  no 
trace  of  the  unknown  woman  who,  sol- 
itary and  alone,  traversed  the  deserted 
streets  on  that  wild  March  night.  In- 
credulous people  have  long  since 
ceased  to  regard  this  phase  of  the 
night's  experience.  For  how  could  any 
strange  person,  and  a  woman,  go  in 
and  out  among  them,  without  the  fact 
being  noted  and  commented  upon  by 
some  of  the  news-mongers.     An  utter- 


ly impracticable  story  !  Thus  the  mat- 
ter has  been  satisfactorily  settled  to 
their  minds.  And  even  Mr.  Thorpe, 
from  puzzling  over  the  perplexing 
question,  so  long,  has  been  inclined  to 
doubt  its  reality,  and  has  even  allowed 
himself  to  think  that  possibly  it  might 
have  been  a  sort  of  optical  illusion  ;  or, 
more  improbable  still,  an  unreal  pres- 
ence from  the  shadowy  land,  supposed 
to  be  inhabited  by  the  guardian  at- 
tendants of  finite  creatures,  and  condi- 
tions. But  be  that  as  it  may,  he  has 
somehow  during  these  years  fallen  a 
victim  to  the  strange  lovableness  and 
fascinating  wiles  of  his  adopted  daugh- 
ter ;  and  has  grown  fonder  of  her  than 
he  would  be  willing  to  acknowledge. 

A  rare,  beautiful  creature  she  cer- 
tainly has  become,  with  a  dusky,  richly 
colored  style  of  beauty  quite  unknown 
among  the  passionless,  phlegmatic  peo- 
ple of  our  sturdy  north.  A  form, 
slight,  childlike,  with  a  peculiar  undu- 
lating grace  of  movement,  a  complex- 
ion brown  as  the  nuts  of  our  own  for- 
ests, yet  crimson  as  the  reddest  rose  ; 
wavy  masses  of  ebon  hair,  catching  odd 
gleams  in  the  sunlight,  blue-black  and 
purplish  like  a  raven's  wing,  eyes  capa- 
ble of  wonderful  transitions,  now  full  of 
joy,  laughter,  and  sunshine,  now  flash- 
ing scorn  and  defiance,  or  heavy  with 
midnight  gloom.  A  strange  child,  full 
of  wild  vagaries  and  incontrolable  im- 
pulses. Mrs.  Thorpe  could  no  more 
understand  her  nature  or  check  her 
fierce  impetuosity,  than  she  could  with 
her  weak  hands  stay  the  torrent  of  the 
mountain  stream,  or  control  the  head- 
long speed  of  the  wind,  as  it  eddies 
and  whirls  in  its  mad  dance.  And  so, 
unchecked  and  unrestrained,  March 
has  entered  upon  her  regal,  imperious 
womanhood. 

Naturally,  of  course,  there  are  many 
manly  hearts  eager  to  pay  hom- 
age at  so  fair  a  shrine  ;  but  Mr.  Thorpe 
with  paternal  pride,  has  set  his  heart  on 
securing  an  eligible  partner  for  his 
darling.  And  so  it  begins  to  be  ru- 
mored around  town,  that  Hon.  Elwyn 
Reeves  has  out-distanced  all  competi- 
tors, and  is  in  fact,  the  betrothed  hus- 
band of  the  beautiful  March.      To   be 


202 


MARCH. 


sure,  he  is  her  senior  by  many  years, 
but  he  comes  from  a  long  line  of  aris- 
tocratic ancestors,  and  has  added  to 
his  proud  name  a  princely  fortune,  as 
his  solid,  elegant  home,  away  upon  the 
hill,  frowning  in  its  imposing  stateliness 
upon  its  humbler,  less  aspiring  neigh- 
bors, attests. 

"A  very  good  match  indeed,  consid- 
ering her  mysterious  and  somewhat 
doubtful  parentage,  a  remarkable  chef- 
d'oeuvre  of  fortune  for  her  ;"  say  anx- 
ious mammas  and  disappointed  maidens, 
Mr.  Thorpe  is  pre-eminently  satisfied, 
and  if  March  herself  shows  no  gratifica- 
tion in  regard  to  her  good  fortune,  it  is 
to  be  attributed  to  her  peculiar  disposi- 
tion, at  times  so  reticent  and  reserved. 
Thus  Mr.  Thorpe  quiets  any  scruples 
he  may  have  entertained  as  he  remem- 
bers how  listlessly  and  wearily  March 
replied,  when  he  had  mentioned  Mr. 
Reeves'  proposal,  and  dwelt  warmly  up- 
on the  happiness  in  store  for  her  as  his 
wife.  '  "  It  shall  be  as  you  wish,  papa, 
you  may,  if  you  desire  it,  give  Mr. 
Reeves  a  favorable  answer  when  he 
calls."  But  of  course  she  was  happy  ; 
any  sensible  person  would  be  with  such 
a  future  in  anticipation. 

All  are  therefore  quite  unprepared 
for  the  announcement  that  Mrs.  Thorpe 
with  ashen  face,  and  broken,  quivering 
voice,  first  communicates  to  her  hus- 
band, that  the  servants  quickly  catch 
up  and  carry  into  the  streets  ;  that  in 
an  incredibly  short  time  is  upon  every 
tongue — March  has  left  them,  as  mys- 
teriously and  silently  as  she  came 
among  them. 

" Where  had  she  gone,  and  why?" 
These  were  questions  with  which  spec- 
ulative minds  were  for  sometime  busy, 
and  anxious.  Questions  which  were 
never  answered  to  them.  She  had 
gone,  leaving  no  trace  behind.  In  a 
little  note  addressed  to  her  foster-par- 
ents, she  left  them  her  dear  love  and  a 
farewell.  She  should  never,  never  for- 
get their  goodness  and  tenderness  to 
her ;  she  had  been  happy  with  them, 
but  she  had  chosen  for  herself  another 
life,  and  a  happier,  and  she  must  needs 
live  it.  That  was  all.  After  a  while 
other   faces    came,   and    crowded   the 


memory  of  her's  away.  The  house  on 
the  hill  soon  found  a  mistress,  who 
brought  to  her  husband  as  a  dower  in 
the  place  of  March's  queenly  beauty,  a 
fortune  equal  in  magnificence  to  that 
of  its  owner,  and  so  he  was  content. 
It  is  one  of  the  laws  of  compensation 
that  gives  one  good  in  the  place  of  an- 
other taken.  Only  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Thorpe  long  remembered,  loved,  and 
waited  for  the  lost  one. 

Every  story  must  have  its  sequel,  so 
has  mine.  I  think  it  was  five  years  be- 
fore it  came. 

In  a  tiny  cottage,  embowered  and 
hidden  by  luxuriant  vines  and  thick, 
swaying  foliage,  in  a  quaint  little  town, 
in  a  clime  where  the  warmth  and  glory 
and  brightness  of  the  midday  sun  is 
never  paled  and  dimmed  by  snow- 
hung  clouds,  where  the  air  is  heavy 
with  the  perfume  of  a  thousand  flowers, 
and  balmy  with  the  luscious  breath  of 
tropical  fruits  ;  where  over  the  senses, 
and  into  the  soul,  steal  a  dreamy,  bliss- 
ful languor,  and  a  strange,  beautiful 
peace,  a  woman  in  all  her  glorious 
womanhood  lay  dying.  And  yet, 
death  does  not  seem  very  near  to  that 
young  creature  who  reclines  on  a  low 
couch  by  the  open  window,  watching 
and  dreaming  with  a  far  away  look  in 
the  shadowy  eyes,  and  a  beautiful  smile 
upon  the  radiant  face.  A  man  with 
blue  eyes,  full  of  woman's  tenderness, 
and  hair  and  beard  of  silvery  white- 
ness, is  standing  at  her  side.  And  now 
the  woman,  turning  her  large,  dark 
eyes  full  upon  him,  speaks  in  a  low, 
musical  voice  that  thrills  the  listener 
with  a  subtile  sense  of  pleasure  and  of 
pain.  "  Dearest  and  best  of  friends,  I 
am  come  very  near  to  the  place  where 
the  finite  and  the  infinite  meet,  and 
blend  together,  and  are  lost  in  one. 
The  past  is  vanishing  like  a  glad  dream, 
so  brief,  and  yet  so  full  of  joy  and  com- 
pleteness. All  the  unrest,  and  wild, 
passionate  longing  seem  very  far  away 
from  me  now,  such  a  strange,  restful 
life  has  come  to  me.  I  have  been 
thinking,  perhaps  it  may  be  that  some 
lives  gather  their  full  measure  of  sun- 
shine and  beauty  in  a  very  little  time, 
while  others  are  longer   upon  the   way. 


PURE  AS  THE  LILIES. 


203 


And  so,  I  have  taken  my  happiness  in 
one  delicious  draught,  and  now  hold 
life's  empty  goblet  in  my  hands.  I 
have  been  waiting  for  this ;  my  fate 
was  sealed  when,  a  twelve-month  ago, 
they  told  me  that  my  voice  was  irre- 
coverably gone  ;  for  with  it  I  had  lost 
my  art,  and  that  to  me  was  simply  life. 
Well,  it  is  best  so.  It  may  be  in  that 
unknown  beyond,  whither  I  am  hasten- 
ing, I  shall  find  mine  own  again,  and 
my  soul  shall  be  satisfied.  Today  I 
have  been  living  again  my  old  life,  a 
stranger  and  an  alien,  and  yet  tenderly 
cared  for  by  warm,  loving  hearts.  I 
suppose  they  mourned  when  they  dis- 
covered that  their  wild,  willful  March 
had  flown.  The  remembrance  of  the 
pain  I  caused  them  has  been  my  only 
regret  in  this  new  life  of  mine — this 
wonderful,  grand  life — and  I  owe  it  all 
to  you,  my  mother's  friend  and  mine. 
After  I  am  gone,  you  will  send  to  my 
dear  foster-parents,  my  good-bye  mes- 
sage.    I  have  told   them   all.     Of  my 


vain  struggles  to  find  my  place  among 
the  eager,  restless  throng  in  the  great, 
busy  world,  with  only  a  wild,  untrained 
voice  and  an  unconquerable  will  to  aid 
me.  Of  my  finding  a  friend,  the  dear- 
est friend  of  my  angel  mother,  who  pa- 
tiently, lovingly  bore  with  my  capri- 
cious, impetuous  nature,  and  with 
lavish  prodigality  helped  me  on  toward 
the  wished  for  golden  goal.  And  then 
how  destiny  pressed  close  upon  me, 
with  his  black  pinions  o'ershadowing 
me,  and  the  fiat  was — "Thus  far  shalt 
thou  go,  and  no  farther."  Possibly 
they  may  not  understand 'it  all.  They 
will  think  sadly  that  my  life  has  been  a 
failure,  and  it  may  have  been  ;  still  I 
am  glad  to  have  lived  it.  It  has  been 
grand,  glorious,  and  yet  I  am  a  little 
weary,  and  am  impatient  for  the  end. 
And  very  soon  it  came,  and  March 
went  from  the  storm,  and  the  tempest, 
the  longing  and  the  pain,  into  light  in- 
effable, and  peace  eternal. 


PURE  AS  THE  LILIES. 


BY    HENRIETTA    E.    PAGE. 


She  held  out  her  hands  for  the  lilies. 
Her  blue  eyes  so  eager  and  bright. 
And  holding  them  close  to  her  bosom. 


She  murmured  her  soft  toned 


■Dood  night." 


"Ah!  baby,  my  own  little  darling. 
Though  the  lilies  be  never  so  fair. 
The  gold  at  their  hearts  is  no  brighter 

strands  of  your  hair." 


Than  the  glinting 


As  you  in  my  arms  slumber  lightly. 
Your  bright  lashes  kiss  your  fair  cheek, 
-   I  pray  the  kind  God  to  keep  safely 
Aly  own  little  blossom  so  meek. 

Then  laying  her  safe  in  her  cradle. 
The  lilies  clasped  close  to  her  breast, 

And  kissing  her  dewy  lips  softly, 
I  leave  her  alone  to  her  rest. 

The  breath  of  the  flowers  is  no  sweeter 
.     Than  the  breath  of  my  babe  I  ween, 
The  petals  no  whiter  or  purer 
Than  the  soul  of  my  wee  heart's  queen. 

South  Boston,  Mass. 


204 


MEN  OF  NOTTINGHAM  AT  BUNKER  HILL. 


MEN  OF  OLD  NOTTINGHAM  AT  THE  BATTLE  OF  BUNKER 

HILL. 


BY   JOHN   SCALES,    DOVER,   N.    H. 


That  old  Roman,  Sallust,  says : 
"Surely  fortune  rules  all  things.  She 
makes  everything  famous  or  obscure 
rather  from  caprice  than  in  conformity 
with  truth.  The  exploits  of  the  Athe- 
nians, as  far  as  I  can  judge,  were  very 
great  and  glorious,  something  inferior, 
however,  to  what  fame  has  represented 
them.  But  because  writers  of  great 
talent  flourished  there,  the  actions  of  the 
Athenians  are  celebrated  over  the  world 
as  the  most  splendid  achievements. 
Thus  the  merit  of  those  who  have  acted 
is  estimated  at  the  highest  point  to 
which  illustrious  intellects  could  exalt 
it  in  their  writings." 

Also,  that  latest  of  classical  authors, 
Josh  Billings,  says  :  "  Young  man,  blow 
your  own  horn!"  These  quotations 
express  exactly  the  way  in  which  the 
illustrious  intellects  of  authors  in  Mod- 
ern Athens  (of  America)  have  exalted 
the  deeds  of  Massachusetts'  heroes  to 
such  a  degree  that  most  people,  outside 
of  New  Hampshire,  do  not  suppose 
our  state  had  much  to  do  at  the  battle 
of  Bunker  Hill,  whereas  New  Hamp- 
shire men  constituted  nearly  four  fifths 
of  all  the  men  and  officers  in  that  bat- 
tle. Therefore  I  think  I  have  just 
cause  to  "  blow  my  horn  "  for  my  native 
town,  and  my  ancestors  who  fought  in 
that  battle. 

Old  Nottingham  comprised  a  tract 
of  land  supposed  to  be  ten  miles  square, 
and  which  is  now  Nottingham,  Deer- 
field  and  Northwood.  It  was  incor- 
porated in  1722,  and  settlements 
commenced  in  it  soon  after,  at  the 
"Square,"  a  beautiful  ridge  of  land 
about  450  feet  above  the  sea  level.  At 
the  beginning  of  the  Revolution,  Not- 
tingham had  999  inhabitants,  Deerfield 
929,  and  Northwood  313.  The  records 
show  that  the  people  were  making 
preparations  for  the  coming  conflict, 
and  had  sent  generous  assistance  to 
the  "  Industrious  Poor  sufferers  of  the 


town  of  Boston"  during  the  seige. 
During  the  winter  of  1774-5,  Dr. 
Henry  Dearborn  had  a  company  of 
men  which  me,t  at  the  Square  to  drill 
from  time  to  time.  In  November,  1 7  74, 
a  town-meeting  was  held  and  a  com- 
mittee appointed  to  "  Inspect  into  any 
Person,"  suspected  of  being  a  Tory. 

On  the  20th  of  April,  1775,  news 
reached  the  Square  that  a  battle 
had  been  fought  the  day  before,  and 
in  the  evening  a  large  number  of  citi- 
zens assembled  at  the  store  of  Thomas 
Bartlett.  On  the  21st,  at  4  o'clock,  a 
company  of  nearly  one  hundred  men 
commenced  their  march  for  Boston, 
being  armed  and  equipped  as  best  they 
could  at  such  short  notice. 

Some  say  that  Joseph  Cilley  was  the 
leader  of  this  band  of  heroes,  but  others 
say  Dr.  Henry  Dearborn  was  captain,  and 
probably  he  was,  as  he  had  been  drill- 
master  all  winter,  and  was  captain  of  the 
company  after  they  arrived  in  Cam- 
bridge. They  marched  on  foot  all  night, 
and  arrived  in  Medford  at  eight  o'clock 
on  the  morning  of  the  2  2d,  some  of  the 
company  having  traveled,  on  foot,  more 
than  eighty  miles  since  the  previous 
noon,  and  over  roads  which  were  far 
from  being  in  the  best  condition  for 
rapid  traveling. 

I  have  searched  records  a  great  deal 
and  inquired  of  the  "oldest  inhabitant," 
whenever  I  could  find  him,  that  I  might 
secure  a  complete  list  of  the  men  who 
constituted  this  company,  but  of  the 
hundred  I  can  only  give- the  following 
names  with  certainty.  If  any  reader  of 
this  article  can  add  a  name  he  will  do 
me  a  great  favor  by  forwarding  it  to  me  : 

Dr.  Henry  Dearborn,  Joseph  Cilley, 
Jr.,  Thomas  Bartlett,  Henry  Butler, 
Zephaniah  Butler,  John  Simpson,  Na- 
thaniel Batchelder,  Daniel  Moore, 
Peter  Thurston,  Maj.  Andrew  McClary, 
Benjamin  Johnson,  Cutting  Cilley, 
Joseph  Jackson,  Andrew  Neally,  Sam- 


MEN  OF  NOTTINGHAM  AT  BUNKER  HILL. 


20  = 


uel  Johnson,  Robert  Morrison,  William 
Woolis,  Eliphlet  Taylor,  William  Blake, 
Nathaniel  Twombly,  Simon  Batchelder, 
Abraham  Batchelder,  Simon  Marston, 
Moses  Oilman,  William  Simpson,  John 
Nealey,  and  Samuel  Sias.  Let  us 
briefly  glance  at  the  record  of  sone  of 
these  men  in  the  years  that  came  after. 
Henry  Dearborn  was  born  in  Hamp- 
ton, Feb.  23,  1 75 1.  He  studied  medi- 
cine and  settled  at  Nottingham  Square  as 
a  physician,  in  1772.  He  married  Mary 
D.  Bartlett,  daughter  of  Israel,  and 
sister  of  Thomas  Bartlett  of  Notting- 
ham. He  was  always  fond  of  military 
affairs,  and  is  said  to  have  been  a  skill- 
ful drill-master  and  well  posted  in  the 
tactics  in  use  previous  to  the  Revolu- 
tion. He  fought  with  his  company  at 
the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill.  In  the 
September  following,  he  joined  Arnold's 
expedition  to  Quebec,  accompanied  by 
these  Nottingham  men, — James  Bev- 
erly, John  P.  Hilton,  Samuel  Sias  and 
Moses  Oilman.  They  marched  up  the 
Kenebec  river,  through  the  wilds  of 
Maine  and  Canada.  In  the  assault 
upon  that  city,  Captain  Dearborn 
was  taken  prisoner.  Peter  Livias,  the 
Tory  councilor  at  Quebec,  influenced 
the  authorities  to  parole  and  send  him 
home,  on  condition  that  Dearborn 
should  forward  his  wife  and  children  to 
him  from  Portsmouth  to  Quebec,  which 
was  done  as  agreed.  In  April.  1777, 
Capt.  Dearborn  was  appointed  Major 
in  Scammel's  regiment.  He  was  in  the 
battles  of  Stillwater  and  Saratoga  and 
fought  with  such  bravery,  having  com- 
mand of  a  distinct  corps,  as  to  win  the 
special  commendation  of  Gen.  Gates. 
In  1778,  he  was  in  the  battle  of  Mon- 
mouth, with  Col.  Cilley  acting  as  Lieut. 
Col.,  and  helped  retrieve  Lee's  disgrace- 
ful retreat.  He  was  with  Gen.  Sullivan 
in  his  expedition  against  the  Indians,  in 
1779,  and  was  at  Yorktown  at  the  sur- 
render of  Cornwallis  in  1781.  Upon 
the  death  of  Scammel,  the  gallant  Col- 
onel of  the  Third  N.  H.  Reg.,  at  the  hands 
of  a  barbarous  foe,  Dearborn  was  made 
Colonel  and  held  that  position  to  the 
end  of  the  war.  After  the  war,  he  set- 
tled in  Maine,  where  he  was  Marshal 
by  appointment  of  Washington.      He 


was  two  terms  a  member  of  Congress  ; 
Sec'y  of  War  under  Jefferson  from 
1 80 1  to  1809  ;  collector  of  the  port  of 
Boston  between  1S09-12  ;  senior  Maj. 
General  in  U.  S.  Army,  181 2- 13,  and 
captured  York  in  Canada,  and  Fort  * 
George,  at  the  mouth  of  Niagara.  He 
was  recalled  by  the  President,  July  6, 
18 13,  and  put  in  command  of  the  mil- 
itary district  of  N.  Y.  City,  which  recall 
was,  no  doubt,  a  great  mistake.  In 
1822  he  was  appointed  Minister  Plen- 
ipotentiary to  Portugal  ;  recalled  in 
1824,  at  his  own  request :  died  at  Rox- 
bury,  Mass.  June  6,  1829.  General 
Dearborn  was  a  man  of  large  size,  gen- 
tlemanly deportment,  and  one  of  the 
bravest  and  most  gallant  men  of  his 
time. 

Joseph  Cilley,  son  of  Capt.  Joseph 
Cilley  of  Nottingham,  was  born  in 
1734;  died  1799.  He  was  engaged 
in  the  attack  upon  Fort  William  and 
Mary,  in  1774;  appointed  Major  in 
Col.  Poor's  regiment  by  the  Assembly 
of  N.  H.  in  1775  ;  he  was  not  present 
in  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill,  as  his  reg- 
iment was  ensra^ed  in  home  defence. 
He  was  made  Lieut.  Col.  in  1776,  and 
April  2,  1777,  was  appointed  Colonel 
of  the  1st.  N.  H.  Reg.  of  three  years' 
men.  in  place  of  Col.  Stark,  resigned. 
He  fought  his  regiment  bravely  at  Be- 
mis's  Heights,  near  Saratoga  ;  and  two 
weeks  later  was  among  the  bravest  of 
the  brave,  when  Burgoyne  made  his 
final  attack  before  surrendering  his  en- 
tire army  of  six  thousand  men.  So 
fierce  was  the  battle,  that  a  single  can- 
non was  taken  and  retaken  five  times  ; 
finally,  Col.  Cilley  leaped  upon  it,  waved 
his  sword,  and  "  dedicating  the  gun 
to  the  American  cause,"  opened  it  up- 
on the  enemy  with  their  own  ammuni- 
tion. He  was  with  Washington's  army 
at  Valley  Forge,  1777-8;  was  at  the 
storming  of  Stony  Point ;  at  Monmouth 
he  was  one  of  the  heroes  in  retrieving 
Gen.  Lee's  retreat ;  was  at  the  surren- 
der of  Cornwallis  at  Yorktown,  and  in 
other  hard-fought  battles  of  the  Revo- 
lution. After  the  war  he  was  Major- 
General  of  the  1st  Div.  N.  H.  militia, 
and  as  such  headed  the  troops  which 
quelled  the  insurrection  at  Exeter  in 


206 


MEN  OF  NOTTINGHAM  AT  BUNKER  HILL. 


T786,  with  his  own  hand  arresting  the 
leader  in  the  midst  of  his  armed  follow- 
ers. Gen.  Cilley  was  a  man  of  great 
energy  and  industry,  of  strong  passion, 
yet  generous  and  humane.  He  was 
repeatedly  elected  representative,  sena- 
tor and  councillor. 

Thomas  Bartlett  was  born  Oct.  22, 
1  745  ;  married  Sarah,  daughter  of  Gen. 
Joseph  Cilley  ;  was  town-clerk  twenty- 
six  years  ;  selectman  thirty  years ;  was 
the  first  representative  from  Nottingham 
to  the  General  Court  in  1784  ;  was  one 
of  the  Committee  of  Safety  which  man- 
aged the  colonial  affairs  of  New  Hamp- 
shire during  part  of  the  Revolution  ;  was 
captain  of  the  5th  company  of  "six 
weeks"  men  at  Winter  Hill  in  1775; 
was  Lieut.  Col.  in  Col.  Oilman's  regi- 
ment, in  1776;  Lieut.  Col.  in  Col. 
Whipple's  regiment  at  Rhode  Island, 
in  1778;  also  was  Lieut.  Colonel  un- 
der Stark  at  the  capture  of  Burgoyne. 
In  1 780  he  was  Colonel  of  a  regiment 
at  West  Point,  when  Arnold  betrayed 
that  fort.  In  1 790  he  was  appointed 
Justice  of  the  Court  of  Common  Pleas, 
and  retained  that  office  till  his  death  in 
1805.  He  was  Major-General  of  first 
division  of  New  Hampshire  militia 
from  1799  to  1805,  in  which  office  he 
was  preceded  by  Gen.  Joseph  Cilley, 
and  followed  by  Gen.  Henry  Butler. 

Henry  Butler  was  a  son  of.  Rev.  Benja- 
min Butler  the  first  settled  minister  in 
Nottingham,  and  was  born  April  27, 
1754.  He  was  captain  of  a  company 
in  Col.  Thomas  Bartlett's  regiment  at 
West  Point,  in  1  780.  He  held  many 
town  and  state  offices ;  was  the  first 
postmaster  in  Nottingham,  when  Gid- 
eon Granger  was  Postmaster-General ; 
and  was  Major-General  of  the  first  di- 
vision of  New  Hampshire  militia  from 
1805,  for  several  years. 

Zephaniah  Butler,  brother  to  Rev. 
Benjamin,  was  a  school  teacher  in  Not- 
tingham for  many  years  preceding  the 
Revolution,  and  was  one  of  Col.  Cilley's 
staff  officers  during  several  campaigns. 
He  married  a  sister  of  Col.  Cilley  ;  Gen 
B.  F.  Buttler,  whom  everybody  knows, 
is  his  grandson,  he  being  son  of  Capt. 
John  Butler  of  Deerfield,  who  was  son 
of  Zephaniah. 


Cutting  Cilley,  brother  of  Col.  Jo- 
seph Cilley,  was  born  in  1738,  and  died 
in  1825  ;  he  held  many  town  offices, 
and  was  captain  of  a  company  in  one 
of  the  New  Hampshire  regiments  dur- 
ing the  Revolution. 

John  Simpson,  born  in  1 748,  and  dying 
in  1 8 10,  is  said  to  have  been  the  man 
who  fired  the  first  gun  at  the  battle  of 
Bunker  Hill.  In  1 778,  he  was  lieutenant 
in  Capt.  Simon  Marston's  company, 
Col.  Peabody's  regiment ;  and  was  sub- 
sequently promoted  to  major.  His 
brother,  Robert,  who  also  served  in  the 
Revolutionary  army,  is  the  great  grand- 
father of  General  Ulysses  Simpson 
Grant. 

Nathaniel  Batchelder,  who  was  a 
brother-in-law  of  Col.  Cilley,  fought 
in  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill,  under 
Capt.  Dearborn,  and  was  adjutant  in 
Col.  Drake's  regiment,  which  did  brave 
service  in  the  battle  of  Stillwater,  Sara- 
toga, and  the  surrender  of  Burgoyne. 
He  died  of  fever  at  Valley  Forge, 
March  28,  1778. 

Daniel  Moore  kept  the  first  tavern  at 
Deerfield  Parade ;  fought  at  Bunker 
Hill  and  in  subsequent  battles ;  was 
captain  in  Col.  Stark's  regiment,  and 
did  valiant  service  during  the  war. 

Andrew  McClary  was  from  Epsom 
and  belonged  to  a  family  distinguished 
for  its  military  men.  He  was  plowing 
in  his  field  on  the  20th  of  April,  1775, 
when  he  heard  a  horn,  blow,  which,  on 
the  instant,  he  knew  was  the  tocsin  of 
war  ;  he  left  his  plow  in  the  furrow,  and 
after  the  speediest  preparation,  hastened 
to  Deerfield  Parade  and  thence  to  Not- 
tingham Square,  where  he  joined  Capt. 
Dearborn's  company.  After  they  ar- 
rived in  Cambridge  he  was  active  in 
helping  organize  the  New  Hampshire 
men  into  companies  and  was  himself 
appointed  major  in  Col.  Stark's  regi- 
ment. He  fought  with  his  regiment 
at  Bunker  Hill,  and  was  killed  after  the 
battle,  in  attempting  to  have  "another 
shot  at  the  enemy." 

Robert  Morrison  was  born  and  lived 
on  the  Square  ;  he  was  a  member  of 
Dr.  Dearborn's  company,  which  drilled 
during  the  winter  of  1774-5,  and  a 
private  in  Capt.  Dearborn's  company 


MEN  OF  NOTTINGHAM  AT  BUNKER  HILL. 


207 


in  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill.  In  the 
September  following  he  was  bearer  of 
dispatches  from  Washington  to  the 
Committee  of  Safety  in  New  Hampshire, 
by  whom  he  was  treated  with  distin- 
guished honors.  In  1777  he  was 
a  private  in  Col.  Stark's  regiment,  and 
fought  bravely  in  all  the  battles  till  the 
surrender  of  Burgoyne.  His  son, 
Robert  Morrison,  Esq.,  resides  in  North- 
wood  at  the  present  time. 

Joseph  Jackson  was  sergeant  in  Capt. 
Dearborn's  company  at  Bunker  Hill, 
afterwards  served  in  several  campaigns 
and  was  captain  of  a  company. 

Samuel  Johnson  was  not  in  the  Bunker 
Hill  fight,  but  was  in  the  campaign  of 
1777,  at  Bennington,  Stillwater  and 
Saratoga,  and  took  an  active  part  under 
a  commission  which  gave  him  the  rank 
of  colonel.  He  was  one  of  the  first 
.  settlers  of  Northwood  at  the  Narrows, 
and  was  one  of  the  selectmen  of  the 
town  for  fifteen  years. 

Simon  Marston  was  from  Deerfield, 
having  settled  on  the  Longfellow  farm 
in  1 763  ;  he  lived  in  the  garrison  house, 
erected  by  Jonathan  Longfellow.  He 
was  sowing  wheat  when  the  courier, 
shouting  the  news  of  the  battle  of  Lex- 
ington, rode  past  the  field  where  he  was 
at  work.  Marston  left  the  measure, 
from  which  he  was  sowing,  rushed  to 
the  house,  filled  his  knapsack  with  pork 
and  other  necessaries,  seized  his  gun, 
and  hurried  down  to  the  Square.  He 
acted  in  the  capacity  of  an  officer  in 
Col.  Reed's  regiment  .at  Bunker  Hill; 
was  an  officer  under  Lieut.  Col.  Senter  ; 
was  captain  of  1st  Co.  Col.  Peabody's 
regiment ;  was  afterwards  commissioned 
major  and  fought  at  Bennington,  Still- 
water and  Saratoga.  He  was  a  brave 
man  in  war  and  energetic  in  peace. 
The  others  named,  although  they  held 
no  office  of  rank,  were  no  less  brave 
and  faithful  in  performing  perilous  du- 
ties, and  deserve  to  have  their  names 
recorded  where  they  will  never  be  for- 
gotten. 

After  the  Nottingham  men  arrived  in 
Cambridge,  and  saw  there  was  no  danger 
of  another  attack  immediatly  by  the 
troops  in  Boston,  several  returned  home 
and  commenced  more  thorough  prepara- 


2d 


tion  for  the  coming  conflict,  but  Dr.  Dear- 
born and  most  of  the  men  remained 
and  were  organized  into  a  company, 
and  Dearborn  was  elected  captain  the 
company  became  a  part  of  Col.  Stark's 
regiment  and  was  stationed  at  Medford, 
whence  they  marched  on  the  1 7th  of 
June  and  participated  in  the  glories 
of  "Breed's  Hill."  Captain  Dear- 
born's company  was  No.  8,  but  he 
marched  from  Medford  to  the  "  Rail- 
fence,"  by  the  side  of  Col.  Stark. 

The  following  list  of  men  comprising 
this  company  is  no  doubt  correct,  as  it 
was  furnished  by  Judge  Nesmith  for 
Cogswell's  "History  of  Nottingham, 
Deerfield  and  Northwood,"  and  the 
Judge  is  one  of  the  best  authorities  in 
the  State  in  such  matters.  The  men 
were  nearly  all  fron  old  Nottingham  : 

Captain,  Henry  Dearborn,  Nottingham. 
1  st  Lieut.,   Amos  Morrill,  Epsom. 

Michael  McClary,  Epsom. 

Jona.  Clarke,  Nottingham. 

And.  McGaffey,  Epsom. 

Jos.  Jackson,  Nottingham. 

Jonah  Moody,         " 

Andrew  Field,         " 

Jona.  Oilman,  Deerfield. 

And.  Bickford, 

— Simon  Dearborn,  Gideon 
Glidden,  James  Garland,  John  Harvey, 
David  Mudgett  (of  Gilmanton),  Simon 
Sanborn,  Robt.  Morrison,  John  Run- 
nels, John  Neally,  Joseph  Place,  Abram 
Pettengale,  Andrew  Nealley,  Peter 
Severance,  John  Wallace,  Theop.  Cass 
(of  Epsom),  Israel  Clifford,  Nathaniel 
Batchelder  (of  Deerfield),  Jacob  Mor- 
rill, John  Simpson,  John  Wallace,  Jr., 
Neal  McGaffey  (of  Epsom),  Jonah 
Libbey,  Moses  Locke,  Francis  Locke, 
Zebulon  Marsh,  Solomon  Moody, 
Chas.  Whitcher,  Marsh  Whitten,  Noah 
Sinclair  (drummer),  James  Randell 
(fifer),  Nich.  Brown,  Benj.  Berry  (of 
Epsom),  John  Casey,  Jona.  Cram  (of 
Deerfield),  Jeremiah  Conner,  Elisha 
Hutchinson,  Dudley  Hutchinson,  Benj. 
Judkins,  Josh.  Wells,  Jere.  Dowe,  Jona. 
Dowe,  John  Dwyer,  David  Page,  Jr., 
Beniah  Libbey,  William  Rowell,  Wey- 
mouth Wallace  (of  Epsom),  Thomas 
Walsh  and  William  McCrellis  (of 
Epsom. 


I  St 

Sergt., 

2d 

a 

3d 

1  st 
2d 

Corp., 

3^1 

4th 

u 

Privates 

208 


THE  N.  H.  SEVENTH  AT  FT.  WAGNER. 


THE  N.  H  SEVENTH  AT  FT.   WAGNER. 


[From  sketcli  of  Lieut.  Henry  W.  Baker,  in  Coffin's  History  of  Boscawen.] 


The  command  had  been  entrusted 
to  Gen.  Trueman  H.  Seymour,  who  de- 
termined to  make  an  assault.  He 
knew  nothing  of  the  construction  of 
Ft.  Wagner.  No  information  of  the 
impediments  to  be  overcome  had 
reached  him.  Col.  Putnam  of  the  7th, 
commanding  the  second  brigade,  op- 
posed the  contemplated  movement. 

"  I  do  not  think  that  we  can  take  the 
fort, "  he  said  ;  and  when  Gen.  Sey- 
mour reiterated  his  determination  to 
make  the  attempt,  Col.  Putnam  said* 
"We  shall  go  like  a  flock  of  sheep. " 

The  sun  had  set,  and  the  twilight 
faded.  The  soldiers  were  ordered  to 
remove  the  caps  from  the  nipples  of 
their  rifles,  and-  were  told  that  they 
must  depend  upon  the  bayonet  alone. 
In  the  1  ooth  N.  Y.,  which  formed  be- 
hind the  7th,  this  order  was  neglected. 

In  the  darkness  the  assaulting  col- 
umn  moved  forward.  The  iron-clads, 
and  the  Union  batteries  opened  a  heavy 
fire,  which  was  continued  till  the  col- 
umn was  so  near  that  further  firing 
would  endanger  it,  when,  at  a  signal, 
all  the  Union  batteries  became  silent. 
In  an  instant  Ft.  Wagner  was  aflame. 
Its  heavy  siege  guns,  howitzers,  and 
forty-two  pounder  carronades  burst 
forth,  pouring  a  stream  of  shot  and 
shell  into  the  advancing  troops.  And 
now,  in  addition,  the  parapet  of  the 
fort  swarmed  with  men,  who,  through 
the  terrible  cannonade  of  the  day  had 
btfen  lying  securely  beneath  the  bomb 
proofs.  Mingled  with  the  roar  of  the 
cannon  were  their  volleys  of  musketry. 

The  first  brigade  had  the  advance. 
Its  ranks  went  down  like  grass  before 
the  mower.  Some  of  the  soldiers  fled, 
panic  stricken.  The  second  brigade, 
led  by  the  7th  N.  H.,  pressed  on  and 
filled  the  decimated  ranks.  Suddenly 
they  found  themselves  confronted  by  a 
ditch  fifty  feet  wide  and  ten  feet  deep, 
with  four  feet  of  water  flowing  into  it. 
Only  at  the  south-eastern  angle  was   it 


dry.  It  was  enfiladed  by  howitzers.  In- 
to the  ditch  leaped  the  soldiers.  Grape 
and  canister  mowed  them  down,  but 
others  crowded  on.  The  7th  N.  H., 
led  by  Lt.  Col.  Joseph  C.  Abbott, 
made  its  way  unfalteringly  into  the 
ditch,  through  it,  and  up  the  slope  of 
the  parapet.  Cannon  and  musketry 
blazed  in  their  faces  ;  and  now  there 
was  a  flash  behind  them — the  100th 
N.  Y.,  not  having  removed  their  caps, 
were  firing  into  the  dark  mass,  not 
knowing  who  was  friend,  who  foe.  All 
was  confusion.  All  order  disappeared. 
In  the  darkness  no  one  could  be  recog- 
nized. Amid  the  groans  of  the  wound- 
ed, the  shouting  of  officers,  the  rattle 
of  rifles,  the  roar  of  cannon,  the  burst- 
ing of  shells,  it  was  impossible  to  main- 
tain discipline.  Col.  Putnam,  a  few  of 
his  subordinates,  and  one  or  two  hun- 
dred men  entered  the  fort.  The  en- 
emy charged,  but  were  driven  back. 
Col.  Putnam  was  killed  ;  one  officer 
after  another  went  down.  The  reserve, 
which  should  have  rushed  up,  did  not 
come.  The  assault  had  lost  its  force. 
Like  sheep  the  Union  soldiers  fled  as 
best  they  could  through  the  devastating 
fire,  leaving  a  ghastly  heap  of  dead  and 
wounded  in  the  ditch,  and  on  the  para- 
pet of  the  fort.  Among  the  killed  was 
Henry  W.  Baker.-  By  his  side  were 
Dexter  Pritchard,  Liberty  G.  Ray- 
mond, and  Alexander  F.  Stevens,  from 
Boscawen,  and  of  his  company,  also 
killed. 

Among  the  wounded  was  Samuel 
McEvely,  and  among  the  prisoners  was 
John  Clancy,  who  died  in  prison  at 
Richmond. 

In  his  first  battle,  Lieut.  Baker  gave 
his  life  to  his  country.  Those  who 
served  under  him  speak  of  him  with  af- 
fection. He  was  cool  and  brave,  and 
ever  mindful  of  his  duty.  He  was 
buried  where  he  fell,  with  his  com- 
mander, Col.  Putnam,  and  his  subordi- 
nates, Pritchard,  Raymond,  and  Stevens. 


UPWARD.  209 


UPWARD. 


BY   MARY    HELEN    BOODEY. 

On  the  wings  of  my  faith  I  aspite 

0  God  !  to  rise  higher  and  higher, 
And  to  quaff  of  the  scinctillant  springs 

That  flow  all  exhaustless  from  Thee, 
Who  art  fountain,  and  haven,  and  sea, 
And  canst  satisfy  all  who  aspire. 

1  mount  and  I  mount  through  the  air, 
Borne  up  by  the  breath  of  my  prayer, 

Through  waves  of  the  sunshine  of  love  ; 
Thy  presence,  O  God  !  is  the  light, 
Thou  givest  my  spirit  its  flight, 

Thou  rulest  below  and  above. 

I  live  in  the  glories  of  God, 
I  know  that  His  merciful  rod 

Extends  o'er  a  sorrowful  world  ; 
I  see  how  His  Providence  glows 
With  sweet  hues  of  azure  and  rose, 

His  banner,  the  heavens  unfurled. 

The  universe  sings  to  my  soul, 

And  I  join  with  my  voice  in  the  whole, 

And  God  is  the  spirit  of  Law  ; 
The  Power  of  blessing  and  blight, 
The  Giver  of  morning  and  night, 

Whose  judgments  are  all  without  flaw. 

Behold  !  I  am  given  to  see 

That  the  darkness  and  sorrow  that  be, 

Lie  low  and  cling  closely  to  earth  ; 
But  the  light  of  God's  glory  descends, 
And  the  might  of  His  justice  attends 

The  souls  that  are  weeping  in  dearth. 

A  Hand  that  is  brilliant  with  truth, 
And  gentle  indeed  in  its  ruth, 

Shall  point  out  the  way  and  defend, 
And  the  gloom  of  each  fearful  abyss, 
The  serpents  that  threaten  and  hiss, 

Shall  be  conquered  and  slain  to  amend, 


2IO 


IN  BATTLE  AND  IN  PRISON. 


IN  BATTIE  AND  IN  PRISON. 


A  REMINISCENCE  OF  THE  WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION. 


BY.  WILLIAM    E.    STEVENS. 


The  events  I  am  about  to  describe 
took  place  at  a  critical  period  of  "the 
war  to  keep  the  Union  whole, "  and 
cover  that  date  in  the  career  of  the 
army  of  the  Potomac  beginning  with 
Hooker's  flank  movement  against  Lee, 
entrenched  on  the  heights  of  Fredericks- 
burg, and  ending  with  the  disastrous  re- 
pulse which  attended  that  finely  plan- 
ned, yet  poorly  executed,  and  ill-starred 
campaign.  Of  course,  I  am  not  writ- 
ing history,  except  in  a  small  way  ;  nor 
do  I  essay  to  describe  in  detail  or  with 
accuracy  the  events  in  question.  My 
purpose  is  to  give  my  own  observations 
and  experiences,  mainly  from  memory, 
reinforced  by  a  few  scraps  and  half-il- 
legible memoranda  saved  from  the  ac- 
cidents by  flood  and  field. 

I  was  a  participant  in  many  of  the 
earlier  battles  fought  by  the  army  of 
the  Potomac ;  but  my  opportunities 
for  acquiring  accurate  information 
touching  the  general  aspects  of  the 
field  were  necessarily  limited  to  that 
part  of  it  within  my  own  immediate 
range  of  vision,  and  even  here — so  rigid- 
ly did  our  commanders  aim  to  reduce 
us  to  mere  automatons — w£  were  often 
in  the  dark  as  to  the  meaning  of  this  or 
that  movement.  I  strove  hard  to  mas- 
ter the  situation,  but  not  until  the  war 
closed  and  the  reports  of  commanders 
were  given  to  the  public,  did  I  have 
other  than  a  very  indefinite  conception 
of  much  that  transpired  about  me. 
Why  we  made  this  or  that  change  of 
front ;  why  we  were  kept  for  hours  in 
line  of  battle  beneath  a  broiling  sun 
with  no  enemy  in  sight ;  why  we  were 
rushed  from  one  point  to  another  in  an 
apparently  hap-hazard  manner,  endur- 
ing fatigue  and  hunger  and  subsisting 
upon  wormy  "  hardtack  ;"  why  we  were 


pushed  against  impregnable  positions, 
when  a  flank  movement  seemed  to  our 
inexperienced  eyes  the  proper  thing  to 
do — now  fighting,  now  building  cordu- 
roy roads,  digging  rifle-pits  or  support- 
ing batteries  in  our  rear,  which  did 
more  execution  upon  us,  by  reason  of 
defective  ammunition,  than  upon  the  en- 
emy— concerning  all  these  points,  and 
many  more  we  were  anxious  to  be  in- 
formed, but  not  one  atom  of  informa- 
tion could  we  get. 

"Ours not  to  inquire  why, 
Ours  but  to  do  and  die." 

Was  this  reticence  in  pursuance  of  the 
mistaken  theory  that  machine  soldiers 
are  best  ?  Or  was  it  because  "  some  one 
had  blundered, "  and  ignorance  or  in- 
capacity, or  something  still  worse,  could 
be  the  more  easily  concealed?  What- 
ever the  reason,  the  fact  remains  that 
to  the  rank  and  file  much  of  the  cam- 
paigning done  up  to  1863-64  seemed 
to  them  worse  than  needless  ; — and 
looking  back  over  that  period  with  the 
light  of  history  thrown  upon  it,  I  am 
not  prepared  to  say  the  rank  and  file 
were  mistaken  in  their  estimate.  I 
was  impressed  then,  and  the  impres- 
sion has  never  been  effaced,  that  the 
reticence  observed  toward  the  men  in 
the  ranks  touching  what  was  going  on 
about  them,  was  a  grievous  error  on 
the  part  of  our  commanders.  It  is  a 
question,  certainly,  whether  it  would 
not  have  been  better  to  have  kept  the 
"boys"  informed  of  the  real  military 
situation  and  of  what  they  were  ex- 
pected to  achieve.  The  belief  that  much 
of  the  hardship  endured  was  the  re- 
sult of  blundering  generals,  or,  worse,  of 
criminal  indifference,  did  much  to  unman 
our  soldiers  and  cause  them  to  lose 
faith  and  hope.   Ourvolunteers  were  not 


IN  BATTLE  AND  IN  PRISON. 


211 


machine  soldiers,  as  some  of  the  West 
Pointers  seemed  to  presume,  but  patri- 
otic, thinking  and  observing  men  who 
could  fight  best  when  they  fought  un- 
derstandingly.  I  am  told  that  the 
rebel  commanders  pursued  a  different 
policy,  and  although  their  soldiers  were 
mentally  inferior  to  ours,  kept  them 
apprized  of  the  general  situation  and 
of  what  they  must  do  to  accomplish  the 
end  sought.  Who  shall  say  how  many 
of  the  confederate  victories  may  be  ac- 
credited to  this  fact,  if  it  is  a  fact  ?  But 
our  commanders,  instead  of  trusting 
their  men,  either  kept  them  in  utter  ig- 
norance of  movements  or  foolishly  de- 
ceived them.  How  well  I  remember 
at  the  battle  of  Gaines's  Hill,  where 
Jackson  thrashed  Porter  so  soundly, 
and  Sykes's  regulars  failed  to  stand  their 
ground,  that  the  story  was  industriously 
circulated  along  the  thinned  but  unbrok- 
en ranks  of  Bartlett's  Brigade,  "McClel- 
lan's  in  Richmond,  boys.  One  more 
effort  and  the  day  is  ours  !"  And  Mea- 
gher's Irish  Brigade,  hastening  to  our 
relief  on  the  run,  took  up  the  cry  and 
put  on  so  determined  a  front  that  Jack- 
son's veterans  halted  and  reformed, 
giving  our  officers  time  to  re-establish 
their  broken  lines  and  hold  then- 
ground  until  night  came  down  and  af- 
forded them  an  opportunity  to  with- 
draw to  the  left  bank  of  the  Chicka- 
hominy, — not  to  enter  Richmond,  but 
to  begin  that  celebrated  "flank  move- 
ment" which  ended  at  Harrison's 
Landing.  Again,  at  second  Bull  Run, 
when,  after  dawdling  along  all  day  on 
the  road  from  Alexandria  to  Centre- 
ville,  with  the  sounds  of  conflict  in  our 
front  (making  a  long  two  hours'  rest  at 
Annandale,  and  then  marching  at  full 
speed  in  a  hot  sun),  we  reached  Cen- 
treville,  we  were  told  that  Pope  had 
whipped  Jackson,  and  that  Lee  with 
his  whole  army  was  in  full  retreat.  But 
when  we  reached  Bull  Run,  "  Linden 
saw  another  sight. "  Heavens,  what  a 
stampede  !  McDowell's  and  Sigel's 
corps  in  disastrous  retreat, — cavalry,  ar- 
tillery, infantry,  ammunition  and  bag- 
gage wagons  in  one  confused,  strug- 
gling mass,  intent  upon  reaching  the 
heights    of    Centreville.  .     Our    corps 


(Franklin's,  6th)  had  just  halted  to  rest, 
as  the  stragglers  came  into  view.  De- 
ploying, we  stopped  the  rout,  and  end- 
ed the  retreat.  Seizing  the  infantry 
stragglers,  we  placed  them  in  our  own 
ranks  until  our  brigade  swelled  to  twice 
its  usual  size.  Night  closed  in,  and  we 
were  marched  to  the  front  across  Cub 
Run,  and  ordered  to  hold  our  position 
at  all  hazards.  In  that  march  every 
straggler  deserted  !  Poor  fellows,  who 
'could  blame  them?  Had  they  been 
killed  then  and  there  who  could  have 
accounted  for  them  ?  Most  of  them  re- 
turned to  their  own  regiments  and  there- 
after did  good  service  no  doubt.  Pan- 
ics are  liable  to  seize  upon  the  best  of 
troops.  I  cite  these  instances  as  par- 
tial corroboration  of  my  point.  What 
wonder  if  our  troops  came  to  distrust 
all  reports  and*  to  depend  only  upon 
established  facts.  But  perhaps  our 
commanders  were  right  in  concealing 
information  from  the  army  in  general, 
and  Moore  may  have  hit  the  nail  on  the 
head  when  he  wrote  : 

"A  captain  has  been  known  to  think, 
Even  colonels  have  been  heard  to  reason ; 
And  reasonera  whether  clad  in  piuk, 
Or  red  or  blue,  are  on  the  brink, 
Nine  cases  out  of  ten — of  treason." 

At  any  rate   they  conducted   the  war 
in  harmony  with  such  a  belief. 

One  battle  only  did  I  witness  from 
the  vantage  ground  of  a  non-combat- 
ant, the  first  Fredericksburg  fight,  and 
I  found  it  vastly  more  interesting  and 
conducive  to  personal  ease  and  safety, 
if  less  glorious.  But  this  is  not  what  I 
started  out  to  tell  the  readers  of  this 
Magazine.  I  am  to  relate  my  experience 
during  that  memorable  episode  referred 
to  in  my  opening  paragraph.  I  must 
say  at  the  outset  that  it  was  an  exceed- 
ingly checkered  episode,  so  far  as  my 
memory  serves  me,  for  within  the  time 
outlined  I  ran  the  gamut  of  a  soldier's 
emotions — anxiety,  uncertainty,  fear, 
hope,  the  thrill  of  victory  succeeded  all 
too  quickly  by  the  blackest  despair ; 
for  success  was  followed  by  repulse, 
and  from  an  elated  victor  I  became  al- 
most in  a  twinkling,  a  captive  in  the 
hands  of  as  ragged  and  as  dirty  a  lot  of 
Johnny  Rebs  as  ever  fought  with  a 
courage  worthy  of  a   better   cause, — a 


212 


IN  BATTLE  AND  IN  PRISON. 


part  of  Wilcox's  Alabama  brigade, 
McLaw's  division.  But  I  must  not  an- 
ticipate. 

During  the  winter  of  1862-63,  our 
brigade  lay  encamped  near  White  Oak 
church,  a  locality  about  equi-distant,  if 
my  memory  serves  me,  between  Fal- 
mouth on  the  Rhappahannock  and 
Belle  Plain  on  the  Potomac.  It  had 
bad  ample  time  to  recuperate  from  the 
fatigue  of  the  "mud  march,"  as  Burn- 
side's  second  futile  attempt  to  dislodge 
Lee  from  his  intrenchments  about 
Fredericksburg,  was  facetiously  termed, 
and  as  spring  opened  the  routine  of 
life  in  cantonment  was  relieved  by  pa- 
rades, reviews,  inspections,  drills,  and, 
occasionally,  target  practice.  Mean- 
time Hooker  had  superceded  Burn- 
side  in  chief  command,  and  a  new  and 
more  vigorous  life  had  been  infused  in- 
to all  branches  of  the  service.  This 
was  particularly  true  of  the  cavalry, 
which  had  fallen  into  general  disfavor. 
Under  Hooker's  discipline  it  became 
very  effective.  The  high-sounding 
grand  divisions  had  been  broken  up, 
and  the  over-cautious,  phlegmatic 
Franklin,  relieved.  With  other  changes, 
came  Sedgwick  to  the  command  of  our 
corps — a  great  improvement  in  some 
respects  on  Franklin.  The  cool  and 
sagacious  Slocum,  so  long  at  the  head 
of  the  red-cross  division,  had  been  pro- 
moted to  the  command  of  a  corps,  and 
Gen.  Brooks,  as  brave,  perhaps,  but  a 
far  less  skilful  soldier,  had  succeeded 
him,  having  been  promoted  from  the 
Vermont  brigade.  Gen.  Joe  Bartlett 
of  New  York,  commanded  our  brigade 
— a  fine  officer,  and  a  lion  in  battle.  A 
brave  man,  too,  was  our  Colonel,  but 
deficient  in  tactical  skill.  He  might 
not  "set  a  squadron  in  the  field,"  but 
he  could  face  the  enemy's  line  of  bat- 
tle without  flinching.  In  action  he  was 
the  embodiment  of  pluck,  and  at  such 
times  he  looked  as  if  he  might  be  the 
very 

" Colonel 

Who  galloped  through  the  white  infernal  powder 
cloud." 

in  continental  days.  But  he  did  not 
appear  to  advantage  on  parade,  being 
undersized  and  awkward  gaited,  with  a 
shrill,  piercing  voice,  not  unlike  that  of 


the  late  Isaac  O.  Barnes,  or  the  irre- 
pressible Mel.  Weston,  and  totally  in- 
different to  all  the  niceities  of  drill  so 
pleasing  to  the  holiday  soldier.  On 
one  occasion  he  forgot  his  place  at  a 
Brigade  dress  parade,  and  was  then 
and  there  rebuked  sharply  by  the  gen- 
eral. Meeting  the  latter  at  headquar- 
ters the  same  evening,  where  a  "  recep- 
tion" to  the  officers  of  the  brigade  was 
in  full  career  and  good  fellowship,  aid- 
ed by  copious  draughts  of  "  commissa- 
ry, "  abounded,  the  Colonel  extended 
his  hand  and  piped  out  in  a  high  key 
which  attracted  the  attention  of  all 
present:  "Gineral,  I'm  not  much  at 
drill  I  confess,  but  I've  got  a  hell-fired 
stomach  for  a  fight  !  " 

On  the  morning  of  the  28th  of  April, 
1863,  our  regiment  was  ordered  on 
picket  duty,  but  scarcely  had  we  re- 
lieved the  old  picket  guard  when  or- 
ders came  to  return  to  camp,  strike 
tents,  and  prepare  to  move  at  once  in 
heavy  marching  order.  This  meant 
work,  but  was  an  agreeable  change.  I 
had  only  joined  my  regiment  the  day 
previous,  after  a  brief  leave  of  absence, 
and  was  resplendent  in  a  new  uniform, 
sword,  etc.  Of  course  I  packed  the 
uniform  away,  arid  left  it  in  care  of  the 
sutler,  while  I  donned  a  knit  blouse, 
and  with  a  due  regard  for  sharpshoot- 
ers of  which  the  Confederacy  had,  as  it 
always  seemed  to  me  when  on  the 
skirmish  line,  more  than  its  share,  put 
myself  in  condition  for  serious  work, 
having  nothing  in  the  way  of  wearing 
apparel  save  my  side-arms  to  indicate 
military  rank.  Meantime  a  great 
change  had  been  effected  in  our  winter 
quarters.  The  tents  had  been  removed 
from  the  log  huts  to  which  they  had 
served  as  roofs  and  windows,  and  now 
the  bare  interiors,  with  the  debris 
strewn  about,  and  broken  chimneys  and 
blackened  walls  alone  remained.  A 
more  dismal  or  melancholy  sight  than  a 
deserted  cantonment  cannot  be  con- 
ceived. "Warm  work  ahead,  boys," 
gaily  and  cheerily  remarked  our  jovial, 
stout-hearted  adjutant,  as  he  rode  up 
to  the  head  of  the  regiment.  It  proved 
to  be  particularly  hot  for  him,  for  he 
received  a  wound  in  his   head,   in   the 


IN  BATTLE  AND    N  PRISON. 


213 


charge  on  Marye's  Heights,  that  he 
will  carry  to  his  grave,  and  which  end- 
ed his  military  career,  but  not  his  use- 
fulness ;  for  he  is  now  a  popular  cler- 
gyman, a  true  soldier  of  the  cross,  set- 
tled in  Philadelphia,  I  believe.  Our 
progress  was  slow,  and  darkness  inter- 
vened just  as  we  reached  a  ravine  lead- 
ing down  to  the  narrow  valley  which 
skirts  the  river  on  that  side.  We  biv- 
ouacked in  our  tracks,  not  being  al- 
lowed to  kindle  fires.  Back  over  the 
route  we  had  come  could  be  heard  the 
rumble  of  artillery  wagons  and  the 
tramp,  tramp,  of  marching  columns. 
In  front,  silence  reigned.  Orders  are 
issued  in  a  low  tone  ;  and  that  stern 
composure  which  soldiers  assume  when 
about  to  encounter  the  enemy  was 
apparent  in  the  bearing  of  all.  The 
officers  gather  around  their  adjutant, 
who  is  a  favorite  at  brigade  and  divi- 
sion headquarters,  to  learn  his  views 
touching  the  movement.  He  thinks 
we  are  in  lor  a  fight,  and  gives  his  opin- 
ion, as  to  Hooker's  intentions.  He  is 
sanguine  of  success. — We  have  hardly 
closed  our  eyes  in  sleep,  when  some 
one  calls  out  in  a  voice  seemingly  loud 
enough  for  the  rebel  pickets  to  hear, 
"Where  is  Colonel  Blank?"  "Here, 
sir,"  responds  that  officer,  rubbing  his 
eyes.  "What's  wanted?"  "Gen.  B. 
directs  me  to  say  that  you  are  to 
march  your  regiment  to  the  bank  of  the 
river,  form  in  line  of  battle,  and  await 
further  orders.  You  are  to  move  ex- 
peditiously, with  as  little  noise  as  possi- 
ble, following  the  pontoons."  The  or- 
der is  obeyed  ;  the  regiment  marching 
away  in  almost  spectral  silence.  De- 
bouching from  the  ravine,  the  darkness 
deepens,  for  a  dense  fog  hangs  over  the 
valley  of  the  Rhappahannock  like  a 
pall.  We  file  past  the  pontoon  train, 
from  which  the  engineer  corps  are  de- 
taching the  boats,  silently  and  with 
all  the  celerity  possible — and  stand  up- 
on the  river's  brink.  In  our  rear  come 
other  regiments,  until  our  whole  brigade 
is  closed  in  line  five  regiments  deep. — It 
was  a  critical  time.  I  recall  it  well. 
The  silence  was  almost  oppressive  ;  or- 
ders were  given  in  low  tones,  and  noth- 
ing but    the    rattle   of  accoutrements 


broke  the  silence.  The  fog  resembled 
a  mirage.  Objects  a  little  way  off  took 
on  gigantic  proportions.  I  remember 
that  a  pontoon  boat,  borne  on  stout 
shoulders  to  the  river's  brink,  resem- 
bled the  immense  hulk  of  a  ship  as  it 
loomed  into  view,  while  at  the  distance 
of  a  few  feet  men  took  on  colossal  di- 
mensions. Meantime  we  are  tolled  off 
in  detachments  to  occupy  the  pon- 
toons, along  with  the  engineers  who 
are  to  do  the  navigation,  and  our  or- 
ders are  to  form  instantly  on  reaching 
the  other  shore,  dash  forward  and  cap- 
ture the  enemy's  picket  line,  or  what- 
ever force  may  be  there  to  oppose  us. 
At  length  there  are  sounds  of  commo- 
tion on  the  other  side.  The  Johnnies 
suspect  something.  Splash  !  goes  a 
pontoon  into  the  water,  followed  by  a 
deep  curse  from  the  officer  in  charge, 
brave  old  Gen.  Benham,  who  cannot 
restrain  his  rage  over  the  carelessness 
of  his  men.  Meanwhile  the  fog  has  been 
gradually  rising,  and  the  gray  of  dawn 
appears.  More  stir  on  the  other  side,  a 
rattling  of  equipments,  hurried  com- 
mands— then  a  sharp  challenge,  (some 
of  our  scouts  are  nearly  over),  followed 
by  a  single  musket  discharge,  then  a  vol- 
ley, and  the  whistle  of  bullets.  Instinc- 
tively we  do  them  low  obeisance  ;  the 
lines  waver  for  an  instant,  then  firm- 
ness and  silence.  So  heavy  a  fire  was 
not  anticipated.  It  told  of  a  large  re- 
serve which  must  have  been  brought  up 
in  expectation  of  an  attack.  All  hope 
of  a  surprise  was  over.  "Will  the  pon- 
toons never  be  launched?"  Yes,  Ben- 
ham  "has  done  his  duty,  and  into  them 
we  scramble  and  push  off,  each  boat  for 
itself.  The  stream  is  narrow  at  this 
point,  but  we  are  not  swift  enough  to 
check  another  volley,  which  being  bet- 
ter directed  than  the  first,  killed  and 
wounded  a  number  of  our  boys  in  the 
boats.  Almost  at  the  same  instant  our 
pontoon  touches  the  shore.  There  is  a 
rush,  a  charge,  a  brief  struggle,  and  that 
picket  guard  is  hors  du  combat.  Quick- 
ly deploying  on  the  bank  we  advance, 
but  the  enemy  retires  more  quickly ; 
— and  we  have  established  a  firm  foot- 
hold, the  pontoon  bridge  is  laid,  and 
the  whole  corps  is  streaming  across   as 


214 


IN  BATTLE  AND  IN  PRISON. 


the  morning  sun  rises  above   the   hori- 
zon.    The  fog  still  clings,  however,   to 
the  rising  ground   on    which   Franklin 
fought  at  the  first  battle  of  Fredericks- 
burg, and  we  move  with   due    caution, 
skirmishers  well  out,  not  knowing   what 
sort  of  a  reception   Stonewall  Jackson, 
whose  corps  is   known   to    occupy   the 
wooded  heights  beyond,  may   have   in 
store  for  us.     But  no  serious  opposition 
is  offered  after  the  affair  of  the   pickets, 
and  gradually  we  occupy   most  of  the 
ground  previously  held  by  the  centre  of 
Franklin's  grand    division.       The   fog 
lifts  at  last,  and  the  sight  revealed  is   a 
picturesque  one.       Before    us,    a   level 
plain,  extending  on  the, right  to  the  sub- 
urbs   of  Fredericksburg,    and   on  the 
left,  cut  with  ravines  and  hillocks  some- 
what, for  a  long  distance.     Back  of  us, 
the  river  ;  fronting,  on  either  hand,  the 
plain  ending  in  a  range  of  wooded  hills, 
semicircular  in  shape,  and  dotted   with 
fortifications.     The  enemy's  picket  line 
is  well  out  upon  the  plain  but  touching 
the  river  above  us  near  the    city.      Ex- 
tending our  left  it  soon   came    in   con- 
tact with  Reynolds'  corps,   which   had 
effected  a  crossing  a  mile  or  two   lower 
down,  after   a   sharp   artillery  fight   in 
which  the  enemy  showed  superior  met- 
al, but  was  obliged  to   retire    after   the 
infantry  got  over.      Midway   from   the 
river  to  the  range  of  hills,    and   parallel 
with  the  former,  is  a  deep  ravine  where 
partial  shelter  from  the    concentric   fire 
from   the   artillery  posted  on   Marye's 
Heights  on  the  right  and   on   the    hills 
in  front,  was  afforded  Franklin's  troops 
in  the  previous  battle.     A  few   artillery 
shots  are  fired,  soon    after   establishing 
our  lines,  and  then  all   becomes   quiet. 
What  does  this  inaction  portend  ?    Evi- 
dently, Lee  is  acting  on  the    defensive, 
and   waiting   for  the    development    of 
Hooker's  strategy.     He  does  not   have 
long  to  wait.     Before  us   is   the   whole 
rebel  army.     Will  it  swoop  down  upon 
us  before  Hooker  can  develop  his  left 
and  crush  us?  This  is   the    conundrum 
with  which  we  wrestle,  as  the  hours  wear 
away,  varying  it  with  a  conjecture  as  to 
whether  we  shall  be  ordered  to    assault 
the  enemy,    in    his     chosen    position, 
against  which  Burnside  had  thrown  the 


flower  of  his  army  only  to  be  hurled 
back  discomfited.  Another  artillery 
duel  between  Reynolds  and  Jackson 
later  in  the  day  closes  the  fighting,  and 
a  night  of  repose  follows.  The  suc- 
ceeding day  proved  to  be  one  of  quiet, 
also,  but  there  was  a  constant  move- 
ment of  troops  in  our  rear  on  the 
heights  of  Falmouth,  the  line  of  march 
being  directly  up  river. 

"  You  see  them  on  their  winning  way, 
About  their  ranks  the  sunbeams  play." 

That  night  our  regiment  went  on  pick- 
et. Never  shall  I  forget  it.  Strict  orders 
had  been  received,  prohibiting  fires,  or 
conversation  above  a  whisper,  and  requir- 
ing the  most  vigilant  watchfulness  to  pre- 
vent surprise,  as  the  enemy  in  heavy  force 
was  directly  in  our  front.  Our  eyes 
were  kept  constantly  on  the  rebel  sen- 
tinels moving  ghost-like  upon  their 
beats:  A  dense  fog  settled  down,  cold 
and  damp.  The  hours  seemed  leaden. 
The  suspense  became  intense,  unbeara- 
ble. Suddenly  a  tremor  sweeps  along 
the  line.  Our  boys  are  doubly  alert. 
What  does  it  mean  ?  A  message  comes 
down  the  front  line — "The  enemy  are 
advancing.  Hold  your  ground  until 
the  reserves  are  formed,  then  rally  up- 
on them  !  "  With  muskets  firmly  grasp- 
ed the  Union  pickets  await  the  onset. 
A  night  attack  is  always  dreaded  by 
soldiers,  and  nothing  is  more  trying  to 
the  nerves'of  veterans  than  the  expecta- 
tion of  a  conflict  with  an  unseen  foe. 
But  our  boys  do  not  flinch  ;  they  feel 
the  responsibility  imposed  upon  them 
and  resolve  to  do  their  duty.  Minutes 
go  by,  and  still  no  advance,  although 
the  weird  line  of  sentinels  has  been  suc- 
ceeded by  a  line  of  battle.  Momenta- 
rily we  expect  to  see  a  sheet  of  flame 
burst  from  that  compact  mass,  the  com- 
ponents of  which  are  indistinguishable 
in  the  fog  and  darkness,  although  hardly 
six  rods  distant.  But  it  comes  not. 
The  mass  recedes  and  fades  out,  leav- 
ing the  sentinels  pacing  their  posts,  and 
we  now  know  that  the  movement  was 
only  a  reconnoisance.  Morning  dawns 
at  length,  and  we  are  relieved  without 
firing  a  shot.  As  we  gain  the  shelter  of 
the  ravine  near  the  bank  of  the  river, 
we  notice  that  Reynolds  has   recrossed 


IN  BATTLE  AND  IN  PRISON. 


215 


with  his  whole  corps  and  is  marching  in 
the  direction  taken  by  the  main  army. 
Looking  toward  the  rebel  position  on 
our  left,  dark  masses  of  men  are  seen 
moving  over  the  hills,  as  if  in  retreat. 
Here  again  we  have  food  for  specula- 
tion. Has  Hooker,  whose  guns  are 
now  heard  on  the  right,  outflanked  the 
enemy?  Later  on  we  learned  that  these 
troops  were  Stonewall  Jackson's  rear 
guard,  that  intrepid  commander  being 
then  in  the  process  of  executing  that  fa- 
mous flank  movement  which  put  the 
nth  corps  to  rout  and  turned  a  Union 
success  into  a  Confederate  victory,  the 
most  signal  ever  achieved  by  its  armies. 
About  noon  our  troops  made  a  demon- 
stration, driving  back  the  enemy's  pick- 
ets, and  later  in  the  day  rifle  pits  were 
dug  under  cover  of  army  blankets  hung 
up  as  if  to  dry — a  device  so  simple  as  to 
deceive  the  Confederates,  for  otherwise, 
being  commanded  by  their  guns,  it 
could  not  have  been  effected  without 
serious  loss. 

The  next  day  (Saturday,  May  2), 
was  comparatively  quiet,  although  far 
to  the  right  could  be  heard  the  deep, 
yet  muffled  sound  of  artillery  firing, 
telling  that  Hooker  was  engaged.  We 
made  demonstrations  all  along  our 
front,  but  did  no  real  fighting.  During 
the  night,  the  firing  on  the  right  became 
very  heavy, — and  I  was  called  into  line 
at  about  2  a.  m.,  to  go  through  ere  an- 
other chance  to  sleep  was  afforded  me, 
the  most  exciting  experiences  of  my 
life.  We  were  marched  to  the  front, 
and  posted  in  a  ravine.  With  the  first 
streaks  of  dawn  came  sounds  of  mus- 
ketry firing  on  our  right.  It  was  the 
Light  Division  in  the  streets  of  Freder- 
icksburg. Marching  by  the  left  flank 
we  emerge  from  the  ravine  and  take  a 
position  on  the  left,  the  second,  and 
third  and  light  divisions  of  our  corps 
extending  to  the  right.  As  we  leave 
the  ravine  the  enemy  opens  a  heavy 
fire  upon  our  devoted  regiment,  the 
hills  on  our  front  and  right  being  aflame 
with  the  flashes  of  the  "red  artillery." 
We  advance  rapidly,  our  general  lead- 
ing ;  our  batteries  gallop  to  the  rising 
ground,  and  open  on  the  enemy's  guns 
posted  near  the  railroad   embankment 


and  which  are  doing  the  most  execution. 
Our  guns  are  splendidly  served,  and 
soon  the  rebel  battery  in  front  and  its 
infantry  supports  are  seen  making  quick 
time  for  the  fortifications  in  th©  woods 
at  the  base  of  the  hill.  Now  the  guns  on 
the  hills  redouble  their  fire,  and  the  din  is 
terrible.  Men  are  falling  at  every  step, 
and  so  fierce  is  the  concentric  artillery 
fire  of  the  Confederates  that  our  batteries 
have  to  be  withdrawn.  Not  so  the  infan- 
try. It  is  our  part  to  keep  the 
rebel  force  in  front  employed  while 
the  divisions  on  our  right  storm 
Marye's  Heights.  So  we  keep  steadily 
on  until  a  ravine  is  reached  running  at 
right  angles  with  the  one  we  have  left, 
and  leading  nearly  up  to  the  rebel  en- 
trenchments. The  air  is  full  of  scream- 
ing shot  and  whistling  shell,  and  as  we 
near  the  entrance  to  the  ravine,  which 
is  filled  with  a  thick  undergrowth  of 
trees  and  bushes,  our  boys  are  ready 
to  insist  that  at  least  five  hundred  rebel 
cannon  have  the  range  and  are  pepper- 
ing us  accordingly.  Through  the  hell 
of  fire  we  go,  marching  by  the  left  flank 
and  closing  up  our  ranks  with  each 
breach,  and  into  the  ravine  from  which 
the  enemy's  sharpshooters  are  seen  to 
scamper  like  so  many  rats,  as  much  to 
escape  the  range  of  their  own  cannon  as 
that  of  our  musketry,  for  we  had  not  as 
yet  fired  a  shot. — Here,  by  hugging  the 
steep  sides,  we  were  partially  sheltered 
and  within  half  rifle  practice  of  the  foe 
posted  behind  their  breastworks  at  the 
base  of  the  hill.  A  brisk  fusilade  was 
kept  up,  and  although  we  were  unsup- 
ported and  "in  the  air"  we  kept  the 
Johnnies  so  busy  that  they  did  not  at- 
tempt a  sortie.  By  this  time,  also,  the 
batteries  on  Marye's  Heights,  which  had 
enfiladed  us,  had  as  much  as  they  could 
do  nearer  home,  for  Howe  and  Newton 
had  begun  their  advance.  It  being 
deemed  useless  to  attempt  to  do  more 
than  keep  the  enemy  in  our  front  em- 
ployed, our  regiment  was  withdrawn 
from  the  ravine  and  the  Parrotts  were 
again  opened  on  the  position,  which  we 
had,  supposed  was  to  be  stormed. — 
"  The  war  which  for  a  space  did  fail," 
now  opens  furiously  on  our  right,  and 
we  watch  the  advance  of  the  light  di- 


2l6 


IN  BATTLE  AND  IN  PRISON. 


vision  with  interest,  although  our  regi- 
ment is  still  exposed  to  a  galling  fire 
from  riflemen  behind  the  railroad 
embankment.  —  The  spectacle  was 
a  thrilling  one.  The  6th  corps  bat- 
teries were  playing  upon  the  heights, 
with  might  and  main,  and  up  the 
steep  ascent  our  brave  boys  were 
climbing  with  all  speed.  Out  hearts 
were  in  our  throats  as  we  watched. 
Could  the  heights  be  stormed  ?  Could 
Sedgwick  with  10,000  men  do  what 
Burnside  failed  to  do  with  ten  times 
that  number?  Our  Colonel,  who  has 
been  watching  the  conflict  through  his 
field-glass,  electrifies  us  at  last  by  ex- 
claiming, "The  heights  are  ours, boys  !" 
"  Our  flag  is  there  !"  Such  a  cheer  as 
went  up  must  have  astonished  our 
friends  just  opposite.  A  rebel  brigade, 
which  had  left  the  entrenchments  near 
our  front  and  was  making  all  speed  to 
succor  its  friends,  suddenly  halted, 
then  taking  in  the  situation  turned 
about  and  ran  back  again,  its  pace  be- 
ing accelerated  by  shots  from  cannon 
just  taken.  The  victory  was  ours  thus 
far,  but  at  what  a  cost  !  It  was  a  brief 
triumph,  alas  !  for  disaster  had  overtaken 
Hooker,  and  he  was  a  beaten  general 
at  that  moment.  We  knew  it  not,  how- 
ever. Contrariwise  it  was  announced 
that  Hooker  had  been  even  more  suc- 
cessful, and  that  Lee's  routed  army  was  in 
rapid  retreat  on  Richmond.  Joy  filled 
our  hearts,  even  though  we  mourned  the 
death  of  many  brave  comrades  whose 
last  roll  call  on  earth  had  been  answer- 
ed that  morning.  Hence,  when  orders 
came  for  our  brigade  to  fall  in  and  take 
the  lead  in  the  pursuit  on  our  side,  they 
were  obeyed  with  alacrity,  and  up  and 
over  the  battle-stained  heights  we 
marched,  munching;  our  hardtack  as  we 
went,  and  out  upon  the  Chancellorsville 
pike,  driving  the  enemy  before  us  like 
chaff  before  the  wind.  Two  miles  out, 
"a  battery  opened  upon  us,  but  we  took 
little  notice,  pushing  our  skirmish  line 
rapidly  forward.  It  was  a  fatal  dis- 
charge, however,  to  an  officer  on 
Brooks'  staff,  who  fell  from  his  horse, 
nearly  decapitated  by  a  shell. — One  of 
our  batteries  is  hurried  to  the  front  and  a 
single  discharge  causes  the  enemy  to  re- 


tire on  the  double  quick.  We  reach  Salem 
church,  nearly  exhausted  by  our  rapid 
marching,  hoping  for  rest.  But  the 
worst  is  yet  to  come.  Our  skirmish 
line  is  held  at  bay.  It  cannot  advance, 
and  our  brigade  is  formed  for  a  charge 
— my  own  regiment,  through  the  negli- 
gence of  some  one,  going  into  the  fight 
in  heavy  marching  order,  with  knap- 
sacks strung,  and  blankets  strap- 
ped. Meeting  a  heavy  fire  of  mus- 
ketry at  the  edge  of  a  piece  of 
woods,  the  brigade  halts.  But  Gen. 
Brooks,  who  has  orders  to  effect  a 
junction  with  Hooker,  and  deeming 
the  enemy  in  front  to  be,  the  same  we 
have  been  driving,  orders  another  ad- 
vance. Into  the  woods  we  go  to  be 
met  by  a  terrific  fire.  We  charge  and 
drive  the  foe  from  his  breastworks,  but 
can  go  no  further.  Heavily  reinforced 
he  advances  with  yells.  There  is  a 
continuous  roll  of  musketry.  The 
Pennsylvania  regiments  on  our  right 
and  left  give  ground.  We  are  out- 
flanked and  enfiladed.  Then  comes 
the  order  to  fall  back.  It  must  be  done 
quickly  if  we  would  not  be  entirely  cut 
off  from  the  second  line.  Burdened  as 
many  of  our  men  are  by  their  knap- 
sacks, and  fatigued  by  the  march,  they 
can  not  run.  Such  is  my  condition. 
Although  with  only  a  blanket  to 
carry,  I  am  quite  used  up  physically. 
The  double-quick  is  beyond  my  powers, 
and  with  every  disposition  in  the  world 
to  run  I  cannot  to  save  my  life.  Sud- 
denly, one  leg  refuses  to  move,  and  I 
fall.  A  call  to  my  men  is  unheard,  or 
if  heard,  unheeded.  I  try  to  regain  my 
feet,  but  cannot.  My  leg  seems  para- 
lyzed. Am  I  hit  ?  wounded  ?  A  brother 
officer  sees  me  ;  hears  my  call  for  as- 
sistance ;  and  proffers  aid  ;  helps  me  to 
my  feet,  and  I  stagger  along  for  a  few 
paces.  Meantime,  we  have  been  left 
far  in  the  rear  and  are  between  two 
fires.  The  air  is  laden  with  missiles.  It 
is  madness  to  proceed,  and  so  we  both 
hug  the  ground.  Doubtless  our  lives 
are  saved  by  this  device,  but,  although 
we  had  not  the  faintest  idea  then  that 
such  was  the  case,  it  involved  our  cap- 
ture and  imprisonment.  "The  combat 
deepens."     The    din    is  awful.     Line 


MANNERS  AND  CUSTOMS  IN  HOPKINTON. 


217 


after  line  of  Lee's  veterans  surges  for- 
ward ;  they  intermingle  ;  halt,  yell,  fire  ; 
then  rush  on  like  a  mob.  It  is  not  un- 
til they  have  fairly  run  over  us  that  we 
realize  our  position — that  capture  is  in- 
evitable. Two  lines  pass  us  unnoticed, 
when  a  squad  of  skirmishers  who  have 
hung  on  our  flank  come  up  and  de- 
mand our  surrender.  There  is  no  al- 
ternative, and  that  brand-new  blade 
goes  into  the  hands  of  a  rebel  sergeant 
whose  straight,  black  hair  runs  up 
through  a  rent  in  his  hat  like  a  plume. 
We  are  taken  to  the  rear  amid  a  rain  of 
shot  from  our  batteries,  three  men 
helping  me  along  and  two  keeping  close 
guard  over  my  companion.  They 
seemed  in  a  hurry  to  get  out  of  range, 
and  glad  of  the  opportunity  our  capture 
afforded  them  of  retiring  with  eclat  from 
the  strife.  Soon  we  came  upon  Gen. 
Wilcox  and  staff  nicely  ensconced  in  a 
position  not  accessible  to  Yankee  bul- 
lets. He  questioned  us,  but  not  getting 
satisfactory  replies,  sent  us  still  further 
to  the  rear  (after  his  Adjutant-General 
had  purchased  my  sword  of  the  hatless 
sergeant),  where  we  were  placed  under 
guard  near  a  field  hospital.  Here  I 
found,  upon  examination,  that  I  was 
not  injured,    but    that  my  inability  to 


walk  without  help  was  due  to  fatigue 
and  a  slight  abrasion  on  the  hip,  occa- 
sioned probably  by  a  spent  ball.  We 
were  courteously  treated  by  our  guards 
but  could  get  no  food,  Stoneman's  raid 
having  sadly  interfered  with  the  rebel 
commissariat.  Next  day  we  were  taken 
to  Spottsylvania  court-house  where  we 
met  nearly  half  of  the  nth  corps  and 
learned  for  the  first  time  the  disaster 
that  had  befallen  "  Fighting  Joe  " 
Hooker.  Of  the  kindness  of  one  of 
my  captors,  Billy  Peyton  of  Mem- 
phis, Tenn.,  but  a  member  of  the 
9th  Alabama,  and  his  peculiarities,  I 
should  like  to  speak,  but  this  sketch  has 
grown  on  my  hands,  and  I  am  com- 
pelled to  omit  an  account  of  my  first 
visit  to  Richmond,  introduction  to  Ma- 
jor Turner,  and  incarceration  in  Libby. 
Should  this  sketch  please  the  readers  of 
this  Magazine,  I  may  essay  another  de- 
scribing my  prison  life,  and  how  near  I 
came  to  being  annihilated  by  a  fierce 
Virginia  home  guard  officer  who  com- 
manded the  escort  which  conducted 
thedetatchment  of  prisoners,  of  which 
I  made  one,  to  the  flag  of  truce  boat 
on  the  James,  going  by  the  way  of 
Petersburgh. 


MANNERS  AND  CUSTOMS  IN  HOPKINTON— No.  2. 


BY    C.    C.    LORD. 


RELIGIOUS. 


At  first,  worship,  both  private  and 
public,  was  conducted  in  the  primative 
homes  of  the  settlers  of  the  township. 
On  the  erection  of  military  posts,  or 
forts,  such  edifices  became  natural,  so- 
cial centres,  and  worship  was  conduct- 
ed in  one  or  more  of  them.  Rev. 
James  Scales,  first  minister  of  the  town, 
was  ordained  in  Putney's  Fort,  in  1757. 
During  the  ministry  of  Mr.  Scales,  pub- 
lic worship  was   sometimes   conducted 


at  the  Parsonage.  The  erection  of  a 
church  determined  a  permanent  place 
of  public  religious  services. 

The  first  meeting-house  in  Hopkinton 
represented  a  much  larger  territorial  ex- 
panse of  population  than  any  church 
now  extant.  Denominational  contro- 
versies had  not  divided  the  ranks  of  the 
worshipers,  nor  had  local  patrons  of  the 
one  church  demanded  special  privi- 
leges of  their  own.  The  distance  to 
church  was  long   in   many   cases,   and 


2l8 


MANNERS  AND  CUSTOMS  IN  HOPKINTON. 


the  conveyances   often   only  the  loco- 
motary  means  of  nature. 

In  olden  times  in  this  vicinity,  though 
people  had  the  instinct  of  personal 
adornment  the  same  as  now,  they  often 
lacked  the  means  of  gratifying  it.  Extra 
articles  of  dress  were  so  rare  that  peo- 
ple frequently  walked  to  church  in  their 
daily  accustomed  garb,  or  trod  the 
Sunday  path  with  a  most  scrupulous 
care  for  their  extra  wardrobe.  Women 
sometimes  carried  the  skirts  of  their 
Sunday  dresses  on  their  arms  till  they 
arrived  near  or  at  the  church  door, 
when  they  let' them  fall.  The  Sunday 
shoes  were  often  carried  in  the  hand 
till  the  journey  to  meeting  was  nearly 
ended,  when  they  were  put  on  for  en- 
trance to  the  sanctuary.  Present  read- 
ers can  comprehend  the  necessity  of 
such  care,  when  they  reflect  that  in  the 
olden  time  the  price  of  a  week's  work 
of  a  woman  was  only  equivalent  to  a 
yard  of  cloth,  or  a  pair  of  shoes. 

Church  services  in  the  former  days 
were  long,  and  savored  of  dogmatic  the- 
ology. The  principal  prayer  was  much 
longer  than  the  present  average  ser- 
mon, and  the  discourse  proportionally 
extended.  Such  prolonged  services 
were  conducted  in  winter,  at  first,  with- 
out the  favor  of  any  artificial  warmth. 
In  contemplating  the  situation  of  the 
worshipers  in  those  old  wintry  days,  the 
bleakness  of  the  characteristic  meeting- 
house of  the  times  is  to  be  taken  into 
account.  In  the  old  Baptist  church 
was  an  open  aperture  in  an  upper  wall, 
where  the  crows  have  been  known  to 
perch  while  worship  was  in  progress. 
The  advent  of  foot-stoves  gave  much 
relief  to  the  chilly  congregations  of 
earlier  times,  and  the  introduction  of 
extremer  experiences  of  the  wintry 
the  general  heater  put  an  end  to  the 
Sunday. 

The  representative  minister  of  the 
olden  time  was  a  person  of  eminent 
scholarly  culture  and  gentlemanly  bear- 
ing. A  thorough  scholar  and  rhetori- 
cian, his  Hjscourses  were  framed  with 
strict  regard  to  the  logical  sequences  of 
his  subject.  The  numerical  divisions 
of  his  theme  often  carried  him  among 
units  of  the  second  order ;  firstly,   sec- 


ondly, and  thirdly  were  only  prelimina- 
ry to  thirteenthly,  fourteenthly,  and  fif- 
teenthly  ;  the  grand  category  of  predi- 
cations was  terminated  by  a  "conclu- 
sion." In  his  loftier  intellectual 
schemes,  he  sometimes  elaborated 
whole  volumes  of  disquisitional  matter. 
Rev.  Ethan  Smith,  third  minister  in  the 
town,  was  the  author  of  several  profound 
theological  treatises.  There  was  a  dig- 
nity and  austerity  of  manner  pertaining 
to  the  characteristic  primative  clergy- 
man that  made  him  a  pattern  of  per- 
sonified seriousness.  His  grave  de- 
meanor on  his  parochial  rounds,  when 
he  spoke  directly  upon  the  obligations 
of  personal  religion,  made  his  presence 
in  the  household  a  suggestion  of  pro- 
found respect  and  awe.  He  impressed 
his  personality  upon  the  receptive  so- 
cial element  of  his  parish.  The  dea- 
cons became  only  minor  pastors,  and 
the  whole  congregation  of  believers  ex- 
pressed in  subdued  form  the  character 
of  the  shepherd  of  the  flock.* 

The  support  of  a  "learned  and  or- 
thodox minister"  was  implied  in  the 
original  grant  of  this  township.  In  the 
strict  construction  of  the  text  of  the 
original  compact,  "orthodoxy"  meant 
Calvinistic  Congregationalism.  The 
disturbed  condition  of  the  early  settle- 
ment prevented  the  establishment  of  a 
permanent  local  pastorate  till  1757. 
On  the  8th  of  September  of  that  year, 
it  was  voted  to  settle  the  Rev.  James 
Scales,  and  that  he  should  be  ordained 
on  the  23d  of  the  following  November. 
His  salary  was  to  be  sixty  Spanish 
milled  dollars,  or  their  equivalent  in 
paper  bills,  a  year.  When  the  town 
became  incorporated  in  1 765,  the  formal 
acknowledgment  of  Mr.  Scales  as  legal 
pastor  was  renewed,  it  being  the  4th  of 
March,  and  his  salary   was   named  at 

£*3>  IOS- 

""The  austere  influence  of  religion  upon 
society  in  the  olden  time  was  attested  by 
the  legal  strictures  upon  traveling, 
idling,  etc..  on  Sunday,  of  which  conduct 
the  tything-men  were  to  take  cognizance. 
Tything-men  were  chosen  in  this  town  as 
late  as  1843,  when  Charles  Barton,  Sam- 
uel Frazief  and  Daniel  Chase  were  select- 
ed. The  law  requiring  such  choice  had 
even  then  become  virtually  a  dead  letter. 


MANNERS  AND  CUSTOMS  IN  HOPKINTON. 


219 


In  progress  of  time  different  religious 
societies  became  established  in  this 
town,  but  the  Congregational  alone 
drew  support  from  any  portion  of  the 
populace  by  a  direct  tax.  People  were 
taxed  for  the  support  of  the  Congrega- 
tional ministry  in  this  town  as  late  as 
18 10.  The  warrant  for  a  town  meet- 
ing called  for  the  12th  of  March,  181 1, 
contained  this  article  : 

"To  see  what  method  the  town  will 
take  to  raise  money  for  the  support  of 
the  Congregational  minister  in  town  the 
ensuing  year,  how  levied,  and  how  di- 
vided between  the  two  meeting-houses. " 

At  this  time  a  meeting-house  had 
been,  for  about  ten  years,  in  existence  at 
Campbell's  Corner,  in  the  westerly  part 
of  the  town,  and  since  its  erection  the 
funds  for  the  support  of  Congregational 
preaching  derived  from  taxes  had  been 
divided  between  the  east  and  west 
meeting-houses,  as  they  were  called. 
However,  at  the  town  meeting  called 
for  the  above  date,  it  was  voted  to 
"pass  over  the  article"  relating  to  the 
proposed  support  of  Congregational 
religious  services  by  the  town,  and  we 
think  the  subject  was  never  taken  up 
again. 

.  The  minister's  tax  was  never  collect- 
ed of  any  person  who  acknowledged  a 
belief  in  the  religious  principles  of  any 
legalized  society,  other  than  the  Con- 
gregational. The  following  vote, 
passed  on  the  25th  of  March,  1799,  il- 
lustrated the  method  of  raising  the  min- 
ister's tax  : 

"Voted  to  lay  a  ministerial  tax  on 
the  Congregational  inhabitants  at  twen- 
ty cents  each  on  the  poll,  and  upon  all 
ratable  estate  in  the  same  proportion, 
*  Congregational  inhabitants  to  be  ascer- 
tained by  consent,  individually,  to  either 
of  the  selectmen  at  the  time  of  taking 
the  inventory. " 

People  liable  to  pay  a  minister's  tax 
sometimes  publicly,  in  town  meeting, 
declared  their  adhesion  to  the  princi- 
ples of  some  one  or  other  of  the  socie- 
ties exempted  from  the  payment  of  that 
tax. 

The  lease  of  the  parsonage  lands  in 
1 798,  incurred  an  annual  revenue  which 


was  proportionately  divided  among  the 
existing  societies  till  the  year  1853.  In 
the  year  1842,  when  the  town  for  the 
first  time  published  a  printed  report  of 
its  pecuniary  transactions,  the  last  divis- 
ion of  parsonage  money  was  declared 
to  be  as  follows  : 

1st  Congregational  society,  $27.88 

2d             "  "  4-39 

Calvinist  Baptist,  "  13-88 

Union           "  "  16.12 

Episcopalian  "  9.64 

1st  Universalist  "  4.21 

2d         "  "  10-31 

Methodist  "  1.43 


The  round  total  was  set  down  at  $88.00 

The  2d  Congregational  society 
dropped  out  of  the  list  in  1851.  The 
last  allowance  to  this  society  was  fifty- 
six  cents..  The  town  report  of  the  year 
1853,  contained  the  following  and  last 
list  of  apportionments  of  parsonage 
money  : 

Congregational  society,  $30.09 

Union  Baptist         "  19.04 

Calvinist  "  "  15.72 

Episcopalian  "  4.40 

1  st  Universalist      "  7.57 

2d         "  "  7.10 

Methodist  "  4.18 

The  total  of  this  list  was  also  set   down 
in  round  numbers  as  $88. 

The  above  figures  are  suggestive  in 
presenting  a  view  of  the  relative 
strength  of  the  different  societies  at  the 
specific  times  stated.  It  is  interesting 
to  note  that  certain  of  the  societies 
soon  lost  all  traces  of  even  a  nominal 
existence',  after  the  suspension  of  the 
parsonage  revenues.  For  some  time 
they  had  kept  up  a  show  of  vitality  by 
making  their  portion  of  the  parsonage 
fund  a  nucleus  of  an  outlay  for  a  few 
days'  preaching  in  the  year. 

In  the  march  of  the  years,  the  old  pe- 
culiarities of  local  religious  life  have 
given  place  to  new  features  and  forms. 
It  is  needless  to  say  that  some  of  the 
old  formalities  died  hard.  Innovations 
were  distrusted.  The  experience  in 
view  of  proposed  changes  was  substan- 
tially uniform  in  all  the  churches.  Even 
the  staid  Episcopalians  were  ruffled   by 


220 


MANNERS  AND  CUSTOMS  IN  HOPKINTON. 


unaccustomed  ceremonies.  When,  for 
'  the  first  time,  the  choir  of  the  Episco- 
pal church  chanted  the  Gloria  Patri, 
which  before  had  been  read  only,  an  in- 
dignant lady  abruptly  shut  her  prayer 
book  in  unfeigned  disgust.  The  great- 
er jealousy  formerly  existing  between 
different  denominations  is  well  known. 
It  is  said  this  inharmonious  feeling  was 
once  sought  to  serve  an  innovating  use. 
A  person  prominent  in  musical  circles 
sought  to  influence  the  leading  minds 
of  the  Congregational  church  in  favor 
of  the  purchase  of  a  bass  viol.  As  an 
extreme  argumentative  resort  he  sug- 
gested, "The  poor,  miserable  Baptists 
have  got  one. "  Tradition,  however, 
doesn't  relate  the  effect  of  this  sugges- 


tion. 


COMMERCIAL. 


The  country  store  of  the  earliest 
times  was  a  more  emphatic  collection 
of  multitudinous  varieties  of  articles,  if 
possible,  than  the  later  place  of  local 
public  traffic.  Then,  as  now,  the  local 
store  was  the  principal  resort  of  the 
great  commonalty.  Men  of  special  vo- 
cations sometimes  took  a  Stock  of  pro- 
ducts to  the  lower  country  and  bartered 
for  goods  to  bring  back  and  distribute 
among  their  neighbors,  and  the  itiner- 
ant merchant,  or  pedlar,  reaped  a  much 
better  harvest  than  now ;  but  the 
country  store  was  a  popular  necessity 
and  well  patronized.  At  first  there  was 
less  trading  in  domestic  luxuries  ;  the 
goods  in  store  represented  the  common 
necessities.  Since  the  popular  idea  of 
necessity  does  not  fully  exclude  the  il- 
lusory principle,  we  have  to  admit  rum, 
gin,  brandy,  etc.,  into  the  former  list  of 
domestic  staples.  Cash  and  barter 
were  entertained  by  every  tradesman, 
to  whom  the  populace  largely  looked 
for  advantageous  exchanges  of  sub- 
stance. The  progress  of  the  settlement 
was  attended  by  the  extension,  and  to 
some  extent  by  the  classification,  of 
trade  till  the  time  when  Hopkinton  as- 
sumed the  commercial  importance  de- 
scribed in  a  previous  article. 

The  currency  employed  in  the  trans- 
action of  business  was  at  first  nominally 
English,  though  Spanish  milled  dollars 


were  in  circulation.  One  of  the  incon- 
veniences of  the  early  settlers  of  New 
England  was  a  scarcity  of  money.  The 
different  provincial  governments  sought 
to  relieve  the  public  financial  burdens 
by  the  issue  of  Bills  of  Credit,  a  cur- 
rency mentioned  in  the  records  of  this 
town  as  "  old  tenor."  Such  a  circulating 
medium  in  such  a  time  could  only  de- 
preciate in  value,  but,  following  a  cus- 
tom obtaining  in  the  old  country,  the 
purchasing  value  of  these  bills  could 
from  time  to  time  be  fixed  by  the  local 
legislatures.  About  the  year  1750,  it 
was  established  throughout  the  provinces 
that  jQi  in  the  currency  of  the  Bills  of 
Credit  should  be  equivalent  to  two  shil- 
lings and  eight  pence  lawful  money,  and 
that  six  shillings  should  be  equal  to  one 
dollar. 

The  preliminary  events  of  the  Revo- 
lution involved  the  establishment  of  a 
system  of  Continental  currency.  At  the 
time  of  the  first  issue  of  a  paper  circu- 
lating medium,  in  1775,  the  Continental 
notes  were  nearly  at  par  with  gold,  but 
they  soon  fell  to  comparative  nothing- 
ness in  value.  The  effect  of  this  col- 
lapse in  monetary  matters  was  amply 
illustrated  in  the  public  transactions  of 
the  town  of  Hopkinton.  At  a  town 
meeting  held  in  1781,  it  was  voted  that 
the  price  of  a  day's  work  on  the  highway, 
by  a  man,  should  be  $30  ;  the  price  of  a 
day's  work  by  a  yoke  of  oxen,  $30  ;  the 
price  of  a  plow  and  cart,  $10  each. 
The  salary  of  the  Rev.  Elijah  Fletcher, 
second  minister  of  the  town,  was  also 
voted  to  be  $4000  for  the  year,  but  the 
reverend  pastor  prefered  to  accept  ^70" 
in  gold  equivalents,  and  declined  the 
.larger  nominal  sum.  The  success  of 
the  American  cause,  and  the  permanent  ^ 
establishment  of  the  public  credit,  gave 
a  correspondingly  improved  aspect  to 
local  affairs,  and  in  later  times  this  town 
has  experienced  fluctuations  in  prices 
in  common  with  the  general  country. 

During  the  period  of  Hopkinton's 
greater  importance  as  a  commercial  sta- 
tion, a  bank  was  maintained  here  for  a  few 
years.  The  institution  was  known  as 
the  Franklin  Bank,  and  was  incorporated 
in  1833.  The  grantees  were  Horace 
Chase,  Nathaniel  Oilman,  Isaac  Long, 


MANNERS  AND  CUSTOMS  IN  HOPKINTON. 


221 


WEIGHTS  OF  BRASS 


Jr.,  William  Little,  Joseph  Stanwood, 
Matthew  Harvey,  Andrew  Leach,  Moses 
Gould,  Ebenezer  Dustin,  Timothy 
Chandler,  Stephen  Darling,  and  James 
Huse.  The  operations  of  this  bank  seem 
to  have  been  exceedingly  bungling  during 
the  short  term  of  its  existence,  and  it 
finally  settled  with  its  creditors  at  ninety 
cents  on  a  dollar.  The  Franklin  Bank 
occupied  the  building  now  used  by  the 
Hopkinton  Public  Library. 

The  standard  of  quantities  to  be  re- 
cognized in  commercial  transactions  has, 
from  remote  times,  been  a  subject  of 
legal  regulation.  The  weights  and  meas- 
ures first  used  in  this  town  were  the 
standards  of  older  communities.  In  a 
record  made  in  the  year  1 804,  the  town 
of  Hopkinton  declared  the  local  stand- 
ard to  be  as  follows  : 

WEIGHTS  OF  IRON. 

I 
I 
I 
I 

I 
I 
I 
I 
I 
I 
I 
I 

For  the  use  of  the  above  weights  the 
town  recognized  "two  small  scale  beams 
with  brass  dishes,"  and  also  "one  large 
scale  beam  with  boards,  and  strung  with 
iron  wires."  The  wooden  dry  measures 
were  specific  as  1  half-bushel,  1  peck, 
1  half-peck,  1  two-quart,  and  1  quart ; 
while  the  copper  liquid  measures  were 
started  to  be  1  gallon,  1  two-quart,  1 
quart,  1  pint,  1  half-pint,  and  1  gill. 

By  legal  requirement,  the  standard  of 
weights  and  measures  is  regulated  by  a 
town  sealer  to  this  day,  such  officer 
being  chosen  anuually  at  the  town- 
meeting  in  March,  but  the  modern 
improvements  and  facilities  for  determ- 
ining quantities  have  made  a  practically 
dead  letter  of  the  present  law  requiring 
his  selection. 

For  many  years  a  public  hay-scales 


56  lbs 
28  lbs 
24  lbs 

7  lbs. 

4  lbs 
2  lbs 
1  lb. 
4  lb. 

2  oz. 

I  oz. 
4  oz. 

k  oz. 

occupied  a  site  in  the  rear  of  the 
Congregational  meeting  house.  It  was 
simply  an  immense  scale  beam  and 
platform,  the  whole  apparatus  being 
covered  with  a  roof.  It  long  ago  passed 
away  to  give  place  to  the  modern  hay- 
scales. 

POLITICAL. 

In  the  earlier  history  of  this  town, 
politics  and  religion  were  closely  related. 
For  many  years  the  affairs  of  the  legally 
established,  or  Congregational,  church 
were  arranged  by  vote  of  the  town. 
The  intimate  relation  existing  between 
the  church  and  the  town  made  the 
meeting-house  and  town-house  at  first 
identical.  The  earliest  town-meeting 
held  in  the  first  meeting-house  was  on 
the  2d  of  March,  1767.  Previously, 
town-meetings  had  been  held  at  private 
houses.  Town-meetings  continued  to 
be  held  in  the  church  till  1799,  when 
use  was  first  made  of  the  old  Hills- 
borough county  Court  House,  the 
annual  meeting  of  that  year  being  held 
in  the  upper  room  of  the  county  edifice. 
Town-meeting  has  since  been  held 
annually  on  the  same  spot. 

At  the  time  of  the  incorporation  of 
the  town,  in  1 765,  annual  town-meetings 
were  legally  held  only  on  the  first  Mon- 
day in  March.  In  the  year  1S03,  the 
State  legislature  fixed  the  date  of  annual 
town-meetings  at  the  second  Tuesday 
of  the  same  month.  Till  the  year  18 13, 
when  the  State  established  a. law  re- 
quiring the  use  of  an  alphabetical  list 
of  voters  at  town-meetings,  public  legal 
gatherings  in  town  had  been  conducted 
with  less  formality  than  has  been  main- 
tained since,  but  the  regard  for  parlia- 
mentary proprieties  had  been  sufficient 
to  prevent  any  disorder  or  unskillfulness 
of  a  serious  nature. 

The  instincts  of  the  people  of  this 
town  have  always  largely  partaken  of  a 
Democratic  character.  There  has  been 
a  prominent  jealousy  of  individual 
rights.  This  feature  of  local  political 
life  was  exhibited  in  the  very  earliest 
times,  when  individuals  frequently  ap- 
peared at  the  moderator's  desk  to  record 
their  names  in  opposition  to  some 
measure  or  other  passed  by  the  majority. 


222 


MALAGA. 


Even  to  this  day  the  doctrine  of. indi- 
vidual rights  is  strongly  asserted  by  the 
mass  of  persons  of  whatever  party 
name.  In  the  days  of  the  prolonged 
supremacy  of  the  Democratic  party, 
the  lines  of  party  distinction  were  drawn 
so  clearly  that  scarely  a  Whig  was  ever 
permitted  to  represent  the  town  at  the 
General  Court.  Once,  in  1844,  there 
was  a  kind  of  general  compromise  be- 
tween parties,  and  Moses  Colby,  a  Whig, 
and  Samuel  Colby,  a  Democrat,were  sent 
to  the  legislature  together.  For  quite 
a  number  of  years  there  was  a  com- 
promise on  the  subject  of  selectmen, 
and  a  general  consent  gave  the  Whigs  an- 
nually one  member  in  a  board  of  three  ; 
but  this  arrangement  was  broken  up  by 
a  fancied  or  real  attempt  of  the  Whigs 
to  take  more  than  their  customarily  al- 
lotted portion  of  the  chosen. 

Till  the  year  1855,  when  the  Demo- 
crats lost  the  general  control  of  political 
affairs  in  town  for  the  first  time,  the  con- 
stantly prevailing  superiority  had  pre- 


vented the  practice  or  necessity  of  much 
caucusing.  A  few  leading  ones  put 
their  heads  together  and  gave  a  definite 
impulse  to  the  party  movement.  The 
process  worked  very  well,  except  when 
now  and  then  an  accident  would  happen, 
as,  for  instance,  when  a  refractory  can- 
didate insisted  in  pushing  his  private 
claims  at  all  hazzards.  Caucusing, 
however,  had  been  practiced  more  or 
less  previously  to  1855,  but  since  this 
date  the  closeness  of  the  popular  vote 
has  often  led  to  a  degree  of  figuring  and 
planning  that  can  be  easily  compre- 
hended by  all  accustomed  to  watch  the 
movements  of  political  leadership  in 
New  Hampshire  during  the  last  quarter 
of  a  century. 

We  have  shown,  in  a  previous  article, 
that  the  Democrats  of  this  town  held  a 
majority  on  the  Governor's  vote  till 
1865.  However,  in  1 85  5 ,  the  American 
party  elected  two  representatives — Paul 
R.  George  and  Timothy  Colby — and 
three  selectmen. 


MALAGA. 


BY   VIANNA   A.    CONNOR. 


[This  article  from  Miss  Connor,  written  from  Malaga  last  summer,  having  been  mislaid,  after  its  re- 
ception, is  published  at  this  time  as  not  without  interest,  notwithstanding  the  delay.— Ed.] 


The  streets  of  Malaga  always  pre- 
sent an  animated  appearance.  One 
never  sees  here  that  dead  calm  which 
pervades  many  of  our  northern  cities 
in  midsummer.  At  all  hours  of  the 
day  the  air  resounds  with  the  sonorous 
voices  of  men  and  boys  calling  out 
whatever  they  may  have  to  sell..  Fish 
of  all  kinds,  fruits,  live  turkeys  and 
many  other  things  may  be  obtained  in 
this  way,  with  the  additional  entertain- 
ment of  listening  to  a  loud  and  heated 
discussion  between  the  servant  and 
vender  regarding  the  price.  If  the  latter 


chances  to  be  a  boy,  he  summons  a 
flood  of  tears  to  his  assistance,  having 
acquired,  as  a  part  of  his  occupation, 
the  faculty  of  crying  when  occasion  de- 
mands. The  servant,  accustomed  to 
mechanical  weeping,  is  immovable  and 
the  youthful  imposter  is  finally  com- 
pelled to  receive  a  fair  price  for  his 
wares. 

Every  afternoon  at  five  o'clock,  an 
old  man  with  a  bright,  cheerful  face 
passes  our  window  calling  out  "bar- 
quillos"  in  a  clear,  musical  voice  which 
makes  itself  heard  at  a  long   distance. 


MALAGA. 


223 


The  children  crowd  around  him  while 
he  takes  from  a  green  box  strapped 
over  his  shoulder,  a  tube  made  of  light 
paste,  on  one  end  of  which  he  puts  a 
white  foamy  substance,  composed  of 
the  whites  of  eggs  and  sugar.  At  this 
juncture,  the  little  ones  become  frantic 
and  jostle  each  other  in  a  most  uncer- 
emondius  manner,  in  their  eagerness  to 
possess  the  delicate  morsel.  Each  one 
is  served  and  the  poor  old  man  goes 
on  his  way  rejoicing  ever  the  few 
quart  as  which  will  buy  his  daily  bread. 
Barquillos  are  also  obtained  at  restau- 
rants as  an  accompaniment  for  ices, 
and  seem  to  be  relished  by  children  of 
a  larger  growth,  as  well  as  others. 

The  business  of  the  ware  houses 
commences  at  an  early  hour  and  con- 
tinues through  the  day  ;  carts  drawn  by 
mules  are  constantly  passing  while  the 
industrious  little  donkeys  may  be  seen 
marching  in  a  line,  following  their  lead- 
er, who  has  a  bell  to  announce  his 
coming.  During  the  vintage,  long  lines 
of  donkeys  laden  with  boxes  of  raisins 
come  from  the  vineyards,  horses  never 
being  used  excest  in  cabs  and  private 
carriages.  The  cab  horses  are  poor, 
old  animals  which  seem  to  have  lived 
as  long  as  nature  intended,  but  are 
kept  alive  by  some  mysterious  agency, 
and  by  dint  of  much  urging  and  whip- 
ping manage  to  move  at  a  slow  pace. 
One  day,  when  we  were  taking  a  drive, 
the  horse  suddenly  stopped  and  the 
driver  dismounted.  To  our  inquiry,  as  to 
the  cause  of  delay  he  replied,  "no  es 
nada"  (it  is  nothing),  resumed  his  seat 
and  we  started  again,  but  had  not  pro- 
ceeded far  when  the  animal  absolutely 
refused  to  go  ;  this  time  we  insisted  up- 
on alighting  and  were  coolly  informed 
that  the  horse  was  only  a  little  cansado 
(tired).  Many  more  instances  might 
be  cited  illustrating  the  manner  in 
which  dumb  animals  are  abused  in  a 
country  where  there  are  no  laws  pro- 
hibiting it,  or  if  such  laws  exist  they  are 
not  enforced. 

The  animation  prevailing  through 
the  day  by  no  means  diminishes  as 
night  approaches,  although  of  a  very 
different  character.  At  twilight,  the 
higher  classes  sally  forth  to  the  Alame- 


da or  Muelle  (mole),  to  enjoy  the  re- 
freshing breeze  from  the  sea,  while 
those  of  lower  estate  seek  some  place 
of  rendezvous  and  indulge  in  their  idle 
gossip.  An  occasional  troubadour 
steals  to  some  obscure  corner  and 
sends  forth  plaintive  sounds  from  his 
faithful  guitar,  not  unfrequently  some 
youthful  swain  is  inspired  to  add  the 
charms  of  his  voice,  and  the  "Malague- 
nas"  bursts  forth  in  all  its  primitive 
sweetness.  The  enthusiasm  of  the 
Spaniards  on  hearing  their  national  airs 
is  something  remarkable,  they  become 
quite  wild  with  excitement  and  applaud 
in  the  most  vociferous  manner.  For- 
eigners, also,  who  have  spent  some 
time  in  the  country,  share  this  enthusi- 
asm, which  seems  to  be  caused  more 
by  a  certain  rhthymical  peculiarity,  than 
by  any  extraordinary  merit  of  the  mu- 
sic itself. 

The  romantic  days  of  Spain  are  past, 
when  the  lover  stood  beneath  the  bal- 
cony of  his  sweetheart,  wooing  her 
with  the  gentle  strains  of  his  guitar.  To 
us  it  seems  a  matter  of  regret  that  this 
ancient  custom  no  longer  exists,  but  it 
undoubtedly  relieves  many  anxious 
parents  as  it  particularly  favored  clan- 
destine courtships.  A  Spanish  gentle- 
man of  our  acquaintance  who  is  blessed 
with  seven  daughters,  and  occupies  a 
house  containing  twenty  balconies, 
congratulates  himself  upon  the-  change 
in  love-making  as  it  would  be  impossi- 
ble to  keep  watch  over  all,  even  by 
constantly  rushing  from  one  balcony  to 
another.  At  the  present  day  the  suitor 
is  admitted  to  the  salon,  where  he  may 
converse  with  the  object  of  his  affec- 
tions, but  always  in  the  presence  of  her 
parents.  Spanish  mammas  would  be 
shocked  at  the  freedom  allowed  Amer- 
ican girls  in  receiving  visits  from  the 
opposite  sex  and  accepting  their  escort 
to  places  of  entertainment. 

The  feast  of  Corpus  Christi  was  cele- 
brated in  Malaga  with  much  eclat.  For 
two  weeks  previous  preparations  were 
going  on  for  the  fair,  which  takes 
place  at  this  time,  booths  being  ar- 
ranged on  one  side  of  the  Alameda  and 
filled  with  a  variety  of  articles,  useful 
and  ornamental,    calculated   to   please 


224 


MALAGA. 


the  eye  and  lighten  the  pockets  of 
passers-by,  while  others  were  provided 
with  these  substantial  things  needful  to 
satisfy  the  wants  of  the  inner  man.  At 
night  the  Alameda  was  most  brilliantly 
illuminated  by  long  lines  of  lights  ex- 
tending the  whole  length  on  either  side, 
also  across  the  centre  at  intervals,  with 
occasional  circles  and  clusters,  produc- 
ing a  most  dazzling  effect.  At  each 
end,  in  front  of  the  fountains  were 
erected  two  pavillions,  one  under  the 
direction  of  a  club  styled  the  "Circulo 
Mercantil,"  the  other  by  the  members 
of  the  "Lycio"  both  of  which  were 
handsomely  decorated  with  flags  and 
flowers  and  provided  with  comfortable 
seats.  We  availed  ourselves  of  the  op- 
portunity to  attend  the  balls  given  in 
these  pavillions,  and  found  them  ex- 
ceedingly diverting.  In  the  centre,  a 
space  was  reserved  for  the  dancers, 
who  tripped  the  "light  fantastic"  with 
apparent  enjoyment,  notwithstanding 
the  disadvantages  of  little  room  and 
much  heat.  The  toilettes  of  the  ladies 
were  varied  and  elegant,  displaying  a 
taste  which  would  do  credit  to  Worth 
himself,  while  the  national  costume, 
worn  by  a  few  young  ladies,  far  exceed- 
ed the  most  charming  conceptions  of 
that  famous  artist.  This  costume,  call- 
ed the  "Maja,"  is  extremely  pictur- 
esque, especially  when  combined  with 
the  piquant  faces  and  nonchalant  airs 
of  the  Spanish  girls.  It  consists  of  a 
skirt  of  bright  red  or  blue  satin,  edged 
with  a  broad  trimming  of  black  chenille  ; 
with  this  is  worn  a  black  velvet  bodice, 
the  hair  is  arranged  in  finger  puffs,  with 
a  high  comb  placed  jauntily  on  one 
side,  and  a  few  flowers  gracefully  twined 
among  the  dark  tresses ;  a  Spanish 
mantilla,  and  laced  slippers,  just  dis- 
closed beneath  the  short  skirt,  complete 
this  beautiful  costume,  rich  in  fabric, 
but  simple  in  design,  and  above  all  al- 
lowing a  graceful  freedom  which  our 
present  straight  laced   fashions  render 


impossible.  Weary  of  the  brilliancy 
and  animation  of  the  ballroom,  we 
passed  to  the  garden  where  tables  were 
arranged  for  refreshments,  and  amid 
the  sound  of  inspiring  music  and  the 
gentle  murmur  of  the  fountain,  par- 
took of  delicate  viands  served  by  atten- 
tive waiters.  The  arrangement  of 
these  pavillions  was  perfect  in  every  re- 
spect, contributing  in  the  highest  de- 
gree to  the  comfort  of  the  guests,  and 
long  shall  we  bear  in  remembrance  the 
pleasant  evenings  they  afforded  us. 

On  Corpus  Christi  day  a  long  and 
imposing  procession  marched  through 
the  principal  streets,  carrying  an  image 
of  the  "Virgin"  robed  in  black  velvet 
elaborately  embroidered  in  gold,  and  a 
large  "Custodia"  of  solid  silver  con- 
taining the  "host."  The  clergy,  in 
their  clerical  gowns,  with  their  faces 
plump  and  glossy,  walked  along  in  a 
self-satisfied  manner,  confident  of  good 
cheer  in  this  world,  whatever  may 
await  them  in  another.  The  civil  and 
military  authorities  added  their  digni- 
fied presence,  followed  by  a  large  con- 
course of  people  with  wax  candles. 
The  streets  and  balconies  were  filled 
with  men,  women,  and  children  of  all 
ages  and  classes,  every  available  space 
being  occupied.  In  the  afternoon  a 
bull  fight  took  place,  and  a  ball  in  the 
evening  ended  the  programme  of  the 
day. 

In  the  midst  of  the  festivities  of  the 
week,  the  Queen's  illness  was  an- 
nounced, causing  a  suspension  of  all 
gayety,  and  her  subsequent  death  was 
followed  by  a  season  of  mourning.  The 
Alameda  was  stripped  of  its  superfluous 
adornings,  and  the  sound  of  music  no 
longer  filled  the  air  with  its  sweet  har- 
monies. Funeral  services  were  solem- 
nized in  the  Cathedral,  and  many  a 
fervent  prayer  ascended  to  Heaven  for 
the  repose  of  the  dead,  and  the  resig- 
nation of  the  bereaved  young  King. 


^    /•    /V   ^    V 


THEE 


GRANITE    MONTHLY. 


A  MAGAZINE  OF  LITERATURE,  HISTORY,  AND 
STATE  PROGRESS. 


VOL.  II. 


MAY,  1879. 


NO.  8. 


HON.  LEVI  W.  BARTON. 


Croydon,  in  Sullivan  County,  is  sit- 
uated on  the  highlands  between  Con- 
necticut and  Merrimac  rivers.  The 
north  branch  of  Sugar  River  crosses  it, 
dividing  it  into  two  nearly  equal  parts. 
The  soil  is  diversified,  and  much  of  its 
scenery  is  wild  and  picturesque. 
"Croydon  Mountain,"  extending  across 
the  western  part  of  the  town,  is  the 
highest  elevation  in  the  county  and 
commands  an  extensive  and  beautiful 
prospect. 

The  charter  of  Croydon,  signed  by 
Benning  Wentworth,  was  dated  May  31, 
1 763.  The  township  was  divided  into 
seventy-one  shares,  of  which  two  were 
reserved  as  a  farm  for  Gov.  Wentworth ; 
one,  for  the  propagation  of  the  gospel 
in  foreign  parts  ;  one,  as  a  glebe  for  the 
Church  of  England ;  one,  for  the  first 
minister  who  should  settle  in  town ; 
one,  for  the  education  of  youth,  and 
the  remaining  sixty-five  to  as  many 
different  individuals. 

The  first  meeting  of  the  grantees  was 
held  at  Grafton,  Mass.,  June  17,  1763  ; 
and  the  first  meeting  in  Croydon,  Jan. 
1 7,  1 768.  From  Grafton,  in  the  spring 
of  1766,  came  the  first  settlers  of 
Croydon,  and  commenced  the  erection 
of  cabins  in  the  unbroken  forest. 
They  were  hardy,  brave  men  and  grap- 
pled manfully  and  resolutely  with  the 
hardships  of  pioneer  life. 

Among  those  who  came  to  Croydon, 
in   the  spring   of    1766,   was   Ezekiel 


Powers,  son  of  Lemuel  and  Thankful 
(Leland)  Powers,  born  in  Grafton, 
Mass.,  March  21,  1745*  He  'was  ad- 
mirably fitted  to  endure  the  hardships 
and  privations  incident  to  a  new  set- 
tlement, being  a  man  of  rare  physical 
power,  but  of  an  active,  energetic  and 
versatile  mind.  His  children  were 
Ezekiel,  Jun.,  Abijah  James  and  several 
daughters.  Among  his  decendants 
are  numbered  some  in  each  of  the 
learned  professions,  and  in  the  various 
walks  of  business  life. 

Bezaleel  Barton*  Benjamin  Barton, 
and  Peter  Barton,  brothers,  came  to 
Croydon,  during  the  Revolution,  from 
Sutton,  Mass. 

Levi  W.  Barton,  grandson  of  Peter 
Barton  and  Ezekiel  Powers,  and  son  of 
Bezaleel  Barton,  2d,  and  Hannah 
(Powers)  Barton,  the  eldest  of  five 
brothers,  was  born  in  Croydon,  on  the 
first  day  of  March,  181 8.  His  father's 
business  calling  him  from  home  much 
of  the  time,  the  care  and  management 
of  the  children  fell  to  the  lot  of  their 
mother,  a  woman  well  fitted  to  take  the 
responsibility.  After  the  death  of  her 
husband  she,  by  untiring  industry  and 
the  most  rigid  economy  managed  to 
keep  her  family  together  and  in  com- 
fortable circumstances.  But  few  moth- 
ers, if  placed  in  her  circumstances 
could  "keep  the  wolf  from  the  door." 
Levi  W.  early  learned  to  share  with 
his  mother  the  cares  and  responsibility 


226 


LEVI  W.  BARTON. 


of  maintaining  the  family,  the  pecuni- 
ary condition  of  which  was  such  as  to 
demand  his  time  and  labor  even  in 
early  boyhood.  He  early  learned  the 
lesson  of  self-reliance  and  the  necessity 
of  economy  and  a  proper  use  of  time, 
a  lesson  which  has  contributed  much 
to  the  success  he  has  attained  in  life. 

From  the  age  of  ten  years  till  he 
left  the  district  school  at  eighteen,  his 
attendance  was  restricted  to  a  short 
term  in  winter  and  this  with  frequent 
interruptions,  he  being  engaged  in  man- 
ual labor  all  other  parts  of  the  year. 

The  condition  of  the  family  having 
somewhat  improved,  he  left  home  when 
he  was  eighteen  years  old  for  the  pur- 
pose of  taking  care  of  himself.  But 
the  way  before  him  was  beset  with 
difficulties.  He  now  wished  to  improve 
his  condition  and  receive  the  advantages 
afforded  to  others  ;  but  he  had  not  the 
means.  He  must  labor.  So  he  com- 
promised the  matter  by  taking  his 
books  with  him  as  he  went  to  his  daily 
labor,  and,  as  an  opportunity  presented 
itself,  changed  from  labor  to  study. 
The  writer  well  remembers  the  times, 
on  rainy  days,  when  Levi  W.  would  call 
upon  him,  book  in  hand,  for  instruction 
in  grammar  or  other  common  school 
branches.  In  this  way,  and  by  attend- 
ing one  term  at  the  Unity  Academy, 
then  under  the  instruction  of  Alonzo 
A.  Miner,  now  Dr.  Miner,  of  Boston, 
he  fitted  himself  for  teaching.  He 
now  regarded  his  school  days  closed 
and  cheerfully  chose  the  occupation  of 
a  farmer. 

In  1 839,  when  twenty-one  years  of  age, 
he  married  Miss  Mary  A.  Pike,  of  New- 
port, a  young  lady  of  great  worth,  who 
died  of  scarlet  fever  in  1840,  leaving 
an  infant  son  five  days  old,  afterwards 
the  late  Col.  Ira  McL.  Barton.  He 
placed  his  motherless  boy  in  the  care 
and  keeping  of  a  sister,  Mrs.  Amos 
Kidder,  who  tenderly  cared  for  and 
reared  the  child. 

By  the  death  of  his  young  wife,  all 
his  plans  for  life  had  perished.  He  could 
no  longer  endure  a  home  so  desolate. 
H«  spent  a  part  of  the  following  year 
with  friends  who  extended  to  him  every 
kindness  in  their  power.     The  year  fol- 


lowing he  collected  together  about  one 
hundred  dollars,  all  the  worldly  effects 
which  he  posessed,  and  commenced  a 
classical  course  of  study  at  Kimball 
Union  Academy,  then  under  the  direc- 
tion of  Dr.  Cyrus  Richards,  a  distin- 
guished .teacher  and  educator.  There 
he  pursued  his  studies  with  a  zeal 
which  would  listen  to  no  discourage- 
ment. During  his  stay  of  three  years, 
he  taught  school  each  winter  and  spent 
his  vacations  in  manual  labor  to  eke 
out  his  scanty  means. 

It  being  often  a  matter  of  doubt 
how  he  should  meet  even  the  most 
prudent  expenditures,  separated,  as 
he  was,  from  his  son,  and  still  labor- 
ing under  the  load  of  domestic  afflic- 
tion, few  believed  that  he  could  com- 
plete a  labor  commenced  and  con- 
tinued under  such  circumstances.  Al- 
though laboring  at  first  under  disad- 
vantages arising  from  lack  of  early 
school  training,  he  rose  by  dint  of  ap- 
plication to  stand  abreast  with  his  fel- 
lows in  their  usual  studies,  and  to  out- 
rank them  as  a  speaker  and  debater. 

He  entered  Dartmouth  College  in 
July,  1844,  being  then  twenty-six 
years  of  age.  Few  who  had  witnessed 
his  course  thus  far,  dared  predict  that 
he  would  hold  on  his  course  four  long 
years.  Especially  was  this  true  of 
those  who  knew  that  he  must  rely  up- 
on his  own  exertions  to  raise  the  means 
for  his  support.  Still,  nothing  daunted, 
he  entered  upon  his  course  and  gradu- 
ated in  the  class  of  1848,  with  Hon. 
James  W.  Patterson,  Hon.  H.  P.  Rolfe, 
Hon.  Anson  S.  Marshall,  Dr.  A.  B. 
Crosby,  and  others  who  have  done 
honor  to  their  Alma  Mater.  Mr.  Bar- 
ton's standing  in  college  was  honorable, 
and  his  oration  on  the  day  of  gradua- 
tion was  highly  commended  through 
the  public  journals  of  the  day. 

While  in  college,  he  also  spent  the 
winters  in  teaching  and  the  vacations 
in  manual  labor.  His  custom,  as  he 
informed  the  writer,  was,  as  soon  as  the 
last  recitation  of  a  term  had  been  heard, 
to  start  on  foot  for  his  mother's  house, 
a  distance  of  twenty-one  miles  ;  and  at 
the  commencement  of  the  next  term  he 
would  return  by  the  same  conveyance. 


LEVI  W.  BARTON. 


227 


Being  anxious  to  enter  upon  the 
practice  of  his  chosen  profession  at  the 
earliest  possible  day,  he  commenced 
the  study  of  the  law  with  Hon.  Daniel 
Blaisdell  of  Hanover,  during  his  senior 
year. 

Immediately  after  graduating,  Mr. 
Barton  commenced  teaching  the 
Canaan  Academy,  and  at  the  same 
time  entered  as  a  student  the  office  of 
Judge  Kittredge,  where  he  remained 
until  January,  185 1.  While  there  he 
taught  the  Academy  five  terms,  the 
Academy  being  then  in  a  flourishing 
condition.  He  was  also  appointed 
postmaster  of  Canaan,  which  office  he 
held  until  January,  185 1,  when  he  went 
to  Newport,  and  completed  his  course 
of  legal  study  with  Messrs.  Metcalf  and 
Corbin,  and  where  he  was  admitted  to 
practice  in  July  of  the  same  year.  In 
1854  he  became  the  law  partner  of 
Hon.  Ralph  Metcalf,  and  continued 
one  year  in  business  with  him,  when 
the  latter  was  elected  Governor  of  the 
State,  and  retired  from  practice.  Mr. 
Barton  then  formed  a  partnership  with 
Shepherd  L.  Bowers,  Esq.,  then  just 
commencing  the  practice  of  the  law, 
and  continued  the  partnership  until 
1859. 

While  his  professional  duties  have 
claimed  the  greater  share  of  his  atten- 
tion, he  has  found  time  to  engage  in 
house-building,  having  erected  and 
completed  four  entire  sets  of  buildings  ; 
in  practical  farming,  for  which  he  has 
a  strong  liking  ;  in  stock  raising  and  in 
fruit  growing,  in  both  of  which  he  has 
had  much  practical  experience. 

In  1855,  1856  and  1857  he  was 
Register  of  Deeds  for  Sullivan  county  ; 
was  County  Solicitor  from  1859  to 
1864;  was  representative  to  the  State 
Legislature  in  1863,  1864,  1875,  1876 
and  1877,  and  State  Senator  in  1867 
and  1868.  During  his  entire  term  of 
service  in  both  branches,  he  was  a 
member  of  the  Judiciary  Committee, 
and  for  five  years  its  chairman.  In 
1866  he  was  chairman  of  the  board  of 
Commissioners  appointed  by  Gov. 
Smith  to  audit  and  report  the  war  in- 
debtedness of  the  state.  In  1876  he 
was  a  member   of  the   convention  to 


revise  the  constitution  of  the  state,  and 
the  same  year,  one  of  the  Republican 
Electors  of  President  and  Vice-Presi- 
dent of  the  United  States.  He  was  ap- 
pointed Bank  Commissioner  by  Gov. 
Harriman,  but  declined  the  office.  In 
1877  he  was  appointed  by  Gov.  Pres- 
cott  one  of  the  Commissioners  to  revise 
and  codify  the  laws  of  New  Hamp- 
shire. 

He  has  been  twice  a  prominent  can- 
didate for  Congress,  but  has  failed  of  a 
nomination  through  local  divisions, 
though  his  qualifications  for  the  posi- 
tion no  one  questioned,  nor  could  any 
one  say  that  the  nomination  was  not 
due  to  him  if  long  continued,  faithful, 
public  service  could  confer  such  right 
on  any  one. 

As  a  teacher,  Mr.  Barton  had  few  su- 
periors. He  taught  in  all  seventeen 
terms,  the  last  three  in  Newport,  after 
his  admission  to  the  bar.  For  four 
years  following  he  had  charge  of  the 
district  schools  of  the  town. 

When  he  opened  an  office  in  New- 
port, he  found  there  the  Hon.  Edmund 
Burke,  Messrs.  Metcalf  and  Corbin, 
Amasa  Edes,  Esq.,  David  Allen,  Esq., 
and  William  F.  Newton,  Esq.,  all  in  the 
practice  of  their  profession.  The  field 
seemed  to  be  fully  and  ably  occupied. 
No  wonder  that  some  predicted  that 
Mr.  Barton  would  be  starved  out.  But 
a  man  who  had  supported  himself  for 
sixty  cents  a  week  at  the  Academy,  and 
for  less  than  two  dollars  a  week  at  Col- 
lege, was  not  the  man  to  starve  easily. 
He  knew  what  economy  meant,  and 
how  to  practice  accordingly.  His  early 
training  had  made  him  muscular  and 
self-reliant.  It  soon  became  apparent 
that  he  had  come  to  stay ;  for  from 
the  outset  his  success  was  assured.  It 
immediately  became  apparent  that  he 
would  bring  to  the  discharge  of  the 
duties  of  his  new  position  the  same  en- 
ergy and  devotion  to  principles,  which 
had  heretofore  characterized  his  ac- 
tions. From  that  time  to  the  present 
he  has  enjoyed  the  confidence  of  the 
public. 

As  a  counselor  he  is  cautious  and 
careful,  dissuading  his  clients  from  en- 
gaging   in   litigation,   rather  than  en- 


228 


LEVI  W.  BARTON. 


couraging  them  to  embark  on  that  sea 
without  a  shore  ;  as  an  advocate,  he  is 
eloquent,  zealous,  bold  and  persistent. 
In  the  preparation  and  trial  of  causes, 
he  has  few  equals  and  no  superiors  at 
the  Sullivan  county  bar.  His  faithful- 
ness and  devotion  to  the  interests  of 
his  clients,  appear  in  an  unusual  de- 
gree. Hon.  Edmund  Burke  who  has 
been  opposed  to  him  in  many  hard 
contested  cases,  has  been  heard  to  say 
to  the  jury  that  his  "brother  Barton's 
clients,  in  his  own  estimation,  were  al- 
ways right  and  his  witnesses  always 
truthful,  in  fact,  his  geese  were  always 
swans. " 

Mr.  Barton's  first  election  to  the 
House  was  in  1863,  during  the  war  of 
the  Rebellion.  Political  feeling  ran 
high.  The  Democracy  were  represent- 
ed by  their  ablest  men  and  best  parlia- 
mentarians, skilled  in  all  the  rules  and 
modes  of  procedure,  which  make  mi- 
norities formidable.  Never  was  a  mi- 
nority abler  led  by  adroit  leaders.  Al- 
though Mr.  Barton  was  a  new  member, 
unused  to  the  rules  of  the  House,  still, 
he  almost  at  once  became  the  acknowl- 
edged leader  of  the  majority.  No 
other  man  was  so  much  relied  upon  to 
meet  the  attacks  of  the  opposition,  and 
none  did  it  with  greater  effect.  Re- 
turned to  the  House  in  1864,  his  posi- 
tion was  the  same  as  that  in  the  former 
year.  He  urged  the  passage  of  the  law 
allowing  soldiers  in  the  field  the  right 
to  vote,  and  openly  denounced  the  ac- 
tion of  Gov.  Gilmore  in  relation  to  the 
bill,  though  he  well  knew  that  it  would 
cost  him,  as  it  did,  his  re-appointment 
to  the  office  of  solicitor. 

In  1875  and  1876  he  was  chairman 
of  the  Republican  legislative  caucus, 
the  labors  of  which  were  both  extreme- 
ly difficult  and  important.  As  to  the 
manner  of  treating  the  Senatorial  ques- 
tion then  before  the  legislature,  the  Re- 
publicans were  divided.  Mr.  Barton 
at  once  took  his  position  and  could  not 
be  turned  aside.  While  he  believed 
that  Messrs.  Head  and  Todd  were  en- 
titled by  right  to  their  seats  in  the  Sen- 
ate, he  did  not  believe  it  advisable  un- 
der the  circumstances,  and  looking  to 
the  final  results,  to  insist   upon  these 


rights.  Looking  at  the  results  which 
followed,  who  can  now  doubt  the  wis- 
dom of  the  course  pursued?  Comment- 
ing upon  the  case  at  the  close  of  the 
session,  the  Free  Press  remarks  :  "The 
cool  course  pursued  is  due  in  a  great 
measure  to  Mr.  Barton,  sustained  by 
the  Governor.  We  think  it  will  stand 
the  test  of  time  and  recommend  itself 
to  all  fair  thinking  men  as  the  wisest 
course  that  could  have  been  pursued 
under  the  ciscumstances. "  The  Inde- 
pendent Statesman,  in  commenting  on 
the  Free  Press  article,  says  :  "  It  is  no 
doubt  true  that  the  course  of  Mr.  Bar- 
ton, sustained  by  the  Governor,  was 
what  decided  the  matter.  It  turned 
the  scale  before  hanging  in  the  bal- 
ance. .-,  In  this  they  followed  their 
convictions  of  right,  and  all  the  glory 
as  well  as  the  responsibility  is   theirs." 

In  the  sessions  of  1876  and  1877  his 
attention  to  business  was  such  as  to 
give  him  a  commanding  influence  in  the 
House.  Always  in  his  place,  he  was 
ready  to  lend  a  helping  hand  for  any 
needed  work.  His  large  experience 
had  made  the  various  steps  of  legisla- 
tion familiar  to  him.  And  the  writer 
may  be  pardoned  if  he  here  adds  the 
following  as  expressive  of  the  views  of 
those  competent  to  form  an  opinion 
from  actual  observation.  At  the  close 
of  the  session  of  1877,  the  correspond- 
ent of  the  Manchester  American,  an 
able  and  sagacious  observer  of  men  and* 
things,  says  : 

"  Barton  of  Newport  is  a  man  who 
brought  with  him  an  established  repu- 
tation, and  who  has  been  one  of  the 
most  prominent  members  of  the  House. 
He  is  a  ready  debater,  quick  to  see  a 
point  and  take  it,  popular  with  his  ac- 
quaintances, and  has  had  a  large  legis- 
lative experience,  which  gives  him  the 
full  measure  of  his  ability.  He  was  the 
most  prominent  champion  of  the  prison 
bill,  which  he  managed  with  great  tact 
and  carried  to  victory,  against  odds 
which  threatened  at  one  time  to  defeat 
it.  He  has  also  been  an  active  advo- 
cate of  the  various  farmers'  bills.  If 
Sullivan  county  is  permitted  to  name 
the  successor  of  Col.  Blair,  an  honor 
which  her  reliable  Republican  majority 


LEVI  W.  BARTON. 


229 


seems  to  entitle  her,  he  will  doubtless 
be  the  man. " 

Not  less  complimentary  to  Mr.  Bar- 
ton is  the  following  truthful  notice  of 
his  labors  at  that  time,  which  appeared 
in  the  Statesman  : 

"  One  of  the  best  men  in  the  House 
was  Barton  of  Newport.  Suave  and 
considerate  at  all  times,  and  willing  to 
take  a  hand  in  any  discussion  affecting 
the  public  weal,  his  cheerful,  hearty 
voice  striking  in  upon  a  dull  or  an  ac- 
rimonious debate,  had  a  pleasing  and 
mollifying  effect.  Although  careful  and 
cautious,  he  has  positive  ideas,  and 
while  he  respects  the  saying  that 
" harsh  words  butter  no  parsnips,"  it 
cannot  be  assumed  that  he  is  not  suffi- 
ciently aggressive  in  the  maintenance 
of  his  convictions  when  they  are  assail- 
ed. Sometimes  sharp  in  his  personal 
sallies,  they  were  singularly  free  from 
bitterness  or  malice,  and  no  one,  how- 
ever much  aggrieved  at  first,  could 
hold  resentment  against  him.  Few 
members  had  more  influence  in  the 
House,  and  his  advocacy  of  any  meas- 
ure gave  it  strength.  He  made  no 
long  or  labored  speeches,  nor  did  he 
attempt  any  learned  expositions.  Know- 
ing the  caliber  of  the  average  legislator 
in  an  unwieldy  body  of  nearly  four 
hundred  men,  his  remarks  were  couch- 
ed in  off  hand  phrase  more  effective 
with  the  bucolic  element  than  the  most 
polished  rhetoric  or  the  severest  logic. 
Perhaps,  also,  the  secret  of  his  influence 
with  the  House,  was  due  in  part  to  the 
fact  that  he  seldom  got  on  the  wrong 
side  of  a  question.  On  all  moral  ques- 
tions, also,  he  was  sound,  foremost  with 
voice  and  influence  and  vote. " 

In  the  legislative  caucus,  which 
nominated  Hon.  E.  H.  Rollins,  for  U. 
S.  Sentor,  Mr.  Barton  received  a  hand- 
some complimentary  vote. 

Thus  it  will  be  seen  that  Mr.  Barton 
is  a  man  of  large  experience  in  the 
duties  of  a  legislator ;  and  it  may  be 
added  that  through  all  of  these  years 
of  political  life  he  presents  a  record 
without  a  blemish. 

In  private  as  well  as  public  life  he 
has  ever  been  upright  and  honorable. 
He  is  a  self-made  man,  and  we  venture  to 


say  that  few  men  have,  unaided,  sur- 
mounted greater  difficulties.  He  does 
not  claim  to  belong  to  the  class  of  re- 
formed men,  as  he  never  lapsed  into 
bad  habits,  never  having  indulged  in 
the  use  of  intoxicating  liquor,  or  of 
tobacco  in  any  form.  It  was  said  of 
him,  in  1877,  that  he  was  the  "best 
preserved  man  in  the  House."  We 
know  not  how  this  may  have  been,  but 
it  is  true,  that  judging  from  his  looks 
and  appearance,  one  would  say  that 
he  was  at  least  ten  years  the  junior  of 
men  of  his  age. 

In  1852,  he  was  married  to  Miss 
Lizzie  F.  Jewett,  of  Hollis,  a  young 
lady  of  culture,  learning,  and  good 
sense.  They  have  three  sons  and  one 
daughter  now  living.  The  eldest,  Her- 
bert J.  Barton,  is  a  young  man  of  great 
promise.  He  graduated  at  Dartmouth 
in  the  Class  of  1876,  among  the  first 
in  a  class  of  69  students.  He  has 
since  had  charge  of  the  Union  School 
in  Newport  for  two  years,  and  now  has 
charge  of  a  school  in  Waukegan,  111. 
His  labors  as  a  teacher  have  been  at- 
tended with  marked  success. 

Mr.  Barton  is  highly  esteemed  as  a 
citizen  ;  he  is  kind  as  a  neighbor,  is 
strongly  attached  to  his  friends,  gener- 
ous to  his  opponents,  and  social  with  all. 

In  religious  belief  he  is  a  Methodist, 
though  reared  in  the  Universalist  faith. 
He  is  no  bigot.  He  has  always  taken 
a  strong  interest  in  whatever  affects  the 
moral,  social,  or  material  prosperity  of 
of  those  around  him,  and  is  always 
ready  to  lend  a  helping  hand  to  every 
good  work. 

In  conclusion,'  it  may  be  stated  that 
Croydon,  though  little  in  wealth  and 
population,  is  great  in  the  number  and 
character  of  the  men  whom  she  has 
produced  and  sent  abroad.  The  limits 
of  this  sketch  forbid  the  mention  of 
but  few  of  them.  The  late  William 
Powers  and  Gershom  Powers,  brothers, 
of  Auburn,  N.  Y.,  were  both  self-edu- 
cated and  self-made  men  ;  William  was 
Deputy  Agent  of  the  Auburn  Peniten- 
tiary and  Superintendent  in  the  erection 
of  a  prison  at  Kingston,  in  Canada, 
and,  for  some  years  after,  Warden  of 
the  same  ;  and  Gershom  was  a  teacher, 


230 


ALL  THROUGH  THE  NIGHT. 


lawyer,  judge,  agent  of  the  Auburn 
prison,  and  Member  of  Congress ;  the 
late  Dr.  Horace  Powers,  of  Morristown, 
Vt.,  a  man  of  extensive  practice  in  his 
profession,  sheriff  of  Lamoille  County, 
Member  of  the  Constitutional  Conven- 
tion, State  Senator  and  bank  director, — 
he  was  the  father  of  Hon.  H.  H.  Powers, 
now  Judge  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  Vt. ; 
the  late  Judge  Cutting,  of  Bangor,  was 
one  of  the  Justices  of  the  Supreme 
Court  of  Maine  ;  the  late  Dr.  Stow,  of 
Boston,  was,  for  many  years,  a  leading 
clergyman  of  the  Baptist  denomination  ; 
the  late  Griswold  .W.  Wheeler,  M.  D., 
of  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  was  a  scientist  and 
member  of  a  Philosophical  and  Scien- 
tific Society  in  St.  Louis ;  the  late  Wil- 


liam P.  Wheeler,  of  Keene,  N.  H.,  was 
a  leading  lawyer  in  Cheshire  Co. ;  the 
late  Hon.  Cyrus  Barton  was  an  influen- 
tial editor  at  Concord,  N.  H. ;  Timo- 
thy C.  Eastman,  of  New  York  city,  is 
probably  the  heaviest  exporter  of  fresh 
beef  in  the  United  States  ;  George  F. 
Putnam,  of  Haverhill,  is  a  leading  law- 
yer in  Northern  New  Hampshire.  But 
none  among  the  sons  of  Croydon  have 
done  more  to  reflect  honor  upon  the 
place  of  his  nativity  than  the  subject  of 
this  sketch.* 

*It  might  properly  be  added,  that  Dr.  William 
Barton,  of  Croydon,  a  brother  of  the  subject  of 
this  sketch,  is  a  physician  of  high  repute,  and  was 
many  years  prominent  in  educational  affairs,  while 
a  half-sister,  Augusta  Cooper  Bristol,  now  of  Vine- 
land,  New  Jersey,  is  well  and  favorably  known  iu 
literary  circles. 


ALL  THROUGH  THE  NIGHT. 


BY   ABBA   GOOLD   WOOLSON. 

All  through  the  night, 
Dear  Father,  when  our  trembling  eyes  explore 

In  vain  Thy  heavens,  bereft  of  warmth  and  light. 
When  birds  are  mute,  and  roses  glow  no  more, 
And  this  fair  world  sinks  rayless  from  our  sight, 
O,  Father,  keep  us  then  ! 

All  through  the  night, 
When  no  lips  smile,  nor  dear  eyes  answer  ours, 

Nor  well-known  voices  through  the  shadows  come  ; 
When  love  and  friends  seem  dreams  of  vanished  hours, 
And  darkness  holds  us,  pitiless  and  dumb, 
O,  Father,  keep  us  then  ! 

All  through  the  night, 
When  lone  despairs  beset  our  happy  hearts, 

And  drear  forebodings  will  not  let  us  sleep ; 
When  every  smothered  sorrow  freshly  starts, 
And  pleads  for  pity  till  we  fain  would  weep, 
O,  Father,  keep  us  then  ! 


All  through  the  night, 
When  slumbers  deep  pur  weary  senses  fold, 

Protect  us  in  the  hollow  of  Thy  hand  ; 
And  when  the  morn,  with  glances  bright  and  bold, 
Thrills  the  glad  heavens  and  wakes  the  smiling  land, 
0,  Father,  keep  us  then  ! 


CONCxRESSIONAL  PAPERS. 


231 


CONGRESSIONAL  PAPERS,  No.  5.— FORTY-FIFTH  CONGRESS. 


BY    G.    H.    JENNESS. 


The  Forty-fifth  Congress  of  the  Uni- 
ted States  assembled  at  Washington  in 
extra  session,  on  Monday,  October  15, 
1877,  in  pursuance  of  the  President's 
proclamation  of  the  fifth  of  May  pre- 
ceding. The  immediate  reason  for 
thus  assembling  Congress  in  extra 
session  was  the  failure  of  the  Forty- 
fourth  Congress  to  make  the  usual 
annual  appropriation  for  the  support 
of  the  army  for  the  fiscal  year  ending 
June  30,  1878.  Nearly  all  the  impor- 
tant legislation  of  the  closing  session  of 
the  Forty-fourth  Congress  had  been 
delayed  by  the  prolonged  struggle  over 
the  electoral  count,  and  when  that 
memorable  contest  was  ended,  and  Mr. 
Hayes  declared  the  successor  of  Presi- 
dent Grant,  less  than  sixty  hours  re- 
mained in  which  to  pass  nearly  all  the 
great  appropiation  bills  necessary  for 
the  support  of  the  Government.  On 
the  Army  bill  there  was  a  "dead  lock" 
between  the  two  houses,  and  as  neither 
would  yield,  the  bill  failed.  This 
necessitated  a  called  session  of  the 
Forty-fifth  Congress  to  remedy  the 
omission  of  its  immediate  predecessor 
to  provide  for  the  maintenance  of  the 
army,  and  to  transact  such  other  busi- 
ness as  the  public  needs  might  require. 
Its  membership  consisted  of  76  Sena- 
tors and  292  members  of  the  House  of 
Representatives.  Of  the  former,  Sen- 
ator Hamlin,  of  Maine,  was  the  oldest 
in  years  and  term  of  service,  and  Sen- 
ator Dorsey,  of  Arkansas,  the  youngest ; 
3  were  less  than  40  years  of  age;  17 
were  between  the  ages  of  40  and  50  ; 
39  between  50  and  60 ;  15  between  60 
and  70  ;  1  (Hamlin)  71,  and  1  (Mc- 
Creary,  of  Kentucky)  whose  age  was 
not  given,  but  who  was  probably  70  or 
upwards. 

The  Senate  was  composed  of  54 
lawyers,  5  merchants,  3  doctors,  3  edi- 
tors, 3  bankers,  1  planter,  1  farmer,   1 


machinist,  1  manufacturer,  1  teacher,  2 
miners,  and  1  officer ;  1 1  have  per- 
formed service  in  the  U.  S.  Army,  and 

10  in  the  Confederate  Army  ;  13  have 
been  governors'  of  their  respective 
States,  and  2  have  served  as  territorial 
governors.  35  were  educated  in  col- 
leges, universities,  or  military  schools, 
and  41  received  only  a  common  school 
or  academic  education  ;  1  o  were  born 
in  New  York,  7  in  Ohio,  6  in  Pennsyl- 
vania, 6  in  Virginia,  5  in  Maryland,  4 
in  Massachusetts,  4  in  Vermont,  4  in 
Tennessee,  4  in  Kentucky,  3  in  Georgia, 
3  in  Maine,  2  in  Indiana,  2  in  Delaware, 
2  in  New  Hampshire,  2  in  New  Jersey, 
2  in  North  Carolina,  1  in  Connecticut, 
1  in  Louisiana,  1  in  Michigan,  1  in 
Missouri,  1  in  Rhode  Island,  1  in  South 
Carolina,  1  in  Ireland  (Jones  of  Flor- 
ida) ,  1  in  Scotland  (Beck  of  Kentucky) , 
1  in  England  (Jones  of  Nevada),  and 
1  in  Nova  Scotia  (Armstrong  of  Mis- 
souri) ;  1 1  states  were  represented  in  full 
by  Senators  who  were  born  in  the  States 
they  represented  ;  10  claimed  1  Sena- 
tor as  a  native  ;  1 7  were  wholly  repre- 
sented by  Senators  born  in  other  states, 
or  countries  ;  and  1 6  states  were  denied 
the  honor  of  being  the  birthplace  of 
any  member  of  the  U.  S.  Senate  in  the 
Forty-fifth  Congress. 

Of  their  terms  of  service  at  the  close 
of  the  Congress,  1  had  served  one  year  ; 
22  two  years;  3  three  years;  19  four 
years  ;  1  five  years  ;  1 3  six  years  ;  2 
seven  years ;  3  eight  years ;  3  nine 
years  ;  2  ten  years  ;  1  eleven  years  ;  2 
twelve  years  ;  1  thirteen  years  ;  1  eigh- 
teen years  (Howe  of  Wisconsin)  ;  1 
twenty  years  (Anthony  of  Rhode  Is- 
land) ;  and  1  twenty-six  years  (Hamlin 
of  Maine). 

The  House  of  Representatives  was 
composed  of  213  lawyers,  15  bankers, 

1 1  merchants,  9  farmers,  7  manufac- 
turers, 7  doctors,  4  editors  2  builders, 


232 


CONGRESSIONAL  PAPERS. 


2  brewers,  i  barber,  i  clergyman,  i 
mail  contractor,  i  surveyor,  i  shipper, 
i  real  estate  operator,  i  ticket  agent,  i 
railroad  president,  i  leather  dealer,  i 
educator,  i  printer,  i  teacher,  i  planter, 
i  pilot,  i  civil  engineer,  5  whose  occu- 
pation is  not  given,  and  1  engaged  in 
inland  transportation. 

Six  have  served  as  governors  of  their 
states.  150  were  educated  at  colleges 
and  universities,  and  142  were  educated 
in  the  common  schools  and  academies, 
or  were  self-educated.  45  were  born 
in  New  York,  38  in  Pennsylvania,  32  in 
Ohio,  20  in  Tennessee,  1 8  in  Kentucky, 
14  in  Virginia,  12  in  Massachusetts,- 1 2 
n  North  Carolina,  11  in  Georgia,  10  in 
Indiana,  8  in  Maine,  7  in  Connecticut, 
6  in  South  Carolina,  6  in  Vermont,  6 
in  Maryland,  6  in  New  Hampshire,  5 
in  New  Jersey,  4  in  Illinois,  3  in  Ala- 
bama, 3  in  Missouri,  2  in  Mississippi, 
2  in  Michigan,  1  in  Arkansas,  1  in 
Florida,  1  in  Iowa,  1  in  Louisiana,  1  in 
Rhode  Island,  4  in  Germany  (Schlei- 
cher of  Texas,  Muller  of  New  York, 
Eickhoff  of  New  York,  and  Morse  of 
Massachusetts),  3  in  England  (Briggs 
of  New  Hampshire,  Joyce  of  Vermont, 
and  Dean  of  Massachusetts),  2  in  Ire- 
land (Walsh  of  Maryland,  and  Patter- 
son of  Colorado) ,  2  in  Scotland  (Phillips 
of  Kansas,  and  Peddie  of  New  Jersey), 
1  in  Canada,  (Williams  of  New  York), 
and  5  whose  birthplace  is  not  given. 

Only  4  states  were  represented  by 
members  born  in  the  states  they  repre- 
sented, viz :  Maine,  North  Carolina, 
Tennessee,  and  Georgia — though  per- 
haps West  Virginia  ought  to  be  reckon- 
ed in  the  list,  inasmuch  as  her  members 
were"  all  born  on  the  soil  of  the  "  Old 
Dominion"  from  which  the  state  was 
set  off  ;  t,^  states  were  represented 
wholly  or  in  part  by  members  born  in 
other  states  or  countries  (14  states 
wholly  so)  ;  and  1 1  states  claimed  no 
member  of  the  House  of  Representa- 
tives as  a  "favorite  son." 

1  member  was  less  than  30  years  of 
age  (Acklem  of  Louisiana)  ;  22  were 
between  the  ages  of  30  and  40 ;  107 
between  40  and  50  ;  108  between  50 
and  60  ;  28  between  60  and  70 ;  3 
between  70  and  80 ;  and  1  above  80, 


(Patterson  of  New  York,  a  native  of 
New  Hampshire),  and  22  whose  ages 
are  not  given. 

At  the  close  of  the  session,  1  mem- 
ber had  served  one  year ;  1 24  two 
years ;  1  three  years  ;  94  four  years ; 
36  six  years;  15  eight  years;  9  ten 
years ;  1  fourteen  years ;  3  sixteen 
years  ;  3  eighteen  years  ;  and  1  twenty- 
two  years.  Mr.  Kelley  of  Pennsylvania 
was  the  "Father  of  the  House"  in 
point  of  consecutive  service,  having  been 
in  that  body  continuously  for  18  years. 
Banks,  of  Massachusetts,  and  Cox,  of 
New  York,  have  each  served  18  years, 
and  Alexander  H.  Stephens  of  Geor- 
gia, 22,  but  neither  of  them  consecu- 
tively. The  terms  of  service  of  the 
remaining  four  members  are  not  given  ; 
48  performed  military  service  in  the 
Union  Army,  and  58  in  the  Confederate 
Army. 

The  amount  of  business  that  the 
Forty-fifth  Congress  was  obliged  to  pass 
its  judgment  upon,  exceeded  that  of 
any  preceding  Congress  since  the  or- 
ganization of  the  government.  In  the 
House  there  were  introduced  6525 
bills,  and  248  joint  resolutions,  of  which 
number  478  bills  and  44  joint  resolu- 
tions became  laws.  In  the  Senate 
there  were  introduced  1865  bills,  and 
72  joint  resolutions,  of  which  number 

bills,    and    joint    resolutions 

became  laws  (I  have  not  the  Senate 
Statistics  at  hand). 

Col.  J.  H.  Francis,  the  efficient  Res- 
olution and  Petition  Clerk  of  the  House, 
informs  me  that  10,467  petitions  were 
received,  indexed,  and  referred  to  the 
appropriate  Committee,  which  he  has 
analyzed  as  follows  : 

Claims,            .  .        1,597 

Commerce,         .  .        668 

Currency,        .  .           196 

Liquor  Traffic,  .        204 

Naval  Affairs,  .        .    79 
Patents,      ...        192 

Taxation,       .  .             254 

Military  Affairs,  .       376 

Pensions,         .  .           878 

Miscellaneous,  .     2,551 

Polygamy,  .          431 

Postal  Matters,  .        541 

Tariff,              .  .        2,440 

A  committee  to  which  a  petition  may 
be  referred,  obtains  jurisdiction  of  the 


CONGRESSIONAL  PAPERS. 


233 


subject  matter  thereof,  and  may  report  a 
bill  thereon  upon  the  call  of  committees. 
A  large  number  of  bills  are  reported 
from  committees  of  Invalid,  and  Revo- 
lutionary Pensions,  Post  Office  and 
Post  Roads,  Commerce,  Military  Affairs," 
Claims,  and  War  Claims.  Petitions  are 
introduced  in  the  House  by  members 
who  endorse  their  names  on  the  back 
of  the  documents  and  place  them  in  a 
box  in  front  of  the  Speaker's  desk, 
from  which  they  are  taken  to  the  Peti- 
tion clerk,  and  thence  distributed  to 
the  proper  committees.  Some  of  the 
petitions  are  huge  rolls  of  manuscript, 
one  of  them  in  the  second  session  of 
the  Forty-fifth  Congress  containing  the 
names  of  over  50,000  petitioners. 

The  New  England  temperance  soci- 
eties petition  for  the  suppression  of  the 
liquor  traffic  in  the  District  of  Colum- 
bia, in  the  firm  belief  that  sound  legis- 
lation cannot  be  had  while  Congressmen 
obtain  the  morning  "eye-opener"  and 
evening  "night  cap."  All  the  old 
maids  append  their  authographs  to  for- 
midable rolls  of  paper,  insisting  upon 
the  abolition  of  polygamy  in  Utah, 
upon  the  ground,  presumably,  that  a 
woman  is  entitled  to  a  whole  man,  if 
she  can  get  him,  or  none.  The  wool- 
growers  of  Vermont  petition  for  an 
increase  of  the  duties  on  foreign  wool, 
and  others  in  Michigan  pray,  just  as 
earnestly,  for  its  removal.  Pennsylvania 
and  New  England  petition  that  existing 
tariff  laws  shall  not  be  tampered  with  ; 
while  the  South  and  West  are  equally 
clamorous  for  their  modification  or 
repeal.  Among  the  "miscellaneous" 
are  petitions  from  all  classes  of  people 
for  every  conceivable  object.  One 
asks  for  an  appropiation  to  test  the 
efficacy  of  the  theory  that  yellow  fever 
and  other  similar  diseases  can  be  cured 
by  the  firing  of  cannon.  Another 
believing,  or  assuming  to  believe  that 
the  light  of  the  sun  is  soon  to  be  extin- 
guished proposes  to  light  the  world  after 
Old  Sol  has  departed.  Still  another  is  wil- 
ling to  accept  a  pension  from  the  govern- 
ment for  having  succeeded,  with  the 
aid  of  his  wife  probably,  in  raising  "one 
boy  a  year  among  the  sand-hills  of 
Florida,"  for  several  years  past."     The 


Common  Council  of  Louisville  ask  the 
government  "that  the  Howgate  explor- 
ing expedition  be  directed  to  take  the 
vessel  making  the  exploration,  after  the 
colony  leaves  the  same,  out  into  the 
open  Polar  Sea  and  test  the  truth  of 
of  the  Symmes  theory,  and  that  Ameri- 
cus  Symmes,  a  son  of  the  author  of  said 
theory,  be  permitted  to  go  on  said 
vessel — ." 

A  gentleman  from  New  York  with  an 
eye  upon  posterity  insists  "that  in  the 
next  census  such  necessary  vital  statis- 
tics be  taken  as  will  definitely  settle  all 
controversy  upon  the  question  of  the 
effects  upon  the  off-spring,  of  consan- 
guineous marriage." 

Forty-nine  teachers  in  Illinois,  who 
are  evidently  willing  that  country  shall 
be  spelled  with  a  "  k,"  ask  "  for  the 
appointment  of  a  commission  to  inquire 
into  the  propriety  of  a  simplification  of 
English  orthography." 

Another  gentleman  thinks  he  can  se- 
cure an  intelligent  ballot  "by  the  pub- 
lication by  the  Government  of  a  paper 
which  shall  be  sent  each  week  free  to 
each  family  in  the  United  States ;  in 
which  paper  shall  be  printed  in  the 
course  of  the  year  the  Constitution  of 
the  United  States  and  df  the  several 
States,  the  proceedings  of  Congress,  the 
duties  of  the  officers  of  the  Govern- 
ment and  their  salaries,  the  reports  of 
all  Government  expenditures,  the 
amount  of  money. received  by  the  Gov- 
ernment, the  purposes  to  which  applied, 
a  monthly  statement  of  the  public 
debt. " 

The  Lowell  Operatives  Reform  So- 
ciety want  a  territory  set  apart  where 
"  monogamic  law  shall  not  prevail. " 

A  Maryland  patriot  wants  pay  for 
"  two  hogsheads  of  molasses  destroyed 
by  the  British  in  1814." 

A  Pennsylvania  spinster,  distressed 
by  her  lonely  condition,  and  realizing 
the  improbability  of  securing  a  man  in 
any  other  way,  asks  Congress  to  enact 
a  law,  "compelling  men  to  marry.  " 

An  evangelist  whose  penmanship  and 
orthography  needs  reorganizing,  wants 
the  "religgun  of  Exist  "  made  universal 
by  Congressional  enactments. 

The  petition  box  is  alike  the  recept- 


234 


CONGRESSIONAL  PAPERS. 


acle  for  business  documents  and  the 
productions  of  disordered  minds  and 
visionary  theorists.  It  also  indicates 
the  vast  extent  of  our  country,  and  the 
conflicting  interests  involved  in  its  com- 
mercial and   manufacturing   industries. 

It  is  not  often  that  anything  so 
prosaic  as  a  House  or  Senate  bill  is 
made  the  vehicle  of  humor,  but  some- 
times the  scintillations  of  wit  are  found 
in  the  dryest  places.  For  instance, 
while  the  discussion  on  financial  legis- 
lation was  in  progress,  some  wag  in- 
duced Senator  Patterson  of  S.  C,  to  in- 
troduce a  bill  (Senate  bill  13S3),  pro- 
viding "That  the  Congress  of  the 
United  States  of  America  will  vote  an 
appropriation,  the  same  as  a  reward, 
to  be  paid  the  American  citizen  who 
shall  produce  a  new  foot-measure  which 
shall  divulge,  in  it,  the  truth  of  the 
meeting  of  parallel  lines  in  exceeding 
great  length." 

The  House  also  had  its  fun  over  the 
bill  (House  bill  4007),  "  For  the  relief 
of  Private  William  Hines,  Company  F. 
Eighteenth  United  States  Infantry,  who 
lost  his  trousers  and  blanket  by  fire  at 
Aiken,  South  Carolina.  "  The  amount 
of  credit  claimed  was  $8.50.  The  ac- 
companying documents  to  the  bill  was 
a  letter  from  the  Secretary  of  War,  the 
usual  papers  indorsed  by  all  the  military 
officers  through  whose  hands  it  passed 
in  the  usual  "red  tape"  style  with  as 
much  formality,  and  through  precisely 
the  same  channels  as  if  it  had  been  a 
claim  for  a  million  dollars.  To  those 
readers  of  the  Granite  Monthlv  who 
have  been  surfeited  with  partisan 
harangues,  and  have  patiently  waded 
through  all  the  dreary  twaddle  of  con- 
gressional debate,  the  following  report 
of  the  House  Committee  upon  Private 
Hines'  trousers,  is  recommended  as  an 
antidote,  with  the  writer's  assurance 
-that  they  will  search  the  annals  of  Con- 
gress in  vain  for  a  parallel : 

The  Committee 
whom  was  refem 
4007),  for  the  reli 
Hines,  Company 
States  Infantry,  having  had  the  same  un- 
der consideration,  submit  the  following 
report : 

The  evidence  is  conclusive  that  Hines 


on  Military  Affairs,  to 
d  the  bill  (II.  E.  No. 
ef  of  Private  William 
F.  Eighteenth  United 


was  a  member  of  the  company  and  regi- 
ment referred  to.  and  that  he  lost  his 
trousers  and  blanket  by  fire  on  or  about 
the  11th  day  of  October,  A.  D.  1876. 
while  serving  with  his  command  at 
Aiken,  South  Carolina. 

The  time,  place,  and  circumstances 
under  which  this  loss  occurred  deserve 
much  more  than  a  mere  passing  notice. 
It  was  the  year  of  the  presidential  elec- 
tion, and  but  one  brief  month  prior  to  the 
time  when  the  freemen  of  the  Eepublic 
were  called  upon  to  cast  their  ballots  for 
the  men,  or  rather  the  electors  of  their 
choice.  The  air  was  filled  with  the  elo- 
quence of  orators,  both  North  and  South, 
who  spoke  and  labored  for  the  success  of 
their  candidates.  The  propriety,  not  to 
say  the  constitutionality,  of  the  presence 
of  Federal  troops  in  the  southern  section 
of  our  beloved  country  was  a  question 
that  entered  largely  into  the  discussion 
of  the  day.  Upon  this  subject  there  was 
then,  as  now,  great  difference  of  opinion ; 
and  without  committing  themselves  up- 
on tins  disputed  point  your  committee 
find  unanimously  that  Hines  was  there 
by  order  of  the  legally-constituted  au- 
thorities ;  that  he  wore  the  usual  and  or- 
dinary uniform  of  the  private  soldier; 
that  he  lost  his  trousers  and  blanket  as 
set  forth  in  the  bill  for  his  relief;  that 
the  loss  occurred  by  fire ;  that  a  board 
of  survey  was  called  upon  them,  and 
that,  in  the  language  of  that  tribunal, 
• '  they  were  damaged  to  their  full  value,  ft 
amounting  to  -$8.65. 

Your  committee  also  find  that  this 
same  board  expressed  the  opinion  that 
the  fire  was  accidental;  "that  it  origi- 
nated at  the  top  of  the  tent,  "  and  "  that 
no  one  was  to  blame.  "  There  is  no  di- 
rect testimony  upon  this  point,  but  it  is 
fair  to  assume  that  Hines  was  lying 
down  in  his  tent  enjoying  needed  repose 
after  a  day's  labor  in  asserting  and  main- 
taining the  sovereignty  of  the  General 
Government.  It  is  true  that  those  who 
seek  to  hold  him  responsible  refer  to  the 
general  and  careless  use  of  the  pipe  by 
our  weary  warriors ;  and  others  have  at- 
tempted to  account  for  the  catastrophe 
by  calling  attention  to  the  dangerous 
habit  of  soldiers  carrying  matches  in 
their  trousers'  pockets.  Both  of  these 
theories,  although  plausible,  are  rejected 
by  your  committee ;  and  after  patient  in- 
vestigation they  are  of  the  opinion  that 
the  fire  originated  in  some  unaccountable 
manner.  If,  as  is  altogether  probable, 
Hines  was  recumbent  in  his  tent,  the 
conclusion  is  almost  irresistible  that  he 
had  disrobed  and  placed  his  blouse  and 
trousers  on  the  convenient  and  useful 
cracker-box ;  the  progress  of  the  flames 
from  the  top  of  the  tent,  where  they  orig- 
inated, to  his  soldierly  couch,   doubtless 


CONGRESSIONAL  PAPERS. 


235 


aroused  him  from  his  reverie  or  sleep ; 
and  while  the  evidence  is  not  entirely 
satisfactory  on  this  point,  your  commit- 
tee are  of  the  opinion  that  Hines  in  his 
zeal  to  fight  the  fire  and  save  Govern- 
ment property  lost  both  trousers  and 
blanket. 

With  this  view  of  the  case  your  com- 
mittee accept  the  finding  of  the  board  of 
survey  and  discharge  him  from  responsi- 
bility. Xo  specific  recommendations  ap- 
pear in  their  report,  but  through  some 
misapprehension  a  gratuitous  issue  of 
trousers  and  blanket  was  made  to  him. 
As  events  proved,  this  was  a  fatal  mis- 
take. His  commanding  officer,  miscon- 
struing a  mere  suggestion,  and  perhaps 
unwilling  that  Hiues  should  appear  be- 
fore the  people  of  Aiken,  trouserless,  or, 
concluding  that  the  honor  and  dignity  of 
the  United  States  would  be  put  in  jeop- 
ardy by  his  appearing  on  duty  in  a  pair 
"damaged  to  their  full  value,''  made 
proper  haste  to  rehabilitate  him. 

From  this  time  Hines  vanishes  from 
the  scene.  How  he  disported  himself  in 
his  new  trousers  nowhere  appears.  Un- 
consciously he  had  performed  a  great 
service  to  the  Army  and  the  country  by 
causing  an  authoritative  decision  on  a 
matter  that  had  been  involved  in  doubt. 
The  question  of  a  gratuitous  issue  of 
clothing  is  now  settled,  and  while  Hines 
may  be  indifferent  to  the  trouble  he  has 
given  captains,  colonels,  major- generals, 
a  Secretary  of  War,  and  a  congressional 
committee,  he  can  content  himself  with 
the  reflection  that  he  has  neither  worn 
nor  lost  his  trousers  in  vain. 

In  conclusion,  vour  committee  desire 
to  call  attention  to  the  fact  that  they 
have  devoted  much  time  and  thought  to 
this  case.  The  papers  are  voluminous, 
containing  no  less  than  seven  distinct  in- 
dorsements, commencing  with  a  captain 
and  concluding  with  the  Secretary  of 
War,  who,  in  a  communication  to  the 
Speaker  of  the  House  of  Representatives, 
asks  for  the  relief  of  Hines ;  or,  to  use 
his  own  well-chosen  words,  "requests 
the  sanction  of  Congress  for  the  issuing 
of  said  clothing  to  said  Hines.  " 

This  communication  is  marked  "A" 
and  made  a  part  of  this  report. 

It  is  in  no  vainglorious  spirit  that  your 
committee  state  that  whatever  delay 
there  has  been  in  this  matter  the  blame 
does  not  attach  to  them. 

The  trouble  with  Hines  began  nearly 
eighteen  months  since,  and  the  papers 
only  reached  the  hands  of  your  commit- 
tee a  few  days  ago ;  and  in  placing  the 
final  determination  of  the  question 
with  the  Representatives  of  the  people, 
they  feel  that  they  are  discharged  from 
further  responsibility.  They  cannot, 
however,    dismiss    the  subject    without 


calling  attention  to  the  almost  perfect 
system  of  checks  and  guards  thrown 
around  the  issuing  of  Government  prop- 
erty. The  thoughtless  may  call  it  "  red- 
tape,  "  or  circumlocution,  but  without  it, 
Hines  today  would  be  in  undisputed  pos- 
session of  a  pair  of  trousers  and  a  blanket 
to  which  he  would  have  no  legal  title. 
As  it  is,  the  system  has  been  vindicated, 
the  right  of  the  United  States  to  Hines' 
trousers  fully  established,  and  his  per- 
sonal and  pecuniary  responsibility  deter- 
mined. 

Under  all  the  circumstances,  your 
committee  recommend  the  passage  of  the 
bill. 

After  all,  the  bill  failed,  with  numer- 
ous others  to  reach  the  President,  and 
the  great  question  still  remains  unset- 
tled. 

In  order  to  convey  some  idea  of  the 
amount  of  money  required  to  carry  on 
the  Government,  the  following  table  of 
statistics  compiled  from  official  docu- 
ments are  given,  showing  the  sums  ap- 
propriated in  each  of  the  eleven  regu- 
lar annual  appropriation  bills. 

FORTY-FIFTH    CONGRESS. 


First  and  Second  Sessions. 


Military  Academy 

Fortification 

Consular 

Navy 

Post-Office 

Pensions 

Indian 

Army 

River  and  Harbor 

Deficiency 

Legislative 

Snndry  Civil 

Miscellaneous 


Arrearages  of  Pensions 


bill  $282,805.80 
"  275,000.00 
"  1,070,135.00 
"  14,152,003.70 
"  33,256,373.00 
"  29,371,574.00 
"  4,721,275.70 
"  35,583,180.01 
"  8,307,000.00 
"  14,534,072.52 
"  15,430.781.30 
"  24,750,100.00 
1,572,059.50 


Third  Session. 

$319,547.33 

275,000.00 

1,087,835.00 

14,029,968.95 

30,121,400.00 

29.300,000.00 

4,713,478.58 

* 

7,842,100.00 
2,901,478.42 


18,414,171.51 

t 

20  807,200.00 


t- 


Total  '$173,308,165.79     #141,998,179.79 

*Failed.  fNot  yet  published. 

In  comparison  of  the  above  totals  it 
should  be  remembered  that  the  Army, 
and  Legislative  bills,  had  they  become 
laws,  would  have  added  about  $45,- 
000,000  more  to  column  of  the  "  Third 
Session"  ;  and  the  Arrearages  of  Pen- 
sions bill  was  an  extraordinary  appro- 
priation, unlike  any  in  the  preceding 
Congresses.  The  Sundry  Civil  bill  of 
the  Second  Session,  also,  was  increased 
$5,500,000  by  the  Halifax  fishery 
award,  and  the  large  Deficiency  bill  of 
over  fourteen  millions  was  ten  or  eleven 
millions  above  its  normal  amount,  in 
consequence  of  deficiences  extending 
over  a  period  of  several  years  previous. 

Among    the    prominent    measures, 


236 


A  BIT  OF  NEWSPAPER  HISTORY. 


aside  from  the  appropriation  bills  that 
came  before  the  Forty-fifth  Congress 
for  consideration,  was  a  bill  granting 
relief  to  the  soldiers  and  sailors  of  the 
war  of  1 8 1 2  ;  a  bill  to  reimburse  the 
trustees  of  the  College  of  William  and 
Mary  for  property  destroyed  during  the 
late  war ;  a  bill  for  the  relief  of  soldiers 
and  sailors  who  served  in  the  war  with 
Mexico  ;  a  bill  "  to  authorize  the  free 
coinage  of  the  standard  silver  dollar, 
and  to  restore  its  legal  tender  charac- 
ter, "  known  as  "the  silver  bill ;"  a  bill 
reorganizing  the  government  of  the 
District  of  Columbia ;  a  bill  providing 
for  the  reorganization  of  the  army ;  a 
bill  in  relation  to  Pacific  railroads ;  a 
bill  to  revise  the  patent  laws  ;  a  bill  to 
prevent  the  introduction  of  contagious 
and  epidemic  diseases  into  the  United 
States ;  the  Geneva  Award  bill ;  a 
bill  to  restrict  Chinese  immigra- 
tion, and  many  others  of  greater  or 
less  importance.  Of  the  few  alluded 
to  above,  the  bills  relating  to  Mexican 
war  pensions,  the  army  reorganization, 
the  Geneva  Award,  the  revision 
of  the  patent  laws,  William  and 
Mary  College,  epidemic  diseases, 
and  Chinese  immigration,  all  failed  to 
become  laws — the  latter  being  vetoed 
by  the  President.  All  the  rest  were  ap- 
proved except  the  "silver  bill,"   which 


was  passed  over  the  President's  veto, 
and  thus  became  a  law.  Of  measures 
political  the  "  Potter  resolutions "  in 
the  House,  and  the  appointment  of  the 
"Teller  Committee"  in  the  Senate, 
were  the  most  important.  In  the  House 
the  Potter  resolutions  were  debated  for 
several  days,  and  "  filibustering "  re- 
sorted to  to  defeat  their  passage,  which 
was  finally  secured  by  just  a  quorum, 
the  Republicans  refusing  to  vote.  The 
history  of  these  political  committees 
being  so  well  known,  and  their  appoint- 
ment of  such  recent  origin,  it  is  not 
deemed  advisable  to  further  allude  to 
them  here. 

The  third  and  final  session  of  the 
Forty-Fifth  Congress  closed  amid 
scenes  of  considerable  excitement,  at 
noon  on  the  fourth  of  March,  1879, 
leaving  two  appropriation  bills  that 
failed  to  pass.  These  were  the  army, 
and  the  legislative,  executive  and  judi- 
cial bills,  upon  which  the  conference 
committees  could  not  agree,  and  so  re- 
ported at  the  last  hour.  The  amount 
involved  in  the  two  bills  aggregated 
about  $45,000,000;  and  the  Forty- 
Sixth  Congress,  like  the  one  of  which  a 
brief  mention  herewith  closes,  com- 
mences with  an  extra  session  to  remedy 
the  failure. 


A  BIT  OF  NEWSPAPER  HISTORY. 


The  recent  retirement  of  Messrs. 
Carleton  &  Harvey  from  the  proprietor- 
ship of  the  Argus  and  Spectator  news- 
paper at  Newport,  is  a  matter  suggest- 
ive of  far  greater  interest  than  usually 
attaches  to  changes  in  the  control  of 
county  papers  in  our  state.  These  gen- 
tlemen— Henry  G.  Carleton,  and  Mat- 
thew Harvey — had  been  editors  and 
publishers  of  this  paper  for  a  period  of 
nearly  forty  years,   assuming  the  pro- 


prietorship January  1,  1840,  and  retir- 
ing therefrom  April  1,  1879.  It  may 
be  safely  asserted  that  the  entire  histo- 
ry of  the  state  furnishes  no  other  exam- 
ple of  equally  long-continued,  uninter- 
rupted newspaper  proprietorship  and 
editorial  management  combined.  And 
not  alone  from  its  long  duration  and 
unchanging  character  may  the  journal- 
istic career  o,f  these  men  be  regarded 
as  remarkabfe  and   unique.      Entering 


A  BIT  OF  NEWSPAPER  HISTORY. 


237 


the  office  of  the  same  paper,  as  appren- 
tices together  in  boyhood,  they  learned 
the  printer's  trade,  side  by  side,  and 
worked  together,  harmoniously  in  the 
same  way  from  first  to  last.  By  an  ar- 
rangement entered  into  in  the  outset, 
when  the  establishment  came  into  their 
hands,  the  editorial  work  was  done  by 
the  two  alternately,  one  editing  the 
paper  one  week  and  the  other  the  next, 
which  arrangement  was  followed  out 
without  interruption  to  the  close,  Mr. 
Harvey  acting  as  editor  the  first  week 
of  their  proprietorship,  and,  in  regular 
order,  the  last  week  also. 

The  early  history  of  this  paper  was 
almost  as  remarkable  for  changes  in 
proprietorship  and  management,  as  its 
after  history  for  the  reverse.  The 
"Spectator"  was  established  at  Clare- 
mont,  in  August,  1823,  by  Cyrus  Bar- 
ton, who  subsequently  became  well 
known  as  an  able  writer  and  a  promi- 
nent Democratic  politician.  In  January 
1825,  the  paper  was  removed  to 
Newport,  and  was  there  published  by 
Mr.  Barton,  as  sole  proprietor,  until  Sep- 
tember of  the  following  year,  when 
Dunbar  Aldrich,  a  practical  printer  and 
a  brother-in-law  of  the  late  venerable 
John  Prentiss  of  the  Keene  Sentinel, 
became  a  partner  in  the  concern.  This 
partnership  continued  until  April,  1829, 
when  Mr.  Aldrich  withdrew,  and 
Messrs.  B.  B.  French  and  Cyrus  Met- 
calf,  the  former  a  lawyer  who  came  to 
Newport  from  the  town  of  Chester,  and 
the  latter  a  printer,  became  Mr.  Bar- 
ton's partners  in  the  business.  Not 
long  after  Mr.  Barton  himself  withdrew 
to  assume  an  editorial  connection  with 
the  New  Hampshire  Patriot  at  Con- 
cord, and  the  paper  was  conducted  by 
French  and  Metcalf.  This  partner- 
ship was  also  of  short  duration,  Mr. 
Metcalf  going  out,  and  Mr.  Simon 
Brown  a  printer,  and  a  brother-in-law 
of  French,  also  from  Chester,  coming 
into  the  concern,  which  was  then  man- 
aged under  the  firm  name  of  French 
and  Brown.  A  few  years  later  Mr. 
French  disposed  of  his  interest  to  his 
partner,  removing  to  Washington,  D. 
C,  and  Mr.  Brown  became  sole  editor 
and  proprietor.     About  this   time   the 


"Argus"  another  Democratic  paper, 
was  established  at  Claremont,  by  a 
company  of  gentlemen,  and  Edmund 
Burke,  then  a  young  lawyer,  who  had 
been  in  practice  two  or  three  years  at 
Whitefield,  became  its  editor.  Mr. 
Brown  not  giving  satisfaction  to  many 
of  the  Democrats  of  Newport,  they 
soon  secured  the  removal  of  the  Argus 
to  Newport.  This  was  in  1835.  The 
two  papers  were  run  independently  for 
a  few  months,  when  Mr.  Brown  sold 
out  the  "Spectator,"'  the  same  being 
united  with  the  Argus  under  the  name 
of  the  Argus  and  Spectator,  (by  which  it 
has  ever  since  been  known),  the  proprie- 
torship being  in  a  company  of  several 
gentlemen,  mostly  residents  of  New- 
port, and  one  of  whom  was  Mr.  Burke 
its  editor,  by  whom  it  was  conducted 
until  his  election  to  Congress  a  few 
years  later,  when  the  paper  passed  into 
the  hands  of  Henry  C.  Baldwin  and 
William  English,  two  practical  printers. 
Mr.  English  soon  left  to  assume  a  po- 
sition in  the  Boston  Custom  House, 
and  Samuel  C.  Baldwin,  a  brother  of 
Henry  E.,  became  a  partner  in  the 
concern,  which  was,  however,  soon  after 
sold  to  Messrs.  Carleton  and  Harvey, 
who  had  learned  and  followed  the 
printer's  trade  in  the  office,  as  has  been 
suggested,  entering  in  1831,  when 
French  and  Brown  were  proprietors. 

In  the  seventeen  years  from  the  com- 
mencement of  the  paper  in  Claremont, 
till  it  passed  into  the  hands  of  Messrs. 
Carleton  and  Harvey,  nine  different 
men  had  been  actively  engaged  in  its 
management — all  men  of  more  than 
ordinary  ability,  and  several  of  whom 
acquired  distinguished  reputation  in 
public  life.  Mr.  Barton,  the  founder 
of  the  paper,  was  a  State  Senator  and 
Councillor,  State  Printer,  U.  S.  Mar- 
shal, and  a  member  of  the  Constitu- 
tional Convention  of  1850.  He  fell 
dead  while  making  a  political  speech 
in  the  town  of  Loudon  in  the  campaign 
of  1855.  B.  B.  French  became  clerk 
of  the  National  House  of  Representa- 
tives, and  held  various  other  offices  at 
Washington,  where  he  died  in  1870. 
Simon  Brown,  who  was  subsequently 
editor  of  the  New  England  Farmer,  at 


238 


A  BIT  OF  NEWSPAPER  HISTORY. 


Boston,  served  in  both  branches  of  the 
Massachusetts  Legislature  and  was 
elected  Lieutenant  Governor  of  that 
State.  Edmund  Burke,  whose  trench- 
ant pen,  won  for  the  paper  and  himself 
an  extended  reputation  in  a  very  short 
time,  was  six  years  a  member  of  Con- 
gress and  subsequently  Commissioner 
of  Patents,  under  the  administration  of 
President  Polk.  Afterwards  he  was  for 
a  time  editor  of  the  Washington  Union. 
As  a  ready  and  vigorous  political  writer 
he  has  had  few  if  any  equals — certain- 
ly no  superiors  in  the  country.  Of  all 
those  engaged  in  the  management  of 
the  paper,  previous  to  the  late  proprie- 
tors, Mr.  Burke  alone  survives. 

Messrs.  Carleton  and  Harvey  went 
from  the  town  of  Sutton  to  Newport, 
when  they  became  apprentices  in  the 
Spectator  office.  Mr.  Carleton  was  a 
native  of  Bucksport,  Me.,  born  in  Nov. 
1 813,  but  had  removed  to  Sutton,  when 
about  ten  years  of  age,  where  Mr.  Har- 
vey was  born  in  Jan.,  18 15.  The  two 
are  cousins,  their  mothers  being  sisters, 
whose  maiden  name  was  Greeley — half 
cousins  of  the  illustrious  journalist, 
Horace  Greeley.  The  late  Hon. 
Matthew  Harvey  of  Concord,  promi- 
nent in  the  history  and  politics  of  the 
State,  and  Jonathan  Harvey  of  Sutton, 
also  a  member  of  Congress,  were  un- 
cles of  Mr.  Harvey.  Hon.  George  A. 
Pillsbury,  formerly  Mayor  of  Concord, 


now  of  Minneapolis,  Minn.,  is  a  broth- 
er-in-law of  Mr.  Carleton,  having  mar- 
ried his  sister. 

Under  their  protracted  management, 
the  Argus  and  Spectator  well  main- 
tained its  reputation  as  a  reliable  ex- 
ponent and  advocate  of  the  principles 
of  the  Democratic  party,  while,  individ- 
ually, each  has  held  prominent  and  in- 
fluential positions  in  the  community  of 
which  they  are  now  respected  mem- 
bers. Mr.  Carleton  was  Register  of 
Deeds  for  the  county  of  Sullivan  in 
1844  and  1845,  and  was  appointed 
Register  of  Probate  in  1854,  being  re- 
moved the  following  year  upon  the  ac- 
cession of  the  opposite  party  to  power. 
He  was  also  a  member  of  the  Legisla- 
ture from  Newport  in  1853.  Mr.  Har- 
vey held  the  office  of  Register  of  Deeds 
for  five  years,  from  1846  to  185 1. 

The  period  covered  by  their  news- 
paper proprietorship  has  been,  indeed, 
a  long  and  eventful  one,  witnessing  great 
changes  in  national  and  state  history. 
At  its  commencement  there  was  not  a 
railroad  line  in  the  state,  and  the  tele- 
graph was  unknown.  Of  the.  more 
than  fifty  weekly  newspapers  now  pub- 
lished in  New  Hampshire,  not  more 
than  eight  or  ten  have  a  history  cover- 
ing this  period,  and  of  these  not  a  sin- 
gle one  remains  in  the  hands  which 
then  controled  it. 


AFTER  MANY  YEARS. 


239 


AFTER  MANY  YEARS. 


BY    HELEN    M.    RUSSELL. 


CHAPTER    I. 

Barbara  Clay  lived  all  alone  in  a  lit- 
tle cottage  toward  the  lower  end  of  the 

small  village  of  R .     Just   opposite 

her  humble  home,  stood  the  church 
wherein  she  worshipped,  and  every 
Sabbath,  rain  or  shine,  summer  or  win- 
ter, found  her  in  her  accustomed  seat, 
listening  intently  to  the  good  words 
which  fell  from  Parson  Downs'  lips. 
She  was  apparently  somewhere  in  the 
vicinity  of  forty  years  of  age,  and  al- 
though she  bore  her  years  lightly,  and 
the  rippling  brown  hair  was  guiltless  of 
a  silver  thread,  her  dark  blue  eyes  were 
filled  with  a  tender,  mournful  expres- 
sion, and  the  sensitive  mouth  wore  a 
look  of  subdued  sorrow.  She  had 
come  a  perfect  stranger  nineteen  years 
before,  into  this  secluded  village,  and 
purchased  the  cottage  which  had  ever 
since  been  her  home.  She  mingled 
but  little  with  her  neighbors,  and  -with 
the  exception  of  attending  church,  was 
seldom  seen  away  from  home,  unless 
it  was  to  care  for  the  sick  and  dying. 
The  simple  old-fashioned  villagers  re- 
spected and  loved  her.  People  said 
she  had  a  story,  but  what  it  was  they 
did  not  undertake  to  tell. 

One  dark,  rainy  afternoon  in  April, 
the  lumbering  yellow  stage-coach  drew 
up  in  front  of  the  tavern,  and  the  driver 
alighting  from  his  elevated  seat,  ap- 
proached his  only  passenger  and  said, 
with  a  low  bow,  "Where  did  you  wish 
to  stop,  Miss  ;  I  believe  you  didn't  state 
any  partikler  place,  so  I  brought  you 
to  the  tavern."  A  sweet,  girlish  voice 
replied,  "  I  wish  to  know  if  a  lady  by 
the  name  of  Barbara  Clay  resides  in 
this  village."  "Yes,  ma'am,  she 
does, "  replied  the  driver.  "Then,  if 
you  please,  I  will  go  directly  to  her 
home.  "  The  driver  hastened  back  to 
his  place,  and  gathering  up  his  reins, 
drove  on,  leaving  the  knot  of  villagers 


in  front  of  the  tavern  gazing  in  surprise 
after  the  departing  vehicle.  The  com- 
ing of  a  young  lady  into  their  midst, 
and  to  see  Barbara  Clay  of  all  persons, 
was  an  event,  and  it  was  something  to 
wonder  over  and  talk  about,  so  when 
the  stage-coach  came  slowly  back 
again  the  driver  found  quite  a  crowd 
awaiting  him,  eager  for  a  description  of 
the  stranger.  "Don't  know  nothin 
'bout  her ;  I  didn't  see  her  face  for  she 
wore  a  vail  over  it.  She  got  aboard 
the  stage  at  Day's  tavern,  that's  all  I 
know  about  her."  This  explanation, 
as  may  be  supposed,  did  not  go  far  to- 
ward allaying  their  curiosity.  In  the 
meantime  the  young  girl  who  had  al- 
lighted  from  the  coach  in  front  of  Miss 
Clay's  cottage,  stood  patiently  awaiting 
an  answer  to  her  repeated  knocks  upon 
the  door.  She  was  short  and  slight, 
with  brown  hair  and  dark  blue  eyes. 
Her  dress  was  a  rusty  black  alpaca ; 
a  coarse  heavy  black  shawl  and  black 
straw  hat  trimmed  with  black  ribbon, 
completed  her  attire.  She  had  re- 
moved her  well- worn  vail,  which  she 
held  in  one  slender  ungloved  hand  ;  in 
the  other  she  carried  a  small  travelling 
bag.  At  length  the  door  opened  and 
Miss  Barbara  stood  before  her.  "Are 
you  Miss  Barbara  Clay?"  questioned 
the  girl,  raising  her  eyes  to  the  lady's 
face.  "  I  am — will  you  please  walk 
in, "  replied  the  lady,  not  without  some 
surprise,  as  she  turned  and  led  the 
way  into  her  small,  neat  sitting-room, 
where  she  placed  a  chair  for  her  guest, 
and  seated  herself  near  by.  As  she  did 
so  her  eyes  fell  upon  a  ring  which  the 
girl  wore  upon  the  third  finger  of  her 
left  hand.  It  was  an  old-fashioned 
ring,  with  two  hearts  linked  together, 
and  the  initials  B  and  C  engraved  be- 
neath. She  had  in  her  possession  a 
ring  precisely  like  it,  although  for  near- 
ly twenty  years  she   had   not   worn   it. 


240 


AFTER  MANY  YEARS. 


Her  face  turned  very  pale  and  her 
voice  trembled  as  she  said,  "Young 
lady,  will  you  tell  me  your  name?" 

"  My  name  is  Etta  Arnold,  and  if  I 
mistake  not  you  are  my  aunt  Barbara," 
replied  the  girl  with  some  hesitation. 

For  a  moment  the  lady's  face  flushed 
crimson,  and  then  the  color  receded, 
leaving  her  deathly  pale  as  she  sprang 
to  her  feet  exclaiming,  "Why  are  you 
here  girl.  Do  you  not  know  that  your 
very  presence  is  an  insult  to  me?" 

The  girl  half  rose  to  her  feet  and 
then  sunk  back  again,  saying  in  a  husky 
voice,  "  Oh,  aunt  Barbara,  how  can  it 
be?  I  have  never  harmed  you." 

"You  do  not  know  the  wrong  your 
parents  did  me  then,"  said  the  lady 
bitterly. 

"I  only  know  that  in  dying,  my 
mother  bade  me  go  to  you  and  ask 
your  protection,  and  also  to  tell  you 
of  her  continued  love  for  you.  I  do 
not  think  she  ever  knowingly  harmed 
you.  Had  you  said  my  father  had 
wronged  you  I  should  not  have  felt  the 
least  surprise,  for  he  was  capable  of 
everything  that  was  bad, "  said  the 
girl  bitterly.  "  Since  my  presence  is 
not  desired  here,  I  will  go  at  once, " 
she  continued,  arising  and  turning  to- 
ward the  door. 

"  No,  sit  down ;  I  wish  to  ask  you 
a  few  questions ;  Is  your  father  liv- 
ing?" 

"No, he  died  three  years  ago,"  re- 
plied the  girl. 

"And  you  have  no  money,  no 
home, "  said  the  lady,  looking  at  the 
well-worn  clothes  of  her  niece. 

"  I  have  nothing,  and  no  one  in  the 
world  to  care  for  me,  except  you  and 
my  father's  brother, "  replied  the  girl, 
with  a  burst  of  tears. 

"You  would  be  much  better  off  with- 
out his  assistance  than  with  it,  I  am 
thinking,"  returned  the  lady. 

"  He  promised  to  provide  a  place  for 
me  as  soon  as  possible,  but  I  preferred 
coming  to  you  as  my  mother  requested 
me  to  do." 

"  How  did  your  mother  learn  where 
I  resided?  "  inquired  the  lady. 

"She  did  not  know,  she  told  me  to 
go  to  L ,  her  native  place,  suppos- 


ing if  you  were  yet  living,  I  should  find 
you  there.  I  mentioned  her  request 
to  my  uncle,  and  he  told  me  that  my 
grandparents  and  uncle  Oscar  were 
dead,  and  no  one  knew  anything  con- 
cerning you  whatever,"  answered  the 
girl. 

"How  then  did  you  discover  my 
whereabouts?" 

"  Do  you  recollect  a  lady,  Mrs.  Eaton 
by  name,  who  was  ill  here  at  the  hotel 
some  three  years  since  ?  She  came  here 
to  dispose  of  some  land  belonging  to 
her,  and  was  taken  sick. " 

"Certainly  I  do,"  replied  Barbara, 
quickly. 

"You  cared  for  her  and  doubtless 
saved  her  life.  After  my  unci's  de- 
parture I  mentioned  your  name  to  her, 
and  she  told  me  that  a  lady  of  that 
name  lived  in  the  village  of  R ,  sit- 
uated in  New  Hampshire.  That  you 
resided  alone,  and  so  far  as  she  knew 
were  without  relations.  By  her  advice 
I  started  immediately  for  your  home, 
and  here  I  am.  I  had  no  thought  but 
that  I  should  be  welcome, "  concluded 
the  girl  in  a  husky  voice. 

"  I  do  not  mean  to  be  unkind,  but 
you  do  not  know  girl  the  wound  your 
coming  has  reopened.  I  was  learning 
to  forget  and  I  am  sorry  you  came  ; 
however,  since  you  are  here  I  will  try- 
and  make  you  comfortable-:  How 
strange  that  Mrs.  Eaton  should  know 
you.     Did  you  live  near  her?" 

"She  owned  the  house  where  my 
mother  died  and  where  we  had  lived 
for  two  years — that  is  we  occupied  two 
rooms  in  it.  She  was  our  only  friend 
and  the  kindest  lady  I  ever  knew. 
Had  it  not  been  for  her  we  must  have 
starved,  for  I  could  not  get  work  to 
take  home  with  me,  and  I  could  not 
leave  mother  alone, "    answered    Etta. 

Barbara's  eyes  filled  with  tears  as  she 
arose  and  approaching  the  girl  began 
to  remove  her  outer  garments,  saying 
at  the  same  time,  "  I  have  been  too 
harsh  with  you  my  poor  child.  Will 
you  forgive  me?  " 

"Oh,  aunt  Barbara,  I  have  nothing 
to  forgive,  but  I  will  love  you  all  my 
life,  if  you  will  let  me  stay  with  you,  " 
replied  the  girl,  bursting  into  tears. 


AFTER  MANY  YEARS. 


241 


"There,  there,  my  child  do  not  weep, 
I  shall  not  send  you  away.     Draw  your 
chair  near  the  fire,  and  while   you    are 
warming,  I  will  prepare  you  some  sup- 
per, "  said  Barbara,  as  she  left  the  room. 
Not  immediately   did   she    begin  her 
preparations  for  tea  for  her  guest,  how- 
ever, for  she   sank    down    beside   the 
window  in    her  kitchen,    and    burying 
her  face  in  her  hands,  burst  into   tears. 
It   had   all    come   back   to    her  —  the 
shame  and  agony  of  the  day  when  she 
had  found  the  sister  she  loved  so  dear- 
ly, the  man  she  had  reverenced   above 
all  others,  alike  false  and   unworthy   of 
a  single  thought  from  her.     She   could 
see  it  all.     The  bright  June  day  so  fair 
and  sweet,  the  air  heavy  with  the   per- 
fume of  flowers,  the  songs  of  thousands 
of  birds,   making   the    world    seem    so 
lively.     She  remembered  how  she   had 
stood  in  the  window  of  her   room    and 
listened  to  their  songs,    and   wondered 
if  anywhere  in  the  world  theie  was  an- 
other creature  so   blest,   so   happy   as 
herself,  upon  this   her   wedding   morn. 
She   had   wondered   as   the   moments 
passed  on,  that  her   sister  Clarice    did 
not  come  to  her,  and  inquiring    of  her 
mother  the  cause,  was  told  that  she  had 
retired  the  night  before  with   a   severe 
headache,  and  had  not  yet  arisen.  Then 
she  had  let  them  prepare   her  for   her 
bridal,  her  pure  heart  full  of  happiness. 
The  ceremony  was  to  be  performed   at 
eleven,  and  when  at   length   she  stood 
ready,  she  glanced   at  her   watch  aud 
saw  that  it  was  not  quite  half  past   ten. 
"  I  am  going  to  surprise  Clarice,  "    she 
said  to  her   bridesmaids,    and   with   a 
gay,  happy  smile  on  her  lips,   she    had 
stolen  softly  along  the  wide  hall  to  her 
sister's  room.     She   opened   the    door 
quickly,  expecting  to  find  her  sister  put- 
ting the  finishing  touches   to   her   own 
toilet.     To  her  surprise  the   room   was 
in  great  disorder.     Articles  of  wearing 
apparel  were  strewn  about,  lying   upon 
the  bed  and  upon  chairs.     Boxes  stood 
open  ;  in  a  word  everything  betokened 
that  some   unusual    event   had   taken 
place,  but   her   sister   was   not   there. 
Approaching  the  dressing  case  she  stood 
looking  in  surprise  at  the  empty  jewel- 
ry case  which  stood  thereon,  when  her 


eye  fell  upon  a  letter  directed  to  her- 
self. Fearing,  she  knew  not  what,  she 
opened  it  and  read  as  follows  : 

"  Dear  Sister.  Forgive  me  for  caus- 
ing you  one  moment's  pain.  All  these 
weeks  while  you  have  been  so  happy, 
my  heart  has  been  full  of  deepest  sor- 
row, but  it  is  to  end  tonight.  My 
Leonard  and  I  are  going  away  together, 
and  before  twenty-four  hours  have 
passed,  I  sh»ll  be  his  wife.  I  have  de- 
liberately chosen  my  path  in  life,  and 
come  weal  or  woe,  shall  abide  by  it. 
We  knew  that  father  and  mother  would 
never  consent  to  our  marriage,  and 
have  kept  our  love  a  secret  from  every- 
one. If  we  can  be  forgiven,'  an  adver- 
tisement inserted  in  the  Herald  will 
bring  us  back,  otherwise  you  will  never 
again  see  your  erring  sister  Clarice.  " 

They  had  found  Barbara  lying  sense- 
less upon  the  floor  with  the  cruel  letter 
crushed  in  her  hand,  and    every   hope 
crushed  out  of  her  life.     She   remem- 
bered but  dimly  the  events  of  the  next 
three  months,  for  a  portion  of  the  time 
she  was  ill  with  brain  fever.     Then,    as 
she  at  length  gradually  came  back  to  a 
knowledge    of  life,    and   realized   the 
shame  that  her  once  idolized  sister  had 
brought  upon  them  all,    she   secluded 
herself,   keeping   aloof    from   her    ac- 
quaintances.    Then  came  the   terrible 
fever  that  swept  down  so  many  victims, 
her  parents  and   only  brother  Oscar, 
among  the  first,  and  she  was  left  alone. 
Rallying  from  the  stupor  of  despair  that 
at  first  overwhelmed  her,  she  threw  her- 
self into  the  very   midst   of  the   pesti- 
lence, and  her  watchful   care   brought 
life  and  health  to  more  than  one   poor 
victim.     When  at  length  the  worst  was 
over  and  she  was  at  liberty   to  remain 
at  home,  she  found  the  old   house   too 
full  of  sorrowful  reminders  of  her   hap- 
py past  to  be  endured,  so  she  had  sold 
the  place  with  all  its  furniture  to  a  young 
couple  recently  married,  and  then  she 
had  left  her  once  happy  home,  leaving 
no  trace  behind   her.     She  had  taken 
with  her  an  elderly  lady — Mrs.  Lane  by 
name,  who  like  herself  had  been  bereft 
of  friends  by  the  epidemic,  and  togeth- 
er  they   had  lived  in  the    village    of 
R until  Mrs.  Lane's  death. 


242 


AFTER  MANY  YEARS. 


For  five  years  Barbara  had  dwelt 
there  alone,  and  now  this  young  girl, 
claiming  to  be  her  niece,  the  offspring 
of  that  guilty  couple — her  sister  and 
Leonard  Arnold—had  come  to  h  er  claim- 
ing her  protection.  Could  she  ever 
love  her  ?  "  Forgive  us  our  trespasses 
as  we  forgive  those  who  trespass  against 
us,  "  she  murmured  softly.  After  all 
the  girl  was  not  to  blame,  and  she 
would  try  and  love  her  at  least,  and  so, 
arising,  she  bathed  her  face — which, 
however,  bore  traces  of  her  grief  when 
she  re-entered  the  sitting-room,  bear- 
ing tea  and  toast  for  her  unwelcome 
guest. 

CHAPTER     II. 

Two  months  have  come  and  gone, 
and  the  bright  June  days  have  come 
once  more.  The  villagers  have  ascer- 
tained that  the  young  lady  who  had 
come  into  their  midst  on  that  rainy 
April  day  is  named  Etta  Arnold,  and 
that  she  is  Barbara  Clay's  niece.  She 
goes  and  comes  in  and  out  among 
them  with  a  kind  word  for  everyone 
who  addresses  her,  but  her  face  is  very 
sad,  and  she  seldom  smiles.  It  has 
been  decided  that  she  shall  remain 
with  her  aunt,  and  Barbara  is  beginning 
to  love  the  girl  who  is  always  so  eager 
to  please  her  and  so  gentle  and  fair. 
It  is  a  lovely  evening.  The  full  moon 
is  shining  brightly,  and  the  simple  little 
village  looks  very  peaceful,  nestled  in 
between  high  hills  that  rise  on  either 
side.  It  has  become  very  dear  to  her 
— this  home  of  her  adoption,  and  Bar- 
bara thinks  she  shall  never  leave  it 
while  her  saddened  life  lasts,  and  at  its 
close  she  will  be  lain  away  in  yonder 
cemetery  whose  simple  headstones  she 
can  see  shining  in  the  moonlight.  Etta 
has  taken  a  walk  over  to  the  post- 
office,  and  her  aunt  sits  by  the  window 
watching  for  her  return.  At  length  she 
sees  her  coming,  walking  rapidly  up 
the  path  from  the  road.  As  she  enters 
the  house  she  says,  in  a  glad  voice,  "At 
last,  dear  auntie,  I  have  received  my 
long  looked  for  letter,  and  by  its  size  I 
think  I  shall  be  repaid  for  waiting. " 

"  I  am  very  glad  my  dear.  You  can 
light  the  lamp  at  once. " 


Etta  hastens  to  the  kitchen  and  soon 
returns  bearing  a  lighted  lamp,  and 
with  an  eagerness  unusual  to  her,  seats 
herself  to  read  her  letter.  Barbara 
watches  her  and  smiles  to  herself  as  she 
sees  the  girl's  face  light  up  with  sudden 
joy  as  she  reads.  "  She  has  a  lover, 
and  I  shall  lose  her,  when  I  prize  her 
most,  "  she  thinks  to  herself,  the  smile 
dying  away  as  she  thinks  how  hard  it 
will  be  to  part  with  her.  Etta  rapidly 
scans  page  after  page  and  her  aunt  no- 
tices that  one  sheet  is  carefully  lain 
aside  unread,  and  wonders  at  it.  At 
length,  Etta  arises  and  extinguishing 
the  light,  says,  "Aunt  Barbara  this 
moonlight  is  too  lovely  not  to  be  en- 
joyed, "  and  drawing  a  hassock  to  her 
aunt's  feet  she  seats  herself  thereon. 

"  You  are  happier  tonight  than  I  have 
ever  seen  you  before  my  dear.  I  hope 
you  will  always  be  so  in  the  future.  I 
have  often  thought  you  must  be  very 
unhappy  with  me,  you  always  seem  so 
sad,"  said  Barbara,  stroking  the  girl's 
hair  tenderly. 

"  I  am  happy  here  with  you  aunt 
Barbara,  and  I  do  not  think  I  £fm  very 
sad.  I  was  always  different  from  other 
girls,  for  my  life  has  been  full  of 
trouble,  "  she  replied  sadly. 

"  You  are  so  different  from  your 
mother,  my  dear.  She  was  all  joy  and 
brightness,  you  are  just  the  reverse,  " 
continued  the  lady. 

"  I  can  not  remember  the  time  that 
my  mother  was  otherwise  than  sad. 
You  have  no  idea  of  the  unhappy  life 
she  led,  "  returned  Etta,  in  a  choking 
voice. 

For  several  moments  the  silence  re- 
mained unbroken,  then  Barbara  said 
gently,  "  Etta,  I  have  refrained  from  ask- 
ing you  any  questions  concerning  your 
parents,  for  your  sake  as  well  as  my 
own,  but  tonight  I  feel  that  I  would  like 
to  know  something  more  concerning 
them.  I  hope  Leonard  Arnold  was  not 
unkind  to  the  young  girl  he  tempted 
away  from  her  happy  home,  "  she  con- 
cluded bitterly. 

For  several  moments  Etta  made  no 
reply,  then  she  said  in  a  voice  slightly 
tremulous,  "  Aunt  Barbara  I  have  a 
story  to  tell  you-which,  however,  I  have 


AFTER  MANY  YEARS. 


243 


not  really  understood  myself  until  I  re- 
ceived my  long  expected  letter  tonight. 
Dear  aunt  Barbara, "  she  continued, 
caressing  the  little  hand  she  held  in  her 
own,  "  you  have  been  laboring  under  a 
cruel  mistake  ever  since  that  morning, 
so  long  ago,  that  was  to  have  seen  you 
Leonard  Clayton  Arnold's  bride.  " 

"  Etta,  what  can  you  mean,  "  asked 
the  lady  in  a  tone  of  surprise. 

"  Did  you  ever  have  a  thought  that 
your  sister  cared  for  Clayton  Leonard 
Arnold,  twin  brother  to  your  lover?  " 

"  No,  Etta,  most  assuredly  I  never 
did.  How  could  she  ?  for  although  he 
was  Leonard's  exact  counterpart  in 
looks,  he  was  just  the  reverse  in  every- 
thing else.  In  a  word  he  was  a  spend- 
thrift, a  gambler,  and  all  that  was  bad. 
I  cannot  understand  your  meaning 
Etta.  " 

The  moonbeams  rested  upon  Etta's 
face,  showing  it  deadly  pale,  and  her 
voice  was  full  of  pain  as  she  replied, 
"  Aunt  Barbara  what  you  say  of  Clay- 
ton Arnold  is  true,  but  it  is  neverthe- 
less true  that  he  was  my  mother's  hus- 
band and  my  father.  They  were  mar- 
ried the  day  after  she  left  her  home. 
I  have  their  marriage  certificate  and 
can  prove  what  I  am  saying,  "  said  the 
girl  in  a  low,  firm  voice. 

"Then  in  Heaven's  name  why  did 
she  call  him  Leonard  in  her  letter  to 
me,  and  where,  oh  where  was  Leonard  ?  " 

"  I  do  not  positively  know  why  she 
called  him  Leonard  in  writing  you,  but 
knowing  as  I  do  that  she  thoroughly 
disliked  the  name  of  Clayton,  she  had 
formed  the  habit  of  calling  him  Leonard, 
during  their  stolen  visits,  and  therefore 
in  the  excitement  of  going  away  used 
the  name  unthinkingly.  If  I  have 
been  rightly  informed — and  I  think  I 
have — Leonard  had  been  absent  on 
business  for  two  weeks,  but  was  to  re- 
turn to    L the   night   before   the 

wedding.  He  did  so  and  as  he  stepped 
from  the  train,  he  saw  his  brother  and 
your  sister  just  entering  the  forward 
car.  With  only  one  thought,  and  that 
to  save  her  from  such  a  mad  act,  he 
followed  them.  It  was  in  vain,  how- 
ever, that  he  expostulated  and  even 
threatened,  they  were  married  as  I  told 


you  the  next  day.  He  only  went  with 
them,  however,  as  far   as    the    city   of 

A ,  for  being  assured  that  Clayton 

really  intended  to  marry  her,  and  not 
having  any  authority  to  prevent  it,  he 

started  to  return  to  L .     When  but  a 

few  miles  from  A a  serious  railroad 

accident  occurred,  and  uncle  Leonard 
was  terribly  injured.  For  three  months, 
while  you  was  thinking  him  false  to 
you,  he  lay  utterly  unconscious,  in  a 
poor  laborer's  hut  not  fifty  .miles   from 

L .     Then  when  he   came   slowly 

back  to  life  again  and  discovered  that 
three  months  had  elapsed  since  the  day 
which  was  to  have  been  his  wedding 
day,  he  fretted  himself  into  a  fever 
which  again  brought  him  nearly  to  the 
grave.  When  he  at  length  began  once 
more  to  recover  he  wrote  to  you,  but  at 

that  time  the  fever  was  raging  at  L , 

and  you  never  received  the  letter. 
When  he  was  able  to  travel  he  hastened 
to  your  old  home  at  once,  only  to  find 
you  gone  no  one  knew  where.  He 
searched  for  you,  advertised  for  you  in 
vain.  Aunt  Barbara  my  uncle  Leonard 
is  still  living.  He  has  never  married. 
The  letter  I  received  tonight  was  from 
him  in  answer  to  one  I  wrote  him  soon 
after  I  came  ljpre.  I  have  never  seen 
him  but  once,  and  then  only  for  a  few 
moments  soon  after  my  mother's  death. 
He  gave  me  fifty  dollars  and  desired 
me  to  remain  with  Mrs.  Eaton  until  he 
could  make  arrangements  for  having 
me  sent  to  school.  The  night  before 
my  mother  died  she  told  me  how  she 
had  left  her  home  and  how  bitterly  she 
had  always  regretted  it.  She  knew  you 
had  not  married  Leonard,  and  supposed 
her  own  marriage  to  have  been  the 
cause  of  a  quarrel  between  you.  Father 
had  kept  our  whereabouts  a  secret  from 
his  brother,  as  he  had  forged  his  name 
soon  after  his  marriage,  thereby  secur- 
ing a  thousand  dollars.  Mother  desired 
me  to  write  to  him  and  tell  him  of  my 
destitute  condition,  thinking  that  as  he 
is  very  wealthy  he  would  assist  me  to 
go  to  you.  He  came  to  me  at  once, 
and  I  had  only  to  see  him  to  love  him 
dearly.  In  the  box  of  old  letters  you 
gave  me  to  overlook  the  week  after  I 
came  here,  I  found  the  letter  my  mother 


244 


AFTER  MANY  YEARS. 


wrote  you  ere  she  left  her  home.  Not 
wishing  to  ask  you  anything  in  regard 
to  the  subject  as  I  saw  you  avoided  it, 
I  wrote  to  uncle  Leonard  and  enclosed 
a  copy  of  the  letter.  And  now  I  will 
leave  you  with  his  reply,  and  a  letter 
for  you  which  was  enclosed  in  mine. 
Good  night,  dear  aunt  Barbara." 

As  Etta  concluded  she  arose  and 
throwing  her  arms  around  her  aunt's 
neck,  she  pressed  a  kiss  upon  her  brow, 
and  stole  softly  from  the  room.  Hour 
after  hour  passed  and  still  Barbara  sat 
there  in  the  moonlight.  Could  it  be 
true,  this  strange  story  her  niece  had 
told  her.  It  seemed  too  much  like  a 
romance — such  mistakes  often  hap- 
pened in  them,  but  in  real  life — never. 
And  yet  there  were  many  circumstances 
that  went  to  prove  the  strange  story  to 
be  true.  She  remembered  many  inci- 
dents that  had  occurred  at  the  time   of 

Clayton  Arnold's  stay  in  L ,   which 

should  have  told  her  the  truth  at  the 
time.  Yes,  it  must  have  been  a  mis- 
take. How  she  had  wronged  her  sis- 
ter and  Leonard  all  these  years.  The 
dawn  of  another  day  found  her  still  sit- 
ting with  his  letter  in  her  hand  unread. 
It  had  been  joy  enough  just  at  first  for 
her  to  know  that  he  had  never  been 
untrue  to  her.  When,  an  hour  after 
dawn,  Etta  came  quietly  into  the  room, 
her  aunt  arose  and  came  forward  to 
greet  her  with  a  face  so  full  of  joy  that 
all  the  impress  of  grief  her  long  suffer- 
ing had  placed  there  was  effaced  and 
Etta  hardly  recognized  the  voice  that 
spoke  to  her,  so  full  of  happiness  was 
it  as  she  said,  "He  will  be  with  us  soon 
my  dear,  perhaps  today,  as  he  intended 
starting  immediately  after  writing  this 
letter.  I  can  hardly  realize  the  truth 
yet,  it  seems  like  a  dream."  ' 

She  said  no  more,  and  during  the 
next  few  days  she  never  once  alluded 
to  the  subject,  but  kept  quietly  on  in 
the  same  old  routine  of  household 
duties.  At  length  upon  the  fourth  day 
after  receiving  the  letter  announcing 
Leonard  Arnold's  intended  visit,  as  Bar- 
bara sat  by  her  favorite  window,  a  tall, 
gentlemanly  form  came  slowly  up  the 
flower-bordered  pathway  to  the  door, 
and  a  moment  later  there   came  a  low 


knock.  Trembling  like  a  frightened 
schoolgirl,  Barbara  arose  to  answer  the 
summons.  She  opened  the  door,  and 
stood  face  to  face  with  her  old  lover. 
There  was  an  eager,  searching  look  in- 
to the  tearful  blue  eyes  raised  to  his 
face,  and  then  the  little  hands  were 
caught  in  a  strong,  firm  clasp,  and  the 
words,  " Barbara  at  last,  thank  God," 
and  then  he  entered  the  little  cottage 
and  the  door  was  closed.  It  chanced 
that  Etta  was  away  when  he  arrived, 
but  when  she  returned  two  hours  later 
she  found  a  very  happy  couple  awaiting 
her.  "My  dear,"  said  her.  uncle, 
drawing  her  to  his  side,  "  wfe  owe  all 
our  present  happiness  to  you,  for  if  it 
had  not  been  for  you  I  would  never 
have  found  your  aunt.  I  was  away 
from  home  when  your  letter  reached 
the  city,  therefore  did  not  receive  it  un- 
til I  returned  home  six  weeks  after  its 
arrival.  I  was  delayed  three  days  by 
the  sudden  death  of  my  partner,  but  I 
am  here  at  last.  And  now  Etta  you 
must  help  me  to  prevail  upon  your 
aunt  for  a  speedy  wedding.  I  have 
waited  nearly  twenty  years — it  will  be 
just  twenty  next  Sabbath — and  I  think 
I  should  have  my  reward.  Your  aunt 
thinks  she  cannot  possibly  be  ready  in 
four  days,  but  I  insist  that  she  can  and 
you  must  help  her.  " 

"  That  I  will  dear  uncle.  We  shall 
have  ample  time  for  what  little  prepara- 
tion is  really  necessary,  "  replied  Etta, 
her  face  beaming  with  joy. 

And  so  it  came  about  that  upon  the 
next  Sabbath  a  small  bridal  party  con- 
sisting of  Leonard  Arnold  and  Barbara 
Clay,  accompanied  by  Etta  Arnold  and 
the  aged  clergyman's  sweet-faced 
granddaughter,  entered  the  little  church 
where  the  simple  service  was  performed 
that  made  Barbara  Clay  the  wife  of 
Leonard  Arnold,  and  the  happiest  woman 
the  sun  ever  shone  upon.  The  day 
following,  Mrs.  Arnold  presented  the 
good  clergyman  with  a  deed  of  the  lit- 
tle cottage  and  its  furniture,  and  bidding 
adieu  to  the  village  which  had  so  long 
been  her  home,  she  and  her  husband, 
accompanied  by  Etta,  set  out  for  the 
elegant  home  awaiting  them  in  a  dis- 
tant city.'     In  the  sunlight   of  her   un- 


AN  OLD  SKETCH  OF  LANCASTER. 


245 


cle's  home  Etta  soon  became  light-  while  Barbara  resting  content  in  the 
hearted  and  joyous,  in  a  measure  for-  love  of  her  noble  husband,  finds  perfect 
getting  the  troubles  of  her   early  life,    happiness  at  last— After  Many  Years. 


AN  OLD  SKETCH  OF  LANCASTER. 


BY   JOHN   W.    WEEKS.* 
[From  the  Farmers'  Monthly  Visitor,  conducted  by  Isaac  Hill,  October,  1S39.] 

Connecticut   River,  meaning  in  the  try  adjacent  obtained  from  the  Abor- 

Indian  language,  "the  stream  of  many  rigines  the  name  of  Coos,  which  in  this 

waters,"  passes  the  forty-fourth  degree  language  signified  crooked,  and  known 

and  thirty  minutes  of  North  Latitude  to  the  early  hunters  as  the  Upper  Coos, 

and  fifth  degree  and  twenty-eight  min-  to   distinguish   it   from    Haverhill    and 


utes  East  Longitude  in  a  south  westerly 
direction,  being  the  north  westerly 
boundary  of  the  town  of  Lancaster, 
ten  miles,  exclusive  of  its  windings, 
which  are  so  remarkable  that  the  coun- 

*Hon.  John  W.  Weeks,  the  writer  of 
this  sketch,  and  a  prominent  citizen  of 
Lancaster,  was  a  native  of  the  town  of 
Greenland,  but  removed  in  childhood  with 
his  father  to  Lancaster.  His  occupation 
was  that  of  a  house  carpenter,  but  he 
took  much  interest  in  public  and  military 
affairs.  In  the  war  of  1812.  he  raised  a 
company  for  the  11th  Regiment.  U.  S. 
Infantry,  winch  he  commanded  with 
credit.     He  was  brevetted  for  gallant  ser- 


Newbury,  which  was  also  for  a  like  rea- 
son called  Coos  by  the  natives,  and  by 
the  hunters  the  Lower  Coos.  Cole- 
brook  has  recently  received,  on  the 
authority  of  friend  Carrigain,  the  ap- 
pelation  of  "Coos  above  the  upper 
Coos." 

Lancaster  derived  its  name  from  a 
town  of  Massachusetts  ;  it  is  delight- 
fully located,  the  hills  receding  some- 
what like  an  amphitheatre.  Most  of 
its  lands  are  of  excellent  quality — its 
alluvials  stretching  nearly  its  whole 
length,  and  averaging  about  one  mile 
in  width.     Israel's  river  rushes  tumult- 


vice  at    Chippewa,    and    commissioned 

Major  at  the  close  of  the  war.    He  lived    uously  westward,  furnishing  power  ior 

thereafter  upon  a  farm  in  Lancaster  until    mills  and  machinery,  to  a  great  extent, 


his  death  in  1853.  He  was  a  State  Sena 
tor  in  1827  and  1828.  served  with  Ichabod 
Bartlett  and  others  on  the  New  Hamp- 
shire and  Maine  Boundary  Commission 
in  1828,  and  was  a  member  of  Congress 
one  term,  from  1829  to  1831.  He  also 
occupied  the  offices  of  Sheriff  and 
Treasurer  of  the  County  of  Coos.  He 
left  no  children.    He  was  an  uncle  to 


near  the  centre  of  the  town,  where  its 
waters  become  comparatively  tranquil 
and  gently  meander  for  a  long  distance, 
through  a  most  fertile  soil,  until  they 
mingle  with  the  more  turbid  Con- 
necticut. 

Lancaster  was  incorporated  on  the 


William  D.  Weeks  of  Lancaster,  present     5th  of  JulY>    x763>  and  owes  its  earty 

settlement,  like  many  other  events  in 
the  world,  to  passion.  David  Page 
Esq.,  grand  uncle  of  our  present  Gov- 
ernor, disatissfied  with  the  division  of 
the  rights  in  Haverhill,  and  having  been 
advised  of  the  extent  and  fertility  of 
our  "meadows"  by  some  of  the  sur- 
vivors of  that  party  of  Rogers'  Rangers, 
who,  after  the  destruction  of  the  village 


Judge  of  Probate  for  the  County  of  Coos, 
who  now  occupies  the  farm  which  he 
formerly  owned,  and  also  to  Hon.  James 
W.  Weeks,  a  prominent  citizen  of  Lan- 
caster. In  politics  he  was  an  ardent 
Democrat,  or  rather  Republican  as  the 
party  was  then  called  (as  will  readily  be 
seen  from  certain  expressions  in  this 
sketch)  and  was  the  political  associate 
of  such  men  as  Jared  W.  Williams,  John 
S.  Wells  and  John  H.  White. 


246  AN  OLD  SKETCH  OF  LANCASTER. 

of   St.   Francois,  reached  and  passed  They  afterwards  commanded  companies 
down  the  waters  of  the  Connecticut,  of  militia,  acquired  large  estates,  and 
being  a  man  of  great  resolution,  resolv-  left  many  descendants,  who,  we  hope, 
ed  to  penetrate  at  once  to  the  Upper  will  emulate  their  example  and  trans- 
Coos.     With  this  view  in  the  autumn  cend  their  usefulness.     Edwards  Buck- 
of  1763,  he  sent  his  son  David  Page  nam,  a  young  follower  of  Gov.  Page, 
Tun.,  and  Emmons  Stockwell,  to  build  soon  married  one  of  his  daughters,  and 
a  camp,  and  winter  in  Lancaster.     They  settled  at  the  mouth  of  Beaver  brook  ; 
unfortunately  erected  their  habitation  on  his  daughter  Eunice  was  the  first  white 
the   meadow,    from   which   they   were  child  born  in  Lancaster  in  1767.     He 
driven  the  next  March  by  the  overflow-  was   a  man  of  unbounded  hospitality 
ing  of  the  Connecticut  river.     In  the  and  usefulness,  was  a  dead  shot  with 
year    1764,  David   Page,  Esq.  (called  his  "smooth  bore,"  could  draw  teeth, 
by  the  settlers   Gov.    Page)   with   his  "let   blood,"    perform    the    duties    of 
large  family   "moved"   to    Lancaster,  priest  in  marrying,  was  one  of  the  most 
followed  by  several  young  men,  eager  skilful  and  accurate  surveyors  in  the 
to  improve,  or  rather  make  their  fortune.  State,  was  proprietors'  and  town  clerk, 
The  best  tracts  of  land  were  immedi-  (his  house  and  records  were  destroyed 
ately  occupied,  and  were  so  productive  by  fire  in  the  year   1792;)    afterward 
that,  for  many  years,  manure  was  con-  was  General  of  the  Militia ;    became 
sidered  unnecessary,  and  was  actually  regardless  of  property,  and  died  poor, 
thrown  over  banks  and  into  hollows,        The  first  town-meeting  was  held  on 
where  it  would  be  most  out  of  the  way.  the  nth  of  March  1769. 
At  this  period  there  was  no  settlement        The  first  mill  was  operated  by  horse 
between  Haverhill  and  Lancaster,  and  power,  but  so  illy  constructed,  that  it 
but  very  few   north   of  No.   4,    (now  was  little  better  than  the  large  mortar 
Charlestown) .     There  being  no  roads,  and  pestle  attached  to  a  pole,  which  was 
the  settlers  suffered  inconceivable  hard-  used  by  many.     A  "water  mill"  was 
ships  in  transporting  their  necessaries,  erected,  and  soon  after  burnt ;  another, 
few   as   they   were,   being   obliged   to  and  another  met  the  same  fate.     These 
navigate  their  log  canoes  up  and  down  disasters,  with  the  revolutionary   war, 
the  "fifteen  mile  falls,"  now  known  to  reduced  the  settlers  to  extreme  distress. 
be  twenty  miles  in  length,  with  a  descent  Newcomb  Blodgett  (who  is  now  living) 
of  more  than  three  hundred  feet ;  and  and  some  others  being  captured  by  the 
in  winter  to  pass  the  same  dangerous  Indians  and  carried  to  Canada,  led  to  the 
rapids  in  sleighs  and  with   ox-teams,  determination  of  abandoning  the  coun- 
frequently  falling  through  the  ice,  and  try ;  and  for  this  purpose  the  settlers 
sometimes  never  rising  above  it.     High  collected    at  the   house   of    Emmons 
water  to  decend,  and  low  water  to  as-  Stockwell,  whose  resolution  never  for- 
cend,  were  thought  the  most  favorable  sook  him,  even  for  a  moment.     "  My 
times,  the  canoes  being  drawn  up  by  family,"  said  he,  "and  I  shan't  go." 
ropes  ;  but  when  decending,  one  man  This  remark  changed  the  opinion  of 
stood  in  the  bow  with  a  pole  to  guard  several  families  who  remained,  yet  with 
from  rock  to  rock,  while  another  sat  in  but  very  few  accessions  to  the  end  of 
in  the  stern  to  steer  with  his  paddle,  the  great  and  glorious  struggle. 
In  this  manner  the  wife  of  Governor        On  the  7th  of  January,  1776,  Joseph 
Page,  when  corpulent  and  infirm,  was  Whipple  was  chosen  to  represent  the 
carried  in  safety  to  her  friends  "below."  towns  of  Lancaster,  Northumberland, 
Her  boatmen  were  her  son  David,  and  Dartmouth    (now  Jefferson)   Apthorp, 
Emmons  Stockwell  who  had  married  (merged  in  other  towns)  and  Stratford, 
one  of  her  daughters,  men  of   great  Voted  to  give  their  representatives "  in- 
muscular  power  and  of  Roman  resolu-  structions  from  time  to  time."      At  a 
tion,  equally  persevering  and  collected,  subsequent  meeting,   Joseph   Whipple 
whether  carrying  packs  of  ninety  pounds,  was  again  elected  to  the  same  office; 
or    swimming   in  the   foaming  surge.  — a  vote  of  thanks  passed  for  his  past 


AN  OLD  SKETCH  OF  LANCASTER. 


247 


services,  and  a  committee  of  five  was 
chosen  to  give  him  instructions  for  the 
future.  Thus  was  the  right  of  instruc- 
tion established  to  govern  the  first  rep- 
resentative ;  may  God  grant  that  that 
right  may  never  be  subverted.  Near 
and  soon  after  the  close  of  the  war, 
several  families,  who  had  lost  much  of 
their  property  during  the  conflict,  mi- 
grated to  Lancaster.  Maj.  Jonas  Wil- 
der, with  a  large  and  highly  respectable 
family,  was  of  the  number.  He  built 
a  "grist  and  saw  mill."  In  May,  1787, 
Capt.  John  Weeks,  for  a  like  reason, 
came  to  this  town,  bringing  his  eldest 
daughter  and  son,  (the  writer  of  this 
article,  then  six  years  of  age)  with  him  ; 
they  rode  on  two  horses,  with  bed  and 
other  furniture  appended.  The  best  of 
mothers  and  the  other  children  followed 
the  next  October  ;  and  the  pleasure  of 
meeting,  in  a  neat  log  house,  surround- 
ed within  a  few  rods  by  the  dense  and 
sturdy  forest,  will  be  among  the  last  of 
our  recollections.  The  town  had  now 
acquired  the  very  respectable  number 
of  twenty-four  families,  exclusive  of 
several  young  men.  Our  forests 
abounded  with  moose  ;  our  rivers  with 
trout,  salmon,  and  various  other  kinds 
of  fish — articles  essential  to  even  the 
existence  of  the  settlers. 

Nothing  can  exceed  the  symmetry 
and  beauty  of  the  limbs  and  horns  of 
the  moose  ■  the  round  part,  or  that 
near  the  head,  is  about  fourteen  inches 
in  length,  where  it  becomes  palmated, 
and  is,  in  some  instances  twelve  inches 
broad,  surmounted  in  one  instance  (seen 
by  Edward  Spaulding  now  living)  by 
seventeen  spikes  on  each  horn.  One, 
now  before  me,  is  one  inch  and  a  half 
in  diameter  at  the  base,  and  eight  in- 
ches in  length,  terminating  in  a  point. 

The  largest  class  of  horns  spread  five 
feet,  and  weigh  about  one  hundred 
pounds.  Yet  this  enormous  proportion 
of  horn  is  of  unusual  growth,  being 
moulted  every  February.  Even  at 
this  early  period,  cars  were  used  for 
the  transportation  of  baggage;  not 
constructed  however,  precisely  like 
those  now  employed  on  our  railroads, 
as  they  were  composed  of  two  poles, 
one  end  of  each  resting  on  the  ground, 


the  other  ends  passing  through  the 
stirrups  of  a  saddle,  with  two  transverse 
sticks  behind  the  horse,  on  which  rested 
the  load,  and  to  one  of  which  the  whip- 
ple-tree  was  attached.  Capt.  John 
Weeks,  as  delegate  from  the  upper 
Coos,  on  the  21st  of  June,  1788,  at- 
tended the  Convention  for  ratifying  the 
Federal  constitution,  and  was  one  of 
fifty-seven,  who  voted  in  the  affirmative 
against  forty-six  negative  voters.  He 
was  in  favor  of  giving  even  more  power 
to  the  Federal  compact,  and  being  an 
honest  man  (though  deceived  in  this 
instance)  he  through  life  acted  with  the 
Federal  party.  He  lived  to  his  seven- 
tieth year,  and  probably  never  saw  a 
moment  when  he  would  not  divide  the 
last  dollar  of  his  property  with  him  who 
was  in  greatest  need.  Of  course  he  ear- 
ly became  poor,  and  cheerfully  main- 
tained that  condition  through  life. 

New  Hampshire  was  the  ninth  state 
adopting ;  consequently,  every  consid- 
eration within  the  reach  of  man  was 
put  in  requisition  during  the  delibera- 
tion of  the  Convention.  And  now,  in 
the  year  1S39,  we  have  more  fear  of 
consolidation  than  all  other  evils  that 
can  assail  our  unparalleled  happiness 
and  prosperity.  At  the  March  meeting 
in  17S9,  twenty  votes  were  cast  for 
State  officers  ;  and  even  this  small  num- 
ber were  divided  by  important  political 
considerations  ;  twelve  friends  to  popu- 
lar rights  however  prevailed.  And  we 
have  reason  to  believe,  that,  at  the  re- 
mote period,  when  the  other  sections 
of  our  country  shall  have  sunk  below 
the  standard  of  civil  and  religious  right, 
the  bracing  atmosphere  of  the  White 
Mountains  will  keep  our  inhabitants 
true  to  themselves,  their  country,  and 
their  God.  In  1791,  the  town  voted 
"to  build  a  Meeting  House,"  and  chose 
a  committee  of  five  to  fix  the  site  and 
superintend  the  building.  It  was  large, 
and  many  years  elapsed  before  it  was 
finished.  A  congregational  church  of 
twenty-four  persons  was  gathered  on 
the  1 7th  of  July,  1 794  ;  and  on  the 
1 8th  of  the  following  September,  the 
Rev.  Joseph  Willard  was  installed.  He 
being  the  first  settled  minister,  was  en- 
titled to  the  right  of  land   (over  300 


24S 


AN  OLD  SKETCH  OF  LANCASTER. 


acres)  voted  by  the  original  proprietors,    town  most  of  our  aged  people,  the  in- 


The  town  agreed  to  give  him  fifty 
pounds  per  annum,  and  that  his  salary 
should  rise,  in  the  ratio  of  the  inventory, 
to  eighty  pounds  annually.  He  con- 
tinued with  the  people  of  his  charge, 
until  the  1 6th  of  October,  1822.     Some 


few   persons, 


being 


inclined   to   what 


would  how  be  called  Burchardism,  de- 
sired more  fire  in  their  worship  ;  on 
learning  that  fact,  the,  venerable  Parson 
requested  a  dismission,  which  was 
granted  on  the  above  mentioned  day.    and  gymnastic  exercises  are  becoming 


firm  in  younger  life,  and  some  whose 
hardy  constitutions  almost  bid  defiance 
to  disease  and  death.  Pulmonary  dis- 
eases here,  as  in  other  parts  of  New 
England,  have  ever  been  active  and  re- 
lentless, alike  destroying  beauty,  laying 
the  mighty  low,  and  sending  piety  on 
high.  Fevers  are  comparatively  rare. 
Dyspepsia,  with  its  languid  and  down- 
cast look,  is  beginning  to  make  its  ap- 
pearance among  us ;    but   as   farming 


He  afterwards  preached  in  other  towns, 
and  was  hired  by  his  old  congregation 
two  years.  He  died  July  2 2d,  1826, 
aged  sixty-six.  Mr.  Willard  served  in 
the  revolutionary  army,  and  retained 
through  life  an  elegant  military  figure 
and  step.  His  sermons  were  written 
in  a  plain,  easy,  chaste  style,  sound  in 
doctrine,  yet  liberal,  as  was  his  whole    atmosphere  through  the  year  1838,  as 


again  fashionable,  it  is  hoped  that  dis- 
order will  soon  be  as  little  known  as  it 
was  among  our  fathers.  The  altitude 
of  Lancaster,  being  about  eight  hundred 
feet  above  tide  water,  its  proximity  to 
the  White  Mountains,  and  high  latitude, 
render  some  of  its  seasons  too  cold  for 
maize  ;  the  mean  temperature  of  the 


life  and  conversation.  The  church 
and  congregation  soon  became  much 
divided,  which  unhappily  continues  to 
be  their  state  ;  and  probably  nothing 
short  of  a  power  like  "  a  rushing  mighty 
wind"  will  heal  their  dissentions  and 
concentrate  their  efforts  and  affections. 

Richard  C.  Everett,  the  first  lawyer, 
settled  in  town  in  the  year  1793.  He 
enlisted  into  the  army  at  the  age  of 
fourteen,  served  through  the  war,  ob- 
tained by  his  own  efforts  a  collegiate 
education,  studied  law,  became  a  dis- 
trict judge  ;  posessed  a  strong  mind, 
was  a  man  of  honor,  and  much  respect- 
ed, and  died  on  the  2 2d  of  March,  in 
the  year  181 5,  aged  fifty-one  years. 

A  slow  yet  regular  and  healthy  pro- 
gress has  been  made  in  the  settlement 
and  improvement  of  the  town,  from 
1787  to  the  present  time  ;  nothing  ex- 
traordinary occuring  except  the  enven- 
omed violence  of  party  strife,  during 
the  embargo,  non-intercourse  and  war. 
The  parties  being  nearly  equal  in  num- 
bers, and  so  near  the  northern  frontiers, 


indicated  by  Montandon's  thermometer, 
which  nearly   agrees   with    Fahrenheit 
was  36  1-2  degrees  above  zero,  yet  out 
of   fifty-two  years  past,  that  crop  has 
wholly  failed  only  three  times.     Wheat 
is  very  sure  when  sown  late  on  ground 
well  prepared,  producing  in  very  few 
instances  forty  bushels  to  the  acre,  and 
potatoes  in  one  case  over  six  hundred  ; 
and  of  a  quality  superior  to  those  grown 
in  most  portions  of  our  country.     Rye 
does  well  on  newly  cleared  land,  but  is 
subject  to  blight  on  old  ground.     The 
Hackmetack  (Indian  name  of  spruce, 
amonar  the  former  tribes  on  the  sea 
board,  and  those  in  the  interior)  abounds 
here.     The   Tamarack   (Indian   name 
for  Larch)  is  frequent  in  low  ground. 
The  Moose  Missie  (Mountain  Ash)  in 
high  hills  and  swampy  low  lands,  is  not 
unfrequent.     Its  Indian  name  was  ac- 
quired by  the  fondness  of  the  Moose 
for  the  bark  and  leaves  of  that  tree. 
The    most    elegant    and    lofty    white 
pines  abounded  on  our  highest  alluvials. 
One  shaft  measured  four  feet  in  diame- 


that  smuggling  became  the  business  of    ter  at  the  base,  was  perfectly  straight 


many  of  one  party,  and  a  few  deluded 
unfortunates  of  the  other,  and  was  car- 
ried on  to  such  a  degree,  that  patriot- 
ism was  put  to  the  most  severe  test. 

In  the  year  1813,  the  most    malig- 
nant form  of  scarletina  swept  from  the 


and  without  limbs  ninety-eight  feet, 
whereat  was  twenty-two  inches  in  diam- 
eter. The  inhabitants  are  yet  supplied 
with  large  quantities  of  sugar  from  the 
maple,  which  is  abundant  on  the  slopes 
of  our  hills.    The  beautiful  elm  with  its 


AN  OLD  SKETCH  OF  LANCASTER. 


249 


sixty  feet  trunk,  was  found  almost  every 
where  on  our  low  meadows,  before  the 
axe  had  closed  a  war  of  extermination. 
The  other  forest  trees  common  to  New 
England  are  found  here,  except  the 
Chestnut,  Hickory,  Pitch  and  Nonvay 
Pines,  and  White  Oak.  Granite  of  the 
most  beautiful  texture  is  found,  not  in 
large  masses,  but  in  detached  blocks 
sprinkled  over  most  of  our  high  land  ; 
and  if  the  distinguished  industry  and 
economy  of  our  fathers  shall  be  con- 
tinued through  the  next  generation, 
their  houses,  bridges  and  fences  will  be 
composed  of  that  material.  But  few 
rocks  of  a  secondary  formation  are 
found ;  consequently  our  soil  partakes 
largely  of  the  primitive  character ; 
covered  by  a  deep  rich  loam,  of  de- 
composed vegetable  matter.  Lime  is 
rare  ;  but,  as  the  various  grasses  flour- 
ish luxuriantly,  animal  manure  is  abund- 
ant for  wheat  and  other  crops. 

About  two  miles  southwest  of  the 
town's  centre,  there  is  a  large  tract  of 
alluvial  land,  called  Martin's  Meadow, 
from  an  early  hunter  whose  name  was 
Martin.  He  caught  immense  numbers 
of  beavers,  from  Beaver-brook,  which 
meanders  through  the  meadow,  Bea- 
ver dams  on  and  near  this  brook  can 
yet  be  traced,  in  one  instance,  about 
fifty  rods  ;  another  is  near  five  feet  high, 
and  others  of  less  extent  and  height ; 
yet  all  exhibited  extraordinary  skill  and 
ingenuity,  superior  to  some  bipeds,  who 
attempt  the  erection  of  dams.  The 
banks  of  this  brook  are  perforated  in 
hundreds  of  places,  which  show  the 
former  residence  of  bank  bever ;  a 
kind  smaller  than  those  wonderful  ar- 
chitects, who  build  dams,  and  erect 
houses  several  feet  in  diameter,  with  a 
layer  of  poles  through  the  middle, 
which  divides  them  into  two  stories, 
in  one  of  which  their  food  for  winter, 
consisting  of  small  poles,  cut  about  two 
feet  in  length,  is  deposited ;  while  the 
others  covered  with  leaves,  is  their  rest- 
ing place  during  the  inclement  season. 
The  entrance  to  both  kinds  of  habita- 
tion is  always  below  low  water  mark, 
from  which  they  ascend  through  a  sub- 
terranean passage,  often  several  rods  long 
to  their  dark,  yet  comfortable  abode. 


Immediately  south  of  this  meadow 
three  conical  hills,  called  Martin  Mead- 
ow-Hills, gradually  and  beautifully  rise 
several  hundred  feet,  extending  from 
Connecticut  river  in  an  easterly  direc- 
tion two  miles.  On  the  sides  of  these 
hills  reside  ten  aged  farmers,  who  settled 
in  the  same  neighborhood  when  young, 
and  with  little  other  property  than  their 
axes,  having  worked  by  the  month,  to 
pay  for  their  respective  lots  of  one 
hundred  acres  each.  Most  of  them 
have  become  rich,  and  all  enjoy  a  green 
old  age,  being  able  to  labor  on  the  same 
soil  they  occupied  about  fifty  years  ago. 
Phinehas  Hodgdon  is  more  than  eighty 
years  of  age  ;  Jonathan  Twombly  over 
seventy-eight ;  Walter  Philbrook  near 
seventy-five ;  William  Moore  in  his 
seventy-sixth  year ;  John  Mclntire  in 
his  seventy-fifth  ;  Edward  Spaulding  (a 
decendant  of  the  famous  Mrs.  Dustin) 
in  his  seventy-fourth ;  John  Wilder  in 
his  seventy-eighth  ;  Isaac  Darby  in  his 
seventy-third  ;  Menassah  Wilder  in  his 
seventy-first ;  and  Coffin  Moore  sev- 
enty-one. The  same  blast  of  a  horn, 
well  tuned,  would  now  call  them  all  to 
dinner  ;  and  although  differing  in  poli- 
tics and  religion,  they  are  all  attached 
to  the  benign  institutions  of  their  be- 
loved country. 

On  the  south  side  of  Martin  Meadow- 
Hills,  and  washing  their  base,  is  Martin 
Meadow-Pond,  a  fine  sheet  of  water, 
covering  about  four  hundred  acres. 
Here  the  first  settlers  repaired,  when- 
ever their  stock  of  meat  was  exhausted, 
and  their  appetites  satiated  with  fish,  to 
watch  and  kill  the  noble  animal,  known 
by  no  other  than  its  Indian  name  of 
Moose,  which,  during  the  hot  season, 
spend  its  evenings  in  the  pond  to  rid 
itself  of  myriads  of  flies,  and  to  feed 
on  its  favorite  food,  the  foots  of  lilies. 
An  early  settler,  by  the  name  of  Dinnis 
Stanley,  a  man  of  strong  mind  and  per- 
fect veracity,  informed  the  writer  of 
this  article,  that  being  "out  of  meat" 
and  wanting  a  moose  skin,  to  buy  a  cer- 
tain luxury,  then  much  used,  and  too 
often  at  the  present  day,  went  alone  to 
Cherry  Pond  for  a  supply,  carrying  his  old 
gun,  so  much  used  that  by  turning  pow- 
der into  the  barrel  it  would  prime  itself. 


250 


AN  OLD  SKETCH  OF  LANCASTER. 


He  had  scarcely  struck  fire  in  his  camp, 
when  he  heard  several  moose  wading 
from  the  shallow  side  of  the  pond  to- 
ward deep  water.  He  then  uncorked 
his  powder  horn,  put  several  bullets  into 
his  mouth,  and  waited  until  the  moose 
in  front  was  nearly  immersed  in  water. 
He  waded  in  where  the  water  was  about 
one  foot  in  depth,  and  took  his  position, 
not  in  rear  of  the  moose,  lest  they 
should  swim  over  the  pond,  but  at  a 
right  angle  with  their  track,  and  an  easy 
musket  shot  from  it.  On  his  appear- 
ance, the  four  moose,  as  he  had  anticip- 
ated, chose  rather  to  wade  back  than 
swim  over,  and  commenced  their  retreat 
in  the  same  order  they  had  entered  the 
pond ;  that  was,  one  behind  the  other 
at  some  distance.  In  a  moment  the 
moose  which  had  been  in  the  rear,  was 
now  in  front  in  the  retreat ;  and,  com- 
ing within  reach,  he  was  shot  at.  The 
powder  horn  was  then  applied  to  the 
muzzle  of  the  gun,  a  bullet  followed 
from  his  mouth,  with  the  celerity  which 
hunters  only  know.  The  second  moose 
was  fired  at,  the  third,  and  fourth  in 
rapid  succession,  when  Lt.  Stanley  found 
time  to  give  a  fifth  discharge  to  the 
moose  then  in  the  rear.  Three  fell  at 
the  water's  edge,  the  other  staggered  to 
the  top  of  the  bank  where  he  fell  dead. 
But  the  greatest  destruction  of  the 
moose  occured  in  March,  when  the4 
snow  was  deep  and  stiffened  after  a 
thaw.  They  were  then  destroyed  with- 
out mercy  by  professional  hunters  who 
used  only  the  skin,  tallow,  and  nose ; 
which  last,  and  a  beaver's  tail,  is  proba- 
bly more  acceptable  to  the  epicure  than 
all  the  refinements  of  Roman  laxury. 
One  hunter,  by  name  Nathan  Caswell, 
killed  in  one  season  ninety-nine  moose, 
most  of  them  wantonly,  not  saving  even 
the  tallow  or  all  of  the  skins.  This 
brought  him  into  disrepute  among  the 
settlers,  who  sometimes  refused  him 
their  houses.  The  settlers  however 
were  more  provident,  always  observing 
the  injunction  to  Peter,  with  a  slight 
modification,  "Arise,  slay,"  only  "to 
eat."  A  moose  of  the  largest  class  is 
about  eight  feet  high  and  will  weigh 
over  nine  hundred  pounds.  Deer  and 
wolves  were  unknown  till  long  after  the 


first  settlement,  as  were  also  eels,  till 
the  otter  were  exterminated. 

From  the  village  in  Lancaster  the 
roads  diverge  in  four  directions  toward 
the  sea  board  ;  in  one  toward  Canada, 
and  in  another  westward.  This  central 
location  gives  the  town  most  of  the 
business,  mercantile  and  professional,  in 
the  counties  of  Essex  and  Coos,  per- 
formed by  five  store  keepers,  seven  law- 
yers/our physicians,  one  bank  with  a  cap- 
ital of  fifty  thousand  dollars,  and  one  Fire 
Insurance  Company,  to  which  may  be 
added  a  flour  mill  with  three  sets  of 
stones,  four  saw  mills,  three  clapboard 
and  three  shingle  machines,  one  exten- 
sive clothier's  mill,  a  tannery,  machinery 
for  carriage  making,  blacksmith  work, 
coopering  and  many  other  mechanical 
operations.  Our  religious  establish- 
ments are  very  respectable,  consisting 
of  a  Congregational  Church,  Methodist, 
Episcopal  Society,  three  meeting  houses, 
many  Baptists,  Unitarians,  Freewill  Bap- 
tists, Some  quakers,  christians,  restora- 
tionists,  and  no  mormons.  We  have 
also  an  Academy  in  successful  opera- 
tion, and  a  very  convenient  brick  Court 
House,  and  Jail  often  without  tenants. 
There  is  also  a  Printing  Press  in  town, 
from  which  issues  a  weekly  newspapar 
entitled  the  Coos  County  Democrat. 
Its  politics  is  indicated  by  its  title. 
The  town  contains  three  hundred  voters, 
and  probably  about  fifteen  hundred  in- 
habitants. 

One  of  the  most  magnificent  specta- 
cles I  have  ever  witnessed,  common  in 
early  times,  now  rare,  was  tracts  of 
twenty,  thirty,  and  sometimes  fifty  acres 
of  heavily  timbered  land,  a  large  pro- 
portion of  which  was  evergreen,  mixed 
with  deciduous  trees,  cut  down  one  or 
two  years,  and  in  a  dry  season,  with 
fire  attached  to  the  windward  side  of 
the  lot,  the  flame  ascending  with  fearful 
velocity,  far  above  the  tallest  of  the 
trees  (for  it  was  a  rule  in  those  days,  if 
the  trees  were  felled  by  the  job,  to  leave 
four  of  the  largest  on  each  acre  stand- 
ing) and  the  vast  columns  of  dense  and 
rapid  smoke,  obscuring  the  sun's  brib 
liant  light,  nearly  and  perhaps  quite 
equalling  Napoleon's  description  of  the 
burning  of  Moscow. 


MANNERS  AND  CUSTOMS  IN  HOPKINTON. 


25x 


Our  inhabitants  begin  to  be  aware, 
that  one  hundred  years  since,  a  smatter- 
ing of  Greek  and  Latin  was  a  passport 
to  honor  and  wealth,  the  learned  pro- 
fession then  being  scantily  filled,  which 
has  led  many  parents  and  more  young 
persons,  at  a  time,  when  our  professor- 
ships were  over-flowing,  to  identify  a 
collegiate  education  with  ease,  honor 
and  wealth,  and  agricultural  pursuits, 
with  a  life  of  meanness,  of  toil,  and 
of  no  profit.  Hence  the  rush  of  young 
men  to  colleges,  academies,  the  yard 
stick,  speculations,  and  even  idleness, 
to  avoid  the  low  groveling  pursuit  of 
farming,  as  if  agriculture  did  not  require 
learning,  and  will  not  produce  wealth 
and  happiness  preeminently  over  every 
other  profession.  The  recent  import- 
ation of  bread  stuff  from  Europe  has, 
with  its  disgrace  and  pecuniary  loss, 
produced  one  good  effect.  It  has  ex- 
cited the  attention  of  legislatures  and 
scientific  men  to  the  "Art  of  all  Arts  :" 
It  has  convinced  many  that  with  a  mod- 
erate share  of  industry,  and  the  present 
enormous  prices  of  the  products  of 
our  northern  region,  they  can  become 


independent  and  happy,  far,  very  far, 
beyond  the  care-worn  speculator,  the 
blasted  hopes  of  those  who  depend  on 
their  diplomas,  or  even  him  who  is  a 
slave  to  his  millions. 

The  character  of  our  inhabitants  is, 
in  some  respects,  dissimilar  to  that  of 
many  other  country  towns,  uniting  the 
warm  sensibilities  of  the  heart,  with  the 
more  profound  researches  of  the  under- 
standing ;  enterprising,  perhaps  in  the 
extreme ;  depending,  however,  more 
on  individual  effort,  than  on  combined 
exertion  ;  hospitable  yet  economical ; 
aspiring,  yet  restrained  within  the 
bounds  of  propriety ;  independent  in 
principle,  even  to  a  fault,  if  fault  it  can 
be  ;  patriotic,  only  in  accordance  with 
their  own  perceptions  of  right  ■  equally 
regardless  of  all  dictums,  unless  clearly 
announced  to  their  comprehension ; 
patient  and  persevering,  when  cheered 
on  by  hope,  yet  possibly  restless,  when 
that  "  anchor  to  the  soul "  is  "  deferred." 
Lancaster,  "with  all  thy  faults,  I  love 
thee  still." 

August  4th,  1839. 


MANNERS  AND  CUSTOMS  IN  HOPKINTON— No.  3. 


BY    C.    C.    LORD. 


FUNEREAL. 


Few  customs  in  this  town  have 
changed  more  since  the  original  settle- 
ment than  those  relating  to  the  dispos- 
al of  the  dead.  As  soon  as  civilized 
society  was  established  here,  a  spot 
was  selected  for  a  burial  place.  The 
first  graveyard  was  on  the  top  of  Put- 
ney's Hill,  being  the  lot  now  celebrated 
both  on  account  of  its  antiquity  and. 
the  elevated  prospect  afforded  in  the 
vicinity.      This   lot    appears    to  have 


been  at  first  selected  by  common  con- 
sent, but,  on  the  incorporation  of  the 
town,  the  subject  of  its  legal  ownership 
came  up  for  public  consideration.  In 
1 766,  the  year  after  the  incorporation, 
the  subject  of  the  ownership  of  the 
burial  lot  was  set  at  rest  by  the  follow- 
ing declaration  inscribed  in  the  record 
of  the  legal  proceedings  of  the  annual 
town  meeting  of  that  year  :  "The  half 
acre  of  Land,  which  is  voted  to  be  pro- 
cured for  a  Burying  Plac  on  the  top 


252 


MANNERS  AND  CUSTOMS  IN  HOPKINTON. 


of  the  Hill,  I  give  and  Be  Stow  on   the 
Town.     John  Putney."* 

In  the  earliest  days  of  this  township, 
if  a  person  died,  the  body  was  enclosed 
in  a  winding  sheet,  which  enwrapped 
the  form  in  such  a  manner  as  to  favor 
the  lapping  of  certain  edges  over  the 
face  of  the  deceased  after  the  obsequies 
were  performed  and  before  the  coffin 
was  closed.  The  coffin  was  made  by 
the  local  carpenter,  who  does  not  ap- 
pear to  have  ever  kept  one  on  hand  in 
case  of  an  emergency,  and  was  fitted 
with  a  pane  of  glass  over  the  place  al- 
loted  to  the  head  of  the  corpse,  through 
which  glass  the  features  were  to  be 
viewed  by  the  mourners  and  friends. 
The  funeral  exercises  being  finished, 
the  detached  lid  of  the  coffin  was 
screwed  over  the  pane,  and  the  re- 
mains were  ready  for  burial. 

The  preparations  for  burial  being  fin- 
ished, the  coffin   was   placed   upon   a 
bier,  or  barrow,    and   covered   with   a 
pall.     The  pall  was   a  large   piece   of 
black  cloth,  about  the  size   of  a   bed- 
sheet,  and  served  as  a  symbol  of  gener- 
al solemnity  and  mourning.     The   pall 
was  the  property  of  the  town.     A   pall 
was  purchased  in  this   town   in    1768. 
The  bier  was    at   first    borne    on   the 
shoulders  of  a  number  of  men  selected 
for  the  purpose  ;  in  later  times,  it   was 
carried  by  the  hands,  as  it  is   now,   for 
short  distances,    on    the    way    to   the 
grave.     The  coffin  was  buried   without 
any  box,  or  other  investing  receptacle. 
At  first,    there   were   sometimes   at- 
tempts at  preserving  the    memories  of 
the  dead  by   rude  headstones   of  un- 
hewn rock,  in  which  were  cut  the   ini- 
tials of  the   deceased.     A   number   of 
these  headstones  can  be   seen   in   the 
old  cemetery  on  Putney's    Hill.     Only 
one  of  these   bears   a  date.     It  is   in 
memory  of  a   child.      The   whole   in- 
scription is  "1758,  J.  C,"   the   initials 
being  cut  below  the  date.     As  soon  as 
the  prosperity  of  the   local   settlement 

*The  public  act  of  the  town  in  advance 
of  this  gratuity  is  as  follows : 

"Voted  that  Haifa  Nacre  of  Land  Be 
Procurd  for  a  Buring  Place  where  they 
have  Be  gun  to  Bury  on  the  top  of  the 
Hill." 


would  allow,  wrought  gravestones  be- 
gan to  be  used.  These  were  at  first 
"with  shapeless  sculpture  decked,"  be- 
ing exceedingly  rude.  In  the  old 
graveyard  on  Putney's  Hill  are  the  two 
oldest  artificial  headstones  in  town. 
One  is  a  memento  of  Lieut.  Aaron 
Kimball,  who  died  July  30,  1760,  aged 
50 ;  the  other,  of  Jeremiah  Kimball, 
who  died  May  18,  1764,  aged  56. 
These  headstones  are  supplemented  by 
corresponding  footstones. 

The  gravestones  of  the  older  time 
sometimes  exhibited  a  prolixity  of  in- 
scription that  was  quite  noticeable. 
The  most  remarkable  case  in  kind  is 
seen  in  the  lower  village  cemetery.* 
On  a  large,  slate  headstone,  finely 
sculptured  on  its  face,  is  the  following 
elaborate  inscription  : 

In  testimony  of  sincere 

affection, 

This  humble  monument  was  erected  by 

E.    Darling, 
to  inform  the  passing  stranger  that   be- 
neath rests   the   head   of  his  beloved 
Eliza  W.  Parker, 

youngest  daughter  of  Lt.   E.    P.,   who 
died  of  consumption,    May    n,    1820, 

JEt.   18. 
Invidious  Death  !  How  dost  thou  rend 

asunder 
The  bonds  of  nature   and   the   ties  of 
love. 
In  Coelo  optamus  convenire. 
We  know  that  her  Redeemer  liveth. 

*In  17G6,  the  following  act,  doubtless 
relating  to  the  original  cemetery  at  the 
village,  was  passed  by  the  town  : 

"Voted  that  half  a  nacor  of  Land  Be 
Procurd  for  a  Buring  yard  on  the  High 
way  Leding  to  Concord  Be  tween  the 
Land  of  Mr.  Mark  Jewet  and  Mr.  John 
Blaisdel,  a  quartor  out  of  Each  of  these 
Lands. "  Subsequently  to  a  blank  space 
immediately  following  this  vote,  this 
gratuity  is  expressed : 

"a  quarter  of  a  nacor  of  Land  for  a 
Buring  Plas  which  was  Voted  to  Be 
Procurd  on  my  Land  I  give  and  Be  Stow 
on  the  Town.    John  Blaisdel." 

The  blank  space  in  the  record  was 
doubtless  intended  for  the  accommoda- 
tion of  Mr.  Jewett,  who  for  some  reason 
never  used  it. 


MANNERS  AND  CUSTOMS  IN  HOPKINTON. 


253 


On  the  left  of  this  inscription,  ac- 
cording to  the  reader's  observation,  is 
the  perpendicularly  chiseled  sentiment, 
"  Her  Eulogy  is  written  on  the  hearts 
of  her  friends  ;"  on  the  right,  another, 
"  Her  friends  were — ALL,  who  knew 
her." 

The  first  artificial  headstones  in  the 
town  were  of  slatestont,  rudely  sculp- 
tured, with  a  death's  head  and  wings. 
Afterwards  came  the  improved  slab  of 
slate,  on  which  the  monument  and 
weeping  willow — one  or  both — were 
representative  graven  symbols  of  afflic- 
tion. The  marble  slab  followed,  to  be 
in  its  turn  largely  superseded  by  the 
more  imposing  stone  or  stately  monu- 
ment, the  latter  being  usually  of  mar- 
ble, though  sometimes  of  granite. 

The  first  tomb  constructed  in  this 
town  was  built  by  Roger  E.  Perkins, 
and  is  located  in  the  lower  village  grave- 
yard. It  received  the  bodies  of  nu- 
merous members  and  descendants  of 
the  Perkins  family,  but  will  receive  no 
more.  A  few  years  ago  it  was  closed 
and  sealed  for  all  time.  In  front  of 
this  tomb,  on  a  slab  of  soft  stone,  is 
this  inscription  : 

Roger  E.  Perkins' 

Tomb, 

Erected  July  11,  1821. 

It  is  an  interesting  fact  that  this  in- 
scription was  cut  by  the  late  Rev.  Ed- 
ward Ballard,  son  of  the  late  John  Os- 
good Ballard,  the  renowned  select 
school  teacher,  and  that  the  sculptor 
used  only  his  pocket  knife  in  the  opera- 
tion. 

The  mention  of  the  lower  village 
cemetery  suggests  an  interesting  fact  of 
local  history.  This  yard,  as  originally 
laid  out,  extended  two  or  three  rods  in- 
to the  present  main  street.  When  the 
growth  of  the  village  demanded  an  in- 
creased width  of  street,  the  graveyard 
fence  was  set  back  the  necessary  dis- 
tance at  this  point,  and  many  bodies 
were  disinterred  and  reburied  in  other 
places  ;  but  many  others  were  left  in 
their  original  positions,  the  mounds  be- 
ing smoothed  off,  and  the  thoughtless 
travelers  to  day  tread  above  them  while 
passing   and    repassing.      The    above 


change   of  outline    occurred    not   far 
from  the  year  1820. 

MATRIMONIAL. 

There  is  less  that  need  be  said  of 
matrimonial  customs  than  of  some 
others.  There  are  some  legal  features 
of  this  part  of  the  present  subject  that 
are  worth  noticing.  The  colonial 
statute  of  marriage  required  that  an  in- 
tention of  matrimony  should  be  attend- 
ed by  a  certificate  from  the  clerk  of  the 
town,  or  a  license  from  the  governor  of 
the  province,  and  be  published  on 
three  several  meeting  days.  Subse- 
quently to  Independence,  in  1791,  a 
law  was  enacted  in  New  Hampshire, 
making  it  compulsory  upon  parties  de- 
siring to  consummate  marriage  to  have 
their  "desire  or  intention  published  at 
three  several  public  meeting  days,  or 
three  Sabbath  days,"  in  town,  or,  if 
there  was  no  clerk  to  publish,  in  the 
next  adjoining  town.  The  first  publi- 
cations of  matrimonial  intents  were  by 
open  "crying"  of  the  same  by  the 
town  clerk  at  some  interval  in  the  re- 
ligious services  of  Sunday.  Afterwards 
notice  was  given  by  posting  the  legal 
evidence  of  the  intent  of  parties  in  the 
entry,  or  porch,  of  the    meeting-house. 

The  posting  of  marriages  was  kept 
up  till  a  late  period.  In  the  rooms  of 
the  New  Hampshire  Antiquarian  Soci- 
ety, at  Contoocook,  can  be  seen  the 
last  marriage  notice  posted  in  this 
town.     It  reads  as  follows  : 

Mr.  -  Erastus  Dan  forth,  and  Miss 
Mary  S.  Nichols,  both  of  Hopkinton, 
intend  marriage. 

F.  P.  KNOWLTON, 

Town  Clerk. 
Were  married  Aug.  23,  1854. 

In  later  times,  as  is  well  known,  the 
certificate  of  a  town-clerk  is  a  sufficient 
guaranty  of  the  privilege  of  legal  mar- 
riage. 

BENEVOLENT. 

Charity  is  an  attribute  of  human  na- 
ture in  all  times  and  places.  Its  for- 
mulated services  are  modified  to  suit 
the  times  and.  circumstances.  In  the 
earlier  days  of  this  town,  the  poor  were 
assisted  by  the  public,   as   now.     Such 


254 


MANNERS  AND  CUSTOMS  IN  HOPKINTON. 


of  the  poor  as  were  homeless  were  at 
first  boarded  at  the  expense  of  the 
town.  The  board  of  paupers  was  sold 
at  the  annual  town-meeting  to  the  low- 
est bidder.  This  was  a  custom  that 
was  liable  to  abuses,  like  any  other 
practice.  At  best,  complaints  would 
naturally  arise  from  such  a  form  of 
management.  It  is  said  that  on  one 
occasion,  when  it  was  proposed  in 
town-meeting  to  sell  the  board  of  a 
certain  pauper,  the  unfortunate  man 
asked  the  privilege  to  speak.  He  said 
he  did  not  wish  to  be  sent  to  the  place 
at  which  he  had  recently  lived,  for  he 
"  did  not  want  to  go  to  a  place  where 
they  were  poorer  than  he  was. "  The 
practice  of  boarding  the  homeless  poor 
around  from  place  to  place  was,  at 
best,  objectionable,  being  excusable 
only  on  the  ground  of  the  poverty  of 
the  incipient  township.  The  conduct 
of  pauper  affairs  changed  in  1833, 
when,  on  the  13th  of  March,  it  was 
voted  in  town-meeting  to  buy  a  pauper 
farm,  Stephen  Sibley,  John  Silver,  and 
Daniel  Chase  being  chosen  a  commit- 
tee to  effect  the  public  purpose.  The 
farm  selected  was  one  owned  by  Dan- 
iel Chase,  and  located  on  Dimond 
Hill,  about  two  miles  below  the  village, 
on  the  main  road  to  Concord.  This 
farm  continued  to  be  the  home  of  the 
town's  poor  till  the  year  1872,  when 
the  property  was  sold  in  fulfillment  of 
the  vote  of  the  town.  The  farm  and 
its  appendencies  were  sold  in  lots. 
Moses  F.  Hoyt  purchased  the  main  lo- 
cation and  occupies  it  to  this  day. 
Since  the  sale  of  the  town  farm,  the 
town's  poor  have  been  boarded,  but  by 
a  management  exempt  from  the  objec- 
tional  features  of  the  first  practice.  The 
poor  are  no  longer  sold  like  worthless 
trumpery  to  the  lowest  bidder. 

FINANCIAL. 

As  a  public  corporation,  this  town 
has  enjoyed  nearly  or  quite  all  the  im- 
munities and  privileges  implied  in  the 
right  to  buy  and  sell,  borrow  and  lend, 
sue  and  be  sued.  It  has  collected  its 
claims  and  paid  its  debts.  We  are  not 
aware  that  any  official  of  this  town  has 
ever  been  prosecuted  for  mal-adminis- 


tration  or  embezzlement.  There  has 
been  a  laxity  of  financial  conduct  that 
is  apt  to  obtain  in  country  towns. 
Men  of  no  professional  financial  train- 
ing are  apt  to  transact  business  with 
regard  only  to  present  contingencies. 
As  a  consequence,  the  financial  records 
of  such  managers  are  seldom  what  they 
should  be.  A  citizen  of  this  town,  who 
has  often  been  personally  concerned 
in  public  affairs,  tells  us  he  once  knew 
a  time  when  there  was  not  a  scrap  of 
an  account  to  certify  the  amount  of  the 
indebtedness  of  the  town  in  the  pos- 
session of  one  of  its  officers.  Its  notes 
were  out  here  and  there,  but  nobody 
knew  the  amount  in  the  aggregate.  If 
the  town  chose  to  give  its  note,  it  was 
done  ;  if  it  wished  to  cancel  any  in- 
debtedness, it  was  accomplished. 

In  consequence  of  the  indifferent 
local  management,  and  the  attendant 
popular  inadvertence,  the  disposal  of 
the  town's  revenues  derived  from  the 
sale  of  public  lands  is  a  problem  to 
many  of  our  citizens  to  this  day.  We 
have  been  to  some  pains  to  uncover 
the  facts,  but  as  yet  with  incomplete 
success.  From  the  sale  of  the  parson- 
age lands,  a  fund  of  about  $1000  was 
derived ;  from  the  sale  of  the  school 
right,  about  as  much  more  ;  from  the 
sale  of  the  training  field,  a  considerable 
sum,  be  it  more  or  less.  The  interest 
of  these  funds  was  devoted  to  special, 
distinctive  uses.  The  parsonage  fund 
was  devoted  to  religion,  the  school 
fund  to  education,  the  training  field 
fund  to  military  affairs.  We  will  give 
detailed  information  briefly. 

With  the  above  funds,  bound  in  ful- 
fillment of  the  original  purposes  to  be 
invested,  the  officers  of  the  town  often 
experienced  difficulties.  Investments 
were  not  always  easy.  Reliable  men 
were  not  always  ready  to  take  them. 
At  length  the  parsonage  fund  was  dis- 
posed of  by  a  vote  to  appropriate  the 
principle  of  the  same  to  the  discharge 
of  any  public  indebtedness,  and  to  raise 
the  equivalent  of  the  interest,  annually, 
for  distribution  pro  rata  among  the 
several  religious  societies.  The  plan 
worked  only  for  a  short  time.  It  was 
soon  objected  that  the   nature   of  our 


MANNERS  AND  CUSTOMS  IN  HOPKINTON. 


civil  compact  forbade  public  assess- 
ments for  the  benefit  of  religious  soci- 
eties. The  point  was  considered  and 
sustained,  and  the  collecting  and  dis- 
bursing of  parsonage  incomes  ceased 
in  1853.  The  school  fund  was  anni- 
hilated by  the  annual  appropriation  of 
the  interest,  with  a  certain  part  of  the 
principle,  for  the  support  of  common 
schools.  The  interest  of  the  training 
field  fund  was  annually  devoted  to  mil- 
itary expenses  till  185 1,  when  the  New 
Hampshire  militia  system  was  abol- 
ished, and  we  presume  it  was  then  ab- 
sorbed into  the  general  treasury. 

The   "surplus   money"    was    for    a 
time  a  thorn  in  the  side  of  the  finan- 
cial body  corporate.     This  product  of 
the  surcharged   governmental  treasury 
at  Washington  was  received  by  Stephen 
Sibley,  formally    authorized    receiving 
agent  of  the   town.*     Mr.   Sibley  ren- 
dered a  report  of  his   official   services 
as  receiver  in  1838,  and  his  report  was 
accepted.     On  the  2  7th  of  April,  1839, 
the  subject  of  the  disposal  of  the   sur- 
plus money  came  up  for  consideration. 
In  the  warrant  for  a  town-meeting  held 
on  that  date,  an  article  was  inserted   to 
see  if  the  town  would  divide  the  yearly 
interest   accruing    from    this    revenue 
equally  among  the  ratable  polls,  and  if, 
when  so  divided,   the   amount   should 
be  considered   as  a   discharge   of  an 
equal  sum  of  the  annual  poll  tax.     The 
town  voted  to  pass  over  the  article.    At 
the  annual  town-meeting  in  March,   in 
1843,  a  vote  was  passed  to  divide  an- 
nually one  year's  interest  of  the  surplus 
fund,  at   the  rate  of    six    per     cent., 
equally  among  all  resident  persons   lia- 
ble to  taxation,  until  further  ordered  by 
the  town.     The  matter  rested   till   the 
29th  of  November,  1845,  when  it   w^s 
voted  to  reconsider  the  foregoing  vote 
from  and  after  the  1st  of  the   following 
April.     In  March  of  the  next  year,   an 

*In  1837,  the  town  paid  Mr.  Sibley 
|2.17  for  services  as  receiver,  and  for  like 
services  1838,  $4.31.  The  amount  of  sur- 
plus money  received  in  two  installments 
was  not  far  from  $6000,  but  it  is  a  singu- 
lar fact  that  neither  in  the  records  of  this 
town,  nor  in  those  of  the  State  Treasurer's 
office,  at  Concord,  appear  any  figures  to 
certify  the  sum. 


255 

attempt  was  made  to  reconsider  the 
vote  of  the  29th  of  November,  but  the 
article  was  indefinitely  postponed.  The 
contest  over  the  surplus  money  arose 
from  the  protest  against  the  anti-Amer- 
ican idea  of  taxing  the  people  to  sup- 
port individuals.  The  fund  was  ab- 
sorbed into  the  town  treasury. 

INTER-COMMUNICATIVE. 

We  now  touch  briefly  the  subject  of 
messages,  the  facilities  for  the   convey- 
ance of  which  having  increased  greatly 
since  the  earlier  days  of  the  town.     At 
first,  the  ability   to   transmit    messages 
depended  upon  the  gratuitous   accom- 
modations of  public  travel.     A   person 
wishing  to  send  a  letter  to  a  relative   or 
friend,  prepared  it   and   forwarded   by 
any  person  who  happened  to  be  jour- 
neying   that    way.       By    this    popular 
method  of  transmitting  messages,   the 
taverns    became    general    distributing 
post-offices.     Sometimes  a  strip  of  tape 
tacked  above  the  fireplace  of  the   pub- 
lic house  became  a  support  for   letters. 
The  transient  traveler  looked  over  the 
list,  and,  selecting   any   bound   in  the 
direction    he    was   going,   took    them 
along.     By  this  method,   the  time   re- 
quired for  conveyance  from  one   point 
to  another  was  governed  much  by   un- 
certainties.    Months   were    sometimes 
required  for   messages   to   reach   their 
destination,  at   distances   now   accom- 
plished regularly  in   less    time    than    a 
day.      The   introduction   of  a   public 
mail  service  removed  a  great  inconven- 
ience.    The  earlier  mails  were   carried 
through  this  region  by  horsemen,    and 
afterwards  by  drivers  of  vehicles.     Sub- 
sequently, the  public  stage  became  the 
means    of  conveyance ;    the   railroad 
crowned  the   accommodations   in   this 
direction  till  the   telegraph*    afforded 
the  transportation  of  the  most  moment- 
ous matters. 

The  first  post-office  in  Hopkinton 
was  established  April  1,  181 1.  John 
Harris  was  the  first  postmaster.  The 
post-office  at  Contoocook  was  estab- 
lished March  5,  1831.     Thomas  Burn- 

*A  telegraph  office  was  opened  in  Con- 
toocook in  1866.  Levi  W.  Dimond  was 
the  first  operator. 


256 


MANNERS  AND  CUSTOMS  IN  HOPKINTON, 


ham  was  the  postmaster.  The  post- 
office  at  West  Hopkinton  was  estab- 
lished May  29,  1857.  Joseph  P.  Dow 
was  postmaster. 

MUTUAL  AND  PROTECTIVE. 

In  the  earlier    half   of    the   present 
century,    there    were    enterprises    in- 
stituted in  Hopkinton  that,   though    in 
part  maintained  till   now,  would   have 
advanced  to  schemes  of  greater  public 
importance,  if  the  public  position  once 
occupied  by  this  town  had  never   been 
changed.      One   of  these    enterprises 
was  the  Hopkinton   Village   Aqueduct 
Association.     Water  is  a  domestic  ne- 
cessity, and  wells   for   water   are    con- 
temporaneous with  history.     The   first 
wells   in    Hopkinton   village    were    in 
many  instances  impracticable   for   two 
reasons.     The  earth  in  this   vicinity   is 
sandy  and  porous  to  a  great  depth,  and 
drawing  water  long  distances  is   not   a 
desirable    employment.*       Again,   the 
quality  of  the   soil   is   so  slightly  con- 
creted that  wells  are  in  constant  danger 
of  falling  in.     A  number  of  wells   have 
disappeared    in    consequence    of  the 
lightness    of  the    soil    in    this    village. 
People  have  been  disturbed  by  a  rum- 
ble and  tremor  of  the  earth,   and  have 
investigated  the   phenomenon  to   find 
that  their  well  had  disappeared.     Once 
an  attempt  was  made  to  purify  the  old 
Wiggin    well,    better    known    as    the 
"town  well,"  since  it  occupied  a   posi- 
tion in  the  public  street.     Preparations 
were  made  for  descent  into   it,    and   a 
man  started  down  to  begin  the  work  of 
purification.     He  accomplished  only  a 
part  of  the  descent,  returning   to   state 
with  much  concern   that   there   was    a 
large  chasm  in  the  side,  caused  by   the 
caving  of  the    earth.     The   project  of 
improvement  was    abandoned.      This 
well    has    been   closed   a   number   of 
years. 

A  general  need  prompted  the  forma- 
tion   of    the     Aqueduct     Association, 

*An  old  well  on  the  premises  of  Hor- 
ace Edmunds  is  reputed  to  be  seventy 
feet  in  depth. 


which  was  incorporated  in  1840.  The 
grantees  were  Horace  Chase,  Nathan- 
iel Curtis,  Joseph  Stanwood,  Isaac 
Long,  Moses  Kimball,  Ariel  P.  Knowl- 
ton,  William  Little  and  Reuben  E. 
French.  Water  was  drawn  by  means 
of  logs  from  springs  on  the  eastern 
slope  of  Putney's  Hill,  about  half  a 
mile  from  the  centre  of  the  village,  the 
site  of  the  supply  being  on  the  land  of 
Abram  Burnham.  The  water  of  these 
springs  is  very  pure  and  sweet! 

An  important  protective  enterprise 
was  implied  in  the  formation  of  the 
Hopkinton  Engine  Company,  which 
was  incorporated  in  the  year  18 14. 
The  grantees  were  Benjamin  Wiggin, 
Joseph  Town,  Thomas  Williams,  Eben- 
ezer  Lerned,  John  O.  Ballard,  Stephen 
Sibley,  Thomas  W.  Bailey  and  their 
associates.  This  company  was  in  ac- 
tive existence  till  about  1852.  During 
the  warmer  season  of  the  year,  it  was 
its  custom  to  meet  monthly  for  a  trial 
exercise.  The  company  was  mar- 
shaled by  the  strokes  of  the  meeting- 
house bell,  the  engine  taken  to  some 
reservoir,  the  tank  filled  by  buckets, 
and  the  propelling  power  of  the  ma- 
chine tested.  The  transaction  was 
done  with  all  the  exactness  of  military 
drill. 

About  the  time  of  the  last  practical 
usefulness  of  the  Hopkinton  Engine 
Company,  an  attempt  was  made  to  ele- 
vate the  village  into  a  precinct.  A 
legal  controversy  thwarted  the  plan, 
which  has  never  since  been  revived. 
For  many  years  two  tanks  with  pumps, 
supplied  from  the  aqueduct,  have  been 
in  existence  in  anticipation  of  dangers 
by  fire.  A  chemical  fire-engine  was 
purchased  by  subscription  in  1872  for 
use  in  Hopkinton  lower  village. 

The  Contoocook  Village  Engine 
Company  was  incorporated  in  1831. 
Isaac  Bailey,  3d,  John  Whipple,  Rollin 
White,  Joseph  B.  Town,  and  associates, 
were  grantees.  This  organization  is 
still  in  effective  existence.  Contoocook 
was  elevated  to  a  precinct  in  1865. 


w? 


■THE. 


GRANITE    MONTHLY. 


A  MAGAZINE  OF  LITERATURE,  HISTORY,  AND 
STATE  PROGRESS. 


YOL.  II. 


JUNE,  1879. 


NO.  9. 


BON.  ONSLOW  STEARNS. 


A  large  proportion  of  the  men  who 
have  been  elected  to  the  chief  magis- 
tracy of  our  state,  have  been  to  a  greater 
or  less  extent  engaged  in  political  life 
during  a  considerable  period  of  their 
existence.  The  men  of  essentially  busi- 
ness tastes  and  occupation,  who  have 
been  called  to  the  gubernatorial  chair, 
have  been  exceptions  to  the  general 
rule.  Nor  is  our  state  different  from 
others  in  this  regard.  Everywhere,  as 
a  rule,  the  public  offices  which  the  peo- 
ple have  at  their  disposal,  are  conferred 
upon  men  who  have  devoted  their  time 
and  attention  to  politics  and  partisan 
management.  Among  the  more  con- 
spicuous exceptions  to  this  rule  in  this 
state,  is  the  case  of  the  late  ex-Gov. 
Stearns,  who,  although  a  man  of  decided 
political  convictions,  was  in  no  sense  of 
the  word  a  politician,  and  was  never  in 
any  degree  concerned  in  party  manage- 
ment. Mr.  Stearns  was  a  business  man 
in  the  full  sense  of  the  term,  and, 
thoroughly  identified  as  he  was  with  the 
railroad  interest  of  the  state  from  its 
inception  till  the  day  of  his  death,  he 
was  unquestionably,  from  first  to  last, 
the  most  conspicuous  representative  of 
that  interest  in  New  Hampshire.  A 
brief  sketch  of  his  career  cannot  fail  to 
prove  interesting  to  the  readers  of  this 
magazine. 


Onslow  Stearns  was  born  in  Biller- 
ica,  Mass.,  August  30,  1S10.  The  farm 
upon  which  he  was  reared,  and  which 
still  remains  in  the  family,  being  now 
owned  by  an  older  brother,  Franklin 
Stearns,  was  the  property  and  homestead 
of  his  grandfather,  Hon.  Isaac  Stearns, 
a  prominent  and  influential  citizen  of 
Middlesex  County,  and  a  soldier  in  the 
old  French  War,  who  was  at  one  time  a 
member  of  the  Executive  Council  of 
the  state  and  held  other  honorable  and 
responsible  offices.  His  father,  John 
Stearns,  who  was  also  a  farmer  and  suc- 
ceeded in  possession  of  the  homestead, 
was  killed  in  the  prime  of  life  by  a  rail- 
road accident  at  Woburn.  William 
Stearns,  a  brother  of  John  and  uncle  of 
Onslow,  was  a  soldier  in  the  Revolu- 
tion and  fought  at  the  battle  Lexington. 
Onslow  Stearns  remained  at  home, 
laboring  upon  the  farm  and  availing 
himself  of  such  educational  privileges 
as  the  public  schools  afforded,  until 
seventeen  years  of  age,  when  he  went 
to  Boston  and  engaged  as  a  clerk  in  the 
house  of  Howe  &  Holbrook,  afterward 
J.  C.  Howe  &  Co.,  where  he  remained 
about  three  years,  and  then  left  to  join 
his  brother,  John  O.  Stearns,  since 
famous  as  a  railroad  contractor  and 
builder,  who,  then  in  Virginia,  was  en- 
gaged in  the  construction  of  the  Chesa- 


258 


HON.  ONSLOW  STEARNS. 


peake  and  Ohio  canal.     Subsequently 
he  became  interested  with  his  brother 
in  contracts  for  the  construction  of  vari- 
ous railroads  in  Pennsylvania,  New  York 
and   New  Jersey,  upon  which  he   was 
engaged    until   the   summer  of    1837, 
when  he  returned  to  Massachusetts  and 
engaged  in  contracts  upon  the  Charles- 
town  Branch  and  Wilmington  &  Haver- 
hill Railroads,  now  respectively  portions 
of  the  Fitchburg  and  Boston  &  Maine 
roads.  ■   Soon  after  he  engaged  in  the 
work  of  completing  the  Nashua  &  Low- 
ell Railroad,  then  in  process   of   con- 
struction from  Lowell  to  Nashua.    This 
road  was  completed  in  the  fall  of  1838, 
when   Mr.  Stearns  was  made  its  super- 
intendent,  holding   the    position    until 
July,  1845,  when  he -resigned  to  become 
agent  of  the  Northern  Railroad  Com- 
pany of  New  Hampshire  for  the  purpose 
of  constructing  its  road  from  Concord 
to   White    River    Junction.     His   first 
efforts  in  the  interest  of  this  road  were 
directed  toward  obtaining  the  necessary 
legislation  for  securing  a  right  of  way 
for  the  road  over  the  land  where  it  was 
to  pass,  the  law  of  1 840  having  rendered 
it  impossible.     This  legislation  was  se- 
cured in  1844,  by  which  the   state  was 
empowered  to  take  the  land  of  the  own- 
ers,   making    them    compensation    for 
damages,  and  leasing  the  same  to  rail- 
road corporations,  they  repaying  to  the 
state  the  amount  paid  for  damages. 

Under  the   personal   supervision   of 
Mr.  Stearns,  the  road  was  located,  and 
the  work  of  construction  vigorously  car- 
ried forward  and  completed,  the  Bristol 
branch  included.     After  its  completion 
he  became  manager  of  the  road,  which 
position  he  held  till  May,  1852,  when  he 
was  chosen   President  of  the  Northern 
Railroad  Company,  continuing  in  that 
office  until  the  time  of  his  death.     He 
was  also  general  superintendent  of  the 
Vermont  Central  Railroad  from  1852  till 
1855,  a  director  in  the    Ogdensburgh 
Railroad  for  some  time,  and  for  nearly 
twenty  years  up  to  1875,  a  director   in 
the  Nashua  &  Lowell  Railroad  Corpo- 
ration. 

While    president   of    the    Northern 

oad   Company,    Mr.    Stearns   was 

president  of  the  Sullivan,  the  Con- 


toocook   Valley,    and  the  Concord   & 
Claremont  Railroad  Companies,  which 
were    connected   in    interest    with  the 
Northern  Railroad,  and  under  his  direc- 
tion the  Concord  &  Claremont  Railroad 
was  extended  from  Bradford  to  Clare- 
mont, being  completed  in  1872.     The 
success  of  Mr.  Stearns  in  the  manage- 
ment of  these  various  railroad   enter- 
prises caused  his  services  to  be  sought 
by  those  interested  in  other  railroads, 
and  he  was  frequently  solicited  to  take 
charge  of  railroad  interests  in  Massachu- 
setts   and  other  states.     These    offers 
he   uniformly   declined  till   July,  1866, 
when  he  was  induced  to  take  the  presi- 
dency of  the  Old  Colony  &  Newport 
Railway   Company,    in    Massachusetts, 
which  position  he  held  till  November, 
1877,  when  he  resigned  on  account  of 
failing   health.     During   this   time   the 
Old  Colony  &  Newport  Railway  Com- 
pany and  the  Cape  Cod  Railroad  Com- 
pany were  consolidated  under  the  name 
of  the  Old  Colony  Railroad  Company, 
and  the  South  Shore  and  Duxbury   & 
Cohasset  Railroads,  with  others,   were 
added  to  it.     The  Old  Colony  Steam- 
boat   Company  was  also   formed,  and 
purchased  the  boats  of  the  Narragansett 
Steamship  Company,  thus  forming,  with 
the  Old  Colony  Railroad,  the  present 
Fall   River  Line   between  Boston  and 
New  York.     In   1874,  Mr.  Stearns  was 
elected  president  of  the  Concord  Rail- 
road,   and   continued   to    manage   the 
affairs  of  this  corporation  till  his  death. 
The  eleven  years  during  which  Mr. 
Stearns  was  president  of  the  Old  Colony 
Railroad   were  years  of  the    most   in- 
tense and  constant   labor  on  his  part. 
For  two  years  of  the  time  he  was  gov- 
ernor  of    New    Hampshire.     He   was 
president  of  the  Northern  Railroad  and 
the  other  roads  connected  with  it  dur- 
ing all  that  time,  and  for  three  years  he 
was  also  president  of  the  Concord  Rail- 
road and  of  the  Old  Colony  Steamboat 
Company,  besides  being  a  director  and 
interested  in  the  management  of  various 
other  corporations.     Mr.    Stearns  gave 
an   active,    personal  supervision  to  all 
the  corporate  interests  under  his  charge, 
embracing  not  only  their  general  rela- 
tions with  other  corporations  and  inter- 


HON.  ONSLOW  STEARNS. 


J59 


ests,  but  extending  to  the  most  minute 
details  of  their  management.  He  was 
never  idle.  No  man  was  ever  more 
painstaking  and  faithful  in  the  discharge 
of  his  duties.  His  papers  and  figures 
were  carried  with  him,  and  studied  as 
he  journeyed  between  his  home  in 
Concord  and  the  railroad  offices  in 
Boston  ;  and  when  in  Boston  his  labors 
almost  always  extended  far  into  the 
hours  of  night.  He  lived  in  labor,  and 
thought  no  plan  complete  till,  by  exe- 
cution, it  had  passed  beyond  his  power 
to  labor  upon  it.  His  knowledge  of 
the  practical  management  of  railroads 
was  complete  and  perfect  to  the  small- 
est details  ;  and  this,  together  with  his 
unwearied  industry,  sound  business 
judgment  and  foresight,  and  his  knowl- 
edge and  control  of  men,  contributed 
to  a  success  such  as  few  railroad  manag- 
ers have  attained.  At  his  death  he  was 
the  oldest  railroad  president  in  continu- 
ous service  in  New  England,  having 
been  president  of  the  Northern  Rail- 
road for  twenty-seven  years. 

Although  in  no  sense  a  politician,  as 
has  been  stated,  Mr.  Stearns  was  a  man 
of  fixed  political  convictions,  acting 
heartily  with  the  Whig  party  from  early 
life  until  the  dissolution  of  the  party, 
when  he  became  a  Republican.  In 
1862  he  accepted  the  nomination  of 
his  party  as  candidate  for  State  Senator 
in  the  Concord  District  and  was  elect- 
ed, serving  upon  the  committees  upon 
railroads,  elections  and  military  affairs. 
He  was  're-elected  the  following  year 
and  was  chosen  President  of  the  Senate, 
faithfully  and  acceptably  discharging 
the  duties  of  his  responsible  position. 
In  legislation  as  in  business  life  he  was 
eminently  a  practical  man.  During  his 
term  of  legislative  service  the  war  of  the 
rebellion  was  in  progress,  and  his  efforts 
as  a  legislator,  as  well  as  a  citizen,  were 
freely  and  fully  exerted  in  behalf  of  the 
Union  cause.  He  was  one  of  the  prime 
movers  in  the  formation  of  the  New 
Hampshire  Soldiers'  Aid  Society,  an  or- 
ganization which  contributed  largely  to 
the  encouragement  of  enlistments  and 
the  assistance  of  the  needy  families  of 
soldiers  in  the  field. 

In  1864  Mr.  Stearns  was  a  delegate- 


at-large  from  New  Hampshire  in  the 
Republican  National  Convention,  and 
was  one  of  the  vice-presidents  of  that 
body.  Many  prominent  Republicans 
and  personal  friends  had  for  some  time 
urged  his  candidacy  for  the  Republi- 
can nomination  for  governor  of  the 
state,  and  in  1867  he  received  a  large 
vote  in  the  convention  which  nominated 
Gen.  Harriman  for  that  office.  Soon 
after  the  convention  he  was  besought  by 
a  number  of  his  friends  and  political 
associates,  who  were  dissatisfied  with 
the  action  of  the  convention,  to  allow 
the  use  of  his  name  as  an  independent 
candidate,  but  declined  to  accede  to 
their  wishes. 

In  the  Republican  State  Convention 
of  1867  no  name  but  that  of  Mr.  Stearns 
was  presented  for  the  gubernatorial 
nomination,  which  was  conferred  upon 
him  by  acclamation,  a  circumstance  of 
rare  occurrence  in  the  case  of  a  first 
nomination.  He  was  elected  by  a  de- 
cided majority — over  Gen.  John  Bedel, 
the  Democratic  candidate,  and  was  re- 
nominated the  following  year.  He  sent 
a  letter  to  the  convention,  declining  the 
re-nomination,  on  account  of  the  state 
of  his  health  and  the  pressure  of  busi- 
ness cares,  but  the  convention  refused 
to  accept  the  declination,  and  a  com- 
mittee was  appointed  to  wait  upon  him 
and  urge  its  withdrawal,  which  was 
finally  successful  in  its  efforts.  His  re- 
election followed,  and  for  another  year 
he  devoted  no  small  share  of  his  atten- 
tion to  the  interests  of  the  state,  notwith- 
standing the  varied  demands  of  the  ex- 
tensive corporate  interests  under  his 
management.  To  the  financial  affairs 
of  the  state  his  care  was  especially  di- 
rected, and  during  his  administration 
the  state  debt  was  reduced  nearly  one- 
third,  while  the  state  tax  was  also  re- 
duced in  still  greater  proportion.  He 
also  took  a  lively  interest  in  the  man- 
agement of  the  State  Prison,  and  was 
instrumental  in  effecting  great  changes 
therein,  securing  more  thorough  disci- 
pline and  putting  the  institution  upon  a 
paying  basis,  whereas  it  had  long  been 
run  at  a  pecuniary  loss  to  the  state. 

In   the    discharge    of  all  his    public 
duties,    Mr.  Stearns  always    sought   to 


260 


HON.  ONSLOW  STEARNS. 


treat  the  matter  in  hand  in  a  thoroughly 
practical  and  businesslike  manner,  ex- 
ercising the  same  judgment  and  dis- 
crimination as  in  the  management  of 
his  private  and  business  affairs.  Al- 
though firmly  attached  to  his  party,  he 
was  less  a  partisan  in  the  exercise  of  his 
official  functions  than  many  of  his  pred- 
ecessors had  been,  and  was  the  first 
Republican  governor  of  New  Hamp- 
shire to  nominate  a  Democrat  to  a  po- 
sition upon  the  Supreme  Bench,  which 
he  did  in  1870,  when  Hon.  Wm.  S. 
Ladd  of  Lancaster  was  made  an  asso- 
ciate Justice  of  the  Supreme  Judicial 
Court  to  fill  the  vacancy  caused  by  the 
retirement  of  Judge  Nesmith.  This  ac- 
tion, although  denounced  by  many  of 
his  Republican  friends,  is  now  regarded 
by  all  as  having  been  wise  and  judi- 
cious, inasmuch  as  the  ultimate  out- 
come has  been  a  thoroughly  non-parti- 
san judiciary  in  our  state,  and  a  univer- 
sal desire  and  determination  to  maintain 
the  same. 

The  cause  of  education  found  in. Mr. 
Stearns  a  warm  friend,  and  in  the  wel- 
fare of  Dartmouth  College,  which  insti- 
tution in  1857,  conferred  upon  him  the 
honorary  degree  of  Master  of  Arts,  he 
took  special  interest.  His  first  public 
address  after  assuming  the  gubernato- 
rial office,  was  upon  the  occasion  of  the 
college  centennial,  wherein  he  took  de- 
cided ground  in  favor  of  such  liberal  aid 
from  the  state  as  might  be  necessary  to 
make  the  institution  permanently  effec- 
tive for  the  public  good. 

In  religious  sympathies  and  convic- 
tions Mr.  Stearns  was  a  Unitarian,  and 
was  an  active  and  influential  member  of 
the  Unitarian  Society  of  Concord,  dur- 
ing his  long  residence  in  the  .city,  con- 
tributing liberally  for  the  support  of 
public  worship,  upon  which  he  was  a 
constant  attendant,  and  for  all  its  aux- 
iliary purposes  and  objects.  Thor- 
oughly public-spirited,  he  never  failed 
to  give  material  support  to  all  measures 


which  seemed  to  him  calculated  to  ad- 
vance the  interests  of  his  adopted  city 
as  well  as  the  state  at  large,  nor  were 
his  social  duties  in  the  least  neglected, 
notwithstanding  the  pressing  cares  of 
public  and  business  life. 

The  long  and  arduous  labor  of  his 
life  was  not  without  its  substantial  re- 
ward, and  he  became  the  possessor  of 
an  ample  fortune,  enabling  him  to  dis- 
pense a  liberal  hospitality.  Among  the 
many  distinguished  persons  entertained 
in  his  elegant  mansion,  were  two  incum- 
bents of  the  chief  magistracy  of  the 
United  States — General  Grant  and  Mr. 
Hayes,  each  of  whom  became  his  guest 
when  visiting  our  State  Capital.  The 
estate  which  he  left  at  his  decease, 
amounted  to  upwards  of  three  hundred 
thousand  dollars  in  value,  and  exceeds 
any  ever  left  by  any  other  individual  in 
the  county  of  Merrimack,  as  the  result 
of  his  own  labors. 

Mr.  Stearns  was  united  in  marriage- 
June  26,  1845,  with  Miss  Mary  A.  Hol- 
brook,  daughter  of  Hon.  Adin  Hol- 
brook  of  Lowell,  Mass.,  and  with  her, 
established  a  home  in  Concord  the  fol- 
lowing year,  in  the  location  where  he 
continued  to  reside,  making  numerous 
improvements  from  time  to  time, 
throughout  his  life.  Five  children,  a 
son  and  four  daughters  are  the  fruit  of 
this  union.  The  son,  Charles  O. 
Stearns  is  engaged  in  the  office  of  the 
Old  Colony  Railroad  in  Boston.  The 
eldest  daughter,  Mary,  is  the  wife  of 
Brevet  Brigadier  General  John  R. 
Brooke  of  the  United  States  Army  now 
engaged  in  the  frontier  service ;  the 
second  daughter,  Margaret,  is  now  Mrs. 
Ingalls  of  North  Adams,  Mass. ;  the 
other  daughters,  Sarah  and  Grace,  re- 
main with  their  mother  at  the  family 
residence  in  "Concord,  where  the  hus- 
band and  father,  after  a  brief  illness  of 
a  few  days,  quietly  departed  this  life, 
December  29,  1878. 


FIRST  CONGREGATIONAL  CHURCH,  CONCORD. 


261 


HISTORY  OF  THE  FIRST  CONGREGATIONAL  CHURCH, 

CONCORD,  N II 


BY  REV.  F.  D.  AVER. 


The  First  Congregational  Church  in 
Concord  was  organized  November  18, 
1730.  The  proprietors  of  the  town, 
at  a  meeting  in  Andover,  Mass.,  Feb- 
ruary 8,  1726,  voted  to  build  a  block- 
house, which  should  serve  the  double 
purpose  of  a  fort  and  a  meeting-house. 
Early  in  1727,  the  first  family  moved 
into  the  town,  and  Rev.  Bezaleel  Toppan 
was  employed  to  preach  one  year  from 
the  15th  of  May.  Mr.  Toppan  and 
Rev.  Enoch  Coffin,  both  proprietors  of 
the  town,  were  employed  by  the  settlers 
to  preach  till  October  14,  1730,  when  it 
was  resolved  to  establish  a  permanent 
ministry.  Rev.  Timothy  Walker  was 
at  once  called  to  be  the  minister  of  the 
town. 

A  Council  met  November  18,  1730, 
and  organized,  "  in  this  remote  part  of 
the  wilderness,"  a  church  of  eight  mem- 
bers, and  Rev.  Timothy  Walker  was 
installed  its  pastor.  The  Sermon  by 
Rev.  John  Barnard,  of  Andover,  Mass., 
was  from  Prov.  9  :  1-3.  The  Charge 
to  the  Pastor  was  by  Rev.  Samuel  Phil- 
lips, of  Andover,  and  the  Right-hand 
of  Fellowship  by  Rev.  John  Brown,  of 
Haverhill,  Mass.  The  church  was  ortho- 
dox and  stable  in  its  faith,  and  during 
the  long  ministry  of  Mr.  Walker — fifty- 
two  years — it  was  united  and  prosperous. 
Strong  in  the  confidence  and  affection 
of  the  people,  Mr.  Walker  always  and 
actively  opposed  any  thing  which  threat- 
ened division  in  the  church  or  the  town. 

It  is  impossible  to  measure  accurately 
the  growth  of  the  church  during  this 
period,  owing  to  incompleteness  of  the 
records.  No  regular  record  is  found 
after  1736,  and  the  names  of  those  who 
owned  the  covenant  are  gathered  only 
in  part,  and  these  from  entries  made  in 
his  diary.  While  the  names  of  only 
ninety-five  who  united  with  the  church 
are  known,  many  more  than  this  must 


have  become  members,  for,  at  the  instal- 
lation of  his  successor,  though  but  few 
of  those  whose  names  were  recorded 
were  alive,  there  were  one  hundred  and 
twenty  members.  The  growth  of  the 
church  must,  therefore,  have  been  rapid 
for  those  days,  and  its  prosperity,  stab- 
ility and  influence  in  the  town  and 
throughout  the  state  are  proof  of  a 
faithful  ministry. 

Rev.  Timothy  Walker,  a.  m.,  was  a 
native  of  Woburn,  Mass.,  and  a  gradu- 
ate of  Harvard  College,  in  the  class  of 
1725.  His  salary,  at  settlement,  was 
;£ioo,  to  increase  forty  shillings  per 
annum  till  it  reached  ^120;  also  use 
of  parsonage.  He  died  suddenly,  on 
Sabbath  morning,  September  1,  1782, 
aged  77  years,  deeply  mourned  by  the 
people  he  had  so  faithfully  served  and 
led,  and  between  whom  and  himself 
the  mutual  attachment  had  remained 
strong  to  the  last. 

The  deep  impress  of  this  early  min- 
istry has  never  been  effaced,  and  the 
influence  of  Mr.  Walker,  to  a  large  de- 
gree, decided  the  moral  tone  and  habits 
of  the  town.  For  more  than  half  a 
century  he  directed  the  thought,  and 
was  the  religious  teacher  of  the  early 
settlers  ;  and  his  clear  convictions,  his 
bold  utterances,  and  his  firm  adherence 
to  practical  principles,  made  him  a  wise 
leader.  He  served  the  town  as  well  as 
the  church.  His  'wise  council  and 
prompt  and  judicious  action  in  relation 
to  every  matter  of  public  interest,  were 
of  great  benefit  to  the  people,  and  gave 
him  a  wide  and  acknowledged  influence. 
Three  times  he  visited  England,  as 
agent  for  the  town,  to  confirm  its  endan- 
gered rights,  and  was  enabled  by  his 
personal  influence  and  wisdom  to  make 
secure  forever  the  claims  and  privileges 
of  the  settlers.  His  influence  will  be 
acknowledged,  and  his  name  remem- 


262 


FIRST  CONGREGATIONAL  CHURCH,  CONCORD. 


bered  with  gratitude  by  future  genera- 
tions. 

Nearly  seven  years  now  passed  with- 
out a  stated  ministry.  In  one  case  a 
call  to  settle  was  extended,  but  declined. 
September  1,  1788,  Rev.  Israel  Evans 
was  called  by  both  the  church  and  the 
town  to  settle  as  minister,  and  was  in- 
stalled pastor  July  1,  1789.  Installation 
sermon  by  Rev.  Joseph  Eckley,  of  Bos- 
ton, Mass.  His  ministry  continued 
eight  years.  No  records  of  the  church 
during  this  period  can  be  found,  and 
probably  but  few  were  added,  as  the 
number  of  members  at  his  dismission 
was  one  hundred  and  twenty-four.  Mr. 
Evans  was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania, 
and  a  graduate  of  Princeton  College,  N. 
J.,  in  1772.  He  was  ordained  chap- 
lain in  the  United  States  army,  at  Phil- 
adelphia, in  1776,  and  from  1777  till 
the  close  of  the  war,  was  chaplain  in  a 
New  Hampshire  brigade.  He  resigned 
his  pastorate  July  1,  1797,  but  resided 
in  town  till  his  death,  at  the  age  of  60 
years,  March  9,  1807. 

The  church,  without  delay,  chose  as 
successor  to  Mr.  Evans,  Rev.  Asa  Mc- 
Farland,  and  the  town  concurring  in 
the  choice,  he  was  installed  March  7, 
1798.  The  sermon  was  preached  by 
Rev.  John  Smith,  of  Dartmouth  Col- 
lege. The  growth  of  the  church  under 
the  ministry  of  Dr.  McFarland  was 
rapid  and  steady.  Seasons  of  quiet, 
and  also  of  deep  religious  interest, 
blessed  it,  and  429  were  added  to  the 
membership,  and  734  adults  and  infants 
received  the  rite  of  baptism.  Plis  min- 
istry continued  twenty-seven  years,  and 
closed  March  23,  1825.  Dr.  McFar- 
land was  the  last  minister  provided  for 
by  the  town,  his  successor  being  sup- 
ported by  the  society. 

Rev.  Asa  McFarland,  d.  d.,  was  born 
in  Worcester,  Mass.,  April  19,  1769. 
He  graduated  at  Dartmouth  College  in 
1 793,  and  was  for  two  years  tutor  in  the 
college.  He  possessed  a  vigorous  and 
active  mind,  was  discriminating  and 
sound  in  judgment ;  wise  and  diligent 
in  action.  His  personal  character  and 
position  secured  to  him  a  wide  and 
lasting  influence  in  the  town  and 
throughout   the   State.     Eighteen   dis- 


courses delivered  on  public  occasions 
were  published.  In  consequence  of  ill 
health  he  resigned  his  office  as  pastor. 
He,  too,  died  among  his  people.  By 
shock  of  paralysis  Sabbath  morning, 
February  18,  1827,  he  ceased  from  his 
labors,  in  the  58th  year  of  his  age. 

The  council  which  dismissed  Dr. 
McFarland,  March  23,  1825,  installed 
as  pastor,  his  successor,  Rev.  Nathaniel 
Bouton.  Sermon  was  by  Rev.  Justin  Ed- 
wards, d.  d.,  of  Andover,  Mass. ;  Installing 
Prayer,  by  Rev.  Walter  Harris,  of  Dum- 
barton ;  Charge  to  the  Pastor,  by  Rev. 
Asa  McFarland,  d.  d.  ;  Fellowship  of 
the  Churches,  by  Rev.  Abraham  Burn- 
ham,  of  Pembroke ;  Charge  to  the 
People,  by  Rev.  Daniel  Dana,  d.  d.,  of 
Londonderry..  The  spirit  of  the  Most 
High  early  rested  on  this  ministry,  and 
many  seasons  of  revival  blessed  it. 
Bible  classes  and  Sabbath-schools  were 
organized  in  different  parts  of  the  town, 
and  the  faithful  labors  of  the  pastor  in 
these,  and  in  the  large  assembly  of  the 
people  gathered  in  a  single  place  of 
worship,  were  attended  with  great  suc- 
cess. In  connection  with  the  meeting 
of  the  General  Association  of  New 
Hampshire,  held  with  this  church  in 
1 83 1,  a  deep  work  of  grace  began,  and 
more  than  an  hundred  were  added  to 
to  the  church  as  the  result.  Large  ac- 
cessions were  received  in  the  years 
1834,  1836,  1842,  and  1843.  During 
the  forty-two  years  of  this  ministry, 
772  members  were  added  to  the  church, 
and  629  adults  and  infants  were  bap- 
tised. Three  colonies  were  dismissed 
and  organized  into  other  churches,  and 
the  real  increase  of  the  church  in 
strength  and  influence  was  very  great. 
Churches  of  other  denominations  were 
also  organized  in  town,  yet  this  con- 
tinued harmonious  in  action  and  stead- 
fast in  faith.  This  ministry  was  char- 
acterized by  unity,  stability  and  growth. 
Dr.  Bouton  resigned  his  pastorate,  of 
marked  and  continued  success,  at  the 
forty-second  anniversary  of  his  settle- 
ment, March  23,  1867,  and  was  dis- 
mised  by  council  September  12,  1867. 

Rev.  Nathaniel  Bouton,  D.  D.,  was  a 
native  of  Norwalk,  Conn.,  and  gradua- 
ted at  Yale  College  in  1821,  and  at  An- 


FIRST  CONGREGATIONAL  CHURCH,  CONCORD. 


263 


dover  Theological  Seminary  in  1824. 
He  was  not  only  a  faithful  minister  of 
of  Christ,  but  a  citizen  of  valued  and 
acknowledged  influence,  during  a  per- 
iod of  the  great  growth  and  prosperity 
of  Concord,  and  bore  for  a  generation  an 
active  part  in  questions  of  reform  and 
public  weal,  both  at  home  and  abroad. 
A  friend  of  learning  and  its  institutions, 
he  was  a  Trustee  of  Dartmouth  Col- 
lege from  1 840-1 8  7  7.  In  the  eccle- 
siastical bodies  of  this  State,  and  in  the 
benevolent  organizations  of  the  land,  he 
was  active  and  respected,  and  was  a 
corporate  member  of  the  American 
Board  of  Commissioners  for  Foreign 
Missions,  and  of  other  charitable  socie- 
ties. In  1856  he  published  the  History 
of  Concord,  and  also  published,  during 
his  ministry,  many  sermons,  historical 
and  biographical,  and  of  public  interest. 
Dr.  Bouton  was  State  Historian  of  New 
Hampshire  from  186  7-1 8  7  7,  and  com- 
piled the  ten  Volumes  of  Provincial  and 
State  Papers,  which  have  been  pub- 
lished. 

On  Sunday,  March  23d  1878,  the  53d 
anniversary  of  his  settlement,  he  at- 
tended public  worship  for  the  last  time, 
and  died  June  6th,  at  nearly  79  years  of 
age. 

His  form  was  laid,  as  have  been 
those  of  all  his  predecessors  in  this 
ministry,  among  the  people  he  had  so 
faithfully  served  for  nearly  half  a  cen- 
tury. 

Rev.  Franklin  D.  Ayer,  a  graduate  of 
Dartmouth  College  in  1856,  and  of  An- 
dover  Theological  Seminary  in  1859, 
was  installed  by  the  council  which  dis- 
missed Dr.  Bouton,  September  12, 
1867.  The  Sermon  was  by  Rev.  Eden 
B.  Foster,  d.  d.,  of  Lowell,  Mass. ;  In- 
stalling Prayer,  by  Rev.  J.  M.  R.  Eaton, 
of  Henniker  ;  Charge  to  the  Pastor,  by 
Rev.  P.  B.  Day,  d.  d.,  of  Hollis ;  Fel- 
lowship of  the  Churches,  by  Rev.  W. 
R.  Jewett,  of  Fisherville  ;  Address  to 
the  People,  by  Rev.  W.  T.  Savage,  d.  d,. 
of   Franklin.     He    is    still   the    Pastor. 

Thus  this  church  has  not  been  with- 
out a  settled  ministry  since  March  7th, 
1798,  and  reaches  nearly  its  one  hun- 
dred and  fiftith  anniversary  with  its  fifth 
pastor. 


In  the  present  pastorate    139    have 
;en  added  to  the  chi 
total  additions,  1,566. 


been  added  to  the  church,  making  the 


OTHER  CHURCHES  FORMED. 

For  many  years  this  was  the  only 
church  in  the  town.  The  steady  growth 
of  the  population  at  length  called  for 
other  churches,  and  this  church  sent 
out  three  colonies  of  the  Congregatonial 
order. 

The  West  Tarish  Church.  After 
mature  deliberation,  the  families  resi- 
dent in  the  west  part  of  the  town 
decided  to  organize  a  new  church. 
Eighty-eight  members  were  dismissed, 
by  unanimous  consent,  from  this  church, 
and  April  22,  1S33,  organized  into  the 
West  Parish  Congregational  Church, 
and  the  next  day  Rev.  Asa  P.  Tenney 
was  installed  its  pastor. 

The  South  Church.  Soon  the  inter- 
ests of  religion,  and  the  increase  of  pop- 
ulation in  the  southerly  part  of  the  vil- 
lage, required  the  establishment  of  a 
Congregational  Church  in  that  vicinity. 
February  1,  1837,  the  sixty-seven  mem- 
bers dismissed  by  a  vote,  unanimous, 
and  sealed  with  prayers  and  friendly 
wishes,  were  organized  into  the  South 
Congregational  Church.  May  3d,  Rev. 
Daniel  J.  Noyes  was  installed  its  pastor. 

The  East  Church.  In  1842  a  new 
house  of  worship  was  built,  on  the  east 
side  of  the  Merrimack  river,  and  a 
church  formed  of  the  forty-four  mem- 
bers, dismissed  from  this  church  for  that 
purpose. 

HOUSES  OF  WORSHIP. 

The  first  meeting-house  of  Concord 
was  built  of  logs,  in  1727,  and  served 
as  a  fort  and  a  place  of  worship.  It 
stood  near  West's  brook,  and  was  occu- 
pied by  this  church  twenty-three  years. 
The  second  house  was  that  so  long 
known  as  the  "Old  North."  The  main 
body  of  the  house  was  built  in  1 75 1. 
In  1 783  it  was  completed  with  porches 
and  a  spire,  and  in  1802  enlarged  so  as 
to  furnish  sittings  for  twelve  hundred 
people,  and  a  bell  was  placed  in  the 
tower.  Central  in  its  location,  it  was 
for  a  long  time  the  only  place  of  pub- 
lic worship  in  the  town,  and  was  used 
by  this   church   for   ninety  years.     It 


264 


FIRST  CONGREGATIONAL  CHURCH,  CONCORD. 


served  the  state  also.  In  this  house 
the  Convention  of  1778  met  "to  form 
a  permanent  plan  of  government  for 
the  state."  Here,  with  religious  ser- 
vices, in  1 784,  the  new  State  Constitu- 
tion was  first  introduced,  and  here,  too, 
in  June,  1788,  the  Federal  Constitution 
was  adopted,  by  which  New  Hampshire 
became  one  of  the  states  of  the  Union. 
This  was  the  ninth  state  to  adopt  that 
Constitution,  the  number  required  to 
render  it  operative  ;  so  that,  by  this 
vote,  it  became  binding  upon  the  Uni- 
ted States.  After  another  church  edi- 
fice was  built,  this  was  used  by  the 
"Methodist  Biblical  Institute"  till  1866. 
When  it  was  destroyed  by  fire,  on  the 
night  of  November  28,  1870,  there 
passed  from  sight  the  church  building 
which  had  associated  with  it  more  of 
marked  and  precious  history  than  with 
any  other  in  the  state. 

The  third  house  of  worship,  situated 
on  the  corner  of  Main  and  Washington 
streets,  was  dedicated  to  the  worship 
of  God  November  23,  1842.  In 
1848  it  was  enlarged  by  an  addition, 
giving  twenty  new  pews.  In  1869  the 
gallery  was  lowered,  to  make  room  for 
a  new  organ  which  was  placed  in  the 
church ;  the  inside  of  the  house  was 
repainted  and  the  walls  frescoed. 

It  was  burned  Sunday  morning,  June 
29th,  1873. 

At  the  rear  of  this  building,  a  chapel 
was  erected,  in  1858,  and  enlarged  in 
1868. 

The  present  beautiful  and  commo- 
dious house  of  worship  is  on  the  same 
site,  built  of  brick  with  stone  trimmings, 
and  is  cruciform  in  shape.  It  cost  about 
$45,000,  and  was  dedicated  free  of  debt, 
March  1st,  1876. 

CHURCH   UNION. 

As  the  church  was  about  leaving  the 
"Old  North"  as  a  house  of  worship, 
it  was  voted  to  invite  all  the  churches 
formed  from  this  to  unite  in  a  special 
religious  service  in  that  house.  Says 
the  record  of  it :  "  Religious  services 
were  attended  at  the  Old  North  Church, 
on  Thursday  and  Friday,  October  27 
and  28,  1842.  On  Friday  the  pastor 
delivered  a  discourse  on  the  history  of 


this  church,  and  in  the  afternoon  about 
550  communicants  of  the  four  sister 
churches  sat  down  at  the  table  of  the 
Lord.  It  was  a  season  of  tender  and 
affectionate  interest.  Many  wept  at 
the  thought  of  separation  from  the 
place  where  they  and  their  fathers 
had  worshipped."  So  happy  was  the 
effect  of  this  meeting,  that  the  next 
year  one  of  like  character  was  held  in 
the  New  North  Church,  but  on  Novem- 
ber 18,  in  commemoration  of  the  organ- 
ization of  this  church.  Since  that  time, 
an  annual  union  meeting  of  the  Con- 
gregational churches  in  Concord,  in- 
cluding that  in  Fisherville,  has  been 
held  with  the  several  churches  in  suc- 
cession, and  the  meetings  have  always 
been  precious  seasons  of  Christian  union 
and  fellowship.  At  the  twenty-fifth 
annual  meeting,  held  with  the  First 
Church,  1867,  it  was  voted  that  the 
union  bear  as  its  name,  "The  Concord 
Congregational  Church  Union." 

THE  SABBATH-SCHOOL. 

Miss  Sarah  Kimball,  in  her  annual 
report  to  the  Female  Charitable  Society, 
in  January,  181 7,  suggested  that  some- 
thing more  be  done  to  get  the  children 
to  meeting  and  to  school,  and  that  Sab- 
bath-schools be  commenced  the  com- 
ing spring  or  summer.  It  is  probable 
that  a  small  school  was  gathered  the 
comming  summer,  by  Miss  Sarah  Rus- 
sell, a  school  teacher  in  the  village. 
About  the  same  time,  also,  Mr.  Charles 
Herbert,  a  devoted  christian,  used  to 
gather  the  small  children  of  the  neigh- 
borhood into  the  kitchen  of  his  father's 
house,  after  the  service  on  Sabbath  after- 
noon, and  teach  them  the  catechism 
and  scripture.  In  the  spring  of  1S18, 
by  advice  of  Dr.  McFarland,  Sabbath- 
schools  were  organized  in  four  different 
parts  of  the  town,  viz.,  one  in  the  Town 
House,  superintended  by  Capt.  Joshua 
Abbott ;  one  in  District  No.  9,  superin- 
tended by  Hon.  Thomas  Thompson, 
and  numbering  44  scholars ;  in  the 
West  Parish,  one  numbering  47  schol- 
ars ;  and  in  the  school-house  on  the 
East  Side,  No.  13,  one  of  40  scholars. 
The  two  las't  named  had  no  superin- 
tendents, but  were  taught  by  two  young 


HUNGER. 


265 


men — I.  W.  Dow  and  Ira  Rowell. 
The  school  on  the  East  Side  was  con- 
tinued but  a  few  years,  but  that  in  the 
West  Parish  was  united  with  the  church 
there  organized  in  1833,  and  still  con- 
tinues. The  schools  in  the  Town 
House  and  in  No.  9  were  united. 
At  the  settlement  of  Dr.  Bouton,  in 
1825,  the  Sabbath-school  was  held  in 
the  Town  House,  assembling  at  the 
ringing  of  the  first  bell  on  Sabbath 
morning,  and  after  the  exercises,  the 
.scholars,  attended  by  their  teachers, 
walked  in  the  order  of  classes  to  the 
church  at  the  opening  of  morning  ser- 
vice. 

The  returns  made  October  25,  1825, 
from  seven  schools  held  in  as  many 
different  districts,  from  May  to  October, 
show  50  teachers,  334  scholars,  and 
88,122  verses  of  scripture  recited. 
In  1826  there  were  twelve  schools,  with 
70  teachers,  480  scholars,  who  recited 
161,446  verses  of  scripture — five  times 
the  number  in  the  whole  Bible.  This 
year  a  library  was  purchased  and  used. 
As  most  of  those  in  the  schools  were 
young,  not  more  than  fifteen  years  of 
age,  Dr.  Bouton,  soon  after  his  settle- 


ment, organized  five  Bible  classes  in 
different  sections  of  the  town,  for  the 
youth  and  the  older  ones,  and  these 
continued,  full  of  interest  and  profit, 
till  the  revival  of  1831,  and  from  Janu- 
ary, 1826,  to  January,  1832,  81  were 
received  from  theseclasses  to  the  church. 
At  the  organization  of  each  of  the 
other  churches,  the  schools  near  them 
were  united  and  soon  held  during  the 
interval  of  worship.  Those  of  this 
congregation  were  united,  and  the  ses- 
sions held  after  the  morning  service, 
and  through  the  year.  Adult  classes 
were  formed  in  1838,  and  in  1842  the 
Sabbath-school  Association,  composed 
of  all  the  teachers  and  scholars  belong- 
ing to  the  school,  was  organized,  and 
is  still  continued.  Its  anniversary  is 
held  on  the  last  Sabbath  of  December, 
when  reports  are  read  and  addresses 
made  by  the  pastor  and 'Others.  The 
Sabbath-school  Concert  was  first  held 
in  1.85 1,  and  is  observed  on  the  second 
Sabbath  of  each  month.  There  have 
been  added  to  the  church,  by  profes- 
sion, since  1825,  from  the  Bible  class, 
82 ;  from  the  Sabbath-school,  346. 
Total,  428. 


HUNGER. 


BY    LAURA    GARLAND    CARR. 

'Tis  not  for  bread  alone 

That  famished  mortals  cry  ; 

What  nourishment  our  bodies  crave, 
We  find  in  large  supply. 

O'er  field  and  plain, 

In  rolling  main, 

The  waiting  treasures  lie. 


But  O,  the  hungry  heart, 
With  longings  all  untold, 

Seeking  such  love  and  sympathy, 
As  human  hearts  may  hold  ; 

Meeting  the  gloss 

Of  useless  dross, 

Where  should  be  purest  gold. 


266 


NEW  HAMPSHIRE  MEN  AT  BUNKER  HILL. 


And  O,  the  hungry  brain, 

Eager  for  wisdom's  lore, 
Finding  the  way  it  seeks  to  tread, 

Guarded  by  bolted  door ; 
Looking  afar 
To  many  a  star, 

Which  it  may  ne'er  explore. 

And  O,  the  hungry  soul, 

Waiting  what  yet  may  come, 

Striving  with  dim,  short-sighted  eyes, 
To  pierce  the  future's  gloom  ; 

Longing  for  life, 

Immortal  life, 

While  seeing  but  the  tomb. 


NEW  HAMPSHIRE  MEN  AT  BUNKER  HILL. 


BY  HON.  GEORGE  W.  NESMITH. 


When  the  news  of  the  Lexington  en- 
gagement reached  New  Hampshire,  a 
large  number  of  her  citizens  soon  as- 
sembled at  Cambridge.  They  were 
without  organization.  Many  were  des- 
titute of  either  arms  or  provisions.  The 
New  Hampshire  civil  authorities  had  not 
yet  moved.  The  Massachusetts  govern- 
ment felt  the  necessity  of  providing  the 
means  of  defence,  and  employing  men  for 
that  purpose.  Her  rulers  organized  forth- 
with her  own  regiments  and  companies, 
and  issued  commissions  to  her  officers. 

It  appears  they  extended  their  pat- 
ronage   beyond   their   own    limits,   as 

*Gen.  Eeed  was  granted  half  pay. 
We  copy  his  petition  and  accompanying 
papers,  as  follows: 

To  the  Hon.  Senate  and  House  of  Iiepre- 
sentatives  convened  at  Portsmouth,  1785  : 
Humbly  shews  .lames  Keed,  Esq.,  late 
Brigadier  General  in  the  Continental  army, 
that  in  consideration  of  his  unfortunate 
loss  of  sight  in  the  service  of  his  country, 
Congress  granted  the  continuance  of  his 
pay  and  rations,  calcvdated  the  amount 
due,  and  requested  this  state  to  pay  the 
same,  and  charge  it  to  the  account  of  the 
United  States ;  but  notwithstanding  re- 
peated applications  have  been  made,  he 
has  not  been  able  to  obtain  either  that  or 


proved  by  the  following  record.  "The 
committee  of  safety  for  Massachusetts, 
on  the  26th  of  April,  1775,  issued  the 
commission  of  colonel  to  John  Stark, 
with  beating  orders.  Under  this  com- 
mission he  enlisted  800  men  from  the 
tap  of  his  drum.  Captain  James  Reed* 
of  Fitzwilliam,  Cheshire  county,  also, 
Paul  Dudley  Sargent  of  Amherst,  Hills- 
borough county,  received  commissions 
as  colonels,  which  were  accepted  upon 
the  condition  that  they  should  continue 
until  New  Hampshire  should  act.  " 

Stark  soon  enlisted  14  companies. 
Reed  and  Sargent  only  4  each.     After- 

the  half  pay  due  to  him  by  the  resolves 
of  Congress  made  in  favor  of  the  unfor- 
tunate sufferers  in  the  service  of  the 
United  States. 

Your  petitioner  now  reduced  to  the 
severest  distress,  with  a  large  family  de- 
pendent on  him  for  support,  robbed  of 
the  means  of  subsistence,  incapable  of 
performing  any  kind  of  business,  which 
might  contribute  to  his,  and  their  relief, 
and  having  nothing  to  console  him  but 
an  expectation  that  the  representatives 
of  a  free  and  generous  people  will  not 
suffer  a  person,  who,  to  obtain  their  free- 
dom, endured  sufferings  which  have  for- 
ever   deprived   him  of  the   pleasure  ot 


NEW  HAMPSHIRE  MEN  AT  BUNKER  HILL. 


267 


wards,  New  Hampshire  gave  commis- 
sions to  Stark  and  Reed.  Stark's  reg- 
iment to  be  No.  1.  The  other  com- 
mission was  assigned  to  Cok  Enoch 
Poor,  as  belonging  to  that  part  of  the 
state  where  he  resided.  Early  in  May, 
the  New  Hampshire  assembly  voted  to 
raise  and  equip  2000  men  to  be  divided 
into  three  regiments  of  10  companies 
each,  Poor's  regiment  to  be  second .  in 
rank,  Reed's  third.  Col.  Sargent  re- 
tired to  Massachusetts,  and  during  the 
siege  of  Boston  had  command  of  a 
small  regiment  of  Massachusetts  troops. 
Stark  had  some  collision  with  Gen. 
Folsom,  Hobart  and  others  about  his 
rank  and  supplies,  &c.  Yet  he  had 
early  in  June  a  large  regiment  of  men 
ready  for  active  service. 

Two  of  his  companies  were  ordered 
to  be  detached,  and  to  be  joined  to 
Col.  Reed's  regiment  to  make  up  his 
quota  of  10  companies.  Still  leaving 
to  Stark  10  companies,  exceeding 
Reed's  regiment  in  numbers,  as  will  ap- 
pear by  the  following  statement.  Prior 
to  the  17th  of  June,  1775,  Stark's  regi- 
ment was  stationed  at  Medford.  Reed's 
regiment  was  located  near  Charles- 
town  Neck.  On  the  14th  day  of  June, 
the  effective  men  fit  for  duty,  belonging 
to  Reed's  regiment,  according  to  Ad- 
jutant Stephen  Peabody's  return, 
amounted  to  488  men.  Several  of  the 
men  who  had  enlisted  had  not  then 
joined.  Others  were  furloughed,  some 
were  sick,  some  were  on  guard.  The 
regiment  of  Stark  as  returned,  amount- 
ed to  632  men,  including  rank  and  file. 

viewing  that  country,  which  he  helped  to 
niake  free,  he  takes  the  liberty  of  entreat- 
ing your  Honors  to  take  his  melancholy 
situation  into  view  and  grant  him  such 
relief  as  your  wisdom  shall  direct. 
As  in  duty  bound  will  ever  pray. 
BENJAMIN  SUMNER, 
In  behalf  of  the  petitioner. 
June  10,  1785. 

Nov.  30,  1786. 
Cheshire,  ss.      Gen.  James    Reed  came 
before  the  subscriber  and  made  oath, 
that  he  is  an  inhabitant  of  the  town  of 
Keene  in  the  county  aforesaid. 

Attest,     DANIEL  NEWCOMB, 
Justice  of  the  peace. 
To  the  Hon.  Com.  of  the  Side  and  Invalids : 
Agreeably  to  your  notice,  I  have  con- 


Col.  Reed  returned  his  highest  num- 
ber of  killed  and  wounded  in  the  battle 
of  the  1 7th,  as  5  killed  and  27  wounded. 
We  have  been  able  to  ascertain  the 
names  of  these  men,  with  much  cer- 
tainty, at  the  expense  of  some  labor. 

Rockingham  county  furnished  one 
company  of  44  men  to  James  Reed's 
regiment.  It  was  commanded  by 
Captain  Hezekiah  Hutchins  of  Hamp- 
stead ;  1st  Lieut.,  Amos  Emerson, 
Chester  ;  2d  Lieut.,  John  Marsh.  This 
company  was  enlisted  from  Hampstead, 
Chester,  Raymond,  Atkinson,  Sandown 
and  Candia.  Candia  suffered  the 
greatest  loss.  Parker  Hills  of  Candia, 
was  mortally  wounded  and  not  heard 
from  after  the  battle.  John  Varnum 
and  Samuel  Morrill,  both  of  Candia, 
were  severely  wounded,  and  re- 
ceived afterwards  invalid  pensions  from 
the  United  States  government,  as  did 
Nathaniel  Leavitt  of  Hampstead,  who 
was  also  then  and  there  wounded. 

Second  company,  44  men.  Captain, 
Josiah  Crosby  of  Amherst ;  Lieut., 
Daniel  Wilkins,  Amherst ;  Ensign, 
Thompson  Maxwell.  This  company 
was  from  Amherst,  which  then  em- 
braced Milford  and  Mont  Vernon.  John 
Cole  and  James  Hutchinson  were  both 
mortally  wounded.  Hutchinson  died 
June  24,  1775. 

Third  company,  46  men.  Capt., 
Philip  Thomas  of  Rindge  ;  Lieut.,  John 
Hooper ;  Ensign,  Ezekiel  Rand, 
Rindge.  This  company  was  from 
Rindge,  Jaffrey,  &c.  There  were  re- 
turned 3  killed,  viz  :    George    Carlton, 

formed  to  the  oath  therein  directed.  I 
have  had  an  opportunity  of  speaking  with 
his  Excellency  the  President  of  thelstate, 
and  he  informed  me  that  as  I  had  al- 
ready transmitted  certificates  from  the 
Director  General  of  the  hospital  and 
Regimental  Doctor,  and  other  evidences 
of  my  entire  disability  while  in  the  ser- 
vice of  my  country,  bothjto  Congress  and 
the  General  Court  of  this  state,  that  I  had 
no  further  occasion  of  furnishing  any  fur- 
ther certificates  at  the  time,  than  the  one 
indorsed. 
Attest,  LOCKHART    WILLARD, 

JAMES  REED. 

Keene,  Dec.  4,  1786. 
Half  pay.  &c,  allowed  to   Gen.  Reed, 
He  received  1162  pounds,  10  shillings. 


268 


NEW  HAMPSHIRE  MEN  AT  BUNKER  HILL. 


S.  Adams  and  Jonathan  Lovejoy  of 
Rindge  ;  3  wounded,  John  Thompson 
of  Rindge,  (rec'd  half  pay  from  the 
State)  B.  Parker  of  Swanzey,  mortally 
wounded,  Edward  Waldo  of  Alstead, 
severely. 

Fourth  company,  44  men.  Capt., 
Levi  Spalding,  who  represented  Lynde- 
borough  in  1781-82;  Lieut.,  Joseph 
Bradford ;  Ensign,  Thomas  Buffee. 
This  company  was  chiefly  from  Lynde- 
borough,  Temple,  Hudson,  &c.  David 
Carlton  and  Jesse  Lund  were  both 
mortally  wounded,  Carlton  dying  June 
18.  Lund  was  from  Dunstable.  Jacob 
Wellman  of  Lyndeborough,  was  wound- 
ed in  the  shoulder  while  employed  in 
fixing  a  flint  into  his  gun.  He  after- 
wards was  an  invalid  pensioner. 

Fifth  company,  59  men.  Capt., 
Jonathan  Whitcomb,  Swanzey  ;  Lieut., 
Elijah  Cloyes,*  Fitzwilliam  ;  Ensign, 
Stephen  Carter.  This  company  was 
from  Keene,  Swanzey,  Fitzwilliam,  &c. 
Joshua  Ellis  of  Keene,  was  wounded  ; 
Josiah  Barton,  wounded  in  the  side,  his 
cartridge  box  being  shot  into  pieces. 

Sixth  company,  54  men.  Capt.,  Ja- 
cob Hinds,  Hinsdale;  Lieut.,  Isaac 
Stone ;  Ensign,  Geo.  Aldrich,  West- 
moreland. This  company  was  from 
Hinsdale,  Chesterfield  and  Westmore- 
land. John  Davis  of  Chesterfield, 
killed,  Lem.  Wentworth,  wounded. 

Seventh  company,  52  men.  Capt., 
Ezra  Towns  of  New  Ipswich  ;  Lieut., 
Josiah  Brown,  New  Ipswich  ;  Ensign, 
John  Harkness,  Richmond.  This  com- 
pany was  made  up  from  recruits  from 
New  Ipswich.  Also,  Capt.  Wm.  Scott  of 
Peterborough,  furnished  about  half  of  his 
men  and  served  as  a  volunteer  himself. 
Josiah  Walton  of  Chesterfield,  was 
wounded,  as  was,  also,  Capt.  William 
Scott,  who  fought  bravely  and  was  se- 
verely wounded,  made  prisoner  and 
conveyed  to  Boston,  from  thence  to 
Halifax.  He  escaped  after  a  confine- 
ment of  some  months,  and  returned 
home.  He  in  1776,  commanded  a 
company  in  Col.  Jackson's  regiment   of 

♦Captain  Cloyes  was  killed  one  hun- 
dred years  ago,  in  Sullivan's  expedition 
among  the  Indians. 


Massachusetts.     David  Scott  of  Peter- 
borough was  wounded. 

Eighth  company,  46  men.  Capt., 
Wm.  Walker,  Dunstable ;  1st  Lieut., 
James  Brown,  Dunstable  ;  2d  Lieut., 
Wm.  Roby.  Enlisted  from  Dunstable, 
Merrimack,  Hudson,  Amherst,  &c.  Jo- 
seph Greeley,  son  of  Doctor  Greeley, 
wounded  ;  Paul  Clogstone  of  Dunsta- 
ble, wounded ;  died  July  15,  '75  ;  Jon- 
athan Gray,  died  of  his  wounds  ;  Asa 
Cram,  wounded. 

Ninth  company,  49  men.  Capt., 
Benjamin  Mann  of  Mason  ;  1st  Lieut., 
James  Brewer  of  Marlborough ;  2d 
Lieut.,  Samuel  Pettengill.  This  com- 
pany composed  largely  from  men  of 
Mason,  Wilton,  Marlborough,  Temple, 
&c.  Joseph  Blood  of  Mason,  killed  ; 
Ebenezer  Blood,  Jun.,  was  mortally 
wounded,  not  afterwards  heard  from. 
Their  father  drew  their  back  pay.  Both 
sons  marked  killed  on  company  rolls. 

Tenth  company,  48  men.  Capt., 
John  Marcey  of  Walpole  ;  1st  Lieut., 
Isaac  Farewell  of  Charlestown ;  2d 
Lieut.,  James  Taggart  of  Peterborough. 
This  company  was  enlisted  from  Wal- 
pole, Charlestown,  Acworth,  Cornish, 
&c.  Joseph  Farewell  of  Charlestown, 
was  killed,  and  J.  Patten  and  John 
Melvin  were  mortally  wounded  and  not 
afterwards  heard  from.  Marked  both 
killed  on  rolls,  in  Adjutant  Generals 
office. 

The  biographer  of  the  town  of 
Charlestown,  says  that  N.  Parker  of 
Charlestown  was  killed  at  Bunker  Hill, 
but  we  have  not  been  able  to  find  his 
name  on  the  company  rolls  of  Marcey. 
Probably  to  be  found  elsewhere.  The 
aforesaid  list  of  the  killed  and  wounded 
is  believed  to  be  nearly  authentic  and 
generally  fortified  by  record  testimony. 
The  7th  volume  of  Dr.  Bouton's  State 
Records  embraces  a  statement  of  the 
property  lost  by  the  men  of  both  Reed's 
and  Stark's  regiments,  as  inventoried, 
appraised  and  paid  for  by  the  state. 
Reed's  regiment  suffered  most  severely. 
The  statement  is,  as  the  two  regiments 
marched  on  to  the  hill,  Reed's  men  de- 
posited their  packs  and  extra  clothing, 
&c,  in  a  building  located  near  Charles- 
town Neck,  and  the  building  and  contents 


NEW  HAMPSHIRE  MEN  AT  BUNKER  HILL. 


269 


were  burned  by  a  shot  from  the  enemy's 
shipping,  while  our  troops  were  en- 
gaged in  the  battle  on  the  hill. 

We  here  furnish  the  names  of  the 
several  company  officers  attached  to 
Col.  John  Stark's  regiment,  together  with 
many  of  the  killed  and  wounded  in 
each  company,  in  the  battle  of  Bunker 
Hill.  The  list  is  not  perfect,  but  as  ac- 
curate as  we  can  make  it  from  the  ma- 
terials at  our  command.  We  also  fur- 
nish the  number  of  enlisted  men  ac- 
cording to  the  rolls  or  returns  in  June, 
1775.  The  whole  number  of  enlisted 
men  was  632  ;  The  number  of  killed 
as  returned  by  (.  ol.  Stark,  15  men  ;  al- 
so, of  the  wounded,  by  Col.  Stark,  45 
men.  Maj.  Andrew  McClary  of  Ep- 
som, was  of  the  staff  killed.  We  give 
the  companies  in  order  of  the  numbers 
in  each  : 

First  company,  77  men.  Capt., 
George  Reid  of  Londonderry;  1st 
Lieut.,  Abraham  Reid  of  Londonderry  ; 
2d  Lieut.,  James  Anderson,  London- 
derry. This  company  was  enlisted 
from  Londonderry.  We  have  the  au- 
thority of  Matthew  Dickey  to  sustain 
the  statement  that  a  part  of  Capt.  Win, 
Scott's  company  joined  the  Derry  com- 
pany, and  that  Randall  McAllister  of 
Peterborough,  was  severely  wounded 
in  the  shoulder  while  rashly  standing 
upon  the  stone  breastwork,  located  in 
front  of  the  men.  Also,  Geo.  McLeod 
and  John  Graham  of  Peterborough, 
and  Martin  Montgomery  of  London- 
derry, were  all'  slightly  wounded. 
Thomas  Green,  afterwards  of  Swanzey, 
was  also  severely  wounded.  The  Pe- 
terborough men  were  enrolled  by  Capt. 
W.  Scott.  The  other  part  of  his  com- 
pany were  in  Capt.   Town's    company. 

Second  company,  69  men.  Capt., 
Daniel  Moor,  then  of  Deerfield,  after- 
wards of  Pembroke  ;  1st  Lieut.,  Eben- 
ezer  Frye  of  Pembroke ;  2d  Lieut., 
John  Moor.  This  company  composed 
largely  from  Pembroke,  Deerfield,  Al- 
lenstown,  Bow,  &c.  Nathan  Holt  and 
J.  Robinson,  both  of  Pembroke,  were 
wounded,  as  were  Josiah  Allen  of  Al- 
lenstown,  and  J.  Broderick. 

Third  company,  67  men.  Capt., 
Elisha  Woodbury  of  Salem ;  1st  Lieut., 


Thomas  Hardy  of  Pelham  ;  2d  Lieut., 
Jonathan  Corliss  of  Salem.  This  com- 
pany was  from  Salem,  Pelham,  Wind- 
ham and  vicinity.  Moses  Poor  and 
Thomas  Collins  were  both  killed  ;  Ab- 
ner  Gage  of  Pelham,  afterward  of  Ac- 
worth,  was  severely  wounded  in  the 
foot,  and  made  lame  permanently  ;  John 
Simpson  of  Windham,  lost  a  portion  of 
one  of  his  hands  by  a  cannon  ball,  so 
certified  by  his  captain  and  Isaac 
Thorn  his  surgeon.  Both  Gage  and 
Simpson  received  invalid  pensions. 
Eph.  Kelley  of  Salem,  and  Seth  Cutter 
of  Pelham,  were  also  slightly  wounded. 

Fourth  company,  66  men.  On  the 
day  of  the  battle  this  company  was 
commanded  by  Capt.  John  Moor 
of  Derryfield ;  1st  Lieut.,  Thomas 
McLaughlin  of  Bedford ;  2d  Lieut., 
Nathaniel  Boyd  of  Derryfield ;  1st 
Serg.,  Win.  Hutchins  of  Weare.  This 
company  was  enlisted  from  Derryfield, 
Bedford,  Brookline,  &c.  Henry 
Glover  was  killed  ;  Wm.  Spalding  of 
Raby,  now  Brookline,  severely  wounded  ; 
John  Cypher  and  Saml.  Milliken,  also 
wounded.  Capt.  Moor  was  promoted 
to  the  rank  of  major  of  the  regiment, 
upon  the  death  of' Maj.  Andrew  Mc- 
Clary. 

Fifth  company,  60  men.  Capt., 
Gordon  Hutchins  of  Concord ;  1st 
Lieut.,  Joseph  Soper  ;  2d  Lieut.,  Dan- 
iel Livermore  of  Concord.  This  com- 
pany was  composed  largely  from  Con- 
cord, Henniker  and  vicinity.  Dr. 
Bouton  gives  15  from  Concord  ;  Col. 
Cogswell  gives  20  from  Henniker.  Geo. 
Shannon  was  killed,  also  James  Reed 
of  Henniker ;  Alexander  Patterson  of 
Henniker,  wounded. 

Sixth  company,  59  men.  Capt., 
Henry  Dearborn  of  Nottingham  ;  1st 
Lieut.,  Amos  Morrill  of  Epsom ;  2d 
Lieut.,  Michael  McClary  of  Epsom. 
This  company  was  from  Nottingham, 
Deerfield,  Epsom,  Chichester,  Exeter, 
Barrington,  &c.  Wm.  McCrillis  of 
Epsom,  was  killed ;  Serg.  Andrew 
McGaffey  of  Sandwich,  Serg.  Jon- 
athan Gilman  of  Deerfield,  and  pri- 
vate Weymouth  Wallace  of  Epsom, 
were  wounded  and  received  invalid 
pensions. 


270 


NEW  HAMPSHIRE  MEN  AT  BUNKER  HILL. 


Seventh  company,  55  men.  Capt. 
Isaac  Baldwin  of  Hillsborough,  killed  ; 
1st  Lieut.,  John  Hale,  Hopkinton.;  2d 
Lieut.,  Stephen  Hoit,  Hopkinton.  Com- 
posed largely  from  the  men  of  Hopkin- 
ton, Hillsborough,  Warner,  Bradford, 
&c.  Capt.  Baldwin  was  a  valuable 
man,  was  a  native  of  Sudbury,  Mass. 
Had  been  with  Stark  -in  the  French 
war ;  was  one  of  the  first  settlers  in 
Hillsborough ;  was  mortally  wounded 
in  the  battle  of  the  17th,  by  a  shot 
through  the  body ;  was  carried  from 
the  field  by  John  McNeil  and  Serg. 
Andrews,  his  neighbors.  Died  about 
sunset  of  that  day,  aged  39  years. 

Moses  Trussell  of  Hopkinton  lost 
his  left  arm  by  a  cannon  ball  in  that  en- 
gagement. He  says  he  came  off  the 
hill  safely.  Hearing  that  his  brave 
commander  was  left  behind,  and  that 
he  was  wounded,  with  others  I  re- 
turned back  to  help  bring  him  off. « 
While  crossing  the  Charlestown  Neck, 
I  received  the  shot  which  disabled  me. 
His  narrative  is  embraced  in  a  petition 
for  half  pay  from  the  state,  which  he 
received.*  He  also  was  an  invalid  pen- 
sioner. He  resided  many  years  in 
New  London  in  this  state. 

Eighth  company,  53  men.  Capt., 
Samuel  Aaron    Kinsman   of  Concord ; 

*We  here  give  the  petition  of  Moses 
Trussel,  Avith  the  certificates : 

To  the  Hon.  Council  and  House  of  Eepre- 
sentatives  of  the  State  of  New  Hampshire, 
at  Exeter,  convened : 

Gentlemen :  The  petition  of  Moses 
Trussell.  humbly  sheweth  that  your  pe- 
titioner early  engaged  in  the  service  of 
his  country  by  enlisting  into  the  com- 
pany of  Capt.  Baldwin,  Col.  Stark's  reg- 
iment, in  the  year  1775.  On  the  17th  of 
June,  being  invited  to  join  the  reinforce- 
ment going  on  to  Bunker  Hill,  I  cheer- 
fully went  on.  and  after  standing  the  se- 
vere fire  of  the  enemy  until  ordered  tore- 
treat..  Then  making  the  best  of  my  way 
out,  escaped  over  the  neck  safely.  When 
hearing  that  Capt.  Baldwin  was  left  be- 
hind, and  hearing  that  lie  was  wounded, 
and  that  he  would  fall  into  the  hands  of 
a  cruel  and  barbarous  enemy,  a  motion 
was  made  for  returning  back  to  find  him 
if  possible.  Your  petitioner  with  several 
others  returned,  being  zealously  affected 
toward  such  a  gallant  and  brave  officer 
(notwithstanding  the  severity  of  the  ene- 


ist  Lieut.,  Ebenezer  Eastman  of  Con- 
cord ;  2d  Lieut.,  Samuel  Dearborn. 
This  company  was  made  up  from  re- 
cruits from  all  parts  of  the  state.  John 
Manual  of  Boscawen,  formerly  of  Bow, 
was  killed  ;  Abraham  Kimball  of  Hop- 
kinton, alias  Henniker,  was  wounded. 
Ninth  company,  52  men.  Capt., 
Samuel  Richards  of  Goffstown ;  1st 
Lieut.,  Moses  Little  ;  2d  Lieut.,  Jesse 
Carr  of  Goffstown.  This  company  was 
enlisted  from  Goffstown,  New  Boston 
and  Weare.  Caleb  Dalton  was  killed  ; 
Reuben  Kemp  of  Goffstown  was 
wounded  and  made  prisoner,  dying  in 
Boston ;  Andrew  McMillan  of  New 
Boston  was  wounded  in  his  right  hand, 
he  losing  the  use  of  it ;  Peter  Robin- 
son of  Amherst,  was  also  wounded, 
losing  his  right  hand  by  a  cannon  ball. 
Both  received  invalid  pensions  and  half 
pay.     We  give  Col.  Stark's  certificate  : 

March  17,  1777. 

This  may  certify  that  A.  McMillan  of 
New  Boston,  and  Peter  Robinson  of  Am- 
herst, were  both  of  my  regiment,  and 
were  with  me  at  Bunker  Hill,  and  were 
both  wounded,  and  I  knew  them  to  be- 
have very  courageous  in  that  action.  I 
beg  the  Hon.  Court  would  consider  of 
their  loss,  and  make  them  some  consider- 
ation. 

JOHN  STARK,  Col. 

my's  fire  across  the  Charlestown  Neck), 
and  in  my  search,  had  the  misfortune  by 
a  shot  from  the  enemy  to  lose  my  left 
hand,  it  being  shot  so  far  off  that  it  had 
only  a  little  skin  and  a  few  tendons  left. 
In  this  situation  I  returned  to  Plowed 
Hill,  where  a  surgeon  cut  the  tendons  and 
remaining  skin  entirely  off.  We  then 
had  the  misfortuue  not  only  oflosing  one 
member  of  my  body,  but  also  of  having 
our  worthy  Capt.  Baldwin  mortally 
wounded.  Being  then  conducted  to  Med- 
ford,  I  was  put  under  the  care  of  Dr. 
Williams,  whose  certificate  will  show. 
Being  fatherless,  my  honored  mother 
came  to  visit  me  and  attended  upon  me 
about  three  weeks,  and  after  about  seven 
weeks  I  was  committed  to  the  care  of  Dr. 
Kittredge.  I  tarried  there  about  two 
weeks,  and  from  there  went  home  to  my 
brother.  From  which  time  I  have  had 
no  allowance  from  the  state,  neither  for 
attendance  or  other  things.  Finding  my- 
self incapable  of  performing  the  business 
of  a  farmer  to  which  I  bad  been  brought 
up,  as  soon  as  1  was  able,  I  attended  a 
school  a  while  at  Hampstead,  then  again 


NEW  HAMPSHIRE  MEN  AT  BUNKER  HILL. 


271 


Tenth  company,  65  men.  Capt., 
Joshua  Abbott,  Concord  ;  Lieut.,  Sam- 
uel Atkinson,  Boscawen ;  2d  Lieut., 
Abial  Chandler,  Concord.  This  com- 
pany had  23  men  in  it  from  Concord. 
The  balance  were  from  Boscawen,  Sal- 
isbury and  vicinity.  William  Mitchell 
of  East  Concord,  was  killed  ;  Elias  Rano 
of  Salisbury,  was  wounded  in  his  leg  ; 
James  Robinson  and  Reuben  Kemp 
were  both  prisoners  in  Boston,  and 
were  reported  dead  ;  Daniel  McGrath 
was  reported  dead  in  Boston.  In  the 
returns,  Charles  Rice  of  Surry  and  James 
Winn  of  Richmond,  were  reported 
as  wounded,  and  attached  to 
Stark's  regiment.  The  same  may  be 
said  of  Jacob  Elliott,  Andrew  Aiken, 
and  Wm.  Smart ;  they  all  were  report- 
ed to  have  been  wounded  at  Bunker 
Hill ;  we  are  not  able  to  assign  them 
to  any  particular  company,  We  thus 
have  been  able  to  give  more  than 
three  fourths  of  the  whole  number  of 
all  the  killed  and  wounded  in  that  en- 
gagement with  considerable  accuracy. 
Stark's  regiment  was  unquestionably 
the  largest  in  numbers  that  was  en- 
gaged on  the  American  side.  Captain 
Dearborn  said  in  his  report  of  18 18, 
that  our  two  New  Hampshire  regiments 
marched  on  to  the  hill  with  full  num- 
bers. We  make  the  full  number  of 
Stark's  regiment,  including  rank  and 
file,  632.     Doubtless  there  were   some 

returned  to  Hopkiaton,  the  town  for 
which  I  enlisted.  There  having  the  ben- 
efit of  the  pastor  and  the  people  I  ac- 
quired so  much  instruction,  so  that  in 
1777  I  was  enabled  to  teach  a  small 
school,  by  means  of  which  and  the  help 
of  my  kind  mother  I  continued  along,  un- 
til at  length  the  great  arbiter  of  life  and 
death  called  her  to  the  world  of  spirits. 
And  now  being  destitute  of  father  and 
mother,  and  one  hand,  I  should  take  it  as 
a  favor  to  have  a  claim  with  many  others 
upon  the  public  rewards.  As  in  duty 
bound  your  petitioner  will  ever  pray. 
MOSES  TRUSSELL. 
Hopkinton,  Feb.  10,  1781. 

State  of  ISTew  Hampshire. 

This  certifies  that  Moses  Trussell 
served  as  a  private  in  Col.  Stark's  regi- 
ment in  the  year  1775,  and  that  he  has 
produced  sufficient  evidence  that  while 
in  the  service  of  the  United  States  he  lost 
his  left  arm  by  a  wound  received  in  it, 


sick  and  others  left  on  guard  at  Med- 
ford,  and  smoe  on  furlough,  for  which 
a  deduction  may  be  made.  We  allow 
a  deduction  of  50  men.  The  numbers 
engaged  in  that  battle  on  the  British 
side  must  have  exceeded  3000  men. 
The  number  of  the  Americans  must 
have  been  nearly  2500,  according  to 
Frothingham.  Mrs.  Hannah  Brown 
lost  her  husband  in  Bunker  Hill  battle, 
we  cannot  give  the  husband's  name. 
There  were  eight  Browns  in  Stark's 
regiment. 

We  claim  in  behalf  of  New  Hamp- 
shire that  she  furnished  nearly  half  of 
the  men  that  fought  on  the  American 
side.  Though  it  may  be  admitted  that 
those  who  fought  in  the  entrenchment 
suffered  most. 

Poor's  regiment  was  not  sent  for  un- 
til after  the  battle  of  the  1 7th.  It  ar- 
rived at  Cambridge,  June  25.  In  ad- 
dition to  the  numbers  already  stated, 
the  men  of  the  town  of  Hollis  were 
found  in  Col.  Prescott's  regiment.  They 
numbered  59,  and  were  commanded 
by  Captain  Reuben  Dow,  who  was 
wounded  in  his  leg  or  ankle,  and  per- 
manently lamed.  Judge  Worcester  of 
Nashua  has  furnished  a  good,  reliable 
record  of  his  revolutionary  fathers  and 
their  achievements.  We  are  glad  to 
know  he  is  about  to  give  to  the  public 
a  history  of  his  native  town.  Judge 
Worcester  gives  the  loss  in  Capt.  Dow's 

and  that  we  judge  him  to  be  entitled  to 
a  pension  of  twenty  shillings  per  month, 
commencing  on  the  31st  of  July,   1786. 
JOSE  PH    OILMAN,  1  Committee 
SAMUEL  TENNEY.  joomamtee' 
Exeter,  Oct.  31,  1786. 

March  21.  17S6. 
This  certifies  that  there  appears  to  be  due 
to  Moses  Trussell,  an  invalid,  the  sum 
of  one  hundred  and  fifteen  pounds  in 
full,  for  half  pay  from  January  1st, 
1776.  to  July  31st,  1785. 

$115.00  JOSEPH  PEARSON, 

add      24.00  Register  of  Invalid  Pensions. 


$139.00  in  the  whole  — 139  pounds 
half  pay. 

Reuben  Trussell  was  wounded  at  Ben- 
nington, Col.  Stickne5r's  regiment,  Stark's 
Brigade.  Received  as  halfpay  30  pounds, 
on  account  of  his  wound.  He  was  from 
Hopkinton.  We  suppose  him  a  brother 
of  Moses  Trussell. 


272 


NEW  HAMPSHIRE  MEN  AT  BUNKER  HILL. 


company  as  follows,  viz  :  6  killed — Na- 
than Blood,  Thomas  Wheat,  Isaac  Ho- 
bart,  Peter  Poor,  Jacob  Boynton,  Phin- 
eas  Nevins  ;  5  wounded — Capt.  Reu- 
ben Dow,  Francis  Powers,  Wm.  Wood, 
Eph.  Blood,  Thomas  Pratt. 

In  Capt.  Joseph  Mann's  company, 
private  R.  Ebenezer  Youngman,  killed  ; 
Thomas  Colburn,  killed ;  4  in  this 
company  from  Hollis.  In  Capt.  Saw- 
yer's company,  of  Haverhill,  Col.  Frye's 
regiment,  4  men  from  Plaistow,  N.  H. 
Of  these,  Simeon  Pike  was  killed  ;  his 
brother,  James  Pike,  was  wounded. 

In  this  battle,  Stark's  regiment  was  op- 
posed to  the  British  23d  regiment,  well 
known  as  the  Royal  Welsh  Fusileers 
Recently,  on  the  1 2th  of  July,  a.  d.  i  849, 
the  late  Prince  Albert  presented  to  this 
regiment  a  new  stand  of  colors,  and 
made  an  interesting  speech  on  that  oc- 
casion. We  present  a  short  extract  from 
it: 

"In  the  American  war,  the  Fusileers 
were  engaged  in  the  first  unhappy  col- 
lision, which  took  place  at  Lexington. 
It  also  fought  at  Bunker  Hill  and  at 
Brandywine.  At  Bunker  Hill,  its  loss 
was  so  great,  that  it  was  said  only  one 
officer  remained  to  tell  the  story.  In 
1781,  they  fought  at  Guilford  Court  House. 
Prince  Albert  added,  this  was  one  of  the 
hardest  and  best  contested  fields  in  the 
American  war." 

American  historians  support  the 
above  facts.  The  British  troops  landed 
on  the  Charlestown  beach,  and  marched 
up  the  hill  in  three  separate  columns. 
The  Fusileers  formed  on  the  British 
right,  in  front  of  Stark's  regiment,  which 
was  stationed  on  the  extreme  left  of  the 


American  forces.  The  late  Capt. 
David  Flanders,  who  was  a  private  in 
Capt.  Joshua  Abbott's  company,  stated 
to  the  writer,  that  his  company  was  lo- 
cated down  on  the  Mystic  beach, 
wholly  unprotected  by  any  defence  in 
their  front.  That  the  column  of  the 
Fusileers  did  not  deploy  until  they 
passed  Abbott's  company,  therefore, 
they  were  outflanked  by  us,  hence  we 
had  a  good  chance  to  pick  off  their  of- 
ficers. This  chance  we  improved,  as 
we  could  distinguish  the  officers  by  ob- 
serving the  swords  in  their  hands,  and 
that  they  had  occasion  to  use  them  in 
urging  their  own  men  into  the  fight. 

We  recapitulate  the  whole  number  of 
the  New  Hampshire  men  engaged  in 
Bunker  Hill  battle,  and  their  loss,  as 
follows,  viz  : 

Col.  John  Stark's  regiment,  rank  and 
file,  632  men  ;  deduct  for  the  sick  and 
those  on  guard,  &c,  50  men ;  balance 
of  men  engaged,  582.  Col.  James 
Reed's  regiment,  deducting  sick,  &c, 
as  returned  June  14,  488  men  ;  Capt. 
Reuben  Dow's  company  of  Hollis,  men 
in  Col.  Prescott's  Mass.  regiment,  59  ; 
Capt.  Mann's  Hollis  men,  Prescott's 
regiment,  4 ;  in  Capt.  Sawyer's  com- 
pany, Frye's  regiment,  Plaistow  men,  4  ; 
whole  number  in  battle,  113  7;  whole 
number  killed  as  returned  by  Stark,  45  ; 
wounded,  15  ;  whole  number  killed  as 
returned  by  Reed,  5;  wounded,  27; 
whole  number  killed  as  returned  by 
Capt.  Dow,  8 ;  wounded,  5  ;  whole 
number  killed  as  returned  by  Plaistow 
men,  1  ;  wounded,  1.  Whole  number 
of  killed  and  wounded,  107. 


THE  HOME  OF  LADY  WENTWORTH. 


273 


THE  HOME  OF  LADY  WENTWORTH. 


BY    FRED    MYRON    COLBY. 


I  was  at  Portsmouth,  that  lovely  old 
city  by  the  sea,  which  has  quite  as 
much  of  the  antique  and  the  romantic 
about  it  as  any  spot  in  America,  St. 
Augustine  and  Quebec  not  excepted. 
Several  days  had  been  spent  in  looking 
about  the  streets  and  wharves,  visiting 
the  grand  mansions  of  the  ancient  aris- 
tocracy, the  quaint  churches,  and  the 
graveyards,  where  under  escutchioned 
monuments  the  great  men  and  beauti- 
ful women  of  colonial  days  lie  quietly 
sleeping. 

One  beautiful  June  morning,  when 
the  sun  flashed  brilliantly  on  street  and 
highway  and  river  wave,  and  the  air 
was  fragrant  with  the  breath  of  lilacs 
and  apple  blossoms,  I  took  my  way  on 
foot  along  the  Little  Harbor  road,  my 
objective  point  being  the  old  home- 
stead of  Gov.  Wentworth,  celebrated  in 
prose  as  the  home  of  New  Hampshire's 
vice  royalty  for  twenty  years,  and  quite 
as  much  more  in  poetry  as  the  home  of 
the  beautiful  Lady  Wentworth,  whose 
romantic  marriage  our  Longfellow  has 
celebrated  in  his  exquisite  verse.  The 
distance  is  only  about  two  miles  from 
the  centre  of  Portsmouth,  and  the  road 
is  one  of  the  most  picturesque  in  New- 
England,  leading  along  delightful 
parks,  elegant  farm-houses,  and  well- 
cultivated  fields,  through  romantic  glens 
and  vales,  and  over  beautifully  rounded 
hills,  from  which  charming  views  are 
obtained  of  the  adjacent  city,  the  silvery 
Piscatasqua,  and  the  broad  open  sea 
beyond. 

It  was  with  a  singular  emotion  that  I 
approached  the  mansion.  Certain  po- 
etical emotions  there  are  which  have 
entered  into  our  imagination  in  our 
youth,  so  as  to  take  firm  possession  of 
us  and  affect  us  like  reality  ;  and  when 
these  phantoms  suddenly  evoked  by 
the  localities  where  we  have  seen  them 
in  our  dreams  start  up  from  the  depths 


of  memory,  a  distinct  echo,  so  to  speak, 
of  our  youth  and  its  ideal  loves  thrills 
through  all  our  being.  For  a  time  we 
move  in  an  atmosphere  of  enchantment, 
of  romance,  in  which  vague  and  shad- 
owy figures  of  "ye  ancient  day"  throng 
about  one.  More  than  once  that  morn- 
ing I  saw  the  glittering  coach  drawn  by 
six  spanking  bays,  flashing  along  the 
very  highway  I  was  traversing,  on  its 
panels  shining  the  lion  statant,  the  ar- 
morial device  of  the  Wentworth s  since 
Sir  Reginald  buckled  on  his  armor  and 
went  forth  with  the  conqueror  to  win 
estates  in  England,  and  within  the  car- 
riage the  portly  figure  of  the  old  gov- 
ernor, who  has  been  dead  under  the 
sod  for  over  a  hundred  years.  I  can- 
not tell  o'f  all  I  saw. 

I  was  greeted  at  last  by  a  huge  ram- 
bling building  of  nondescript  architec- 
ture, brown,  decayed  in  some  places, 
yet  a  noble  pile  withal. 

"Baronial  and  colonial  in  its  style; 
Gables  and  dormer  windows  everywhere, 
And  stacks  of  chimneys  rising  high  in  air." 

The  site  of  the  grand  mansion  is  a 
picturesque  one,  sequestered  in  a  lovely 
little  nook,  overlooking  the  broad  bay 
of  the  Piscatasqua,  with  the  sea  waves 
rippling  at  your  feet,  and  the  hazy  Isles 
of  Shoals,  the  home  of  one  of  our  sweet- 
est singers,  a  faint  line  on  the  horizon. 
It  is  built  close  upon  the  water,  and  the 
luxuriant  lawn  in  the  rear  needs  a  strong 
sea  wall  to  protect  it  from  tidal  en- 
croachments. Vast  hedges  of  lilacs  all 
in  bloom,  bordered  the  grounds  and 
even  swept  up  around  one  end  of  the 
old  mansion  with  which  they  seemed  to 
hold  sweet  communion.  The  broad 
open  court  was  covered  with  green 
grass  that  rippled  luxuriantly  in  the 
breeze  and  shook  the  golden  chalices  of 
the  buttercups  that  opened  in  the  sun- 
shine. The  shingled  roof  was  shadowed 
by   noble  trees,   some  of  which  must 


274 


THE  HOME  OF  LADY  WENTWORTH. 


have  looked  in  their  infancy  upon  the 
pomps  and  pageants  of  the  vice  regal 
proprietor. 

Despite  its  air  of  grandeur  the  house 
is  an  architectural  freak.  It  is  seldom 
that  one  will  find  so  large  a  house  that 
is  as  irregular  and  straggling  as  this  one 
is.  The  rambling  old  pile  looks  as  if  it 
had  been  put  together  at  different  peri- 
ods, and  each  portion  the  unhappy 
afterthought  of  the  architect  who  de- 
signed it.  It  is  simply  an  extension  of 
wing  upon  wing,  and  this  whimsical  ar- 
rangement is  followed  up  in  the  interior. 
The  chambers  are  curiously  connected 
by  unlooked-for  steps  and  capricious  lit- 
tle passages  that  remind  one  of  those 
mysterious  ones  in  the  old  castles,  cele- 
brated by  the  writers  of  the  Anne  Rad- 
cliffe  school.  Before  we  enter  the 
building,  however,  let  us  glance  for  a 
moment  at  its  founder,  Gov.  Benning 
Wentworth. 

Few  names  hold  more  exalted  rank 
in  the  annals  of  the  old  thirteen  colo- 
nies than  that  of  Wentworth.  The  pro- 
genitor of  our  colonial  family  was  Wil- 
liam, a  cousin  of  the  ill-fated  Chancel- 
lor of  Charles  the  First,  who  arrived  in 
New  Hampshire  as  early  as  1650.  Ben- 
ning Wentworth  was  a  great  grandson 
of  William.  His  father  was  John  Went- 
worth, who  was  Lieutenant-Governor  of 
New  Hampshire  from  171 7  till  1730. 
The  son  graduated  at  Harvard,  and 
afterwards  was  associated  with  his 
father  and  uncle  in  the  mercantile  busi- 
ness at  Portsmouth.  He  several  times 
represented  the  town  in  the  Provincial 
Assembly,  was  appointed  a  king's  coun- 
cillor in  1734,  and  finally,  in  1741,  be- 
came the  royal  governor  of  the  province. 
His  life  was  long,  active,  and  distin- 
guished, and  during  his  career  New 
Hampshire  advanced  rapidly  in  wealth 
and  prosperity,  though  not  so  fast  as 
the  governor  did.  He  laid  heavy  trib- 
ute on  the  province,  and  exacted  heavy 
fees  for  grants  of  land.  He  had  the 
right  perhaps.  That  he  was  a  right 
brave  and  distinguised  looking  cavalier, 
and  well  fitted  to  lead  society  at  a 
provincial  court,  his  portrait  at  Went- 
worth Hall  abundantly  shows.  It  rep- 
resents him  dressed   in  the  heighth   of 


fashion,  with  a  long  flaxen  peruke  flow- 
ing in  profuse  curls  to  his  shoulders. 
He  has  a  handsome,  dignified  face,  the 
lips  wearing  an  engaging  smile,  and  the 
air  generally  of  face  and  figure  of  one 
who  is  "lord  of  the  manor."  Indeed 
there  was  everything  in  the  career  of 
the  worthy  governor  to  give  him  what 
in  Europe  used  to  be  called  the  "  bel 
air."  Fortune  had  taken  him  by  the 
hand  from  the  very  cradle,  and  some 
beneficent  fairy,  throughout  all  his  life, 
seemed  to  have  smoothed  away  all 
thorns  in  his  path  and  scattered  flowers 
before  him.  He  died  at  the  age  of 
seventy-four,  having  lived  as  fortunate 
and  splendid  a  life  as  any  gentleman  of 
his  time  in  the  new  world. 

It  was  in  1 749  that  he  commenced 
to  build  this  mansion,  and  it  was  com- 
pleted the  next  year.  He  had  been 
fascinated  by  the  beauty  of  the  place, 
and  the  magnificent  structure  which 
rose  at  his  command  was  worthy  of  its 
situation.  Where  he  obtained  his  plan 
no  one  knows,  but  perhaps  the  irregu- 
larity of  the  structure  was  compensated 
by  the  grandeur  and  sumptuousness  of 
its  adornments.  Everything  about  the 
mansion  was  on  a  grand  scale.  The 
stables  held  thirty  horses  in  time  of 
peace.  The  lofty  gateways  were  like 
the  entrance  to  a  castle.  The  offices 
and  outhouses  might  have  done  credit 
to  a  Kenilworth  or  a  Middleham.  As 
it  now  stands,  girt  by  its  ancestral  trees, 
looking  out  upon  the  sea,  the  house 
seems  a  patrician  of  the  old  regime, 
withdrawing  itself  instinctively  from  con- 
tact with  its  upstart  neighbors.  Having 
an  existence  of  four  generations  and 
more,  a  stately,  dignified,  hospitable 
home  before  Washington  had  reached 
manhood,  the  Wentworth  house  may 
claim  the  respect  due  to  a  hale,  hearty 
old  age  as  well  as  that  due  to  great- 
ness. 

The  interior  of  the  house  is  as  worthy 
of  inspection  as  the  outside  premises. 
The  broad  generous  hall  with  its  stair- 
case railed  in  with  the  curiously  wrought 
balusters,  which  the  taste  of  the  time  re- 
quired to  be  different  in  form  and  de- 
sign, is  suggestive  of  an  old  baronial 
castle.     As  I  passed  through  it   I  was 


THE  HOME  OF  LADY  WENTWORTH. 


275 


for  a  moment  overcome  with  a  halo  of 
distinguished  associations.  The  same 
floor  had  been  pressed  by  the  feet  of 
brave  soldiers,  scholars,  and  grave  dig- 
nitaries of  state.  Few  houses  in  Amer- 
ica have  had  as  many  illustrious  visitors. 
Rooms  under  its  roof  have  been  occu- 
pied by  Governor  Shirley  of  New  York, 
Lord  London,  commander  in  chief  of 
the  British  forces  in  America,  Sir 
Charles  Knolles,  Admiral  Boscawen, 
George  Whitefield,  and  other  worthies 
of  that  period.  Stately  merrymakings 
have  been  celebrated  in  its  old  halls. 
The  wide  doors  of  the  grandly  carved 
vestibule  have  been  flung  open  more 
than  once  upon  festival  times.  Over 
this  spacious  staircase  many  a  time  half 
a  dozen  noble  dames  walked  abreast, 
with  their  embroidered  trains.  Gay 
belles  with  stiff  brocades,  and  hair  three- 
stories  high,  and  young  gallants,  with 
powdered  wigs  and  the  brave  court  cos- 
tume of  the  Second  and  Third  George's 
reign — the  beauty,  the  wealth,  the  aris- 
tocracy of  Portsmouth,  have  danced 
stately  figures  on  the  oaken  floors.  All 
this  was  long  ago,  but  as  you  gaze  on 
the  high,  dadoed  walls,  the  solid  floors, 
the  carving,  the  staircase,  it  is  easy  to 
imagine  it  all.  You  can  almost  hear 
the  rustle  of  the  sweeping  trains,  and 
the  patter  of  high  heeled  shoes,  with  a 
flutter  of  your  imagination. 

The  first  door  on  the  right  hand  of 
the  hall  opens  into  the  grand  parlor  of 
the  old  governor,  which  still,  retains  all 
of  its  former  magnificence.  The  paper 
on  the  walls  is  the  same  that  was  put 
on  at  the  time  the  mansion  was  erected, 
and  the  carpet  on  the  floor  was  put 
there  by  Lady  Wentvvorth  more  than 
eighty  years  ago.  The  four  windows 
draped  by  those  blue  woolen  damask 
curtains  with  silken  fringes,  command  a 
long  stretch  of  out  of  door  beauties  in 
striking  contrast  to  the  antiquarian  fire- 
place with  tiled  jams,  brass  andirons 
and  fender,  and  the  ancient  stone 
hearth.  Several  portraits,  those  of 
Hancock  and  Washington,  and  Judge 
William  Cushing,  whom  Washington 
wanted  to  be  Chief  Justice  of  the 
United  States,  among  the  number,  adorn 
the  walls,  and  there   are   several   inter- 


esting relics  of  later  families  about   the 
apartment. 

In  this  room,  surrounded  by  the  won- 
dering invited  guests  of  the  governor, 
was  consummated  the  marriage  cere- 
mony which  Longfellow  has  celebrated 
in  his  "Tales  of  a  Wayside  Inn,"  be- 
tween Wentworth  and  his  chamber- 
maid. It  was  something  of  a  change 
for  Martha  Hilton.  She  was  a  girl  of 
matchless  beauty,  but  very  poor.  When 
young  she  had  scandalized  her  neigh- 
bors by  glimpses  of  bare  ankles  and 
white  shoulders  as  she  promenaded  the 
streets  in  scant  costume.  A  puritanic 
dame  one  time  remonstrated  with  the 
maiden  in  rather  severe  terms  for  ex- 
hibiting so  much  of  her  beauty  to  every 
passer  in  the  street.  But  the  sleek- 
limbed  Martha  answered  not  abashed, 
"never  mind  how  I  look ;  I  yet  shall 
ride  in  my  own  chariot,  ma'am."  It 
was  a  true  prophecy.  After  a  lapse  of 
years,  attracted  by  her  grace,  her 
beauty,  her  wit  and  good  sense,  Ben- 
ning  Wentworth  offered  her  his  hand. 
Of  course  she  accepted  it — what  woman 
would  have  not?  and  they  were  mar- 
ried on  the  governor's  sixtieth  birthday, 
by  Rev.  Arthur  Brown. 

From  the  parlor  the  visitor  passes  in- 
to a  large,  roomy  apartment,  known  as 
the  Council  Chamber.  It  was  formerly 
the  state  apartment,  and  was  truly  mag- 
nificent, enough  so,  even  for  a  vice  re- 
gal Wentworth.  The  ceilings  are  high, 
and  the  wainscots,  panels,  and  mould- 
ings are  enriched  with  carvings.  The 
closely-jointed,  smooth,  white  floor,  de- 
spite a  century's  wear,  looks  as  if  laid 
but  yesterday.  The  original  fireplace 
is  there,  before  which  the  royal  gov- 
ernor and  his  friends  discussed  the 
tangled  questions  pertaining  to  the 
sway  of  his  growing  province.  The 
room  is  finished  in  the  best  style  of  the 
last  century.  The  ornamentation  of  the 
huge  mantel  was  carved  with  knife  and 
chisel,  at  which  the  artist  worked  con- 
stantly for  a  whole  long  year. 

Around  the  Council  Room  are  some 
grand  old  portraits,  thirteen  in  all. 
They  are  all  in  handsome  gilt  frames, 
and  some  of  them  have  rare  histories  if 
they  could  be  told.     A  copy  of  one   of 


276 


THE  HOME  OF  LADY  WENTWORTH. 


Vandyke's,  representing  Lord  Strafford 
dictating  to  his  secretary  on  the  night 
before  his  execution,  is  quite  promi- 
nent, as  is  also  a  portrait  of  Queen 
Christina  of  Sweden.  The  others  are 
portraits  of  the  governor's  ancestors  and 
relatives,  among  which  is  that  of  the 
beautiful  Dorothy  Quincey.  This  last 
is  by  Copley,  and  represents  the  colo- 
nial belle  when  she  was  about  twenty 
years  old.  She  wears,  I  think,  a  blue 
silk  dress,  cut  in  the  Maria  Stuart  fash- 
ion, and  fitting  closely  the  queenly  fig- 
ure. The  face  is  fair,  with  a  pair  of 
laughing  blue  eyes  and  a  lovely  mouth, 
framed  in  a  mass  of  hair  as  golden  as 
any  of  the  Venetian  beauties  whom 
Titian  has  celebrated,  and  resting  upon 
a  neck  as  white  and  graceful  as  a 
swan's.  Dorothy  was  the  daughter  of 
Judge  Edward  Quincey  of  Braintree, 
and  was  a  niece  of  Gov.  Wentworth. 
After  having  many  suitors,  Aaron  Burr 
being  one  of  them,  the  pretty  and  viva- 
cious coquette  married  the  princely 
merchant  and  distinguished  patriot, 
John  Hancock. 

At  the  entrance  of  the  Council 
Chamber  are  seen  the  racks  for  the 
twelve  guns,  carried  when  occasion  re- 
quired by  the  governor's  guards.  In 
the  Billiard  Room,  which  adjoins  this 
apartment,  still  remains  the  ancient 
spinet,  now  time-worn  and  voiceless,  but 
whose  keys  have  many  a  time  been 
touched  by  the  jeweled  white  fingers  of 
aristocratic  belles.  Washington  listened 
to  its  music  once  when  he  visited  here 
in  1790,  the  guest  of  the  hospitable 
Colonel  Wentworth.  Here,  too,  is  seen 
in  one  corner,  the  old  buffet  which  in 
the  olden  time  has  held  many  a  full  and 
empty  punch  bowl.  Opening  out  of 
the  larger  apartment  are  little  side 
rooms  where  illustrious  guests,  General 
London,  Admiral  Boscawen,  Lord  Pep- 
perell  and  many  others,  have  played  at 
cards  and  other  games  until  the  "  wee 
sma'  hours."  About  the  whole  hall 
there  is  a  choice  venerableness  which 
the  antiquarian  can  fully  appreciate. 

On  the  left  hand  of  the  great  hall, 
stretches  away,  room  after  room  which 
are  in  daily  use  by  the  household. 
Through  the  courtesy  of  the  proprietor, 


I  was  permitted  to  visit  the  kitchen, 
dining,  and  sitting-room,  and  view  the 
ancient  commissariat  of  the  governor, 
which  was  made  on  an  extensive  scale. 
The  view  from  the  west  windows  of  the 
dining-room  is  as  fine  as  any  from  the 
house,  combining  both  land  and  ocean 
scenery.  The  old  governor,  good  liver 
as  he  was,  never  was  troubled  with  dys- 
pepsia. The  reason  is  evident,  viz : 
good  digestion,  superinduced  by  the 
delightful  prospect  visible  from  his 
table. 

In  the  second  story  a  stranger  would 
be  very  liable  to  get  lost.  The  winding 
passages  and  numerous  rooms  are  per- 
plexing. The  old  house  contained  fif- 
ty-two rooms,  formerly,  every  one  of 
them  wainscoted,  but  some  of  them 
have  been  given  over  entirely  to  rats. 
The  State  Chamber  is  immediately 
above  the  parlor,  and  is  an  elegant  and 
luxurious  apartment.  On  one  side,  the 
windows  look  down  into  the  garden 
with  its  old  box-bordered  walks  and  its 
blossoming  beauties  of  leaf  and  flower. 
Fruit  trees  were  blushing  scarlet  and 
purple  with  flowers,  the  Pyrus  Japonica 
shamed  the  sunlight  with  its  gorgeous 
crimson  bloom,  and  the  odors  rose 
from  the  white  starred  Spiraea  and 
Dedtzia  gracilis.  It  was  very  natural 
that  the  lines  should  suggest  them- 
selves. 

"A  brave  old  house,  a  garden  full  of  bees, 
Large  drooping  poppies  and  green  holly- 
hocks. 
With  butterflies  for  crowns,  trupeonies, 
And  pinks  and  goldilocks. " 

Many  and  many  a  time  this  bed 
chamber  wooed  the  slumbers  of  the 
sybarite  Benning  Wentworth,  and  here 
on  a  dull  Sunday,  Oct.  14th,  1770,  the 
great  man  breathed  his  last  in  the  arms 
of  his  faithful  wife.  The  governor  re- 
warded her  care  and  faithfulness  by  be- 
queathing her  his  entire  estate.  The 
great  house  was  not  long  without  a 
master,  however.  Lady  Wentworth 
after  living  single  about  a  year,  fell  into 
the  matrimonial  traces  again,  but  with- 
out changing  her  name.  She  outlived 
her  second  husband  several  years,  and 
at  her  death,  in  1804,  left  the  old  man- 
sion to  her  daughter  Martha,  whom  she 


THE  COMING  OF  JUNE.  277 

had  by    Colonel  Michael   Wentworth.  returned.     Charles  dishing,   Esq.,  not 

She  was  buried  beside  her  first  husband  distantly  related  to  Hon.   Caleb   Cush- 

in   the   churchyard  of    St.    John's,   in  ing,  purchased  the  place  in    181 7,    and 

Portsmouth.  his   widow,   the    daughter    of  Senator 

The  mansion  at  Little    Harbor   con-  Jacob  Sheafe,  long  resided  there.     The 

tinued  to  be  occupied   by   the  second  mansion  and  surrounding  estate  is  now 

Martha    Wentworth,    who    was    also    a  the  property  of  Mr.  Mathew   B.    Israel, 

Lady,    her   husband    being    Sir    John  whose  wife  has    Sheafe,    Cushing,    and 

Wentworth,  until  18 16,  when  they  went  Wentworth  blood  flowing   in    one    rich 

to  England,  from   whence   they   never  stream  in  her  aristocratic  veins. 


THE     COMING     OF   JUNE. 


BY    HOPE    HUNTINGTON. 

When  the  gladsome  earth  discloses 

All  her  fragrant,  queenly  roses, 
And  the  thrush  and  swallow  warble  all  in  tune, 

And  the  wood  and  meadow  smiling, 

Call  their  subjects  all  beguiling, 
Then  from  up  the  shining  orient  comes  the  June. 

Lovelier  than  the  springtime  maiden, 

And  with  richer  treasures  laden  ; 
Come  !  with  deeper  beauty  on  thy  glowing  mien  ! 

We  would  hear  thy  low,  sweet  singing, 

Over  hill  and  valley  ringing, 
Come  !  with  sky-blue  eyes,  and  breath  of  eglantine  ! 

Foam  and  wave,  oh  em'rald  grasses, 

Make  a  pathway  when  she  passes  ; 
Sing,  oh  lark,  a  merry  welcome  loud  and  clear  ! 

And  with  joy  we'll  end  the  measure, 

With  a  glad  sweet  cry  of  pleasure, 
Shouting,  ''June,  of  months  the  fairest,  June  is  here  !" 

"Perfect  bloom  of  rare  completeness, 

Rich  in  fresh,  unconscious  sweetness, 
Gladly  would  we  yield  her  Earth's  most  precious  boon  ! 

Yet  the  best  that  we  could  render, 

Would  be  lost  amid  the  splendor, 
And  the  ever-radiant  glory  of  the  June  !" 


278 


MANNERS  AND  CUSTOMS  IN  HOPKINTON. 


MANNERS  AND  CUSTOMS  IN  HOPKINTON— No.  4. 


BY    C.    C.    LORD. 


MILITARY. 


In  a  previous  article,  we  have  given 
a  sketch  of  military  affairs  in  this 
town,  viewing  the  subject  in  its  more  ab- 
stract relations.  It  is  now  our  purpose 
to  mention  the  local  military  element 
as  an  integral  part  of  our  earlier  social 
system.  In  the  colonial  days  of  New 
Hampshire,  the  militia  was  in  almost 
constant  demand  in  anticipation  of  pos- 
sible conflicts  with  the  Indians.  The 
first  garrisons  were  manned  by  soldiers 
who  were  the  natural  protectors  of  the 
local  settlement.  The  attendance  of 
the  military  at  public  gatherings  was 
often  required.  Arms  bristled  in  the 
air,  when,  in  1757,  the  first  ordination 
of  a  minister  took  place  in  Hopkinton. 
It  is  said  that  the  present  prevailing 
custom  of  seating  the  male  members  of 
religious  congregations  in  the  heads  of 
pews  arose  from  the  primitive  habit  of 
locating  the  soldiery  in  a  similar  man- 
ner. It  must  be  remembered,  however, 
that,  in  the  earlier  times  in  this  vicinity, 
every  able-bodied  man  was  considered 
in  a  general  sense  a  person  of  military 
precautions,  if  not  one  of  actual  martial 
occupation. 

The  existence  of  an  organized  sol- 
diery implies  the  practice  of  military 
evolution,  or  drill.  A  "training-field," 
for  the  accommodation  of  military  prac- 
tice, was  selected  very  early  in  this  town. 
The  spot  was  on  the  top  of  Putney's 
Hill,  a  few  rods  distant  from  Putney's 
Fort.  The  determination  of  American 
Independence  incurred  a  re-establish- 
ment of  a  military  system.  Under  the 
new  political  regime,  the  law  of  1792, 
with  some  modifications,  provided  for 
all  the  accidental,  local  military  facts,  it 
is  necessary,  in  this  connection,  to 
to  mention,  till  the  year  1851.  This 
ancient  law  provided  for  practice  at 
arms  at  least  three   times  each   year, 


by  all  persons  liable  to  military  duties. 
In  compliance  with  legal  provisions,  for 
many  years,  the  soldiery  of  Hopkinton 
were  accustomed  to  practice  tactics 
once  in  May  and  once  in  September, 
the  days  selected  being  known  respec- 
tively as  spring  and  fall  training  days, 
upon,  which  company  drill  alone  was 
practiced.  A  regimental  muster  oc- 
curred annually  in  the  month  of  Sep- 
tember, the  date  of  the  occasion  being 
determined  "by  the  official  authority  of 
the  regiment ;  the  place  of  assembling 
was  in  some  one  of  the  towns  represent- 
ed in  the  command,  the  practice  of 
alternating  locations  being  in    vogue.* 

A  soldier  of  the  regular  infantry  was 
required  to  appear  at  training  or  mus- 
ter, armed  with  a  gun  and  bayonet  of 
his  own  purchase,  as  well  as  equipped 
with  a  knapsack,  canteen,  cartridge- 
box  and  belt,  priming-wire  and  brush, 
and  two  extra  flints.  In  later  years  of 
the  old  military  service,  a  member  of 
an  "independent  "  or  uniformed  com- 
pany was  furnished  a  gun  by  the  state. 
Commissioned  officers  were  required  to 
procure  their  own  arms.  At  company 
trainings,  the  three  commissionedofficers 
— captain,  lieutenant  and  ensign,  or  2d 
lieutenant — were  charged  with  the  duty 
of  inspecting  arms  and  equipments,  im- 
posing corresponding  fines  if  any  were 
found  deficient  in  number  or  quality  ;  at 
musters  a  similar  duty  devolved  upon 
the  regimental  inspecting  officer.  The 
inspection  finished,  the  company  or  regi- 
ment was  duly  exercised  in  military  ev- 
olutions and  in  the  manual  of  arms. 

Public  military  parade  was  usually 
conducted  with  a  decorum  appropriate 

*The  plains  land  south  of  Contoocook 
village,  the  interval  below  Tyler's  bridge, 
on  the  south  side  of  the  river,  and  the 
spot  occupied  by  the  new  graveyard,  east 
of  the  lower  village,  have  been  used  as 
muster  fields  in  this  town. 


MANNERS  AND  CUSTOMS  IN  HOPKINTON. 


279 


to  the  imperative  character  of  soldierly 
discipline.  In  some  instances,  the  ex- 
cellence in  tactics  was  eminently  supe- 
rior. The  best  skill  depended  upon  the 
executive  character  of  the  commanders. 
The  system  of  general  military  practice 
sometimes  developed  officers  that  could 
direct  a  company  through  a  variety  of 
evolutions  without  speaking  a  word,  the 
motion  of  the  sword  designating  the 
order  of  movement.  Col.  William  Col- 
by, of  this  town,  was  one  thus  skilled. 
The  use  of  gunpowder  was  not  legally 
exacted  upon  the  instance  of  parade, 
though  powder  was  sometimes  used  by 
popular  agreement,  or  custom.  The 
sham-fight,  a  favorite  exercise  of  muster 
day,  was  an  occasion  of  much  blank  fir- 
ing, when  the  whole  regiment — cavalry, 
artillery,  infantry  and  riflemen — divided 
in  the  semblance  of  two  hostile  bands, 
struggled  in  a  grand  melee  for  the  hon- 
ors of  a  quasi  victory. 

The  legitimate  programme  of  a  sham 
fight  implied  the  attempt  of  a  contend- 
ing force  to  surround  and  capture 
another,  or  to  display  its  own  ranks  so 
skillfully  as  to  prevent  a  surprisal,  while 
all  the  time  a  great  deploy  of  tumultu- 
ous gunnery  was  indulged.  Such  con- 
tests were  always  exciting  and  liable  at 
any  time  to  end  in  a  riotous  demonstra- 
tion of  local  pride  and  jealousy.  Local 
feuds  engendered  in  sham  fights  were 
often  perennial  in  duration,  developing 
at  times  into  such  a  fever  of  animosity 
that  the  officers  of  the  regiment  were 
impelled  to  make  prudence  the  better 
part  of  valor  and  dispense  with  the  fight 
altogether,  lest  it  should  become  too 
dangerously  real  in  character.* 

*The  dangerous  heat  of  military  enthu- 
siasm was  once  emphatically  illustrated 
by  the  boys  of  this  town.  Two  rival 
companies  of  amateur  militia — respective- 
ly from  the  upper  and  lower  villages — 
met  on  the  highway,  in  what  is  now  the 
Gage  district,  and  contended  so  desperate- 
ly that  the  populace  became  alarmed  and 
caused  the  arrest  of  the  combat.  The 
commanders  of  these  companies  were 
Benjamin  Jewell,  of  the  upper,  and  Ham- 
ilton E.  Perkins,  of  the  lower  village. 
There  was  also  about  this  time  a  third 
company  of  boys  in  the  Blackwater  dis- 
tinct; it  was  commanded  by  Samuel  B. 
Straw. 


The  time  appropriated  to  a  company 
training  was  generally  half  of  a  day.    A 
general  muster  of  the  regiment  occupied 
a  whole  day.     No  legal  provision  was 
made  for  the  conveyance  of  soldiers  to 
the  place  of  rendevouz,  and  individuals 
often  straggled  along  on  the  way  to  the 
training  or  muster  field,  their  gay  uni- 
forms making  them  the  observed  of  all 
observers.     Since  the  place  of  the  regi- 
mental   muster    alternated    among    the 
different  towns  represented  in  the  com- 
mand, the  distance  required  to  reach  it 
often  demanded  a  start  of  many  hours 
in  advance.     The   spot   reached,  both 
the  tents   of  the  regiment,  and  private 
or  tavern    accommodations  were  often 
required  to  lodge  the  troops.     Experi- 
ences akin  to  the  actual  life  of  war  were 
often  realized  in  this  military  housing. 
Muster  service  was  at  best  a  hard  one, 
and  many  a  youth  who  looked  forward 
with  fond  anticipation  to  the  time  when 
he,   too,  should   be    a   happy   soldier, 
lived  to  count  the  years  that  must  pass 
away  so  slowly  before  he  should  be  ex- 
empt from  a  duty  that  had  become  as 
irksome  as  it  had  once  seemed  fascinat- 
ing.    The  duties  of  a  common  soldier 
of  militia  were  performed  without  pay,* 
though  he  received   his   dinner,  or   its 
equivalent,  on   muster   days.     At    first, 
the  town  provided   a  dinner   of  bread 
and  beef  for  the  regiment  at  muster ; 
later,  an  equivalent  of  thirty-one  cents 
was  allowed  ;  last,  fifty  cents  were  ap- 
propriated as  a  means  of  a  soldier's  re- 
freshment.    In   later    times,    also,    the 
members   of  uniformed  companies  re- 
ceived each  a  compensation  of  $1.50  a 
year,  paid  them  at  muster,  and  immedi- 
ately after  satisfactory  inspection,  by  the 
selectmen.  The  sum  paid  was  reckoned 
as  the  equivalent  of  fifty  cents  for  each 
of  two  attendances  at  company  training 
and  one  at  muster. 

Music  is  always  regarded  as  an  aid 
to  the  metrical  execution  of  military 
drill.     For  the  support  of  martial  music, 

♦Commissioned  officers  of  militia  re- 
ceived no  salary,  but  received  such  other 
compensation  as  was  given  to  privates  of 
the  same  command.  They  could  be  ex- 
empted from  military  duty,  however, 
after  an  official  service  of  a  term  of  years. 


280 


MANNERS  AND  CUSTOMS  IN  HOPKINTON. 


the  state  provided  each  company  with 
a  fife,  a  snare  drum  and  a  base,  drum.* 
If  companies  desired  other  instruments 
of  music,  they  were  allowed  to  provide, 
at  their  own  expense,  as  many  as  they 
wished.  The  old  military  practices  de- 
veloped a  good  use  in  stimulating  the 
musical  talents  of  the  young.  Instru- 
mental music  was  cultivated  everywhere, 
and  military  bands  frequently  estab- 
lished. There  was  in  Hopkinton,  at 
the  close  of  the  old  military  system,  a 
band  of  no  mean  ability,  being  com- 
posed of  players  upon  clarionets,  bugles, 
trombones,  and  other  instruments.  Sub- 
sequently to  1S51,  the  interest  in  mar- 
tial music  rapidly  declined  to  complete 
extinction.  It  revived  again,  however, 
in  1859,  when  the  Hopkinton  Cornet 
Band  was  organized,  under  the  leader- 
ship of  Melvin  Colby.  This  organiza- 
tion expired  in  1873,  but  in  1877  anew 
one  was  formed  under  the  old  name, 
and  under  the  leadership  of  John  F. 
Gage.  The  Cootoocook  Cornet  Band 
was  organized  in  1861,  under  the  lead- 
ership of  W.  H.  Hardy ;  re-organized 
in  1875,  under  the  leadership  of  C.  T. 
Webber.  Amos  H.  Currier  is  the  pres- 
ent leader. 

A  noted  martial  musician  of  this  town 
was  Mr.  Jonah  Campbell,  a  famous 
drummer,  who  died  on  the  6th  of  May 
of  the  present  year,  at  the  advanced  age 
of  83  years.  Mr.  George  Choat,  a  cele- 
brated fifer,  is  still  living  at  an  advanced 
age. 

MEDICAL. 

Although  this  department  of  our 
present  subject  hardly  comes  within  the 
domain  of  popular  themes,  yet  the  prac- 
tice of  the  curative  art  has  been  modi- 
fied so  much  since  the  beginning  of 
civilized  history  in  this  town  that  some 
particulars  cannot  fail  to  interest  the 
reader.  It  must  be  understood,  too, 
that  the  curative  art  was  very  large- 
ly popular  in  the  first  years  of  this 
local  community.  A  pioneer  society  in 
New  England,  a  century  ago,  was  forced 

*The  first  base  drum  used  was  propor- 
tionately longer  in  form  than  the  present 
one,  was  slung-  horizontally  from  the 
neck,  and  played  with  two  drum-sticks, 
one  in  each  hand. 


to  maintain  existence  in  spite  of  many 
professional  privations.  In  such  a  con- 
dition, people  are  accustomed  to  draw 
constantly  upon  such  special  resources 
as  their  domestic  circumstances  afford. 
A  society  so  situated  could  not  fail  to 
produce  local  characters  famed  for  their 
skill  in  emergencies.  Among  such 
characters,  females  would  enjoy  a  gen- 
erally allotted  prominence  in  the  depart- 
ment of  remedial  knowledge.  However, 
experienced  men  and  matrons  in  prim- 
itive circles  would  convey  abundant 
traditions  of  the  medical  value  of  sundry 
herbs,  roots,  barks,  and  other  domestic 
resources,  in  the  instance  of  the  various 
ills  that  afflict  the  human  body.  Confi- 
dence inspired  from  such  a  source  an- 
nually replenished  the  earlier  homes  of 
this  vicinity  with  a  profusion  of  herbal 
packages  and  bundles,  provided  against 
the  dreaded  prospective  wants  of  the 
sickened  individual  or  household.  Rum- 
maging through  this  domestic  materia 
medica,  one  could  find  specific  reliefs 
for  fevers,  chills,  aches,  eruptions,  etc., 
the  efficacy  of  which  was  as  firmly  reput- 
ed as  any  specific  in  the  officinal  list  of 
the  professional  corps  today.  The  cura- 
tive products  of  the  concocting  skill  of 
some  local  or  itinerant*  domestic  prac- 
titioner of  extraordinary  repute  were 
often  regarded  as  indispensable  house- 
hold equipments.  Most  likely  some 
famous  plaster  or  salve,  or  some  re- 
nowned liniment,  was  included  in  the  list 
of  special  reliances. 

The  professional  physician  of  the 
earlier  times  was  practically  beholden,  in 
a  large  degree,  to  his  knowledge  of  the 
reputation  of  purely  domestic  remedies. 
The  first  physicians  in  this  vicinity  were 
often  educated  solely  under  the  tutor- 
ship of  reputable  practitioners  in  their 
respective  localities,  and  their  practice 
was  somewhat  of  an  eclectic  character. 
Yet   they   were   relatively  skillful,  as  a 


*An  itinerant  doctor  of  repute  in  this 

town  was  Dr. Flagg,  who  carried 

a  stock  of  medicines  and  travelled  on  foot. 
He  seems  to  have  been  esteemed  by  many 
adults,  but  greatly  feared  by  the  children, 
"who  regarded  him  as  a  monster  having 
mysterious  and  dreadful  uses  for  chil- 
dren, especially  if  they  had  red  hair. 


MANNERS  AND  CUSTOMS  IN  HOPKINTON. 


2S1 


body,  in  their  day  and  generation,  while 
ome  of  them  enjoyed  extra  repute. 
Laboring  in  an  incipient  community, 
much  often  depended  on  the  personal 
self-possession  of  the  primative  physi- 
cian. When  a  person  is  often  called 
upon  to  represent  the  only  individual 
reliance  of  a  dependent  circle,  he  nat- 
urally becomes  an  object  of  a  confi- 
dence that  rises  to  the  degree  of  super- 
stition. A  resolute  and  prudent  physi- 
cian, the  object  of  such  intense  regard, 
can  use  his  position  in  promoting  effects 
lying  on  the  border  land  of  mystery.* 

Dr.  Ebenezer  Lerned,  who  became  a 
resident  of  this  town  as  early  as  1793, 
was  the  first  thoroughly  educated  physi- 
cian practicing  in  Hopkinton.  It  will 
be  interesting  to  note  some  of  the  lead- 
ing points  in  the  practice  of  the  regular 
faculty  at  this  period  of  our  history. 
Practically  speaking,  the  intelligent  rep- 
resentatives of  all  schools  of  healing, 
hold  one  principle  in  an  emphatic  degree 
of  prominence.  The  alternations  of 
vital  force  between  opposite  extremes 
is,  in  the  minds  of  the  best  practitioners, 
favorably  related  to  conditions  of  bodily 
health.  In  general,  too,  disease  is  a  re- 
sult of  a  restriction  of  vital  expression  to 
one  pole  of  the  natural  circuit.  The 
terms  tonic  and  atonic,  action  and  re- 
action, elevation  and  subsidence,  ex- 
press the  sum  and  substance  of  success- 
ful medical  theorists  from  allopath ists  to 
pure  hygienists.  The  choice  of  rem- 
edial agencies  lies  between  stimulants 
and  narcotics,  tonics  and  relaxants,  nu- 
tritives and  depletories,  action  and  rest. 

The  first   school   of  practice  known 


*Not  to  make  this  fact  too  historically 
exclusive,  we  may  mention  a  compara- 
tively recent  casein  illustration.  A  physi- 
cian of  repute,  in  this  town  was  called  to  a 
patient  suffering  a  violent,  intense  pain. 
The  doctor  gave  the  sick  man  a  roll  of 
brimstone  in  each  hand  and  bade  him  hold 
on  hard  when  the  paroxysm  occurred. 
The  man  did  as  directed  and  was  soon 
relieved.  Two  sticks  of  wood  had  doubt- 
less been  just  as  efficacious,  except 
that  brimstone  appealed  better  to  the  im- 
agination, a  potent  agency  in  the  healing 
art.  We  have  heard  of  another  physician 
of  this  town  who  said  he  had  often  admin- 
istered bread  pills  with  satisfactory  re- 
sults. 


here  was  the  allopathic.  Its  dominant 
methods  of  treatment  were  much  more 
heroic  than  those  of  the  same  school  of 
the  present  day.  The  processes  of  ton- 
ing up  and  letting  down  were  accom- 
plished with  a  promptness  and  effect- 
iveness that  would  at  present  fail  of 
professional  countenance.  If  a  patient 
were  seized  with  a  violent  fever  or  an 
apolexy,  the  physician  pricked  his  lance 
into  a  vein  in  the  arm  and  drew  there- 
from a  quantity  of  blood  sufficient  in 
his  estimation  to  produce  sanguinary 
depletion  and  relaxation,  and  arrest  the 
progress  of  the  disease.  In  cases  of 
local  inflammations,  leeches,  to  bite  and 
suck  out  the  superfluous  blood,  were 
applied  to  the  affected  part.  If  blood- 
letting were  foreborne  in  any  general 
case,  the  tonic  state  was  counteracted 
by  the  great  deobstruent,  mercury,  or 
some  antimonial  or  opiate  preparation. 
If  an  emetic  were  demanded,  ipecac 
was  the  principal  disgorging  reliance. 
Blistering  was  also  a  potent  means  of 
diverting  internal  congestions  and  in- 
flammations to  the  surface  of  the  body. 
In  contemplating  the  ancient  practice 
of  medicine,  one  is  struck  with  the  com- 
paratively exclusive  prominence  given 
to  depressing  agencies.*  In  fact,  blood- 
letting, mercury,  antimony  and  opium, 
seem  to  have  been  about  the  only  great 
specifics  in  the  whole  list  of  remedies. 
Doubtless  stimulating  effects  were  more 
or  less  sought  by  alcoholic  means,  but 
in  the  list  of  tonics  were  admitted  many 
of  the  simple  substances  and  prepara- 
tions familiar  to  every  domestic  house- 
hold. Yet  scientific  reflection  easily 
apprehends  a  reason  for  this  state  of 
things.  A  community  of  pioneers  is  of 
necessity  vigorous  and  elastic  in  physi- 
cal constitution.  Full  of  blood  and 
vital  positiveness,  its  principal  symptoms 
of  illness  would  be  of  an  acute  charac- 
ter. The  medical  re-agents  applicable 
to  this  class  of  ills  being  promptly  em- 

*It  is  an  interesting  fact  that  blood-let- 
ting was  even  employed  in  paralysis? 
which  would  seem  to  demand  a  tonic 
rather  than  a  depletory,  unless  the  prac- 
titioners were  indulging  the  theory  of 
similia  similibus  curatur,  or  the  disease 
were  the  result  of  an  eiuror°red  brain. 


282 


MANNERS  AND  CUSTOMS  IN  HOPKINTON. 


ployed,  the  native  elasticity  of  constitu- 
tion readily  restored  the  system  to  its 
normal  condition.  Consequently,  ton- 
ics were  of  less  importance  in  the  reme- 
dial curriculum.  The  more  composite 
state  of  older  society,  and  the  attendant 
mixture  of  constitutions,  was,  scientific- 
ally speaking,  a  prominent  cause  of  the 
ultimate  abandonment  of  the  old  prac- 
tice.* 

About  the  year  1820,  a  violent  epi- 
demic, known  as  the  "throat  distemp- 
er,"  sadly  afflicted  the  people  of  this 
town.  Mostly,  or  wholly,  it  attacked 
the  children  and  youth  of  the  locality, 
seventy-two  of  whom  are  said  to  have 
died  by  its  stroke.  This  distemper, 
contrary  to  a  conception  sometimes 
indulged,  was  pathologically  distinct 
from  diphtheria,  though  it  might  have 
been  somewhat  similar  in  its  manifesta- 
tions. The  physician  treating  this  mal- 
ady with  the  best  success  was  Dr. 
Michael  Tubbs,  of  Deering,  who  had 
nineteen  patients  in  this  town  and  saved 
them  all,  but  one,  whom  he  pronounced 
beyond  help  when  called  to  the  bed- 
side. The  principal  remedy  used  by 
Dr.  Tubbs  was  balsam  of  fir,  employing 
at  the  same  time  a  cervical  bandage 
made  of  black  sheep's  wool  saturated 
with  vinegar. 

SUPERSTITIOUS. 

Superstition  is  the  legitimate  off- 
spring of  ignorance,  which  both  creates 
fantastic  ideals  and  magnifies  mole-hills 
into  mountains.  In  all  societies  where 
genuine  intellectual  culture  holds  but  an 
insignificant  sway,  the  imagination  of 
the  marvelously  susceptible  carries  them 
to  the  extreme  of  absurdity  in  their 
conceptions  of  the  mysterious.  The 
part  that  superstition  bore  in  the  general 
history  of  New  England,  in  the  earlier 
times,  is  too  well  known  to  the  reading 
public   to   need   description   here.     It 

*We  once  conversed  with  an  aged 
physician  of  the  heroic  school,  who, 
speaking  of  the  change  in  modern  prac- 
tice, said  in  substance:  "During  my 
earlier  practice,  we  had  remedies  for  vari- 
ous diseases,  and  they  were  successful; 
but  in  later  times  the  old  applications 
failed.  There  must  have  been  some  mod- 
ncation  of  the  constitutions  of  people." 


was  only  a  natural  consequence  that  the 
people  of  this  town  were,  in  a  measure 
at  least,  involved  in  the  general  appre- 
hension and  mystified  conception  of 
occult  and  distressing  influences. 

In  New  England,  in  the  days  when 
Hopkinton  was  reclaimed  from  the  wil- 
derness, the  popular  definition  of  all 
that  was  socially  occult  and  dangerous 
was  embraced  in  the  term  witchcraft. 
Subject  of  Satan,  indeed,  the  witch 
might  be,  but  the  accessory  was  more 
feared  than  the  principal.  Witchcraft 
was  recognized  in  this  vicinity  in  at 
least  four  forms.  There  were  the  occult 
influence  exercised  over  the  beasts  of 
the  field,  the  hidden  danger  that  lurked 
about  the  path  of  the  unwary  traveller, 
the  specter  that  haunted  the  sleeper  by 
night,  and  the  ghost  that  hung  around 
its  favorite  stamping  ground.  Some 
details  of  the  several  forms  and  meth- 
ods employed  in  these  several  depart- 
ments of  dreaded  mystery  will  be  inter- 
esting. 

The  live-stock  of  the  husbandman 
was  beset  by  witchcraft  that  either  af- 
fected the  disposition  of  the  animal  or 
the  product  of  its  economy.  A  beast 
would  become  ill-tempered  or  stubborn 
through  the  obsession  of  the  witch. 
Cows,  particularly,  failed  at  times  to 
yield  their  milk,  or  the  lacteal  product 
soured  in  an  incredibly  short  space  of 
time,  or  the  cream  in  the  churn  refused, 
after  prolonged  agitation,  to  come  into 
butter.  Instances  of  this  class  occured 
quite  frequently,  and  were  of  quite  re- 
cent experience.  Only  a  few  years  ago, 
a  respectable  lady,  now  living,  related 
to  us  a  case  under  personal  observation, 
in  which  the  milk  of  a  cow,  fresh  from 
the  pasture,  turned  to  bonny  clapper 
before  it  could  be  conveyed  from  the 
animal  to  the  pantry. 

The  mysterious  annoyance  of  the 
traveller  by  day  was  more  likely  to  di- 
rectly affect  the  beast  than  the  driver. 
Persons  in  going  abroad  were  some- 
times troubled  by  a  sudden  refusal  of  a 
beast  to  continue  tranquilly  on  its  ac- 
customed way.  Balking  and  witchcraft 
became  to  an  extent  closely  related 
phenomena.  A  mysterious  case  in  kind 
occurred  within  the  memory  of  the  pre- 


MANNERS  AND  CUSTOMS  IN  HOPKINTON. 


283 


sent  generation.  A  respectable  lady, 
who  died  only  a  few  years  ago,  related 
that,  being  on  a  solitary  journey,  she 
was  accosted  by  an  old  woman  who 
begged  for  the  favor  of  conveyance. 
For  some  reason  satisfactory  to  herself, 
the  person  accosted  declined  to  grant  the 
favor,  but  only  to  receive  the  vituperations 
of  the  stranger  wayfarer,  who  avowed  the 
refusing  party  would  one  day  suffer  for 
her  stolidness.  A  while  after  the  berat- 
ed woman  was  journeying  the  same 
way  again,  when,  being  near  the  spot 
where  she  encountered  the  offended 
stranger,  her  horse  balked  and  could 
not  be  induced  to  proceed  further,  and 
her  journey  in  that  direction  was  ended. 
The  suggestion  of  witchcraft  naturally 
came  in  as  an  aid  to  the  solution  of  the 
problem. 

The  witchcraft  of  the  midnight  hour 
oppressed  the  innocent  sleeper  and 
made  his  couch  a  bed  of  horrors, 
wherein  hags,  specters  and  hob-goblins 
subjected  him  to  a  variety  of  tortures, 
if,  by  the  exertion  of  mysterious  powers, 
they  did  not  even  for  the  time  being 
transmute  him  into  the  form  of  some 
beast  of  burden,  drive  him  abroad 
under  the  expanse  of  heaven,  and  train 
him  to  severe  discipline.  Persons  cap- 
able of  this  kind  of  obsession  were  to 
all  appearences  more  fond  of  turning 
the  objects  of  their  torture  into  horses, 
riding  them  abroad  with  presumable 
gusto.  Witches  of  this  class  were  sup- 
posed to  have  at  ordinary  times,  in  some 
special  repository,  a  bridle  reserved  for 
such  abominable  excursions.  This  bri- 
dle was  supposed  to  be  of  blue,  green, 
or  some  other  fantastic  color.  Not  far 
from  the  residence  of  the  writer  there 
once  lived  a  woman  who  was  reputed 
to  possess  a  bridle  of  this  kind. 

Ghosts  and  witches  are  naturally  con- 
temporaneous, though,  if  anything,  the 
former  are  more  inclined  to  favorite 
places  of  resort,  from  which  they  sel- 
dom stray.  Many  towns  in  New  Eng- 
land can  show  the  once  special  haunts 
of  ghostly  inhabitants.  Hopkinton  has 
its  former  ghostly  stalking  place.  Upon 
the  northern  brow  of  Putney's  Hill, 
sometimes  known  as  Gould's  Hill,  is 
a  patch  of  forest  long  recognized  as  the 


"Lookout."  From  the  reputed  pres- 
ence of  ghosts,  it  received  this  appel- 
lation. Spectral  appearances  in  differ- 
ent forms,  manifested  both  by  day  and 
by  night,  were  apprehended  in  this 
locality.  The  writer  remembers  a  re- 
spectable man  who  believed  to  his  dying 
day  that  he  there  saw  an  apparition  in 
broad  daylight.  There  is  living  in  this 
town  today  an  old  and  respectable  gen- 
tleman who  once  averred  that,  passing 
the  Lookout  in  the  evening,  returning 
from  his  day's  work,  he  saw  several  balls 
of  spectral  fire  appear  and  stand  before 
him,  keeping  in  his  advance  as  he  main- 
tained    his    distressful    march    home. 

There  appear  to  have  been  but  two 
great  witches  in  this  town.  They  were 
"Witch  Burbank,"  whose  home  was  in 
the  vicinity  of  Contoocook  village,  and 
"Witch  Webber,"  who  lived  on  the 
southern  part  of  Beech  Hill.  Witch 
Webber  seems  to  have  been  willing  to 
be  recognized  as  a  person  of  occult 
gifts,  and  her  exploits  also  appear  to 
have  been  more  remarkable  in  reputed 
character.  We  judge  so  since  Witch 
Webber  is  traditionally  claimed  to  have 
acknowledged  a  journey  to  Lynn,  Mass., 
where  the  famous  Moll  Pitcher  resided, 
to  attend  a  mutual  convention  of  weird 
sisters.  Witch  Webber's  statement  of 
a  journey  to  Lynn  was  confirmed,  in 
the  mind  of  one  man  at  least,  in  a  sin- 
gular manner.  In  sailing  through  the 
air  on  the  way  to  her  destination,  the 
witch  averred  that,  in  passing  a  barn  on 
Dimond  Hill,*  she  stubbed  her  toe  on 
the  roof  and  detached  a  few  shingles 
by  the  suddenness  of  the  contact. 
The  owner  of  the  premises,  hearing 
the  report  of  the  exploit,  mounted  a 
ladder  and  examined  the  roof  of  his 
barn,  finding,  in  the  palpable  evidence 
of  a  few  lost  shingles,  a  fact  to  himself 
satisfactory  and  indubitable  that  the 
witche's  words  were  true. 

We  have  discovered  but  little  evi- 
dence that  incantations  for  the  defeat 
of  witchcraft  or  the  destruction  of 
witches  were  practiced  to  any  great  ex. 

*Witch  Webber  was  not  a  geographer, 
or  she  would  not  have  taken  an  air-line 
route  to  Lynn  by  the  way  of  Dimond 
Hill. 


284 


MANNERS  AND  CUSTOMS  IN  HOPKINTON. 


tent  in  this  town.  We  have  heard  a 
story  of  a  man  assaulting,  axe  in  hand, 
an  old  woman  whom  he  conceived 
might  have  obsessed  his  child,  and 
threatening  to  destroy  her  if  the  annoy- 
ance did  not  cease.  The  child  was  re- 
lieved by  the  operation.  There  is  also 
a  story  that  incantation  was  once  tried 
on  a  reputed  witch,  in  consequence  of 
an  afflicted  person,  and  the  result 
affected  the  suspected  witch  with  great 
and  prolonged  agony,  if  it  did  not  de- 
stroy her.  A  successful  trick  was  once 
played  on  Witch  Burbank.  Two  young 
men,  apprentices  of  David  Young,  cab- 
inet maker,  joiner,  etc.,  were  disbe- 
lievers in  witchcraft.  Seeing  Witch 
Burbank  passing  the  shop  one  day,  one 
of  the  young  men,  remembering  that 
silence  must  be  maintained  during  in- 
cantation, motioned  his  companion  to 
hand  him  a  brad-awl,  which  he  took 
and  stuck  in  the  track  of  the  witch. 
She  had  passed  but  a  few  rods  and  sat 
down  when  the  awl  was  applied 
to  the  earth.  Pretty  soon  Mrs. 
Young,  a  person  well  remembered 
for  her  eccentricities,  entered  the 
shop  in  great  concern,  asking  the 
young  men  what  they  had  done  to 
Witch  Burbank  to  make  her  stop  ;  for 
she  feared  the  witch  would  obsess  them 
all.  The  apprentices  denied  any  ac- 
tion on  their  part,  but,  on  Mrs.  Young's 
return  to  the  house,  the  awl  was  with- 
drawn from  the  earth,  and  Witch  Bur- 
bank continued  on  her  way.  We  pre- 
sume the  attitude  of  the  young  men  to- 


wards witchcraft  was  afterwards    some 
what  modified. 

We  said  at  the  beginning  that  super- 
stition is  the  offspring  of  ignorance. 
We  may  add  that  the  child  is  capable 
of  great  filial  attachment.  With  the 
progress  of  popular  intelligence  many 
follies  disappear.  That  there  are  oc- 
cult phenomena  constantly  attendant 
upon  human  life  cannot  be  denied. 
True  knowledge,  however,  allows  no 
absurd  superstition,  though  it  may  en- 
tertain a  rational  mystery,  which,  though 
it  transcends  the  intelligence,  does  not 
contradict  it.  Some  of  the  affirmed 
facts  of  ancient  marvel  are  too  puerile 
for  explanation.  Others  are  subjects  of 
frequent  present  elucidation  by  teachers 
of  different  branches  of  science.* 
There  are  still  others  that  imply  prob- 
lems not  yet  solved  in  any  uniform  con- 
ception of  the  public  mind,  and  which 
are  open  to  such  investigation  as  in- 
quiring minds  are  able  to  bring  to  bear 
upon  them. 

*It  is  well  known  to  the  scientific  world 
that  stagnate  water,  when  drunk  by  cows, 
will  convey  microscopic  spores  of  infuso- 
rial life  into  the  general  circulation  of  the 
animal  and,  in  the  milk,  cause  a  viscous 
and  frothy  condition,  of  mysterious  ori- 
gin to  the  uninformed.  It  is  another 
scientifically  apparent  fact  that  dyspep- 
sia, or  indigestion,  will  induce  a  great 
variety  of  spectral  illusions  in  the 
minds  of  sleeping  persons,  especially  if 
they  happen  to  be  of  active  cerebral, 
and  nervous  temperaments.  Alcoholic 
fermentation  in  cream,  also,  thwarts  the 
manufacture  of  butter. 


TOWN  HISTORIES. 


=35 


TOWN  HISTORIES. 


No  state  in  the  Union  is  richer  than 
our  own  in  the  materials  for  history  ;  yet 
the  history  of  New  Hampshire  remains 
to  be  written.  Belknap  and  Barstow 
blazed  the  pathway  along  the  course  of 
the  early  years  ;  Bouton  collected  and 
arranged  a  great  mass  of  information  ; 
Sanborn  has  contributed  valuable  sug- 
gestions ;  but  the  man  who  is  to  write  a 
comprehensive  history  of  New  Hamp- 
shire, which  shall  tell  the  story  of  her 
growth  and  achievements,  and  her  full 
contribution  to  the  national  life  and 
honor,  from  the  landing  of  the  fisher- 
men at  Dover  Point  down  through  the 
first  completed  century  of  American  In- 
dependence, has  yet  to  make  himself 
known.  Let  us  hope  that  he  may  come 
forward  ere  many  years  have  gone,  and 
apply  himself  to  the  work  with  that 
patient  devotion,  loyal  zeal,  tireless  en- 
ergy and  discriminating  judgment  which 
shall  ensure  its  thorough  and  satisfacto- 
ry completion. 

In  the  meantime  it  is  all-important 
that  the  materials  themselves,  as  far  as 
possible,  be  gathered  and  preserved,  as 
the  years  go  by.  To  this  end,  the  com- 
pilation of  town  histories  is  beyond 
question  the  most  effectual  instrumen- 
tality ;  and  yet  to  gather,  arrange  and  em- 
bellish the  materials  requisite  to  a  respec- 
table history  of  one  of  our  New  Hamp- 
shire towns,  or  rather  to  properly  select 
and  arrange,  from  the  mass  of  attainable 
facts,  those  of  greatest  interest  and 
worth,  is  a  task  of  no  small  magnitude, 
and  one,  which,  it  appears,  few  men 
have  as  yet  assumed.  Although  several 
town  histories  have  recently  been  pro- 
duced in  the  state,  and  others  are  now 
in  course  of  preparation,  the  entire 
number  published  thus  far  is  quite  small 
in  proportion  to  the  whole  number  of 
towns.  In  fact,  not  more  than  one  in 
ten  of  all  our  New  Hampshire  towns 
have  anything  like  a  complete  and  sub- 
stantial written  history  which  has  been 
given  to  the  public  in  printed  form. 


A  brief  investigation,  as  thoroughly 
made  as  circumstances  permit,  shows 
that  histories  of  the  following  towns 
have  been  published — mostly  in  well 
bound  octavo  volumes — the  name  of 
the  author  or  compiler,  date  of  publica- 
tion, and  number  of  pages,  being  also 
given  : 

Acworth — J.  L.  Merrill,  1S69  ;  306 
pp. 

Barnstead — Jeremiah  P.  Jewett  and 
R.  B.  Caverly,  1875  ;  463  pp. 

Bedford — Compiled  by  Committee, 
1S51  ;  364  pp. 

Boscawen  and  Webster — Chas.  Carle- 
ton  Coffin,  1878  ;  666  pp. 

Charlestown — Henry  H.  Sanderson, 
1876,  726  pp. 

Chester — Benjamin  Chase,  1869,  702 
pp. 

Concord — Nathaniel   Bouton,  1856 
786  pp. 

Croydon — Edmund  Wheeler,   1S67 

173  PP- 

Dublin — Levi   W.    Leonard,     1S53 

433  PP- 

Dunbarton — Caleb  Stark,  i860;  272 

pp. 

Gilmanton — Daniel  Lancaster,  1845  > 
304  pp.  12  mo. 

Londonderry — Edward     L.    Parker, 

i?5x  ;  359  PP-  I2  mo- 
Manchester —  Chandler     E.     Potter, 

1856  ;  760  pp.     John  B.  Clarke,  1875  > 

463  pp. 

Mason — John  B.  Hill,  1858  ;  324  pp. 

New  Boston — Elliott  C.  Cogswell, 
1864  ;  469  pp. 

New  Ipswich — Compiled  by  Com- 
mittee, 1852  ;  488  pp. 

Peterborough — Albert   Smith,   1876; 

735  PP- 

Raymond — Joseph  Fullonton,  1875  ; 

408  pp. 

Rindge — Ezra  S.  Stearns,  1875  >  7^8 
pp. 

Temple — Henry  Ames  Blood,  i860; 
35 2  PP- 


2g6 


TOWN  HISTORIES. 


Troy — A.  M.  Caverly,  1850;  299 
pp.  12  mo. 

Warren — William  Little,  1870;  592 
pp. 

Earlier  histories  of  some  of  these 
towns  had  been  published,  but  the  same 
were  substantially  embraced  in,  and 
superceded  by,  the  later  publications. 
Aside  from  these,  there  have  also  been 
publications  embodying  local  history  in 
the  state,  worthy  of  mention  in  this  con- 
nection. "The  Annals  of  Portsmouth," 
by  Nathaniel  Adams,  1825,  400  pp., 
embraces  much  of  the  early  history  of 
that  old  town ;  while  the  "  Rambles 
About  Portsmouth,"  by  Charles  W. 
Brewster,  published  in  two  series,  in 
1859  and  1869,  have  a  considerable 
proportion  of  matter  of  much  historical 
value.  A  history  of  "  Old  Dunstable,  " 
by  Charles  J.  Fox,  published  in  1846, 
278  pp.,  may  also  be  classed  with  the 
New  Hampshire  town  histories,  as  the 
larger  portion  of  Dunstable  lay  within 
the  limits  of  this  state,  including  what 
is  now  Litchfield,  Hudson,  Nashua  and 
Hollis,  and  portions  of  Amherst,  Merri- 
mack, Milford,  Brookline,  Pelham  and 
Londonderry. 

Besides  these,  quite  a  number  of  his- 
torical sketches  of  towns  have  been  pub- 
lished, some  of  them  of  considerable 
extent.  One  of  Candia,  by  F.  B.  Ea- 
ton, published  in  1852  contains  152 
pages.  One  of  Antrim  the  same  year, 
bv  John  M.  Whiton,  has  95  pages. 
There  are  two  old  sketches  of  Amherst, 
by  John  Farmer,  the  last  published  in 
1837  and  containing  52  pages;  a 
sketch  of  Hillsborougli  by  Charles  J. 
Smith,  1 84 1,  72  pages;  "Annals  of 
Keene,"  by  Salma Hale,  1 826,  69  pages  ; 
a  brief  sketch  of  Epsom,  by  Rev.  Jon- 
athan Curtis,  published  in  1823,  and 
one  of  Andover,  by  Jacob  B.  Moore  in 
1822. 

There  have  also  been  published,  sev- 
eral pamplets,  embracing  the  proceed- 
ings at  Centennial  celebrations  in  dif- 
ferent towns,  including  historical  ad- 
dresses and  other  matter  of  real  histor- 
ical value.  Among  these  towns  are 
Orford,  Lebanon,  Lancaster,  Jaffrey, 
Wilton,  Hampton,  and  perhaps  others. 
Another   work,  worthy   of    mention   in 


this  connection  is  a  i2mo  volume  of 
240  pages,  by  Rev.  Grant  Powers,  pub- 
lished at  Haverhill,  in  1841,  entitled 
"  Historical  Sketches  of  the  Discovery, 
Settlement  and  Progress  of  Events  in 
the  Coos  Country  and  Vicinitry." 

As  will  be  noticed,  several  of  the 
town  histories  mentioned  are  quite  vol- 
umninous,  involving  much  labor  and 
research  in  their  preparation,  notably 
those  of  Concord,  Chester,  Charlestown, 
Rindge,  Peterboro,  Boscawen  and 
Webster  and  Chandler's  history  of  Man- 
chester. A  considerable  proportion  of 
the  number,  also,  are  illustrated  with 
portraits,  and  engravings  of  buildings 
scenery,  &c,  that  of  New  Ipswich 
being  the  first  illustrated  town  history 
published. 

As  was  suggested,  there  are  now  sev- 
eral town  histories  in  course  of  prepara- 
tion, or  about  to  be  issued.  One  of 
Newport,  by  Edmund  Wheeler,  author 
of  the  history  of  Croydon,  is  already  in 
the  hands  of  the  binder.  It  is  a  work 
of  five  or  six  hundred  pages,  and  will 
be  illustrated  by  about  thirty  fine  steel 
engravings,  mostly  portraits  of  promi- 
nent citzens  or  natives  of  the  town. 
Gen.  Walter  Harriman,  a  native  of  War- 
ner, has  prepared  an  elaborate  history 
of  that  town,  which  will  make  a  volume 
of  six  hundred  pages,  and  will  also  be 
finely  illustrated,  which  is  now  in  the 
printer's  hands.  Rev.  M.  T.  Runnalls, 
of  Sanbornton,  is  engaged  upon  a  his- 
tory of  that  town ;  Col.  L.  W.  Cogs- 
well is  preparing  a  history  of  Henniker, 
Rev.  Silvanus  Hayward  one  of  Gilsum, 
and  D.  F.  Secomb,  Esq.,  Assistant 
Assistant  Librarian  of  the  State  Histor- 
ical Society,  is  collecting  the  material 
for  a  history  of  Amherst.  There  are 
other  towns  in  which  steps  have  been 
taken  by  the  people  looking  to  the  pub- 
lication of  their  histories,  among  which 
are  Walpole,  Littleton,  and  Andover. 
C.  C.  Lord,  of  Hopkinton,  has  also 
collected  material  for  a  history  of  Hop- 
kinton, much  of  which  has  been  pub- 
lished in  his  series  of  interesting 
sketches  in  the  Granite  Monthly. 

There  remain  to  be  mentioned  two 
town  histories,  recently  published,  each 
of  which  forms  a  valuable    contribution 


TOWN  HISTORIES. 


287 


to  the  historical  literature  of  the  State — 
one,  the  history  of  old  Nottingham, 
comprising  Nottingham,  Northwood, 
and  Deerfield,  by  Rev.  E.  C.  Cogswell, 
the  historian  of  New  Boston,  who  has 
been  many  years  principal  of  North- 
wood  Academy,  and  the  other  of  Hol- 
lis,  by  Hon.  Samuel  T.  Worchester,  of 
Nashua,  a  native  of  that  town.  In  a 
notice  of  the  former,  Prof.  Sanborn,  of 
Hanover,  says  : 

"Town  histories,  like  nouns,  are  both 
common,  proper,  and  collective.  They 
are  common,  because  most  of  the  larger 
towns  in  the  state  have  made  provision 
for  the  publication  of  their  local  histo- 
ries. They  are  proper,  because  they 
snatch  from 

'Decay's  effacing  fingers,' 

valuable  records  which  would,  other- 
wise, be  lost.  Acts  of  incorporation, 
town  records,  the  origin  of  churches, 
schools  and  academies,  and  the  civil 
and  military  history  of  many  of  our 
honored  fathers,  are  today  so  'tattered 
and  torn, '  as  to  be  almost  illegible. 
When  the  biographies  of  the  first  set- 
tlers are  written,  then  the  town  history 
resembles  a  noun  of  multitude  or  a  col- 
lective noun.  Mr.  Cogswell  has  res- 
cued from  oblivion  the  early  history  of 
three  towns.  The  oldest  Nottingham 
was  the  parent  of  Deerfield  and  North- 
wood.  Nottingham  was  originally  ten 
miles  square.  It  was  almost  large 
enough  to  make  three  towns  of  the 
usual  size,  six  miles  square.  In  early 
times,  the  ecclesiastical  history  of  new 
settlements  was  often  more  important 
than  the  civil  history.  The  minister 
was  settled  by  the  town.  The  parson- 
age, the  church,  the  call,  the  salary,  and 
the  ordination  often  filled  the  larger 
part  of  the  town  records.  If  there  was 
a  quarrel,  the  whole  population  were 
involved  in  it.  Sometimes  ministers 
sued  their  towns  for  arrears  of  salary ; 
then  the  hearers  became  indifferent  or 
hostile.  It  was  a  good  day  for  the 
churches,  when  the  towns  ceased  to 
call  and  settle  ministers.  Mr.  Cogs- 
well has  given  a  faithful  narrative  of  all 
the  settlements  that  have  occurred  in 
these    three    towns ;      and     thus    has 


sketched  the  life  and  labors  of  many  ex- 
cellent men.  The  embellishments  of 
his  history  are  not  the  least  valuable 
portion  of  it.  He  has,  at  large  expense 
procured  pictures  of  scenery,  mount- 
ains, lakes,  churches,  and  homes,  which 
give  great  interest  to  the  narrative.  He 
has,  also,  given  us  the  faces  of  many  of 
the  men  and  women  who  have  enacted 
the  history  of  these  three  towns.  The 
work  deserves  the  patronage  of  all  the 
citizens  who  dwell  in  them.  The  labor 
of  preparing  it  has  been  long,  wearisome 
and  comparatively  profitless.  It  is  a 
valuable  contribution  to  the  history  of 
the  state  and  has  a  special  interest  for 
the  descendants  of  those  who  felled  the 
trees,  opened  the  roads,  built  the 
houses,  and  fought  the  battles  of  '  those 
times  that  tried  men's  souls.' " 

The  History  of  Hollis,  by  Judge 
Worcester,  which  has  just  been  pub- 
lished by  A.  Williams  &  Co.,  of  Boston, 
is  embraced  in  a  handsome  octavo  vol- 
ume of  393  pages,  embellished  by 
twenty-five  engravings,  sixteen  of  which 
are  portraits. 

The  town  of  Hollis,  which  was  em- 
braced in  the  territory  of  old  Dunsta- 
ble, and  was  first  incorporated  as  the 
West  Parish  of  Dunstable,  has  a  history 
dating  back  a  hundred  and  fifty  years, 
the  first  charter  of  incorporation  having 
been  granted  in  1739,  but  a  settlement 
having  been  made  within  its  limits 
nearly  ten  years  previous,  Capt.  Peter 
Powers  being  the  first  settler.  Upon 
the  adjustment  of  the  boundary  between 
Massachusetts  and  New  Hampshire, 
the  line  was  so  established  as  to  leave 
the  territory  which  is  now  Hollis,  in  the 
latter  province,  and  the  Massachusetts 
charter  became  worthless.  A  district 
organization  was  maintained  until  1 746, 
when  a  charter  was  obtained  of  the 
New  Hampshire  government,  under 
the  name  of  Hollis,  or  Holies,  as  it  was 
originally  spelled. 

From  its  early  settlement  and  gener- 
ally continued  prosperity,  the  town  had 
come  to  be,  at  the  time  of  the  Revolu- 
tion, among  the  more  important  in  the 
state,  having  a  population  of  1255 
souls,  according  to  a  census  taken  in 
1775.     It  contributed  quite  a  number 


288 


TOWN  HISTORIES. 


of  soldiers  to  the  service,  during  the 
French  and  Indian  wars,  and  in  Col. 
Joseph  Blanchard's  regiment,  raised  in 
1755,  for  the  expedition  against  Crown 
Point,  there  were  no  less  than  thirty- 
four  men  from  this  town,  among  whom 
were  Rev.  Daniel  Emerson  (first  pastor 
of  Hollis),  chaplain  of  the  regiment,  Dr. 
John  Hale,  Surgeon's  Mate,  and  Jona- 
than Hobart,  Adjutant.  Hollis  re- 
sponded nobly  to  the  country's  call  at 
the  outbreak  of  the  Revolution,  sending 
a  full  company  to  Bunker  Hill,  which 
performed  valiant  service  in  that  bat- 
tle, and  throughout  the  entire  war  the 
men  of  Hollis  were  largely  engaged  in 
fighting  for  our  national  independence. 
It  appears  in  fact  that  over  three  hun- 
dred different  men  of  Hollis,  or  one  in 
four  out  of  the  entire  population  of  the 
town,  were  enlisted,  for  longer  or  short- 
er periods,  in  the  course  of  the  war — a 
record  of  patriotism,  not  surpassed,  if 
even  equalled,  by  that  of  any  other 
town  in  the  state. 

Rich  in  the  material  for  historical 
narrative,  the  town  of  Hollis  is  equally 
fortunate  in  being  favored  with  the  ser- 
vices of  one  so  eminently  qualified 
as  Judge  Worcester,  to  collect,  ar- 
range, and  present  the  same  in  the 
attractive  form  in  which  it  now  appears. 
Judge  Worcester  is  a  native  of  Hollis, 
and  a  descendant  of  one  of  its  early 
and  prominent  families.  His  grand- 
father, Capt.  Noah  Worcester,  was 
commander  of  the  Hollis  militia  in 
1775.  His  father,  Jesse  Worcester, 
was  four  times  enlisted  in  the  service 
during  the  Revolution.  He  reared  a 
family  of  fifteen  children,  of  whom 
fourteen  became  teachers  in  the  public 
schools.  Of  the  nine  sons,  five  were 
college  graduates,  one  being  the  dis- 
tinguished   lexicographer,    Joseph    E. 


Worcester.  Samuel  T.  Worcester, 
graduated  at  Harvard  in  1830,  read 
law  with  Hon.  B.  M.  Farley  of  Hollis 
and  at  the  Cambridge  Law  School,  and 
settled  in  the  practice  of  his  profession 
at  Norwalk,  Ohio,  in  1835,  where  he 
remained  for  over  thirty  years  in  suc- 
cessful practice,  in  the  meantime,  serv- 
ing as  State  Senator,  District  Judge, 
and  Member  of  Congress.  He  re- 
turned to  New  Hampshire  a  few  years 
since,  and  settled  in  Nashua,  where  he 
has  since  resided.  He  has  devoted 
his  leisure  time  for  four  or  five  years 
past  to  the  preparation  of  this  history  of 
his  native  town,  and  it  is  but  just  to  say 
that  the  work  has  been  done  in  a  man- 
ner which  does  full  credit  to  his  indus- 
try and  ability,  displaying  alike  extensive 
research  and  great  facility  of  expres- 
sion. 

The  material,  political,  military,  edu- 
cational, and  ecclesiastical  history  of 
the  town  are  all  fully  and  appropriately 
considered,  that  covering  the  Revolu- 
tionary period  being  treated  with  great 
care  and  systematic  detail.  A  promi- 
nent feature  of  the  work  is  that  of  its 
biograpical  sketches  of  citizens  and  na- 
tives of  the  town,  who  have  attained 
distinction  in  the  various  walks  of  life, 
or  have  been  prominent  in  the  admin- 
istration of  public  affairs.  The  substi- 
tution of  these  sketches  in  place  of  the 
dry  genealogical  data  occupying  so 
large  a  portion  of  many  town  histories, 
may  justly  be  regarded  as  a  decided 
improvement. 

It  is  certainly  not  too  much  to  say 
that  this  history  of  Hollis,  takes  rank 
among  the  best  town  histories  yet  pro- 
duced. The  author,  the  publishers, 
and  the  town  whose  honorable  record 
it  embodies,  are  all  to  be  congratulated 
upon  its  appearance. 


W^aM^j^/^- 


THE 


GRANITE    MONTHLY 


A  MAGAZINE  OF  LITERATURE,  HISTORY,  AND 
STATE  PROGRESS. 


VOL.  II. 


JULY,  1879. 


NO.  10. 


THE  STATE  SENATE  OF  1879-80. 


There  appeared  last  summer  in  the 
Granite  Monthly  an  article  entitled 
"The  Senate  and  its  Presidents,"  sup- 
plemented with  a  sketch  of  Hon.  Da- 
vid H.  Buffum,  President  of  the  Senate 
for  that  year.  It  is  proper  at  this  time 
to  allude  briefly  to  the  Senate  of  1879 
-1880,  the  first  to  meet  under  the 
amended  constitution  of  the  state,  pro- 
viding for  biennial  sessions,  whose  reg- 
ular session  has  just  been  brought  to  a 
close. 

By  the  provisions  of  the  amended 
constitution  the  number  of  Senators 
was  increased  from  twelve  to  twenty- 
four,  thus  bringing  in,  to  a  greater  de- 
gree, the  popular  element  and,  perhaps, 
modifying  to  some  extent  the  con- 
servative character  and  tendency  of 
the  body.  It  is  safe  to  say,  at  all 
events,  that,  under  the  new  arrange- 
ment, our  State  Senate  proves  to  be 
more  thoroughly  a  representative  body 
than  heretofore,  and  that,  while  per- 
haps yielding  nothing  of  its  traditional 
prerogative  as  a  practical  council  of 
review  in  considering  the  action  of 
the  lower  house,  it  appears  far  less  in- 
clined to  confine  itself  to  merely  re- 
visory work  than  was  formerly  the  case. 
Indeed,  during  the  late  legislative  ses- 
sion, the  Senate  manifested  a  capacity 
and  a  disposition  to  originate  legisla- 
tion almost  if  not  fully  equal  to  that  of 
the  House  ;  while  in  the  matter  of  de- 
bate it  altogether  surpassed  the  latter 
body.  This  fact  may  be  attributed, 
however,  in  no   small    degree,   to   the 


presence  of  one  or  two  active  and 
aggressive  members  who  would  have 
found  a  more  appropriate  and  congen- 
ial field  of  action  in  the  other  branch 
of  the  legislature. 

It  is  but  fair  to  add,  without  refer- 
ence to  the  general  character  of  the 
action  taken  during  its  late  session, 
that  the  Senate  of  1879-80  contains 
several  members  of  marked  ability, 
whose  presence  and  action  during  the 
session  has  contributed  largely  to  at- 
tract public  attention,  and  increase  the 
popular  interest  in  the  deliberations 
of  the  Senatorial  body,  and  from  whom 
the  people  may  reasonably  expect  to 
hear  again,  and  in  other  and  even 
more  important  capacities  in  time  to 
come. 

The  following  short  sketch  of  Hon. 
J.  H.  Gallinger,  President  of  the  Sen- 
ate, whose  portrait  appears  as  a#  front- 
ispiece in  this  number  of  the  Granite 
Monthly,  with  brief  notices  of  the 
individual  Senators,  will  not  be  with- 
out interest.  More  extended  sketches 
of  several  of  the  number,  it  is  hoped, 
may  be  given  upon  future  occasions. 

President  Gallinger. 

Hon.  Jacob  H.  Gallinger,  Presi- 
dent of  the  Senate,  is  one  of  the  rising 
young  men  in  the  Republican  party  of 
New  Hampshire.  Starting  out  in  life  a 
poor  boy,  he  has  fought  his  way  up  to 
his  present  position  unaided  and  alone, 
overcoming  obstacles  before  which  a 
less  ambitious  and  resolute  spirit  would 


290 


THE  STATE  SENATE  OF   1879-80. 


have  quailed  and  fallen  back.  He  is 
emphatically  a  self-made  man,  and  his 
success  is  due  to  a  tireless  energy  and 
an  ability  of  a  high  order.  Commenc- 
ing life  as  a  farmer's  boy,  he  has  suc- 
cessively risen  to  the  position  of  a  print- 
er, an  editor,  a  physician,  and  a  suc- 
cessful politician.  In  the  Independent 
Statesman  of  February  28,  1878,  ap- 
peared a  lengthy  sketch  of  Dr.  Gallin- 
ger's  eventful  life,  from  which  the  fol- 
lowing facts  are  gleaned  : 

"  Dr.  Gallinger  is  of  German  descent, 
and  was  born  in  the  town  of  Cornwall, 
Province  of  Ontario,  March  28,  1837, 
being  the  fourth    son  of  a  farmer,  and 
one  of  a  family  of  twelve  children.    At 
the   age  of  thirteen,    he    entered   that 
poor   boy's  college,    a  printing   office, 
and  served  an  apprenticeship   of  near- 
ly four  years.     At  the  expiration  of  his 
term    as    an  apprentice,   he   went    to 
Ogdensburg,  N.  Y.,  where   he  labored 
one  year  as  a  journeyman  printer.    Re- 
turning to  Cornwall,  he  took  charge  of 
the  paper  on  which   he  served  his  ap- 
prenticeship, and  during  the  next  year 
he  labored  as  a  printer  and  editor,  and 
was  also  under  private  instruction  from 
a   competent   teacher.      In    1855,    he 
went  to    Cincinnati,    Ohio,  and  began 
the   study   of  medicine,  graduating  in 
May,  1858,  having  the  honors  of  vale- 
dictorian.    Between  lecture   terms    he 
either  worked  in  the  office  of  the    Cin- 
cinnati   Gazette'     (as   reporter,    proof- 
reader or  compositor) ,  or  was  engaged 
in  literary  labor.     After  a  year's   prac- 
tice in  Cincinnati,  the  doctor  travelled 
and  studied  for  a  year,  and  then  in  July, 
i860,  came  to  New  Hampshire,  and  in 
the  fall  of  1 86 1 ,  he  became  associated  in 
practice  with  Dr.  W.  B.  Chamberlain  of 
Keene,    now   of    Worcester,    Mass.,  at 
which  time  he  became  a  convert  to  the 
doctrines  of  the  Homoeopathic  school. 
In  the    spring  of  i%2,  Dr.    Gallinger 
removed  to  Concord,  opened  an  office, 
and   became    a     permanent    resident. 
During  his  citizenship  here  he  has  built 
up  an  extensive   medical    practice,  and 
taken  a  front  rank  as  a   physician    and 
an  enterprising,  public  spirited  citizen. 
He  has  contributed  frequently  to  medical 
journals,    has   lectured  extensively  be- 


fore lyceums,  besides  writing  more  or 
less  for  the  daily  press.  For  seven 
years  he  held  the  office  of  President  of 
the  New  Hampshire  Homoeopathic 
Medical  Society,  and  in  1868  he  re- 
ceived an  honorary  degree  from  the 
New  York  Homoeopathic  Medical  Col- 
lege and  has  been  elected  an  honorary 
member  of  several  medical  societies." 

Dr.  Gallinger's  first  political  office 
was  that  of  Moderator  of  Ward  4, 
Concord,  which  he  held  for  two  years. 
In  1872  he  was  elected  to  the  Legis- 
lature, and  served  as  chairman  of  the 
Committee  on  Insurance,  and  was  re- 
elected in  1873,  and  served  as  chair- 
man of  the  Committee  on  Banks.  He 
was  a  prominent  member  of  the  Con- 
stitutional Convention  of  1876,  and  his 
plan  for  the  reorganization  of  the 
House  of  Representatives,  on  the  basis 
of  representation  by  population,  was 
adopted  by  a  very  large  majority,  al- 
though it  was  opposed  by  some  of  the 
ablest  men  in  the  convention.  In  March, 
1878,  he  was  elected  to  the  State  Sen- 
ate, where  he  served  as  chairman  of 
the  Committee  on  Education,  and  took 
a  front  rank  as  a  skilful  parliamenta- 
rian and  successful  debater.  In  No- 
vember, 1879,  notwithstanding  a  strong 
effort  was  made  to  defeat  him,  there 
being  three  tickets  in  the  field,  he  was 
handsomely  re-elected,  and  when  the 
Senate  organized  he  was  chosen  Presi- 
dent, a  position  that  he  has  filled  to  the 
entire  acceptance  of  Democrats  and 
Republicans  alike. 

In  addition  to  filling  the  offices  nam- 
ed, the  doctor  has  done  a  vast  amount 
of  work  for  the  party,  having  served  for 
several  years  as  a  member  of  the  Re- 
publican State  Central  Committee,  and 
chairman  of  the  Merrimack  County 
Committee,  and,  during  the  last  politi- 
cal campaign  he  did  effective  service  on 
the  stump.  He  has  been  a  frequent 
delegate  to  political  conventions 
usually  serving  on  the  Committee  on 
Resolutions,  where  his  ready  pen  has 
been  of  great  service  to  his  party.  That 
his  political  career  is  not  yet  ended  is 
evident  from  the  fact  that  he  was  never 
so  popular  as  to-day,  and  although  it  is 
understood   that   his    personal   prefer- 


THE  STATE  SENATE  OF  1879-80. 


291 


ence  would  be  to  devote  himself  ex- 
clusively to  his  professional  pursuits,  it 
is  hardly  to  be  presumed  that  he  will 
be  permitted  to  do  so. 

In  August,  i860,  Dr.  Gallinger  mar- 
ried Mary  Anna  Bailey,  ot  Salisbury, 
New  Hampshire,  daughter  of  Major 
Isaac  Bailey,  formerly  of  Hopkinton, 
and  a  well  known  business  man.  They 
have  had  six  children,  four  of  whom 
are  living,  viz.,  Alice  M.,  aged  1  7  years  ; 
KateC,  aged  13  ;  William  H.,  aged  9  ; 
and  Ralph  E.,  aged  6. 

Dr.  Gallinger  was  reared  in  the 
Episcopal  Church,  but  for  many  years 
past  has  been  connected  with  the  Bap- 
tist denomination,  although  it  is  well 
known  that  his  religious  views  are  ex- 
ceedingly liberal,  and  that  his  mind  is 
free  from  all  denominational  and  sec- 
tarian prejudices.  He  is  a  firm  be- 
liever in  fraternal  organizations,  and  in 
addition  to  being  a  member  of  several 
temperance  societies  he  is  connected 
with  the  Odd  Fellows,  and  is  a  very 
prominent  member  of  the  order  of 
Knights  of  Honor,  having  represented 
New  Hampshire  for  three  years  in  the 
Supreme  Lodge,  at  one  time  holding 
the  second  highest  office  in  the   order. 

Few  men  have  the  ability  to  accom- 
plish the  amount  of  work  that  Dr.  Gal- 
linger constantly  performs.  In  addi- 
tion to  a  healthy  body  he  has  a  re- 
markably quick  conception,  executive 
ability  of  a  high  order,  and  an  indom- 
itable will,  and  these  enable  him  to 
accomplish  tasks  that  few  others  could 
possibly  endure.  He  is  a  man  of  great 
industry,  of  profound  convictions  and 
positive  ideas,  and  while  he  has  a  host 
of  devoted  friends,  these  very  qualities 
make  him  some  enemies,  who  are  natur- 
ally ready  to  impugn  his  motives  and  mis- 
represent his  acts. 

The  doctor  has  been  foremost  in  the 
advocacy  of  all  progressive  reforms, 
but  never  in  a  fanatical  way.  He  has 
been  a  life-long  total  abstainer  from  the 
use  of  intoxicants,  and  also  of  tobacco 
in  all  its  forms.  He  is  a  staunch  Re- 
publican, broad  and  catholic  in  his 
views,  warm  in  his  friendships,  faithful 
to  his  convictions,  accurate  in  his  judg- 
ments, graceful  and  eloquent  as  a  speak- 


er, ready  in  debate,  courageous  and  saga- 
cious, and,  in  short,  is  admirably  quali- 
fied for  the  work  of  legislation,  and 
his  friends  will  bt  greatly  disappointed 
if  his  success  as  President  of  the  New 
Hampshire  Senate  does  not  bring  him 
so  prominently  before  the  people  of  the 
State  as  to  secure  for  him  future  recog- 
nition in  a  sphere  of  still  greater  honor 
and  usefulness. 

Dr.  Gallinger  has  lately  been  honor- 
ed by  an  unsolicited  appointment  on 
the  staff  of  Gov.  Head  as  Surgeon- 
General,  with  the  rank  of  Brigadier- 
General.  At  the  close  of  the  recent 
session  of  the  Senate  he  was  the  re- 
cipient of  the  most  flattering  acknowl- 
edgements from  his  associates.  The 
chair  being  occupied  by  Senator  Burns, 
Senator  Mann  offered  a  resolution  of 
thanks,  and  Senator  Blodgett  advocated 
the  adoption  of  the  resolution  in  elo- 
quent words,  from  which  the  following 
is  an  extract : 

It  is  with  great  pleasure  that  I  rise  to 
cordially  indorse  the  resolution  which 
has  just  been  offered,  and  which  I  am 
confident  will  receive  the  approbation  of 
every  member.  It  expresses  nothing 
more  than  the  united  sentiment  of  the 
Senate  will  recognize  to  be  eminently  fit 
and  proper,  as  a  slight  recognition  of  the 
ability,  dignity  and  unfailing  courtesy 
which  have  characterized  its  presiding 
officer  in  the  discharge  of  his  duties.  If 
he  has  made  mistakes  I  know  not  what 
they  have  been ;  if  he  has  been  actuated 
by  any  desire  other  than  to  give  to  every 
Senator  equal  rights,  I  have  failed  to 
observe  it.  I  am  certain  that  I  but  re- 
echo the  united  voice  of  the  Senate  when 
I  say  that  he  has  been   the  right  man  in 

the  right  place. 

*  *  *  *  *  * 

And  as  a  more  substantial  evidence  than 
words  of  our  esteem  for  the  presiding 
officer  of  this  body,  permit  me,  sir, 
through  you,  to  tender  to  our  President. 
in  behalf  of  the  Senators,  the  accom- 
panying volumes  —  Appleton's  New 
American  Cyclopedia — which  I  trust  may 
be  to  him  a  grateful  gift. 

The  resolution  was  adopted  by  a 
unanimous  vote,  and  President  Gallin- 
ger made  a  very  happy  extemporaneous 
response,  concluding  as  follows  : 

Senators,  we  are  about  to  separate, 
and  resume  the  duties  that  await  us  in 
our  several  spheres  in  life,  and  as  we  do  so 
it  is  with  peculiar  satisfaction  and  pride 


!92 


THE  STATE  SENATE  OF   1879-80. 


chat  I  recall  the  fact  that  nothing  has 
occurred  during  the  entire  session  to 
permanently  mar  the  harmony  that  pre- 
vailed at  the  beginning.  We  met,  most 
of  us,  as  strangers ;  we  part,  all  of  us, 
as  friends,  and  if  in  the  future  it  be  my 
privilege  to  meet  any  of  you.  be  assured 
of  a  hearty  welcome ;  and  with  renewed 
thanks  for  your  bountiful  kindness,  and 
earnest  wishes  for  the  prosperity  and 
happiness  of  you  all.  let  me  conclude  in 
the  words  of  Tiny  Tim  and  say.  ,wGod 
bless  us  every  one.'' 

Sherburne    R.    Merrill,     Senator 
from    the    Coos    District,    No.    One, 
which  is  territorially  the  largest   in    the 
state,  embracing  the  entire    county   of 
Coos,  is  sixty-nine  years    of  age.    and 
the  oldest    member   of  the    Senatorial 
body,  having  been  born  in  the  town  of 
Fishersfield,    now    Newbury,    Jan.    2, 
1810.     His  father,    Samuel    Merrill,    a 
farmer  of  that  town,  died  when  he   was 
about  sixteen  years  of  age,    leaving   a 
family  of  seven  children,  of  whom   he 
was  the  eldest.     Having  his  own    way 
to  make  in  the  world,  and  being  of  an 
enterprising  turn  of  mind,  he  soon   left 
home  and  went  to    Boston,    where    he 
was  variously  engaged  for  several  years. 
When  about  twenty-five   years    of  age 
he  located  in  the  town  of  Woodstock, 
Grafton  county,  where  he    engaged    in 
the  manufacture  of  starch,  operated    a 
grist  and  saw-mill  and  engaged  in  land 
speculation  to   a   considerable    extent. 
From  Woodstock  he  removed  to  Cole- 
brook,  where  lie   has   resided    for   the 
past  twenty-six  years,  or  more,  and  has 
been   extensively    engaged    in    starch 
making  there,  being  a  pioneer   in   that 
business  in  Coos  county.     His  young- 
est brother,  Seneca  S.  Merrill,  who  was 
in  his  employ  at  Woodst6ck,  is   a  part- 
ner with  him  in  business  at  Colebrook. 
They  have  several  starch  mills,  and  are 
also  proprietors  of  a  large  general  store 
with  an  extensive  patronage,  and  oper- 
ating very  heavily  in  grain.     Mr.  Mer- 
rill has  also  dealt  largely  in   real    estate 
since  his  residence  in  Colebrook.     He 
has  done  much    to    develop    the    re- 
sources of  Northern    New    Hampshire, 
and  has  his    substantial    reward    in    an 
ample  fortune.     While    in    Woodstock 
he  was  several  years  one  of  the    board 
of  selectmen,  and  represented  the  town 


in  the  legislature  in  1850  and  1851. 
He  was  also  a  member  of  the  House 
from  Colebrook  in  1870  and  1871.  He 
has  been  a  working  member  of  the 
Senate,  acting  upon  the  Railroad  Com- 
mittee, and  upon  the  Committees  on 
Towns  and  Elections. 

Mr.  Merrill  married  in  March,  1836, 
Sarah  B.  Merrill  of  Nolesboro,  Me.,  by 
whom  he  had  six  children,  four  of 
whom  are  now  living,  all  married 
daughters.  Of  these,  one  is  the  wife  of 
Wm.  H.  Shurtleff,  Esq.,  of  Colebrook, 
and  another  the  wife  of  Maj.  Irving 
W.  Drew  of  Lancaster.  His  first  wife 
died  in  1877,  and  on  the  first  of  Janu- 
ary last  he  married  Sarah  Butler  of 
Plymouth. 

Edward  F.  Mann,  of  Benton,  Sen- 
ator from  the  Grafton  District,  or  No. 
Two,  is  the  youngest  member  of  the 
body,  having  been  born  in  the  town  of 
his  present  residence,  Sept.  7,  1845. 
He  is  a  son  of  George  W.  Mann,  an 
extensive  farmer,  contractor  and  builder 
of  Benton,  who  has  long  been  known  in 
Grafton  County  politics,  and  has  rep- 
resented his  town  in  the  Legislatuie  sev- 
eral years.  He  spent  his  early  life  upon 
the  farm,  enjoying  such  educational 
advantages  as  the  common  school  af- 
forded, supplemented  by  a  short  attend- 
ance at  Tilton  Seminary,  and  at  twenty 
years  of  age  went  into  the  service  of 
the  Boston,  Concord  &  Montreal  Rail- 
road Company,  being  first  employed  at 
the  station  at  Tilton,  subsequently  for 
several  years  as  brakeman,  and  after- 
wards as  conductor,  in  which  position 
he  is  now  engaged,  running  the  morn- 
ing express  train  between  Concord  and 
Plymouth.  In  this  capacity  he  has 
gained,  in  the  highest  degree,  the  con- 
fidence of  die  corporation,  and  of  the 
public  as  a  faithful  and  courteous  offi- 
cial. He  is  an  earnest  Democrat,  and 
a  member  of  the  present  Democratic 
State  Committee,  has  been  actively  en- 
gaged in  political  affairs  in  his  county, 
and  represented  his  town  in  the  House 
in  187 1  and  1872.  He  has  been  a 
working  rather  than  a  talking  member 
of  the  Senate,  and  has  served  upon  the 
Committees  on  Education,  Claims,  and 
Roads,    Bridges     and     Canals.       Mr. 


THE  STATE  SENATE  OF  1879-80. 


293 


Mann  is  unmarried.  He  is  a  member 
of  Burns  Lodge,  F.  &r  A.  M.,at  Littleton, 
and  Franklin  Chapter,  at  Lisbon. 

Alfred  M.  Shaw,  of  the  Third,  or 
Lebanon  District,  is  a  native  of  Maine, 
having  been*  born  in  the  town  of  Po- 
land, in  that  state,  May  3,  18 19,  and 
is  therefore  just  sixty  years  of  age.  His 
father  was  Francis  Shaw,  a  merchant 
of  Poland.  He  received  a  common 
school  and  academical  education, 
learned  civil  engineering,  and  subse- 
quently became  largely  interested  as  a 
railway  contractor.  He  has  been  en- 
gaged to  a  greater  or  less  extent  in  the 
construction  of  numerous  railway  lines 
in  different  parts  of  New  England  and 
New  York,  including,  among  others, 
the  Boston  &  Providence,  Old  Colony, 
Kennebec  &  Portland,  Air  Line  (from 
Rochester  to  Syracuse),  Sugar  River, 
and  Peterborough  roads.  He  has  been 
for  twenty  years  the  regular  civil  engi- 
neer of  the  Northern  Railroad.  He 
has  also  been  engaged  in  extensive 
building  contracts  outside  of  railroad 
work.  He  is  pre-eminently  a  man  of 
enterprise  and  action,  and  retains  his 
youthful  vigor  in  a  marked  degree.  He 
has  been  for  many  years  a  resident  of 
Lebanon,  but  previously  had  his  resi- 
dence in  Cambridge,  Mass.,  and  in  the 
town  of  Andover,  in  this  state,  where, 
in  Dec.  1848,  he  married  Caroline  D. 
Emery,  a  daughter  of  William  Emery, 
of  that  town.  He  is  a  Republican,  but 
not  an  intense  partizan,  and  has  been 
considerably  in  public  life.  He  served 
in  the  Legislature  in  1862  and  1863, 
and  was  one  of  the  Presidential  electors 
for  this  state  in  1868,  a  member  of  the 
Constitutional  Convention  of  1876, 
was  a  member  of  the  Senate  last  year, 
and  was  also  appointed  a  member  of 
the  commission  to  build  the  new  State 
Prison,  in  the  duties  of  which  position 
he  is  still  engaged.  He  is  a  man  of 
action  rather  than  words,  and  his  judg- 
ment in  practical  matters  is  regarded 
as  reliable.  He  has  served  this  year 
upon  the  .Committees  on  Railroads, 
Incorporations,  and  Military  Affairs, 
being  chairman  of  the  former,  a  position 
usually  of  much  importance  and  labor, 
and  more  than  ordinarily  so  this  year. 


teaching  and  farnring  until 
he  engaged  in 


Senator  Shaw  is  at  present  a  Director 
of  the  Northern  Railroad,  and  also  of 
the  Nashua  &  Lowell.  He  is  a  Royal 
Arch  Mason,  and  a  member  of  the 
Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows. 
His  religious  associations  are  with  the 
Methodist  denomination.  He  has  two 
children,  both  sons,  the  eldest  of  whom 
is  engaged  in  flour  manufacturing  at 
Lebanon. 

Hiram  Hodgdon,  of  Ashland,  Sena- 
tor from  Plymouth  District,  No.  Four, 
was  born  in  the  town  of  North  field, 
Oct.  21,  1832,  his  father  being  John  L. 
Hodgdon,  a  farmer  of  that  town.  He 
secured  a  first-class  academical  educa- 
tion, graduating  at  the  N.  H.  Confer- 
ence Seminary,  and   was    engaged    in 

1857,  when 
mercantile  business  at 
Holderness  village,  now  Ashland,  where 
he  has  since  resided  and  continued  in 
trade,  with  the  exception  of  two  years 
in  the  real  estate  business  in  Chicago, 
111. — 1870  and  1 87 1.  He  has  recently, 
in  company  with  a  brother,  engaged 
extensively  in  stock  raising  in  Nebraska, 
and  left  home  before  the  close  of  the 
late  legislative  session,  to  look  after  his 
interests  there.  He  has  not  been  en- 
gaged in  public  life,  heretofore,  with 
the  exception  of  town  offices,  but  was 
a  member  of  Gov.  Cheney's  staff  dur- 
ing his  gubernatorial  incumberncy.  In 
the  Senate  he  served  upon  the  com- 
mittees on  Military  Affairs,  Agriculture, 
and  Roads,  Bridges  and  Canals,  being 
chairman  of  the  latter. 

Col.  Hodgdon  married  in  June,  1858, 
Miss  Martha  S.  Webster,  daughter  of 
Nathaniel  Webster,  of  Danville,  but 
has  no  children.  He  is  a  member  of 
Mt.  Prospect  Lodge,  F.  &  A.  M.,  at 
Ashland,  and  a  liberal  contributor  to 
the  support  of  the  Free  Baptist  church 
at  that  place,  and  an  active  member  of 
the  society. 

Isaac  N.  Blodgett,  of  Franklin,  who 
represents  the  Fifth,  or  Laconia  Dis- 
trict, has  been  prominent  at  the  bar 
and  in  public  life  for  several  years  past. 
He  was  born  in  the  town  of  Canaan, 
Nov..  6,  1838.  His  father  was  the 
late  Hon.  Caleb  Blodgett,  a  prominent 
citizen  of  Grafton  county,  who   served 


294 


THE  STATE  SENATE  OF  1879-80. 


many  years  in  the  legislature,  and  was 
also  a  member  of  the  Senate  and  of 
the  Executive  Council.  Hon.  Jere- 
miah Blodgett,  of  Wentworth,  is  his  un- 
cle. He  received  a  thorough  educa- 
tion at  the  Canaan  Academy,  read  law 
with  Hon.  Wm.  P.  Weeks  and  Anson 
S.  Marshall,  and  commenced  the  prac- 
tice of  his  profession  at  Canaan  in 
Dec,  1862.  In  1867  he  removed  to 
Franklin,  where  he  has  since  been  en- 
gaged in  legal  practice,  having  been  in 
partnership  with  Hon.  Austin  F.  Pike 
until  March  last.  Mr.  Blodgett  has 
been  four  years  a  member  of  the  House 
of  Representatives  from  Franklin,  tak- 
ing a  leading  position  upon  the  Demo- 
cratic side,  and  was  an  active  member 
of  the  Constitutional  Convention  of 
1876.  He  has  taken  strong  interest  in 
political  affairs,  and  was  chairman  of 
the  Democratic  State  Committee  in 
1876  and  1877. 

Mr.  Blodgett  received  the  compli- 
ment of  a  nomination  for  President 
of  the  Senate  by  the  Democratic  mem- 
bers, served  upon  thejudiciary,  Incorpo- 
rations, and  Finance  Committees,  and 
took  a  prominent  part  in  the  debates 
as  well  as  the  ordinary  legislative  work 
of  the  session. 

In  June,  i860,  he  was  united  in  mar- 
riage with  Sarah  A.,  daughter  of  Rev. 
M.  Gerould.  They  have  one  child,  a 
daughter,  now  a  member  of  Wellesley 
Female  College. 

Dudley  C.  Colman,  of  the  Winni- 
pesaukee  District,  or  No.  Six,  is  a  na- 
tive and  resident  of  Brookfield,  fifty- 
one  years  of  age  in  September  next.  His 
father  was  Charles  Colman,  a  farmer 
and  school  teacher  of  Brookfield.  He 
received  a  good  education  in  the  com- 
mon schools  and  at  Wakefield  Academy  ; 
taught  school  and  was  engaged  in  farm- 
ing until  thirty  years  of  age,  since 
which  time  he  has  been  engaged  in 
trade  in  the  flour  and  grain  business 
and  country  store,  at  Wakefield  and 
Brookfield.  He  has  been  promi- 
nent in  town  affairs  ;  has  been  selectman 
and  town  treasurer  ten  years  ;  repre- 
sented Brookfield  in  the  Legislature  in 
1863  and  1864,  and  was  a  member  of 
the  Constitutional  Convention  in  1876. 


He  is  a  man  of  sound  judgement  but 
few  words,  and  served  efficiently  upon 
the  Judiciary  Committee,  and  also  upon 
the  committees  on  Towns  and  Claims. 

Mr.  Colman,  although  a  decided  Re- 
publican, represented  a  district  ordi- 
narily strongly  Democractic,  owing  his 
position  to  a  failure  to  elect  on  the 
part  of  the  people,  through  the  diver- 
sion of  a  considerable  portion  of  the 
Democratic  vote  to  the  "  Greenback  " 
candidate,  and  a  consequent  choice  by 
the  Legislature  in  joint  convention.  In 
the  absence  of  political  measures  of  a 
partisan  character,  from  the  delibera- 
tions of  the  Legislature  this  year,  how- 
ever, the  people  of  the  Sixth  District 
generally  cannot  fail  to  be  satisfied 
with  the  action  of  their  Senator,  whose 
conduct  has  been  creditable,  both  to 
himself  and  his  district. 

Albert  Pitts,  of  the  Sullivan  Dis- 
trict, No.  Seven,  is  by  occupation  a 
commercial  traveller,  and  has  been  for 
several  years  past  a  selling  agent  for  the 
extensive  dry  goods  firm  of  Brown, 
Durell  &  Co.,  Boston,  travelling  in  the 
counties  of  Cheshire,  Sullivan  and 
Grafton.  He  resided  for  a  time  in 
Lebanon  and  afterward  in  Walpole, 
but  has  been  for  the  past  eight  years  a 
citizen  of  Charlestown.  He  married, 
in  1869,  Alice  S.  Saunders,  of  Fall 
River,  Mass.,  but  has  no  children.  He 
is  a  member  of  Franklin  Lodge,  F.  & 
A.  M.,  at  Lebanon.  He  has  been 
somewhat  active  in  local  politics,  but 
held  uo  public  office  previous  to  his 
election  to  the  Senate,  in  which  body 
he  developed  much  aptness  for  legisla- 
tive work,  and  served  as  chairman  of  the 
Committee  on  Military  Affairs,  and  a 
member  of  the  Committee  on  State 
Institutions. 

Cornelius  Cooledge,  of  Hillsbor- 
ough, Senator  from  the  Eighth,  or 
Hillsborough  District,  is  a  native  of 
that  town,  a  son  of  Lemuel  Cooledge, 
born  Oct.  16,  1828.  He  received  a 
common  school  education,  and  at  fif- 
teen years  of  age  started  out  to  make 
his  way  in  life.  He  first  went  to  Bos- 
ton where  he  was  for  some  time  a 
clerk  in  a  grocery  store,  was  afterwards 
for   two   years   in    the   service   of  the 


THE  STATE  SENATE  OF  1879-80. 


295 


Lancaster   Mills    Manufacturing   Com- 
pany, at  Lancaster,  Mass.,  and  in  1849 
went  to  California,  where  he  remained 
six  years,   engaged  in   mining  and    in 
trade.     In  1855  he  returned  to  the  old 
homestead   in   Hillsborough,  where   he 
has    since   resided.     He    has    been   a 
member  of  the  board   of  selectmen  of 
his  town  for  twelve  years,  was  in  the 
Legislature  in    1864  and   1865,  and  a 
member  of  the  last  Constitutional  Con- 
vention.    He  has  taken  a  lively  inter- 
est in  agricultural  as  well  as    political 
and  public  affairs,  and  was  one  of  the 
leading   spirits   in    the   organization    of 
the  Contoocook    Agricultural  Society. 
His  good  judgment  is  largely  and  safe- 
ly relied  upon  by  his  fellow  citizens   in 
all  business  matters.     He  is  an  earnest 
Democrat,    but   has     always    received 
more  than    a   straight     party    support, 
when  a   candidate     for     office.     Few 
members  of  the  Senate  •  have  exerted 
greater   influence    during   the    session 
than  Mr.  Cooledge,  and  the  judgment 
of  none   was   more    highly  respected. 
He    frequently  occupied  the  chair,  to 
the  satisfaction  of  all,  and  served  upon 
the  Committees  on  State    Institutions, 
Banks  and  Manufactures'.    He  married, 
in  July,    1855,   Sarah    N.,  daughter  of 
Simeon  W.  Jones,  a  prominent  citizen 
of  the  town   of  Washington,  by  whom 
he  has  three  children.     He  has  been  a 
member  of  the    Masonic    organization 
for  twenty  years  past. 

Nehemiah  G.  Ordway,  of  Warner, 
Senator  from  the  Ninth  or  Merrimack 
District,  has  been  extensively  known  in 
public  life  for  the  past  twenty  years. 
He  was  born  in  Warner,  Nov.  10, 
1828,  and  passed  his  youth  in  that 
town,  laboring  upon  his  grand- 
father's farm,  and  as  a  clerk  in  differ- 
ent stores  in  the  village.  At  the  age 
of  nineteen  he  purchased  a  stock  of 
goods,  and  commenced  business  for 
himself  as  a  country  merchant.  He 
served  as  doorkeeper  of  the  House  of 
Representatives  at  Concord,  in  1855, 
and  again  in  1856.  During  the  latter 
year  he  was  appointed  Sheriff  of  Mer- 
rimack County  and  removed  to  Con- 
cord, where  he  also  held  the  office  of 
City  Marshal   the  following  year.     An 


active  and  zealous  Republican,  he  was 
made  chairman  of  the  State  Committee 
of  his  party  in    i860,  and  in  1861   re- 
ceived an  appointment  as  special  agent 
of  the  Post -Office  Department  for  New 
England.     In     1863    he    was   elected 
Sergeant-at-Arms  of  the  National  House 
of    Representatives,     at    Washington, 
which  position  he  held  for  twelve  years, 
until  the  Democracy  regained  ascend- 
ancy in  that  body.     Returning  to  New 
Hampshire,  and  taking  up  his  residence 
in  his  native  town,  where  he  had  ever 
retained  a  citizen's  interest,  Mr.  Ord- 
way was  elected  a  representative  to  the 
State  Legislature  in  T855,  although  the 
town  had  long  been  strongly  Democrat- 
ic, and  re-elected  in  18  76  and  1877,  tak- 
ing an  active  part  in  the  deliberations  of 
that  body  each  year.    He  served  in  1875 
and  1876  as  chairman  of  the  Railroad 
Committe,  and  in   1877  was   chairman 
of  the    Committee    on    Finance.     He 
served  in   the  Constitutional  Conven- 
tion of  1876,  and  was  prominent  in  the 
debates  in  that  body.     In   November, 
1877  he  was  appointed  a  member  of  the 
Tax  Commission,  established  by  act  of 
the  Legislature  at  the  previous  session, 
and  devoted  much  time  and  labor  to  the 
work   in   which   the     commission    en- 
gaged, the  fruits  of  which  were  seen  in 
a  large  number  of  bills  reported  to  the 
next  session  of  the  Legislature,  bearing 
upon  the  subject  of  taxation,  and  which 
engrossed  the  attention  of    that   body 
to  a  very  considerable  extent,  some    of 
which,  in  modified  form,  found  their  way 
upon  the  statute  book.     Although  not 
a  member  of  the   legislature  in    1878, 
Mr.  Ordway  was  in  attendance  during 
most  of  the  session,  engaged  before  va- 
rious committees,  urging  the    adoption 
of  the  several  measures  reported  by  the 
tax  commission. 

During  the  late  session  of  the  Senate 
he  served  as  chairman  of  two  commit- 
tees, those  on  Banks  and  Elections, 
and  was  also  .a  member  of  the  commit- 
tee on  Towns  ;  but  devoted  his  atten- 
tion and  labor  in  the  main  to  railroad 
affairs,  making  a  single-handed  contest 
against  the  railroad  corporations,  in  an 
effort  to  secure  legislation  looking  to 
he  reduction  and  equalization  of  fares 


296 


THE  STATE  SENATE  OF  1879-80. 


and  freights,  in  the  advocacy  of  which 
he  was  extensively  engaged  in    debate. 

Mr.  Ordway  married  in  1848,  Nancy, 
daughter  of  Daniel  Bean  of  Warner,  by 
whom  he  has  three  children  living,  a 
son  and  two  daughters.  The  eldest 
daughter  is  the  wife  of  Col.  E.  L. 
Whitford,  U.  S.  Pension  Agent  at  Con- 
cord. The  son,  Col.  Geo.  L.  Ordway, 
a  member  of  Gov.  Prescott's  staff,  is 
now  located  in  the  practice  of  law  at 
Denver,  Col. 

Charles  F.  Cate,  of  Northwood, 
Senator  from  the  Pittsfield  District,  No. 
Eleven,  like  Senator  Colman  of  the 
Sixth  District,  is  a  Republican,  repre- 
senting a  strong  Democratic  District, 
and  owes  his  position  to  the  same 
cause.  Two  other  Senators,  Mr. 
Hodgdon  of  No.  Four,  and  Mr.  Phil- 
brick  of  No.  Twenty-two,  were  also 
chosen  by  the  legislature,  but  their 
Districts  are  ordinarily  closely  divided 
between  the  two  parties.  Mr.  Cate  is 
a  son  of  Jonathan  Cate,  a  prominent 
farmer  of  Northwood,  who  married 
Mary  Johnson,  daughter  of  John  John- 
son, a  revolutionary  soldier,  and  a  rep- 
resentative of  one  of  the  first  families  of 
Northwood.  He  was  born  Sept.  19, 
1 841,  received  a  common  school  edu- 
cation, and  has  devoted  himself  main- 
ly to  agriculture,  remaining  upon  the 
old  homestead,  and  still  unmarried. 
An  older  brother,  Hon.  Geo.  W.  Cate, 
a  lawyer  of  Amesbury,  is  now  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Massachusetts  Senate.  In 
addition  to  his  farm  work  Mr.  Cate  op- 
erates a  lumber-mill  and  grist-mill.  He 
represented  Northwood  in  the  House 
in  1876,  and  was  re-elected  the  follow- 
ing year.  In  the  Senate  he  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Committees  on  Agriculture, 
Banks,  and  Towns,  and  chairman  of  the 
latter.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Congre- 
gational church  at  Northwood,  and  of 
Equity  Lodge,  No.  33,  I.  O.  O.  F. 

Luther  Hayes,  of  Milton,  who  rep- 
resents the  Somersworth  District,  No. 
Twelve,  was  born  in  Lebanon,  Me., 
Jan.  12,  1820.  His  father,  George 
Hayes,  was  a  farmer,  who  removed 
with  his  family  from  Lebanon  to  Roch 


ester,  in  this  State,  shortly  after  the  * 
birth  of  Luther.  He  received  a  com- 
mon school  education,  and  was  en- 
gaged mainly  in  farm  labor,  until  he 
attained  his  majority,  shortly  after 
which,  Feb.  4,  i84i,he  married  Louisa 
A.  Bragdon,  a  daughter  of  Samuel 
Bragdon,  of  Milton,  and  removed  to 
that  town,  where  he  has  since  resided, 
being  extensively  engaged  in  farming, 
and  in  lumber  business.  He  has  held 
a  prominent  position  in  connection 
with  public  affairs  in  his  town  and  coun- 
ty, represented  Milton  in  the  Legisla- 
ture in  1857  and  1858,  and  again  in 
1876  and  1877.  He  was  elected  a> 
member  of  the  Board  of  Commission- 
ers for  Strafford  County  in  1864,  hold- 
ing the  office  three  years,  and  in  1866, 
was  appointed  Sheriff  of  the  county, 
which  position  he  occupied  until  1871. 
In  1876  he  was  appointed  by  Governor 
Cheney  a  member  of  the  State  Fish 
Commission  for  the  term  of  five  years, 
which  office  he  now  holds,  and  to  which 
he  has  devoted  considerable  time  and 
attention.  He  served  in  the  Senate 
as  chairman  of  the  Committee  on  Ag- 
riculture, a  position  to  which  he  is  well 
adapted,  and  was  also  a  member  of  the 
Railroad  Committee,  and  that  on  Roads, 
Bridges  and  Canals. 

Mr.  Hayes  has  been  a  long  time  a 
leading  member,  and  President,  of  the 
Strafford  County  Agricultural  Society, 
also  a  Vice-President  of  the  State  Agri- 
cultural Society.  He  is  an  Odd  Fel- 
low and  a  Royal  Arch  Mason.  His  . 
first  wife  died  in  December,  1859, 
leaving  five  children,  two  sons  and 
three  daughters,  another  son  having 
previously  died,  and  one  daughter 
since.  In  June,  1861,  he  married 
Sarah  D.,  daughter  of  John  Cofran  of 
Pembroke,  who  died  ten  years  later, 
leaving  two  sons  and  two  daughters, 
the  eldest  son,  Lyman  S.,  having  served 
as  messenger  of  the  Senate  the  past 
session.  In  Nov.,  1872,  he  married  his 
present  wife,  Nellie  R.,  daughter  of  Asa 
Morrill  of  Pembroke,  by  whom  he  has 
one  son. 

[continued  in  august  number.] 


NEW  HAMPSHIRE  HILLS.  297 


NEW  HAMPSHIRE  HILLS. 


BY    GEORGE    BANCROFT    GRIFFITH. 

'  Twas  well  immortal  Milton  thanked  the  Lord, 
For  mountains,  everlasting  peaks,  round  which 
Delight  to  anchor  islands  of  the  sky  ! 
Famed  Washington  and  proud  Kearsarge  I  view, 
Grand  Monadnock,  Chocorua's  line  of  blue  ! 
Sandwich  and  Sunapee,  Moosehillock  fair ; 
A  sea  of  summits  rising  everywhere  ! 

Those  tall  and  pathless  crags  whose  shadows  sleep 
All  day  in  linked  embrace,  far,  far  below, 
Where  verdant  vales  are  bathed  in  welton  light, 
And  lonely  streams  o'er  beds  of  granite  flow. 

Go  forth  with  me  when  kiss  of  rosy  dawn 
First  warms  the  naked  crest  of  yonder  mount, 
Or  when  the  ling'ring  sunsets,  haloed  wreath 
O'er  hoary  brow  dissolves  in  rainbow  tints, 
And  ye,  my  thoughts  divining,  would  exclaim  : 
"  Were  stony  eyes  of  that  huge  Mountain  Man 
But  blessed  with  sight  how  he  amazed  would  scan, 
And  with  a  voice  of  thunder  e'er  extol, 
The  matchless  charms  that  Nature's  hand  unrolls," 

Though  'gainst  these  lofty  pinnacles  are  hurled 
The  lightning's  fiery  bolt,  like  arrows  thrown 
At  each  proud,  flinty  heart,  they're  set 
To  music  evermore  !  for  tinkling  rills 
Gush  swiftly  from  each  breast  of  rock,  and,  lo  ! 
The  cataract's  glitt'ring  line,  from  melted  snow, 
Leaves  glowing,  moss  and  lichens  richly  spread 
Where  foot  of  man  has  never  dared  to  tread  ! 
And  when  a  stream  doth  sound  in  joyful  leap 
God's  praise  forever  on  the  flower-hung  steep  ! 
The  wild  cry  of  the  plover  echoes  there, 
There,  too,  the  idle  raven  answers  back 
The  taunt  of  eagles  shrieked  from  eyre  high, 
And  all  the  deep  ravines  are  filled  with  sound, 
When  storm-king's  chariot  rolls  along  the  sky. 

Ascending  billowy  slopes,  I  seaward  look, 
When  purple  haze  that  rims  old  ocean  melts 
As  Day-God  rolleth  up,  and  blue  expanse 
Lies  boundless,  sparkling,  gladdening  the  eye. 
White  with  their  winged  ships,  the  waters  gleam. 
And  Portsmouth  bar  and  Isles  of  Shoals  appear, 
And  the  tall  beacons  shining  white  and  clear  ; 
White  sea-gulls  sail  with  pinions  widely  spread, 
Or  fearless  dip,  or  sweep  in  throngs  afar. 


298  NEW  HAMPSHIRE  HILLS. 

But  greater  still  when  mighty  storm  prevails, 
And  stray  winds  blow  the  gray  fog  off  in  clouds, 
The  "  league  long  roller,"  that  with  easy  grace 
Moved  shoreward  in  the  calm,  now  white  with  foam 
Increased  to  giant  size  is  madly  hurled 
With  thund'rous  shock  upon  the  shud'dring  coast  ! 
Great  fleets  now  rock  within  that  havened  bay  ; 
The  endless  reach  of  forest  bows  in  fear, 
From  wilderness  goes  up  despairing  sigh, 
Wide  heaths  seem  paralyzed,  and  uplands  fair 
A  lower  bed  would  seek  in  sheer  dismay  ; 
But  still  defiant,  looming,  firm,  each  head 
Of  solid  granite  fronts  the  scene  of  dread. 

Still  more  impressive  here  to  silent  stand 
When  o'er  the  portals  of  magestic  Night 
Each  star  its  brilliant  torch  resets  and  glows  ; 
The  full  orbed  moon  between  the  towering  crags 
To  flood  the  hamlets  with  their  tender  light ; 
The  slumbering  village  nestled  at  their  base  ! 
When  plumes  of  pine  are  stirred  by  lightest  breeze 
And  blooms  of  white  bedeck  the  orchard  trees. 
***** 

For  ages  have  the  caves  of  mounts  abroad 
Gave  shelter  to  the  homeless.     Noble  saints 
There  refuge  found  when  Bigotry  pursued 
With  deadly  fangs,  in  vain.     From  rock  to  rock 
Have  men  of  God  like  hunted  chamois  leaped  ; 
"  In  palace  halls  of  ice  undaunted  stood, 
Where  Solitude  sits  throned  forever  more," 
And  saw  no  light  save  smile  of  pitying  stars  ! 
The  scent  of  sacrifice  has  rose  for  aye 
In  many  a  mountain  defile  !     Natives 
Yet  believe  that  ghosts  of  valiant  heroes 
Linger  where  they  fell  and  deities  decide 
The  fate  of  mortals  in  their  highest  mounts  ! 

And  so  with  reverence  look  we  forth  today 
On  our  own  "Crystal  Hills,"  as  yet  unsung  ; 
This  simple  verse  may  wake  some  poet's  lay, 
Whose  garland  long  may  please  the  rising  young. 

East  Lempster,  N.  H. 


MAJOR-GENERAL  AMOS  SHEPARD. 


299 


MAJOR  GENERAL  AMOS  SHEPARD. 


BY    REV.    SILAS    KETCHUM,    WINDSOR,    CONN. 


Jonathan  Shepard,  of  Coventry, 
Connecticut,  a  farmer  of  English  descent, 
married  Love  Palmer,  of  Stonington, 
and  to  them  were  born  seven  sons  and 
three  daughters.  He  subsequently 
married  Polly  Underwood,  probably  in 
Connecticut,  by  whom  he  had  one 
daughter. 

His  sons  were  Jonathan,  Oliver,  Na- 
thaniel, Amos,  Simeon,  Joshua  and 
Roswell.  In  this  order  are  they  given 
by  Rev.  Seth  S.  Arnold,  in  his  Histori- 
cal Sketches  of  Alstead,  and  in  a  mem- 
orandum, in  the  hand  of  Gen.  Amos 
Shepard,  1777,  and  this  is  probably 
the  order  of  their  birth.  His  daugh- 
ters, by  Love  Palmer,  were  Prudence, 
who  married  John  Ladd,  of  Coventry ; 
Anne,  who  married  Silas  King,  of  the 
same  town,  neither  of  whom  resided  in 
New  Hampshire  ;  and  Love,  who  mar- 
ried (after  April  24,  1788)  Daniel 
Morley,  of  Alstead,  and  had  daughters, 
Love,  Percis-Scott  and  Anne ;  and 
sons,  Daniel  and  Nathaniel. 

Jonathan  (Jr.)  married  Hannah  Ben- 
jamin, of  Hartford,  Conn.,  was  a  shoe- 
maker by  trade,  and  had  six  sons ; 
among  them  Elisha,  Ralph,  Amos  and 
Levi ;  and  one  daughter. 

Oliver  married,  in  November,  1775, 
Zerviah  Hatch,  theirs  being  the  first 
marriage  in  Alstead  between  parties 
both  belonging  in  town.  They  had 
two  sons  ;  one  of  whom  was  William  ; 
and  two  daughters.  He  was  a  captain, 
probably  in  the  Revolutionary  war ; 
certainly  not  in  the  militia  reorganized 
in  1 791  ;  represented  Alstead  in  the 
Provincial  Congress  at  Exeter,  1775; 
and  nine  years  in  the  legislature  ;  and 
died  August,  1S30,  M.  87. 

Nathaniel  married  Lois  Marvin  ;  no 
issue. 

Amos  is  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 

Simeon  married  Rachel  Brooks,   and 


had  four  sons  ;  among  them  Gardner, 
Luke  and  Roswell;  and  four  daughters. 

Joshua  married  Lucy  Farnsworth, 
and  had  three  sons,  Cadwell,  Chauncey, 
and  Joshua  ;  and  four  daughters. 

Roswell  is  said  (by  Arnold)  to  have 
died  in  minority.  He  died  in  1776. 
He  left  an  estate  which  was  divided 
among  his  brothers  and  sisters.  This 
estate  was  the  proceeds  of  the  lot  of 
land,  deeded  15  January,  1777,  to  his 
brother  Amos  (vid.  infra),  which  was 
conveyed  to  him  by  deed  from  his 
father,  24  June,  1774,  for  ^"5,  as  per 
record  in  Cheshire  County,  Lib.  B, 
Fol.  460. 

Alstead  is  thought  to  have  been  first 
granted  under  the  name  of  Newton, 
but  that,  the  conditions  of  the  grant 
not  being  fulfilled,  the  charter  was  for- 
feited. It  was  chartered  under  its 
present  name  in  August,  1 763,  by  Gov. 
Benning  Wentvvorth,  .and  settlements 
commenced  soon  after.  It  is  well 
known  that  the  peculiarly  exposed  and 
unprotected  condition  of  these  towns, 
in  the  western  part  of  the  state,  pre- 
vented or  retarded  for  some  years  their 
settlement  and  growth.  But  in  1 771, 
Alstead  had  twenty-five  families  of 
actual  residents,  and  ten  other  men 
improving  their  land  with  the  intention 
of  becoming  such.  Nevertheless,  the 
terms  of  the  charter  not  having  been 
fully  complied  with,  the  inhabitants 
petitioned  Gov.  John  Wentworth  and 
His  Majesty's  Council,  "13  Jeneuary, 
1772,"  for  an  extension  of  time. 

Jonathan  Shepard,  Senior,  came  from 
Coventry,  Connecticut,  to  Alstead  in 
1 768,  and  soon  after,  probably  the  next 
year,  removed  a  portion  of  his  family 
thither.  Of  his  seven  sons,  Jonathan 
and  Amos  married  in  Connecticut  ; 
Roswell  died  unmarried  ;  all  the  rest 
married  in  Alstead,  where  all  became 


3°° 


MAJOR-GENERAL  AMOS  SHEPARD. 


residents.  Of  the  daughter  by  Polly 
Underwood  I  have  not  been  able 
to  ascertain  the  name.  When  the 
older  sons  came  to  Alstead  is  not  cer- 
tain, but  it  is  probable  that  all  save  Jona- 
than and  Amos  came  in  1 771.  '  To  the 
above-mentioned  petition  only  Oliver 
and  his  father  were  signers,  indicating 
that  the  others  were  not  then  freeholders. 

Amos  Shepard,  the  fourth  son  of 
Jonathan,  became  a  noted  man  in  New 
Hampshire.  I  have  never  met  with 
any  account  of  him  in  print  or  other- 
wise. But  he  was,  for  about  thirty-five 
years,  the  most  conspicuous  man  in 
Alstead,  holding  as  to  wealth,  influence, 
and  public  service,  much  the  same 
relation  to  that  town  that  Col.  Benja- 
min Bellows  did  to  Walpole. 

In  1878,  Elijah  Bingham,  Esq.,  who 
was  born  in  Lempster  (24  February, 
1800)  but  lived  in  Alstead,  as  a  student  - 
at-law  and  business-man,  mostly  from 
1820  to  1835,  presented  to  the  New 
Hampshire  Antiquarian  Society  all  that 
are  extant  of  Gen.  Shepard's  private 
papers.  Mr.  Bingham  was  a  student 
of  Dartmouth  College  at  one  time,  but 
did  not  complete  his  course  ;  studied 
law  with  his  brother,  James  H.  Bing- 
ham, Esq.,  (D.  C.  1 801)  ;  removed  to 
Cleveland  in  ^835,  and  has  been  for 
many  years  an  honored  and  respecfed 
citizen  of  his  adopted  city.  He  mar- 
ried Thankful-Cadwell,  a  daughter  of 
Major  Samuel  Hutchinson, 'of  Alstead, 
in  1827,  who  is  still  living.  At  the 
time  of  Gen.  .Shepard's  decease,  Maj. 
Hutchinson  was  his  partner  in  business, 
to  the  whole  of  which  he  succeeded. 
He  was  also  a  legatee  by,  and  sole  exe- 
cutor of,  Gen.  Shepard's  last  will  and 
testament ;  guardian  of  the  Avidow's 
interest  during  her  life-time  ;  becoming 
also  executor  of  her  will,  and  residuary 
legatee  of  her  estate.* 

Among  these  papers  appear  to  be 
all  Gen.  Shepard's    commissions,   both 

*Major  Hutchinson's  mother,  the  wife 
of  Rev.  Elisha  Hutchinson  (D.  C,  1775), 
of  Pomfret,  Vermont,  was  a  sister  to 
Gen.  Amos  Shepard's  wife;  and  Major 
Hutchinson's  daughter,  who  married 
Elijah  Bingham,  Esq.,  ahove  named, 
was  a  grand-niece  of  Mrs.  Shepard,  and 
was  named  for  her. 


civil    and    military,    signed     by    Gov. 
Jonathan    Trumbull,    of     Connecticut, 
Presidents  Meshec  Weare,  Josiah  Bart- 
lett  and  John  Langdon,  and  Gov.  John 
Taylor   Oilman,  of    New    Hampshire. 
Also,  most  of  the  deeds  of  conveyance 
to  him  of  real  estate   in   Alstead   and 
vicinity,  of  which  at  least  sixty-five  are 
on  record  in  Cheshire  County,  besides 
some    in    Vermont ;     several   military 
orders,  and  papers  relating  to   his   ser- 
vice in  the   army   and   militia ;    many 
indentures    of     the     partnerships     he 
formed  for  the  carrying  on  of  the  vari- 
ous branches  of   his   extensive    affairs, 
in  his  own  and  other  towns  ;    his    own 
and  his  wife's    wills  ;    and    his    memo- 
randum and  account  books  from   1777 
to  1 784.     All  these  (save  the   account 
books)  have  been  copied  and  indexed 
in  Volume  VII,  of  the  Society's   Man- 
uscript    Historical     Collections,     and 
from  them  the  present  sketch  has  been 
mostly   made    up.        By   them    much 
light  has  been   thrown   upon   the    em- 
ployments and  condition   of    the   first 
settlers    of    Alstead,   the    location   of 
farms  and  dwellings,   and    many    other 
things  not  touched  upon  in  this  paper. 
Gen.    Amos    Shepard    was    born    in 
Coventry,  Connecticut,    in    1 746,    and 
died  in  Alstead,  1   January,   181 2.     Of 
his  early  life  nothing  appears   in    these 
sources  of  information.     It  is  plain  that 
his  education   was   not    extensive,    al- 
though, like  so    many   of    the    shrewd 
settlers  of  his  day,  he  had  learned  the 
art  of  surveying  land.     But  his   syntax 
was  scarcely  according  to  Lindley  Mur- 
ray, and  his  orthography  was  decidedly 
phonetic.     He  married  Thankful  Cad- 
well,  of  Hartford,  and  settled  in   New 
Haven,  where  he  was  a   freeholder   as 
early  as  1772  (see    New  Haven    Rec- 
ords,   "Ledger   Book"   35,    p.    350). 
In  this  deed  he  is  described  as  a  "join- 
er,"   which   trade  is   found,    after    his 
removal  to  New  Hampshire,  to  include 
the  manufacture  of   coffins,  cooperage, 
and  household  furniture. 

He  was  commissioned  a  second 
lieutenant  by  Gov.  Trumbull,  1  May, 
1775,  and  accompanied  the  expedition 
which  invaded  Canada,  under  Gen. 
Richard  Montgomery,  in    the    summer 


MAJOR-GENERAL  AMOS  SHEPARD. 


30 1 


and  autumn  of  that  year,  and  was 
present  at  the  reduction  of  St.  Johns, 
and  the  occupation  of  Montreal. 
Whether  he  accompanied  Montgom- 
ery to  Quebec  is  uncertain ;  but  he 
did  not  return  home  till  the  '  spring  of 
1776,  when  he  immediately  raised  a 
company  and  joined  the  American 
army  above  New  York,  returning  be- 
fore winter. 

In  January,  1777,  he  removed  to 
Alstead,  whither  his  father  and  broth- 
ers had  preceeded  him,  and  lived  in 
the  house  of  his  brother  Oliver,  till 
the  9th  of  June,  when  he  moved  into 
Andrew  Beckwith's  house,  probably 
while  a  log  house,  or  other  temporary 
residence  was  being  constructed  for 
himself.  He  purchased  his  first  land, 
a  lot  of  ninety-two  acres,  of  the  heirs 
of  his  late  brother,  Roswell,  [see 
Cheshire  County  Register,  Lib.  5,  Fol. 
'i3i]>  x5  January,  1777,  for  ^80; 
which  became  the  nucleus  of  a  pro- 
digious territorial  estate.  In  this  deed, 
which  was  executed  at  Alstead,  he  is 
described  by  the  grantors  as  "our 
brother,  Amos  Shepard  of  New  Haven, 
state  of  Connecticut  (joiner)."  His 
accounts  show  that  he  commenced  at 
once  to  work  at  his  trade,  manufactur- 
ing the  various  articles  of  household 
use  most  necessary  in  families  situated 
as  the  earliest  settlers  then  were. 

But,  before  the  14th  of  September 
following,  he  had  opened  the  first  store 
in  town,  in  which  business  he  continued, 
constantly  enlarging  it,  until  it  became 
very  extensive,  comprising  not  only 
branch  stores  in  Croydon,  Marlow  and 
Newport,  but  also  various  manufac- 
tures, such  as  lumber,  cooperage, 
leather,  hats,  and  perhaps  others. 

He  was  commissioned  captain  by 
President  Weare,  4  May,  1777,  and  on 
the  alarm  that  Ticonderoga  was  in 
danger,  marched  to  its  defense,  as 
adjutant  of  the  regiment  commanded 
by  Col.  Benjamin  Bellows.  He  had 
scarcely  returned  home  when  he  was 
again  called  into  service,    by   order   of 


Gen.  Folsom,  and  marched,  as  captain 
of  Co.  4  of  the  same  regiment,  to 
check  the  progress  of  Burgoyne. 

After  this  he  does  not  appear  to 
have  been  in  any  active  service  in  the 
field ;  but  was  rapidly  advanced  in 
the  militia,  being  commissioned  first 
major  of  the  16th  Regiment,  by  Presi- 
dent Weare,  16  March,  1782;  lieut. 
colonel,  25  December,  1784,  and  col- 
onel, 1  March,  1786,  by  President 
Langdon  ;  brigadier  general,  29  Sep- 
tember, 1 791,  and  major  general  of 
the  newly  organized  militia,  2  7  March, 
1793,  by  Governor  Bartlett  ;  which 
office  he  held  until  his  resignation,  6 
June,  1806. 

He  was  commissioned  a  justice  ot 
the  peace  in  1785,  and  of  the  quorum 
in  1 790 ;  represented  Alstead  in  the 
legislature  several  years  ;  was  coun- 
cillor in  1785;  and  was  president  of 
the  Senate  from  1797  to  1S04. 

In  1786  he  built  for  himself  a  man- 
sion, corresponding  to  his  improved 
circumstances,  in  which  he  lived  in 
a  style  becoming  his  position.  He 
possessed  vast  energy,  great  sa- 
gacity  in  business  and  an  unusual 
capacity  for  public  affairs.  He  had 
no  children.  By  his  will,  after  provid- 
ing for  his  widow,  he  bequeathed  the 
bulk  of  his  property  to  his  partner, 
Major  Samuel  Hutchinson,  before 
mentioned,  and  to  his  three  nephews, 
Levi,  Roswell  and  Joshua  Shepard. 
His  widow  died  7  June,  181 7,  aged  71. 
By  her  will  she  left  $1,000  to  the  Con- 
gregational church  in  Alstead,  and 
$1,000  to  the  New  Hampshire  Bible 
Society.  Doubtless  an  examination  of 
the  town  records,  and  of  the  sepul- 
chral inscriptions  of  Alstead,  would 
supply  many  additional  facts  in  relation 
to  Gen.  Shepard,  his  father  and  broth- 
ers, but  such  examination  I  have  not 
been  able  to  make.  In  a  future  num- 
ber I  will  give  some  account  of  Major 
Samuel  Hutchinson  and  his  connec- 
tions. 


3°2, 


HYMNOLOGY  OF  THE  CHURCHES. 


HYMNOLOGY  OF  THE  CHURCHES. 


BY    ASA    MCFARLAND. 


The  circumstances  under  which  some 
hymns,  destined  to  hold  a  permanent 
place  in  "the  tunes  of  the  church"  were 
written,  are  such  as  to  show  that  their 
endurance  is  attributable  rather  to  the 
fervor  with  which  their  authors  were  in- 
spired, than  the  labor  bestowed  upon 
them.  Perhaps  no  favorite  production 
was  ever  so  expeditiously  written  as  the 
"  Missionary  Hymn,"  by  Rev.  Regi- 
nald Heber  : 

••  From  Greenland's  icy  mountains. 

From  India's  coral  strand, 
Where  Afric's  sunny  fountains 

Roll  down  their  golden  sand,"  &c. 

The  author,  then  35  years  of  age, 
was  visiting  his  father-in-law,  Rev.  Dr. 
Shipley,  in  Wrexham,  England.  On  a 
Saturday  evening  a  few  friends  were 
assembled  in  the  parlor  of  the  rectory, 
when  Dr.  Shipley,  aware  of  the  ease 
with  which  his  son-in-law  composed 
verses,  asked  him  if  he  could  not  write 
a  hymn  to  be  sung  the  next  forenoon, 
as  he  was  to  preach  upon  missions. 
With  this  brief  notice  Heber  retired  to 
an  adjacent  room,  and  wrote  three  of 
the  four  stanzas  of  which  this  celebrated 
production  consists,  and,  not  long  after 
the  request  was  made,  came  back  and 
read  them.  "There,  there,"  said  Dr. 
Shipley,  "  that  will  do."  But  Heber, 
thinking  the  idea  had  not  been  carried 
to  completion,  returned  and  wrote  the 
fourth  stanza,  which  is  the  bugle  blast, 
or  trumpet  call  of  the  Missionary 
Hymn,  as  follows  : 

■'  Waft,  waft,  ye  winds  his  story, 

And  you,  ye  waters,  roll ; 
Till,  like  a  sea  of  glory, 

It  spreads  from  pole  to  pole ; 
Till  o'er  our  ransomed  nature 
The  Lamh  for  sinners  slain. 
Redeemer, .King,  Creator, 

In  hliss  returns  to  reign." 
The  words  were  printed  the  same 
evening,  and  sung  the  next  forenoon  in 
Wrexham  church.  Such  were  the  cir- 
cumstances under  which  a  hymn  was 
written  that  bids  fair  to  hold   its  place 


in  the  hymnology  of  the  churches  so 
long  as  the  English  language  is  spoken. 
Reginald  Heber  became  Lord  Bishop 
of  Calcutta,  and  died  in  Trinchinopo- 
ly,  India,  April  3,  1826,  aged  43. 

Henry  Francis  Lyte,  an  Episcopal 
clergyman,  was  the  author  of  a  hymn 
the  world  will  never  let  die,  com- 
mencing : 

"  Ahide  with  me,  fast  falls  the  eventide. 
The  darkness  deepens — Lord,  abide  with 

me, 
When  other  helpers  fail,  .and    comforts 

flee. 
Help  of  the  helpless,   Lord,  abide  with 

me." 

This  hymn  was  a  few  years  since 
printed  in  illustrated  form,  for  Christ- 
mas and  New  Year  presentation  to 
friends.  The  author  was  pastor,  from 
choice,  of  a  poor  people,  many  of  them 
of  sea-going  occupation  living  on  the 
coast  of  Devonshire,  England,  whose 
surroundings  were  bleak  and  desolate. 
In  the  autumn  of  1847,  me  gloom  of 
winter  then  settling  upon  the  coast,  his 
health  having  become  impaired,  Francis 
Lyte  resolved  to  pass  the  winter  in  a 
more  salubrious  climate.  On  his  last 
Sunday  in  England  he  dragged  his 
weakened  body  into  his  desk,  and  de- 
livered the  discourse  which  proved  to 
be  his  last,  and  drew  tears  from  his 
weather-worn  congregation.  He  ended 
the  day  by  composing  the  memorable 
production  here  alluded  to.  The  auth- 
or soon  sailed  for  Nice,  on  the  shore  of 
the  Mediterranean,  where  he  soon  after 
died. 

The  hymn  known,  as  "  Rock  of 
Ages,"  found  in  books  in  use  by  peo- 
ple of  Trinitarian  belief,  had  its  origin 
in  one  who  writes  as  follows  of  him- 
self: 

"  At  the  age  of  sixteen  I  went  into  a 
barn,  in  an  obscure  portion  of  Ireland, 
and  heard  an  earnest  but  illiterate  lay- 
man preach  from  the  text :  '  Ye  who 
some  time  were  far  off  are  brought  nigh  by 


HYMNOLOGY  OF  THE  CHURCHES. 


3°3 


the  blood  of  Christ.'  Strange  that  I, 
who  had  so  long  been  under  the  means 
of  grace  in  England,  should  be  brought 
nigh  to  God  in  an  obscure  part  of  Ire- 
land, amidst  a  handful  of  God's  peo- 
ple, met  in  a  barn,  and  under  the 
preaching  of  a  man  who  could  scarce- 
ly write  his  name."  This  was  Augus- 
tus Montague  Toplady,  whose  father 
fell  in  the  battle  of  Carthagena,  Spain, 
and  the  son  was  reared  by  a  pious 
mother.  He  became  a  clergyman  and 
died  in  1778,  aged  38.  The  hymn 
known  as  "  Rock  of  Ages  "  was  re- 
peated on  his  dying  bed  by  Prince  Al- 
bert, husband  of  Queen  Victoria,  and 
a  Latin  version  was  written  by  Hon. 
W.  E.  Gladstone.  It  is  one  of  those 
productions  to  the  duration  of  which  it 
is  not  possible  to  fix  a  limit. 

"  Blest  be  the  tie  that  binds." 
is  the  first  line  of  a  hymn  that  is  often 
sung,  but  the  circumstances  under 
which  it  was  written  are  perhaps  not 
generally  known.  Its  author  was  Rev. 
John  Fawcett,  of  Bradford,  England. 
After  a  pastorate  of  seven  years  at 
Wainsgate,  he  was  invited  to  become 
the»successor  of  Rev.  Dr.  Gill,  in  Lon- 
don. The  offer  was  in  the  highest  degree 
flattering,  and  he  made  preparations 
to  move  to  the  great  city — his  church 
at  Wainsgate  being  scattered  over  a 
large  surface,  and  were  not  wealthy. 
His  parishioners  assembled  to  witness 
his  departure,  but  so  sad'was  the  meet- 
ing— the  poor  people  sorrowing  with 
many  tears — that  Mr.  Fawcett  gave  way 
with  the  remark,  "  Unpack  my  goods, 
and  we  will  live  lovingly  together." 
This  circumstance  caused  Mr.  Faw- 
cett to  write  the  hymn  : 

"  Blest  be  the  tie  that  binds 
Our  hearts  in  Christian  love ; 

The  fellowship  of  kindred  minds 
Is  like  to  that  above." 

A  woman,  in  very  humble  condi- 
tion, wrote  a  hymn,  many  years  ago, 
which  soon  obtained  a  place  in  church 
hymnology  which  it  bids  fair  to  hold 
into  the  indefinite  future.  This  posi- 
tion it  obtained  and  will  keep,  not  be- 
cause of  its  merit  as  a  metrical  com- 
position, but  for  its  devout,  humble 
spirit.     This  is  the  first  stanza  : 


"  I  love  to  steal  awhile  away. 

From  every  cumbering  care. 
And  spend  the  hours  of  setting  day 

In  humble,  grateful  prayer." 

The  author  was  Mrs.  Phebe  H.  Brown, 
of  Canaan,  N.  Y.  She  was  a  devout, 
christian  mother,  and  was  in  the  habit 
of  resorting  to  a  solitary  grove,  near 
evening,  for  secret  prayer.  For  this 
she  was  severely  censured  by  a  wealthy 
neighbor,  and  her  feelings  deeply 
wounded.  Mrs.  Brown,  like  many 
others,  "  builded  better  than  she  knew," 
for  a  hymn  written  with  no  expecta- 
tion that  it  would  ever  appear  in  print, 
is  found  in  a  multitude  of  collections  of 
hymnology,  and  bids  fair  to  remain 
there  forever. 

••  I  love  thy  kingdom,  Lord, 

The  house  of  thine  abode. 
The  church  our  blest  Redeemer  saved. 

With  his  own  pi-ecious  blood." 

The  hymn  of  which  the  above  is  the 
first  stanza  is  often  sung  at  the  Anni- 
versary of  the  American  Board,  and 
other  public  assemblies  for  the  promo- 
tion of  missions.  Its  author  was  Rev. 
Timothy  Dwight,  d.  d.,  President  of 
Yale  College  in  the  early  part  of  the 
present  century.  It  has  become  a 
companion  piece  of  the  Missionary 
Hymn,  by  Heber,  and  holds  a  perma- 
nent place  in  the  collections  of  people 
of  Trinitarian  belief : 
"  Jesus  my  all  to  Heaven  has  gone." 
In  the  year  1730  there  lived  in 
Reading,  England,  a  youth  fond  of 
cards  and  stage  plays  ;  not  of  decided 
ly  vicious  tendencies,  but  inclined  to 
ways  of  folly.  One  day  while  walking  in 
London,  a  mental  reaction  came  upon 
him.  To  use  his  own  language,  "  While 
walking  hastily  in  Cheapside  the  hand 
of  the  Lord  touched  me,  and  I  at  once 
felt  uncommon  fear  and  dejection.  I 
looked  upon  the  past  with  regret,  and 
the  future  afforded  me  no  cheering  pros- 
pect." In  this  condition  I  remained  two 
years.  He  finally  became  a  clergyman  of 
the  Moravian  church,  and  died  in  1775. 
This  was  John  Cennick,  author  of  seve- 
ral choice  hymns,  and  among  them  : 

"Jesus  niy  all  to  heaven  is  gone. 
He  whom  I  fix  my  hopes  upon : 
His  track  I  see,  and  I'll  pursue 
The  narrow  way  till  Hini  1  view." 


jo4  ITEMS  AND  INCIDENTS  IN  HOPKINTON. 


THE  MESSAGE. 


B.  A.  GOODRIDGE. 

The  wind  blows  loud  ;  the  sky  is  gray  ; 
The  billows  leap  along  the  strand, 
And  roar  around  me  where  I  stand 

Unmindful  of  their  drenching  spray. 

I  cannot  pray,  I  cannot  weep, 

My  heart  is  cold,  my  brain  is  wild 
"  O  wind,  blow  soft  !  O  sea,  be  mild  ! 

And  bring  him  safe  across  the  deep." 

The  wind  goes  down,  the  sun  gleams  bright, 
O'er  crested  sea  and  dripping  rocks, 
While  sea-birds  sport  in  screaming  flocks, 

And  toss  the  foam  from  pinions  white. 

Day  wanes,  and  sinks  into  the  west, 
The  long  swell  dies  upon  the  shore, 
The  seamew's  cry  is  heard  no  more  ; 

Still  lies  the  ocean's  placid  breast. 

I  whisper  to  the  dying  breeze, 

"  The  hours  drag  on  with  drooping  wings, 
I  heed  not  though  glad  summer  sings, 

Oh,  send  him  quick  across  the  seas  !" 

The  last  faint  gleam  of  light  has  fled, 
The  tide  creeps  sobbing  to  my  feet. 
I  know  on  earth  we  shall  not  meet 

Until  the  sea  gives  up  its  dead  ! 


ITEMS  AND  INCIDENTS  IN  HOPKINTON. 


BY    C.  C.  LORD. 

introductory.  items  and  incidents  are  frequently  de- 

The   summary   of    social   history   is  veloped    to     be    often    recounted    in 

not  complete  without  a  notice   of   nu-  indulgence  of  the  relishing  tidbits  they 

nitrous  facts  that   are   outside   of    the  afford  for  the   feast   of  local    memor- 

prosaic  experiences  of   every-day   life.  ies.     Among  such  historical  fragments 

In  the  social    career   of    any   people,  are    many    interesting,    romantic    and 


ITEMS  AND  INCIDENTS  IN  HOPKINTON. 


3°5 


amusing  bits  of  experience  that  enliven 
social  converse  whenever  they  are  told. 
The  list  of  such  relations  afforded  by 
the  history  of  this  town  is  too  long  for 
complete  publication.  We  have  there- 
fore selected  a  few  of  the  best,  offering 
them  as  means  of  the  lighter  entertain- 
ment of  our  readers. 

INCOGNITO. 

In    perusing    the    reminisences   al- 
ready recited  to  the  public,  the  reader 
has    noticed    occasional    mentions  of 
Dolloff's  brook.     This  rivulet  courses 
its  way  from  its  source  near   the    cen- 
ter of  the  town  to   a   point   near   the 
north-eastern  corner,  where  it  empties 
into  the  Contoocook  river.     This  trib- 
utary of  the  Contoocook   receives   its 
name    from    one   Joseph    Dolloff,    or 
Dolph — the  people  pronounce  it   both 
ways.     Quite  early   in    the    history    of 
Hopkinton,    Abraham    Kimball,     first 
male  child  born  in  town,  built    a   mill 
on  Dolloff's  brook,  at  a   point   of   the 
present  highway  running   eastward   to 
Buswell's  Corner,  where   the   remains 
of  the  ancient  structure  can  be  seen  to 
this   day.     For  the  accommodation  of 
the*  mill-hands,    a   dug-out   was   con 
structed  close  by   the    mill's   location. 
Being  intended  for  a   temporary   con- 
venience, the  dug-out  was   not   always 
occupied.     One  day  there  came   into 
the     neighborhond    two    strangers — a 
man  and  a  woman — with  a  few  personal 
effects,  which  they   brought   along   on 
foot,  while  they  drove  before   them    a 
cow  in  which  they  seemed  to  maintain 
exclusive  proprietorship.     They    came 
from — nobody  knows  where — and,   in 
want  of  shelter,   took   quarters    in    the 
aforesaid  dug-out,  otherwise  unused  at 
the  time,  and  where  the  indulgence  of 
the  mill-owner  allowed  them  to  remain 
for  a  considerable  period,  subsequently 
to  which  a  small  framed  house,   stand- 
ing to  this  day,  sheltered  them. 

Dolloff  and  his  companion  lived  in 
Hopkinton  the  balance  of  their  lives, 
or  at  least  till  death  severed  their 
domestic  bond.  Dolloff  was  always 
poor,  being  more  or  less  an  object  of 
charity,  and  when,  at  the  age  of  at 
least  one  hundred  years,    he    left   this 

3 


world,  he  took  the  secret  of  his  per- 
sonal history  with  him,  excepting  to 
claim  that  he  was  a  soldier  under 
Wolfe,  in  1759,  and  was  the  first 
man  to  mount  the  ramparts  of  the 
enemy  at  the  battle  of  Quebec. 
Whether  this  claim  was  true  or  not, 
Dolloff  was  not  a  person  of  much  in- 
dividual energy  or  intelligence.* 

A  BY-WORD. 

A  local  proverb,  or  by-word,  is  often 
a  product  of  the  merest  accident. 
Some  time  ago  in  the  history  of  this 
town  an  instance  in  kind  occured,  de- 
veloping a  pass-phrase  that  was  quite 
common  twenty-five  years  ago  or 
more,  if  it  is  not  even  now  sometimes 
heard.     The  story  is  as  follows  : 

Lois  Eastman  was  a  non  compos 
mentis.  Being  a  pauper,  and  living 
before  the  purchase  of  a  town  farm, 
she  was  annually  boarded  out  in  fulfil- 
ment of  the  prevalent  custom  of  dis- 
posing of  the  homeless  poor.  For 
many  years,  Lois  lived  on  Putney's 
Hill.  At  the  time  of  which  we  speak, 
the  present  main  road  from  the  center  of 
the  neighborhood  to  the  lower  village  had 
not  been  constructed,  and  the  existing 
highways  being  rather  indirect,  stranger 
travellers  were  liable  to  the  necessity  of 
inquiring  the  way.  One  day  a  stran- 
ger, doubtful  of  his  road,  knocked  at 
the  door  of  the  house  where  Lois  lived, 
to  ask  the  way  to  the  center  of  the 
town.  Lois  responded  to  his  knock, 
and  in  answer  to  his  question  said  : 

"You  go  right  down  by  Joe  Putney's 
turnip  yard,  and  by  the  sweet  apple 
tree,  and  so  on  down  to  John  Gage's." 

This  was  indeed  a  part  of  the  way 
to  the  lower  village,  though  the  direc- 
tion was  altogether  unintelligible  to  the 


*It  is  an  interesting  fact  in  this  con- 
nection that  the  name  of  Joseph  Dolloff 
appears  in  the  company  of  Capt.  Na- 
thaniel Folsom.  of  Exeter,  in  the  regi- 
ment of  Col.  Joseph  Blanchard,  of  Dun- 
stable, in  the  expedition  against  forts 
DuQuesne.  Niagara,  and  Crown  Point, 
in  1755.  The  same  name  also  appears  in 
Capt.  -John  Titcomb's  company,  in  the 
regiment  of  Col.  Nathaniel  Meserve,  of 
Portsmouth,  in  the  expedition  against 
Crown  Point,  in  1756. 


306 


ITEMS  AND  INCIDENTS  IN  HOPKINTON. 


entire  stranger  in  the  place,  who  ven- 
tured in  reply  : 

"  I  don't  know  anything  about  Joe 
Putney's  turnip  yard,  the  sweet  apple 
tree,  or  John  Gage's,  either." 

The  simple  minded  Lois  lost  her 
patience  in  view  of  what  appeared  to 
her  as  most  intolerable  ignorance. 

"Well,  then,"  said  she,  "you  air  one 
pesky,  divilish  fool,  if  you  don't  know 
the  way  to  John  Gage's  !" 

Out  of  this  incident  a  by-word  was 
born.  For  years  afterwards,  a  person 
of  less  than  average  intelligence  was 
liable  to  be  designated  as  one  "who 
didn't  know  the  way  to  John  Gage's." 

love's  labor  lost. 

In  the  earlier  days,  the  lower  village 
Baptists  used  to  immerse  candidates  in 
the  waters  of  the  brook  that  runs  from 
Smith's  pond  northerly,  through  the 
village,  on  its  way  to  become  a  tribu- 
tary of  Dolloff's  brook.  The  spot  se- 
lected for  public  baptisms  was  in  a 
glen  just  north  o(  the  village,  on  land 
now  owned  by  Mr.  I.  W.  Fellows. 
The  location,  at  the  time  of  which  we 
speak,  was  very  romantic  and  beautiful. 
The  glen  was  shaded  by  grand  old  for- 
est trees.  The  brook  was  reached 
only  by  a  foot-path  winding  down  a 
precipitious  cliff.  In  the  bosom  of 
the  brook  was  a  pool  prepared  for 
baptismal  purposes,  its  bottom  being 
paved  with  white  pebbles.  On  a  bap- 
tismal occasion,  the  people  of  the 
congregation  were  accustomed  to  file 
down  the  zigzag  path,  singing  appro- 
priate hymns  ;  the  bottom  of  the  glen 
reached,  the  ceremony  of  baptism  was 
performed  with  the  usual  solemnities. 
The  place,  the  occasion  and  the  form- 
alities conspired  to  impress  the  imagin- 
ation in  a  forcible  manner. 

On  a  certain  occasion  of  baptism  at 
this  romantic  spot,  the  rite  was  admin- 
istered to  a  number  of  young  ladies, 
who,  for  the  occasion,  were  arrayed 
in  robes  of  symbolic  white.  One  of 
these  persons  was  popularly  recognized 
as  the  fairest  of  the  fair,  and  her 
beauty  was  not  diminished  by  her 
snowy  dress  and  luxurient,  loose  flow- 
ing  hair.     That  day  a  young  officer  of 


the  United  States  army  arrived  in  town, 
and  finding  the  tide  of  local  popula- 
tion turned  toward  the  scene  of  pub- 
lic baptism,  wended  his  way  thither, 
taking  a  position  of  observation  on  the 
summit  of  the  cliff  overlooking  the 
glen.  Sitting  there,  he  saw  the  lovely 
maid,  the  fairest  of  the  fair,  plunged 
beneath  the  sparkling  wave  of  the 
pellucid  stream.  The  sight  of  so  much 
beauty  quickened  an  emotion  coe- 
taneous  with  human  nature  and  made 
him  feel  a  vacancy  in  his  being 
that  longed  for  occupancy  by  the 
adorable  being  before  him.  Im- 
perative circumstances,  however,  pre- 
vent the  immediate  consummation  of 
desired  plans,  and,  discharging  his  per- 
sonal errands,  the  young  son  of  Mars 
returned  from  whence  he  came. 

The  fires  of  love,  once  kindled  into 
a  vigorous  flame,  are  not  readily  sub- 
dued. The  young  military  officer, 
feeling  the  yearnings  of  his  heart  con- 
stant toward  the  new-found  attraction, 
embraced  an  opportunity  of  visiting  these 
local  scenes  again.  Years,  however, 
had  passed  away  since  his  first  visit, 
but  time  and  absence  had  not  oblitera- 
ted the  traces  of  personal  regard  that 
were  once  wrought  in  his  bosom.  As 
he  came  and  saw  once,  he  determined 
to  come  and  see  again,  possibly  to 
conquer.  He  sought  and  found  these 
streets  again,  and  asked  for  the  domi- 
cile of  the  fair  one  that  had  made  his 
spirit  glow  with  an  intenser  fire.  He 
was  pointed  to  a  village  house.  He 
approached  and  knocked  at  the  door. 
A  plain,  buxom  woman  responded. 
She  was  clad  in  a  country  house-wife 
dress,  and  her  sleeves  were  rolled  upon 
her  arms.  A  peculiar  odor  filled  the 
hall,  and,  if  one  had  gone  there,  he 
would  have  heard  a  peculiar  sizzling  in 
the  kitchen.  The  truth  must  be  told. 
The  fair  maid  of  days  ago  stood  be- 
fore the  martial  visitor.  She  had  be- 
come plain  and  stout  ;  she  was  the 
wife  ot  the  village  butcher  ;  her  hus- 
band had  just  killed  a  number  of  hogs, 
and  a  grand  trial  of  lard  was  in  pro- 
gress ;  the  good-wife  was  mistress  of 
the  performance.  Sic  transit  gloria 
amoris! 


ITEMS  AND  INCIDENTS  IN  HOPKINTON. 


3°  7 


A  YARN. 

A  yarn  is  a  distinctively  qualified 
relation.  While  it  assumes  the  appear  - 
ancd  of  veracity  on  its  inception,  the 
boldness  of  its  progressive  or  final  inci- 
dents must  startle  the  incredulity  of 
the  most  obtuse.  Without  this  charac- 
teristic audacity  of  relation,  no  con- 
catenated order  of  narrated  particulars 
can  legitimately  claim  to  be  a  yarn. 
The  implied  characteristic  of  mental 
ingenuity  being  very  prominent,  few 
persons  are  capable  of  inventing  a 
good  yarn.  The  scarcity  of  the  spe- 
cies makes  a  good  narrator  of  yarns  a 
person  of  local  celebrity.  Such  a 
person  lived  years  ago  in  this  town, 
and,  though  he  has  gone,  the  memory 
of  his  yarns  has  not  departed.  We 
give  one. 

The  tale  includes  assumed  circum- 
stances attendant  upon  a  flood  of  the 
Contoocook  river.  The  banks  of  this 
stream  being  low,  a  sudden  rise  of 
water  often  floods  the  adjacent  mead- 
ows and  intervales,  sometimes  also 
submerging  the  lower  floors  of  dwel- 
lings in  the  vicinity.  A  considerable 
portion  of  Contoocook  village  has  been 
thus  sometimes  flowed.  On  the  occa- 
sion of  one  of  the  heaviest  freshets  on 
the  Contoocook,  a  farm-house  on  one 
of  its  banks  was  suddenly  partially  en- 
gulfed. The  occupants — husband  and 
wife — were  in  a  situation  both  unhap- 
py and  precarious.  Their  neighbors 
promptly  determined  to  rescue  them. 
Here  the  yarn  begins. 

The  original  narrator,  who  claimed  to 
have  been  one  of  the  rescuing  party, 
stated  that  a  boat  was  procured,  into 
which  a  number  of  person^  entered 
and  pulled  for  the  imperiled  home. 
Having  reached  the  house,  they  rowed 
into  the  front  door  and  made  their  way 
into  a  room  where  the  unfortunate  in- 
mates were  found  upon  a  bed,  which 
supported  them  above  the  water.  The 
boat  being  brought  to  the  bedside,  the 
relieved  persons  stepped  gladly  into  it, 
and  preparations  were  made  to  return 
to  shore.  Just  then,  however,  one  of 
the  rescuing  party  suggested  that  a 
little  cider  would  be  an  appropriate 
acknowledgement    of    a    favor.       The 


host  was  complacent.  He  imme- 
diately leaped  from  the  boat,  procured  a 
light,  went  down  cellar,  drew  some 
cider,  returned  and  regaled  the  com- 
pany, and  then  the  whole  party  stood 
out  for  dry  land.  The  reader  will  re- 
member we  have  already  made  our 
comments  at  the  beginning  of  this 
matter. 

A  DEED  OF  DARING. 

Speaking  of  the  floods  of  the  Con- 
toocook, we  are  reminded  of  an  event 
which  took  place  about  seventy  years 
ago,  and  which  gave  abundant  attesta- 
tion of  the  courage  of  a  woman.  The 
time  was  spring.  The  day  was  Sun- 
day. The  woman  was  Mrs.  John  O. 
Emerson. 

Spring  thaws  often  suddenly  break 
up  the  ice  in  rivers  and  send  it 
in  fragments  on  a  hasty  march  south- 
ward. The  day  we  have  in  mind  was 
one  of  the  warmer  days  of  the  early 
season.  In  the  morning,  a  party  of 
perhaps  a  dozen  persons,  Mrs.  Emer- 
son among  the  rest,  crossed  the 
frozen  river  from  the  north  side,  to 
attend  meeting  at  the  old  west  meeting- 
house. As  the  day  marched  on  to  its 
meridian,  the  warmth  increased,  the 
snows  melted,  the  waters  swelled,  the 
ice  broke,  and  the  surface  of  the  river 
became  strewn  with  the  floating  debris 
of  the  natural  bridge  of  the  morning. 

Returning  from  church,  the  aforesaid 
party  approached  the  river  to  find  a 
most  forbidding  barrier  to  their  direct 
progress  homeward.  They  halted  for 
reflection.  The  nearest  bridge  was 
three  miles  down  the  river.  To  reach 
home  that  way  required  at  least  six 
miles  of  travel.  The  party  was  on 
foot,  yet  the  dominant  opinion — the 
natural  one — admitted  no  alternative. 
Mrs.  Emerson,  however,  demurred  in 
view  of  the  popular  decision.  She 
could  not  think  of  wasting  so  much 
energy  in  a  needless  tramp.  She 
would  recross  the  river  on  the  floating 
ice.  Not  to  be  deterred  from  her  reso- 
lution, she  sprang  upon  an  icy  float. 
Alert,  she  bounded  to  a  second.  A 
third  was  gained  by  a  dexterious  leap. 
In  this  manner  she  reached  the  oppo- 
site shore.     Her  friends  stood  still  and 


:o8 


ITEMS  AND  INCIDENTS  IN  HOPKINTON. 


watched  her  progress.  Seeing  her  safe- 
ly over,  they  made  a  practical  adoption 
of  the  sentiment  that  the  farther  way 
around  is  the  nearer  way  home  and  re- 
crossed  the  stream  by  the  bridge  be- 
low. 

AN    HYPERBOLE. 

The  use  of  figurative  speech  often 
implies  expressions  not  subject  to  the 
narrow  restrictions  of  simple  prosaic 
interpretation.  The  intensity  of  emo- 
tion involved  in  the  conception  of  a 
subject  may  sometimes  engender  an 
assertion  which,  while  avoiding  the  as- 
cription of  a  false  attribute,  presents 
the  substance  of  the  theme  in  only  a 
too  strong  natural  light,  thus  speaking 
hyperbolically.  In  all  times  and  plac- 
es the  hyperbole  has  been  recognized 
as  a  legitimate  element  of  human  lan- 
guage. Classical  judgment  has  never 
been  so  inflexible  as  to  deny  the  fervent 
soul  the  privilege  of  projecting  its  af- 
firmations a  little  beyond  the  bounda- 
ries of  abstract  reality.     How  could  it  ? 

Many  years  ago  there  lived  in  this 
town  a  diligent  knight  of  the  lap-stone, 
the  products  of  whose  skill  were  of 
sufficient  reputation  to  ensure  him  a 
decent  activity  in  business.  That  a 
plain  shoemaker  should  be  able  to  in- 
dulge in  a  figure  of  speech  that  should 
impress  itself  upon  the  memory  of 
future  generations  only  proves  how 
much  talent  is  sometimes  resident  in 
humble  situations.  However,  one  day 
a  citizen  of  recognized  local  promi- 
nence and  influence  called  upon  our 
friend,  the  shoemaker,  and  discussed 
the  subject  of  a  pair  of  new  boots. 

"  Can  you  make  a  pair  of  boots 
that  won't  soak  water?"  asked  the  local 
patrician. 

"  Yes,  sir,"  replied  the  humble  dis- 
ciple of  St.  Crispin. 

"  Very  well.  Make  me  a  pair  of 
boots  that  won't  soak  water." 

The  measure  was  taken,  the  boots 
made,  and  the  customer  served.  In  a 
short  time,  bearing  an  expression  of 
displeasure  on  his  countenance,  the 
citizen  returned. 

"  Mr.  Leathers,  these  boots  are  not 
satisfactory." 


"Why  not?" 

"  They  soak  water  badly.  You  agreed 
to  furnish  me  a  pair  of  tight  boots." 

"  I  think  those  you  have  must  be 
tight  ones." 

"  No,  they  are  not." 

The  two  began  to  argue  with  much 
earnestness.  At  length  the  customer 
insisted  : 

"  They  are  the  worst  boots  to  soak 
water  I  ever  had.  You  never  saw  such 
a  pair  of  boots  to  soak  water." 

"  I  have  seen  a  pair  that  soaked 
water  worse  than  that,"  stoutly  affirmed 
the  shoemaker. 

.  "  I  would  like  to  know  if  there  was 
ever  a  pair  of  boots  that  would  soak 
water  worse  than  this,"  warmly  replied 
the  customer. 

"  Why,"  said  the  shoe  maker,  "I 
have  seen  a  pair  that  soaked  so  badly 
that  it  would  draw  the  water  right  up 
out  of  a  well." 

The  point  taken  by  the  shoemaker 
was  irresistible.  The  boots  were  con- 
veyed home  again,  and  no  further  com- 
plaint was  made  or  question  asked. 

love's  object  gained. 

In  a  sparsely  populated  district, 
special  gatherings  are  always  of  great 
general  moment.  In  such  a  society, 
all  legitimate  causes  of  meeting  enlist 
the  popular  attention.  Be  it  politics, 
reform,  or  religion,  the  great  common- 
alty is   prepared  to   attest  its   interest. 

This  fact  of  widely  distributed  pop- 
ular life  is  always  intensified  in  pioneer 
locations.  In  such,  events  which  in 
other  places  are  only  local  become 
territorial.  The  social  ball  once  set 
rolling,  it  perambulates  the  extremest 
confines  of  adjacent  domestic   society. 

On  the  23d  day  of  November,  1757, 
an  ordination  of  a  minister  occurred  in 
Hopkinton  for  the  first  time.  In  an- 
ticipation of  the  event,  the  hearts  of  the 
pioneer  populace  for  many  miles 
around  were  set  agog.  In  expectation 
of  a  great  gathering,  the  town  made 
ample  provisional  arrangements.  En- 
tertainment was  voted  to  be  prepared 
at  no  less  than  six  different  places — the 
homes  of  Aaron  Kimball,  Matthew 
Stanley,    Stephen    Hoyt,    Peter   How, 


ITEMS  AND  INCIDENTS  IN  HOPKINTON. 


3°9 


Samuel  Putney  and  Joseph  Putney. 
The  sum  of  ,£450*  was  appropriated 
for  the  expenses  of  the  grand  occasion. 
The  day  and  the  company  came  duly 
as  appointed  and  expected.  Clergy 
and  people,  a  numerous  band,  assem- 
bled. The  solemn  rights  of  ecclesias- 
tical ordination  were  performed  at  Put- 
ney's Fort,  near  the  top  of  Putney's 
Hill,  and  where  also  the  military  was 
gathered  for  greater  security  against 
possible  Indian  attacks.  The  cere- 
mony was  prolonged  till  late  in  the 
day,  and  the  rays  of  the  setting  sun 
shed  a  calm,  subdued  radiance  over 
the  closing  scene.  As  the  company 
began  to  disperse  after  the  dismissal 
of  service,  a  young  Salisbury  man, 
whose  eyes  had  been  amorously  wan- 
dering during  the  day,  boldly  approach- 
ed a  stranger  lass  and  said  : 

"  Ah  !  miss,  you  are  the  one  for  me." 
The  damsel  replied  with  a  manifest 
dignity  peculiar  to  woman  : 
"  What  do  you  mean,  sir?" 
"  I  mean,"  respectfully  explained  the 
rustic  swain,  "  that  I  am  a  young   man 
in  need  of  a  wife  and  that  you  are   the 
person  I  want." 

Introduction  followed  ;  the  lady  was 
complacent ;  marriage  occurred  that 
night ;  and  the  next  morning  the  bride 
began  the  journey  to  her  new  home  in 
Salisbury. 

AN    EVEN    SWAP. 

A  horse  jockey  is  a  representative  of 
a  distinct  species  of  the  genus  Homo. 
His  distinctiveness  is  asserted  in  the 
manifest  particularities  of  his  executive 
genius,  whereby  he  performs  marketing 
exploits  of  which  men  of  usual  com- 
mercial talents  are  wholly  incapable. 
The  exclusive  capabilities  of  the  char- 
'acteristic  horse  jockey  are  suggestive 
of  creative  instincts,  since  they  at 
times  attest  the  faculty  of  producing 
as  it  were  something  out  of  nothing. 
We  have  a  local  instance  in  illustration. 
It  is  said  there  once  lived  in  the  Stump- 
field  district  a  jockey  of  most  distinct- 
ive characteristic   stripe.     Taking  into 

*  This  sum,  payable  in  depreciated 
hills  of  credit,  was  equivalent  to  onlv 
#200. 


the  tow  of  his  executive  genius  a  suit- 
able representative  of  the  equine  spe- 
cies, he  journeyed  down  to  the  vicinity 
of  the  mouth  of  the  Merrimack,  re- 
mained a  few  weeks,  trading  in  the 
meanwhile  an  indefinite  number  of 
times,  and  then  returned  to  Hopkinton, 
with  the  same  beast  he  took  away  and 
$75  additional  in  cash. 

Success  and  greatness,  however,  are 
often  only  stations  in  the  highway  to 
defeat  and  littleness,  and  our  cham- 
pion horse  jockey  was  in  time  called 
upon  to  illustrate  the  fact  at  least  in 
one  instance.  The  event  was  on  this- 
wise. Taking  along  a  semi-vitalized 
skeleton  of  a  horse,  the  hero  of  this 
section  of  narrative  wended  his  way 
to  a  favorite  location  in  the  lower  coun- 
ty of  Massachusetts,  housed  his  skele- 
ton, took  position  in  the  bar-room  of  a 
hotel,  and  awaited  opportunities  of 
business.  It  being  a  dull  time  for  trade, 
and  wishing  to  stimulate  topics,  our 
visitor  from  the  north  ventured  to  offer 
an  even  swap  with  the  first  man  who 
accepted  the  proposition. 

A  customer  was  found,  who  asked 
for  an  exposure  of  property.  The 
afore-mentioned  bones  were  brought 
out  and  duly  exhibited. 

Proceeding  to  an  adjoining  shed,  the 
customer  returned  with  a  saw  horse. 

"  A  trade's  a  trade,"  said  the  jockey. 
"  How  much  will  you  take  for  your 
horse?" 

"  Five  dollars,"  was  the  answer.  The 
price  was  promptly  paid  and  matters 
resumed  their  original  status. 

LEGENDARY. 

In  searching  for  knowledge  of  the 
past,  unless  assisted  by  honest  and 
competent  records,  one  encounters 
much  that  is  visionary  and  uncertain. 
In  intellectual  as  in  physical  observa- 
tion, objects  seen  in  the  distance  are 
tinged  with  illusive  halos,  and  the  dimly 
outlined  forms  and  facts  assume  phan- 
tastic  qualities  proportional  to  the  im- 
agination. For  this  reason,  the  recol- 
lection of  the  "oldest  inhabitant"  of  a 
local  district  is  exceedingly  unreliable 
when  positive  data  are  the  special  ob- 
jects of  historical  research.     We  pre- 


3*° 


ITEMS  AND  INCIDENTS  IN  HOPKINTON. 


mise  thus  in  order  that  an  approaching 
narrative  may  receive  a  qualified  atten- 
tion. 

Among    the   tales   of    local    Indian 
perils  and  distresses,  afflicting  this  town- 
ship in  its  earliest  days,  is  one  told  us 
years  ago  by  an  aged   woman,   whose 
story  fell  upon  our  ears  with  that  pleas- 
ure always  enjoyed  by  youth,  when  lis- 
tening   to    exciting   tales    of    by-gone 
times.     Once,  in   the   primative    days, 
she  said,  two  stalwart   young   men   of 
this  town  wandered,  gun  in  hand,  from 
the  vicinity  of   Putney's   Fort   westerly 
to  the  plains  on  the  bank  of  the  Contoo- 
cook   river.     While   wandering   there, 
they    discovered    that   their   footsteps 
were  closely  tracked  by  Indians,    who 
perhaps  were  more  intent   on    capture 
than  on  destruction.     Not  knowing  the 
number  of  their  pursuers,  and  necessa- 
rily bent  on  personal  safety,  the  young 
men  beat  a  hasty  retreat  in   the  direc- 
tion of  Putney's  Fort.     They  soon  ob- 
served evidences  of  rapid  pursuit.     A 
number  of  Indians  were  scenting  their 
track.       Fortunately   both   the   young 
men  were  skilful  in  the  use  of  the  gun, 
though    not    uniformly   so.       One     of 
them  could  load  a  gun  while  running  ; 
the  other  was  equally  skilful  in  whirling 
suddenly  and  firing,  hitting  close  to  the 
mark.     By  a  conjunction  of    separate 
personal  skills,  the  two  were  enabled  to 
keep  up  a  successful  running  fight.  They 
both  escaped  safely,  but  not  till  three 
Indians    had    been     made,    by     their 
well-directed    fire,   to   bite   the   dust. 
Having      secured      companions,     the 
escaped     men   returned    and    picked 
up  the  bodies  of  the  slain,  which  were 
buried  just   westerly   of    the     present 
Contoocook  road,  in  a  lot  now  some- 
times   known  as  the   tan-house  piece, 
owned  by  Mr.  Ira  A.  Putney. 

Substantial  record  confirms  a  number 
of  Indian  encounters  in  this  vicinity, 
but  our  present  narration  is  not  one  of 
them.  We  give  the  old  lady's  narra- 
tive— which  may  be  true — for  the 
biased  contemplation  of  our  readers. 

THE  BEST  OF  FARE. 

Several  different  times  Hopkinton 
was  the  seat  of  the  legal  government  of 


New  Hampshire.  Since  the  perma- 
nent location  of  a  capital,  she  has  been 
close  to  the  center  of  functional  state 
authority.  In  consequence  of  Hop- 
kinton's  peculiar  privileges  and  situa- 
tion, she  was  in  former  times  a  scene 
of  frequent  assemblies  with  their  at- 
tendant features  of  social  activity  and 
recreation.  In  those  days,  the  pre- 
sent railway  thoroughfares  not  being 
in  existence,  the  tide  of  travel  towards 
the  capital  from  the  western  part  of 
the  state  either  stopped  at,  or  passed 
through,  Hopkinton.  In  later  times, 
too,  a  governor  elect,  if  he  happened 
to  live  in  a  westerly  section,  would 
likelv  enough  be  met  at  Hopkinton  by  a 
large  delegation  of  officials  and  citizens, 
prepared  to  conduct  or  witness  his  escort 
to  the  state  capitol.  On  such  occa- 
sions, Perkin's  tavern  was  the  principal 
resort  of  the  elite,  as  well  as  of  as  many 
others  as  could  find  room  for  accommo- 
dation at  its  hospitable  board.  We 
think  it  was  on  an  historically  later  occa- 
sion of  events  anticipative  of  an  inaug- 
uration of  a  supreme  state  official  that, 
among  all  the  assembled  ones  seeking 
hospitality  at  Captain  Perkins',  there  was 
a  country  swain  of  self-possessed  aspect 
and  manner,  having  in  escort  his  favor- 
ite rural  lass.  The  pair  having 
taken  seats  at  a  dinner  table,  sur- 
rounded by  a  large  company  of  strang- 
ers of  different  social  style  and  position, 
the  confident  swain  was  approached  by  a 
waiter  who  asked  what  dish  would  suit 
his  special  palate. 

"The  best  you've  got,"  promptly 
replied  the  rustic  Lothario. 

The  patient  waiter  mentioned  a 
number  of  palatable  preparations  de- 
vised in  anticipation  of  the  occasion. 
Would  he  name  his  choice  ? 

Nothing  seemed  to  excite  his  par- 
ticular appetite.  He  ruminated.  At 
length  he  inquired  : 

"  Have*  you  any  salt  mackerel  ?" 

The  waiter  informed  him  there  were 
mackerel  in  the  brine,  but  they  must 
necessarily  be  freshened  before  cook- 
ing, and  the  operation  wquld  unavoida- 
bly consume  a  considerable  amount  of 
time. 


NEW  LONDON  CENTENNIAL  ADDRESS. 


3ii 


"Never  mind  the  freshening,"  he 
suggested.  "  Bring  me  some  cooked 
right  out  of  the  brine." 

The  dish  was  duly  prepared  and 
served   according  to    direction.      The 


suggestion  of  salt  mackerel,  cooked 
directly  from  the  brine,  being  the  best 
fare  afforded  at  a  first-class  tavern, 
created  a  ripple  of  mirth  that  ran  all 
round  the  table. 


NEW  LONDON  CENTENNIAL, 


ADDRESS    OF    HON.    J.    EVERETT    SARGENT. 


The  town  of  New  London  was  in- 
corporated, June  25,  1779.  Deeming 
the  occurrence  of  the  centennial  an- 
niversary an  event  of  sufficient  impor- 
tance to  warrant  a  formal  observance, 
the  citizens  of  the  town,  at  the  last 
March  election,  voted  an  appropriation 
of  three  hundred  dollars  for  that  pur- 
pose, and  appointed  Gen.  Luther  Mc- 
Cutchins,  N.  T.  Greenwood,  and  James 
E.  Shepard  a  committee  of  arrange- 
ments. The  announcement  of  the 
celebration,  with  an  invitation  to  be 
present,  having  been  sent  in  due  time 
to  all  likely  to  be  interested,  it  soon 
became  evident,  from  the  responses 
received  that  there  would  be  a  large 
representation  of  the  absent  sons  and 
daughters  of  the  town  in  attendance 
upon  the  occasion  ;  and  for  several 
days  previous  to  June  25,  there 
were  numbers,  from  all  parts  of  the 
country,  engaged  in  renewing  youthful 
associations  and  revisiting  the  scenes 
of  their  childhood  in  that  good  old 
town  amid  the  hills  of  western  Merri- 
mack. On  the  night  previous  to  the 
celebration  the  capacity  of  the  town 
for  the  accommodation  of  the  guests 
was  tried  to  the  utmost ;  and  on  the 
following  morning,  which  broke  clear 
and  beautiful  and  was  ushered  in  by 
the  ringing  of  bells  at  five  o'clock,  the 
people  began  to  come  irFfrom  the  sur- 
rounding towns  in  great  numbers,  and 
by  every  means  of  conveyance,  until 
there  was  a  larger  gathering  than  ever 
before  seen  in  New  London. 


At  half  past  nine  a  procession  was 
formed  near  the  academy  building, 
under  the  direction  of  Gen.  J.  M. 
Clough,  Commander  of  the  New  Hamp- 
shire National  Guard,  as  Chief  Mar- 
shal, in  the  following  order  : 

Chief  Marshal,  with  John  Seamans 
and  Harry  Greenwood,  as  aids  ;  Frank- 
lin Cornet  Band  ;  Messer  Rifles,  Capt. 
W.  A.  Messer,  as  Escort. 

First  Division,  Major  A.  C.  Burpee, 
Marshal,  with  Robert  Greenwood  and 
Wilfred  Burpee,  as  Aids;  Sabbath- 
Schools,  with  officers  of  the  day,  in- 
vited guests  in  carriages. 

Second  division,  Col.  J.  H.  Burpee, 
Marshal,  Commanding  Prescott  Jones 
Post  No.  32,  G.  A.  R. ;  citizens  and 
former  residents  of  town,  and  delega- 
tions from  neighboring  towns. 

After  marching  and  counter-march- 
ing, the  procession  reached  the  Bap- 
tist church  at  half -past  ten,  which  large 
edifice  was  immediately  filled  to  its 
utmost  capacity,  while  large  numbers, 
unable  to  gain  entrance,  lingered  around 
the  building.  The  church  was  beauti- 
fully decorated  for  the  occasion,  while 
flags  and  streamers  displayed  from  the 
outside  of  other  buildings  gave  the 
town  a  gala  day  appearance.  The 
exercises  in  the  church  began  with  the 
effective  rendering  by  the  choir  of  the 
anthem,  "Oh,  Praise  the  Mighty 
God,"  followed  by  prayer  by  Rev.  D. 
P.  Morgan,  of  Beverly,  Mass.  An 
original  hymn  was  then  sung  by  the 
choir,  written  for  the  occasion  by  Mrs. 


112 


NEW  LONDON  CENTENNIAL  ADDRESS. 


James  B.  Colgate,  of  New  York,  a 
daughter  of  the  late  ex-Gov.  Colby,  of 
New  London,  and  set  to  music  com- 
posed by  Mrs.  Nahum  T.  Greenwood. 
Gen.  McCutchins,  president  of  the 
day,  then  made  a  few  remarks,  wel- 
coming the  visitors  to  the  town  and  its 
hospitalities,  and  closed  by  introducing 
Hon.  J.  Everett  Sargent,  of  Concord, 
ex-Chief  Justice  of  the  Supreme  Court, 
and  a  member  of  one  of  the  largest  of 
the  old  families  of  New  London,  as 
speaker  of  the  day,  who  occupied 
about  two  hours  in  the  delivery  of  his 
address,  stopping  twice  to  allow  musi- 
cal exercises,  one  being  the  rendering 
of  a  song  written  by  Mrs.  Geo.  Rogers, 
of  Charlestown,  Mass.  Music  by  the 
Franklin  Band  followed  the  address, 
and  then  came  the  poem,  a  fine  pro- 
duction, by  Mrs.  Dr.  R.  A.  Blood,  of 
Charlestown,  Mass.,  a  daughter  of  Gen. 
McCutchins.  The  exercises  in  the 
church  closed  at  twenty  minutes  past 
one,  with  the  anthem  "  Strike  the  Cym- 
bals." Dinner  was  served  in  a  large 
tent,  with  tables  set  for  five  hundred 
people,  where  in  the  course  of  two 
hours  about  two  thousand  were  fed, 
while  the  militia  company,  Grand  Army 
post  and  band  dined  at  Town  Hall, 
where  ample  preparations  were  made. 
At  half  past  three  the  church  was  again 
filled,  and  toasts,  responses,  &c,  were 
in  order,  N.  T.  Greenwood,  Esq.,  offi- 
ciating as  toast-master.  Among  the 
toasts  offered  were  the  following  : 

"The  Bar" — responded  to  by  Judge 
Sargent  and  by  a  letter  from  Hon.  Walter 
P.  Flanders,  of  Milwaukee,  Wisconsin. 
"Our  Ministers" — responses  by   Rev. 

D.  P.  Morgan,  of  Beverly,  Mass.,  and 
letter  from  Rev.  Francis  A.  Gates,  of 
Iowa.     The  Press, — response  by  James 

E.  G.  Shepard,  Esq.,  of  Attica,  N.  Y., 
formerly  of  the  Nashville  (Tenn.)  Un- 
ion. Our  Home  Interests — response 
by  Gen.  Luther  McCutchins.  Colby 
Academy  and  the  Baptist  Church — 
response  by  present  pastor,  Rev  S.  C. 
Fletcher.  Interesting  short  speeches 
were  made  by  several  present  and 
former  residents  of  the  town.  These 
closed  the  public  exercises  of  the  day, 
which  were  naturally  followed,  by  social 


reunions,  the  renewal  of  old  acquain- 
tanceships, &c.  The  arrangements  were 
excellent  and  admirably  carried  out, 
and  the  occasion  an  enjovable  one 
throughout.  A  display  of  fireworks  in 
the  evening  closed  the  festivities. 

ADDRESS    OF   JUDGE    SARGENT. 

Mr.  President,  Ladies  and  Gentlemen  : 

We  have  met  today  to  commemorate 
the  one  hundredth  anniversary  or 
birthday  of  the  good  old  town  of  New 
London,  as  a  municipal  corporation. 
One  hundred  years  ago  today,  June  25, 
1779,  the  Great  and  General  Court  of 
the  state  of  New  Hampshire  passed  an 
act  incorporating  the  town  of  New 
London  out  of  a  tract  of  land  that  had 
previously  been  known  as  "Alexandria 
Addition."  The  lines  of  the  town- 
ship were  described  in  the  act  of  incor- 
poration, but  we  shall  find  that  the 
town  as  at  first  incorporated  contained 
much  territory  that  does  not  now  . 
belong  to  it,  and,  also,  that  it  did  not 
contain  considerable  territory  which 
now  constitutes  a  part  of  it. 

But  although  the  town  was  not  incor- 
porated until  1779,  it  had  been  inhab- 
ited several  years  previous  to  that,  and 
in  giving  a  historical  sketch  of  the 
town,  it  will  be  not  only  interesting  but 
proper  and  necessary  to  go  back  as  far 
as  we  can  trace  any  step  of  the  white 
man  ;  and  it  would  be  interesting  also, 
had  we  the  means  of  doing  so,  to  go 
even  back  of  that,  and  to  describe 
what  savage  tribes,  what  sons  of  the 
forest,  what  race  of  the  red  men  for- 
merly frequented  these  hills  and  moun- 
tains and  tracked  their  devious  ways 
through  the  dense  forests  that  then 
covered  these  hills  and  valleys  ;  who 
hunted ,  their  game  in  these  regions 
while  the  woods  were  yet  unbroken  ; 
and  sailed  upon  our  grassy  lakes  and 
ponds  in  their  bark  canoes,  when  as 
yet  their  waters  had  never  mirrored 
forth  the  forms  or  the  features  of  any 
of  the  race  of  pale  faces,  the  descend- 
ants of  the  English.  But  all  the  facts 
in  relation  to  these  times  have  perished 
from  human  memorv,  and  all  the  tra- 
ditions in  regard  to  former  races  of 
men  who  may  have  once  in  the  ages  of 


NEW  LONDON  CENTENNIAL  ADDRESS. 


3*3 


the  past,  inhabited  these  regions,  are 
forgotten  and  have  passed  away  for- 
ever, and  we  can  only  draw  upon  our 
imaginations  to  picture  the  races  of 
men,  the  modes  of  living,  the  habits, 
pursuits  and  characteristics  of  the  peo- 
ple who  may  at  some  distant  day  in 
the  far  past,  have  lived  and  labored, 
loved  and  hated,  enjoyed  and  suffered, 
in  these  places  which  we  now  occupy. 

What  has  been  going  on  within  the 
limits  embraced  in  this  single  town- 
ship during  the  long  ages  of  the  past, 
extending  far  back  to  the  times  of 
Greece  and  Rome,  of  Persia  and  of 
Egypt,  to  the  times  of  Babylon  and 
Nineveh  ;  to  the  times  of  Abraham 
,,and  of  Noah,  to  say  nothing  of  the 
centuries  preceeding  the  flood?  No 
man  can  tell  us.  Upon  these  points, 
while  we  know  absolutely  nothing,  yet 
we  are  sure  that  we  are  as  wise  as  the 
wisest.  Oblivion  has  drawn  her  im- 
penetrable veil  over  all  of  the  events 
that  have  taken  place  in  these  regions 
for  almost  the  whole  of  the  nearly  six 
thousand  years  since  the  creation. 
All  that  is  left  to  us  is  to  go  back  one 
hundred,  and  a  little  over,  of  the  nearly 
six  thousand  years  of  the  past  and  see 
what  we  can  gather  up  of  the  history 
of  that  comparatively  short  period. 
For  although  a  century  seems  a  long 
time  for  one  person  to  live,  a  long 
time  to  look  forward  to,  and  a  long 
time  to  look  back  upon,  when  we  con- 
sider all  that  has  been  accomplished  in 
it,  yet  as  compared  with  all  of  time 
that  has  passed,  it  is  only  as  a  drop  in 
the  bucket,  a  single  grain  of  sand  in 
the  hour-glass  of  time. 

Indian  settlements  in  this  town  were 
far  back  before  any  white  man  had 
knowledge  of  these  localities.  The 
Indian  wars  were  over  and  the  feu- 
scattering  remnants  of  the  race  .  that 
remained  had  retired  from  the  unequal 
contest,  had  ceased  their  depredations 
and  left  the  state  (except  perhaps  in 
the  extreme  northerly  portion)  before 
this  town  was  settled  ;  and  we  look 
almost  in  vain  for  any  trace  of  them  in 
this  region.  The  only  name  that  I 
find  anywhere  in  the  neighborhood, 
that  indicates    that    the    Indians    ever 


dwelt  here,  is  the  name  of  Sunapee 
Lake.  That  name  is  unmistakably 
Indian.  But  why  did  the  Indians  call 
it  Sunapee  ?  From  the  best  informa- 
tion I  have  been  able  to  obtain,  I 
think  the  name  means  in  plain  English, 
"Goose"  and  Sunapee  Pond  meant 
simply  Goose  Pond.  Our  theory  is  that 
at  sometime  in  the  past  this  lake  was 
found  to  be  a  favorite  resting  place 
for  the  Canadian  wild  geese,  as  they 
migrated  from  the  regions  of  Hudson 
Bay  southward  at  the  approach  of 
winter,  flying  as  they  always  do  at  a  great 
height,  and  like  a  well  trained  military 
company,  following  their  leader  in  such 
a  way  as  to  describe  the  sides  of  a 
triangle  with  the  angle  in  front,  or  as 
our  farmers  would  familiarly  express  it 
in  the  shape  of  a  harrow. 

The  size  of  the  lake  would  cause  it 
to  be  seen  from  a  great  distance  on 
either  side,  and  thus  it  would  be  sure 
to  be  sought  as  a  place  of  rest  and  re- 
freshment for  a  time  by  the  wild  geese, 
as  they  went  southward  in  the  autumn 
and  northward  in  the  spring,  and  we 
infer  that  the  Indians  were  familiar 
with  this  fact  and  hence  the  name  Sun- 
apee,— Goose  Pond. 

We  cannot  doubt  that  the  Indians 
also  were  familiar  with  the  Little  Sunapee 
Pond  in  the  north-westerly  part  of  the 
town  and  Messer's  and  Clark's  or  Har- 
vey's Ponds  in  the  southerly  part,  and 
crossed  the  height  of  land  and  de- 
scended to  Pleasant  Pond,  in  the 
north-easterly  part  of  the  town.  But, 
however  that  may  be,  one  fact  remains, 
which  is  that  New  London  is  the  high- 
est land,  or  furnishes  the  dividing  line 
between  the  Connecticut  and  the  Mer- 
rimack rivers.  There  are  upon  the  old 
farm  on  which  I  was  born  brooks  on 
one  side  that  ran  into  Little  Sunapee 
and  through  to  Sunapee  Lake,  and 
thence  by  Sugar  River  to  the  Con- 
necticut ;  and  brooks  on  the  other  side 
that  descended  to  Pleasant  Pond,  thence 
into  the  Blackwater  and  so  to  the  Merri- 
mack ;  and  it  is  said  there  are  buildings 
in  town  from  the  roof  of  which  the 
water  descends  from  one  side  to  the 
Merrimack  and  from  the  other  side  to 
the  Connecticut  River. 


3*4 


NEW  LONDON  CENTENNIAL  ADDRESS. 


I  find  this  account  of  traces  of  the 
Indians  in  Sutton,  near  Kezar's  Pond, 
in  the  northerly  part  of  the  town  and 
not  far  from  the  line  of  New  London. 
Sutton  was  then  known  as  Perrystown 
and  was  settled  first  in  1767,  some 
eight  years  before  this  town  was  settled, 
and  it  was  stated  of  the  early  settlers 
there,  that  though  no  Indian  was  seen 
by  them,  yet  it  seemed  as  though  he 
had  just  put  out  his  fire  and  gone  away, 
as  the  white  man  came.  His  track 
was  still  plain  and  visible.  On  the 
west  bank  of  Kezar's  Pond  were  sev- 
eral acres  of  land  which  appeared  to 
have  been  cleared  by  them  of  their  orig- 
inal forests.  Here  were  found  several 
Indian  hearths  built  with  stone,  with 
much  skill  and  ingenuity.  Here  was 
found  an  Indian  burying  place.  Gun 
barrels  and  arrows  have  also  been  found 
here,  and  near  the  pond  were  found 
stone  mortar  pestles  and  tomahawks. 

It  is  certain  that  these  regions    were 
once,    and   that   not   long   before   the 
advent  of  the  pale-faces,  inhabited  by 
the  red  man  ;  he  hunted  his  game  over 
these  hills  and  encamped  and  lived  on 
the  banks  of  our  Great  Lake,  Sunapee, 
and  of  our  smaller  ponds,  nestling   as 
they  do   in    beauty   among   our   hills. 
Upon  investigation    I   find   that   large 
numbers  of  Indian   utensils    and   arms 
have  been  found  by  Mr.  James  M.  Pike 
and  Mr.  Amos  Currier  in  the  west  part  of 
the  town  near  Sunapee  Lake,  so  that   I 
am  satisfied  the  Indians  had    a   settle- 
ment on  the  border  of  the  lake  in  that 
neighborhood,  and    that    they   had    a 
track   or   path   from    such   settlement 
down  by  Harvey's  Pond  to  North    Sut- 
ton, to  Kezar's  Pond,    which   we    have 
just  noticed.     They  also   visited    Little 
Sunapee  Pond  and  had  a  settlement  in 
the  summer  season  on  its  easterly  shore, 
and  had  a  track  or   path    from   thence 
easterly  over  the  height  of  land  to  the 
upper   end   of    Pleasant    Pond,  where 
they  also  had  another    settlement,    and 
where  they  had  cleared  up  the    forests, 
on    the    intervale ;    and  this    clearing 
was  the  first   place    occupied    by   the 
white  man  in  that  part   of    the    town. 
They    were    in    the    habit    of    hunt- 
ing in  summer  all   over  our   hills,    and 


their  arrow-heads  of  stone  have  been 
found  by  Gen.  McCutchins,  by  Mr. 
Nathan  Pingree,  Mr.  Ransom  Sar- 
gent and  others  ;  and  a  few  years  since 
Mr.  Asa  Ray  plowed  up  an  Indian 
gouge  in  the  path  leading  from  Little 
Sunapee  to  Pleasant  Pond,  which  is 
now  in  possession  of  Mr.  S.  D^  Messer. 
New    London    was   first   settled    in 

1775,  some  four  years  before  it  was 
incorporated.  James  Lamb  and  Na- 
thaniel Merrill  were  the  first  settlers, 
and  they  were  soon  followed,  in  the 
same  season,  by  Eliphalet  Lyon  and 
Ebenezer    Hunting.      The    next    year, 

1776,  the  first   child    was    born    within 
the  limits  of  the  town,  a  son  of    James 
Lamb,  and  they  called  his  name  John. 
James  Lamb  is  said  to  have  made   the 
first  settlement  on  the   farm  known    as 
the  Ezekiel  Knowlton  farm.     It  is  also 
related  that    Moses  Trussell   came    up 
from  Hopkinton,  in  1774,  and  camped 
in    the    wilderness    and    felled   several 
acres  of   trees   on   the    Morgan    farm, 
so  called,  adjoining  the  Knowlton  farm  ; 
that  he  burned  off  the  land  and  planted 
it  with  corn  ;  that    in    the    autumn    he 
returned  again  to  harvest  his  crop,  but 
finding  that  he   had    been    anticipated 
by  the  hedge  hogs  and  other  wild    ani- 
mals, he  returned  to    Hopkinton,    and 
the  next  spring  instead  of    coming   to 
New  London,  he  went  to  Bunker   Hill, 
where  he  lost  an  arm  and   did   not  get 
back  to  New  London  until    1804,   just 
thirty  years  after  his  first   visit.      Soon 
after  1  775  came  also  Mr.  Samuel  Messer. 
Benjamin  Eastman,  Nathaniel  Everett, 
Nathaniel  Goodwin,  Ephraim  Guile,  and 
John  Austin,  with  Jedediah  Jewett  and 
Thomas  Whittier    and    others  ;  and    in 
March,  1779,  these   citizens  petitioned 
"the     Honorable     General    Court    of 
the  State  of  New  Hampshire  then    sit- 
ting at  Exeter,"  that  they  might  be  in- 
corporated into  a  town,  which    petition 
was  afterward  granted. 

The  act  of  incorporation  was  as  follows : 

'•  In  the  year  of  our  Lord  one  thousand 
seven  hundred  and  seventy-nine. 

State  of  New  Hampshire. 

An  act  to  incorporate  a  place   called 


NEW  LONDON  CENTENNIAL  ADDRESS. 


3i5 


Addition  of  Alexandria,  in  the    county 
of  Hillsborough. 

Whereas,  a  petition  has  been  prefered 
to  the  General  Court  in  behalf  of  the 
inhabitants  of  a  tract  of  land  called 
Addition  of  Alexandria,  in  the  county 
of  Hillsborough,  setting  forth  that 
they  labor  under  great  inconveniences 
for  want  of  incorporation,  and  praying 
that  they  may  be  incorporated,  of  which 
public  notice  has  been  given  and  no 
objection  has  been  made. 

Be  it  therefore  enacted  by  the  Coun- 

♦cil  and  House  of  Representatives  in 
general  court  assembled,  and  by  author- 
ity of  the  same,  that  there  be  and 
hereby  is  a  township  erected  and  in- 
corporated by  the  name  of  New  Lon- 
don within  the  following  bounds,  viz.  : 
Beginning  at  the  south-westerly  corner 
of  Alexandria,  aforesaid,  on  the  patent 
line,  and  running  on  said  patent  line 
to  Fishersrield  Corner  in  great  Sunapee 
Pond  ;  from  thence  east  on  the  northerly 
side  line  of  Fishersfield  four  hundred 
and  seventy-two  rods,  to  Perrystown 
Corner  ;  then  north,  eighty-five  degrees 
east,  about  four  miles  to  a  beech  tree 
marked  on  Perrystown  line  ;  from  thence 

_north,  thirty-nine  degrees  east,  about 
sixteen  hundred  and  seventy-two  rods 
to  a  beech  tree  marked  in  Alexandria 
Corner ;  from  thence  north,  twelve  de- 
grees west,  to  the  patent  line  afore- 
mentioned on  the  westerly  side  of 
Alexandria. 

And  the  inhabitants  of  said  town- 
ship are  hereby  erected  into  a  body 
politic  and  corporate,  to  have  continu- 
ance and  succession  forever,  and  in- 
vested with  all  power,  and  enfranchised 
with  all  the  rights,  privileges  and  im- 
munities, which  any  town  in  the  state 
holds  and  enjoys,  to  hold  to  the  said 
inhabitants  and  their  successors  for- 
ever. 

Mr.  Samuel  Messer  is  hereby  author- 
ized to  call  a  meeting  of  said  inhabi- 
tants, to  choose  all  necessary  and  cus- 
tomary town  officers,  giving  fourteen 
days  notice  of  the  time  and  place  and 
design  of  such  meeting ;  and  the  offi- 
cers then  chosen  shall  hereby  be  in- 
vested with  all  the  power  of  such  offi- 
cers in  any  other  town  in  the  state,  and 


every  other  meeting  which  shall  be 
annually  held  in  said  town  for  that 
purpose  shall  be  on  the  second  Tues- 
day of  March  forever." 

"  State  of  New  Hampshire.  In  the 
House  of  Representatives,  June  24th, 
1779.  The  foregoing  bill  having  been 
read  a  third  time,  voted  that  it  pass  to 
be  enacted. 

Sent  up  for  concurrence. 
(Signed) 

John  Langdon,  Speaker. 

"In  Council  June  25th,  1779.     This 
bill  was   read  a    third  time,  and  voted 
that  the  same  be  enacted. 
(Signed) 

M.  Ware,  President. 

Copy  examined  by  E.  Thompson, 
Secretary." 

Mr.  Samuel  Messer  called  a  meeting 
of  the  freeholders,  and  other  inhabi- 
tants qualified  by  law,  to  vote  in  town 
affairs,  on  Tuesday  the  third  day  of 
August,  1779,  of  which  he  gave  due 
notice,  for  the  following  purposes,  viz  : 

Firstly — To  choose  a  Town-Clerk. 

Secondly — To  choose  Selectmen. 

Thirdly — To  choose  a  Constable  and 
such  other  officers  as  shall  be  thought 
proper  in  town. 

Fourthly — To  see  what  method  the 
town  will  take  to  have  roads. 

Fifthly — To  know  what  sums  of 
money  shall  be  granted  to  pay  the 
town  charges  for  the  present  year. 

Sixthly — To  see  if  the  town  will  vote 
to  hire  preaching. 

Seventhly — To  see  if  the  town  will 
hire  any  school  for  children. 

In  compliance  with  said  warrant  the 
inhabitants  of  New  London  met  at 
the  dwelling-house  of  Mr.  Samuel  Mes- 
ser, at  which  time  was  read  the  copy  of 
the  act  of  incorporation  of  this  town, 
Mr.  Messer's  power,  given  him  by  said 
honorable  court,  to  call  said  meeting, 
after  which  was  read  the  notification  for 
said  meeting,  of  which  Mr.  Messer  was 
considered  as  moderator,  and  then  pro- 
ceeded to  act  on  the  business  of  the 
day. 

Town  officers  chosen  by  written 
votes  :  Ebenezer  Hunting,  Town-Clerk  ; 


316 


NEW  LONDON  CENTENNIAL  ADDRESS. 


Mr.  Samuel  Messer,  Mr.  Benjamin 
Eastman,  and  Mr.  Nathaniel  Everett, 
for  Selectmen ;  and  Mr.  Nathaniel 
Goodwin,  for  a  Constable  ;  Mr.  Nathan- 
iel Everett,  for  Town  Treasurer  ;  and 
Mr.  Benjamin  Guile,  and  Mr.  John 
Austin,  for  Surveyors.  (All  of  whom' 
were  duly  sworn.) 

Voted,  To  choose  a  committee  to  lay 
out  roads  where,  at  present,  necessary. 

Voted,  That  Mr.  Samuel  Messei.  Mr. 
Benjamin  Eastman,  and  Mr.  Nathan- 
iel Everett,  serve  as  a  committee  to  lay 
out  roads  this  year. 

Voted,  That  roads  be  laid  out  three 
rods  wide. 

Voted,  To  purchase  the  land  for  said 
roads. 

Voted,  That  four  hundred  and  fifty 
pounds  be  raised  for  clearing  roads,  and 
that  labor  shall  be  three  pounds  per  day. 

Voted,  That  one  hundred  and  eighty 
pounds  be  raised  to  pay  town   charges. 

Voted,  Not  to  hire  any  preaching 
this  year. 

Voted,  To  hire  three  months'  school- 
ing this  year. 

The  meeting  dissolved. 

I  have  thus  given  you  a  full  account 
of  the  act  of  incorporation,  and  the 
action  of  the  town  at  its  first  meeting. 
The  town  is  now  fully  organized,  with 
its  town  officers,  its  three  months 
schooling  in  a  year,  and  its  committee 
to  lay  out  roads  where  necessary,  and 
money  raised  to  clear  them  out  with. 
Having  thus  got  our  young  craft  fully 
rigged  and  fairly  launched,  we  may- 
leave  her  for  awhile  to  prosecute  her 
way  upon  the  tide  of  successful  experi- 
ment while  we  pause  and  examine  some 
things  that  have  been  disclosed  in  our 
course  thus  far,  which  it  may  be  profit- 
able to  consider. 

i.  It  will  be  observed  that  the  act  of 
incorporation  of  this  town  was  passed 
about  midway  during  the  time  of  the 
Revolutionary  War.  The  first  settle- 
ments were  made  in  the  year  i  775,  the 
same  year  that  witnessed  the  commence- 
ment of  the  war  at  Lexington.  Con- 
cord, and  Bunker  Hill.  The  first 
child  was  born  here  in  t  7  76, 
•  the    year     in     which,    upon    the    4th 


of  July,  the  ever  memorable  Declara- 
tion of  American  Independence  was 
adopted  by  the  Continental  Congress. 
This  year  was  also  noted  for  another 
event  which  no  son  of  New  Hamp- 
shire should  forget,  that  is  that  on  the 
fifth  day  of  January  of  that  year  a  tem- 
porary constitution  was  adopted  by  this 
State,  which  was  the  first  written  con- 
stitution adopted  by  any  of  the  states 
now  constituting  the  American  Union. 
Under  this  constitution  the  State  was 
prosperously  governed  for  eight  years, 
and  until  the  new  constitution  of  1  784 
went  into  effect.  The  form  of  govern- 
ment was  not  much  changed  by  the 
constitution  of  1776. 

Before  that  the    Government    of  the 
State  consisted    of  a    Royal  Governor, 
appointed    and    commissioned   by   the 
King  of  England,  with   a  council,  also 
appointed  by  the  King,  and  an  assem- 
bly elected  by  the  people  of  the  seve- 
ral towns  in   the   province.     After  the 
separation  from  the  mother  country  the 
State  elected  their  Council  and  also  their 
Assembly  or  House  of  Representatives  ; 
and  the  Council  elected  their  presiding 
officer,  who  acted  for  the  time  being  as 
Governor  ;  hence  the  act  of  incorpora- 
tion was  passed  by  the  House  of  Rep-' 
resentatives,  then   by  the  Council,  and 
was  signed    M.  Ware,  President.     This 
was  the  form    of  government  until    the 
new  constitution  of  1  784,  when  we  had 
a  President,  and    an    advisory  Council, 
with  a  Senate  and  House  of  Represent- 
atives, all  elected  by  the  people.       Me- 
shech  Ware  was  President  of  the  Coun- 
cil for  the  eight   years  that  the  tempor- 
ary  constitution     continued,  and    one 
year    under   the   new  constitution.     It 
will  also  be  observed  that  our  town  was 
incorporated  some  two  years,  nearly,  af- 
ter   the    articles  of  confederation    had 
been   adopted    by  the   American  Con- 
gress, that  having  been  done   Nov.   15, 

1  777- 

2.  By   examining  the    boundaries   of 

the  town  as  incorporated,  we  shall  see 
that  it  was  of  very  ample  proportions  as 
compared  with  its  present  size.  It  be- 
gan at  the  southwesterly  corner  of  Alex- 
andria, on  the  patent  line,  &c.  Alex- 
andria   was  formerly  much   larger   than 


NEW  LONDON  CENTENNIAL  ADDRESS. 


3r7 


it  now  is,  for  besides  several  other  pieces 
that  have  been  taken  off  from  it,  the 
whole  township  of  Danbury  was  incor- 
porated June  1 8th,  1795,  out  of  terri- 
tory that  before  was  the  southwesterly 
portion  of  Alexandria,  so  that  when 
New  London,  in  1779,  began  at  the 
southwest  corner  of  Alexandria  it 
would  be  the  same  now  as  beginning  at 
the  southwest  corner  of  Danbury  on 
the  patent  line. 

But  what  was  this  patent  line  ? 
New  Hampshire  as  it  seems  was  grant- 
ed by  the  Council  of  Plymouth,  Eng- 
land, to  one  John  Mason,  in  1629. 
This  patent  included  the  land  "  from 
the  middle  of  Pascataqua  River  and 
up  the  same  to  the  farthest  head 
thereof,  and  from  thence  northwest- 
ward, until  sixty  miles  from  the  mouth 
of  the  harbor  were  finished ;  also, 
through  Merrimack  river  to  the  farthest 
head  thereof,  and  so  forward  up  into 
the  land  westward  until  sixty  miles 
were  finished  ;  and  from  thence  to 
cross  overland  to  the  end  of  the  sixty 
miles  accounted  from  Pascataqua  Riv- 
er ;  together  with  all  Islands  within 
five  leagues  of  the  coast."  This 
tract  of  land  was  called  New  Hamp- 
shire. In  1 768  the  Masonian  pro- 
prietors procured  one  Robert  Fletch- 
er, as  a  surveyor  to  run  out  their 
territory,  claiming  that  their  line  should 
be  a  curve  line  drawn  from  the  point  on 
the  south  line  of  the  State,  60  miles 
west  from  the  sea-coast,  to  a  point  on 
the  east  line  of  the  State  sixty  miles 
north  of  the  sea- coast,  in  such  a  way 
that  it  should  at  every  point  be  60 
miles  from  the  coast.  This  claim  of 
Mason,  and  after  him  of  the  Masonian 
proprietors ,  to  this  curve  line  had  never 
been  disputed  by  the  government  of 
England,  and  so  Fletcher  run  the  line 
as  requested,  starting  on  the  south,  on 
the  west  of  the  town  of  Fitzwilliam. 
and  so  running  northerly  and  north- 
easterly through  Marlow,  Sullivan, 
Goshen,  and  so  on  what  was  afterwards 
the  northwest  line  of  New  London  and 
Wilmot,  and  thence  through  Hebron. 
Plymouth,  Campton,  and  Sandwich,  to 
the  town  of  Conway.  This  was  known 
as    the    westerly    line    of    the    Mason 


patent,  and  is   hence  called  the  patent 
line. 

So  New  London  after  starting  at  the 
corner  of  Alexandria  (now  Danbury) 
on  this  patent  line  was  to  run  on  this 
patent  line  to  Fishersfield  Corner.  Fish- 
ersfield had  been  incorporated  the  year 
before  New  London  (1778,  Nov.  27), 
and  is  bounded  on  the  northwest  by 
the  same  patent  line.  Its  name  was 
changed  to  Newbury  in  1837.  Then 
the  line  of  the  town  runs  easterly  on 
the  north  line  of  Fishersfield,  to  the 
corner  of  Perrystown,  now  Sutton, 
thence  on  Perrystown  north  line  a  given 
number  of  rods  to  a  marked  tree,  and 
there,  turning  off  and  running  north, 
390  east,  to  Alexandria  Corner  (now 
Danbury  South  Corner)  and  thence  on 
Alexandria  (now  Danbury)  to  the  place 
of  beginning. 

Perhaps  I  may  here  be  allowed  to 
state  that  this  patent  line  remained  un- 
changed, though  undecided,  marking 
the  claim  of  the  Masonian  proprietors, 
until  after  the  termination  of  the  Revo- 
lutionary War  in  1783,  when  various 
disputes  arising,  relating  to  the  titles  to 
the  land,  several  parties  petitioned  the 
Legislature  to  locate  and  establish  this 
line.  Whereupon,  by  an  act  of  1787,  the 
bound  on  the  south  line  of  the  State 
was  fixed  near  the  southwest  corner  of 
Rindge,  and  thence  running  a  straight 
line  instead  of  a  curved  line  to  the 
bound  on  the  easterly  line  of  the  State. 
This  line  run  through  Peterborough, 
Francestown,  Hopkinton,  Concord, 
Gilmanton,  and  so  across  the  lake 
through*  Ossipee,  making  a  difference, 
here  in  the  centre  of  the  line,  of  some 
30  miles  between  the  two  lines. 

Having  thus  ascertained  what  was 
meant  by  the  patent  line,  the  next  ques- 
tion that  arises  is,  how  came  the  terri- 
tory now  known  as  New  London  to 
have  been  called  "Alexandria  Addi- 
tion?" or  the  addition  of  Alexandria? 
It  is  so  called  in  the  petition  of  the 
inhabitants  for  their  act  of  incorpora- 
tion and  is  so  designated  in  said  act  of 
incorporation .  But  wh  y  was  it  so  called  ? 
I  have  looked  in  vain  for  an  answer  to 
that  question  among  all  the  books  of 
charters  and  acts  of  incorporation   and 


3i« 


NEW  LONDON  CENTENNIAL  ADDRESS. 


other  records  in  the  office  of  the  Sec- 
retary of  State  at  Concord,  where  such 
records  should  be  found.  Upon  going 
to  the  records  of  the  town  of  Alexan- 
dria, I  find  that  the  town  had  been 
granted  by  the  Masonian  proprietors 
to  Joseph  Butterfield,  Jr.,  and  others, 
March  13,  1767,  including  much  of 
what  is  now  Alexandria,  and  all  of  Dan- 
bury.  But  the  conditions  upon  which 
this  grant  was  made  were  not  performed 
by  the  grantees  ;  and  so  the  grantors,  the 
Masonian  proprietors,  re-entered  upon 
the  land,  and  thus  became  legally 
seized  and  possessed  again  of  the  lands. 
On  the  7th  day  of  July,  1773,  the 
Masonian  proprietors  at  a  meeting  held 
at  Portsmouth,  issued  a  new  grant  of 
Alexandria,  including  the  same  land 
which  had  been  included  in  the  former 
grant,  to  Jonas  Minot,  Matthew  Thorn- 
ton and  others.  This  grant  was  de- 
scribed as  bounded  on  the  northwest 
by  Mason's  patent  line.  The  said  Ma- 
sonian proprietors  at  the  same  time, 
July  7,  1773,  voted  that  there  be  and 
there  hereby  is  granted  unto  the  be- 
fore named  Jonas  Minot,  and  others, 
upon  the  terms,  conditions,  limita- 
tions, and  reservations  hereinafter 
mentioned,  "  A  certain  tract  of  land 
situated  in  the  county  of  Hills- 
borough and  Province  of  New  Hamp- 
shire, bounded  as  follows,  viz.  :  begin- 
ing  at  the  southwesterly  corner  of 
Alexandria,  aforesaid,  on  the  patent 
line,  and  running  on  said  patent  line 
to  Fishersfield  Corner  in  Great  Sunapee 
Pond  ;  from  thence  east  on  the  northerly 
side  line  of  Fishersfield,  472  rods,  to 
Perrystown  Corner;  thence  north, eighty- 
five  degrees  east,  about  four  miles  to  a 
beech  tree  marked  on  the  Perrystown 
line ;  from  thence  north,  thirty-nine 
degrees  east,  about  1672  rods,  to  a 
beech  tree  marked  in  Alexandria  Cor- 
ner ;  from  thence  north,  1 2  degrees 
west,  to  the  patent  line  aforementioned 
on  the  westerly  side  of  said  Alexan- 
dria." One  of  the  terms  and  condi- 
tions of  the  grant  was,  that  "within 
ninety  days  from  this  date,  the  lots  of 
said  grantees  shall  be  drawn  or  divided 
and  a  schedule  of  the  numbers  returned 
to  the  said  grantors   within  that   time, 


with  a  list  of  the  settling  lots  and  the 
lots  thereto  belonging,  and  that  said 
grantees,  within  said  ninety  days,  shall 
vote  an  acceptance  of  both  said  grants 
and  make  a  record  of  such  accept- 
ance." 

There  was  a  meeting  of  the  gran- 
tees of  these  lands,  holden  at  London- 
derry, September  7,  1773,  at  which  it 
was  voted  "that  the  proprietors  accept 
of  the  grant  agreebly  to  the  condition 
of  the  charter,  granted  to  them  by  the 
proprietors  of  Mason's  Patent,  bearing 
date  July  7th,  1773,  which  grant  in 
eludes  the  township  called  Alexandria, 
in  the  county  of  Grafton,  and-  the  land 
called  the  "Addition  of  Alexandria," 
lying  in  the  county  of  Hillsborough, 
both  in  the  Province  of  New  Hamp- 
shire." 

Here  we  have  the  origin  of  the  term 
Addition  of  Alexandria,  which  addi- 
tion, as  you  see,  was  bounded  precisely 
as  the  town  of  New  London  was  when 
first  incorporated.  We  also  find  that 
all  the  lands  in  the  town  of  New  Lon- 
don, and  much  of  Wilmot.  were  lotted 
and  drawn  to  the  proprietors,  while  it 
was  thus  known  as  the  Addition  of 
Alexandria,  and  probably  within  the 
ninety  days  after  the  date  of  the  grant, 
for  the  records  of  Alexandria  show 
the  drawing  of  these  lots,  and  among 
the  different  lots  drawn  by  one  Robert 
McMurphy  was  lot  No.  108,  and  at 
the  end  of  his  drawing  it  says,  "and 
all  the  common  land  adjoining  the  lot 
108  by  Little  Sunapee  Pond."  The 
records  of  the  proprietors  of  Alexan- 
dria, to  whom  this  addition  was  also 
granted,  have  been  destroyed  by  fire, 
from  1779.  the  year  New  London  was 
chartered,  down  to  1793.  After  this 
latter  date  I  find  that  the  Addition  is 
often  spoken  of  as  the  Alexandria  Ad- 
dition, alias  New  London,  and  a  num- 
ber of  the  meetings  of  these  proprie- 
tors were  held  in  New  London  after 
1793,  at  the  house  of  Joseph  Colby, 
Esq. 

Thus  we  see  that  the  lands  in  New 
London  were  originally  and  are  still 
held  under  this  grant  of  the  Masonian 
proprietors  to  Jonas  Minot  and  others 
of  this  territory  as  an  addition    to    the 


NEW  LONDON  CENTENNIAL  ADDRESS. 


3*9 


town  of  Alexandria ;  and  all  the  plans 
of  the  town  are  based  upon  that  grant 
and  upon  the  allotments  and  drawings 
or  purchase  of  lots  under  that  title. 
But  these  grants  of  the  territory  gave 
only  the  title  to  the  lands,  and  did  not 
give  any  political  or  municipal  rights, 
and  hence  when  the  inhabitants  de- 
sired to  act  as  a  body  politic,  to  lay 
out  highways  and  build  the  same,  to 
elect  town  officers,  to  impose  taxes  for 
town  purposes,  for  schools  or  for 
preaching,  they  needed  an  act  of  in- 
corporation by  the  state  government, 
which  was  oBtained  in  1779,  as  has 
been  seen,  and  the  town  organized  and 
making  progress  under  the  same. 

I  find  a  difference  of  opinion  in  regard 
to  the  original  name  of  New  Lon- 
don. Some  sav  its  first  name  was 
Dantzick,  others  that  it  was  first  called 
Heidleburg.  Which  are  right?  The 
earliest  writer  I  have  been  able  to  find 
on  that  subject  is  Dr.  Belknap,  the  au- 
thor of  the  early  history  of  New  Hamp- 
shire. In  the  third  volume  of  his  his- 
tory of  this  state,  he  gives  us  a  table  of 
statistics,  in  which,  on  page  235,  he 
mentions  Fishersfield  (now  Newbury) 
and  says  of  it  "  First  called  Dantzick," 
and  on  page  236,  he  mentions  New 
London,  and  says  of  it,  "  First  called 
Heidleburg.  "  He  mentions  these  both 
as  facts  that  were  to  his  mind  well  au- 
thenticated, and  concerning  which  there 
was  no  dispute  or  doubt. 

The  N.  H.  Gazetteer  of  1823  (Farm- 
er &  Moore's),  says  that  Fishersfield  was 
first  called  Dantzick,  according  to  Dr. 
Belknap,  and  that  New  London's  "  first 
name  was  Dantzick,  Dr.  Belknap  says 
Hiedleburg."  But  they  give  us  no  rea- 
sons why  they  differ  in  opinion  from 
Dr.  Belknap  in  this  regard.  Dr.  Bou- 
ton  follows  Farmer  &  Moore  and  says 
that  New  London  was  first  called  Dant- 
zick, but  says  nothing  of  Fishersfield. 
Fogg  in  in  his  Gazetteer  says  that  New- 
bury (formerly  Fishersfield)  was  orig- 
inally called  Dantzick,  and  says 
the  same  of  New  London.  No  one  of 
them,  subsequent  to  Dr.  Belknap,  has 
given  any  reason  for  differing  from 
him,  nor  do  they  refer  us  to  any  books, 
maps  or  records,  to   substantiate    their 


claim.  I  have  been  able  to  find  nothing 
in  the  office  of  the  Secretary  of  State, 
bearing  upon  the  question.  In  the  State 
Library  are  many  maps  and  charts, 
which    I   have    consulted.     Carrkrain's 

O 

Map  of  New  Hampshire,  published  in 
1S16,  shows  nothing  on  this  point,  but 
it  shows  the  curve  line  which  was  for 
many  years  claimed  as  the  western  and 
northwestern  boundary  of  the  Masonian 
Grant.  Neither  does  Dr.  Belknap's  map, 
in  the  first  volume  of  his  History,  show 
any  thing  upon  the  point  in  controversy, 
while  it  does  show  the  straight  line, 
that  was  established  in  1787,  by  the 
legislature  as  the  northwestern  boundary 
of  said  Masonian  Grant.  Holland's  Map 
of  New  Hampshire,  published  in  Lon- 
don, Eng.,  in  1  784,  from  a  survey  made 
about  1 775,  gives  us  no  aid  in  this  mat- 
ter. 

But  I  find  a  large  Atlas  of  Maps  in 
the  State  Library,  published  in  London, 
Eng.,  in  1 768,  in  which  is  a  map  of 
New  Hampshire,  which  is  said  to  have 
been  made  from  surveys  of  the  State, 
made  by  Mitchell  and  Hazzen,  in  1750. 
Upon  this  map  we  find  put  down  Pro- 
tectworth  (now  Springfield),  Alexan- 
dria, Heidleburg,  Dantzick,  and  Perrys- 
town  (now  Sutton),  and  judging  from 
that  map,  and  comparing  it  with  our 
modern  maps,  it  would  seem  to 
leave  no  doubt  that  Dr.  Belknap  is 
right.  Dantzick,  on  the  map,  covers 
nearly  all  the  territory  now  covered  by 
Newbury,  and  extends  easterly  so  as  to 
cover  a  considerable  part  of  what  is 
now  Sutton ;  but  it  does  not  extend 
farther  north  than  the  north  line  of 
Newbury  and  Sutton,  and  Heidleburg 
lies  north  of  Dantzick,  and  covers  very 
nearly  the  ground  afterwards  covered 
by  New  London. 

I  also  find  another  map  of  New 
Hampshire  in  the  same  atlas,  prepared 
by  Col.  Joseph  Blanchard  and  Rev. 
Samuel  Langdon,  at  Portsmouth,  N. 
H.,  in  1 76 1,  and  engraved  and  publish- 
ed in  London  with  the  rest,  in  which 
the  curve  indicating  the  claim  of  Ma- 
son on  the  west  and  northwest,  is 
well  marked,  and  showing  all  the  towns 
in  the  vicinity  within  that  curve  line, 
and   scarcely   anything   outside  of    it, 


!20 


NEW  LONDON  CENTENNIAL  ADDRESS. 


showing  New  Chester,  Alexandria, 
Heidleburg,  Dantzick,  Perrystown, 
and  other  towns  around  it  on  the  east 
and  south  ;  from  all  which  I  am  led  to 
the  same  conclusion,  as  to  the  location 
of  Heidleburg,  as  before. 

There  is  one  other  circumstance 
which  has  great  weight  with  me.  My 
father  was  born  in  Hopkinton,  in  1768, 
and  removed  thence  to  New  London,  in 
1  781,  when  thirteen  years  old,  and  be 
was  eleven  years  old  when  the  town 
was  incorporated  as  New  London.  He 
used  to  tell  me  often  about  his  moving 
to  New  London  with  his  father,  that  his 
father  had  been  talking  of  moving 
there  for  several  years  before  he  did 
go,  and  that  this  tract  of  land  was 
known  in  Hopkinton  as  Heidleburg 
until  the  time  of  its  incorporation,  and 
that  in  1781,  when  he  moved  there, 
the  name  of  Heidleburg  was  quite  as 
frequently  applied  to  it  as  New  London, 
though  both  were  used  indiscriminately 
in  common  conversation.  That  Dant- 
zick was  the  name  applied  to  the  re- 
gion round  the  south  end  of  Sunapee 
Lake,  while  Heidleburg  was  to  the 
northeast  ot   it. 

The  only  trouble  with  these  old 
maps  is  that  Sunapee  Lake  being 
put  down  without  regard  to  any 
actual  survey,  is  often  represented  on 
them  as  extending  much  farther  south 
than  it  should  be  as  compared  with  the 
surrounding  territory.  All  the  author- 
ities agree  that  Newbury  (formerly 
Fishersfield)  was  originally  called  Dant- 
zick :  and  I  think  upon  investigation  it 
is  equally  well  settled  that  the  original 
name  of  New  London  was  Heidleburg. 
I  have  no  partiality  for  one  name  more 
than  the  other,  and  have  only  endeav- 
ored to  get  at  the  truth  in  this  matter. 
I  am  inclined  to  think  that  the  first  set- 
tler.; were  wise  in  selecting  the  plain 
English  name  of  New  London  in  pref- 
erence to  either  of  them. 

Let  us  now  return  to  the  records  of 
the  town  and  see  what  progress  our  new 
municipal  corporation  has  been  mak- 
ing. They  held  their  meetings  annually 
for  the  choice  of  town  officers,  and 
many  special  meetings  were  also  hold- 
en  ;  one  notified  and  held  February  12, 


1  78 1,  to  see  what  method  the  town  will 
take  to  procure  a  man  for  the  Conti- 
nental Army,  and  it  was  voted  "  That 
some  man  be  procured  for  the  Conti- 
nental Army,"  also  that  "  the  select- 
men be  a  committee  to  hire  a  man  for 
this  town  to  serve  in  the  Continental 
Army  for  three  years." 

Also,  at  a  meeting  held  September 
24,  1 78 1,  "  Voted,  to  raise  silver  money 
to  pay  for  beef  purchased  for  this  year, 
and  to  pay  the  soldier  hired  for  this 
vear." 

At  the  annual  town  meeting  held  in 
March,  1782,  after  choosing  town  of- 
ficers, &c,  they  voted  "  twenty  hard 
dollars  to  be  raised  for  town  charges." 

/  Wed,  To  grant  money  for  school, — 
twelve  hard  dollars  granted. 

Voted,  Seventy-five  dollars  for  high- 
ways ;  work  to  be  three  shillings  per  day. 

Voted,  To  do  something  towards  the 
support  of  Mr.  Ambrose,  preacher. 
Chose  a  committee  to  inquire  into  his 
wants,  and  supply  according  to  our  pro- 
portion, and  that  an  average  of  the 
same  be  made.  The  committee  was 
Nathaniel  Everett  and  Mr.  Samuel 
Messer. 

Voted,  To  join  Perrystown  and 
Fishersfield;  and  petition  the  General 
Court  that  these  towns  may  be  joined 
in  representation. 

We  find  nothing  to  show  that  New 
London  was  ever  classed  with  Perrystown 
and  Fishersfield  to  send  a  representa- 
tive, but  it  was  soon  classed  with  Per- 
rystown, which  was  incorporated  as  Sut- 
ton in  the  year  1784,  April  13. 

The  Town  Records  do  not  show  who 
was  procured  as  the  soldier  in  the  Conti- 
nental Army.  But  I  find  in  the  Adju- 
tant General's  office,  among  a  mass  of 
old  papers  and  records,  one  with  the 
following  heading  : 

"  Return  of  Soldiers  mustered  in  the 
years  1781  and  1782  to  fill  up  the 
Continental  Army  with  the  towns  and 
places  they  engage  for,  and  time  when 
mustered  in,  for  each  of  which  a  bounty 
of  twenty  pounds  was  promised  by 
the  acts  and  resolves  of  the  General 
Court." 

[continued  in  august  number.] 


Engd  by  AH  Ritchie 


27£ou<?    Ayi^dL 


Gst^ls^CsO 


TIHIIE 


GRANITE    MONTHLY. 


A  MAGAZINE  OF  LITERATURE,  HISTORY,  AND 
STATE  PROGRESS. 


VOL.  II. 


AUGUST,  1879. 


NO.  11. 


HON,  JAMES  A.   WESTON. 


There  is  but  one  member  of  the 
Democratic  party  in  the  state,  now  liv- 
ing, who  ever  held  the  office  of  Gov- 
ernor of  New  Hampshire,  and  he  is  the 
only  Democrat,  also,  who  has  been 
elected  to  that  position  since  the  Re- 
publican party  first  gained  ascendancy 
in  the  state,  twenty  five  years  ago. 
Considering  the  comparatively  short 
periods  of  service  filled  by  our  chief 
magistrates  the  number  of  surviving 
ex-Governors  of  New  Hampshire  is 
remarkably  small,  being  but  eight,  al- 
together, and  yet  the  idea  that  there  is 
any  fatality  consequent  upon  the  oc- 
cupation of  the  office  is  not  so  far  prev- 
alent as  to  be  productive  of  difficulty 
on  the  part  of  either  party  in  finding 
men  willing  to  accept  its  nomination 
therefor.  It  is  a  somewhat  remarkable 
fact,  after  all,  that  no  Governor  of  our 
state  has  ever  died  in  office,  while  the 
average  age  at  decease  of  those  who 
have  occupied  the  position  has  been 
considerably  in  excess  of  the  allotted 
three  score  and  ten  years. 

For  seventy-five  years  the  name  of 
Weston  has  been  prominent  in  the  history 
of  Manchester.  In  1803  Amos  Wes- 
ton removed  with  his  family  from  Read- 
ing, Mass.,  and  settled  in  the  town  of 
Derryfield,  now  Manchester.  He  was 
a  descendant,  of  the  fifth  generation, 
from  that  John  Westoiij  who  came  from 
Buckinghamshire,  England,  and  aided 
in    founding  a    colony  at   Weymouth, 


then  Wiscassett,  Mass.,  where  he  estab- 
lished himself  as  a  merchant,  being  one 
of  the  first  to  engage  in  colonial  trade, 
but  returning  to  England  after  a  few 
years,  died  suddenly  in  that  country. 
In  1644  John  Weston,  a  young  son  of 
the  former,  made  his  way  to  America, 
joining  several  of  his  kindred  who  had 
emigrated  previously,  and  finally  settled 
in  Reading,  and  became  the  progenitor 
of  the  Weston  family  in  question.  This 
Amos  Weston  was  a  farmer  and  settled 
upon  the  now  well  known  farm  in  the 
southeastern  part  of  Manchester  to 
which  the  name  is  still  applied.  That 
he  was  a  man  of  substantial  character 
and  held  in  due  esteem  by  his  fellow 
citizens  is  attested  by  the  fact  that  he' 
was  several  times  chosen  one  of  the 
selectmen  of  the  town,  as  appears  from 
the  records,  and  was  a  member  of  the 
committee  chosen  March,  18 10,  to 
petition  the  legislature  to  change  the 
name  of  Derryfield  to  Manchester, 
which  petition  was  granted  by  the  legis- 
lature in  June  following.  Amos  Wes- 
ton, Jr.,  son  of  the  above,  was  born  in 
Reading,  Mass.,  in  1791,  and  removed 
with  his  parents  to  Derryfield.  He  suc- 
ceeded to  the  family  homestead  and 
became  an  enterprising  and  prosperous 
farmer.  He  married,  in  18 14,  Betsy  Wil- 
son of  Londonderry,  a  daughter  of  Col. 
Robert  Wilson,  a  prominent  citizen  of 
that  town,  and  grandaughter  of  James 
Wilson,  who   came  from  Londonderry, 


322 


HON.  JAMES  A.  WESTON. 


Ireland,  one  hundred  and  fifty  years 
ago,  and  settled  at  the  place  now  known 
as  Wilson's  Crossing,  in  Londonderry. 
A  man  of  sound  judgment  and  superior 
business  capacity,  his  services  were 
called  into  requisition  by  his  townsmen 
in  the  direction  of  public  affairs.  Be- 
tween 1 8 20  and  1841  he  served  five 
years  as  town-clerk,  fifteen  years  as 
selectman,  being  eleven  years  chairman 
of  the  board,  and  three  years  as  the 
representative  of  the  town  (then  entit- 
led to  but  one  member)  in  the  General 
Court.  Of  his  union  with  Betsy  Wil- 
son (an  estimable  woman,  endowed 
with  the  most  amiable  and  exemplary 
traits  of  character)  five  ciiildren  were 
born,  but  only  one  survives. 

James  Adams  Weston,  the  youngest 
and  only  surviving  child  of  Amos  and 
Betsy  (Wilson)    Weston,  was    born    in 
Manchester,    August    27,    1827,   being 
now   just  fifty-two   years    of  age.     He 
passed  his  time  in  early   life  at  home 
upon  the  farm,  in  attendance  upon  the 
district  school,  and    the   academies   at 
Piscataquog  and  Manchester,  develop- 
ing a  strong  taste  for    mathematics,  to 
which  branch  of  study  he  applied  him- 
self with   much  earnestness,  and   at  an 
early  age   determined   upon  civil  engi- 
neering as   his  avocation  in  life.     Per- 
sistently continuing  his  studies    in  that 
direction,  and   in  the   meantime  teach- 
ing school  successfully  two  winters,  in 
Londonderry  and    Manchester,  he  was 
^appointed,  in    1846,  at  nineteen   years 
of  age,   assistant   civil   engineer  of  the 
Concord    Railroad,    and    immediately 
commenced  his   labors  in  that  position 
in  attending  to  the   work  of  laying  the 
second  track  of  the  road.     Three  years 
after  he  was   promoted  to  the  office  of 
chief  engineer  of  the  road,  which  posi- 
tion he  has  holden  to  the  present  time. 
At  the  time  of  his  promotion,  in  1849, 
he  established   his   residence    in    Con- 
cord, where  he  retained  his  abode  un- 
til 1856,  having  married  in    the  mean- 
time (1854)  Miss  Anna  S.,  daughter  of 
Mitchel   Gilmore,    Esq.,  of    Concord. 
In  connection  with  his  duties   as  chief 
engineer,  he  for  several  years  discharg- 
ed the  duties  of  road  master,  and  mas- 
ter of  transportation  of  the    Concord. 


and  Manchester  and  Lawrence  Rail- 
road. He  superintended  the  construc- 
tion of  the  Concord  &  Portsmouth  Rail- 
road, between  Manchester  and  Candia, 
and  of  the  Suncook  Valley  Railroad, 
from  Hooksett  to  Pittsfield.  In  1 856  he 
removed  to  Manchester,  where  he  has 
ever  since  resided,  devoting  himself 
assidously  to  the  duties  of  his  position 
in  connection  with  the  railroad,  and  the 
general  pursuit  of  his  profession  as  a 
civil  engineer,  together  with  the  respon- 
sible public  duties  to  which  he  has  been 
called. 

Never  a  politician  in  the  ordinary 
sense  of  the  term,  taking  no  part  or  in- 
terest in  the  manipulation  of  partisan 
machinery,  cherishing  no  ambition  for 
the  distinction  of  public  position,  Mr. 
Weston  has  always  entertained  decided 
political  convictions,  and  has,  from 
youth,  been  a  consistent  and  persistent 
supporter  of  the  principles  and  policy 
of  the  Democratic  party.  Guided  in 
his  political  action  by  the  conservative 
influence  of  reason,  allied  with  the 
spirit  of  just  liberality  instead  of  the 
blind  partisan  zeal  and  intolerance 
which  too  often  directs  and  distinguish- 
es the  conduct  of  public  men  and  po- 
litical leaders  of  either  party,  Mr. 
Weston  has  won  and  retained  the  per- 
sonal respect  of  his  political  opponents 
even,  so  that  whenever  yielding  to  the 
solicitation  of  his  party  friends,  and  ac- 
cepting their  nomination  lor  official 
position,  he  has  never  failed  to  receive 
more  or  less  support  from  members  of 
the  opposite  party,  within  the  circle  of 
his  acquaintance.  His  first  nomination 
for  public  office  was  in  1 86 1 ,  when  he  was 
persuaded  by  the  Democracy  of  Man- 
chester to  allow  the  use  of  his  name  as 
their  candidate  for  mayor.  Manches- 
ter had  always  been  known  as  a  strong 
Republican  or  Whig  city,  and  with  the 
exception  of  two  years,  when  the  late 
Hon.  Edward  W.  Harrington,  a  man  of 
great  personal  popularity  was  the  Dem- 
ocratic candidate  and  secured  the  elec- 
tion by  a  narrow  majority,  had  never 
failed  to  elect  an  anti-Democratic 
mayor  and  city  government,  and  at  the 
election  next  previous  to  Mr.  Weston's 
candidacy  the  Republican  nominee  had 


HON.  JAMES  A.  WESTON. 


323 


received  a  majority  of  nearly  four  hun- 
dred and  fifty.  Mr.  Weston  was  de- 
feated by  a  majority  of  some  two  hun- 
dred and  fifty.  At  the  election  the  fol- 
lowing year  he  was  again  the  Demo- 
cratic candidate  and  was  only  defeated 
by  a  majority  of  eighteen  votes  by 
Theodore  T.  Abbott,  the  Republican 
candidate,  an  ex-Mayor  of  exceptional 
strength,  who  had  previously  polled  a 
larger  vote  than  had  ever  been  cast  for 
any  other  man  for  mayor  in  Man- 
chester. 

In  1867  Mr.  Weston  was  again  pre- 
vailed upon  to  accept  the  Democratic 
nomination  for  Mayor,  and  the  election 
resulted  in  his  choice,  over  Joseph  B. 
Clark,  then  mayor  and  Republican 
candidate  for  re-election,  by»a  majority 
of  two  hundred  and  seventy-two,  his 
vote  being  larger  than  ever  before  cast 
for  the  candidate  of  any  party,  in  the 
city,  with  the  single  exception  of  that 
cast  for  Mayor  Abbott  in  1855,  the  time 
of  the  great  "know-nothing"  excite- 
ment. A  very  spirited  contest  at  the 
next  election  resulted  in  Mayor  Wes- 
ton's defeat  for  re-election  by  Isaac  W. 
Smith  the  Republican  candidate,  upon 
a  heavy  vote,  by  a  majority  of  just 
twenty-three.  In  1S69  he  was  again 
the  Democratic  candidate,  and  defeat- 
ed Mayor  Smith's  re-election,  receiving 
a  majority  of  one  hundred  and  thirty- 
eight.  Renominated  in  1870,  he  was 
again  elected,  receiving  a  majority  over 
both  the  Republican  and  Prohibition 
candidates. 

Mayor  Weston's  efficient  and  suc- 
cessful administration  of  the  municipal 
affairs  of  the  city  of  'Manchester,  and 
the  great  popular  strength  which  he  had 
developed  in  that  important  manufac- 
turing metropolis  of  the  state,  directed 
the  attention  of  the  Democracy  of  the 
state  generally  to  his  fitness  and  avail- 
ability for  the  gubernatorial  nomination 
of  the  party,  and  at  their  nominating 
convention  in  January,  1871,  his  name 
was  placed  at  the  head  of  the  state 
ticket.  The  election  resulted  in  the 
first  defeat  which  the  Republican  party 
had  experienced  in  the  state  since  it 
came  into  ascendancy  in  1855,  there 
being    no    choice  of  governor    by  the 


people,  though  Mr.  Weston  received  a 
decided  plurality  over  Hon.  James 
Pike,  the  Republican  candidate,  and 
lacked  but  a  few  votes  of  a  clear  ma- 
jority. Elected  governor  by  the  leg- 
islature in  joint  convention,  he  entered 
upon  the  duties  of  the  office  and  de- 
voted thereto  his  best  efforts  and  most 
earnest  labors  in  behalf  of  all  the  ma- 
terial and  popular  interests  of  the  state 
dependent  in  any  degree  upon  execu- 
tive action  or  influence. 

In  1872  the  Republican  leaders  de-  ' 
termined  upon  the  restoration  of  their 
party  to  power,  and   fully  appreciating 
the  importance  of  the  vote  of  the  city 
of  Manchester,  as  affecting  the  result, 
secured  the  nomination  as  the  Republi- 
can candidate,  of  Hon.  Ezekiel  A.  Straw, 
the    able    and    popular    agent    of    the 
Amoskeag     Manufacturing    Company, 
the  largest   and   most   powerful   manu- 
facturing corporation  in  that   city,  and 
in  the  state — a  man  of  great  popularity 
and  influence  not  only  in   Manchester, 
but  in   all   manufacturing   communities 
throughout    the    state.       The    election 
resulted  as  was   readily  to    be    appre- 
hended in   a   Republican   triumph,  fol- 
lowed by  the  re-election  of  Gov.  Straw 
in  1873  ;  but  in  the  campaign  of  1S74, 
Gov.  Weston,   who  had    continued   as 
the  standard-bearer  of  his  party  upon 
earnest  solicitation,  again  defeated   the 
Republican  nominee,  Gen.  Luther  Mc- 
Cutchins,   by    a    handsome     plurality, 
although  failing  of  an   election  by  trie 
people  as  before,  and  was  chosen   gov- 
ernor by  the  legislature.     At  the  muni- 
cipal election  in  Manchester,  in  Decem- 
ber    previous,    he    had    been    for    the 
fourth  time  elected  mayor  of   the   city, 
a   distinction  which    no    other    citizen, 
except   ex-Gov.   Smyth,  has    ever    en- 
joyed.    As  before,  he  discharged    the 
duties  of  both  his    important  executive 
positions  with  eminent  ability  and  fidel- 
ity, and  retired  therefrom  with  the   full 
confidence  and  respect  of   the   people 
of  his  native  state  and  city. 

No  man  has  taken  a  deeper  interest 
in  the  welfare  of  the  city  of  Manches- 
ter or  labored  more  devotedly  to  pro- 
mote its  prosperity,  than  has  Gov.  Wes- 
ton.    The  important  enterprise  known 


324 


HON.  JAMES  A.  WESTON. 


as  the  City  Water  Works,  by  which  the 
city  is  furnished  with  an  abundant  sup- 
ply of  the  purest  water  from  Lake 
Massabesic, — a  supply  equal  to  the  ne- 
cessities of  a  city  of  four  times  the 
present  population  of  Manchester,  and 
consequently  ample  for  all  demands  of 
the  future, — owes  its  inception  and  its 
successful  organization  largely  to  his 
individual  efforts.  There  had  been  for 
some  time  previous  much  agitation  of 
the  question  of  a  new  and  increased 
water  supply  for  the  city,  and  various 
surveys  and  estimates  had  been  made 
— Gov.  Weston  himself  having  been 
engaged  therein,  and  during  the  year 
187 1,  while  he  was  at  the  head  of  the 
municipal  government,  the  matter  cul- 
minated and  took  shape  in  definite 
action.  Actively  instrumental  in  secur- 
ing the  legislation  necessary  to  allow 
the  prosecution  of  the  work  by  the  city 
government,  he  became  chairman  of 
the  board  of  commissioners  estab- 
lished to  have  charge  of  the  work,  by 
virtue  of  his  office  as  Mayor,  and 
through  this  position,  and  his  sound 
judgment,  practical  knowledge  as  an 
engineer,  and  deep  interest  in  the  en- 
terprise, he  gave  careful  direction  as 
well  as  strong  impetus  to  the  prelimi- 
nary work,  which  insured  at  an  early  day 
the  establishment  and  successful  oper- 
ation of  the  noble  system  of  water 
supply  with  which  the  city  of  Man- 
chester is  so  happily  favored. 

Gov.  Weston  has  been  intimately 
various  other  public 
native  city,  and  was 
milding  committee  of 
the  soldiers'  monument,  now  just  com- 
pleted, and  about  to  be  dedicated  with 
imposing  ceremonies.  In  1871,  while 
Governor,  he  was  appointed  a  member 
of  the  New  Hampshire  Centennial 
Commission,  of  which  body  he  was 
chairman,  and  in  the  following  year 
was  appointed  by  Congress  a  member 
of  the  Centennial  Board  of  Finance. 
His  efforts  were  second  to  those  of  no 
other  man  in  the  state  in  promoting 
the  excellence  of  the  New  Hampshire 
exhibit,  and  the  general  success  of  the 
exposition. 


connected   with 
enterprises  in  his 
chairman  of  the  1 


In  his  profession  as  a  civil  engineer 
Gov.  Weston  occupies  the  highest 
rank,  and  his  sendees  have  been  largely 
in  demand  in  making  important  sur- 
veys. He  surveyed  proposed  routes 
for  the  Manchester  and  Keene,  Monad- 
nock,  Concord  and  Pittsfield,  and  Low- 
ell and  Windham  railroads,  and  has 
made  surveys  and  estimates  for  water 
works  for  various  towns  and  cities. 
When  the  city  of  Concord  decided 
upon  the  establishment  of  water  works 
and  the  introduction  of  water  from 
Lake  Penacook  he  was  selected  as 
chief  engineer,  and  carried  out  the 
work  with  eminent  success 

Notwithstanding  the  extent  of  his 
professional  and  public  official  labors 
he  has  begn  and  is  now  actively  and 
prominently  connected  with  impor- 
tant business  interests.  He  is  one  of 
the  trustees  of  the  Amoskeag  Savings 
Bank,  and  has  recently  been  chosen 
president  of  the  City  National  Bank. 
He  is  the  treasurer  of  the  Suncook 
Valley  Railroad,  and  a  director  and 
clerk  of  the  Manchester  Horse  Railway, 
of  which  enterprise  he  was  an  active 
projector.  He  is  also,  and  has  been 
from  its  organization,  vice-president 
and  managing  director  of  the  N.  H. 
Fire  Insurance  Company,  and  to  his 
practical  judgment  the  remarkable 
prosperity  of  that  corporation  is  largely 
due. 

Faithful  and  zealous  in  the  discharge 
of  all  official  duties,  governed  by  the 
strictest  integrity  in  all  his  business 
connections,  his  relations  in  social  and 
private  life  correspond  harmoniously 
therewith,  and  justify  and  increase  the 
general  esteem  in  which  he  is  held. 
His  residence,  at  the  corner  of  Maple 
and  Myrtle  streets,  combines  the  ele- 
ments of  modesty,  comfort  and  taste, 
and  is  indeed  the  abode  of  a  happy 
home  circle,  as  well  as  the  scene  of 
much  social  enjoyment.  Five  inter- 
esting children  grace  this  pleasant  home  : 
Grace  Helen,  born  July  1,  1866; 
James  Henry,  July  17,  1S6S  ;  Ed- 
win Bell,  March  15,  1871  ;  Annie 
Mabel,  September  26,1876;  Charles 
Albert,  Nov.  1.  1878. 


THE  STATE  SENATE  OF  1879-80. 


325 


THE  STATE  SENATE   OE  1879-80. 


Edward  Gustine,  Senator  from  the 
Keene  district,  No.  thirteen,  was  born 
in  the  town  of  Winchester,  September 
2,  1 8 19,  being  now  sixty  years  of  age, 
the  past  twenty  years  of  his  life  having 
been  spent  in  Keene,  where  he  now 
resides.  His  father,  Edward  Gustine, 
was  a  merchant.  He  received  a  com- 
mon schooleducation,  learned  the  busi- 
ness of  a  machinist  and  has  been 
mainly  engaged,  since  entering  active 
life,  as  a  gas  and  water  engineer.  He 
has  had  contracts  for  extensive  works, 
both  gas  and  water,  at  different  places 
in  this  state,  Massuchusetts,  Vermont 
and  New  York,  all  of  which  have  been 
carried  out  in  a  thorough  and  satisfac- 
tory manner. 

A  decided  Republican,  though  never 
an  active  politician,  Mr.  Gustine  has 
not  been  largely  in  public  life,  but 
served  as  a  member  of  the  House  in 
1865  and  again  in  1875  an<^  1S76,  acting 
as  chairman  of  the  Committee  on 
State  Prison  the  latter  year,  and  was 
also  a  member  of  the  last  Constitu- 
tional Convention.  He  enjoys  the  full 
confidence  of  his  fellow  citizens  re- 
gardless of  party,  and  whenever  a  can- 
didate for  office  receives  many  votes 
of  those  opposed  to  him  upon  political 
questions.  In  the  Senate  he  served 
upon  the  Committee  on  Incorporations, 
Banks,  and  Manufactures,  being  chair- 
man of  the  latter.  He  frequently  par- 
ticipated in  debates,  and,  although 
making  no  pretentions  to  oratory,  his 
suggestions,  practical  in  their  character, 
were  not  without  influence. 

Mr.  Gustine  married  Miss  Sarah  H. 
Worcester,  of  Lebanon,  Maine,  by 
whom  he  has  two  children,  a  son  and 
daughter.  The  son,  Edward  W.  Gus- 
tine, is  engaged  in  (  mercantile  busi- 
ness in  Keene.  In  religion  he  is  a 
Unitarian  and  an  active  member  of  the 
society  in  Keene.  He  has  long  been 
prominent  in  the  Masonic  organizations, 
local  and  state,  having  been  Master  of 
both  lodges  and   High    Priest   of    the 


Chapter  at  Keene,  and  was  Grand 
High  Priest  for  New  Hampshire  in 
1870  and  1 87 1,  and  has  held  various 
other  honorable  positions  in  masonic 
bodies.  Thoroughly  public  spirited 
and  a  friend  of  all  progressive  enter- 
prises, he  has  contributed  in  no  small 
degree  to  the  prosperity  of  the  flourish- 
ing city  in  which  he  resides. 

Charles  J.  Amidon,  of  the  Cheshire 
District,  No.  fourteen,  is  a  native  of 
the  town  of  Chesterfield,  a  son  of  Otis 
Amidon,  a  merchant  of  that  town,  born 
April  23,  1827.  He  received  his  early 
education  in  the  common  school  and 
at  Chesterfield  Academy,  then  a  well 
known  literary  institution.  He  became 
interested  in  politics  in  youth,  uniting 
with  the  Whig  party  and  casting  his 
first  vote  for  Gen.  Taylor  for  President. 
In  1849,  at  twenty-two  years  of  age, 
he  was  appointed  postmaster  at  Ches- 
terfield, and  held  the  office  until  his 
removal  to  Hinsdale  in  1S51,  in  which 
town  he  has  since  resided,  and  is  en- 
gaged in  manufacturing,  doing  an  ex- 
tensive business,  giving  employment  to 
about  eighty  hands,  in  the  production 
of  cassimere  and  other  woolen  goods. 

Mr.  Amidon  was  appointed  a  Bank 
Commissioner  by  Gov.  Ralph  Metcalf, 
holding  the  office  for  the  term  of  three 
years.  He  has  served  several  years  as  a 
member  of  the  board  of  selectmen  of 
the  town  of  Hinsdale  and  represented 
the  town  in  the  Legislature  in  1 86 1-2- 
3-4,  serving  as  chairman  of  the  com- 
mittee on  Claims  the  first  three  years, 
and  of  the  Committee  on  Towns  and 
Parishes  in  1864.  He  was  elected  a 
representative  again  in  1876  and  re- 
elected the  following  year,  when  he 
served  as  chairman  of  the  Railroad 
Committee.  He  held  the  office  of 
postmaster  at  Hinsdale  for  twelve  suc- 
cessive years,  from  186 1.  He  was  also  . 
a  delagate  to  the  Constitutional  Con- 
vention in  1876,  and  took  a  prominent 
part  in  the  deliberations  of  that  body. 
In  March,  1878,  he  was  chosen  Senator 


;26 


THE  STATE  SENATE  OF  1S79-S0. 


from  the  old  ninth  district,  and  during 
the  legislative  session  of  the  following 
summer  he  was  recognized  as  a  leading 
member  of  the  senate  on  the  side  of 
the  majority  and  occupied  the  respon- 
sible position  of  chairman  of  the  Judi- 
ciary Committee,  there  being  no  law- 
yer among  the  Republican  senators 
that  year.  He  also  served  upon  the 
Finance  Committee  and  the  Committee 
on  Towns. 

Entering  the  present  senate  with  a 
legislative  experience  more  extended 
than  that  of  any  other  member  of  the 
body  he  naturally  exercised  a  strong 
influence  in  shaping  its  action,  if  not  so 
conspicious  in  debate  as  some  of  the 
new  members.  He  served  as  chairman 
of  the  Committee  on  Education,  and 
was  also  a  member  of  the  Judiciary 
Committee  and  of  the  Committee  on 
Manufactures. 

Mr.  Amidon's  name  has  been  fre- 
quently mentioned  in  connection  with 
the  congressional  nomination  of  his 
party  in  the  third  district,  and  it  is  not 
improbable  that,  whenever  the  nomina- 
tion shall  be  accorded  to  his  section  of 
the  district,  he  will  find  a  strong  sup- 
port, should  he  choose  to  be  regarded 
as  a  candidate. 

Mr.  Amidon  was  married  in  May, 
185 1,  to  Miss  Mary  J.  Harvey,  daughter 
of  Loring  Harvey,  Esq.,  by  whom  he 
has  three  children  living,  two  sons  and 
a  daughter. 

Charles  H.  Burns,  senator  from  the 
fifteenth  or  Peterborough  district,  was 
born  in  the  town  of  Milford,  January 
19,  1835,  being  a  son  of  Charles  A. 
Burns,  a  farmer  of  that  town,  now  de- 
ceased. He  completed  his  education 
at  the  New  Ipswich  Academy,  under 
the  instruction  of  Prof.  Quimby,  and 
having  determined  to  enter  the  legal 
profession  he  entered  the  law  office  of 
the  late  Col.  O.  W.  Lull,  in  his  native 
town,  where  lie  diligently  pursued  his 
studies,  and  finally  attended  the  Law 
School  of  Harvard  University,  where 
he  graduated  in  the  class  of  1858.  In 
May  of  that  year  he  was  admitted  to 
the  Suffolk  bar  in  Boston,  the  late  Chief 
Justice  Shaw  presiding,  and  in  October 
following  he  was  admitted  to  the   New 


Hampshire  bar,  and  in  January,  1859, 
he  located  at  Wilmot,  where  he  has 
since  remained  in  the  practice  of  his 
chosen  profession,  to  which  he  has 
been  thoroughly  devoted,  and  in  which 
he  has  achieved  enviable  distinction 
and  success. 

A  decided  Republican  in  his  polit- 
ical convictions,  although  never  neg- 
lecting his  professional  business,  he  has 
frequently  rendered  his  party  efficient 
service  upon  the  stump,  where  he  has 
gained  the  reputation  of  being  one  of 
the  ablest  campaign  speakers  in  the 
state.  He  was  a  delegate  at  large  to 
the  Republican  National  Convention 
at  Cincinnati  in  1876,  and  represented 
the  New  Hampshire  delegation  in  the 
Committee  on  Resolutions.  He  was 
selected  to  preside  at  the  last  Repub- 
lican State  Convention,  holden  in  Con- 
cord September  10,  1878,  and  upon 
assuming  the  chair,  made  a  forcible 
and  earnest  speech,  in  which  he  enun- 
ciated decided  hard  money  doctrines, 
notwithstanding  the  apparently  discour- 
aging result  of  the  election  in  Maine 
on  the  preceeding  day.  Referring  to 
this  address  in  its  report  of  the  con- 
vention the  Boston  Journal  said  : 
"Although  Mr.  Burns'  ability  and  schol- 
arship have  for  years  been  known  to 
the  public,  yet  it  is  only  justice  to  him 
to  say  that  his  address  today  was  the 
grandest  effort  of  his  life  and  places 
him  in  the  very  front  rank  of  the  earn- 
est, eloquent  and  impassioned  speakers 
of  our  state." 

Mr.  Burns  was  elected  to  and  dis- 
charged the  duties  of  the  office  of 
Treasurer  of  Hillsborough  County  in 
1864  and  1S65.  In  1S76  he  received 
an  appointment  as  County  Solicitor 
from  Gov.  Cheney,  which  office  he  still 
holds,  having  been  elected  thereto  by  the 
people  at  the  late  election  under  the 
amended  constitution.  In  1873  he 
was  a  member  of  the  senate,  from  the 
old  seventh  district,  in  which  body  he- 
was  at  once  accorded  a  leading  posi- 
tion and  served  as  chairman  of  the 
Judiciary  Committee,  to  which  position 
he  was  promptly  assigned  by  President 
Gallinger  in  making  up  the  committees 
of  the   present   senate,  and  was    also 


THE  STATE  SENATE  OF  1879-80. 


327 


appointed  upon  the  Claims  and  Fi- 
nance committees.  To  the  considera- 
tion of  the  many  important  matters 
coming  before  the  Judiciary  Commit- 
tee at  the  late  session  of  the  Legisla- 
ture he  devoted  the  most  careful  atten- 
tion, giving  all  questions  effecting  the 
public  interest  in  the  committee  as  well 
as  in  the  senate,  as  full  an  investiga- 
tion as  circumstances  would  permit, 
and  fair  treatment  in  all  respects.  A 
ready  debater,  combining  clearness  of 
statement  with  vigor  of  speech,  yet 
speaking  only  when  impelled  by  judg- 
ment of  the  merits  or  the  necessities  of 
the  case,  he  exercised  an  influence  in 
the  deliberations  of  the  senate  second 
to  that  of  no  other  senator.  It  can- 
not be  regarded  improper  to  remark 
that  no  man  in  the  state  stands  higher 
in  the  confidence  of  his  party  today, 
than  Mr.  Burns,  and  should  he  be  in- 
clined to  pursue  a  public  career,  there 
is  no  position  in  the  gift  of  his  party 
to  which  he  may  not  reasonably  as- 
pire. 

Mr.  Burns  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Sarah  N.  Mills,  of  Milford,  upon 
the  twenty-first  anniversary  of  his 
birth,  Jan.  19,  1856,  by  whom  he  has 
four  children,  two  sons  and  two  daugh- 
ters. He  has  a  fine  estate  in  Wilton, 
and  is  known  as  one  of  the  most  pub- 
lic spirited  citizens  of  the  town.  His 
religious  faith  is  of  the  liberal  order. 
He  has  taken  thirty-two  degrees  in 
masonry  and  is  a  prominent  member 
of  the  organization.  In  1874  he  re- 
ceived the  honorary  degree  of  Master 
of  Arts  from  Dartmouth  College,  and 
in  the  recent  organization  of  his  mil- 
itary staff  he  was  designated  by  Gov. 
Head,  Judge  Advocate  General  with 
the  rank  ol  Brigadier  General. 

George  W.  Todd,  senator  from  the 
Amherst  district,  No.  sixteen,  was  born 
in  Ridge,  November  19,  1828,  being 
the  son  of  a  farmer  of  that  town.  He 
received  his  education  in  the  Common 
schools,  at  the  academies  in  Jaffreyand 
Marlow  in  this  state,  and  Brattle- 
borough.  Vt.,  and  under  private  tutors. 
He  studied  medicine  two  years,  but 
relinquished  the  same  for  the  study  of 
law,  which  he  pursued  in  the  office   of 


Pierce  &  Tyler  at  Winchendon,  Mass., 
and  that  of  Hon.  Edmund  L.  Gushing, 
late  Chief  Justice  of  this  state,  at 
Charlestown,  and  graduated  at  the  end 
of  a  four  years'  course,  at  the  State  and 
National  Law  School,  at  Poughkeepsie, 
N.  Y.,  and  was  admitted  to  practice  in 
the  courts  of  New  York  and  this  state, 
and  subsequently  those  of  Vermont  ; 
but  after  a  few  years'  practice  of  his 
profession  has  devoted  his  life  mainly 
to  teaching,  in  which  occupation  he  has 
met  with  marked  success.  He  became 
principal  of  the  Orleans  Liberal  Insti 
tute  at  Glover,  Vt..  in  1S5S,  where  he 
was  engaged  for  seven  years,  was  sub- 
sequently three  years  principal  of  Mar- 
low  Academy  ;  one  year  principal  of 
the  High  School  at  Edgartown,  Mass.  ; 
three  years  at  Lenox,  and  three  years 
at  Great  Barrington  in  the  same  state  ; 
also  as  principal  of  their  High  Schools, 
and  had  been  for  six  years  previous  to 
election  to  the  senate  principal  of  Mc- 
Collom  Institute,  the  well  known  acad- 
emy at  Mont  Vernon,  which  institution 
under  his  management  attained  a  high 
and  extended  reputation  among  the 
educational  institutions  of  the  state. 
Mr.  Todd  has  served  for  fourteen  years 
altogether  upon  school-boards  in  the 
various  places  in  which  he  has  resided, 
but  held  no  political  office  previous  to 
his  election  to  the  present  senate,  with 
the  exception  of  that  of  representative 
in  the  legislature,  to  which  he  was 
chosen  by  the  citizens  of  his  native 
town  in  1857  and  again  in  1858,  only 
two  votes  being  cast  against  him  the 
latter  year.  He  served  each  year  upon 
the  Committee  on  Education,  and  in 
1858  was  the  Cheshire  County  member 
of  the  select  committee  appointed  to 
draft  resolutions  upon  that  portion  of 
the  governor's  message  relating  to  na- 
tional affairs,  the  adoption  of  which 
resolutions  by  the  house  he  advocated 
in  a  strong  speech.  In  the  senate  he 
has  been  known  as  an  active  working 
member,  serving  upon  the  Committees 
on  Claims,  Education,  and  Roads, 
Bridges  and  Canals,  being  chairman  of 
the  first  named  committee. 

Mr.    Todd    was    married,    Aug.    16, 
1857,  to  Mary  A.  H.  Blodgett,  of  Jaf- 


328 


THE  STATE  SENATE  OF  1879-80. 


frey,  who  deceased  Dec.  31,  1864. 
He  subsequently  married  Sarah  J., 
daughter  of  Dea.  Harvey  Chapin,  of 
Holyoke,  Mass.,  his  present  wife.  He 
has  no  children  living. 

Orren  C.  Moore,  Senator  from  the 
seventeenth   district,  which    embraces 
the    city   of    Nashua,    has    been   well 
known  in  political  life  in  New  Hamp- 
shire for  several  years  past,   holding  a 
prominent  position  among  the  leaders 
of  the   Republican  party  in  the  state. 
There  may  be  others  who  have  attained 
more    exalted    official   position   at   as 
early  an  age  in  life  at  the  hands  of  one 
or  the  other  of  the  great  political  par- 
ties in  our  state,  but  no   man  in  New 
Hampshire,  of  equal  years,  within  the 
last  quarter  of   a  century  at  least,  has 
engrossed    public    attention    in  larger 
measure,  exerted  a  stronger  influence 
in  shaping  the  action  of   his  party. or 
directing  the   legislation   of   the   state 
than  has  Mr.  Moore  during  the  last  six 
or  eight  years.     Born  in  the  town  of 
New    Hampton,  Aug.   10,   1839,  he   is 
now  just  forty  years  of  age.     His  father, 
J.  H.  Moore,  was  a  country  merchant 
in  limited  circumstances,  who  was  en- 
gaged in  trade  for  a  time   in   Holder- 
ness,    and    subsequently    removed    to 
Manchester,  where   he   died.     Young 
Moore  was  early  thrown  upon  his  own 
resources  for  his  support.     He  labored 
for  a  time  in  the  employ  of  one  of  the 
corporations    at    Manchester    and    ob- 
tained such  education  as  he  was   ena- 
bled to  secure  in  the  time  at  his  com- 
mand in  the  public  schools  of  that  city. 
In  1855,  at  sixteen   years   of    age,  he 
went   to    LaCrosse,  Wisconsin,   where 
he  learned  the  printer's   trade   in    the 
office  of  an  older  brother,  F.  A.  Moore, 
remaining  in   his   service    three    years. 
Returning    to     New     Hampshire,    he 
worked  at  his  trade  in  different  offices 
in  Manchester,  and  was  for  several  years 
foreman  of  the  news  room  of  the  Daily 
American  of   that   city,  until   its   con- 
solidation with  the  Mirror. 

In  1866  Mr.  Moore  became  editor 
and  part  proprietor  of  the  weekly  72?/- 
egraph,  at  Nashua,  and  removed  to  that 
city,  where  he  has  since  resided,  en- 
gaged in  the  management  of  the  same 


paper,  which  has  come  to  be  regarded 
as  one  of  the  ablest  exponents  of  Re- 
publicanism in  New  England.  In  1869 
he  established  a  daily  in  connection 
with  the  weekly  paper,  there  being  pre- 
viously no  daily  paper  published  in  the 
city.  Last  year  Mr.  Langley,  who  had 
been  his  partner  in  the  business,  with- 
drew, and  he  is  now  sole  proprietor  of 
the  newspaper  and  printing  establish- 
ment, in  connection  with  which  there 
is  also  an  extensive  bindery. 

For  five  years  previous  to  his  election 
to  the  present  senate,  Mr.  Moore  was 
a  member  of  the  House  of  Repre- 
sentatives from  Nashua,  and  during  the 
entire  period  of  his  service  in  that 
body  it  may  be  safely  said  that  no 
member  labored  more  diligently  in  the 
interest  of  all  measures  which  he  re- 
garded as  essential  to  the  welfare  of 
the  state,  none  watched  more  closely 
the  general  course  of  legislation  or 
participated  more  earnestly  or  effect- 
tively  in  debate  upon  all  important 
questions  than  did  Mr.  Moore.  In 
1878  he  was  particularly  conspicuous 
as  the  champion  of  several  important 
measures  recommended  by  the  Tax 
Commission  appointed  by  Gov.  Prescott 
in  accordance  with  the  act  of  the  previous 
legislature,  of  which  commission  he 
was  a  member  and  of  whose  report  he 
was  the  author.  Whatever  was  accom- 
plished by  the  legislature  last  year  in 
the  direction  of  the  equalization  of 
taxation  is  due  in  the  main  to  Mr. 
Moore's  efforts.  In  the  senate  the 
present  year  he  has  maintained  his 
high  rank  as  a  debater,  as  well  as  a 
laborious  and  earnest  legislator,  per- 
sistently supporting  all  measures  which, 
to  his  mind,  the  best  interest  of  the 
state  demanded.  As  chairman  of  the 
Committee  on  State  Institutions  he 
favored  the  most  liberal  policy  with 
reference  to  the  State  Normal  School, 
of  which  institution  he  has  ever  been  a 
strong  friend,  and  was  mainly  instru- 
mental in  securing  the  appropriation 
for  the  instruction  of  the  inmates  of 
the  Reform  School  in  industrial  trades 
and  callings.  He  was  also  an  active 
member  of  the  Committee  on  Educa- 
tion and  Railroads. 


THE  STATE  SENATE  OF  1879-80. 


329 


What  is  rarely  the  case  with  a  ready 
and  incisive  writer,  Mr.  Moore  is  equally 
ready  and  forcible  in  debate,  and  is  a 
vigorous  and  effective  speaker  upon  the 
stump,  where  his  services  are  frequently 
called  in  requisition  by  his  party  in  this 
and  other  states.  In  1873  he  served 
as  chairman  of  the  Republican  State 
Committee,  has  been  often  called  into 
service  in  framing  the  party  platform, 
and  once  as  president  of  the  Republi- 
can State  Convention.  He  was  also  a 
member  of  the  New  Hampshire  dele- 
gation to  the  last  Republican  National 
Convention.  In  the  recent  Senatorial 
caucus  which  nominated  Col.  Blair,  he 
received  a  handsome  vote,  and  is  likely 
to  be  warmly  supported  by  his  friends 
for  the  next  Republican  Congressional 
nomination  in  his  district.  Yet  after 
all,  journalism  is  his  real  forte,  and  in 
the  opinion  of  those  who  know  him 
best  the  highest  success  is  attainable  for 
him  in  that  field. 

Mr.  Moore  married,  Nov.  29,  i860, 
Miss  N.  W.  Thompson,  a  daughter  of 
J.  H.  Thompson,  Esq.,  of  Holdemess, 
and  a  sister  of  Maj.  A.  B.  Thompson, 
present  Secretary  of  State,  by  whom 
he  has  one  child,  a  daughter. 

Elbridge  G.  Haynes,  senator  from 
the  Manchester  or  eighteenth  district, 
was  born  in  Allen stown,  Jan.  29,  18 15, 
his  father  being  James  Haynes,  a  farmer 
by  occupation,  and  his  mother's  maiden 
name  was  Sally  Clarke. 

His  parents  resided  in  Epsom  until 
1827,  when  they  removed  to  New  Lon- 
don, and  two  years  later  to  Fishers- 
field,  now  Newbury. 

His  early  educational  advantages 
were  limited,  comprising  but  little  be- 
yond eight  or  nine  weeks  each  winter 
in  the  district  schools,  between  the 
ages  of  eight  and  sixteen  years. 

In  the  spring  of  1831  he  "bought 
his  time"  of  his  father,  paying  one 
hundred  and  fifty  dollars  therefor,  and 
started  on  foot  for  Boston  to  seek  his 
fortune.  From  Sutton  he  accompanied 
a  team  loaded  with  cider  as  far  as  Lex- 
ington, where  the  apple-juice  was  sold, 
and  he  continued  on  to  Boston,  mak- 
ing his  appearance  on  Haymarket 
Square  with  his  trunk  on   his   shoulder, 


and  fourpense-ha'penny  in  his  pocket, 
as  the  remains  of  the  two  dollars  with 
which  he  had  started.  He  speedily 
found  employment,  and  remained  in 
Boston,  in  the  wholesale  provision 
business,  until  1840.  He  witnessed 
the  burning  of  the  Ursiline  Convent, 
the  execution  of  the  pirates  of  the 
brig  Mexican,  and  the  "  Broad  street 
riots."  The  sight  of  the  mob  march- 
ing Garrison  through  the  streets  of 
Boston  had  a  powerful  influence  in 
shaping  his  political  convictions,  and 
he  became  and  ever  remained  a  zeal- 
ous advocate  of  the  anti-slavery  move- 
ment. 

In  1840  he  returned  to  Newbury, 
and  was  married,  Nov.  1,  to  Caroline 
R.  Knowlton,  daughter  of  Capt.  Na- 
thaniel W.  Knowlton,  of  Sutton.  Four 
children  have  resulted  from  this  union  : 
Col.. Martin  A.,  now  editor  of  the  Lake 
Village  Times,  and  clerk  of  the  court 
for  the  county  of  Belknap  ;  Addie  M., 
wife  of  Dr.  C.  W.  Clement,  of  Man- 
chester ;  Charles  F.,  recently  deceased, 
and  Cora  M. 

The  year  of  his  marriage  he  bought 
a  farm  in  Springfield,  and  lived  there 
and  in  Sutton  until  1846,  the  fall  of 
which  year  he  removed  to  Manchester, 
and  learned  the  mason's  trade,  which 
he  has  ever  since  followed. 

He  has  been  for  a  long  period 
almost  continuously  in  public  office  in 
Manchester  as  Alderman,  Selectman, 
Moderator  and  Councilman,  two  years 
in  each  position  ;  as  Assessor  four  years, 
and  as  Supervisor  and  Inspector  of 
Elections  three  years,  besides  other 
minor  offices. 

His  first  legislative  service  was  in  the 
senate  this  year,  but  his  extended  ex- 
perience in  the  practical  affairs  of  life 
has  given  him  ample  qualification 
therefor.  In  committee  work  he  served 
efficiently  upon  the  committee  on  State 
Institutions,  Incorporations  and  Mili- 
tary Affairs. 

In  religious  preferences  Mr.  Haynes 
is  LTniversalist,  having  attended  that 
church  for  the  past  thirty  years. 

William  G.  Perry,  who  represents 
the  Amoskeag  District,  No.  Nineteen, 
in  the  senate  was  very  appropriately  se- 


THE  STATE  SENATE  OF  1879-80. 


lected  as  the  first  senator  from  the  new 
district,  which  embraces  the  manufact- 
uring centre  of  the  state,  whose  leading 
corporation  has  given  its  name  to  the 
district,  and  to  the  successful  service  of 
which  corporation    Mr.  Perry  has  de- 
voted the  best  energies  of  his  life.     A 
native  of  the  state  of  Rhode  Island,  the 
son  of  Geo.  C.  Perry,  a  farmer  of  South 
Kingston   in    that  state,  born  Aug.    5, 
1818,  he  spent  his  early  life  in  his  native 
state,  his  educational  advantages  being 
such  as  the  common  school  afforded. 
In  early  youth  he  entered  the  service  ot 
a  manufacturing  establishment,  and  has 
been  for  over  forty-eight  years  engaged 
in    cotton    manufacturing    and    in    the 
building    of     machinery,    residing    at 
Providence  until  twenty-three  years  ago, 
when,  in  November,  1856,  he  came  to 
Manchester  and  engaged  in  the  service 
of  the  Amoskeag  corporation  as  super- 
intendent of  the  manufacturing  depart- 
ment, which  position  he  has  holden  to 
to  the  present  time,  contributing  in  a 
large  degree,  through  his  sound   judg- 
ment and  superior  executive  ability,  to 
the  prosperity  of  that  great  corporation. 
Mr.  Perry,  although  devoting  himself 
without  reserve  to  the  onerous  duties 
of  his  position  as  superintendent  of  the 
Amoskeag    Manufacturing    Company's 
Mills,  has  not  been  unmindful  of  his 
duties   as  a  citizen,  has   taken  a  strong 
interest  in  public  affairs  in  the  city  of 
his  adoption,  and  has  been  called  into 
service    under    the    city    government 
as  a  member  of   the    school   commit- 
tee    and     of     the      Board     of      Al- 
dermen.       He    also  efficiently  repre- 
sented his  ward   in   the    legislature  in 
1875  and  again  in  1876,  and  there  as 
in  the  senate  this  year,  proved  himself 
a  safe  and  practical  conservator  of  the 
public  interests.      He  served  upon  the 
Senate  Committee  on  Finance,  Elec- 
tions and  Manufactures. 

Mr.  Perry  was  married  in  1837  to 
MissNancyA.Shrieve,  who  died  in  De- 
cember, 1874.  By  her  he  had  eight  child- 
ren, five  of  whom  died  in  infancy. 
The  surviving  children  are  Hon.  Geo. 
T.  Perry,  m.  d.,  of  Natick,  R.  I.,  sur- 
geon of  the  Rhode  Island  State  Prison 
and    State    Farm ;    Mrs.    William     A. 


Champlain,  of  Providence,  and  William 
A.  Perry,  clerk  in  the  office  of  the 
Amoskeag  Co.,  at  Manchester.  Mr. 
Perry  worships  with  the  Second  Con- 
gregational church  at  Manchester,  and 
is  a  member  of  Lafayette  Lodge  I.  O. 
O.  F.,  and  Trinity  Commandery  of  that 
city. 

William    H.   Shepard,  of  the  Lon- 
donderry Senatorial  District,  No.  twenty, 
was  born  in  the  town  of  Holderness,  in 
this    state,  May    16,    1819,    his    father 
being  William    B.   Shepard,   a    farmer. 
He  spent  his  early  life  upon  the   farm, 
and  obtained  a  good  English  education 
in  the  common  schools  and  at  Plymouth 
Academy.     Not  content  with  such  op- 
portunities   for    advancement    as    his 
native  place  afforded  he  went,  in  youth, 
to  Massachusetts,  where  he  succeeded 
in  making  his  way  in  life  prosperously, 
as  many  a  New  Hampshire  youth   has 
done.     He  engaged  in  woolen   manu- 
facturing and  was  for  a  long  time  sup- 
erintendent and  purchasing   agent  for 
a   Lawrence    manufacturing    company. 
In  1869,  after  thirty-three  years  of  suc- 
cessful labor  in  the  Bay  State,   he  re- 
turned to  New  Hampshire,  and  estab- 
lished   his   residence   in   the   town   of 
Derry,    where    he    purchased    a   large 
farm,  and  has  since  devoted  himself  to 
rural    pursuits,   making   a    specialty  of 
fruit  and  vegetables,  of  which   he  pro- 
duces a  larger  and  finer  variety  than   is 
often  found  in  this  or  any  other   New 
England    state.       Since    his    residence 
in  Deny  Mr.  Shepard  has  served  the 
town   upon    the    board    of    selectmen. 
and  intthe  legislature  for  the  years  1875 
and   1876,  giving  eminent  satisfaction 
in  each  position,  as  has  also   been    the 
case  in  his  senatorial  service  this  year. 
He    served  upon    the   committees    on 
Towns,  Education,  and  Roads,  Bridges 
and  Canals.     Mr.  Shepard  was  married 
in  Dec,  1 841,  to  Miss  Anna   E.  John- 
son, daughter  of  D.  A.  R.  Johnson,  of 
Springfield,  N.  H.,  by  whom   he  had 
three    children,  one   dying  in   infancy. 
One   son,  Edgar    H.   Shepard,   was    a 
member  of   the    18th  Reg.  N.  H.  V., 
and    died    in    Concord  in  1865.     The 
remaining    son     is    now    a   farmer    at 
Derry. 


THE  STATE  SENATE  OF  1879-80. 


33l 


Greenleaf  Clarke,  Senator  from  the 
Rockingham  District,  No  twenty-one,  is 
a  member  of  the  well  known  Clarke 
family  of  Atkinson,  children  of  Green- 
leaf  and  Julia  (Cogswell)  Clarke.  The 
eldest  brother,  William  C.  Clarke,  at- 
tained a  high  position  at  the  bar  of 
this  state,  and  in  addition  to  other  im- 
portant offices,  held  the  position  of 
Attorney-General  of  the  state  from 
1863  till  his  death  in  1872.  Another 
brother  is  John  B.  Clarke,  state  printer, 
and  the  well  known  proprietor  of  the 
Manchester  Mirror.  Greenleaf  Clarke, 
the  senator  in  question,  is  a  farmer  and 
occupies  the  old  homestead  in  Atkin- 
son, upon  which  he  was  born,  May  7, 
1 81 6,  and  which  ranks  among  the  best 
farms  in  the  county  of  Rockingham. 
He  received  a  good  practical  education 
in  the  common  schools  and  at  the  old 
Atkinson  Academy,  formerly  one  of 
the  best  educational  institutions  in  the 
state,  and  at  ah  early  period  of  life  was 
somewhat  prominent  in  politics  as  an 
active  Democrat,  serving  in  various 
town  offices,  as  representative  in  the 
legislature,  and  as  a  member  of  the 
Executive  Council  during  the  last  two 
years  of  the  administration  of  the  late 
Governor  Dinsmore.  Latterly  he  has 
not  been  prominently  engaged  in  poli- 
tics or  public  life,  though  retaining  .a 
strong  interest  in  national  questions, 
and  changing  his  connection  from  the 
Democratic  to  the  Republican  party 
during  the  war  period,  tmtil  within  the 
last  few  years.  In  1876  he  was  chosen 
a  delegate  from  his  town  to  the  state 
Constitutional  Convention  and  was 
elected  representative  the  following 
year.  He  served  in  the  Senate  as 
chairman  of  the  Committee  on  Incor 
porations  and  as  a  member  of  the 
Railroad  and  Agricultural  Committees. 
He  may  well  be  designated  as  a  "plain, 
blunt  man,"  never  speaking  except 
when  occasion  requires  and  then  clearly 
and  without  circumlocution. 

Mr.  Clarke  has  been  largely  engaged 
in  other  business  aside  from  farming, 
such  as  lumbering,  contracting,  survey- 
ing, etc.  He  is  a  director,  and  was 
one  of  the  grantees  and  surveyors  of 
the   Manchester   and    Lawrence    Rail- 


road. In  religious  preference  he  is  a 
Congregationalism  and  is  also  a'  Royal 
Arch  Mason. 

He  married,  in  1855,  Miss  Sarah  J. 
Noyes,  daughter  of  Cyrus  Noyes  of 
Atkinson,  by  whom  he  has  three  chil- 
dren, two  daughters  and  a  son,  Green- 
leaf Clarke,  Jr. 

Emmons  B.  Philbrick,  of  Rye,  rep- 
resents one  of  the  "  close"  political 
districts  in  the  present  senate — the 
Newmarket  District,  No.  22, — in  which 
the  people  failed  to  elect :  Mr.  Philbrick, 
the  Republican  candidate,  who  had  re- 
ceived a  plurality  vote,  being  chosen 
Senator  by  the  Legislature  in  joint  con- 
vention. Mr.  Philbrick  is  a  son  of 
Josiah  W.  Philbrick  a  Rye  farmer,  and 
was  born  in  that  town  November  14, 
1833.  He  took  a  scientific  course  of 
study  at  Hampton  Academy,  with  a 
view  to  pursuing  the  profession  of  a 
civil  engineer  ;  but  upon  the  death'of 
an  only  brother,  at  the  earnest  solicita- 
tion of  his  parents  he  surrendered  his 
plans  in  that  direction,  and  after  teach- 
ing school  successfully  for  some  fifteen 
terms  in  this  state  and  Massachusetts, 
settled  in  his  old  home  and  took  charge 
of  the  farm,  where  he  has  since  resided, 
devoting  himself  in  the  main  to  agricul- 
ture, but  taking  an  active  part  in  devel- 
oping the  summer  boarding  interest, 
now  an  important  factor  in  the  pros- 
perity of  his  town  and  section.  He  is 
also  engaged  to  some  extent  in  survey- 
ing and  does  a  large  business  as  a  jus- 
tice of  the  peace,  an  important  item  in  a 
town  like  Rye  where  there  is  no  lawyer 
located.  He  has  been  prominently 
connected  with  town  affairs,  although  a 
member  of  the  minority  party  in  the 
town,  holding  the  offices  of  selectman 
and  superintending  school  committee, 
his  large  experience  in  teaching  and 
deep  interest  in  educational  affairs  giv- 
ing him  especial  qualifications  for  the 
latter  position.  He  was  a  member  of 
the  last  senate  from  the  old  First  Dis- 
trict, and  served  as  chairman  of  the 
Finance  Committee  in  that  body,  which 
position  he  has  also  acceptably  filled 
the  present  year,  serving  also  upon  the 
Judiciary  and  Election  Committees. 

Mr.  Philbrick  has  been  twice  mar- 


-■>  1  o 


THE  STATE  SENATE  OF  1879-80. 


ried,  first  in  April  1859  to  Vianna  M. 
Dalton,  daughter  of  Michael  Dalton  of 
North  Hampton,  who  died  in  1869, 
and  again  to  Mary  C.  Seavey  of  Rye, 
in  October,  1875.  He  has  had  two  chil- 
dren by  each  marriage,  three  of  whom 
survive — two  sons  and  a  daughter.  His 
religious  associations  are  with  the  Chris- 
tian church  at  Rye.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  Odd  Fellows  organization. 

Charles    E.    Smith    of  the    Dover 
District,  No.  Twenty-three,  which  em- 
braces the  city  of  Dover  and  the  town 
of    Rollinsford,  has  been  a  resident  of 
Dover  for  some  ten  years  past,  where 
he  is  landlord  of  the  Kimball  House,  a 
hotel  near  the  Boston  &  Maine  railway 
station,   and    favorably    known    to   the 
traveling  public  under  his  management. 
Mr.   Smith  is  a  native  of  Newmarket, 
born  January  5,  1 831,  his  father,  Daniel 
R,  Smith,  being  a  farmer  and  carpen- 
ter, resident  in  that  town.     His  educa- 
tional advantages  were  limited  to  the 
common  schools,  and  most  of  his  early 
life  was  passed  in  farm  labor.     Subse- 
quently he  engaged  for  a  time  in  trade, 
and  afterwards  went  into  the  hotel  busi- 
ness at  South  Newmarket,  where  he  re- 
mained  until    his   removal    to    Dover. 
Wide  awake,  public  spirited,  and  active 
in  political  life  while  in  South   New- 
market, he  held  nearly  every  position 
in  the   gift  of  the   town,  being   select- 
man, collector  of  taxes  and  represen- 
tative in  the  legislature,  and  was  for  nine 
years    chief  of  police   of    the   village. 
During  his  residence  in  Dover  he  has 
given  a  hearty  support  to  all  progres- 
sive enterprises,  and  taken  special  inter- 
est in   the     welfare  of    the    Strafford 
County  x\gri cultural  society.     He  is  an 
active  member  of  the  order  of  Knights 
of  Pythias.     In   his  religious   views  he 
is  liberal,  but  attends   the   services   of 
.the  M.  E.  Church.     In  the  senate  he 
has   been   one  of  the    working   rather 
than  talking  members,  serving  upon  the 
Committees,  on  Claims,  Elections  and 
as    the    senate    member  of  the   joint 
Standing  Committee  on   State   House 
and  Yard,  and  to  his  sensible  efforts  is 
due  largely  the  adoption  of  the  resolu- 
tion authorizing  theremoval  of  the  foun- 
tain from  the  centre  of  the  walk  approach- 


ing the  front  of  the  State  House,  which 
has  long  been  regarded  a  public  nuisance. 

Mr.  Smith  was  united  in  marriage  in 
Dec,  1865, with  Miss  A.Augusta  Burley, 
an  accomplished  young  lady  of  New- 
market, daughter  of  Jonathan  Burley  of 
that  town. 

John  H.  Broughton,  Senator  from 
the  Portsmouth  District,  No.  Twenty- 
four,  is  a  native  of  that  city,  born  July 
11,  1830,  and  has  always  resided  there. 
He  is  a  lumber  dealer  by  occupation, 
and  a  member  of  the  well-known  firm 
of  Samuel  Adams  &  Co.  Mr.  Brough- 
ton is  emphatically  a  self-made  man. 
Favored  with  but  slight  opportunities  to 
procure  an  education  in  youth,  his 
strong  native  sense  and  indomitable  en- 
ergy and  industry  has  won  for  him  an 
honorable  and  enviable  position  among 
his  fellow-citizens.  A  man  of  sound 
sense  and  correct  business  principles, 
honorable  and  just  in  all  his  dealings, 
he  has  not  only  worked  his  way  to  an 
ample  fortune,  but  also  to  the  esteem 
and  confidence  of  the  community  in 
which  he  resides.  He  represented  his 
ward  in  the  legislature  in  1872  and 
1873,  discharging  his  duties  most  cred- 
itably to  himself  and  his  constituents. 
In  1876  he  was  elected  Mayor  of  Ports- 
mouth and  was  re-elected  the  following 
year.  In  his  election  to  the  present 
senate  the  people  of  Portsmouth  gave 
another  strong  testimonial  of  their  ap- 
preciation of  his  ability  and  faithfulness 
in  the  public  service,  which  his  course 
during  the  session  has  unquestionably 
justified.  He  served  upon  the  Com- 
mittees on  Banks,  Manufactures  and 
State  Institutions,  being  chairman  of  the 
former  committee,  which  position  in 
the  sketch  of  Senator  Ordway  last  month 
was  erroneously  accorded  to  him.* 

Mr.  *  Broughton  was  married  Nov. 
29,  1854,  to  Miss  Mary  E.  Patch,  of 
Portsmouth,  a  sister  of  the  gallant 
Lieutenant  Charles  W.  Patch,  of  the 
Second  N.  H.  Regiment,  who  was  mor- 
tally wounded  at  the  battle  of  Gettysburg. 

*  Another  error  in  the  Senatorial 
Sketches  last  month  occurred  in  the  mis- 
printing of  the  Christian  name  of  Senator 
Shaw,  which  was  printed  Alfred,  instead 
of  Albert  as  it  should  have  been. 


LINES  ON  THE  DEATH  OF  THACKERAY.  333 


LINES  ON  THE  DEATH  OF  THACKERAY. 


BY    MARY    HELEN    BOODEY. 

'Twas  night  in  the  great  city,  and  the  sound 

Of  passing  thousands  echoed  forth  less  loud 
Through  the  dim  streets.     The  noisy  bound 

Of  human  footsteps,  gay,  and  soft,  and  proud, 
All,  all  had  passed  as  passed  the  fleeting  crowd, 

Some  heavy  with  a  weight  of  untold  woe, 
Some  gay  and  light  as  though  no  sorrow  cloud 

Had  bowed  them  to  the  earth  beneath  its  blow  ; 
All  these  had  fled  and  only  now  and  then 
Broke  on  the  ear  the  voice  and  tread  of  men. 

Yet  there  was  one  of  all  that  mighty  throng, 

One  glorious  by  intellect  and  fame, 
One  now  the  theme  of  many  a  mournful  song, 

Whose  glowing,  burning  words  engrave  his  name 
In  characters  of  pure,  undying  fame 

Upon  the  hearts  of  men.     Yet  in  the  gloom  of  night 
Alone  he  struggled  and  alone  he  died. 

Died  !  Passed  away  !  Fled  to  a  world  of  light, 
Where,  casting  off  the  robings  of  his  soul. 
Beauty  and  glory  crowned  his  kingly  brow, 
Before  whose  splendor  angels,  e'en,  might  bow. 

O  Death  !  relentless,  stern  and  unsubdued, 

Thou  "lovest  a  shining  mark ;"  well  didst  thou  choose 
This  one  from  others  ; — many  hearts  have  sued 

In  vain  for  that  one  fearful  power,  to  lose 
Their  own  existence  ; — -to  precipitate 

Themselves  into  Eternity  ;  to  test 
That  strange  hereafter,  life  in  which  men  date 

These  longings  for  the  beautiful,  this  eager  quest 
For  happiness  and  rest.     But  Thackeray's  death 
Was  like, some  glorious  noon  shaded  by  Tempest's  breath. 


334 


KEARSARGE  MOUNTAIN. 


KEARSARGE  MOUNTAIN. 


FROM    HARRIMAN'S    HISTORY    OF   WARNER.* 


The  late  Dr.  Bouton  called  Kearsarge 
"  the  peerless  mountain  "  of  Merrimack 
county.  It  is  closely  identified  with 
Warner.  It  lifts  its  head  2943  feet 
above  the  sea  level.  It  has  no  immedi- 
ate competitor.  To  the  traveller  on  the 
Northern  railroad  it  presents  a  bold  and 
striking  outline.  It  is  a  prominent 
landmark  within  a  circle  whose  diame- 
ter is  one  hundred  miles. 

A  controversy  in  relation  to  the  ori- 
gin of  the  name  of  this  mountain  sprang 
up  a  few  years  ago.  Somebody  set 
afloat  the  absurd  story  that  an  English 
hunter,  by  the  name  of  Hezekiah  Sar- 
gent, came,  some  time  previous  to 
1750,  and  made  his  home  somewhere 
on  this  mountain,  anck  hence  its  name  ; 
that,  furthermore,  the  said  Hezekiah 
died  about  the  year  1800,  and  was  bur- 
ied— but,  as  in  the  case  of  Moses,  "no 
man  knoweth.  of  his  sepulchre  unto  this 
day.  " 

It  is  a  sufficient  answer  to  this,  to  say 
that  no  such  man  ever  lived  on  Kear- 
sarge mountain,  on  the  top  or  on  either 
side  of  it.  The  story  is  a  fabrication. 
The  best  authority  for  it,  so  far  as  the 
writer  knows,  is  a  visionary,  crazed  man 
(now  dead),  who,  in  his  last  will  and 
testament,  bequeathed  to  his  daughter 
four  hedgehogs,  when  she  should  catch 
them  on  his  mountain  ledge  ! 

Two  hundred  years  before  the  ridic- 

*This  work,  recently  issued,  is 'em- 
braced in  a  handsome  octavo  volume  of 
581  pages,  finely  printed,  substantially 
bound,  and  embellished  l^y  a  map  of  the 
town  and  twenty-three  portraits  of  dis- 
tinguished citizens  or  natives  of  the  town, 
several  of  which  are  steel  engravings. 
To  the  production  of  this  work  General 
Walter  Harriman,  a  distinguished  son  of 
the  old  town  of  which  he  writes,  has  de- 
voted much  care  and  labor,  and  has  given 
the  public  one  of  the  most  systematic. 
comprehensive  and  thoroughly  interest- 
*  town  histories  yet  produced. 


ulous  tale  is  told  of  this  Hezekiah  Cur- 
rier Sargent,  the  mountain  bore  the 
name  of  Kearsarge,  in  some  of  -its  vari- 
ations ;  and  a  hundred  and  seventy-five 
years  before  this  remarkable  character  is 
placed  on  the  mountain  at  all,  or  is  ever 
heard  of  anywhere,  even  in  tradition, 
Kearsarge  was  known  by  its  present 
name.  This  hero  of  the  wild  hunting- 
grounds  puts  in  an  appearance  too  late. 

The  name  unquestionably  comes  from 
the  Indians,  who  sojourned  at  its  base, 
who  roamed  over  its  steep  declivities, 
or  who  saw  it  from  afar.  It  is  not  easy 
to  convey,  by  the  use  of  English  letters, 
the  precise  sounds  of  the  unlettered 
wild  men  of  the  forest.  The  thing  is 
impossible,  and,  in  attempting  it,  we 
have  the  orthography  of  the  name  in 
almost  an  unlimited  number  of  forms. 
The  still  further  difficulty  may  be  no- 
ticed, that,  even  among  the  Indians 
themselves,  the  pronunciation  of  the 
word  varied  as  much  as  the  orthogra- 
phy of  it  has  varied  among  white  men. 

In  1652,  Gov.  Endicott's  exploration 
of  the  Merrimack  river  to  Lake  Winni- 
pesaukee  was  executed.  The  Endicott 
rock,  at  the  outlet  of  the  lake,  was  then 
marked.  A  plan  was  made  of  this  sur- 
vey, and  the  proof  is  at  hand  that  this 
plan  must  have  been  made  before  1670. 
It  is  thus  endorsed  :  "  Plat  of  Mere- 
mack  river  from  ye  See  up  to  Wenepe- 
seoce  Pond,  also  the  Corses  from  Dun- 
stable to  Penny — cook. 

Jn°  Gardner.  " 

Kearsarge  mountain  is  on  this  plan, 
and  the  name  is  spelled  Carsaga. 

Capt.  Samuel  Willard,  of  Lancaster, 
Mass.,  the  prince  of  Indian  rangers, 
saw  this  mountain  from  the  top  of  Mo- 
nadnock,  July  31,  1725,  and  called  it 
Cusagec  mountain. 

On  the  margin  of  the  ancient  plan  of 
Boscawen,  which  was  granted  by  Massa- 


KEARSARGE  MOUNTAIN. 


*?  *?  C 


chusetts,  as  a  township,  in  1733,  ap- 
pears a  rude  representation  of  an  irreg- 
ular hill  along  the  northern  boundary 
line,  with  this  appended  inscription  : 
"  Supposed  to  be  one  of  ye  Kiasaga 
Hills.  " 

A  plan  of  Kearsarge  Gore,  drawn  by 
Col.  Henry  Gerrish  subsequent  to  1 75 1, 
bears  the  following  title  :  "A  plan  of 
Kaysarge  Gore,  near  Kyasarge.  " 

An  English  map,  published  according 
to  act  of  Parliament,  in  1755,  by 
Thomas  Jeffreys,  geographer  to  His 
Royal  Highness  the  Prince  of  Wales, 
near  Charing  Cross,  and  taken  from 
actual  surveys  made  in  1750  by  Mitch- 
ell and  Hazzen,  puts  our  mountain  in 
its  true  place,  and  spells  it  Kyasage. 

The  proprietor's  records  of  Sutton 
state  that  a  township  of  land  "  was  grant- 
ed to  Capt.  Obadiah  Perry  and  others, 
in  1 743,  lying  on  the  west  side  of  Kia- 
surge  Hill.  " 

In  June,  1 750,  a  meeting  of  the  pro- 
prietors of  that'  town  was  called  by 
Thomas  Hale,  who  represented  that  the 
land  laid  "  on  the  westerly  side  of  Cia- 
sarge  Hill.  "  Again,  the  proprietors  of 
that  town  spell  the  name,  Ciasargey; 
again,  Chi  a  Sarge;  and  again,  Keya- 
sargy.  But  words  need  not  be  multi- 
plied. The  position  here  taken  re- 
quired, perhaps,  no  substantiation  at 
all.  The  story  of  Hezekiah  Sargent  is 
a  myth.  The  mountain  has  been 
known,  continuously,  as  Kearsarge 
more  than  two  hundred  years  ! 

But  another  controversy  concerning 
this  mountain  has  arisen  still  more  re- 
cently. The  birth  of  this  latter  contro- 
versy, so  far  as  the  public  are  informed, 
was  in  1875.  The  Union  corvette,  or 
sloop  of  war,  Kearsarge,  became  fa- 
mous by  sinking  the  Confederate  Ala- 
bama, June  19,  1864.  Eleven  years 
afterwards  the  question  is  raised,  wheth- 
er this  gallant  vessel  took  its  name  from 
the  Kearsarge  of  two  hundred  years 
standing,  or  from  a  mountain  in  Carroll 
county. 

The  Kearsarge  was  built  at  Ports- 
mouth, N.  H.,  in  1 86 1.  Major  Henry 
McFarland,  of  Concord,  a  paymaster  in 
the  army,  wrote  a  letter  to  the  assistant 
secretary  of  the  navy  (G.  V.  Fox),  on 


the  first  day  of  June,  1861,  suggesting 
that  one  of  the  sloops  of  war,  which 
were  then  being  built  at  Portsmouth,  be 
called  Kearsarge.  Gideon  Wells,  of 
Connecticut,  was  secretary  of  the  navy. 
He  accepted  this  name.  He  thought, 
at  first,  that  Kearsage,  with  the  final 
"  r  "  left  out.  was  the  true  orthography, 
but  the  secretary  of  the  treasury,  Salmon 
P.  Chase,  corrected  him.  Concerning 
this  matter,  Secretary  Wells  wrote  as 
follows  :  "  I  first  directed  that  the  cor- 
vette should  be  called  Kearsage  ;  but 
Mr.  Chase,  a  New  Hampshire  man, 
corrected  my  pronunciation  and  or- 
thography. We  had,  I  recollect,  a  lit- 
tle dispute,  and  that  I  quoted  Governor 
Hill,  but  Mr.  Chase  convinced  me  that 
he  was  correct.  " 

Major  McFarland  says,  with  much 
force  and  beauty,  "  The  corvette  ap- 
pears to  me  to  have  been  named  when 
she  received  the  precise  designation 
which  she  defiantly  carried  through 
storm  and  battle.  "  It  will  be  well  to 
remember  here  that  Salmon  P.  Chase 
was  a  native  of  Cornish,  a  New  Hamp- 
shire town,  which  has  the  Kearsarge  of 
Merrimack  county  in  plain  view. 

Mr.  Wells  "quoted  Governor  Hill.  " 
This  is  further  proof  that  it  was  the 
mountain  in  Merrimack  county  for 
which  he  named  the  corvette,  Governor 
Hill  having  been  a  citizen  of  Concord, 
a  large  land-owner  on  that  mountain, 
and  an  enthusiast  in  setting  forth  its 
lofty  grandeur. 

About  1865,  a  large  hotel  was  built 
on  the  Wilmot  side  of  this  mountain, 
and  named  in  honor  of  the  ship's  cap- 
tain, the  "Winslow  House.  "  That 
hotel  was  destroyed  by  fire  in  1867,  ancl' 
was  rebuilt  on  a  larger  scale.  A  recep- 
tion was  given  to  Admiral  Winslow,  in 
the  first  house,  and  he  was  present  at 
the  opening  of  the  second,  in  1868, 
when  he  gave  the  proprietor  a  stand  of 
colors  and  a  picture  of  the  battle. 

Men  of  high  station,  both  in  the  state 
and  country,  as  well  as  others,  were 
present  on  these  occasions,  participat- 
ing in  the  festivities  and  congratulations 
of  the  hour.  Nobody  whispered  that 
we  were  on  the  wrong  mountain. 
Probably,  into  no  one's  mind,  at  thai 


336 


KEARSARGE  MOUNTAIN. 


time,  had  the  idea  entered  that  a  rival 
mountain  was  entitled  to  these  honors. 
In  due  time  Admiral  Winslow  died, 
and  a  boulder  was  taken  from  the  origi- 
nal Kearsarge  to  serve  as  a  monument 
at  his  grave.  And  now  the  controversy 
as  to  the  origin  of  the  ship's  name  be- 
gan ;  but  the  family  of  the  Admiral 
stood  by  our  Kearsarge,  and  the  boul- 
der is  found  in  For-est  Hill  Cemetery, 
Boston  Highlands,  supporting  a  bronze 
tablet  with  the  following  inscription  : 

Rear  Admiral 
John  Ancrum  Winslow, 

U.  S.  Navy, 

Born  in  Wilmington,  N.  C, 

Nov.  19,  1811, 

Died  in  Boston,  Mass., 

Sept,  29,  1873. 

He  conducted  the  memorable 

Sea-fight  in  command  of 

U.  8.  S.  Kearsarge, 

When  she  sank  the  Alabama  in  the 

English  Channel,  June  19,  1864. 

This  boulder  from 

Kearsarge  Mountain,  Merrimack  County,  N.  H., 

Is  the  gift 

Of  the  citizens  of  Warner,  N.  H.,  and  is  erected 

to  his  memory  by  his  wife  and 

surviving   children. 

A  correspondent  of  the  Boston  Jour- 
nal, writing  from  Petersburg,  Virginia, 
July  1 6,  1864,  says, — "The  sinking  of 
the  Alabama  by  the  Kearsarge  gives 
great  joy  to  the  soldiers.  They  are  as 
much  gratified  as  if  they  had  won  a  vic- 
tory. The  men  of  the  Kearsarge  were 
mainly  from  New  Hampshire.  Their 
ship  was  built  there,  and  it  bears  the 
name  of  the  gfand  old  mountain,  be- 
neath the  shadow  of  which  Daniel  Web- 
ster passed  his  childhood.  The  name 
was  selected  for  the  ship  by  one  of  the 
publishers  of  the  New  Hampshire 
Statesman.  The  tourist,  passing  through 
the  Granite  State,  will  look  with  in- 
creased pleasure   upon   the   mountain 


whose  name,  bestowed  upon  a  national 
vessel,  will  be  prominent  in  the  history 
of  the  republic." 

Warner,  Wilmot,  Andover,  Sutton, 
and  Salisbury  all  claim  ownership  in 
this  mountain.  Warner  and  Wilmot 
meet,  on  the  very  summit ;  Andover 
comes  near  the  top  ;  Salisbury  and  Sut- 
ton not  quite  as  near. 

The  summit  of  Kearsarge  is  a  bald 
rock.  It  was  once  mostly  covered  with 
wood  ;  but  about  seventy-five  years  ago 
the  fire  ran  over  the  top  of  the  mountain, 
increasing  in  intensity  for  several  days, 
and  consuming  not  only  the  dead  and 
living  trees,  but  burning  up  the  greater 
portion  of  the  soil  itself. 

Standing  on  the  majestic  height,  one 
feels  that  he  is,  indeed,  on  the  king 
mountain  of  all  this  region.  It  stands 
there  without  a  rival.  It  has  no  neigh- 
bor on  the  east — nothing  to  intercept 
a  view  of  the  ocean.  At  the  south,  fifty 
miles  away,  rises  the  grand  Monadnock, 
its  equal,  and  its  solitary  neighbor  in 
that  direction.  At  the  west  lies  old 
Ascutney,  triple-pointed,  and  grand  be- 
yond description  in  the  evening  twilight, 
but  this  mountain  is  "  over  the  border,  " 
for,  by  the  decree  of  King  George  the 
Third,  in  1 764,  the  west  bank  of  the 
Connecticut  river  is  our  boundary. 
Then,  to  the  northward  and  in  fair  view, 
though  from  thirty  to  sixty  miles  away, 
the  nearest  equal  neighbors  are  Cardi- 
gan, White  Face,  and  Chocorua,  the 
summit  of  the  two  latter  being  seldom 
trodden  by  human  feet.  Each  of  these 
mountains  is  sublime  in  its  way,  but 
Kearsarge  stands  alone  in  solitary 
grandeur — the  Mont  Blanc  of  central 
New  Hampshire. 


HYMNOLOGY  OF  THE  CHURCHES. 


337 


HYMXOLOGY  OF  THE  CHURCHES. 


BY    ASA    McFARLAXD. 


The  purpose  of  this  and  the  preced- 
ing article  (Monthly  for  July),  is  only 
to  make  mention  of  a  few  of  the  hymns 
which  hold  a  permanent  place  in  the 
books  in  use  by  most  churches,  ac- 
companied by  a  statement  of  the  cir- 
cumstances under  which  some  of  them 
were  written.  With  this  brief  statement 
we  proceed  to  speak  of  Isaac  Watts,  D.  r>., 
whose  metrical  productions  occupy  large 
space  in  .books  clevoted'to  sacred  song. 
Watts  died  in  1748,  in  the  seventy-fifth 
year  of  his  age.  He  was  one  of  the  dis- 
senting clergymen  of  England,  and  sev- 
eral years  pastor  of  a  church  in  London. 
He  was  a  better  versifier  than  poet  ;  but 
his  productions  are  full  of  scripture, 
abound  with  individual  life  and  reality  ; 
were  written  in  pure  English,  and  are 
adapted  to  the  experience  of  all  Chris- 
tiarrpeople  ;  are  correct  in  rhyme,  and 
came  from  a  devout  heart.  He  was  an 
earnest  and  eloquent  preacher,  and  the 
congregation  greatly  increased  under 
his  ministration.  But  his  health  failed, 
and  he  was  compelled  to  cease  preach- 
ing. He  was  then  invited  by  Sir 
Thomas  Abney,  one  of  the  aldermen 
of  London,  to  visit  him  at  his  residence 
in  the  country.  This  visit,  intended  to 
be  of  only  a  few  weeks,  was  extended 
to  more  than  thirty  years.  The  country 
abode  of  the  London  alderman  was 
upon  the  shore  of  that  arm  of  the 
sea  known  as  "  Southampton  Water.  " 
Living  upon  the  margin  of  that  body  of 
water,  and  looking  across  it,  how  natural 
that  hymn  of  Watts  : 

••  Sweet  fields  beyond  the  swelling  flood, 
Stand  dressed  in  living  green; 
So  to  the  Jews  old  Canaan  stood. 
While  Jordan  rolled  between/* 

Mrs.  Sarah  Flower  Adams,  wife  of 
an  English  civil  engineer,  was  the  auth- 
or of  a  hymn   that  is   in  as  general  use 

3 


as  any  metrical  production  in  our  lan- 
guage, for  it  is  sung  in  the  churches  of 
all  denominations.  This  is  the  well 
known  production  of  which  the  follow- 
ing is  the  first  stanza  : 

"  Xearer,  my  God.  to  thee. 

Nearer  to  thee ! 
E'en  though  it  be  a  cross 

That  raiseth  me ! 
Still  all  my  song  shall  be. 
Xearer,  rny  God,  to  thee, 

Xearer  to  thee." 

Mrs.  Adams  was  a  Unitarian,  and  her 
celebrated  hymn  was  written  for  an 
English  magazine,  with  no  expectation 
that  it  would  find  a  place  in  the  hymn- 
ology  of  the  churches.  Another  in- 
stance of  an  author  "  building  better 
than  she  knew." 

Rev.  Philip  Doddridge,  d.  d.,  wrote 
much  that  holds  a  permanent  place  in 
the  books  of  the  present  day.  He  was 
a  native  of  London  ;  was  author  of  the 
•'  Family  Expositor,"  and  "  Rise  and 
Progress  of  Religion  in  the  Soul."  He 
died  in  Lisbon,  whither  he  went  for  the 
benefit  of  his  health,  Oct.  13,  1 75 1 . 
He  was  a  laborious  and  successful  preach- 
er of  the  gospel,  and  was  in  the  habit, 
occasionally,  of  writing  and  appending 
a  hymn  to  his  discourse,  suggested  by 
its  topic.  Preaching  on  one  occasion 
from  the  text,  "  There  remaineth,  there- 
fore, a  rest  for  the  people  of  God,"  he 
appended  a  hymn  which  has  come  down 
to  us,  and  is  found  in  a  multitude  of 
books,  of  which  the  following  is  the 
first  stanza  : 

"  Thine  earthly  Sabbaths.  Lord,  we  love. 

But  there's  a  nobler  rest  above  : 
To  that  our  longing  souls  aspire. 

With  cheerful  hope  and  strong  desire." 

Church  hymnology  is  not  wanting  in 
productions   of  heroic    or     triumphant 


33& 


HYMNOLOGY  OF  THE  CHURCHES. 


cast.     Of  such  is  the  hymn  by  Martin    tory  of  John  Gilpin,"    and   the    hymn 
Luther,  commencing : 


commencing 


"  A  mighty  fortress  is  our  God. 

A  bulwark  never  failing ; 
Our  helper  he,  amid  the  flood 

Of  mortal  ills  prevailing : 
For  still  our  ancient  foe 
Doth  seek  to  work  our  woe ; 
His  craft  and  power  are  great. 
And,  armed  with  cruel  hate, 

On  earth  is  not  his  equal." 

Hymns  of  that  cast  or  tone  might 
properly  be  expected  of  the  great  Ger- 
man Reformer,  but  of  Henry  Kirke 
White,  who  died  at  only  a  little  over 
twenty-one,  we  would  not  look  for  pro- 
ductions of  heroic  character.  He  was 
a  native  of  Nottingham,  England,  and 
a  young  man  of  such  rare  promise,  that 
a  memoir  of  him  was  written  by  the 
poet  Southey.  He  died  in  1806.  Here 
are  three  verses  of  a  hymn  by  this  young 
man  that  are  of  the  heroic  cast : 

"The  Lord,   our  God,   is    clothed    with 
might, 
The  winds  obey  his  will ; 
He  speaks,  and  in  his  heavenly  height, 
The  rolling  sun  stands  still. 

Rebel,  ye  waves,  and  o'er  the  land 
With  threatening  aspect  roar ; 

The  Lord  uplifts  his  awful  hand. 
And  chains  you  to  the  shore. 

Howl,  winds  of  night,  your  force  com- 
bine— 

Without  God's  high  behest, 
Ye  shall  not,  in  the  mountain  pine. 

Disturb  the  sparrow's  nest." 

And  a  third  example  is  by  William 
Shrubsole,  Esq.,  of  Sheerness,  England, 
one  of  the  founders  of  the  London 
Missionary  Society,  commencing — 

"'  Arm  of  the  Lord,  awake,  awake; 

Put   on.  thy    strength,    the    nations 
shake ; 
Now  let  the  world,  adoring,  see 
Triumphs  of  mercy  wrought  by  thee." 

No  writer  of  hymns,  not  himself  a 
clergyman,  is  held  in  greater  favor 
by  devout  people,  than  William  Cow- 
per,  and  no  poet  ever  wrote  produc- 
tions so  entirely  dissimilar.  It  is  one 
of  the  curiosities  of  English  Literature, 
that  the  author  of  the  "  Diverting  His- 


"  Oh,  for  a  closer  walk  with  God ; 
A  calm  and  heavenly  frame ; 
A  light  to  shine  upon  the  road 
That  leads  me  to  .the  Lamb," 

were  one  and  the  same  man.  Such 
productions  of  Covvper  as  are  brought 
into  the  service  of  sacred  song  are 
known  in  his  works  as  "  Olney  Hymns," 
because  written  when  the  author  dwelt 
in  that  town  with  the  Unwin  family. 
These  hymns  are  sixty-eight  in  number, 
and  found  in  most  collections.  Perhaps 
the  following  is  as  much  a  favorite  as 
any  of  the  Olney  Hymns  : 

"  God  moves  in  a  mysterious  way, 
His  wonders  to  perform ; 
He  plants  his  footsteps  in  the  sea. 
And  rides  upon  the  storm. 

Deep  in  unfathomable  mines 

Of  never  failing  skill. 
He  treasures  up  Iris  bright  designs 

And  works  his  sovereign  will. 

Ye  fearful  saints,  fresh  courage  take ! 

The  clouds  ye  so  much  dread, 
Are  big  with  mercy,  and  will  break 

In  blessings  on  your  head. 

Judge  not  the  Lord  by  feeble  sen?e. 

But  trust  him  for  his  grace ; 
Behind  a  frowning  Providence 

He  hides  a  smiling  face. 

His  purposes  will  ripen  fast. 

Unfolding  every  hour; 
The  bud  may  have  a  bitter  taste 

But  sweet  will  be  the  flower. 

Blind  unbelief  is  sure  to  err. 

And  scan  his  work  in  vain  ; 
God  is  his  own  interpreter. 

And  he  will  make  it  plain." 

Although  the  greater  portion  of  hymns 
in  use  for  church  service  were  written 
by  clergymen,  yet  laymen  have  written 
much  and  well.  Wordsworth,  Byrant, 
Montgomery,  H.  K.  White,  Thomas 
Moore  (the  Irish  melodist),  Geo.  P. 
Morris,  Browning,  Addison.  Dryden, 
Oliver  W.  Holmes,  and  W.  B.  Tappan 
are  of  this  number,  and  many  might  lie 
added.  Addison  was  one  of  the  most 
eminent  literary  men  of  the  age  in 
which  he  lived.  The  Spectator  (for 
which  Addison  was  chief  writer) ,  dated 


HYMNOLOGY  OF  THE  CHURCHES. 


339 


Sept.  20,  1 71 2,  contained  a  hymn  that 
has  lived  167  years.  The  author  had 
encountered  a  storm  at  sea,  and  nar- 
rowly escaped  death.  The  hymn  is 
founded  upon  the  107th  Psalm,  which 
commences,  "Oh,  give  thanks  unto  the 
Lord,  for  he  is   good ;  for   his    mercy 


endureth    forever." 
the  first  stanza 


The   following   is 


"How  are  thy  servants  blest,  O  Lord ; 
How  sure  is  their  defense ! 
Eternal  wisdom  is  their  guide. 
Their  help,  Omnipotence." 

The  third  and  fourth  stanzas  are 
supposed  to  have  been  suggested  by  the 
terrific  storm  the  vessel  encountered  : 

•'When  by  the  dreadful  tempest  borne. 
High  on  the  broken  wave, 
They  know  thou  art  not  slow  to  hear. 
Nor  impotent  to  save. 

The  storm  is  laid,  the  winds  retire, 

Obedient  to  thy  will ; 
The  sea,  that  roars  at  thy  command, 

At  thy  command  is  still." 

That  Cowper,  subject  to  mental  de- 
pression much  of  his  life,  should  have 
been  the  author  of  "John  Gilpin,"  is  no 
more  surprising  than  that  the  rollicking 
song  writer,  Thomas  Moore,  should 
have  bten  the  author  of  the  following: 
hymn,  which  has  a  place  in  the  singing- 
books  of  sedate  christians  of  most  de- 
nominations : 

■•The  bird  let  loose  in  eastern  skies, 
Returning  fondly  home, 
Ne'er  stoops  to  earth  her  wing,  nor  flies 
Where  idle  warblers  roam. 

But  high  she  shoots,  through   air  and 
light. 
Above  all  low  delay, 
Where  nothing  earthly  bounds  her  flight. 
"  Nor  shadow  dims  her  way. 

So  grant  me,  Lord,  from  every  snare 

Of  sinful  passion  free. 
Aloft,  through  Faith's  serener  air 

To  hold  my  course  to  thee. 

No  sin  to  cloud,  no  lure  to  stay 
My  soul,  as  home  it  springs ; 

Thy  sunshine  on  her  joyful  way. 
Thy  freedom  in  her  wings. " 


Many  years  ago  there  appeared  with 
much  frequency  in  public  journals  the 
productions  in  rhyme  of  William  B. 
Tappan,  a  bookseller  of  Philadelphia. 
Under  the  title  of  "  Heaven "  is  one 
from  his  pen,  which  became  a  univer- 
sal favorite,  and  is  found  in  books  in 
use  by  many  congregations.  The  fol- 
lowing is  the  first  stanza  : 

••  T  here  is  an  hour  of  perfect  rest 
To  mourning  wanderers  given; 
There  is  a  joy  for  souls  distressed. 

A  balm  for  every  wounded  breast — 
"Tis  found  alone  in  Heaven." 

Further  extracts  might  be  made  from 
the  works  of  laymen  who  furnished  much 
of  the  hymnology  of  the  churches,  such 
as  Wordsworth,  Bryant,  James  Mont- 
gomery, Bowring,  and  others  ;  but  we 
bring  this  article  to  its  close  by  adding  a 
production  from  the  pen  of  a  native  of 
Exeter,  this  state — Rev.  W.  B.  O.  Pea- 
body  : 

••  Behold  the  western  evening  light. 
It  melts  in  deepening  gloom ; 
So  calmly  Christians  sink  away, 
Descending  to  the  tomb. 

The  winds  breathe  low,  the  withering 
leaf 

Scarce  whispers  from  the  trees ; 
So  gently  flows  the  parting  breath, 

When  good  men  cease  to  be. 

How  beautiful  on  all  the  hills 
The  crimson  light  is  shed ! 
'Tis  like  the  peace  the  Christian  gives, 
To  mourners  round  his  bed. 

How  mildly  on  the  wandering  cloud 
The  sunset  beam  is  cast ! 
Tis  like  .the  memory  left  behind 
When  loved  ones  breathe  their  last. 

And  now,  above  the  dews  of  night, 

The  rising  star  appears : 
So  faith  springs  in  the  heart  of  those 

Whose  eyes  are  bathed  in  tears. 

But  soon  the  morning's  happier  light 

Its  glory  shall  restore, 
And  eyelids  that  are   sealed  in  death 

Shall  wake  to  close  no  more. 


34Q  A  SUMMER'S  DAY. 


A  SUMMER'S  DAY. 


BY    ABBA    GOOLD    WOOLSON. 

Black  bees  on  the  clover-heads  drowsily  clinging', 
Where  tall,  feathered  grasses  and  buttercups  sway. 

And  all  through  the  fields  a  white  sprinkle  of  daisies. 
Open-eyed  at  the  setting  of  day. 

O,  the  heaps  of  sweet  roses,  sweet  cinnamon  roses. 

In  great  crimson  thickets  that  cover  the  wall ! 
And  flocks  of  bright  butterflies  giddy  to  see  them. 

And  a  sunny  blue  sky  over  all. 

Trailing  boughs  of  the  elms  drooping  over  the  hedges. 

Where  spiders  their  glimmering  laces  have  spun ; 
And  breezes  that  bend  the  light  tops  of  the  willows 

And  down  through  the  meadow-grass  run. 

Silver-brown  little  birds  sitting  close  in  the  branches, 
And  yellow  wings  flashing  from  hillock  to  tree. 

And  wide-wheeling  swallows  that  dip  to  the  marshes.  . 
And  bobolinks  crazy  with  glee ; — 

So  crazy,  they  soar  through  the  glow  of  the  sunset 
And  warble  their  merriest  notes  as  they  fly, 

Nor  heed  how  the  moths  hover  low  in  the  hollows 
And  the  dew  gathers  soft  in  the  sky. 

Then  a  round  beaming  moon  o'er  tbe  blossomed  hill  coming, 
Making  paler  the  fields  and  the  shadows  more  deep  ; 

And  through  the.  wide  meadows  a  murmurous  chirping 
Of  insects  too  happy  to  sleep. 

Enchanted  I  sit  on  the  bank  by  the  willow 
And  hum  the  last  snatch  of  a  rollicking  tune; 

And  since  all  this  loveliness  cannot  be  heaven. 
f  know  in  my  heart  it  is  June. 


NEW  LONDON  CENTENNIAL  ADDRESS. 


34: 


NEW  LONDON  CENTENNIAL. 


ADDRESS  OF  HON.  J.  EVERETT  SARGENT. 


Upon  this  paper  I  find  the  names  of 
the  different  towns  entered,  with  the 
names  of  the  soldiers  and  the  date  of 
their  mustering  in.  Under  the  head- 
ing "  New  London  "  is  the  name  "  Fran- 
cis Coums,  1 781,  April  23."  The 
town  is  also  credited  in  another  place 
on  this  paper  with  one  man  for  the  year 

1 781,  ^60.00;  one  man  for  the    year 

1782,  ^60.00  ;  one  man  for  the  year 
1  783,  ^54.12.  We  find  that  the  army 
was  disbanded  November  3,  1  783  ;  our 
independence  having  been  secured  by 
treaty  before  that  time. 

At  the  annual  town  meeting  in  March, 
1  783,  held  at  the  house  of  Lieut.  Levi 
Harvey  at  the  mills  in  said  town,  said 
Harvey  was  chosen  moderator,  Ebenezer 
Hunting,  town-clerk  ;  Samuel  Brockle- 
bank,  Levi  Harvey  and  Ebenezer  Hunt- 
ing, selectmen  ;  Peter  Sargent,  consta- 
ble ;  John  Morgan  and  others,  surveyors 
of  highways. 

Voted,  To  concur  with  the  Council  and 
House  of  Representatives  for  this  state 
that  the  present  government  be  contin- 
ued in  full  force  until  the  10th  dav  of 
June,  1784,  according  to  their  resolve 
passed  the  27th  of  February,  1783. 

Our  constitution  was  adopted  only 
to  continue  during  the  war  with  Eng- 
land. The  war  had  virtually  ceased  in 
January,  1783,  but  our  state  recom- 
mended that  the  government  be  continu- 
ed until  the  meeting  of  the  Legislature  in 
1784,  when  the  new  constitution  took 
effect. 

Voted,  To  Mr.  Nathaniel  Everett  one 
pound,  five  shillings  and  six  pence,  it 
.  being  for  expense  in  removing  Mr.  Am- 
brose from  New  Plymouth  to  Perrys- 
town  ;  also,  voted  that  the  selectmen 
give  security  to  Levi  Harvey  for  the 
purchase  of  land  and  defending  of  priv- 
ileges for  a  mill,  according  to  former 
*  bond  ;   and  also,  that  "  grinding   days 


this  year  be  Tuesdays  and  Fridays  of 
each  week." 

Thus  we  see  that  at  first  the  only  cur- 
rency was  the  depreciated  continental 
money,  a  pound  of  which  was  only 
equal  to  a  shilling  in  silver,  and  three 
of  either  were  equal  to  a  bushel  of  corn 
or  a  day's  work. 

*  Peter  Sargent,  my  grandfather,  who 
was  first  elected  constable  in  1  783,  was 
born  in  Amesbury,  Mass.,  married  Ruth 
Nichols  of  Amesbury  or  Newbury,  and 
removed  to  Hopkinton,  N.  H.,  before 
1760,  where  he  had  a  lara;e  family,  and 
then  removed  to  New  London  with  his 
family  in  1781.  Most  of  his  children 
settled  in  New  London. 

We  find  that  the  Rev.  Samuel  Am- 
brose, who  had  been  living  at  Plymouth 
(then  called  New  Plymouth), had  visited 
Perrystown  in  1 781,  and  preached  to 
them  a  while,  and  that  he  finally  re- 
moved there  in  February,  1782,  and 
that  he  preached  to  the  people  in  New 
London  a  portion  of  the  time,  in  con- 
nection with  the  people  of  Sutton,  for 
several  years,  the  town  contributing 
something  annually  towards  his  support, 
until  they  were  able  to  settle  a  minister 
for'  themselves.  It  appears,  also,  that 
Levi  Harvey  had  built  a  grist- rhill  at  the 
outlet  of  Harvey's  pond,  being  the  only 
grist-mill  in  town,  and  that  two  days  in 
each  week  were  assigned  as  grinding 
days. 

In  1 784,  the  town  voted  to  raise 
twenty-five  dollars  for  Mr.  Ambrose  for 
his  services  the  year  past ;  also,  to  open 
a  road  from  Kearsarge  Gore  to  Protect - 
worth,  upon  the  request  of  the  latter 
place  ;  also,  voted  to  lay  out  one  hun- 
dred days'  work  in  opening  said  road 
this  season,  and  also  to  "  raise  ten  gal- 
lons of  rum,  on  the  town's  cost,  for  the 
opening  of  the  road  before  mentioned." 
This  was  the  main  road  from  Sutton  to 


;42 


NEW  LONDON  CENTENNIAL  ADDRESS. 


Springfield,  as  it  used  to  come  up  by  Es- 
quire Jonathan  Harvey's  in  Sutton  to  the 
Daniel  Woodbury  place,  thence  over, 
the  hill  where  the  meeting-house  now  is, 
M  and  by  Little  Sunapee  pond,  and  thence 
over  Addison  hill,  as  it  was  termed,  to 
Springfield. 

This  year  the  town  first  voted  for  pres- 
ident of  the  state,  as  the  governor  was 
called,  under  the  new  constitution  of 
t  784,  and  they  all  voted  for  Col.  Josiah 
Bartlett,  of  Kingston,  for  president,  he 
having  24  votes  ;  in  1785,  John  Lang- 
don,  of  Portsmouth,  had  25  votes  for 
president. 

In  March,  1786,  the  town  voted  to 
build  a  meeting-house  fifty  feet  long, 
and  height  and  width  in  proportion. 
Voted,  to  set  the  meeting-house  not 
more  than  40  rods  distant  from  the 
mouth  of  the  Hutchins'  road,  so  called. 
Voted,  Samuel  Messer,  Nath'l  Goodwin 
and  Samuel  Brocklebank  a  committee 
to  pitch  the  place  to  set  the  meeting- 
house, sell  the  pews,  and  go  forward 
with  the  same  as  far  as  the.  money  that 
the  pews  are  sold  for  will  forward  the 
building  of  said  meeting-house.  Voted, 
to  have  a  burying-yard  near  where  said 
meeting-house  is  to  stand.  This  meet- 
ing was  adjourned  several  times,  and 
the  committee  appointed  had  located 
the  house  and  sold  the  pews  and  pro- 
vided that  those  who  bought  them 
might  pay  for  the  same  in  corn  at  four 
shillings  and  rve  at  five  shillings  per 
bushel.  Voted,  to  raise  twenty  dollars 
for  preaching  this  year,  and  that  Levi 
Harvey  see  the  same  expended,  and 
that  the  selectmen  should  settle  with 
Mr.  Ambrose  and  pay  any  balance  due 
him  for  preaching  out  of  the  town's 
stock. 

In  these  votes  of  1 786  originated  the 
old  meeting-house  (which  was  located 
on  the  ground  which  now  constitutes 
the  southerly  part  of  the  cemetery)  and 
also  the  burying-ground  which  adjoined 
it,  and  which  has  since  been  enlarged 
and  improved.  The  Hutchins  road,  re- 
ferred to  in  the  location  of  the  meeting- 
house, was  the  road  that  led  across  from 
the  four  corners  to  the  other  road  on 
which  the  cemetery  is  now  located. 

I  find  that  this  year,  also,  1 786,  a  cen- 


sus was  ordered  by  the  legislature  of 
the  state  by  a  resolution  passed  March 
3d.  We  find  New  London  responded  to 
this  call,  which  is  the  first  census  of  the 
inhabitants  of  the  town  that  I  have  been 
able  to  find.  The  return  is  as  follows  : 
The  number  of  inhabitants  of  New 
London  in  1 786  are  as  follows  : 

Males  21  years  of  age  and  upwards,       46 
Males  under  21  years  of  age,  66 

Females  18  years  of  age  and  upwards.  46 
Females  under  18  years  of  age,  61 


Total,     219 

The  above  is  a  true  account,  as  witness 
our  hands, 

LEVI  HARVEY,     1      Selectmen 
JOHN  ADAMS.        \  for 

JOHN  MORGAN,    j  New' London. 
New  London,  June  5, 1786. 

In  1787,  at  the  request  of  many  of 
the  people  who  had  come  here  from 
Attleborough,  Mass.,  and  had  there 
known  Elder  Seamans,  he  visited  New 
London  and  preached  here  June  24, 
1787.     That  autumn  the  town, 

Voted,  To  give  Elder  Seamans  a  call 
to  settle  in  this  town  as  a  minister  of 
the  gospel. 

Voted,  To  give  him  forty  pounds 
yearly  as  a  salary,  three  pounds  in  cash 
and  thirty-seven  pounds  in  labor  and 
grain  and  other  produce  that  he  may 
want,  all  to  be  paid  at  the  common 
price,  and  all  ministerial  privileges  in 
town  except  one  half  the  parsonage  lot. 

In  February,  1788,  Elder  Seamans 
visited  New  London  again  and  spent 
some  two  months  there  in  preaching 
from  house  to  house  and  in  visiting  the 
people,  and  it  seems  that  he  concluded 
to  accept  the  call,  for  in  March  of  that 
year  the  town  instructed  a  committee 
to  engage  Mr.  Seamans'  salary  to  him  ; 
that  in  paying  the  part  to  be  paid  in 
corn  and  grain,  corn  should  be  reckon- 
ed at  three  shillings  and  rye  at  four,  and 

Voted,  To  remove  Mr  Seamans'  fam- 
ily from  Attleborough  to  New  London 
on  the  cost  of  the  town,  and  that  his 
salary  begin  on  the  24th  day  of  Febru- 
ary last  and  that  the  selectmen  do  for- 
ward the  moving  of  Mr.  Seamans'  fam- 
ily. 

On  the  20th  day  of  June  of  that 
year  the  arrangements  for  moving  had 


NEW  LONDON  CENTENNIAL  ADDRESS. 


343 


been  completed  and  he  started  with 
his  family  for  New  London,  where  he 
arrived  July  i,  and  as  he  says  in  his 
diary,  "  went  into  a  very  poor  house  of 
Mr.  James  Brocklebank." 

He  commenced  his  labors  at  once, 
working  on  his  farm  through  the  week 
and  preaching  on  Sunday  ;  he  studied 
his  sermons  while  engaged  in  manual 
labor. 

A  church  of  eleven  members  was 
formed  October  23d.  1788,  over 
which  he  acted  as  pastor,  and  on  the 
25th  day  of  November  of  the  same 
year,  at  a  town-meeting  called  for  the 
first  time  at  the  meeting-house,  the 
town  voted  to  unite  with  the  church,  in 
the  call  they  had  given  Mr.  Seamans, 
and  arrangements  were  made  for  his 
reinstallment  as  pastor  of  the  church 
and  minister  of  the  town.  At  this 
town-meeting,  the  town  also  elected 
singers  to  sing  at  their  public  religious 
meetings,  as  follows  : 

Voted,  For  singers,  Ebenezer  Hunt- 
ing, Lieut.  Samuel  Messer,  Nathaniel 
Fales,  Asa  Burpee,  Moses  Hill,  Jona- 
than Adams  and  Capt.  Samuel  Brockle- 
bank. The  time  for  the  reinstallment 
was  fixed  for  the  21st  of  January.  1  7S9. 

On  the  1 3th  of  December,  1788,  Elder 
Seamans  gave  his  final  answer  to  the 
town,  approving  of  their  arrangements 
and  consenting  to  the  reinstallment  as 
proposed,  and  the  same  came  off,  with 
all  proper  ceremonies,  on  the  day  ap- 
pointed. Mr.  Ebenezer  Hunting  had 
been  elected  by  the  church  as  deacon, 
January  8,  1789. 

At  the  reinstallment  of  Mr.  Seamans. 
on  January  21st,  the  exercises  were  held 
in  the  meeting-house,  on  which  occa- 
sion Rev.  Amos  Wood,  of  Weare, 
preached  the  sermon  ;  Rev.  Thomas 
Baldwin,  of  Canaan,  gave  the  charge 
to  the  candidate  ;  and  Rev.  Samuel 
Ambrose,  of  Sutton,  announced  the 
fellowship  of  the  churches.  On  the 
next  Sunday,  Jan.  25th,  the  church  and 
their  new  pastor  had  their  first  com- 
munion season  together. 

The  meeting-house  in  which  these 
exercises  were  held  was  only  partly- 
finished,  being  without  pews  or  seats 
(except  such  as  were  extemporized  for 


the  occasion)  and  mostly  without  floors, 
but  there  was  a  large  gathering  of  the 
people,  and  everything  passed  off  in  a 
satisfactory  manner. 

In  t  790,  the  census  taken  in  the 
state  shows  that  New  London  had  3 1 1 
inhabitants,  a  gain  of  ninety-two  in  four 
years.  I  find  the  first  mention  made 
of  Joseph  Colby,  as  a  citizen  of  New 
London,  in  March,  1788,  when  he  was 
elected  as  a  surveyor  of  highways.  In 
1792  the  town  voted  against  adopting 
the  amendments  to  the  constitution, 
proposed  by  the  convention  of  that  year, 
seventeen  votes  being  recorded  in  the 
negative  and  none  in  the  affirmative. 

The  church,  which  commenced  with 
eleven  members,  Oct.  23,  178S,  had 
gained  but  seven  members  up  to  1792, 
consisting  then  of  eighteen  members, 
and  there  were  then  about  fifty  families 
in  town.  An  extensive  revival  broke 
out  that  year  under  the  preaching  of 
Elder  Seamans,  and  in  that  year  there 
were  about  fifty  conversions,  and  the 
work  continued  through  the  years  1793 
and  1 794,  so  that  in  the  last  year  the 
members  of  the  church  had  increased 
to  115,  the  additions  having  been  made 
from  all  classes  and  of  all  ages, from  sev- 
enty down  to  eight  or  ten,  and  what  was 
quite  remarkable,  there  were  thirty- 
seven  men  who,  with  their  wives,  were 
members  of  the  church, — the  united 
heads  of  thirty-seven  out  of  the  fifty 
families  in  town. 

In  1795  they  had  got  their  meeting- 
house so  far  completed,  that  the  town 
voted  to  hold  their  meetings  in  it  for 
the  future.  T*  ev  had  but  recently* 
built  the  pulpit,  and  got  the  floors  laid 
in  the  porches  above  and  below,  but  it 
was  only  partially  glazed,  and  not 
painted  at  all,  and  the  singing  pew,  as 
thty  called  it,  was  not  completed,  nor 
was  the  house  finished  without  or 
within.  During  this  year,  also,  the 
town  appointed  a  committee  to  confer 
with  Elder  Seamans.  and  see  upon 
what  terms  he  would  give  up  the  bond 
he  held  from  the  town,  to  ensure  his 
annual  salary.  The  town  had  already 
got  in  arrears,  and  were  largely  indebt- 
ed to  him,  and  they  evidently  desired 
to  close  up  their  contract  with  him  as  a 


544 


NEW  LONDON  CENTENNIAL  ADDRESS. 


town,  and  leave  it  for  the  church,  and 
for  voluntary  contributions  to  supply  his 
salary.  The  committee  waited  upon 
the  Elder,  and  he,  after  due  considera- 
tion, made  the  town  a  proposition  in 
writing,  giving  them  a  choice  of  three 
alternatives,  as  follows  : 

i St.  That  he  receive  a  dismission  from 
his  pastoral  and  ministerial  office  in 
church  and  town,  together  with  such  a  re- 
commendation as  he  brought  to  them 
from  Attleborough  ;  that  his  salary  should 
cease  from  the  date  of  such  dismission, 
and  he  to  give  up  said  bond  when  his  sal- 
ary should  be  paid  up  to  such  dismission. 

2d.  The  church  and  town  should 
wholly  surrender,  give  up  and  relinquish 
his  ministerial  services  in  church  and 
town,  and  he  would  surrender,  give  up, 
and  relinquish  his  salary,  so  that 
it  shall  be  a  matter  of  judgment  and 
conscience  between  them,  he  to 
serve  them  as  much  in  the  work 
of  the  ministry  as  his  judgment  and 
conscience  should  dictate,  and  they  on 
their  part  to  communicate  of  their  tem- 
poral good  things  toward  the  support 
of  himself  and  his  family,  as  much  as 
their  judgment  and  conscience  should 
dictate  to  them,  and  that,  too,  in  such 
a  way  as  they  might  choose. 

3d.  But  if  neither  of  these  offers 
should  prove  satisfactory,  then  he  re- 
quested the  town  to  unite  with  him  in 
calling  a  mutual  council  to  look  into 
any  matters  of  dissatisfaction  between 
them  on  either  side,  and  decide  upon 
the  whole  whether  it  was  not  best  for 
him  to  ask,  and  for  them  to  give  him 
such  a  dismission  and  recommendation 
as  above  mentioned  ;  and  if  such  coun- 
cil should  be  in  favor  of  such  dismission, 
then  that  they  should  also  settle  the 
conditions,  after  being  informed  what 
the  town  had  done  for  him,  and  of  his  ser- 
vices in  return,  whether  the  town  should 
pay  him  his  salary  in  part  or  in  full  or 
give  him  something  more,  or  whether 
he  should  relinquish  his  salary,  which 
shall  be  then  due  either  in  part  or  in  whole,  • 
or  shall  give  the  town  something  more, 
for  reasons  which  to  the  council  may 
appear. 

It  was  very  evident  that  it  was  of  no 
use  to  seek  a  controversy  with    a    man 


who  was  so  willing  to  settle  in  any  way, 
and  the  town,  by  vote,  accepted  of  his 
second  offer,  by  which  the  town  gave 
up  all  claim  to  his  ministerial  services 
and  he  gave  up  all  legal  claim  to  his 
salary,  and  after  that  his  support  was 
derived  mainly  from  the  church  and 
from  voluntary  contributions.  The 
town  at  the  same  time  voted  not  to 
unite  with  him  in  calling  a  council. 

In  1797  they  also  voted  that  those 
inhabitants  of  the  town  that  do  not  be- 
long to  the  Baptist  society,  so  called, 
have  a  right  to  invite  preachers  of  the 
gospel  into  the  meeting-house  to  preach 
such  part  of  the  time  as  shall  be  in 
proportion  to  the  interest  they  own  in 
the  meeting-house,  and  this  was  so  vot- 
ed for  several  years.  Almost  every 
year  there  was  an  article  in  the  warrant 
to  see  about  finishing  the  singing  pew 
or  to  see  about  finishing  off  the  meet- 
ing-house, but  there  seemed  a  great 
reluctance  to  complete  the  house,  and 
the  town  refused  to  act. 

Thus  we  come  down  to  the  year  1S00, 
the  close  of  the  eighteenth  century. 
By  the  census  of  that  year  it  appears 
that  New  London  then  had  617  inhabi- 
tants, having  gone  from  311  to  617,  in 
ten  years.  But  while  they  had  been 
thus  prosperous  in  that  particular,  their 
meeting-house  was  still  unfinished.  It 
was  only  partially  glazed,  the  gallery 
was  not  completed,  the  singing  pew 
was  not  built,  nor  was  it  plastered  or 
painted  at  all.  A  controversy  between 
Levi  Harvey  and  the  town  had  arisen, 
about  his  mills,  which  was  still  undis- 
posed of,  and  many  were  the  articles  in 
the  warrants  for  town-meetings,  and 
many  were  the  special  town-meetings 
called  to  consider  and  act  upon  these 
two  subjects,  but  the  town  never  seemed 
ready  to  finish  either  the  meeting-house 
or  this  controversy 

Perhaps  at  this  point  it  may  occur 
to  some  of  you  to  inquire  a  little  more 
particularly  in  relation  to  the  Masonian 
proprietors,  who  they  were,  and  who 
were  the  original  grantees  of  the  land 
granted  as  the  Addition  of  Alexandria, 
afterwards  New  London,  and  how  was 
the  land  divided  among  them  ? 

Capt.  John    Mason,  of    London,  to 


NEW  LONDON  CENTENNIAL  ADDRESS. 


545 


whom  the  grant  of  .New  Hampshire  was 
made  in  1629,  as  we  have  seen,  died 
in  1635,  and  his  heirs  held  and  tried  to 
enforce  his  claims  to  the  land  till  about 
1692,  when  they  sold  and  conveyed 
the  same  to  one  Samuel  Allen,  of  the 
same  London,  who  came  to  this  coun- 
try to  enforce  his  claims.  But  Allen 
died  in  1705,  and  the  lands  descended 
to  his  heirs,  wht  prosecuted  his  claims 
vigorously  for  a  time,  until  the  heirs  of 
Mason  found  some  defect,  either  real 
or  pretended,  in  Allen's  title  to  the 
lands,  and  set  up  a  claim  to  them  for 
themselves. 

One  John  Tufton  Mason,  a  descend- 
ant of  Capt.  John,  the  first  grantee,  came 
to  this  country,  claiming  to  own  the 
Masonian  Patent,  and  sold  his  rights 
to  certain  parties  in  Massachusetts  and 
New  Hampshire,  and  conveyed  to  them 
by  deed  in  1746.  The  names  of  these 
purchasers  were  as  follows  :  Theodore 
Atkinson,  Mark  H.  Wentworth,  Rich- 
ard Wibird,  John  Wentworth  (son  of  the 
governor),  George  Jaffrey,  Nathaniel 
Meserve,  Thomas  Packer,  Thomas  Wal- 
lingford,  Jotham  Odiorne,  Joshua 
Pierce,  Samuel  Moore,  and  John  Mof- 
fat. Atkinson  had  three-fifteenths,  M. 
H.  Wentworth  had  two-fifteenths,  and 
all  the  rest  one-fifteenth  each.  These 
men  were  afterwards  known  as  the  Ma- 
sonian proprietors. 

The  persons  to  whom  they  granted 
the  town  of  Alexandria  and  also  the 
Addition  were  as  follows  :  Jonas  Minot, 
of  Concord,  in  the  county  of  Middlesex, 
gentleman  ;  Jonathan  Bagley,  Esq.,  and 
William  Bailey,  gentleman,  both  of 
Amesbury,  in  the  county  of  Essex,  and 
all  in  the  Province  of  Massachusetts 
Bay  ;  Matthew  Thornton,  Esq.,  and  Rob- 
ert McMurphy,  gentleman,  both  of  Lon- 
donderry ;  John  Talford,  Esq.,  and  Wil- 
liam Talford,  gentleman,  both  of  Ches- 
ter ;  and  Daniel  Rindge,  of  Portsmouth, 
all  in  the  county  of  Rockingham  and 
Province  of  New  Hampshire ;  and 
Joshua  Talford,  of  New  Chester,  in  the 
county  of  Grafton,  and  Province  last 
mentioned,  husbandman. 

In  the  deed  of  the  Addition  of  Alex- 
andria the  original  grantors,  the  Mason- 
ian proprietors,  reserved  one  third  part 
4 


of  said  land  to  themselves,  their  heirs, 
and  assigns  forever ;  one  half  of  the 
balance,  or  one  third  of  the  whole,  was 
conveyed  to  said  Minot ;  and  the  other 
half  of  the  balance,  or  third  of  the 
whole,  was  conveyed  to  the  remaining 
grantees  in  the  following  proportions, 
viz.  :  to  Matthew  Thornton,  twelve 
forty-ninths ;  to  said  J.  Bagley,  five 
forty-ninths ;  to  the  said  W.  Bailey, 
five  forty-ninths  ;  to  the  said  John  Tal- 
ford, seven  forty-ninths  and  one  third  ; 
to  the  said  William  Talford,  eight  forty- 
ninths  and  one  third  ;  to  said  Robert 
McMurphy,  eight  forty-ninths  and  one 
third  ;  to  the  said  Daniel  Rindge,  two 
forty-ninths,  and  to  the  said  Joshua  Tal- 
ford, one  forty- ninth.  The  grant  to  said 
William  Bailey  was  conditional  upon  his 
accepting  the  rights  granted  him  in  the 
new  charter  of  the  town  of  Alexandria  in 
full  for  his  claims  under  the  old  charter, 
which  he  refused  to  accept,  and  there- 
fore he  drew  no  lots  in  the  Addition, 
which  was  afterwards  New  London. 

The  Addition  was  surveyed  and  laid 
out  in  137  lots  of  150  acres  each. 
Certain  lots  were  reserved  for  schools, 
for  the  first  settled  minister,  etc.  There 
were  reserved  for  the  Masonian  pro- 
prietors 45  lots  and  two  fractions  ;  and 
drawn  to  Capt.  Jonas  Minot  44  lots 
and  two  fractions  :  to  Col.  Matthew 
Thornton,  ten  lots  and  a  fraction  ;  to 
Robert  McMurphy,  seven  lots  and  two 
fractions  ;  to  Deacon  William  Talford, 
seven  lots  and  a  fraction  ;  to  Maj.  John 
Talford,  six  lots  and  a  fraction  ;  to  Jon- 
athan Bagley,  Esq.,  five  lots  and  a  frac- 
tion ;  to  Hon.  Daniel  Rindge  two  lots  ; 
and  to  Joshua  Talford,  Esq.,  one  lot. 

These  lots  were  drawn  Sept.  7,  1773. 
I  have  a  plan  of  the  drawing,  with  the 
numbers  of  the  lots  drawn  to  each 
owner. 

Having  gone  along  in  the  order  of  time 
for  the  first  twenty-one  vears  of  the  town's 
history  up  to  the  year  1 800,  let  us  now  go 
forward  for  a  similar  period  of  twenty- 
one  years  to  the  year  182  r,  and  there 
make  a  stand,  and  from  that  stand-point 
look  back  over  that  space  of  time,  that 
second  period  of  twenty-one  years  of  the 
town's  history.  Let  us  select  our  time 
now  with  some  particularity — well,  sup- 


346 


NEW  LONDON  CENTENNIAL  ADDRESS. 


pose  we  call  it  the  ninth  day  of  Sep- 
tember, 1 82 1.  It  is  one  of  the  earliest 
days  that  I  can  remember,  and  yet, 
though  I  was  then  only  five  years  of 
age,  I  shall  never  forget  it.  The  day 
was  Sunday.  The  morning  was  bright 
and  sunny.  The  air  was  soft  and  balmy. 
The  day  was  hot,  and  especially  in  the 
afternoon  was  still  and  sultry.  About 
five  o'clock  there  were  signs  of  a  thun- 
der shower,  dark  clouds  gathered  in  the 
west,  and  soon  overcast  the  sky.  The 
stillness  that  precedes  the  storm  was 
soon  interrupted  by  the  mutterings  of 
the  distant  thunder,  the  clouds  grew 
darker  and  blacker,  until  presently  a 
strange  commotion  was  seen  among 
them  in  the  west ;  vivid  lightnings  light 
up  the  dark  and  angry  masses,  the 
roaring  of  the  distant  tornado  is  heard 
as  it  approaches,  and  anon  the  most 
terrible  whirlwind  ever  known  in  the 
state  burst  upon  the  terror-stricken  in- 
habitants of  New  London. 

I  gather  the  following  facts  from  a 
description  of  the  great  whirlwind  of 
1 82 1,  as  found  in  the  collections  of  the 
N.  H.  Historical  Society,  vol.  1,  page 
241.  The  whirlwind  entered  the  state 
in  Cornish,  and  moving  easterly  through 
Croydon,  demolished  the  house  and 
barn  of  Deacon  Cooper,  thence  through 
Wendell  (now  Sunapee)  to  near  Suna- 
pee  Lake,  where  it  blew  to  pieces  the 
house,  barn  and  out-buildings  of  Har- 
vey Huntoon,  destroying  and  blowing 
away  all  the  furniture  and  other  proper- 
ty in  his  house,  and  the  contents  of  his 
barns  and  other  buildings,  and  blowing 
an  infant  nearly  a  year  old,  that  was 
lying  on  a  bed  in  the  house,  away  into 
the  lake,  where  the  mangled  body  was 
found  the  next  Wednesday,  on  the  op- 
posite side  of  the  lake,  and  the  feather 
bed  on  which  the  child  was  sleeping  was 
found  in  Andover  by  a  Mr.  Durgin  and 
restored  to  Mr.  Huntoon.  A  horse 
was  blown  up  hill  a  distance  of  forty  rods, 
and  was  so  injured  that  it  was  necessary 
to  kill  him.  No  human  lives  were  lost  in 
that  town  except  the  child,  though  the 
other  seven  members  of  Mr.  Hun- 
toon's  household  were  injured,  and 
some  of  them  very  severely.  From 
Wendell  the    hurricane    passed   across 


Lake  Sunapee  in  a  most  terrific  man- 
ner, assuming  the  form  of  an  inverted 
pyramid  in  motion,  and  drawing  up  in- 
to its  bosom  vast  quantities  of  water. 
Its  appearance  on  the  lake  was  in  the 
highest  degree  sublime  and  terrible,  ap- 
parently about  twenty'rods  in  diameter 
at  the  surface  of  the  water,  it  expanded 
on  each  side  towards  the  heavens,  its 
vast  body  as  dark  as  midnight,  but  oc- 
casionally illuminated  by  the  most  vivid 
flashes  of  hghtning. 

From  the  lake  it  passed  into  New 
London  and  through  the  southerly  part 
of  the  town,  destroying  property  to  the 
estimated  value  of  $9,000  or  $10,000. 
But  fortunately  no  person  in  the  town 
was  killed.  The  house  and  other  build- 
ings of  John  Davis,  standing  directly 
in  the  path  of  the  tornado,  were  entirely 
demolished.  Not  a  timber  nor  a  board 
was  left  upon  the  ground  where  the  house 
had  stood,  and  not  a  brick  in  the 
chimney  remained  unmoved.  A  huge 
hearth  stone  weighing  some  seven  or 
eight  hundred  pounds  was  removed 
from  its  bed  and  turned  up  on  one  edge  ; 
all  the  furniture  of  the  house,  beds,  bed- 
ding and  clothing  was  swept  away,  and 
not  the  value  of  five  dollars  of  it  was 
ever  found.  The  family  chanced  to  be 
absent  from  the  house.  Three  barns 
belonging  to  Josiah  Davis,  with  their 
contents,  were  blown  entirely  away,  and 
his  house  much  shattered  and  dam- 
aged. A  house  belonging  to  Jonathan 
Herrick  was  unroofed,  the  windows  brok- 
en out,  and  much  furniture  and  cloth- 
ing blown  away,  but  fortunately  none  of 
the  family  were  injured.  A  new  two- 
story  house  frame,  nearly  covered,  be- 
longing to  Nathan  Herrick,  and  two 
barns,  were  blown  down.  A  house  and 
barn  of  Asa  Gage  were  unroofed,  and 
two  sheds  carried  away.  Anthony  Sar- 
gent had  one  barn  demolished,  another 
unroofed,  and  two  sheds  blown  away. 
Deacon  Peter  Sargent  had  a  barn  blown 
down,  another  unroofed,  and  a  shed 
blown  away.  A  barn  of  J.  P.  Sabin  was 
torn  to  pieces  ;  another  barn  of  Levi 
Harvey  was  blown  to  pieces,  his  saw- 
mill demolished,  and  some  twelve  thou- 
sand feet  of  boards  in  the  mill-yard  car- 
ried away  ;  his  grist-mill    was  moved 


NEW  LONDON  CENTENNIAL  ADDRESS. 


347 


some  distance  whole,  and  was  left  stand- 
ing on  dry  land,  and  a  hog  house,  con- 
taining a  hog  weighing  from  three  to 
four  hundred  pounds,  was  carried  away 
whole  several  rods  and   dropped  on  the 
top  of  a  stone   wall,   where  it  fell   into 
fragments,  and  the   hog  released   from 
his  prison  walked  away  unhurt.     A  pair 
of  cart  wheels  strongly  bound  with  iron 
and  nearly  new,  with  the  spire  and  axle, 
were  carried  ten   rods,  the  spire  brok- 
en off  in  the  middle,  all  the  spokes  but 
two  broken  out  of  one  wheel  and  more 
than  half  out  of  the  other.  All  the  trees  in 
an  orchard  of  one  hundred,  without  asin- 
gle  exception,  were  prostrated,  and  one 
half  of  them  were  wrenched  up  by  the 
roots,  and  carried  entirely  away,  root  and 
branch.       The  trunk  of  one  of    these 
trees,  divested  of  its  principal  roots  and 
branches,  was  found  half  a  mile  distant 
and  at  the  top  of  a  long  hill ;  near  the 
top  of  this  hill  was  an  excurvation  some 
forty   feet  long,  and  in   places   two    to 
three  feet  deep,  partly  filled  with    man- 
gled  boards  and  broken    timbers,    ap- 
parently made  by  the  perpendicular  fall 
of  the  side  of  a  barn,  which  must  have 
been  blown  whole  at  least  eighty  rods. 
The   track    or    path   of    the    whirl- 
wind in  New  London,  was  some  four 
miles   long,   and  varied  in   width  from 
one  fourth  to  one  half  a  mile  as  the  col- 
umn rose  and  fell,  and  passed  off  upon 
the  north   side    of    Kearsarge    Moun- 
tain.    In  passing,  it  seemed  to  hug  to 
thq   mountain,   so  that  its   course  was 
changed  more  to  the  south,and  it  passed 
down  the  mountain  on  the  easterly  side 
into    the   Gore,  touching  a  corner  of 
Salisbury  and  into  Warner,   and   finally 
terminated  in  the  woods  of  Boscawen. 
A  great  amount  of  property,  many  build- 
ings, and  several  lives  were  destroyed  in 
the  Gore  and  in  Warner. 

The  track  of  the  whirlwind  is  thus 
described  :  "  It  appeared  as  if  a  rushing 
torrent  had  been  pouring  down  for 
many  days ;  the  dwellings,  buildings, 
fences  and  trees  were  all  swept  off  in 
its  course.  The  earth  was  torn  up  in 
places,  the  grass  withered,  and  nothing 
fresh  or  living  was  to  be  seen  in  the 
path  of  the  desolation."  It  is  difficult 
for  us  to  conceive  the   horrors  of  that 


instant — for  it  was  but  an  instant — when 
horses,  barns,  trees,  fences,  fowls,  and 
other  moveable  objects  were  all  lifted 
from  the  earth  into  the  bosom  of  the 
whirlwind  and  anon  dashed  into  a 
thousand  pieces.  Probably  no  event 
has  occurred  in  this  town  during  the 
hundred  years  of  its  existence,  that 
was  so  well  calculated .  to  teach  man 
his  utter  impotence,  and  to  impress 
upon  his  mind  the  awful  sublimity,  the 
terrible  grandeur  of  the  scene,  where 
the  hand  of  omnipotence,  even  for* a 
moment,  displays  its  resistless  power, 
as  the  great  whirlwind  of  September 
9,  1 82 1. 

Let  us  now  look  back  and  briefly 
review  the  events  that  have  occurred 
since  the  year  1800.  June  9,  1801, 
the  Social  Library  was  incorporated, 
which  had  about  one  hundred  volumes 
of  very  valuable  books.  The  library 
was  kept  at  the  house  of  Josiah  Brown, 
Esq.  I  recollect  that  from  about  the 
year  1825  to  1833  I  obtained  most  of 
my  reading  matter  from  this  library  and 
found  it  very  profitable  and  interesting. 
Whether  this  institution  yet  remains  I 
do  not  know.  In  1803  the  town  first 
had  the  necessary  number  of  ratable 
polls  to  entitle  it  to  send  a  representa- 
tive alone,  and  Joseph  Colby,  Esq., 
was  elected  as  the  first  representative  of 
the  town,  and  he  was  re-elected  every 
year  until  1816. 

In  181 7  there  was  a  political  revo- 
lution in  the  town,  and  everything  was 
changed.  Daniel  Woodbury,  Esq., 
was  the  moderator,  first  selectman,  and 
representative  for  that  and  several  suc- 
ceeding years  ;  and  the  dominant  party 
held  a  celebration  over  their  victory,  in 
the  spring  of  1817,  at  which,  as  I  am 
informed,  the  liberty  pole  was  erected, 
which  used  to  stand  in  front  of  the  old 
meeting-house,  around  which  the  people 
in  the  olden  time  used  to  congregate, 
and  spend  their  intermissions  between 
the  forenoon  and  afternoon  services  on 
Sunday.  My  first  recollections  of  at- 
tending church  are  associated  with 
hearing  Elder  Seamans  preach,  and  Elder 
Ambrose  pray ;  of  riding  to  church  in 
the  wagon  with  father  and  mother, — 
standing  up  behind  and   holding  on   to 


34§ 


NEW  LONDON  CENTENNIAL  ADDRESS. 


the  back  of  the  seat  in-order  to  pre- 
serve my  perpendicular  equilibrium. 
This  I  did  until  growing  older  I  pre- 
ferred to  walk  rather  than  to  ride  in 
that  way.  It  was  the  fashion  in  those 
days  for  the  whole  family  to  go  to 
church  as  soon  as  the  children  were 
large  enough  to  be  carried.  But  to 
return  from  this  degression. 

In  1804  a  committee  was  appointed 
to  cause  an  accurate  survey  of  the  town 
to  be  made.  This  was  in  pursuance 
of  a  law  requiring  each  town  in  the 
state  to  make  a  plan  of  the  same  and 
return  it  to  the  secretaryof  state,  with  a 
view  to  the  making  of  'a  state  map, 
which  was  afterward  published  by  Philip 
Carrigain.  This  committee  consisted 
of  Green  French,  Levi  Harvey,  Jr., 
and  Anthony  Sargent. 

The  meeting-house  was  still  a  sub- 
ject of  contention.  Articles  were  fre- 
quently inserted  in  the  warrants  for 
town-meeting  to  see  if  the  town  would 
vote  to  finish  glazing  the  house,  or  to 
plaster  the  house,  or  to  paint  the  house, 
or  to  finish  off  the  house,  but  the  town 
uniformily  voted  in  the  negative  upon 
them  all.  Probably  some  of  this  work 
was  done  by  voluntary  subscription  or 
contributions,  and  the  house  was  occu- 
pied for  all  purposes.  Finally,  in  1818, 
at  a  special  meeting  holden  for  that 
purpose,  June  1,  it  was  voted  to  raise 
$300  for  the  purpose  of  repairing  and  fin- 
ishingthe  outside  of  the  meeting-house  in 
this  town,  and  Joseph  Colby,  Esq.,  was 
appointed  as  agent  of  the  town  to  see 
to  repairing  and  finishing  the  outside  of 
the  meeting-house,  and  I  find  no  fur- 
ther articles  in  the  warrants  for  their 
town-meetings  relating  to  finishing  the 
meeting-house.  Thus,  the  house  which 
was  commenced  in  1786,  was  finished 
in  1818,  having  been  thirty-two  years 
in  building. 

The  controversy  concerning  Levi 
Harvey's  mill  privilege  and  flowage 
rights  arose  in  this  way.  Away  back  in 
1 780,  an  article  was  inserted  in  the 
warrant  to  see  if  the  town  would 
adopt  any  method  to  build  mills  in  said 
town,  but  the  vote  was  that  as  a  town 
they  could  not  do  anything  as  to  build- 
ing mills.     But  it  seems  that   some   in- 


dividuals gave  said  Harvey  a  bond  that 
they  would  purchase  the  land  on  which 
he  was  to  set  the  mill,  and  would  de- 
fend him  against  claims  for  flowage  by 
the  owners  of  land  around  and  above 
his  mill-pond,  if  he  would  erect  a  saw 
and  grist-mill  upon -a  certain  lot  of  land 
owned  by  some  absent  proprietor ; 
and  in  1783  the  town,  at  their  annual 
meeting,  voted  to  clear  those  men  that 
were  bound  in  a  bond  to  Levi  Harvey 
to  purchase  land  and  for  defending  of 
privileges  as  mentioned  in  said  bond  ; 
also,  that  the  present  selectmen  be  em- 
powered to  give  security  to  said  Har- 
vey for  the  purchase  of  land  and  the 
defending  of  privileges  as  mentioned  in 
former  bond.  The  selectmen  for  that 
yeir  were  Samuel  Brocklebank,  Levi 
Harvey,  and  Ebenezer  Hunting.  In 
compliance  with  this  vote  of  March, 
1783,  said  Brocklebank  and  Hunting 
gave  to  said  Harvey  a  bond  conditioned 
like  the  previous  one,  and  the  former 
bond  was  cancelled.  The  mill  and  the 
dam  was  built,  and  everything  went 
along  smoothly  for  several  years. 

But  after  a  time  a  controversy  arose 
about  the  land  where  the  mill  was  locat- 
ed, and  the  owners  of  lots  above  the 
mill  «began  to  claim  damages  for  flow- 
age  by  the  dam,  and  Harvey  appealed 
to  the  town,  and  Brocklebank  and 
Hunting  also  claimed  to  have  the  town 
act  in  the  premises,  but  the  town  de- 
clined, and  upon  one  excuse  and 
another  refused  to  act.  In  1802  the 
town  appointed  a  committee  to  act  in 
the  premises  and  to  make  a  final  settle- 
ment between  said  Harvey  and  the 
town  ;  but  in  1S04  they  again  voted  to 
let  the  matter  take  its  due  course  in 
law.  An  article  was  inserted  in  the 
annual  warrants  for  town-meetings  on 
this  subject,  and  special  meetings  were 
called  to  act  upon  it,  but  the  town 
would  not  act. 

Finally  suits  were  brought  by  the 
parties  agrieved  against  Harvey,  as  of 
course  they  must  be,  and  damages 
recovered  against  him  for  flowage  by  the 
owners  of  lands  above  his  mill  and  by 
the  claimant  of  the  land  where  his  mill 
was  located.  These  damages  were 
collected  of  Harvey,  and  then  he  called 


NEW  LONDON  CENTENNIAL  ADDRESS. 


on  his  bondsmen,  Hunting  and  Brockle- 
bank,  to  respond.  They  called  on  the 
town,  but  the  town  was  still  deaf  to  the 
call ;  so  after  various  town-meetings, 
Harvey  sued  Hunting  and  Brocklebank 
on  their  bond.  The  town  still  refusing 
to  come  to  their  rescue,  they  defended 
themselves  as  best  they  could  in  the 
suit,  but  were  finally  beaten  and  a 
judgment  recovered  against  them  for  the 
whole  amount  that  Harvey  had  been 
obliged  to  pay.  Then  there  were  more 
town-meetings,. but  the  town  was  still 
persistent  in  doing  nothing. 

I  infer  that  in  the  mean  time  Brockle- 
bank had  become  irresponsible,  and  as 
Hunting  was  good,  Harvey  at  length 
arrested  Deacon  Hunting  and  lodged 
him  safely  in  jail  for  the  non-payment 
of  the  debt.  Hunting  was  stubborn, 
and  Harvey  was  resolute,  so  Hunting 
laid  in  jail  over  a  year  ;  but  finding  that 
Harvey  would  not  yield,  he  finally  paid 
the  money  and  went  home  to  his  family. 
Then  he  called  on  the  town,  and  the 
town  refusing  to  act,  he  brought  his  suit 
against  the  town,  and  then  more  town- 
meetings  followed  ;  but  the  suit  went 
along,  and  the  town  in  the  end  was 
beaten,  as  it  deserved  to  be,  and  a  judg- 
ment was  recovered  against  the  town. 

On  the  24th  day  of  May,  1808,  a 
special  meeting  was  called  on  that  mat- 
ter, and  the  town  voted,  that  there  be 
assessed  upon  the  polls  and  estate  in 
this  town,  and  that  part  of  Wilmot 
which  was  taken  from  this  town  in  June 
last,  a  sum  of  money  sufficient  to  satisfy 
the  judgment  rendered  against  the 
town  in  favor  of  Deacon  Ebenezer 
Hunting,  at  the  last  term  of  the 
supreme  court  in  this  county.  They 
do  not  state  how  large  the  sum  thus 
raised  was  ;  but  it  is  reported  that  the 
amount  of  this  claim  had  by  this  time, 
with  all  the  costs  of  the  various  suits, 
reached  the  sum  of  nearly  Si 500, 
which  for  those  times  was  a  large 
amount. 

In  1809  there  was  an  article  in  the 
warrant  to  see  if  the  town  will  pay  Dea- 
con Ebenezer  Hunting  the  amount  of 
interest  which  he  has  been  obliged 
to  pay  on  the  execution  which  Levi 
Harvey,    Esq.,    obtained    against    him. 


But  the  town  passed  over  the  article. 
Again,  on  the  13th  January,  181 2,  a 
special  meeting  was  called  to  see  if  the 
town  will  pay  to  Deacon  Ebenezer 
Hunting  a  sum  of  money  equal  to  the 
amount  of  interest  which  he  paid  on  the 
Harvey  execution,  and  also  to  see  what 
compensation  the  town  will  make  Dea- 
con Ebenezer  Hunting  for  damages 
he  sustained  by  being  imprisoned  on 
said  execution.  But  the  town  made 
quick  work  of  it  by  voting  at  once  not 
to  do  anything  about  it.  This  ended 
the  controversy  which  had  been  in 
agitation  more  than  twenty  years  in 
town. 

Let  us  now  look  for  a  moment  at  the 
boundaries  of  the  town  at  different  pe- 
riods of  its  history.  When  the  town 
was  incorporated  it  was,  as  you  have 
seen,  in  very  regular  shape,  extending 
from  Alexandria  to  Fishersfield  and 
Sutton  in  length,  and  of  about  equal 
width  between  the  patent  line  and 
Kearsarge  Gore.  June  19,  1793,  the 
Legislature  disannexed  lots  No.  19,  20, 
21,  22,  23,  24  and  25  from  the  north- 
westerly part  of  Kearsarge  Gore,  and 
annexed  the  same  to  New  London.  By 
this  change  the  southerly  line  of  New 
London  was  extended  east  to  the  north- 
east corner  of  Sutton.  The  piece  thus 
annexed  was  a  triangle,  with  its  base  rest- 
ing on  Sutton  north  line.  December  1 1. 
1804.  the  Legislature  disannexed  a 
large  number  of  lots  from  Wendell 
and  annexed  the  same  to  New  London  : 
and  on  the  19th  of  June,  181  7,  another 
tract  was  taken  from  Wendell'  and  an- 
nexed to  New  London,  so  that  the  line 
between  these  towns  was  described  as 
follows  :  Beginning  at  a  point  in  Suna- 
pee  Lake,  which  is  described,  "thence 
running  north  160  east,  108  rods  to 
Otter  Pond  and  thence  on  the  same 
course  across  said  pond  to  Springfield 
south  line."  By  these  two  additions  to 
New  London,  it  was  intended  to  make 
the  line  between  Sunapee  and  New 
London  one  continuous  straight  line 
from  Fishersfield  (now  Newbury)  north- 
west corner  through  Otter  Pond  to 
Springfield  line.  I  find  by  your  town 
records  that  the  old  patent  line  run 
over  the   top  of    Burpee    Hill,  a  little 


35° 


NEW  LONDON  CENTENNIAL  ADDRESS. 


above  the  house  where  Nathaniel  Mes- 
ser  and  his  son  lived  and  died. 

The  old  school-house  that  used  to 
sit  there  on  the  top  of  the  hill  on  a 
ledge  of  rock,  was  on  the  patent  line 
which  originally  divided  this  town  from 
Wendell.  By  these  additions  another 
triangle  was  added  to  the  town  on  that 
side,  with  its  base  resting  on  the  old 
patent  line,  and  bounded  west  by  Wen- 
dell and  north  by  Springfield. 

On  the  1 8th  of  June,  1807,  the  town 
of  Wilmot  was  incorporated  out  of  the 
north-easterly  part  of  New  London,  a 
part  of  New  Chester,  and  all  that  part  of 
Kearsarge  Gore  that  laid  northerly 
of  the  summit  of  Kearsarge  Mountain. 

The  part  taken  off  from  New  Lon- 
don was  described  as  follows  :  "  Begin- 
ning at  the  south-easterly  corner  of  lot 
No.  22,  and  the  south-westerly  corner 
of  lot  No.  21,  on  the  south-easterly 
line  of  said  New  London,  thence  run- 
ning westwardly  across  said  New  Lon- 
don on  the  northerly  sides  of  lots  num- 
bered 22,  35,  54,  70,  78,  90,  112  and 
130,  over  to  Springfield  line,"  so  taking 
all  the  land  that  lay  north-easterly  of 
that  line  in  New  London.  This  part 
of  the  town  thus  set  off  to  Wilmot  con- 
tained about  9000  acres  of  land. 

From  1812  to  1815  the  country  was 
engaged  in  its  second  war  with  Eng- 
land, which  was  substantially  closed  by 
Gen.  Andrew  Jackson,  at  New  Orleans, 
on  the  8th  of  Junuary,  181 5. 

In  1819  the  toleration  act,  as  it  was 
called,  was  passed  by  the  legislature  and 
became  a  law,  which  separated  the  civil 
and  religious  elements  in  our  organiza- 
tion, so  to  speak.  It  took  from  the 
towns,  in  their  corporate  capacity,  the 
power  to  raise  money  for  the  support 
of  preaching  of  any  kind,  or  to  build 
meeting-houses,  or  for  other  religious 
purposes,  leaving  it  to  religious  socie- 
ties to  do  this  work,  each  to  suit  its  own 
views  of  propriety  and  duty.  But  this 
act  did  not  affect  religious  matters  in 
New  London  at  all.  The  town  had,  in 
fact,  anticipated  the  law  many  years. 
They  had  raised  no  money  as  a  town, 
for  preaching,  since  1795,  as  I  can  find, 
and  they  had  voted  to  let  each  denomi- 
nation  in   town  occupy   the    meeting- 


house according  to  their  interest  there' 
in,  each  sect  being  thus  left  free  to  ad" 
vance  their  own  views,  in  their  own  way 
and  at  their  own  expense.  This  has  been 
the  policy  of  the  law  ever  since,  and 
was  the  policy  of  the  town  long  before 
the  law  was  passed. 

From  this  time  forth  we  shall  find 
the  history  of  the  town  and  the  history  of 
the  church  entirely  separate  and  distinct. 
Yet  every  one  knows,  whether  he  be- 
lieves in  the  doctrines  of  a  church 
or  not,  that  wherever  a  church  has 
been  long  established,  and  has  been 
made  up  of  any  considerable  portion 
of  the  people,  it  has  and  will  have  its 
influence  upon  the  community  to  such 
an  extent  that  no  history  of  the  town 
would  be  complete  without  a  history  of 
its  church,  or  its  churches,  where  there 
are  more  than  one.  Particularly  is  that 
true  of  a  country  town  like  New  Lon- 
don, where  there  has  been,  from  the 
earliest  times,  a  leading  and  influential 
church,  which  has  taken  the  lead  in  all 
great  moral  questions  and  reforms. 

The  church  had,  in  this  period  of 
twenty-one  years,  seen  two  seasons  of 
revival  under  the  preaching  of  Elder 
Seamans.  In  1S09  some  forty  were 
added  to  the  church,  and  in  1S18  and 
1 819  occurred  what  was  long  known 
as  the  great  reformation,  in  which  be- 
tween eighty  and  ninety  were  added 
to  the  church. 

But  during  all  these  years  there  was 
much  hard  and  disagreeable  work  to 
be  done  ;  many  labors  with  the  brethren 
were  instituted,  and  many  were  the  let- 
ters of  admonition  and  expulsion  that 
were  issued  and  recorded  on  the  church 
records. 

In  the  year  1801  the  first  Baptist 
society  was  formed  in  town,  which  was 
kept  up  and  had  its  annual  meetings 
down  as  late  as  1846,  when  its  records 
cease,  and  the  church  has  gone  along 
so  far,  as  appears,  without  the  aid  of 
the  society. 

Within  this  period,  too,  the  ins'titu- 
tion  of  Free  Masonry  had  arisen  and 
flourished  in  this  town  quite  extensively. 
King  Solomon's  Lodge  of  Free  and 
Accepted  Masons,  No.  14,  was  char- 
tered and  located   at  New  London,  in 


NEW  LONDON  CENTENNIAL  ADDRESS. 


35 x 


the  county  of  Hillsborough,  on  Jan- 
uary 27,  1802,  by  the  Most  Worshipful 
Grand  Lodge  of  the  State  of  New 
Hampshire.  The  Lodge  flourished 
well  here  for  many  years,  and  had  be- 
come quite  numerous  previous  to  the 
anti- masonic  wave  that  swept  over  the 
eastern  and  middle  states  about  1826, 
when  the  excitement  run  so  high  and 
the  opposition  was  so  strong  that  the 
masons,  thinking  that  discretion  was  the 
better  part  of  valor,  suspended  their 
meetings  for  a  time  altogether,  and  the 
lodge  in  fact  never  did  much  more 
work  in  its  old  locality.  But  in  June, 
1 85 1,  it  was  removed  to  Wilmot,  where 
it  remained  in  good  working  order 
until  1878,  when  it  was  again  removed 
and  located  at  Scytheville,  in  New  Lon- 
don, where  it  now  remains,  enjoying  a 
fair  share  of  prosperity. 

The  population  had  gone  on  increas- 
ing since  1800,  though  somewhat  irreg- 
ular. In  1 8 10  the  census  showed  692, 
gaining  only  seventy-five  in  that  decade  ; 
but  in  1820  there  were  924,  a  gain  of 
232  in  that  decade,  and  the  town  had 
also  made  rapid  progress  in  education, 
wealth  and  position,  and  was  now  en- 
joying a  large  share  of  the  comforts  and 
conveniences  of  life  for  that  day. 

The  County  of  Merrimack  was  incor- 
poratd  July  23,  1823,  and  consisted  of 
twenty-six  towns,  from  Rockingham  and 
Hillsborough  counties.  New  London, 
which  had  been  a  part  of  Hillsborough 
County  hitherto,  now  became  a  part  of 
Merrimack,  of  which  it  still  forms  a  part. 

On  July  4,  1826,  the  new  meeting- 
house, the  house  in  which  we  are  to- 
day assembled,  was  raised.  The  corner- 
stone had  been  placed  with  appropriate 
ceremonies  before  that,  at  a  public 
gathering,  with  a  procession,  music  and 
religious  ceremonies.  The  Fourth  of  July 
was  a  pleasant  day,  and  at  sunrise  the 
work  of  raising  was  commenced,  and  it 
was  substantially  finished  the  same  day, 
except  what  could  be  done  with  the 
force  that  was  to  be  permanently  em- 
ployed upon  it.  From  that  time  for- 
ward the  work  was  prosecuted  with  vig- 
or, so  that  before  the  winter  closed  in 
it  was  completed,  with  steeple  and  bell ; 
the   slips  were    disposed   of    and    the 


house  ready  for  use,  and  all  that  I  find 
in  the  records  concerning  it,  anywhere, 
in  either  church  or  society,  is  the  fol- 
lowing vote  by  the  society  at  their  reg- 
ular meeting  on  the  third  Monday  of 
December,  1826,  viz.  : 

Voted,  "  To  accept  of  the  new  meet- 
ing-house, built  by  David  Everett  and 
Anthony  Colby,  and  the  common 
around  the  same.  Chose  Joseph  Colby 
and  Jonathan  Greeley  to  take  a  convey- 
ance of  said  meeting-house  and  com- 
mon." 

It  seems  that  it  had  been  arranged 
that  the  house  should  be  apprais- 
ed so  as  to  cover  expenses,  and  a 
sufficient  number  of  the  society  had 
subscribed,  or  in  some  way  became  re- 
sponsible to  take  the  slips  at  the  ap- 
praised value,  so  as  to  secure  those  who 
did  the  work  in  the  first  instance  ;  and 
then  those  two  built  the  house  and  con- 
veyed it  to  the  society. 

I  can  well  remember  the  procession 
and  proceedings  when  the  corner-stone 
was  laid,  and  the  day  of  the  raising  of  the 
house.  After  it  was  completed  we  used 
to  alternate  between  the  new  house  and 
the  old,  one  Sunday  at  each  in  turn  for 
many  years.  In  the  old  meeting-house 
were  the  square  pews,  with  the  seats  on 
all  four  sides  of  them,  with  the  high 
pulpit  and  the  great  sounding-board 
over  it,  which  would  be  sure  to  fall 
upon  the  minister's  devoted  head, 
should  he  depart  but  the  breadth  of  a 
single  hair  from  the  truth.  In  the  new 
meeting-house  there  was  some  im- 
provement, the  slips  were- all  facing  the 
same  way  and  towards  the  pulpit,  which 
originally  was  at  the  other  end  of  the 
house,  directly  in  front  of  the  singing- 
gallery  ,and  but  little  lower  than  that. 

On  May  30,  1830,  Rev.  Samuel  Am- 
brose died.  He  had  for  several  years 
been  a  member  of  this  church,  the 
original  church  at  Sutton  having  become 
at  one  time  nearly  or  quite  extinct  ;  and 
on  October  4th,  in  the  same  year,  Elder 
Seamans  died.  Thus  these  two  men, 
who  had  labored  side  by  side  so  long  in 
the  cause  of  the  master,  were  called 
very  nearly  together  to  their  reward. 

In  1830  the  population  was  only  913, 
a  loss  of  11  from  1820. 


352 


NEW  LONDON  CENTENNIAL  ADDRESS. 


In  1 83 1  and  1S32  the  church  was 
visited  by  one  of  its  most  remarkable 
revivals,  under  the  preaching  of  the 
Rev.  Oren  Tracy.  The  whole  town 
seemed  to  be  reached  and  affected  by 
it.  During  the  fall  of  1831,  and  the 
next  winter,  evening  meetings  were 
kept  up  in  the  different  parts  of  the 
town,  in  the  school-houses  and  in  pri- 
vate houses,  on  Sundays  and  on  week- 
days, to  which  large  numbers  were 
drawn,  and  the  interest  in  religious  mat- 
ters was  deep  and  wide  spread.  On 
the  first  Sunday  of  January,  1833, 
which  was  the  first  day  of  the  week, 
and  of  the  month,  and  of  the  year,  an 
addition  of  forty-three  was  made  to 
the  church ;  on  the  first  Sunday  of 
March  thirty-six  more  were  added,  and 
during  the  following  summer  several 
more,  making  between  eighty  and 
ninety  in  all. 

In  the  fall  of  1832  another  event 
took  place  which  was  at  the  time  of 
great  interest  to  the  people  of  New 
London.  During  that  autumn  the  first 
stage  coach  took  its  regular  trip  through 
New  London  upon  the  route  from  Han- 
over to  Lowell.  This  new  road  had 
been  before  the  public  for  several  years 
in  one  form  and  another,  and  was  strong- 
ly favored  by  one  party  and  opposed 
by  another.  But  it  had  finally,  through 
the  efforts  of  Col.  Anthony  Colby  more 
than  of  any  other  man,  probably,  been 
laid  out  and  built  and  a  stage  company 
had  been  formed,  horses  and  coaches 
purchased,  and  arrangements  made  for 
stageing. 

This  fall  of  1832  J.  Everett  Farnum 
was  teaching  a  private  school  for  a 
term  in  the  red  school-house  at  the 
four  corners,  and  it  was  announced 
that  on  a  certain  day  in  October,  I 
think,  the  stage  coach  would  make 
its  appearance.  It  was  to  go 
through  here  in  the  afternoon  to  Hano- 


ver, and  start  the  next  morning  early 
for  Lowell.  As  the  expected  event 
drew  nigh,  study  was  out  of  the  ques- 
tion, and  our  kind  teacher  gave  us  all 
permission  to  gaze  for  a  time,  to  the 
extent  of  our  capacity,  for  the  long  ex- 
pected stage  coach  with  its  four  horses 
in  hand.  It  finally  came  and  went,  as 
all  things  come  and  .go,  and  we  resumed 
our  studies  again ;  but  it  took  some 
time  to  fully  comprehend  aud  realize 
the  importance  of  the  fact  that  New 
London  was  henceforth  to  have  a  daily 
stage  and  a  daily  mail  both  ways. 

In  1837  the  New  London  Academy 
was  incorporated  and  went  into  suc- 
cessful operation,  and  continued  pros- 
perous under  different  teachers  for 
several  years,  up  to  about  1850,  when 
its  operations  were  suspended  for  a 
time.  It  commenced  in  1837  as  a 
ladies'  school,  with  Miss  Susan  F.  Colby 
as  principal.  In  the  autumn  of  that 
year  Prof.  Dyer  II.  Sanborn  became 
principal  and  Miss  Colby  continued  as 
principal  of  the  Ladies'  Department. 
After  some  years  Mr.  Sanborn  resigned, 
and  Truman  K.  Wright  succeeded  him 
as  principal ;  after  Mr.  Wright,  a  Mr. 
Meserve,  a  Mr.  Averhill,  and  a  Mr. 
Comings  followed.  Then  Mr.  Alvah 
Hovey,  now  president  of  Newton 
Theological  Institution,  taught  one  year  : 
then  Mr.  Joseph  B.  Clarke,  now  of 
Manchester,  followed  for  a  year  ;  then 
a  Mr.  V.  J.  Walker  followed,  who  was 
the  last,  or  among  the  last  who  taught 
under  this  arrangement. 

In  1840  the  population  of  New  Lon- 
don reached  1019,  a  gain  of  106  in  the 
last  ten  years,  and  this  was  the  largest 
number  that  were  ever  in  the  town  at 
the  time  of  any  census,  and  the  town 
was  in  a  condition  of  prosperity,  wealth 
and  influence,  perhaps  equal  to  that  of 
any  other  period  in  its  history. 

[CONTINUED  IN  SEPTEMBER  NUMBER.] 


TKE 


GRANITE    MONTHLY. 


A  MAGAZINE  OF  LITERATURE,  HISTORY,  AND 
STATE  PROGRESS. 


VOL.  II. 


SEPTEMBER,  1879. 


NO.  12. 


COL.  JOHN  B.   CLARKE. 


BY    HERBERT    F.    NORRIS. 


The  subject  of  this  sketch,  as  editor 
and  publisher  of  the  most  widely  cir- 
culated newspaper  in  the  state,  proba- 
bly exerts  an  influence  upon  public 
opinion  second  to  that  of  no  other 
man  within  its  borders. 

Commencing  his  journalistic  career 
without  training  and  without  capital,  he 
has  by  his  energy,  enterprise  and  sagac- 
ity built  up  an  establishment  yielding 
him  a  handsome  income,  and  made  the 
"Mirror"  the  most  valuable  newspa- 
per property  in  the  state. 

John  Badger  Clarke  was  born  in  At- 
kinson, Jan.  30,  1820,  the  son  of  Green- 
leaf  and  Julia  Cogswell  Clarke. 

His  mother  was  the  daughter  of  Dr. 
William  Cogswell  of  Atkinson,  and 
Judith  Badger  of  Gilmanton,  and  was 
one  of  a  family  of  nine,  of  whom  still 
Survive,. Francis  Cogswell  of  Andover, 
Mass.,  formerly  president  of  the  Bos- 
ton and  Maine  Railroad,  and  George 
Cogswell,  a  physician  of  Bradford,  Mass. 

Mr.  Clarke  had  one  sister,  the  wife 
of  Col.  Samuel  Carlton,  of  Haverhill, 
Mass.,  and  four  brothers  ;  of  the  latter, 
three,  Francis,  a  physician,  settled  in 
Andover,  Mass.,  Moses,  a  physician  of 
Cambridge,  Mass.,  and  William  C.  late 
Attorney-General  of  New  Hampshire, 
have  died.  The  remaining  brother  is 
the  Hon.  Greenleaf  Clarke,  the  present 
senator  from  the  Rockingham  district, 
who  lives  on  the  paternal  homestead  at 
Atkinson. 

Spending  his  boyhood  upon  the  farm, 


where  with  pure  air  and  healthy  exer- 
cise he  laid  the  foundation  of  the  ex- 
cellent physical  man  he  now  is,  Mr. 
Clarke  supplemented  his  common  school 
advantages  by  attendance  at  the  Atkin- 
son Academy,  entered  Dartmouth  Col- 
lege at  the  age  of  nineteen,  graduat- 
ing in  the  class  of  1843  with  high  hon- 
ors, having  among  his  classmates  the 
late  Prof.  J.  N.  Putnam  (the  only  mem- 
ber of  the  class  that  outranked  Mr. 
Clarke  in  scholarship),  Hon.  Harry 
Bingham,  Col.  A.  O.  Brewster  of  Mas- 
sachusetts, Hon.  L.  D.  Stevens,  Col. 
James  O.  Adams,  Prof.  Jonathan  Ten- 
ney,  and  others  now  well  known  in  the 
literary  world.  Of  Mr.  Clarke,  Prof. 
Tenney,  in  his  memorial  of  the  class, 
says  :  "As  a  writer  he  is  terse,  piquant, 
and  positive.  His  paper  is  leading  and 
popular,  always  on  time  with  the  latest 
news  and  free  discussions  of  all  sorts, 
sparing  neither  friends  nor  foes  when 
he  has  a  point  to  carry  or  readers  to 
entertain." 

Leaving  college,  he  was  for  three 
years  Principal  of  the  Academy  at  La- 
conia,  exhibiting  an  aptness  for  teaching 
rarely  found,  and  binding  himself  to  his 
students  by  ties  that  will  long  exist,  and 
make  his  name  a  popular  one  in  many 
a  household.  While  thus  engaged  in 
teaching,  Mr.  Clarke  found  time  to  en- 
gage in  the  study  of  law  and  connected 
himself  with  the  office  of  Stephen  C. 
Lyford,  Esq.,  and  upon  leaving  the 
Academy  removed  to  Manchester,  con- 


354 


COL.  JOHN  B.  CLARKE. 


tinuing  his  studies  with  his  brother,  Wil- 
liam C.  Clarke,  and  was  admitted  to 
the  bar  of  Hillsborough  County  in  1848. 

The  next  year  he  was  seized  by  the 
California  fever,  being  the  first  of  a 
large  number  from  Manchester  who 
decided  to  go  to  the  newly  discovered 
gold  fields. 

Spending  about  two  years  on  the 
Pacific  Coast,  at  work  in  the  mines, 
practicing  law,  and  traveling  in  Central 
America  and  New  Grenada,  he  returned 
home  in  February,  1 851,  and  went  to 
Salem,  Mass.,  with  a  view  of  establish- 
ing himself,  but  soon  removed  to  Man- 
chester, where  he  opened  a  law  office 
and  applied  himself  to  the  practice  of 
his  profession  until  February,  1852, 
when  at  the  request  of  the  publisher, 
Joseph  C.  Emerson,  he  took  charge  of 
the  editorial  department  of  the  Daily 
Mirror,  agreeing  to  devote  half  of  his 
time  to  the  work. 

This  he  continued  till  the  September 
following,  when  financial  embarrass- 
ments compelled  the  publisher  to  dis- 
pose of  the  Mirror  property,  and 
on  the  20th  of  October  it  was  sold 
at  auction,  Mr.  Clarke  being  the  pur- 
chaser of  the  daily  and  weekly  Mirror 
and  the  job  printing  establishment  con- 
nected therewith,  of  which  he  has  ever 
since  been  the  sole  owner  and  mana- 
ger. Subsequently  he  purchased  the 
daily  and  weekly  American  (in  which 
the  weekly  Democrat  had  been  pre- 
viously merged)  and  the  New  Hamp- 
shire Journal  of  Agriculture.  These 
were  combined  with  the  Mirror  and 
the  name  of  the  daily  changed  to  Mir- 
ror and  American,  and  the  weekly 
from  Dollar  Weekly  Mirror  to  Weekly 
Mirror  and  Farmer.  Both  papers 
have  been  twice  enlarged  since  he  be- 
came the  publisher.  At  the  time  he 
took  possession  of_  the  Mirror,  the 
weekly  had  but  a  few  hundred  sub- 
scribers, and  the  daily  not  a  quarter  of 
its  present  circulation,  but  Mr.  Clarke's 
indomitable  will,  great  energy,  persist- 
ence and  executive  ability,  combined 
with  a  keen  insight  into  men  and  meas- 
ures, a  ready  perception  of  the  drift  of 
public  sentiment,  and  the  hearty  en- 
thusiasm which  enters  into  everything 


he  undertakes  enabled  him  rapidly,  to 
increase  its  circulation  and  influence 
until  it  was  brought  to  the  foremost 
place  among  the  newspapers  of  the 
state.  Previous  to  the  war  of  the  Re- 
bellion, the  Mirror  had  been  non-par- 
tisan in  politics,  but  at  that  time  it  came 
out  boldly  on  the  side  of  the  adminis- 
tration and  has  ever  since  espoused 
the  principles  of  the  Republican  party. 

Of  his  editorial  management  a  few 
extracts,  gathered  from  the  press,  when 
Mr.  Clarke  was  more  actively  at  work, 
writing  not  only  editorials  but  attend- 
ing to  all  the  details  of  the  publishment 
of  the  paper,  will  show  the  esteem  in 
which  he  was  held  by  his  contemporaries. 

The  Oasis  (Nashua)  says:  "The 
Mirror  is  placed  under  the  conduct  of 
John  B.  Clarke,  Esq.,  a  gentleman  of 
wit,  wisdom,  and  worth  ;  a  gentleman 
and  a  scholar  as  well  as  a  traveller." 

"Mr.  Clarke  has  long  been  in  the 
newspaper  business,  is  an  enterprising 
man,  an  able  writer  and  he  is  on  the 
right  side." — Lowell  Citizen. 

Compelled  to  increase  the  price  of 
the  Mirror,  during  the  war  of  the  Re- 
bellion, the  Boston  Commercial  Bul- 
letin notices  the  advance  as  follows  : 
"The  Manchester  (N.  H.)  Mirror, 
whose  enterprise  gives  it  a  monopoly 
of  an  the  local  business  and  circulation 
in  that  city,  has  made  a  slight  advance 
in  its  terms.  The  Mirror  has  dis- 
played much  tact  and  industry  in  ad- 
vocating the  interests  of  Manchester. 
Its  editor  is  a  gentleman  and  an  able 
writer,  and  we  doubt  not  that  he  will 
secure  a  continuance  of  the  same  lib- 
eral patronage  that  has  thus  far  re- 
warded his  efforts." 

The  Portsmouth  Chronicle,  in  1867, 
from  the  pen  of  Col.  W.  H.  Hackett, 
says  :  "Among  the  prominent  institu- 
tions in  the  city  is  the  Daily  Mirror, 
one  of  the  smartest  papers  of  its  class 
in  the  United  States.  We  called  on  its 
editor,  Hon.  John  B.  Clarke,  and  found 
him  seated  in  his  handsome  sanctum 
(by  the  way,  why  can't  other  editors 
have  a  decent  place  to  sit  down  in?) 
busy  with  piles  of  papers,  but  received 
a  hearty  welcome.  His  jolly  face  be- 
tokens great  good  nature  ;    but   there 


COL.  JOHN  B.  CLARKE. 


355 


is  a  certain  snap  in  his  eye  indicating 
no  want  of  'grit.'  We  judge  him  to 
be  a  good  friend,  but  a  hard  enemy  to 
encounter.  He  may  not  be  '  fast ;' 
but  surely,  the  man  who  drives  a  fast 
horse,  fights  the  railroads,  edits  the 
Mirror,  and  publishes  the  handsomest 
calendar  in  the  world,  is  by  no  means 
'slow?  Success,  say  we,  to  the  Mir- 
ror, and  its  stirring  editor  ;  '  long  may 
they  wave.'  " 

In  general,  Mr.  Clarke,  as  he  talks, 
writes  with  great  positiveness  and  at 
the  same  time  with  a  vein  of  humor 
that  makes  everything  readable.  He 
attacks  his  opponents  boldly,  exasper- 
ates them  with  sarcasm  and  ridicule, 
thoroughly  demolishes  the  ground- 
work of  their  argument,  and  then,  as  if 
in  pity,  advises  them  to  try  again.  With 
a  supply  of  this  kind  of  ammunition 
always  at  hand,  he  is  a  dangerous  man 
to  meet  in  a  journalistic  encounter. 

In  connection  with  his  daily  and 
weekly  papers,  Mr.  Clarke  has  an  ex- 
tensive book  and  job  printing  business, 
and  has  published  many  valuable  works, 
including,  "The  Londonderry  Celebra- 
tion," ''Sanborn's  History  of  New 
Hampshire,"  "Clarke's  Manchester  Al- 
manac and  Directory,"  "Clarke's  His- 
tory of  Manchester,"  and  many  smaller 
works. 

Both  in  college  and  later  as  teacher 
and  editor,  Mr.  Clarke  has  been  much 
interested  in  the  study  of  elocution,  and 
in  1874  offered  Dartmouth  College  one 
hundred  dollars  yearly,  for  five  years, 
to  be  awarded  in  prizes  for  excellence 
in  public  speaking.  This  generous 
offer  awakened  a  lively  interest  in  that 
branch,  bringing  out  the  best  men  of 
the  college,  among  whom  were  his  two 
sons,  who  each  secured  the  first  prize 
during  their  course  of  study.  He  also 
gave  great  stimulus  to  the  interest  in 
good  reading  and  speaking  in  the  Man- 
chester public  schools  by  his  afitation 
of  the  subject  in  the  Mirror,  and  by 
the  bestowal  of  forty  dollars  in  prizes 
to  the  High  School  for  two  successive 
years  for  the  same  object. 

During  his  senior  year  in  college, 
Mr.  Clarke  was  president  of  the  Social 
Friends'    Society,    and    in    1863    was 


elected   president   of    the   Tri    Kappa 
Society  of  Dartmouth  College. 

In  1866  he  was  appointed  by  Gov. 
Smyth  one  of  the  trustees  of  the  New 
Hampshire  College  of  Agriculture  and 
Mechanic  Arts,  and  has  been  one  of 
the  trustees  of  the  Merrimack  River 
Savings  Bank  since  its  organization  in 
1858.  He  was  one  of  the  first  to  wel- 
come the  order  of  Patrons  of  Hus- 
bandry to  New  England,  and  through 
his  efforts  Amoskeag  Grange,  No.  3, 
was  instituted  in  1873,  Mr.  Clarke  be- 
ing its  master  for  three  years. 

He  was  for  two  years  Lieut.  Col.  of 
the  Amoskeag  Veterans,  and  was  twice 
elected  commander,  but  declined  to 
hold  that  position. 

It  was  through  his  connection  with 
the  Veterans  that  he  obtained  the  title 
of  "Colonel"  that  is  now  so  familiar 
as  to  become  almost  a  part  of  his  name. 

Although  always  a  wide  awake  poli- 
tician he  has*  not  often  held  political 
office,  refusing  to  be  a  candidate  be- 
cause it  might  interfere  with  his  posi- 
tion and  power  as  an  independent  jour- 
nalist, and  for  similar  reasons  has  de- 
clined offices  of  honor  and  trust  in 
the  various  agricultural  societies  of  New 
England  ;  yet  few  men  have  had  more 
influence  in  shaping  the  policy  and 
action  of  his  party  in  the  state  during 
the  past  fifteen  years  than  he,  while  his 
political  sagacity  is  so  well  known  that 
in  a  doubtful  contest  his  opinions  are 
sought  by  both  friend  and  foe.  Hav- 
ing served  for  years  on  the  state  com- 
mittee and  in  the  conventions  of  his 
party,  he  is  eagerly  sought  by  the  anx- 
ious candidate,  and  many  a  successful 
one  owes  his  nomination  to  the  cham- 
pionship of  the  energetic  colonel. 

He  was  a  delegate  to  the  Baltimore 
Convention,  that  nominated  Abraham 
Lincoln  for  the  second  time  to  the 
presidency,  and  was  elected  one  of  the 
National  Committee  of  seven  (includ- 
ing ex-Gov.  Clafflin  of  Mass.,  ex-Gov. 
Marcus  L.  Ward  of  New  Jersey  and 
Hon.  Henry  J.  Raymond  of  the  New 
York  Times)  that  managed  that  cam- 
paign. 

Six  times  he  has  been  elected  state 
printer,  in  1867,  '68, '69,  and  1877,  '78, 


356 


COL.  IOHN  B.  CLARKE. 


'79,  being  the  present  incumbent  of 
that,  important  office,  and  to  say  that 
he  well  sustains  his  past  reputation  for 
energy,  promptness  and  skill  is  but  to 
do  justice  to  the  work  he  has  given 
the  state. 

Mr.  Clarke  is  a  very  positive  man  ; 
forms  his  opinions  quickly,  whether 
right  or  wrong,  and  acts  upon  them 
with  the  utmost  directness.  He  will 
decide  upon  a  project,  map  out  a  plan 
for  its  execution,  select  the  men  to 
carry  out  its  details,  and  have  the  whole 
thing  substantially  disposed  of  while 
many  men  would  be  halting  and  trying  to 
determine  whether  the  matter  was  feasi- 
ble. 

He  never  does  anything  lukewarmly. 
Whatever  cause  he  espouses  he  enters 
into  heartily,  bending  all  his  efforts  to 
bring  about  success  and  make  certain 
the  desired  end. 

If  he  would  do  his  friend  a  favor  he 
devotes  himself  to  that  purpose  with 
as  much  zeal  as  if  its  attainment  were 
the  chief  object  of  his  life,  He  is  not 
the  ideal  politician,  "  all  things  to  all 
men,"  for  he  never  wears  two  faces  ; 
whether  your  friend  or  foe,  you  will 
know  his  position  from  the  start.  Nat- 
urally a  man  so  positive  and  determ- 
ined as  he  makes  many  enemies,  but 
it  is  seldom  that  the  malice  of  rivals,  or 
the  bitterness  of  opponents  deters  him 
from  pursuing  his  own  course. 

Doubtless  much  of  his  success  is 
due  to  his  knowledge  of  men,  by  which 
he  selects  the  best  suited  to  carry  out 
his  purposes,  whether  as  assistants  in 
the  various  departments  ot  his  business 
or  to  attend  to  details  in  any  measures 
in  which  he  takes  an  interest. 

Not  to  speak  of  him  as  an  ardent 
lover  of  the  horse  and  dog  would  do 
Mr.  Clarke  injustice,  for  no  man  in  the 
state  has  done  more  to  bring  before 
the  people  the  value  of  a  good  horse, 
or  the  rare  sport  found  in  anight's  hunt 
for  that  much  hunted  animal,  "the  coon." 

An  enthusiastic  believer  in  the  say- 
ing, "  Blood  will  tell,"  he  has  brought 
into  New  Hampshire  the  best  blood  of 
the  best  stock-farms  in  the  country  and 
urged  upon  all,  through  the  press  and 
in  private,  the   necessity   of    breeding 


well  if  they  would  improve  their  stock. 
Seen  at  his  best  one  must  meet  the 
Colonel  socially,  and  with  him  visit  his 
farm  in  the  suburbs  of  the  city,  ramble 
over  his  well  cultivated  fields,  learn  of 
him  of  his  stock,  view  the  excellent 
horses  always  in  his  stable,  and  at  night 
with  his  dogs  capture  the  wily  coon  : 
then  one  sees  it  all ;  the  determined 
business  man,  the  successful  publisher, 
the  thoroughly  generous  man,  and  the 
affable  and  agreeable  gentleman. 

He  has  learned  by  experience  that 
there  is  a  limit  to  the  amount  of  care 
and  business  the  strongest  man  can 
undertake,  especially  when  everything 
is  done  with  the  intensity  characteristic 
of  his  nature.  Being  obliged  by  advice 
of  physicians  to  abstain  from  all  busi- 
ness for  several  months,  in  1872  he  visit- 
ed Great  Britain,  France  and  Ger- 
many to  regain  the  health  too  close 
attention  to  business  had  temporarily  de- 
stroyed. He  now  applies  the  wisdom 
thus  dearly  bought  by  limiting  the  time 
to  be  devoted  to  business,  rarely  allow- 
ing himself  to  overstep  the  bounds. 

Generous  to  a  fault,  Mr.  Clarke  has 
contributed  liberally  to  all  measures 
calculated  to  advance  the  interests  of 
his  city,  and  hardly  a  public  work  in 
Manchester  now  exists  that  does  not 
owe  something  to  his  influence  or  pe- 
cuniary aid. 

Mr.  Clarke's  family  were  strong  in 
the  Orthodox  Congregational  faith, 
two  of  his  uncles  having  been  ministers 
of  that  denomination,  viz.,  Rev.  Wil- 
liam Cogswell,  d.  d.,  for  a  time  profes- 
sor of  History  in  Dartmouth  College, 
afterwards  president  of  the  Theologi- 
cal Seminary  at  Gilmanton,  and  Rev. 
Nathaniel  Cogswell ;  and  he  has  always 
adhered  to  the  faith  in  which  he  was 
reared,  being  a  liberal  supporter  of  the 
Franklin  Street  Congregational  Church 
in  Manchester,  a  constant  attendant  up- 
on its  worship,  and  has  been  elected 
to  the  various  offices  in  the  society. 

He  married,  July  29,  1852,  Susan 
Greeley  Moulton,  of  Gilmanton,  and 
they  have  two  children,  Arthur  E.,  and 
William  C,  both  of  whom  graduated 
at  Dartmouth .  College  and  are  now 
employed  as  reporters  on  the  Mirror. 


WILLIAM  CULLEN  BRYANT.  357 


WILLIAM  CULLEN  BRYANT.— 17Q4-1878. 


BY    REV.    SILVANUS    HAYWARD. 

Poet,  in  whose  loving  heart 
Nature  fondly  set  apart 
For  herself  a  temple  rare, 
Shrine  of  all  things  pure  and  fair  ! 
There  she  placed  her  royal  seat, 
And  her  chorus  round  her  feet 
Ever  sang  their  sweetest  strains, 
Echoes  from  Elysian  plains. 

Thanatopsis  calm  and  fair 
Marched  in  stately  beauty  there. 
There  the  maples  on  the  hill, 
"Warbling Vaters  "  of  the  rill ; 
Sporting  by  its  "oozy  brink" 
Thrasher  sweet  and  bob-o-link  ;     * 
Flora's  gems  in  emerald  set, 
Gentian  blue  and  violet, 
Windflower,  lodged  in  sunny  nook, 
And  the  "sunflower  by  the  brook  ;" 
When  their  brightness  passed  away; 
Sweet  he  sang  of  their  decay. 

There  he  saw  "the  ages"  press 
Forward  in  their  course  to  bless. 
There  the  "unrelenting  past" 
Knotted  "fetters,  sure  and  fast ;" 
But  he  broke  their  ruthless  power, 
Sang  of  Truth's  triumphant  hour, 
When  it  "  crushed  to  earth  shall  rise," 
Be  re-knit  Affection's  ties  ; — 
Then  with  unabated  breath 
Raised  the  noble  "Hymq  to  Death." 

Calmly  waiting  by  that  gate, 
Which  his  song  did  celebrate, 
When  the  hinges  slowly  turned, 
Flashing  forth  to  glory  burned, 
And  its  "radiant  beauty"  shed 
In  an  aureole  round  his  head, 
While  a  voice  was  heard  to  fall 
Like  a  herald's  trumpet  call : — 

"Victor,  lay  thine  armor  down, 
And  receive  the  laurel  crown  !" 
With  a  look  of  "sweet  surprise" 
Stealing  from  his  earnest  eyes, 
Like  a  weary  child  he  seems, 

"And  lies  down  to  pleasant  dreams." 


358 


ITEMS  AND  INCIDENTS  IN  HOPKINTON. 


ITEMS  AND  INCIDENTS  IN  HOPKINTON. 


BY    C.    C.    LORD. 


EXPLANATORY. 


In  reciting  the  items  and  incidents 
embraced  in  this  and  our  immediately 
preceding  article,  an  unusual  careless- 
ness of  statement  has  been  indulged. 
Only  so  far  as  any  involved  particulars 
have  a  direct  historical  character  has  at- 
tention been  paid  to  exactness  of  narra- 
tive. In  fact,  many  of  these  fragmentary 
reminisences  have  been  gathered  from 
miscellaneous  sources  and  are  of  such 
an  unauthoritative  character  as  to  be 
entitled  to  only  a  qualified  credence. 
Probably  based  upon  a  substratum  of 
truth,  frequent  repetition 'has  undoubt- 
edly modified  widely  their  original 
forms.  The  safest  present  rule,  is  to 
allow  them  to  pass  gratuitously  at  their 
face  value  with  the  distinct  under- 
standing that  they  are  not  to  be  re- 
deemed at  any  price. 

A  CASE    OF    BODY    SNATCHING. 

To  advance  at  first  into  the  domain 
of  undisputable  narrative,  we  mention 
an  event  that  in  its  time  moved  the 
heart  of  local  society  to  the  profound- 
est  depths.  The  natural  sentiment  of 
mystery  and  awe  that  is  associated  with 
death  and  the  grave  is  only  intensified 
by  acts  of  grave-yard  desecration. 
This  fact,  if  in  any  degree  different, 
could  only  be  more  real  in  earlier 
times.  The  case  under  narration  is, 
we  believe,  the  only  one  of  its  kind 
ever  happening  within  the  limits  of  this 
township. 

In  the  year  1831,  Mr.  Joseph  Phil- 
brick  died  and  was  buried  in  the  then 
new  grave-yard  in  the  village  of  Con- 
toocook.  A  few  days  after,  his  widow 
followed  him  in  death,  expressing  ten- 
derness of  conjugal  affection  in  her 
last  hours,  and  wishing  that,  in  the 
grave,  her  coffin  might  be  allowed  to 
rest  in  actual  contact,  side  by  side, 
with  that  of  her  husband.     In  the  pro- 


posed fulfillment  of  this  dying  wish, 
the  new  grave  was  dug  unusually  close 
to  the  one  enclosing  Mr.  Philbrick's 
body  so  recently.  Such  close  prox- 
imity revealed  the  unexpected  fact  that 
a  quantity  of  rubbish  was  contained  in 
Mr.  Philbrick's  grave,  and  which  could 
not  have  been  there  at  the  time  of  his 
burial.  Suspicion  was  aroused,  inves- 
tigation instituted,  and  discovery  made 
that  the  grave  had  been  robbed.  Mr. 
Philbrick's  body  was  missing. 

Great  •excitement,  profound  suspi- 
cion and  diligent  search  followed  upon 
this  shocking  discovery.  All  this  heated 
activity,  however,  failed  of  any  practi- 
cal result.  The  body  was  not  found 
through  any  public  detective  skill. 
Some  time  after  the  event  of  the  dis- 
covery of  the  empty  coffin,  the  lost 
body  was  discovered  in  a  swampy  place 
in  the  southern  part  of  the  town,  by  a 
party  engaged  in  building  fence,  which 
fact  only  tends  to  support  the  proposi- 
tion that  the  act  of  desecration  was 
performed  by  persons  living  not  far 
away.  The  body  was  reburied  in  its 
original  spot. 

PRESUMPTUOUS    GUESTS. 

Keepers  of  public  houses,  like  peo- 
ple of  other  vocations,  are  not  without 
their  particular  liabilities  to  annoyances 
incident  upon  their  peculiar  calling. 
In  the  great  incongruous  mass  of  indi- 
viduals steadily  seeking  the  advantages 
of  a  prominent  public  house  are  many 
whose  freaks  of  fancy  or  deceit  are  a 
constant  source  of  vexation  to  the 
landlord,  though  his  customary  aspect 
of  outward  complacency  may  seldom 
allow  of  an  expression  of  the  impatient 
fervor  that  dwells  within.  The  execu- 
tive authority  of  Perkins'  Tavern,  so 
prominently  connected  with  the  history 
of  this  town,  was  in  no  sense  exempt 
from  the  common  lot  of  all  those  offer. 


ITEMS  AND  INCIDENTS  IN   HOPKINTON. 


359 


ing  their  hospitalities  to  public  patron- 
age. 

Among  the  guests  seeking  hospitality 
at  Perkins'  Tavern  was  the  eccentric 
Mrs.  Royal,  well  know  for  her  assumed 
interest  in  the  political  conduct  of  our 
great  and  mighty  nation.  Mrs.  Royal's 
sense  of  privilege  implied  the  exercise 
of  private  judgment  of  the  qualities  of 
her  acquaintances,  who  were  respect- 
ively recorded  in  either  her ';red  book" 
or  her  "black  book,"  as,  in  her  estim- 
ation, they  were  either  good  or  bad. 
Being  at  one  time  a  visitor  at  Perkins' 
Tavern,  this  model  critic  allowed  her 
sense  of  privilege  to  extend  to  the  vol- 
untary appropriation  of  a  portion  of  a 
fowl  unremoved  from  the  vessel  for 
cooking,  and  which  she  abstracted  with 
her  naked  fingers  ;  and  when  the  land- 
lady, who  formerly  figured  more  prom- 
inently than  now  in  the  domestic 
affairs  of  the  public  house,  looked  re- 
monstratingly  at  her,  she  only  replied, 
"  Its  Mrs.  Royal  to  whom  you  have  the 
pleasure  of  addressing  yourself.",  How- 
ever, the  presumption  of  Mrs.  Royal 
was  outstripped  in  an  eminent  degree 
by  a  plain,  unassuming  wayfarer  who 
called  at  Captain  Perkins'  on  a  wintry 
day,  and  in  a  pathetically  pleading  voice, 
said,  addressing  the  landlady  : 

"  Good  lady,  will  you  be  kind  enough 
to  give  me  a  few  potatoes  to  eat  with 
my  cold  meat?" 

It  was  a  frequent  custom  in  those 
days  for  travelers  to  carry  a  portion  or 
all  of  their  provision  on  their  way,  and 
this  fact  doubtless  prevented  any  sur- 
prise at  the  implied  dietary  situation  of 
the  suppliant  visitor,  who,  in  the  ap- 
prehension of  the  landlady,  appeared 
as  only  a  person  of  partial  charitable 
needs.  With  a  heart  full  of  sympathy 
for  want,  she  supplied  the  applicant  for 
charity  with  a  stock  of  potatoes  suffi- 
cient for  a  generous  meal.  The  needy 
individual  received  them,  buried  them 
in  the  hot  embers  of  the  ancient  fire- 
place, watched  them  during  the  pro- 
gress of  roasting,  removed  them  when 
done,  and  finally  brushed  and  blew 
off  the  clinging  ashes  nicely.  Then  he 
resumed  his  former  suppliant  attitude 
again  and  said  : 


"  Good  lady,  will  you  be  so  kind  as 
to  give  me  a  little  cold  meat  to  eat  with 
my  roasted  potatoes?" 

Though  a  person  of  resolute  mind, 
the  landlady  was  more  impressed  by 
the  ingenuity  of  the  presumptive  guest 
than  by  his  perpetrated  imposition,  and 
she  allowed  him  to  partake  of  a  repast 
of  cold  meat  and  roasted  potatoes  at  the 
expense  of  the  house. 

A    LEGAL   TRAGEDY. 

From  a  short  time  subsequently  to 
the  incorporation  of  Hillsborough 
county,  in  1771,  till  the  erection  of 
Merrimack  county,  in  1S23,  Hopkin- 
ton  was  one  of  the  shire  towns  of 
Hillsborough.  Consequently,  in  this 
town  occurred  courts,  trials,  convic- 
tions and  commitments,  the  county  jail 
being  located  in  the  southerly  out- 
skirts of  the  village,  the  edifice,  out- 
wardly unchanged,  being  now  the  resi- 
dence of  Mr.  B.  O.  Kimball.  A  series 
of  legal  events  memorable  in  the  his- 
tory of  this  town  embraces  the  detention, 
trial,  conviction  and  execution  of  Abra- 
ham Prescott,  who  killed  the  wife  of 
Chauncey  Cochran  of  Pembroke,  in  the 
year  1833.  The  execution  of  Prescott 
was  the  only  event  of  the  kind  occuring 
in  Hopkinton  during  its  career  as  a  shire 
town,  and  was  attended  by  peculiarly 
lamentable  circumstances. 

Prescott  was  a  feeble  minded  youth, 
who,  being  a  kind  of  protege  of  the 
Cochran  family,  conceived,  as  the  story 
goes,  that  by  getting  rid  of  the  respon- 
sible heads  of  the  Cochran  household 
he  should  surely  inherit  their  property. 
In  fulfillment  of  a  stupid  though  tragical 
project,  he  succeeded  in  decoying  Mrs. 
Cochran  into  a  secluded  place  where 
he  stealthily  dealt  her  a  fatal  blow. 
For  this  crime,  he  was  convicted  of 
murder  at  the  September  term  of  the 
Superior  Court,  at  Hopkinton,  in  the 
year  1834.  An  alleged  irregularity 
secured  a  motion  for  a  new  trial,  which 
took  place  at  the  September  term  of 
court  of  1835,  when  the  accused  was 
again  convicted,  and  sentenced  to  be 
hung  on  the  23d  of  the  following  De- 
cember. 

Very  strenuous  efforts  were  made  for 


36o 


ITEMS  AND  INCIDENTS  IN  HOPKINTON. 


a  commutation  of  sentence,  the  miser- 
able youth's  mental  condition  being 
urged  as  a  motive  for  legal  considera- 
tion. A  reprieve  to  the  6th  of  January 
was  obtained,  but  no  appeals  affecting 
the  executive  attitude  of  the  Governor 
and  council,  the  doomed  culprit  went 
to  his  fate  on  the  expiration  of  the 
reprieve. 

The  direct  fatal  result  in  the  exper- 
ience of  the  prisoner  was  not  the  only 
culminating  tragical  feature  of  this  pain- 
ful affair.  The  criminal  executions  of 
the  day  being  public,  immense  crowds 
assembled  to  witness  the  morbidly  fasi- 
nating  scenes.  On  the  day  first  appoint- 
ed for  the  execution  of  Prescott,  a  large 
crowd  gathered  about  the  jail,  not  at  first 
knowing  of  the  judicial  reprieve.  When 
the  news  of  this  fact  came  to  the  ears 
of  the  company,  it  raised  such  a  tumult 
that  a  lady  under  confinement  in  the 
jailor's  family  died  from  incurred  ex- 
citement and  dismay. 

Prescott  was  executed  as  above  stated 
in  an  open  lot  just  north  of  the  village, 
on  land  now  owned* by  George  W.  Cur- 
rier, Esq.  The  miserable  culprit  died 
almost  or  quite  without  a  struggle.  Im- 
becility, fear,  and  long  suffering,  either 
one  or  all,  had  made  him  compara- 
tively impassive  and  lifeless  when  he 
ascended  the  scaffold. 

A    CRAZV    PRISONER. 

Not  far  from  the  year  1830,  Benja- 
min Rowell  shot  William  Holmes  in 
cold  blood.  Rowell  was  a  lunatic,  and 
Holmes  had  angered  him  in  some  way. 
Rowell  was  apprehended  and  confined 
in  jail,  but,  being  well  known  as  a  luna- 
tic, though  formerly  considered  harm- 
less, he  was  never  punished  as  a  respon- 
sible culprit,  though  he  was  kept  under 
legal  confinement  or  surveillance  till 
the  erection  of  the  New  Hampshire 
State  Asylum  for  the  Insane,  in  1843, 
when  he  became  an  inmate  of  that 
institution,  remaining  till  his  death,  a 
few  years  ago. 

While  in  jail  in  this  town,  being  con- 
sidered worthy  of  so  much  trust,  Row- 
ell was  sometimes  allowed  the  "free- 
dom of  the  yard."  There  being  no 
adequate  inclosure  about  the    premises 


of  the  county  prison,  such  freedom  as 
was  sometimes  allowed  to  trusted  pris- 
oners implied  the  privilege  of  strolling  up 
and  down  a  certain  distance  of  highway. 
While  enjoying  the  described  privilege, 
Rowell,  on  one  occasion,  ventured  to 
abuse  the  confidence  imposed  in  him  so 
far  as  to  relieve  the  irksomeness  of  con- 
straint by  a  little  amusement  at  the  ex- 
pense of  legal  authority.  Indulging  an 
emphatic  pretense  of  running  away,  he 
suddenly  disappeared  from  sight,  to  be 
followed  in  rapid  pursuit  by  the  jailor 
and  a  posse  of  citizens, — all  eager  to 
restore  to  confinement  the  absconding 
culprit.  As  the  whole  company  was 
tearing  along  the  highway  in  the  direc- 
tion Rowell  had  apparently  taken  for 
flight,  the  pursuers  were  suddenly  halted 
and  vexed  by  the  appearance  of  the 
prisoner  far  in  the  rear,  shouting,  "Here 
he  is  !  Why  don't  you  catch  him?" 
Turning  upon  his  heel,  Rowell  ran  in 
the  reverse  direction,  and  the  excited 
posse  rushed  pell  mell  after  him  again, 
but  only  to  be  tricked  the  same  as  be- 
fore. 

"Ben,"  said  the  jailor,  "if  you  don't 
stop,  I'll  shoot  you." 

"  Guess  you'll  have  to  go  home  first 
and  get  your  gun,"  quietly  replied  Ben. 

A  gun  was  brought  and  Ben  walked 
quietly  back  to  his  old  headquarters. 

Benjamin  Rowell  represented  a  fam- 
ily of  unusually  keen  intelligence.  In 
his  earlier  years,  he  served  an  appren- 
ticeship with  a  carpenter.  (  Having 
completed  his  service,  he  was  sent  into 
the  woods  to  select  timber  and  con- 
struct a  frame.  Being  ambitious,  anx- 
ious and  nervous,  the  burden  of  his 
responsibility  weighed  upon  him  and 
broke  his  reason.  In  justice  to  the  un- 
fortunate man,  it  is  gratifying  to  be 
able  to  say  that  the  frame,  in  the  con- 
struction of  which  he  lost  his  reason, 
proved  to  be  a  perfect  one. 

STEADY    WORK   AND    READY    PAY. 

While  almost  all  people  clamor  for 
success  and  prosperity  in  the  con- 
duct of  this  world's  affairs,  there  is  a 
lamentably  large  quota  of  individuals 
who  are  exceedingly  slow  to  avail  them- 
selves of  the   most   reliable    means   of 


ITEMS  AND  INCIDENTS  IN  HOPKINTON. 


361 


temporal  advantage  that  society  has 
ever  found.  The  exercise  of  a  vigor- 
ous and  persistent  continuity  is  emi- 
nently repulsive  to  many  unfortunate 
persons,  who  seem  incompetent  to  con- 
sider, and  even  less  to  realize,  that  what 
often  appears  as  a  sudden,  triumph  of 
genius  is  only  the  result  of  a  diligent 
and  prolonged  uniformity  of  applica- 
tion, pursued  in  chambers  where  the 
eye  of  popular  observation  seldom 
penetrates.  The  idea  that  working  on 
and  on,  doing  the  same  things  over 
and  over  again,  is  the  experimental  lot  of 
thousands  that  the  world  calls  successful, 
and  that  permanently  gratifying  accom- 
plishments can  be  obtained  only  by 
following  in  the  same  path  of  pro- 
tracted samenesses,  hardly  enters  the 
consciousness  of  multitudes  who  can 
only  wonder  that  their  success  is  small, 
and  that  their  lines  fall  in  unpleasant 
places. 

A  certain  rich  man  in  this  town  was 
sometimes  solicited  by  needy  individ- 
uals in  search  of  work.  The  urgency 
of  application  indulged  by  supplient  in- 
dustrial callers  was  doubtless  at  times 
of  such  a  character  as  to  awaken  the 
most  dormant  element  of  sympathy. 
The  part  of  wisdom  in  such  instances 
often  implies  a  proper  test  of  a  man's 
disposition  to  help  himself.  This  part 
was  once  illustrated  by  our  late  wealthy 
townsman  in  an  emphatic  manner. 
Receiving  an  application  for  work,  he 
agreed  to  employ  at  the  expense  of 
one  dollar  a  day.  Taking  the  laborer 
into  an  out-building,  he  pointed  to  an 
accumulation  of  earthy  debris  and  re- 
quired that  it  be  shoveled  out  through 
a  window  in  tine  side  of  the  edifice. 
The  laborer  consumed  a  whole  day  in  the 
accomplishment  of  this  task,  and  re- 
ceived the  prompt  payment  of  a  dol- 
lar for  the  service. 

"Do  you  want  to  work  to-morrow?" 
asked  the  employer. 

"I   should   like   to,"    answered   the 
employee. 

"Very   well;     come   to-morrow  and 
work,  and  I  will  pay  you  another  dollar." 
"What  do  you  wish  me  to  do?" 
"It  matters   not;    only    understand 
that  I  will  provide  you  with  work." 


Next  morning  the  employee  appeared 
for  work,  and  the  employer  pointed  to 
the  pile  of  debris  removed  from  the 
building  on  the  previous  day,  and  gave 
his  directions. 

"  I  want  you  to  shovel  that  pile  all 
back  into  the  building,"  said  he. 

The  laborer  patiently  resumed  work, 
and  at  the  end  of  the  day  had  removed 
the  debris  to  its  former  inside  position, 
and  received  his  dollar  in  regular  pay- 
ment. 

"Do  you  want  to  work  to-morrow?" 
again  inquired  the  master  of  hiring. 

"I  should  like  to,"  replied  the  ser- 
vant of  wages. 

"Very  well  :  come  again  and  work 
to-morrow,  and  I  will  pay  you  another 
dollar." 

The  next  morning  saw  the  workman 
promptly  on  hand  again,  and  his  em- 
ployer, pointing  to  the  afore-mentioned 
accumulation  said  : 

"  I  want  you  to  go  to  work  and  shovel 
that  all  out-doors  again." 

The  same  alternations  of  labor  were 
required  and  performed  several  times, 
and  the  employee  duly  received  his 
daily  dollar  in  payment.  In  time, 
however,  the  sense  of  irksomeness 
overcame  the  dispostion  to  industry. 
The  workman  refused  to  accept  the 
task  and  received,  with  his  discharge, 
a  gratuitous  expression  reflecting  un- 
complimentarily  upon  the  principle  of 
laziness.  It  was  a  hard  situation,  but 
no  worse  than  that  of  thousands  of 
tradesmen  and  clerks  who  are  all  their 
lives  reenacting  the  same  uses. 

AN    IMPERILED    SITUATION. 

In  contemplating  the  earliest  history 
of  a  New  England  township,  one  can- 
not fail  to  notice  the  frequency  with 
which  certain  personages  appear  in 
places  of  public  trust.  In  fact,  in  the 
times  under  retrospection,  there  were 
few  men  out  of  the  whole  number  in  a 
local  community  who  either  considered 
themselves  proper  candidates  for  office 
or  were  considered  such  by  their  con- 
temporaries. The  consequence  of 
prevailing  social  conditions  made  the 
earlier  official  status  generally  uniform 
throughout    New    England.     In    time, 


36: 


ITEMS  AND  INCIDENTS  IN  HOPKINTON. 


however,  in  accordance  with  the  in- 
crease of  general  prosperity,  circum- 
stances changed,  and  the  conception 
of  general  official  possibilities  was 
widely  indulged,  and  the  number  of 
candidates  was  multiplied. 

The  town  of  Hopkinton  was  passed 
into  the  second  stage  of  local  political 
life  and  ambition,  when  a  person  of 
official  aspirations  began  to  prospect 
in  anticipation  of  the  desired  prize. 
The  amount  of  recognition  and  influ- 
ence requisite  to  secure  the  object  of 
ambition  accumulated  slowly.  How- 
ever, deserving  patience  has  its  fre- 
quent reward,  and  the  aspirant  for  po- 
litical honors  at  last  found  himself  a 
hopeful  candidate.  However,  time 
had  advanced  upon  him  till  his  per- 
sonal vital  career  was  past  its  meridian  ; 
he  was  verging  towards  the  season  of 
life  when  many  individuals  step  into 
the  back-ground  of  public  notice. 

Town-meeting  day  arrived,  and  the 
great  company  of  voters  gathered  at 
the  polls  to  fulfil  the  rights  of  Ameri- 
can citizens.  The  extensive  excitement 
and  impetuosity  too  frequently  inci- 
dental upon  public  elections,  was 
abundantly  illustrated.  The  party  en- 
tering upon  the  life  of  full-fledged 
official  candidacy  was  of  dignified 
mien  and  counsel,  and  righteously  de- 
plored the  too  prevailing  rudeness  of 
the  crowd  at  town-meeting.  On  this 
particular  occasion,  seeing  a  brusk 
voter  elbowing  his  way  impetuously 
towards  the  polls,  he  accosted  the 
hasty  individual,  saying,  in  an  admoni- 
tory tone  of  voice  : 

"Don't  hurry  so.  There  is  plenty 
of  time.     What  is  your  haste?" 

"I  want,"  said  the  impetuous  indi- 
vidual, "to  get  to  the  polls  to  vote  for 
you.  I  have  been  waiting  a  long 
time  for  a  chance  to  vote  for  you,  and 
if  I  don't  get  a  chance  to  cast  a  ballot 
for  you  pretty  soon,  you  will  be  too  old 
to  hold  any  office." 

We  presume  the  enquirer  saw  the 
peril  of  the  situation  and  admitted  the 
pleaded  cause  of  increased  motivity. 

A    DOUBTFUL    COMPLIMENT. 

Among  all  the  forms  of  human  utter- 


ance that  excite  our  risibles,  there  are 
none  more  forcibje  than  those  that'  are 
the  manifest  offspring  of  a  predisposi- 
tion to  absurd  verbal  blundering.  The 
aspect  of  this  class  of  lapsus  Ungues  is 
often  eminently  laughable.  We  admire 
a  keen  stroke  of  wit  for  its  sublety. 
We  smile  at  a  dash  of  lively  humor, 
for  it  lifts  us  out  of  the  slough  of 
abstract  and  oppressive  seriousness, 
and  sheds  a  cheering  light  upon  our 
otherwise  too  prosy  pathway.  The 
sudden  ingression  of  a  bold  ludicrosity 
upon  our  ordinary  mental  rectitude 
upsets  the  very  foundations  of  our 
gravity,  and  the  unrestrained  torrent 
of  emotive  drollery  sweeps  us  away. 
There  is  no  such  thing  as  anticipating, 
perfectly,  when  a  demonstration  of  our 
incidental  liability  to  any  ludicrous 
contretemps  may  not  occur  ;  and,  when 
surprised,  we  are  always,  in  some  sense 
at  least,  ungovernable. 

No  one  occupies  a  more  critical 
social  position  than  a  new  minister. 
Being  not  only  the  observed  of  all  ob- 
servers, and  the  special  object  of  every 
conversational  reflection,  there  is  an 
illusive  glare  attendant  upon  his  moral 
position  that  strains  and  inflames  the 
eyes  of  the  collective  laity  and  often 
makes  them  see  with  distorted  vision. 
Even  in  the  absence  of  any  unjust 
intent,  the  mystified  vision  of  the  ob- 
server will  often  incite  attitudes  and 
observations  closely  bordering  upon 
the  realm  of  undeserved  severity.  In 
such  a  situation  and  case,  the  gospel  of 
a  good  word,  even  from  a  weaker  rep- 
resentative of  faith,  affords  a  cheer 
that  goes  to  the  root  of  inner  con- 
sciousness. 

Many  years  ago  a  Certain  church 
and  society  in  this  town  was  favored 
with  a  new  clergyman.  Like  all  per- 
sons similarly  situated,  he  was  sub- 
jected to  the  ordeal  of-  socially  induc- 
tive criticism.  Not  long  after  his  ad- 
vent in  the  locality,  certain  of  the  sis- 
ters of  his  congregation  were  gathered 
at  a  quilting.  Diligently  plying  their 
needles  around  the  borders  of  the  pro- 
spective bed-spread,  their  reflections 
and  conversation  naturally  turned  to- 
wards the  new  minister.     It  is  needless 


ITEMS  AND  INCIDENTS  IN  HOPKINTON. 


;°3 


to  say  that  the  merits  of  that  individual 
were  thoroughly  canvassed.  There 
were  observations  of  approval  and  dis- 
aproval.  There  were  reflections  pro 
and  con.  At  length  a  pious  sister,  full 
of  interest  in  the  theme  in  progress,  in 
substance  thus  gave  expression  to  her 
honest  thought  : 

"  I  think  brother  Solomon  is  a  real 
good  man.  I  think  he  is  just  as  good 
a  minister  as  anybody  needs  to  have. 
I  don't  mean  to  say  that  I  think  he  is 
quite  equal  to  Christ,  but  I  think  he  is 
fully  equal  to  Ant i- Christ." 

There,  is  no  doubt  of  the  place  of 
the  good  dame's  heart,  though  her 
remark  has  given  more  than  one  per- 
son a  side-splitting  recreational  exer- 
cise. 

A    EIG   TREE. 

When,  in  1750,  the  proprietors  of 
this  township  renewed  their  grant,  pro- 
curing a  title  from  the  Lord  Proprietors 
of  John  Tufton  Mason,  they  became 
bound  to  a  stipulation  that  all  suitable 
pine  trees  should  be  reserved,  for  the 
use  of  His  Majesty's  navy.  The  local 
supply  of  pine  trees  of  primitive 
gigantic  size  furnished  one  represent- 
ative that  has  inspired  an  interesting 
chapter  in  the  historic  roll  of  the  town. 
The  particulars  of  the  story,  with  a 
few  later  data  necessarily  added,  are 
included  in  the  following  sketch,  writ- 
ten by  a  former  professional  gentleman 
of  Hopkinton,  and  originally  published 
in  the  Worcester   (Mass.)  Palladium  : 

"  Some  time  previous  to  the  Revolu- 
tion, a  gentleman  by  the  name  of  Cham- 
berlain, purporting  to  be  an  agent  for 
the  King  of  Great  Britain,  came  into  this 
section  of  the  country  in  pursuit  of 
trees  suitable  for  the  masts  for  the  Royal 
ISTavy.  He  found  one  in  the  westerly 
part  of  Concord,  and  another  in  Hopkin- 
ton, of  enormous  size.  The  one  in  Hop- 
kinton was  a  white  pine.     It  grew  on  the 


farm  lately  owned  by  Mr.  Isaiah  Web- 
ber, about  one  mile  north  of  the  east 
village.  The  King's  agent  employed 
Capt.  Jonathan  Chase,  the  grandfather 
of  the  late  Bishop  Chase,  one  of  the  first 
settlers  in  the  place,  with  several  other 
persons,  to  cut  the  tree  and  draw  it  to 
Sewell's  Fall,  in  the  Merrimack  river,  a 
distance  of  eight  ftr  ten  miles.  When 
the  tree  was  fallen,  it  was  cut  oft*  one 
hundred  and  ten  feet  in  length,  and  then 
measured  three  feet  in  diameter  at  the 
top.  The  exact  dimensions  of  the  stump 
I  cannot  ascertain,  but  it  is  certain  that 
Dr.  John  Webber,  father  of  Samuel 
Webber,  the  President  of  Harvard  Col- 
lege, who  lived  near  by,  drove  a  yoke  of 
large  oxen  upon  the  stump  and  turned 
them  about  upon  it  with  ease.  Fifty-five 
yokes  of  oxen  were  employed  to  draw  the 
mast  to  the  river,  and  a  road  was  cut 
the  whole  distance  through  the  forest 
for  that  purpose ;  and  it  is  said  to  have 
often  happened,  while  passing  over  the 
rough  country,  that  several  yokes  of  oxen 
were  suspended  by  their  necks  from  the 
ground,  by  the  force  of  the  draught  of 
those  forward  of  them.  In  passing  down 
a  steep  hill  in  the  west  parish  of  Con- 
cord, the  team  was  divided,  and  a  por- 
tion of  it  put  in  the  rear;  but  the  hold- 
back chains  broke,  and  the  immense  bur- 
den slid  forward  with  fearful  velocity, 
crushing  oft"  the  horns  of  the  oxen  upon 
the  tongue,  and  stopping  finally  against 
the  trunk  of  a  large  tree.  That  place  to 
this  day  goes  by  the  name  of  'tail-down 
hill/ 

The  mast  was  floated  down  the  Merri- 
mack at  high  water;  but  in  passing  over 
Amoskeag  Falls,  about  twenty  miles  be- 
low the  place  where  it  was  put  into  the 
river,  it  broke  in  the  middle.  The 
butt  end  floated  out  of  the  current  into 
a  small  cove  in  Andover,  in  Massachu- 
setts, where  it  remained  until  it  decayed. 
It  was  often  resorted  to  as  a  curiosity, 
and,  tradition  says,  it  was  so  large  that 
no  man  could  be  found  who  could  leap 
upon  it  from  the  ground. 

When  the  mast  broke,  the  king's  agent, 
Chamberlain,  was  sitting  upon  his  horse 
on  the  bank  of  the  river ;  he  exclaimed, 
'I  am  ruined!'  and  putting  spurs  to  his 
horse,  he  rode  off,  leaving  his  bills  un- 
paid, and  was  never  seen  or  heard  of 
afterwards." 


3°4 


MAJOR  SAMUEL  HUTCHINSON. 


MAJOR  SAMUEL   HUTCHINSON. 


BV    REV.    SILAS    KETCHUM,    WINDSOR,    CONN. 


On  the  6th  of  September,  1 770,  Rev. 
Bezaleel  Woodward,  "writing  from  Leb- 
anon, Conn.,  to  Rev.  EleazerWheelock, 
then  at  Hanover,  preparing  a  cradle  for 
the  infant  college,  says  :  "  We  have 
all  of  us  been  endeavoring  to  expedite 

the  removal But  I  fear  madam 

will  not  be  able  to  set  out  so  soon  [as 
the  1 8th  inst].  She,  with  Miss  Nabby, 
propose  to  ride  in  the  Post-Chaise,  as 
soon  as  they  can  possibly  be  read}'. 
Hutchinson  is  to  drive  it  for  them." 

The    Hutchinson    here    named,   to 
whom  was    committed   the   important 
trust  of  conveying  through  the  wilder- 
ness, a  distance  of  nearly  or  quite  two 
hundred  miles,  the  wife   and   daughter 
of  the  president  of  Dartmouth  College, 
was  Elisha,  a  son  of  Samuel,  born  in 
Sharon,   Conn.,    22    Dec,    1749.     He 
was  then  fitting  for  college  under  the 
instruction  of   Dr.  Wheelock  ;  was  one 
of  the  company  of  seventy  who  shared 
with  its  founder  the  toils  and  privations 
of  those  first   years   of   struggle  which 
led  to  victory.     He  pursued  his  studies 
at  the  college,  and  graduated  in  1775, 
in  the  same  class  with  Nathaniel  Adams, 
the  Annalist  of  Portsmouth.     He  gave 
three  years   to  the   study  of    divinity, 
and  was  ordained  pastor  of  the  Congrega- 
tional church   in   Ashford,  Conn,  (not 
Westford,  as  Chapman    has    it,  in    his 
Alumni   of    Dart.     Coll.),  in    March, 
1778.     On  the  1 6th  of  July  following, 
he  married  Jerusha  Cadwell,  described 
by  Chapman  {Alum.D.  C,  18.)  as  being 
of  Westford  ;  but  her  sister,  Thankful, 
who    married    Gen.  Amos   Shepard,  is 
said  by  Arnold  {Hist.  Sketches  of  Al- 
stead, 28)  to  be  of  Hartford.    In  Sept., 
1 783,  Mr.   Hutchinson  was   dismissed 
from  his  pastorate  in  Ashford,  and  was 
installed  the  first  minister  of   Pomfret, 
Vt.,  14  Dec,  1784;  dismissed  8  Jan., 
1795.     After  this  he  appears  to  have 
resided  in  Pomfret  till    1800,  when  he 
went   to  Zoar,  Ms.,  where   he    united 


with  the  Calvinist-Baptist  denomination 
and  removed  to  Susquehanna,  Pa., 
from  which  place  he  was  compelled  to 
flee  by  the  Indians,  who  at  that  time 
invaded  our  western  frontier,  under  But- 
ler and  Brandt,  and  committed  the 
massacre  at  Wyoming.  He  next  set- 
tled in  Marion,  Wayne  Co.,  N.  Y. ;  and 
in  1 8 14  became  pastor  of  the  Baptist 
church  in  Newport,  N.  H.,  where  he 
continued  in  the  active  duties  of  the 
ministry  till  182 1,  and  where  he  resided 
till  his  death,  19  April  1S33, — instead 
of  April  9th,  as  Chapman  has  it.  He 
married,  for  a  second  wife,  Martha, 
daughter  of  Samuel  Eddy,  of  Wash- 
ington Co.,  N.  Y. 

Samuel  Hutchinson  was  his  son, 
and  was  born  in  Ashford,  Conn.,  9 
July,  1779;  and  died  in  Alstead  (N. 
H.),  14  May,  1819.  As  a  boy  he  la- 
bored on  his  father's  farm  in  Pomfret, 
and  attended  school,  when  there  was 
any,  till  he  was  fifteen  years  old.  But, 
possessed  of  an  active  mind,  and  dis- 
playing some  capacity  for  business,  an 
opportunity  was  improved  of  introduc- 
ing him  to  a  different  sphere,  and  to 
far  other  scenes,  than  his  Vermont 
home  afforded. 

In  the  July  No.  of  this  Magazine,  I 
gave  an  account  of  Gen.  Amos  Shep- 
ard, who,  as  above  stated,  married  a 
sister  of  Maj.  Hutchinson's  mother. 
In  1794,  Gen.  Shepard  had  been  a 
merchant  in  Alstead  seventeen  years, 
held  the  highest  military  office  under 
the  governor,  was  one  of  the  wealthiest 
and  most  conspicious  men  in  the 
western  part  of  the  state.  The  follow- 
ing extract  from  a  letter  shows  the 
manner  of  young  Hutchinson's  intro- 
duction to  the  care  of  his  distinguished 

uncle  : — 

"•Pomfrtt,  17th  July,  1794. 
"Sir! 

UI  understand  you  are  in  want  of  a  lad 
to  assist  in  tending  your  store,  and  that 
you  had  entertained  a  favorable  idea  of 


MAJOR  SAMUEL  HUTCHINSON. 


365 


my  son  in  this  view.  I  think  it  proper 
to  give  you  some  information  respecting 
this  matter.  *  *  *  *  I  can  assure  you 
that  Samuel  is  very  fond  of  the  idea  of 
living  with  you — I  shall  therefor  permit 
him  to  make  trial,  to  see  whether  he  will 
answer  your  purpose.  He  is  something 
apt  to  learn — but  has  had  little  advan- 
tage for  it  as  yet.  He  is  rather  of  a  slen- 
der constitution,  not  able  to  endure  hard 
labor,  and  naturally  inclined  to  learn, 
and  to  tend  a  store.  With  proper  advan- 
tages to  learn,  and  your  instructions 
with  respect  to  tending  store,  I  appre- 
hend he  might  in  a  short  time  be  advan- 
tageous to  you.  He  is  naturally  reserved, 
and  so  far  as  I  know,  faithful  and  just 
in  business  with  which  he  is  entrusted. 
He  is  at  present  not  remarkably  fond  of 
company,  nor  inclined  to  drinking,  or 
any  hurtful  vice,  that  I  know  of;  and  I 
can  always  depend  on  his  word. 

'•  If  he  should  answer  your  purpose 
and  be  inclined  to  remain  with  you,  we 
have  determined  that  he  shall  be  yours 
until  of  age.  We  hope  you  and  Mrs. 
Shepard  will  consider  him  as  being  under 
your  care  and  direction;  and  esteem  it 
your  duty  to  train  him  up  in  the  way  of 
virtue,  as  well  as  business. 

After  haying  is  over,  we  shall  embrace 
the  first  opportunity  to  send  him  to  you. 
But  if  he  should  not  come  till  fall,  you 
will  yet  understand,  that  we  determine  to 
send  him  then.  *  *  *  *  If  you  have  op- 
portunity you  might  send  for  him  after 
the  middle  of  August  next. 

"  We  present  our  dutiful  respects. 
"  I  am,  sir,  with  respect  and 

"esteem  your  humble  servant, 
'•E.  Hutchinson. 

"Hon.  Gen.  Shepard, 

"Alstead." 

The  intention  of  the  above  letter 
was  carried  out.  The  boy  became  a 
clerk  in  his  uncle's  store  and  a  member 
of  his  family.  He  was  quick  to  learn 
the  details  of  business,  attentive  to  the 
interests  of  his  employer,  prompt  and 
courteous  in  his  intercourse  with  cus- 
tomers, and  soon  gained  the  good  will 
of  the  people  and  secured  their  confi- 
dence. The  affection  and  care  which 
they  would  have  expended  upon  their 
own,  had  they  been  blessed  with  chil- 
dren, Gen.  Shepard  and  his  christian 
wife  bestowed  upon  this  sister's  son, 
who  in  all  his  relations  approved  him- 
self worthy  of  such  distinction. 

On  reaching  his  majority,  he  was  re- 
ceived as  a  co-partner  in  the  business, 
which  was,  for  the  next  eleven  years 
carried  on  under  the  name  of  Shepard 


&  Hutchinson.  They  supplied  from 
distant  markets  every  kind  of  merchan- 
dise required  by  their  customers,  and 
afforded  them  a  market  for  all  the  pro- 
ducts of  the  farm  and  shop.  Their 
trade  increased.  They  established  a 
branch  store  at  Newport,  of  which 
William  Cheney  and  Joseph  Farns- 
worth  took  charge.  They  had  an  inter- 
est in  a  store  in  Croydon,  and  in  vari- 
ous manufactures. 

On  the  first  day  of  January,  181 2, 
there  was  a  heavy  snow-storm  in  Al- 
stead ;  so  severe  that,  contrary  to  their 
custom,  neither  Gen.  Shepard  nor  Maj. 
Hutchinson — each  of  whom  lived  near 
the  store,  though  in  opposite  directions 
— did  not  go  home  to  supper,  but 
spent  the  evening  with  some  neighbors 
who  happened  in,  in  social  enjoyment 
at  the  store,  separating  about  nine 
o'clock.  Gen.  Shepard  was  in  good 
health  and  spirits,  and  had  been  enter- 
taining his  friends  by  his  conversation. 
On  reaching  his  house  he  fell  to  the 
floor,  and  expired  in  a  moment.  The 
doctors  said  of  apoplexy.  He  was  a 
man  of  full  habit,  a  hearty  eater,  en- 
joyed his  meals,  and  extended  to  his 
friends,  and  to  all  visitors  to  Alstead,  a 
most  bountiful  hospitality.  He  had 
been  an  honored  man  among  "  the 
great  ones "  of  the  state.  He  was 
the  man  of  the  town.  The  sensation 
caused  by  his  death  was  startling  and 
profound. 

By  his  will,  dated  25  June,  1808,  it 
was  found  that  he  had  bequeathed  to 
Thankful,  his  wife,  all  his  household 
furniture,  the  farm  stock  and  utensils, 
and  $1000  in  money,  in  her  own  right, 
and  the  use  of  all  his  estate,  both  real 
and  personal,  during  her  life.  After 
her  decease  were  to  be  paid  legacies, 
amounting  to  $1890,  besides  $400,  and 
a  certain  farm,  which  were  left  to  Maj. 
Hutchinson.  The  balance  was  to  be 
equally  divided  between  three  of  his 
nephews  and  the  said  Hutcliinson. 
Maj.  Hutchinson  was  appointed  exe- 
cutor, and  Mrs.  Shepard  executrix  of 
the  will.  The  latter  declined  the  trust, 
and  Maj.  H.  administered  alone.  The 
estate  was  appraised  at  $46,231.54,  of 
which    $38,211.21      was     "personal." 


MAJOR  SAMUEL  HUTCHINSON. 


How  much  was  realized  upon  it   does 
not  appear. 

Mrs.  Shepard  died  in  1817.  Her 
estate  was  appraised  at  $12,144.50. 
Of  this  amount,  $5660,  two  farms  and 
various  articles  of  personal  property 
were  parcelled  out  by  her  will  in  lega- 
cies, and  the  residue  she  bequeathed 
to-.'JVIaj.  Hutchinson,  whom  she  ap- 
pointed her  executor. 

After  Gen.  Shepard's  death,  Maj. 
Hutchinson  extended  his  business 
widely.  He  established  a  commercial 
house  at  Potsdam,  N.  Y.,  under  the 
management  of  Samuel  Partridge,  who 
had  been  with  him  some  years  in  the 
store  at  Alstead,  whom  he  admitted  to 
a  partnership.  On  similar  terms  he 
opened  another  store  at  Canton,  N.  Y., 
which  was  in  charge  of  Sartel  Pren- 
tice, a  native  of  Alstead.  Of  the 
home  establishment  he  continued  his 
personal  supervision.  His  ventures 
were  successful,  the  opportunities  being 
chosen  with  much  prudence  and  sagac- 
ity. All  were  in  full  operation  up  to 
the  time  of  his  death. 

The  title,  by  which  he  was  best 
known  in  his  day,  he  received  by  com- 
mission from  Gov.  John  Taylor  Gil- 
man,  who  appointed  him  on  the  staff 
of  Maj.  Gen.  Shepard,  with  the  rank 
of  major. 

On  the  6th  of  May,  1804,  Mr. 
Hutchinson  married  Hannah  Pratt, 
daughter  of  Levi  Pratt,  of  Pomfret, 
Vt.,  who  was  born  in  Middleboro', 
Ms.,  7  July,  1 783.  Their  children, 
all  born  in  Alstead,  were  : — 

1.  Thankful  Cadvvell,  born  9  June, 
1805  ;  married,  1827,  Elijah  Bingham, 
a  brother  of  Hon.  James  H.  Bingham 
(Dart.  Coll.  1801),  with  whom  he 
studied  law.  In  1835  they  removed 
to  Cleveland,  O.,  where  both  are  still 
living  (1879),  in  the  enjoyment  of  hon- 
orable old  age. 

2.  Hannah  Emily,  born  6  Jan.,  1807  ; 
married  Charles  F.  Brooks,  of  West- 
moreland. 

3.  Amos  Shepard,  born  21  April, 
1809;  married  (1)  Harriet  E.White, 
of  Plattsburg,  N.  Y. ;  (2)  Ann  DeWitt, 
of  Cleveland,  where  he  died   26   April, 


4.  Samuel  Richards,  born  28  Oct., 
181 1  ;  married  Catherine  M.  White,  of 
Plattsburg ;  removed  to  Cleveland, 
where  she  died  2  Jan.,  1855,  and  he  1 
Oct.,  1S69. 

5.  Susan  Pratt,  born  1  Aug.,  181 3  ; 
married  Geo.  W.  Lynde,  of  Cleveland, 
and  died  25  July,  1853. 

6.  James  Bingham,  born  31  May, 
18 15  ;  married  Sarah  Cook,  of  Cleve- 
land ;  removed  to  Madison,  Ind.,  where 
both  are  s'ill  living. 

7.  Elisha  Cheney,  born  28  May, 
181 7  ;  died  in  infancy. 

8.  George  Cheney,  born  6  April, 
18 19 ;  died  in  Cleveland,  26  April, 
1838. 

To  Elijah  Bingham,  Esq.,  above 
named,  I  am  indebted  for  the  principal 
facts  relating  to  Major  Hutchinson. 
Concerning  Mrs.  Hutchinson  he  says  : 

"  By  the  death  of  her  husbund,  she 
was  left  with  the  care  of  these  seven 
children,  the  oldest  not  fourteen  years 
old.  But  she  had  an  abiding  sense  of 
a  parent's  duty,  and  her  good  judg- 
ment never  forsook  her.  She  sent  her 
children  to  the  best  schools,  and  had 
the  satisfaction  of  seeing,  in  after  years, 
that  she  had  pursued  the  right  course. 
*  *  *  *  She  was  a  noble  woman  ;  no- 
ted for  deeds  of  charity  and  benevo- 
lence ;  always  ready  to  contribute  of 
her  means  to  every  good  work.  She 
lived  the  life  of  a  consistent  christian." 

After  her  husband's  death  her  pa- 
rents came  from  Pomfret  and  resided 
with  her  ;  she  ministering  to  their  com- 
fort and  supplying  their  wants.  Her 
father  died  in  1846,  aged  ninety-seven  ; 
.her  mother  in  1848,  aged  ninety-two. 
After  this  she  disposed  of  her  property 
in  Alstead,  followed  her  children  to  the 
west,  and  spent  the  remainder  of  her 
days  with  them,  dying  at  the  residence 
of  her  daughter,  Mrs.  Bingham,  in 
Cleveland,  21  May,  1867,  aged  eighty- 
four. 

Major  Hutchinson  was  a  life-member 
of  the  New  Hampshire  Bible  Society, 
to  which  he  left  a  legacy  of  $500,  and 
also  $1000  to  the  Congregational 
church  in  Alstead.  Hon.  James  H. 
Bingham,  his  legal  advisor,  was  named 
bv  him  executor  of    his   will,  who    as- 


A   COTTAGE. 


567 


sumed  the  management  and  settlement 
of  his  large  property.  To  his  ability 
and  integrity  Rev.  Seth  S.  Arnold,  min- 
ister of  the  church,  in  his  Historical 
Sketches  of  Alstead,  pay's  a  high  trib- 
ute. Concerning  Major  Hutchinson 
the  same  writer  says  :  "By  his  honesty, 
diligence,  amiable  and   correct  deport- 


ment ;  and  especially  by  his  public 
spirit  and  generous  benevolence,  he 
merited  and  secured  the  good  will 
of  all  with  whom  he  was  acquainted. 
He  died  *  *  *  in  the  midst  of  his 
usefulness  ;  and  his  death  was  generally 
felt  and  lamented." 


A   COTTAGE. 


BY    LAURA    GARLAND    CARR. 

By  a  road-side,  hot  and  dusty, 
Is  a  wide  gate,  old  and  gray.  ' 

Lift  the  latch,  time-worn  and  rusty. 
Heavily  'twill  backward  sway, 

While  the  iron  hinges  mutter 
In  a  dull  complaining  way. 


ig, 


Down  a  long  hill  slowly  wendim 

Wheels  and  hoofs  with  muffled  sound, 

On  the  grass-grown  path  descending, 
Reach  at  last  the  level  ground, 

And  an  humble  low-roofed  cottage 
With  rose  bushes  hedged  around. 


Cherry-trees,  with  ripe  fruit  teeming", 
Almost  hide  the  house  from  sight — 

Just  a  hint,  through  green  leaves  gleaming, 
Of  the  low  walls,  snowy  white. 

Does  the  fragrance  from  the  roses 
Thrill  you  with  a  keen  delight  ? 


This  small  window,  almost  hidden 
By  the  climbing,  twining  sprays, 

Out  from  Memory's  stores  has  bidden 
Fair  sweet  scenes  from  childhood's  days, 

Framed  and  perfumed  with  the  roses, 
Vaguely  seen  through  Time's  rich  haze. 


368  A  COTTAGE. 

In  a  bed  that  trundled  under 
One  of  wide  and  higher  frame, 

In  the  corner  bed-room  yonder, 
I  have  slept  and  waked  again, 

With  a  sense  of  dewy  sweetness 
Flooding  all  my  drowsy  brain. 


Sometimes  morning  dreams  were  shattered 

By  a  wet  touch  on  my  face — 
Dew  and  blossoms  o'er  me  scattered 

Roused  me  from  my  resting  place, 
While  a  laugh  came  through  the  window 

Where  the  branches  interlace. 


Did  the  roses  bloom  all  summer 
In  that  lovely  far  off  time  ? 

Did  the  breezes  ever  murmur, 
Like  low  sentences  that  rhyme  ? 

Ah  !  no  thorn,  no  blight,  no  blemish 
Mar  these  memories  of  mine. 


Many  useful  lessons  taught  me, 
In  that  cottage  snug  and  small, 

To  the  changing  years  have  brought  me, 
Help  that  I  shall  oft'  recall ; 

But  the  memory  of  the  roses 
Clings  the  closest  of  them  all. 


NEW  LONDON  CENTENNIAL  ADDRESS. 


369 


NEW  LONDON  CENTENNIAL. 


ADDRESS  OF  HON.  J.  EVERETT  SARGBNT. 


In  1843  Joseph  Colby,  Esq.,  died. 
He  had  passed  most  of  his  life  in  New 
London,  and  few  men  have  had  a  wider 
or  a  better  influence  in  the  town  than 
he  had.  He  was  born  in  Plaistow, 
N.  H.,  March  24,  1762,  moved  to 
Hopkinton,  N.  H.,  about  the  time  he 
became  twenty-one  years  old,  and  lived 
there  a  few  years ;  while  there  he  was 
married  to  Miss  Anna  Heath,  of  Hamp- 
stead,  N.  H.,  Dec.  21,  1785.  They 
moved  to  New  London  March  10,  1 786, 
and  at  first  lived  in  a  log-house  on  the 
shore  of  Pleasant  Pond,  at  the  upper 
end,  near  where  Stephen  Sargent  now 
lives,  where  the  Indians  had  formerly 
cleared  up  a  few  acres  of  the  intervale, 
to  raise  their  corn  and  beans.  He  en- 
larged this  clearing  and  made  a  valua- 
ble farm.  He  moved  from  there  and 
lived  at  other  places  in  town  ;  built  the 
house  on  the  Elder  Seamans'  place, 
opposite  where  the  buildings  now 
stand,  which  has  since  been  burnt 
down  ;  then  moved  on  to  the  road  that 
leads  from  here  directly  to  the  low 
plains, — where  Anthony  and  the  young- 
est daughter,  Mrs.  Burpee,  were  born  ; 
and  then  moved  to  the  farm  on  Main 
street,  in  the  year  1800,  where  he  ever 
after  lived,  and  where  he  died  April 
19,  1843. 

He  was  for  many  years  the  agent  of 
Jonas  Minot,  one  of  the  original  and 
the  largest  of  the  proprietors  of  the 
grant,  and  in  that  way  he  had  opportu- 
nities for  learning  more  of  the  situa- 
tion and  value  of  the  land  in  the  differ- 
ent localities  than  most  other  men. 
He  dealt  largely  in  real  estate  in  the 
town.  He  served  the  town  well  in 
various  capacities  ;  for  many  years  as 
one  of  the  selectmen,  and  was  its  first 
representative  to  the  General  Court, 
and  was  re-elected  every  successive 
year  from  1803  to  181 6  inclusive.     He 


was  early  a  member  of  the  church,  and 
I  think  the  records  will  show  that  he 
acted  on  more  committees  in  the  church 
than  any  other  man  during  the  same 
period  of  time.  He  was  also  a  lead- 
ing magistrate  in  the  town  for  many 
years. 

In  1846,  Anthony  Colby,  of  New 
London,  was  elected  governor  of  the 
state.  He  was  a  native  of  this  town, 
the  son  of  Joseph  and  Anna  Colby, 
born  Nov.  13,  1792.  He  received  his 
education  mainly  in  the  common 
schools  of  his  native  town.  But  he 
had  a  wonderful  capacity  for  business, 
and  was  always  active  in  matters  of  a 
public*  character.  He  built  the  origi- 
nal stone  dam  at  the  outlet  of  Pleas- 
ant Pond,  and  built  a  grist-mill  there, 
which  was  a  great  public  benefit.  He 
was  largely  instrumental  in  getting  the 
new  road  laid  out  and  built,  and  started 
the  line  of  stages  upon  it,  that  for  a 
long  time  run  through  from  Hanover 
to  Lowell  in  a  day,  a  distance  of  100 
miles  or  more  ;  and  he  readily  lent  a 
helping  hand  to  the  enterprise,  started 
by  another  son  of  New  London,  of  es- 
tablishing the  business  of  manufactur- 
ing scythes,  where  the  same  has  been 
so  successfully  carried  on  ever  since. 
He  was  one  of  the  two  men  who  built  the 
new  meeting-house  ;  in  fact  few  men 
have  ever  lived  a  more  active  life  than 
he  did: 

He  was  a  friend  of  education,  and  of 
the  common  school,  and  for  a  long  time 
was  one  of  the  superintendents  of  the 
schools  in  town,  and  was  among  the 
earlier  advocates  of  the  temperance 
reform.  He  went  through  all  the 
grades  of  military  promotion,  from  cap- 
tain to  major-general,  and  had  repre- 
sented the  town  in  the  legislature  in  the 
years  1828,  1829,  1830,  1831,  1832, 
also  in  1837,  1838,  1839  ;  and  in  1846 


37° 


NEW  LONDON  CENTENNIAL  ADDRESS. 


was  the  chief  magistrate  of  the  state. 
His  administration  of  the  affairs  of 
the  state  government  was  characterized 
for  integrity,  true  economy,  and  a  spirit 
of  progress  and  reform.  In  the  posi- 
tion in  which  the  political  parties  then 
stood,  it  was  simply  impossible  that 
he  could  be  re-elected. 

He  was  again  elected"  to  the  legisla- 
ture in    i860,  from  New  London,  and 
was  appointed  by  Gov.  Berry,  in   1861, 
as  adjutant-general  of  the  state,  at   a 
time  when  the  best  man  in  the   state 
was  needed  for  that  responsible  posi- 
tion, made  so  responsible  by  the  great 
importance   of  the    struggle  in    which 
the    country  was  then  engaged.      He 
performed  the  duties  of  this  office  in  a 
manner  entirely  satisfactory  to  the  gov- 
ernment and  the  people,  and  resigned 
in  1863.  He  was  long  an  active  and  in- 
fluential member  of  the  church  here,  as 
well  as  a  leading  member  in  the  denom- 
ination in  the  state.     He  died  July  20, 
1873.     He  always  lived  in  this  town, 
and  always,  except  the  first  eight  years 
of  his  life,  in  the  house  into  which  his 
father    moved    in    1800,    and     where 
both  father  and    son   have  died.     No 
man  ever  devoted   himself  more  fully 
and   constantly  to  the  building  up  of 
what  he  believed  to  be  the  best  inter- 
est of  his  native  town  than  he  did.    He 
married   for   his   first  wife,  Miss  Mary 
Everett,  of  New  London,  and  for  his 
second,  Mrs.  Eliza  Richardson,  of  Bos- 
ton, who  survives  him,  and  continues 
to  live  in  your  midst. 

In  1847,  the  union  meeting-house, 
sometimes  called  the  Free  Church, 
was  built  at  the  Four  Corners.  This 
remained  for  several  years,  but  was 
finally  sold,  and  removed  and  converted 
to  other  uses,  it  being  wisely  concluded 
that  one  good  strong  church  in  a  place 
is  far  better  than  two  or  three  feeble 
ones,  and  that  one  meeting-house  well 
filled  is  far  better  than  several  empty 
ones. 

In  1850  the  population  was  945, 
being  a  loss  of  74  from  1840.  Benja- 
min R.  Andrews  was  the  delegate  from 
New  London  to  the  Constitutional  Con- 
vention of  that  year  in  this  state. 
In  1 85  3  the  new  town-house  was  built, 


near  the  new  meeting-house.  There 
was  quite  a  struggle  upon  the  question 
of  removal,  the  subject  having  been 
voted  on  at  no  less  than  three  town-meet- 
ings, held  in  rapid  succession,  in  the 
spring  and  summer  of  that  year. 

In  1853,  when   the   academical  and 
theological  school,  under  the  patronage 
of  the  Calvinist  Baptist  denomination, 
was  removed  from  New  Hampton  to  the 
state  of  Vermont,  it  left  the  denomination 
without  a  school  in   this   state.     They 
soon  resolved  that  this  state  of    things 
ought  not   to   be,    and  they   at   once 
looked   about    for   the   best   place   to 
locate  their  seminary  of  learning.     The 
friends  at  New  London  offered  to  give 
the    denomination   their  academy,  and 
put  it  in  good  repair,  and  build  a  ladies' 
boarding-house,    and    furnish    various 
other  accommodations.     This   propo- 
sition was  favorably  considered  by  the 
denomination,  and  the  preference   was 
given  to   New   London.     Accordingly 
a  new  act  of  incorporation  was  obtained 
in  1853,  and  "The  New  London  Liter- 
ary and  Scientific  Institute"  was  incor- 
porated that  year,  and  the   school   put 
in  successful  operation  that  fall,  and  in 
course  of  its  first   year   enrolled   upon 
its  catalogue  some  335   scholars.     The 
property  of  the  New  London  Academy 
was    transfered    to   the    Institute.     In 
1855   an    alteration   was   made   in   its 
name,  changing  the  word  Institute  to 
Institution,  and  modifying  some  of  the 
provisions  of  its  charter,  and  its  name 
has    remained    unchanged   from   that 
time  to  the  year    1878,   when   it   was 
changed  to  that  of  "The  Colby  Acad- 
emy" at  New  London,  which   name    it 
now  holds. 

In  1854  the  old  town-meeting  house 
was  sold,  by  vote  of  the  town,  and  re- 
moved to  this  neighborhood  and  con- 
verted into  a  boarding-house  for  the 
use  of  the  academy. 

Benjamin  P.  Burpee,  of  New  Lon- 
don, was  elected  a  county  commissioner 
for  Merrimack  county  for  the  years 
1852,  1853  and  1854.  He  was  also 
the  representative  of  the  town  for  the 
years  1853  and  1854. 

In  1856,  George  W.  Everett,  of  this 
town,  was  ..appointed  solicitor  of  Merri- 


NEW  LONDON  CENTENNIAL  ADDRESS. 


37i 


mack  county,  which  office  he  held  for 
five  years,  until  1 86 1 .  He  was  the  rep- 
resentative of  the  town  in  the  years 
1852  and  1856. 

Richard  H.  Messer  was   elected   a 
member  of  the  Governor's  Council  for 
the  years  1857  and  1858.     He   was   a 
native  of  the  town,  the    son   of    Isaac 
and  Martha  Messer,  born  October  20th, 
1807.     He  received  a  common  school 
education  only,  and  when   of    age   he 
went  to  Massachusetts  and  learned  the 
trade   of    manufacturing    scythes ;   he 
then  came  back  to  New  London,    and 
uniting  himself   with   Mr.  Phillips    and 
Anthony   Colby,  introduced   the   busi- 
ness   here,    at   the    place    where    said 
Colby    had    early    built   the   second* 
grist-mill  in  town,  and  where  the  enter- 
prising village  of  Scytheville  has   since 
grown  up.     The   town    is   greatly   in- 
debted to  Mr.    Messer   as    being   the 
originator  and  the  active  agent  in  intro- 
ducing and  building  up  this   great   in- 
dustry in  your  town,  and  the  gentlemen 
who  first  were  associated  with    him   in 
the  business  were  also  benefactors   of 
the    place.     He    was   elected   to   the 
legislature  in  the  year  1858.     He  con- 
tinued  in   his  favorite  occupation,  de- 
voting himself  to  business  with  all   his 
energies  until  he  died,  May    15,  1872, 
aged  sixty-five  years. 

In  i860  the  population  of  the  town 
was  952,  a  gain  of  only  seven  in  ten 
years. 

In  1 860  Gov.  Colby  was  again  elect- 
ed representative,  and  in  1861  he  was 
appointed  adjutant-general  of  the 
state,  which  place  he  held  till  1863, 
when  he  resigned  and  his  son,  Daniel 
E.  Colby,  was  appointed  to  the  same 
place  in  August,  and  held  the  place  till 
March,  1864,  when  he  resigned  the 
position.  He  had  been  representative 
of  the  town  in  the  legislature  in  1857, 
and  was  afterwards  a  member  of  the 
Constitutional  Convention  of  1S76, 
and  still  resides  upon  the  old  home- 
stead of  his  father  and  grandfather. 

*I  am  told  that  some  one  had  built  a 
small  grist-mill  here  on  this  site  before 
that  time,  but  it  was  of  no  account. 
Colby's  mill  was  from  the  first  and  is 
today  substantially  the  mill  of  the  town. 


The  academy,  as  organized  in  1853, 
had  been  doing  a  good  work  and  doing 
it  well,  and  had  been  prospered.  At 
first  a  fund  of  $25,000  was  raised, 
which  for  a  time  seemed  to  meet  the 
demand  of  the  institution,  but  present- 
ly the  need  was  felt  of  more  ample  ac- 
commodations and  a  better  location ; 
and  it  was  a  grave  question  where  the 
funds  were  to  be  obtained  to  meet  this 
new  want,  this  growing  necessity.  In 
1866  Mrs.  James  B.  Colgate,  a  daugh- 
ter of  Gov.  Colby,  offered  $25,000  to- 
wards establishing  the  necessary  fund, 
provided  that  the  amount  should  be 
made  up  to  $100,000  within  a  given 
time.  This  was  accomplished  by  the 
aid  of  the  Rev.  W.  H.  Eaton,  d.  d., 
who  had  assisted  in  raising  the  pre- 
vious fund  of  $25,000,  and  at  the  anni- 
versary in  1867  tne  subscription  was 
filled  and  the  object  secured. 

The  present  site  was  then  obtained 
and  the  present  buildings  were  erected, 
and  in  1870  they  were  completed  and 
dedicated,  upon  which  occasion  Rev. 
Dr.  Cummings,  of  Concord,  the  presi- 
dent of  the  institution,  delivered  an 
able  and  interesting  historical  address. 
This  school  has  been  placed  under 
great  obligations  to  Mrs.  Colgate,  of 
New  York;  Ex-Governor  Colby,  of 
New  London  ;  John  Conant,  Esq.,  of 
Jaffrey  ;  Messrs.  H.  H.  &  J.  S.  Brown,  of 
Fisherville ;  Nahum  T.  Greenwood, 
Esq.,  of  New  London,  and  many  others, 
by  their  liberal  contributions  to  its 
fund. 

In  1853  George  W.  Gardner  was  ap- 
pointed principal,  who  continued  in 
that  place  seven  years,  and  was  followed 
by  Rev.  George  B.  Gove  for  three 
years,  who  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  A. 
W.  Sawyer,  who  remained  about  seven 
years,  to  1870.  He  is  now  president 
of  Acadia  College,  N.  S.  Then  Hor- 
ace M.  Willard  was  appointed  principal, 
who  was  followed  in  1872  byLaban  E. 
Warren,  who  was  succeeded  by  A.  L. 
Lane  in  1875,  vvno  m  turn  gave  place 
to  J.  F.  Morton  in  1876,  who  remained 
two  years,  to  1878,  when  the  present 
principal,  E.  J.  McEwan,  was  elected, 
who  still  holds  and  very  acceptably  fills 
that  position  today. 


372 


NEW  LONDON  CENTENNIAL  ADDRESS. 


Several  have  held  the  place  of  lady 
principal.  Miss  Mary  J.  Prescott  from 
1853  to  1857,  Miss  Harriet  E.  Rice, 
Miss  Julia  A.  Gould,  Miss  Adelaide  L. 
Smiley,  Miss  Lucy  Flagg,  Miss  Mary 
A.  Davis,  Miss  Mary  O.  Carter  (who 
became  Mrs.  Warren  in  1872),  Miss 
Hannah  P.  Dodge;  and  in  1877  Miss 
Smiley  was  again  appointed,  who  con- 
tinues to  hold  the  position  still. 

Mr.  Ephraim  Knight  was  appointed 
associate  principal  and  professor  of 
mathematics,  at  the  commencement  in 
■  1853,  which  place  he  held  down  to 
1873,  ^  period  of  twenty  years,  when,  in 
consequence  of  declining  health,  he  re- 
signed the  post,  and  died  here  March 
4th,  1878. 

In '1870  the  population  of  the  town 
was  959,  a  gain  of  7  from  i860, 
and  just  the  same  made  in  the  last  pre- 
vious decade.  Since  1870  but  few 
matters  of  general  interest  have  occurred 
in  New  London. 

In  1874  you  came  very  near  furnish- 
ing another  governor  for  the  state. 
Gen.  Luther  McCutchins  was  born  in 
Pembroke,  N.  H.,  in  1809  ;  first  came 
to  New  London  in  1837,  and  remained 
two  years ;  then  went  to  Connecticut 
for  some  four  years,  returning  to  New 
London  in  1843,  where  he  has  since 
lived.  He  received  the  Republican 
nomination  for  governor  in  1874,  and 
received  the  full  strength  of  his  party, 
and  a  vote  very  complimentary  to  him, 
and  only  failed  because,  as  the  issues 
were  then  made  up  and  the  parties 
were  then  organized,  the  Republicans 
could  not  elect  anybody  that  year.  He 
has  been  your  representative  in  the 
legislature  in  1850,  185 1,  1873,  1878, 
and  also  the  present  year,  1879.  He 
is  a  practical  farmer,  who  takes  a  deep 
interest  in  whatever  is  calculated  to  ad- 
vance the  agricultural  interests  of  the 
state. 

In  1875  George  M.  Knight,  Esq.,  of 
this  town,  was  elected  county  commis- 
sioner for  the  county  of  Merrimack, 
which  office  he  held  for  the  term  of 
three  years,  1875,  1876  and  1877. 

In  1878  you  commenced  prep- 
arations for  your  centennial  reunion  in 
this  hundredth  year  from  the  date  of 


your  charter  as  a  town,  and  the  success 
of  your  enterprise  today  shows  how  well 
and  how  faithfully  you  have  made  your 
preparations. 

We  have  thus  come  down  to  the  close 
of  the  first  century  of  New  London's 
history.      I    have   endeavored  to  give 
you  a  fair  and  impartial  statement  of 
the  facts  of  that  century,  without  any 
attempt  at  embellishment.      There  are 
a  few  other  facts  that  may  properly  be 
alluded  to  before  we  close,  and  first,  the 
patriotis7ii  of  the  town.     We  have  seen 
that  the  town  voted  at  once,  after  it  was 
incorporated,  to  furnish  a  soldier  for  the 
continental  army  ;  this  they  did  furnish 
and  paid  him,  as  we  have  seen,  through 
the  war  until  its  close.     We  have  no 
evidence    that  the    Mr.    Coums,   who 
went  from  the  town,  was  an  inhabitant 
of  the  town  ;  our  impression  is  that  he 
probably  was  not,  but  was  a  substitute, 
or  a  man  hired  by  the  town  to  fill  the 
place.     But  New  London  had  its  revo- 
lutionary  heroes    in    abundance.      In 
fact  it  seemed  a  favorite  resort  for  those 
soldiers  who  had  gone  from  other  places 
and  served  through  the  war,  and  then 
looked  about  for  the    most   desirable 
places  for  settlement  in  the  new  coun- 
try.  The  fresh  breezes  of  your  hills,  and 
the   views  of  the  noble   mountains  in 
your   neighborhood,  are    all  congenial 
to  a  love  of  freedom  and  independence. 
Hence  we  find  that  immediately  after 
the  war  many  who  had  been  in  the 
continental  army  came  at  once  to  New 
London  and  settled  here  ;  others  came 
later.       There    was    Thomas    Currier 
(known  as  Capt.  Kiah),  Edmund  Davis, 
Josiah  Davis,  John  Dole,  Jesse   Dow, 
Levi  Everett,  Penuel  Everett,  Eliphalet 
Gay,  Zebedee  Hayes,  Ezekiel  Knowl- 
ton,  Thomas  Pike,  David  Smith,  Moses 
Trussell  and  Eliphalet  Woodward.  Most 
of  them  came  from  Massachusetts, — 
from  Attleborough,  Dedham,  New  Row- 
ley (now  Georgetown),  and  Bradford  ; 
but  Moses  Trussell  came  from  Hopkin- 
ton,  N.  H.,  in  the  year  1804. 

Capt.  Currier  not  only  served  through 
the  revolutionary  war,  but  no  sooner 
was  the  war  of  181 2  declared  than  he 
entered  the  regular  army.  He  went 
through  the  war,  fought  in  several  bat- 


NEW  LONDON  CENTENNIAL  ADDRESS. 


373 


ties,  and  came  safely  home  when  the 
war  was  over.  I  remember  him  as  he 
used  to  come  to  church  on  Sunday,  and 
other  days,  for  he  was  a  man  who  loved 
his  God  as  well  as  his  country,  and  he 
knew  no  fear  in  the  service  of  either. 
Levi  Everett  was  another  man  whom 
I  well  remember.  He  lived  near 
my  father,  and  I  never  wearied  of 
listening  to  him  when  he  was  telling  his 
stories  about  the  wars  and  the  battles 
he  had  seen.  Then  there  was  Moses 
Trussell,  with  one  arm  gone  from  below 
the  elbow.  I  knew  him  well.  I  un- 
derstood that  he  lost  his  arm  in  the 
war,  but  did  not  know  where,  or  when, 
or  how  ;  but  a  paper  has  recently  been 
found  that  explains  these  matters,  of 
which  I  have  a  copy  that  I  will  read  you. 
(This  paper  is  published  at  length 
in  the  second  volume  of  the  Granite 
Monthly,  page  2  70.)  Such  were  some 
of  the  men  of  those  days.  Mr.  Trussell, 
you  will  remember,  had  been  here  in  1 7  74 
and  cleared  a  piece  of  land  ;  the  next 
year  he  went  to  Bunker  Hill,  and  in 
thirty  years'  from  his  first  visit,  he  re- 
turned to  live  and  spend  the  rest  of  his 
days  here,  and  died  in  New  London. 

So  in  the  war  of  181 2,  New  London 
did  her  full  proportion.  At  the  first 
alarm  of  war  many  left  and  joined  the 
regular  army  and  followed  its  fortunes 
through  the  war,  like  Capt.  Currier,  of 
whom  I  have  spoken.  But  few,  com- 
paratively, were  called  into  active  ser- 
vice from  this  state  in  that  war ;  but 
whenever  the  call  came  the  men  were 
ready.  I  find  that  among  the  com- 
panies that  were  called  out  and  ordered 
to  Portsmouth  there  were,  in  Capt. 
Jonathan  Bean's  company,  one  sergeant, 
Robert  Knowlton  from  New  London, 
and  four  privates,  John  Davis,  David 
Marshall,  Nathaniel  Messer  and  David 
Gile ;  and  that  in  Capt.  Silas  Call's 
company,  Stephen  Sargent  was  first 
lieutenant,  and  Capt.  Call  having  died 
before  his  term  was  out,  said  Sargent 
was  in  command  of  the  company  for 
a  time.  There  were  in  the  same  com- 
pany, as  privates,  Samuel  Messer, 
Zenas  Herrick,  and  Nathan  Smith,  all 
from  New  London. 

And  in  the  late  war  of  the  rebellion 


New  London  did  not  falter,  but  promptly 
met  the  call  of  the  country  and  sent 
her' sons  to  the  conflict  without  reserve, 
as  they  were  needed,  furnishing  such  offi- 
cers as  Capt.  Andrew  J-  Sargent,  Major 
George  W.  Everett  of  the  ninth  regi- 
ment, and  Lieut.  Col.  J.  M.  Clough  of 
the  eighteenth  regiment,  who,  since  the 
war  was  over,  is  doing  good  service  in 
our  state  militia,  as  a  brigadier-general. 
The  town  also  furnished  men  for  the 
ranks  in  the  various  stations  and  places 
where  they  were  needed,  who  were 
true  as  steel  and  faithful  unto  death  to 
the  trust  reposed  in  them.  The  repu- 
tation of  the  town  for  patriotism  is 
established  beyond  a  peradventure. 

That  the  town  is  a  place  of  good 
morals  would  follow  almost  naturally 
from  the  tact  that  the  people  of  the 
town  are  an  agricultural  people,  who 
have  always  believed  that  a  good  edu- 
cation is  of  the  highest  consequence, 
and  have  had  good  schools,  and  for  the 
last  forty  years  a  very  good  academy. 
These  facts,  in  connection  with  the  reli- 
gious training  of  the  people  under  such 
men  as  Elder  Seamans  and  his  succes- 
sors, could  hardly  fail  to  make  the 
population  what  it  has  been, — an  in- 
dustrious, an  intelligent,  a  patriotic,  a 
moral,  and  a  happy  people.  Where  - 
ever  the  criminals  come  from  that  fill 
our  jails  and  prisons,  very  few  of  them 
have  ever  come  from  New  London,  or 
ever  will,  until  the  town  forgets  the  les- 
sons of  the  first  hundred  years  of  its 
history. 

There  are  a  few  more  general  facts 
and  a  few  more  individual  notices  that 
I  desire  to  refer  to. 

The  following  persons  have  gradu- 
ated from  college,  who  were  natives  or 
residents  of  New  London  at  the  time, 
with  the  year  of  graduation  : 

John  H.  Slack,  Dartmouth  College, 
1811. 

Benjamin  Woodbury,  Dartmouth 
College,   181 7. 

J.  Everett  Farnum,  Waterville  Col- 
lege, now  Colby  University,  1833. 

Daniel    P.  Woodbury,  West    Point, 

i833. 
Francis  A  Gates,  Waterville  College, 

1836. 


174 


NEW  LONDON  CENTENNIAL  ADDRESS. 


Daniel  E.  Colby,  Dartmouth  Col- 
lege, 1836. 

J.  Everett  Sargent,  Dartmouth  Col- 
lege, 1840. 

Robert    Colby,  Dartmouth   College, 

1845- 

Edward  B.  Knight,  Dartmouth  Col- 
lege, 1 86 1. 

Dura  P.  Morgan,  Brown  University, 
1869. 

Carl    Knight,    Dartmouth    College, 

1873- 

William    Knight,  Brown   University, 

1877. 

Charles  M.  Sargent,  Bates  College, 
1879. 

PHYSICIANS  IN  NEW  LONDON. 

Samuel  Flagg  was  a  travelling  doc- 
tor, whose  route  extended  from  Pem- 
broke and  Dunbarton  to  Enfield,through 
Hopkinton  and  New  London,  usually 
coming  this  way  two  or  three  times  a 
year,  but  irregularly.  He  always  trav- 
elled on  foot  and  carried  his  saddle- 
bags of  medicine  over  his  shoulder.  He 
had  no  fixed  residence,  but  wandered 
from  place  to  place  ;  a  man  of  consider- 
able skill,  but  intemperate,  and  took 
great  delight  in  making  himself  a  terror 
to  children.  He  was  found  dead  in  a 
mud  hole,  into  which  he  was  supposed 
to  have  fallen  in  a  fit  of  intoxication. 

John  Cushing  was  a  resident  of  New 
London  for  many  years ;  came  here 
before  the  year  1800;  was  a  skillful 
physician,  and  for  a  time  was  quite 
popular  here.  He  was  engaged 'to  be 
married  to  Phebe  Messer,  the  daughter 
of  Samuel  Messer.  The  day  was  ap- 
pointed for  the  wedding ;  the  friends 
were  invited ;  the  guests  came ;  the 
bride,  in  expectancy,  was  attired,  and  the 
waiting  maids  in  attendance.  The 
only  absent  one  was  the  bridegroom 
that  was  to  be,  who  did  not  put  in  an 
appearance  ;  and  as  there  could  not  be 
much  of  a  wedding  without  a  bride- 
groom, the  result  was  that  the  wedding 
did  not  come  off  according  to  pro- 
gramme. This  was  in  1802  or  1803. 
But  this  disappointment  proved  a  bless- 
ing in  disguise  to  the  intended  bride, 
for  Cushing,  who  was  then  somewhat 
given  to    drink,  went   on    from  bad  to 


worse  and  became  very  intemperate, 
lost  his  practice  and  the  confidence  of 
the  community,  and  finally  moved  to 
Fishersfield  and  died  there  in  poverty. 
He  always  rode  on  horseback  to  visit 
his  patients.     He  never  married. 

Robert  Lane  came  to  New  London, 
from  Newport,  about  the  year  1 808,  after 
Cushing  had  lost  his  practice  and  moved 
from  town.  He  lived  here  some  two 
or  three  years,  then  moved  to  Sutton, 
where  he  was  living  and  in  practice  in 
181 1,  and  remained  there  a  few  years. 
He  then  returned  to  New  London, 
where  I  find  that  he  was  residing  in 
1 8 14,  and  he  remained  in  town  through 
1815  and  1 816,  for  he  was  one  of  the 
selectmen  of  the  town  in  these  latter 
years.  After  this  he  went  to  Mobile, 
Ala.,  and  was  absent  a  year  or  two, 
when  he  returned  and  stopped  a  short 
time  at  New  London,  and  then  took  up 
his  permanent  residence  in  Sutton,  at 
the  north  village,  where  he  ever  after- 
wards lived.  He  had  an  extensive 
practice,  became  quite  distinguished  in 
his  profession,  was  much  respected,  and 
died  a  few  years  ago  at  a  good  old  age. 
You  knew  him  well. 

Charles  Pinney  came  to  New  Lon- 
don about  i8io„when  Dr.  Lane  first 
went  to  Sutton.  I  find  that  Pinney  was 
here  and  in  full  practice  in  181 1,  when 
Lane  was  also  in  full  practice  in  Sutton. 
Pinney  married  a  daughter  of  Mr.  Ed- 
mund Davis.'  After  Dr.  Lane  returned 
to  New  London  they  both  remained 
awhile,  and  then  Pinney  moved  away. 
He  returned  to  live  here  again  after 
several  years,  and  remained  here,  I 
think,  till  his  death  ;  at  least  he  is  bur- 
ied in  your  cemetery.  I  knew  him  well 
after  his  return,  but  he  was  not  then  in 
practice  as  a  physician. 

Isaac  Colby  followed  Dr.  Lane,  com- 
ing soon  after  he  left,  in  181 7  or  181 8, 
and  remained  till  about  1821,  when  he 
removed  to  Hopkinton. 

Herbert  Foster  was  here  in  the 
year  1822,  may  have  come  in  182 1, 
but  did  not  remain  but  a  year  or  two. 

Jonathan  Dearborn  came  soon  after 
this,  perhaps  in  1823,  or  a  little  later  ; 
was  a  skilful  physician,  but  left  town 
suddenly  in   1829.     You   that   can  re- 


NEW  LONDON  CENTENNIAL  ADDRESS. 


375 


member  back  as  far  as  that  know  well 
why  he  left. 

Samuel  Little  followed  Dr.  Dear- 
born, coming  about  1830,  and  remained 
till  1838,  or  thereabouts ;  was  town-clerk 
several  years  ;  then  moved  to  Thetford, 
Vt.,  thence  to  Lebanon,  and  thence  to 
Rumney,  N.  H.,  where  I  used  to  see 
him  frequently  when  I  lived  at  Went- 
worth.  He  afterwards  moved  West, 
where  he  died  a  few  years  ago. 

Robert  Copp  was  here  for  a  few 
years,  during  the  time  that  Dr.  Little 
was  here.  I  remember  him  well.  He 
was  here  in  1836,  but  left  soon  after; 
may  have  been  here  some  three  or  four 
years  in  all. 

Reuben  Hosmer  followed  Dr.  Little 
in  1839,  and  remained  till  1848,  some 
ten  years. 

Hezekiah   Bickford   came    back  in 

1848,  for  he  was  a  native  of  this  town, 
and  remained  till  1851,  some  four 
years. 

S.  M.  Whipple   came    into  town    in 

1849,  and  remains  here  still,  having 
lived  longer  in  town  than  any  other 
physician, — near  thirty  years.  He  was  a 
native  of  Croydon,  N.  H. ;  attended 
medical  lectures  at  Dartmouth  college, 
and  commenced  practice  at  New  Lon- 
don in  the  year  1849.  Since  he  came 
to  New  London  several  others  have 
been  here  for  short  periods,  as  follows  : 

Otis  Ayer,  from  1855  to  1857,  three 
years. 

Levi  Pierce  (Homoeopathic),  from 
1 86 1  to  1864,  four  years. 

N.  T.  Clark,  from  1870  to  1871, 
two  years. 

R.  A.  Blood,  from  187 1  to  1873, 
three  years. 

J.  P.  Elkins  (at  Scytheville),  from 
1878  to  1879,  two  years. 

There  have  also  been  several  physi- 
cians raised  up  in  town,  from  its  native- 
born  or  adopted  citizens,  who  have  gone 
to  other  places. 

Jonathan  E.  Herrick,  son  of  Esquire 
Jonathan  and  Rhoda  Herrick,  who  is 
now  in  practice  in  New  York. 

George  H.  W.  Herrick,  son  of 
Dea.  Joseph  C.  Herrick,  who  was  in 
practice  at  Charlestown,  Mass.,  and  who 
died  abroad  in  1877. 


Charles  Pike,  in  practice  in  Pea- 
body,  Mass. 

Ashley  Whipple,  son  of  S.  M.  Whip- 
ple, of  New  London,  now  at  Ashland, 
N.  H. 

MINISTERS    OF    NEW    LONDON. 

Job  Seamans  was  born  in  Reheboth, 
Mass.,  May  24,  1  748  ;  was  the  son  of 
Deacon  Charles  Seamans,  and  Han- 
nah his  wife.  His  father  was  a  farmer 
at  Reheboth  ;  moved  to  Swansea, 
Mass.,  when  Job  was  about  a  year  old, 
residing  there  about  four  years  ;  then 
removed  to  Providence,  R.  I.,  where 
he  lived  about  ten  years.  He  then 
moved  to  Sackville,  Cumberland  coun- 
ty, Nova  Scotia,  where  he  lived  about 
eight  years,  and  where  he  died  in  the 
year  1771,  aged  71  years.  Job,  the 
son,  followed  the  farm  until  the  father 
died.  He  was  about  fifteen  years  old 
when  he  moved  from  Providence  to 
Sackville  ;  and  on  August  10,  1769,  he 
married,  at  Sackville,  Miss  Sarah  Ester- 
brooks,  a  daughter  of  Valentine  Ester- 
brooks,  Esq.,  and  who  was  born  at 
Johnson,  R.  I.,  April  14,  1750. 

He  began  to  preach  at  Sackville, 
having  united  with  the  Baptist  church 
there,  when  about  twenty  years  of  age, 
and  about  one  year  before  his  marriage. 
Soon  after  his  father  died,  in  1 771,  he 
returned  to  New  England,  and  in  1772 
he  was  preaching  to  the  church  at 
North  Attleborough,  Mass.,  and  on  the 
fifteenth  of  December,  1772,  he  was 
ordained  as  its  pastor.  He  continued 
a  successful  ministry  there  for  about 
fifteen  years.  In  1787  he  first  came  to 
New  Hampshire.  The  entry  in  his  diary 
is  as  follows:  "  Lord's  day,  June  17, 
1787,  I  preached  in  Sutton,  in  the 
State  of  New  Hampshire."  The  next 
entry  is,  "  Lord's  day,  June  24,  I 
preached  in  New  London,  in  the  same 
state."  He  came  to  New  London 
again  in  February,  1788,  arriving  on 
the  2  2d,  at  Deacon  Hunting's,  and  re- 
mained some  two  months,  preaching 
from  house  to  house.  Many  of  the 
early  settlers  of  New  London  were 
from  Attleborough,  Mass.,  and  the 
towns  in  that  neighborhood,  who  had 
long  been  acquainted  with  him  there, 


176 


NEW  LONDON  CENTENNIAL  ADDRESS. 


and  it  is  not  strange  that  they  should 
be  anxious  to  obtain  him  for  their  min  • 
ister  here,  and  so  we  find  him  listening 
to  their  call,  and  willing  in  the  end  to 
cast  in  his  lot  with  these  old  friends  ; 
and  after  considering  the  subject  fully 
he  started  with  his  family  for  New 
London,  June  20,  1788,  and  arrived 
there  July  1st,  and  he  says  in  his  diary, 
"  went  into  a  very  poor  house  of  Mr. 
James  Brocklebank.  The  same  night 
our  youngest  child  (Manning)  was  tak- 
en sick." 

He  was,  as  you  see,  twelve  days  in 
moving  from  Attleborough  to  New 
London,  a  distance  of  130  or  140 
miles  perhaps  ;  as  long  a  time  as  would 
be  necessary  to  go  to  San  Francisco 
and  back  again.  Time  enough  now  to 
go  to  London  or  Paris. 

His  first  work  here  was  to  found  a 
church.  This  was  done  Oct.  23,  1.788. 
The  churches  from  Sutton  and  Wendell 
being  present,  by  their  ministers  and 
delegates,  to  counsel  and  assist.  The 
church  consisted  at  first  of  eleven 
members,  and  Mr.  Seamans  was  in- 
stalled as  pastor  of  the  church  and 
minister  of  the  town,  Jan.  21,  1789. 
Of  the  exercises  at  his  installation,  the 
gathering  at  the  unfinished  meeting- 
house, and  the  salary  paid  him  by  the 
town,  we  have  already  spoken ;  also  of 
the  seasons  of  reformation  in  the  church 
from  time  to  time  under  his  preach- 
ing.    • 

The  church  records  also  show  a  vast 
amount  of  labor  done  in  the  church. 
Those  were  the  days  for  laying  founda- 
tions, and  Elder  Seamans  laid  his 
foundations  for  church  order  and  disci- 
pline deep,  broad,  and  permanent. 
Were  members  guilty  of  any  immo- 
rality, they  were  dealt  with  ?  Did  they 
absent  themselves  from  the  com- 
munion of  the  church,  that  was  cause 
for  labor?  All  members  were  re- 
quired to  do  their  share,  accord- 
ing to  their  means,  for  the  support  of 
the  gospel.  Many  was  the  labor, 
frequent  the  letters  of  admonition,  and 
not  unfrequent  the  final  letters  of  ex- 
pulsion sent  to  members  of  the  church 
for  the  sole  reason  that  they  were  un- 
willing   to  pay   their   due   proportion, 


according  to  their  ability,  for  ministerial 
support. 

While  all  the  poor  were  welcomed 
to  the  privileges  of  the  gospel,  with- 
out money  and  without  price,  yet  it 
was  held  to  be  the  duty  of  those  church 
members  who  were  known  to  be  able, 
and  could  not  deny  the  fact  of  their 
ability,  to  pay  accordingly  ;  and  if  they 
would  not,  no  amount  of  profession, 
no  quantity  of  apparent  sanctity  and 
long-facedness  was  sufficient  to  screen 
the  delinquent  miser  from  merited 
expulsion. 

The  christians  of  those  days  evi- 
dently believed  that  no  amount  of 
grace  was  sufficient  to  save  a  man,  un- 
less it  was  sufficient  to  sanctify  his 
love  of  gain  as  well  as  his  other  affec- 
tions ;  and  that  a  man's  conversion,  in 
order  to  be  genuine,  must  reach  not 
only  his  head  but  also  his  heart,  and 
not  only  his  head  and  heart  but  also 
his  pocket  book.  For  the  last  years  of 
his  life  he  was  not  able  to  preach,  ex- 
cept occasionally ;  he  did  not  preach 
much  after  the  year  1824,  though,  so 
far  as  I  can  find,  his  pastoral  relation 
to  the  church  continued  up  to  1828, 
some  forty  years.  That  year  Mr. 
Tracy  was  ordained  as  his  successor  in 
that  office.  Elder  Seamans  died  Oct. 
4,  1830,  aged  eighty-two  years,  four 
months  and  ten  days,  among  the  peo- 
ple with  whom  and  for  whom  he  had 
labored.  He  married  for  his  second 
wife,  Nov.  30,  1819,  Mrs.  Mary  Everett, 
widow  of  Jonathan  Everett,  deceased. 

Elder  Seamans  was  a  man  of  me- 
dium stature,  light  complexion,  marked 
features,  and  in  advanced  life  had  a 
commanding  and  venerable  appear- 
ance. It  is  said  that  he  never  wrote  a 
sermon  in  his  life.  Yet  he  always 
preached  his  two  sermons  on  Sunday,, 
and  frequently  a  third,  besides  many 
on  week  days,  and  was  always  ac- 
ceptable and  interesting,  and  an  ear- 
nest preacher  of  the  gospel  of  the 
Son  of  God.  His  long  ministry  in 
this  town  was  no  insignificant  element 
in  advancing  the  temporal  and  spir- 
itual welfare  of  the  people  and  the 
church  of  New  London. 

Joseph  Davis   moved   into   town  in 


NEW  LONDON   CENTENNIAL  ADDRESS. 


17; 


November,  1824,  and  commenced 
preaching  at  once.  He  remained  in 
town  about  three  years,  as  a  stated  sup- 
ply. Then  Oren  Tracy  was  called  ; 
but  having  some  engagements  that  de- 
tained him  for  a' while,  his  brother, 
Leonard  Tracy,  preached  here  one  sea- 
son, and  until  his  brother  was  prepared 
to  come. 

Oren  Tracy  was  born  at  Tunbridge, 
Vt.,  June  1 8,  1798  ;  was  the  son  of  Cy- 
rus and  Hannah  Lillie*  Tracy.  He  was 
educated  at  Waterville  college.  Me., 
but  did  not  graduate.  He  took  what 
was  then  termed  the  short  course  in 
theology,  and  was  ordained  at  East 
Stoughton,  Mass.,  in  October,  1825. 
He  was  married  there  during  the  first 
year  of  his  ministry  to  Miss  Marcia  Bil- 
lings of  Royalton,  Vt.  After  remaining 
there  some  two  years  or  more,  very 
pleasantly  located,  his  physician  recom- 
mended his  removal  from  the  seaboard, 
and  he  accepted  the  call  from  New 
London  and  moved  there  in  the  fall  of 
1827,  and  was  ordained  as  the  succes- 
sor of  Elder  Seamans,  January  30,  1828, 
and  remained  there  till  1836,  a  period 
of  about  nine  years.  Under  him  the 
cause  of  education  received  a  new  im- 
petus in  town.  Teachers  were  more 
thoroughly  and  systematically  exam- 
ined, and  a  higher  standard  in  our  com- 
mon school  education  was  at  once  at- 
tained ;  all  our  schools  seemed  to  catch 
an  inspiration  from  his  spirit  and  efforts. 
He  had  great  sympathy  with,  and  great 
influence  over  young  people.  All  the 
children  loved  Elder  Tracy.  I  was 
twelve  years  old  when  he  came  here, 
and  no  man  did  so  much  as  he  to 
arouse  in  me  a  love  of  learning,  and  a 
determination  to  obtain  a  liberal  edu- 
cation, at  whatever  cost.  Mr.  Tracy,  I 
need  not  say,  was  my  favorite  minister  ; 
and  Mrs.  Tracy  was  a  good,  kind,  pleas- 
ant, motherly  woman,  who  seemed  to  take 
as  much  interest  in  the  people  and  in 
the  children  as  he  did. 

He  was  also  a  pioneer  in  the  cause 
of  temperance.  When  he  came  here 
it  was  the  fashion  to  set  on  the  decanter 
of  liquor,  with  sugar  and  water,  when- 
ever the  minister  made  a  friendly  call. 
It  would  have  been  considered  almost 


disrespectful  not  to  have  done  so.  This 
fashion  was  soon  changed  under  his  ad- 
ministration, for  he  would  not  taste  of 
distilled  spirit  at  all,  not  even  wine  or 
cider,  as  a  beverage.  I  remember  that 
he  delivered  a  course  of  lectures  on 
temperance  on  Sundays,  at  the  intermis- 
sion between  the  forenoon  and  after- 
noon service  ;  and  besides  he  usually 
held  his  third  meeting  on  Sunday,  also. 
I  have  spoken  of  the  revival  of  1831 
and  1S32  under  his  preaching,  when 
nearly  a  hundred  were  added  to  the 
church. 

Many  who  are  here  today  will  never 
forget  that  first  Sunday  in  January, 
1832,  and  also  the  first  Sunday  in 
March  of  the  same  year,  upon  each  of 
which  occasions  about  forty,  standing 
on  both  sides  of  the  broad  aisle  in  the 
old  meeting-house,  received  the  right 
hand  of  fellowship  from  Mr.  Tracy,  on 
being  received  as  members  of  the 
church.  On  these  occasions  Mr.  Tracy 
seemed  to  be  inspired.  I  was  absent 
at  school  for  the  last  year  or  two  of  his 
residence  here,  and  entered  college  in 
1836,  the  year  he  moved  away.  I  have 
never  found  and  never  expect  to  find 
another  minister  who,  in  all  respects, 
would  quite  fill  Mr.  Tracy's  place  with 
me. 

From  New  London  he  went  to  New- 
port, N.  H.,  thence  to  Townsend, 
Mass.,  afterwards  to  Fitchburg,  Athol 
and  Greenfield  in  that  state.  From 
1847  t0  r^49  he  was  agent  of  the  A.  B. 
Missionary  Union  in  New  England,  re- 
siding at  Springfield,  Mass.,  and  Hart- 
ford, Conn.  From  185 1  to  1862  he 
was  agent  of  the  A.  B.  Home  Mission- 
ary Society,  residing  at  Concord,  N.  H. 
From  Concord  he  went  to  Greenfield, 
Mass.,  where  he  died  September  6, 
1S63,  aged  65.  Mrs.  Tracy  still  sur- 
vives him,  residing  with  her  daughter, 
Mrs.  Elliott,  of  Boston. 

Reuben  Sawyer  was  born  in  Monk- 
ton,  Vt.,  March  n,  1798  ;  was  married 
to  Laura  Wyman,  at  West  Haven,  Vt., 
in  1 819.  After  this  he  was  converted 
and  baptized  by  his  father,  Rev.  Isaac 
Sawyer,  of  Brandon,  Vt.  In  1822  he 
entered  the  Theological  Seminary  at 
Hamilton,  N.  Y.,  but  owing  to  failing 


37§ 


NEW  LONDON  CENTENNIAL  ADDRESS. 


health  he  did  not  complete  his  course. 
He  was  ordained  pastor  of  the  Baptist 
church  in  West  Haven,  Vt.,  in  1824. 
He  remained  there  as  pastor  until  he 
came  to  New  London  early  in  1836, 
where  he  became  a  member  of  the 
church,  and  was  received  as  its  pastor 
July  3,  which  place  he  held  until  April 
8,  1844,  when  he  resigned  his  pastoral 
charge,  but  remained  with  the  church 
in  the  service  of  the  New  Hampshire 
Baptist  convention  until  autumn,  when 
he  removed  to  Chester,  Vt.,  where  he 
was  pastor  of  the  church  for  some  ten 
years.  From  there  he  removed  to  Ley- 
den,  N.  Y.,  where  he  remained  as  pas- 
tor of  the  church  for  some  ten  years, 
when  he  returned  to  Vermont  for  a  few 
years,  at  Hinesburg  and  in  that  vicinity, 
when  he  returned  to  Leyden,  where, 
after  a  protracted  illness,  he  died  June 
29,  1869,  in  the  72d  year  of  his  age. 

He  gave  the    prime    of  his   life,  the 
vigor  of  his  manhood,  to   the    church 
here.     Large  additions  were  made  to  it 
during  his  stay.    The  demands  upon  his 
time  and  strength  were  such  as  in  these 
days   would   be   deemed  severe,   with 
three  preaching  services  on  the  Sabbath 
most  of  the  time,  and  two  or  three  other 
meetings  during  the  week.     In  speak- 
ing of  these   arduous   duties,  his   son, 
Rev.  A.  W.  Sawyer,  d.  d.,  president  of 
Acadia  College,  N.  S.,  in  his  line   to 
me,  says  :  "But  he  was   strengthened 
by  the  sympathy   and  affection  of  his 
people.     The  memory  of  the  kindness 
he  there  experienced   and  the  friend- 
ships he  there  formed  were   cherished 
by  him  to   the  last,  and  lightened  the 
burdens  of  his  declining   years.     His 
last  year  in  New  London  was  less  pleas- 
ant to  him  because  of  his  opposition  to 
the  anti-slavery  agitation,  but  his  views 
afterwards  changed  somewhat,  so  that 
he  firmly  held  the   conviction  that  the 
United  States  should  be  a  land  of  free- 
dom. "     He  took  an  interest   in  what- 
ever benefited  the   people  with   whom 
he  lived.     He  was  one  of  the  founders 
of  the  original  New  London  Academy, 
and  always  was  deeply  interested  in  the 
school.     But  first  of  all  he  felt  that  he 
was  called  to  preach  the  gospel.     This 
work  he  loved.     He  enjoyed  most  the 


presentation  of  those  doctrines  termed 
evangelical.  Feeling  the  strength  and 
comfort  of  these  truths  in  his  own  soul, 
his  presentation  of  them  to  his  people 
was  often  with  remarkable  clearness 
and  power. 

The  ministers  that  have  followed 
Mr.  Sawyer,  are  all,  as  I  am  informed, 
still  living,  and  are  known  much  better 
to  you  than  they  are  to  me,  therefore 
any  sketch  of  their  lives  will  not  be  at- 
tempted by  me.     They  are  as  follows  : 

Mark  Carpenter,  came  in  1844,  left 
in  1849 — 6. 

Ebenezer  Dodge,  came  in  1849,  leu" 
in  1853—5. 

Peter  M.  Hersey  (Christian),  came 
in  1849,  left  in  1853 — 5. 

H.  F.  Lane  (C.  B.),  came  in  1854. 
left  in  1857 — 4. 

Lucien  Hayden,  came  in  1857,  left 
in  1869 — 12. 

Asa  Randlett  (F.  W.  B.),  came  in 
1859,  left  in  1861 — 3. 

F.  D.  Blake  (C.  B.),  came  in  1870, 
left  in  1873 — 4. 

S.  C.  Fletcher,  came  in  1874,  and  re- 
mains in  1879 — 6. 

The  church  frequently,  and  I  think 
generally,  depends  as  much  upon  the 
character  and  conduct  of  its  deacons, 
for  its  standing  and  reputation  with  the 
world,  as  it  does  upon  its  ministers, 
so  I  have  examined  your  church  rec- 
ords to  see  who  have  been  the  deacons 
in  New  London,  and  so  far  as  I  know 
the  church  has  been  very  fortunate  in 
the  selection  of  its  deacons. 

Ebenezer  Hunting,  elected  January 
8,  1789. 

Matthew  Harvey,  Zebedee  Hayes, 
elected  July  5,  1793. 

Jonas  Shepard,  Peter  Sargent,  Jr.. 
elected  April  3,  181 2. 

David  Everett,  Dexter  Everett,  elect- 
ed June  16,  1825. 

Joseph  C.  Herrick,  Micajah  Mor- 
gan, elected  April  21,  1849. 

Hunting  was  alone  for  about  four  and 
a  half  years,  then  Deacons  Harvey  and 
Hayes  for  nineteen  years,  then  Deacons 
Shepard  and  Sargent  for  13  years,  then 
the  two  Deacons  Everett  for  24  years, 
and  last  Deacons  Herrick  and  Morgan 
for  30  years. 


NEW  LONDON  CENTENNIAL  ADDRESS. 


379 


Ministers  who  have  gone  out  from 
New  London  : 

Enoch  Hunting  (C.  B.),  ordained 
March  15,  18 14. 

Benjamin  Woodbury  (Cong.),  or- 
dained about  1820. 

Theophilus  B.  Adams  (C.  B.),  or- 
dained May  29,  1 82 1. 

Joshua  Clement  (C.  B.),  ordained 
about  1834. 

Valentine  E.  Bunker (C.  B.), licensed 
April  8,  1836. 

Francis  A.  Gates  (C.  B.),  licensed 
May,  1837. 

Robert  Stinson  (Universalist),  or- 
dained about  1840. 

Sylvan  Hunting  (Unitarian). 

James  Phillips  (Methodist). 

Lewis  Phillips  (Christian). 

Dura  P.  Morgan  (C.  B.),  ordained 
about  1872. 

LAWYERS    OF    NEW    LONDON. 

Stephen  C.  Badger,  a  native  of 
Warner,  N.  H.,  graduated  at  Dart- 
mouth College  in  1823  ;  studied  law 
with  Henry  B.  Chase,  of  Warner ; 
commenced  practice  in  New  London 
in  1826,  where  he  remained  till  1833, 
a  period  of  eight  years,  when  he  re- 
moved to  Concord  ;  was  clerk  of  the 
courts  for  Merrimack  county  ;  police 
justice  for  Concord  ;  a  civil  engineer ; 
died  at  Concord,  October  29,  1872. 
He  married  Miss  Sophronia  Evans,  of 
Warner. 

Walter  P.  Flanders,  also  a  native 
of  Warner,  N.  H.,  graduated  at  Dart- 
mouth, 1 83 1  ;  studied  law  with  Hon. 
John  D.  Willard,  of  Troy,  N.  Y.,  and 
Hon.  George  W.  Nesmith,  of  Frank- 
lin, N.  H. ;  commenced  practice  in 
New  London  in  1834  ;  was  a  member 
of  the  N.  H.  Legislature,  from  New 
London,  in  1841  and  1842  ;  'and  in 
1849  ne  removed  to  Milwaukee,  Wis., 
where  he  still  resides.  He  married 
Miss  Susan  E.  Greeley,  of  this  town, 
youngest  daughter  of  Jonathan  Gree- 
ley, Esq. 

George  W.  Everett,  a  native  of 
New  London,  born  Nov.  19,  18 19  ;  was 
educated  at  the  public  school  and  acad- 
emy of  this  town ;  studied  law  with 
Walter  P.  Flanders  of  this  place  ;  was 


admitted  to  the  bar  in  1847,  and  soon 
began  practice  here.  He  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  legislature,  from  this  town, 
in  the  years  1852  and  1856  ;  and  was 
solicitor  for  Merrimack  county  for  five 
years,  from  1856  to  1861.  In  1862  he 
received  a  commission  as  major  of  the 
ninth  regiment  of  volunteer  militia, 
which  was  ordered  to  the  south-west  ; 
remained  with  the  regiment  one  year, 
showing  himself  a  brave  and  faithful 
officer.  In  August,  1863,  as  his  regi- 
ment was  coming  up  the  Mississippi 
river  from  Vicksburg,  Miss.,  he  was 
taken  dangerously  ill,  and  stopping  at 
Cincinatti,  Ohio,  he  sank  rapidly  and 
died  on  27th  of  August,  1863,  just 
one  year  and  a  day  from  the  date  of 
his  commission.  His  remains  were 
brought  to  his  native  town  and  buried 
.with  masonic  honors.  He  married 
Miss  Ellen  T.. Lane,  of  Gloucester,  Mass. 

Edward  B.  Knight,  who  was  a 
brother  of  Professor  Ephraim  Knight 
of  this  town,  graduated  at  Dartmouth 
in  1 86 1  ;  studied  law  with  George  W. 
Everett,  of  this  place  ;  was  admitted 
to  the  bar  in  1864,  and  commenced 
practice  at  Dover,  N.  H.,  but  soon  re- 
moved to  Virginia,  where  he  still 
resides  in  the  practice  of  his  profes- 
sion. 

I  might  perhaps,  without  impropriety, 
have  mentioned  my  own  name  as  one 
who  went  out  from  New  London,  and 
who  has  been  engaged  in  the  study, 
and  the  practice,  and  the  administra- 
tion of  the  law.  That  has  thus  far 
been  my  life  work,  and  whatever  of 
success  I  may  have  achieved  it  has 
been  simply  by  patient  toil  and  steady 
•perseverance  towards  a  single  object, 
and  by  practicing  upon  the  lessons  of 
economy  and  industry,  which  I  learned 
in  my  youth  here  in  New  London. 
When  I  heard  that  the  good  people  of 
my  good  old  native  town  were  to  have 
this  centennial  reunion,  it  met  with  my 
most  unqualified  approval,  and  when  I 
received  the  summons,  from  your  ex- 
ecutive committee,  to  come  here  today 
and  speak  to  you,  I  cheerfully  obeyed 
without  a  single  excuse,  and  I  come 
today  without  a  single  apology,  and 
only  regret  that  I  have   been   able   to 


38o 


NEW  LONDON  CENTENNIAL  ADDRESS. 


perform  my  allotted  task  no  better. 
Yet  I  feel  that  I  have  done  the  best  I 
could  under  all  the  circumstances  of 
the  case. 

But  I  feel,  my  friends,  that  this  is  a 
day  of  jubilee.  The  town  welcomes 
home  her  children  ;  the  mother  calls 
home  her  sons  and  her  daughters  from 
afar,  to  mingle  in  the  general  joy. 
The  citizens  of  the  town  have  opened 
their  houses  and  their  hearts  to  bid  us 
all  welcome.  As  we  return  to  the  old 
places  we  see  many  of  the  old  familiar 
faces  that  we  left  behind  us.  We  find 
the  same  old  pictures  on  the  walls,  the 
same  curtains  by  the  windows,  as 
smooth  and  as  white  today  as  they 
were  when  we  were  children,  and  per- 
chance some  of  the  old  crockery  on 
the  table.  These  things  recall  to 
our  minds  pleasant  reminiscences  of 
early  days.  They  fill  the  memory  with 
images  of  the  past.  They  speak  to  us 
of  childhood,  and  in  fancy  we  will  live 
over  again  for  a  few  brief  hours  our 
childhood's  happy  days. 

But  while  we  thus  go  back  in  mem- 
ory to  recall  the  joys  of  youth,  we  are 
reminded  that  many  others  of  the 
familiar  faces  of  those  days  are  with  us 
no  more  forever   here   on    earth  ;  that 


in  the  beautiful  cemetery  yonder  repose 
the  ashes  of  the  fathers  and  the  mothers, 
while  the  green  turfs  of  the  new-made 
graves  tell  us  of  griefs  more  recent  still, 
and  of  the  inroads  of  death  upon  all 
classes  and  ages  of  our  friends.  Thus 
it  is  ever  with  us  here  on  earth.  Sad- 
ness and  joy,  sorrow  and  gladness,  are 
strangely  commingled  in  a  day  like 
this,  and  such  is  human  life.  Its  little 
history  is  made  up  of  joys  and  sorrows, 
following  each  other  in  such  rapid  suc- 
cession that  it  is  often  impossible  to  dis- 
tinguish the  line  that  separates  them. 

But  my  friends,  when  this  reunion  is 
over,  and  we  again  leave  these  homes 
of  our  childhood  and  go  out  again  into 
the  battle  of  life,  may  it  be  with  fresh 
strength  and  firmer  wills  and  renewed 
courage  for  the  performance  of  all  life's 
duties,  and  as  generation  after  genera- 
tion shall  come  and  go  in  the  future 
centuries,  as  we  have  come  and  shall 
go  in  this,  may  the  virtues  of  our  fathers 
never  be  forgotten.  May  their  princi- 
ples of  justice  and  truth  and  patriotism 
ever  be  maintained.  May  peace  and 
prosperity  forever  dwell  in  the  midst  of 
this  people,  and  may  the  God  of  the 
fathers  of  this  goodly  town  be  the  chil- 
dren's God  and  portion  forever. 


ALOFT. 


BY    MARY    HELEN     BOODEY. 


Oh  !  little  do  we  know  what  shining  heights 
Do  wait  for  our  ascending,  nor  can  we 

Measure,  with  mortal  eyes,  the  heavenly  flights 
The  soul  may  take  when  light  as  air,  and  free, 

Like  the  sweet  lark  it  upward  mounts  and  sings, 
The  rainbow  of  life's  morning  on  its  wings. 


WILLIAM  LLOYD  GARRISON. 


381 


WILLIAM  LLOYD  GARRISON. 


BY    PARKER    PILLSBURY. 


••The  emphasis  of  death  makes  manifest 
The  eloquence  of  action  in  our  flesh ; 
And  men,  who  living  were  but  dimly 

guessed. 
When  once  free  from  their  life's   en- 
tangled mesh, 
Show  their  full  length  in  graves." 

No  truer  words  than  these,  by  Mrs. 
Browning,  were  ever  spoken  ;  and  to 
none  did  they  ever  apply  better  than  to 
Mr.  Garrison.  Before  his  mortal  remains 
were  committed  to  the  dust,  the  pul- 
pit and  the  press  were  sounding  his 
praises  from  ocean  to  ocean.  And  in 
the  next  hour  the  electric  nerve  under 
the  Atlantic,  had  waked  the  sympa- 
thetic echoes  of  the  Eastern  Hemi- 
sphere. 

And  now  the  theme,  the  song,  the 
joy  are  one  with  few  discordant  notes, 
to  the  farthest  verge  of  Christian,  or 
enlightened  civilization. 

And  though  the  Granite  Monthly 
be  to  some  extent  local  in  its  contem- 
plated themes,  a  tribute  to  Garrison 
cannot  be  out  of  place  in  its  pages. 
He  was  born  for  New  Hampshire  if 
not  in  it.  His  newspaper,  The  Liber- 
ator, bore  for  its  motto  the  words : 
"My  Country  is  the  World  ;  my  Coun- 
trymen are  all  Mankind."  And  his 
life-work  to  the  very  going  down  of  its 
sun,  was  a  rich,  and  finally  a  ripened 
fulfillment  of  so  noble  promise  and 
prophecy. 

Mr.  Garrison  belonged  to  Universal 
Humanity.  To  him  were  no  high 
nor  low,  no  great  nor  small,  no  male 
nor  female.  When  he  read,  "All  men 
are  created  equal,"  he  understood  all 
men.  Not  a  part.  And  all  men  meant 
all  women  as  well. 

Garrison  was  born  a  truly  natural, 
but  in  no  sense  a  radical  man,  as  the 
word  is  now  understood.  And  yet 
rightly  considered,  the  truest,  or   most 


natural  man,  is  the  most  radical,  or 
best  rooted  man  ;  deepest  rooted  down 
among  the  laws  and  principles  which 
underpin  the  material,  moral  and  spir- 
itual universe. 

Newburyport,  like  most  of  Massa- 
chusetts, has  been  renowned  more  for 
conservative,  calculating,  conforming 
principle  and  policy,  than  for  the  spirit 
of  innovation  and  advancement.  There, 
have  been  builded  the  tombs  of  the 
Revolutionary  prophets  ;  there,  the  sep- 
ulchres of  the  sages  and  heroes  of 
1  776,  of  Bunker  Hill  and  Faneuil  Hall, 
have  been  well  kept  and  garnished. 
But  when  Garrison  arose  with  his  new 
Evangel,  he  was  hated,  hunted,  im- 
prisoned, haltered  and  barely  escaped 
hanging  by  an  infuriated  mob  of  Bos- 
ton's best  men.  "Gentlemen  of  prop- 
erty and  standing,"  in  beaver  hats  and 
broadcloth ;  and  in  broad  day-light 
too  ! 

Such  was  Boston,  such  Massachu- 
setts. And  such  pre-eminently,  was 
Newburyport,  where,  on  the  twelfth  of 
December,  1804,  William  Lloyd  Gar- 
rison first  saw  the  light. 

It  had  respectable  slave  traders  and 
religious  slave  holders  ;  one  wizzard,  a 
boy ;  and  one  witch,  an  old  woman. 
Her,  the  church  persecuted,  the  courts 
prosecuted  and  held  and  hunted  two 
full  years,  and  then  sentenced,  "to  be 
hanged  by  the  neck  until  you  be  dead.  " 
But  subsequently,  she  was  reprieved 
and  died  in  her  bed  (the  Reverend 
John  Hale  testifying) ,  "  praying  to,  and 
resting  upon  God  in  Christ  for  salva- 
tion." 

Mr.  Garrison  first  roused  the  wrath 
of  the  slave  power  by  a  newspaper  arti- 
cle, charging  a  Newburyport  sea  cap- 
tain, Francis  Todd,  with  engaging  in 
the  coast-wise  slave-trade  between  Bal- 


382 


WILLIAM  LLOYD  GARRISON. 


timore  and  New  Orleans.  This  cost 
him  two  suits  at  law,  a  fine  of  fifty  dol- 
lars and  forty-nine  days'  imprisonment 
in  a  Baltimore  jail.  It  was,  however, 
proved  in  court,  that  the  number  of 
slaves  carried  was  much  greater  than 
the  article  specified.  The  fine  was  gen- 
erously paid  by  Mr.  Arthur  Tappan,  a 
wealthy  anti-slavery  man  of  New  York, 
and  Mr.  Garrison  was  released. 

On  the  first  of  January,  following, 
(1831)  Mr.  Garrison  issued  the  first 
number  of  the  Liberator.  In  it,  he  de- 
manded the  "immediate  and  uncondi- 
tional emancipation  of  every  slave." 
He  made  that  demand  "in  the  name  of 
justice  and  humanity,  and  according  to 
the  laws  of  the  living  God." 

And  the  world  now  very  well  knows 
that  he  did  not  cease  to  press  that 
claim,  nor  suspend  the  publication  of 
the  Liberator  till  the  very  last  slave  in 
the  nation  was  set  free  by  presidential 
proclamation.  Thus  wondrously  did  he 
fulfill  his  own  prophetic  announcement : 
"I  am  in  earnest.  I  will  not  equivo- 
cate. I  will  not  excuse.  I  will  not  re- 
treat a  single  inch  ;  and  L  will  be  heard!" 

In  his  youth,  Garrison  was  a  pro- 
nounced politician  of  the  Newburyport 
whig,  or  conservative  school.  But  the 
sound  of  the  Greek  revolution  against 
the  Moslem  power  reached  his  ear  and 
fired  his  soul  with  the  spirit  of  freedom. 
The  powerful  appeals  of  Henry  Clay 
and  Daniel  Webster  in  the  United  States 
Congress  fed  the  flame.  Webster  be- 
came to  him  the  divinity  of  the  forum, 
and  he  named  him  the  "  God-like.''1  He 
even  contemplated  at  one  time  entering 
the  military  school  at  West  Point  and 
hastily  preparing  himself  to  take  the 
field  in  person  in  behalf  of  the  Greeks. 
John  Randolph  had  not  then  told  him 
and  Clay  and  Webster  that  the  "Greeks 
were  at  their  own  doors." 

But  when  Garrison  became  a  grown- 
up man  and  abolitionist,  he  firmly  and 
religiously  abjured  all  violence  and  the 
whole  spirit  of  war  among  men. 

When  he  espoused  the  cause  of  the 
American  slave,  and  the  American  Anti- 
slavery  Society  was  formed,  the  consti- 
tution contained  this  emphatic  clause  : 
"But  this  society  will  never,  in  any  way, 


countenance  the  oppressed  in  vindicat- 
ing their  rights  by  resorting  to  physical 
force. " 

Mr.  Garrison  was  at  this  time  a  Chris- 
tian, as  he  understood  the  word,  in  all 
the  word  can  be  made  rightly  to  mean. 
And  most  of  all,  he  reverenced  the  doc- 
trines of  freedom  and  peace.  "Peace 
on  earth,  good- will  to  men,"  were  his 
proclamation  and  song.  To  "preach 
deliverance  to  the  captives,  and  open- 
ing of  the  prisons  to  them  who  were 
bound,"  were  his  mission  and  work. 

Human  life  he  held  as  sacred  above 
all  other  things.  And  so  capital  pun- 
ishment and  war,  as  well  as  slavery, 
were  to  him  an  abhorrence.  And 
hence  logically,  he  renounced  allegiance 
to  human  governments  founded  in  force 
and  military  power  ;  and  to  announce , 
defend  and  extend  that  high,  and  to 
him  holy  and  divine  philosophy,  he 
with  a  few  others  organized  the  New 
England  Non-Resistanee  Society,  of 
which  he  was  chosen  first  correspond- 
ing secretary  and  member  of  the  exec- 
utive committee. 

And  many,  if  not  most  of  the  offi- 
cial papers  of  the  association  bear 
unmistakable  marks  of  Mr.  Garrison's 
pen,  brain  and  heart. 

A  portion  of  the  Preamble  to  the 
Constitution  reads  thus  : 

Whereas,  the  penal  code  of  the  first 
covenant  has  been  abrogated  by  Jesus 
Christ :  and  whereas  our  Savior  has  left 
us  an  example  that  we  should  follow  his 
steps  in  forbearance,  submission  to 
injury,  and  non  resistance,  even  when 
life  itself  is  at  stake  ;  and,  whereas  the 
weapons  of  a  true  christian  are  not 
carnal,  but  spiritual,  and  therefore 
mighty  through  God  to  the  pulling 
down  of  strongholds  : 

And  whereas,  we  profess  to  belong 
to  a  kingdom  not  of  this  world,  which 
is  without  local  or  geographical  bound- 
aries, in  which  there  is  no  division  of 
caste  nor  inequality  of  sex  ;  therefore, 
we  the  undersigned,  etc.,  etc. 

A  part  of  the  second  article  of  the 
Constitution  is  in  these  words  : 

"The  members  of  this  society  agree 
in  the  opinion  that  no  man  nor  body 
of    men   however   constituted,    or   by 


WILLIAM  LLOYD  GARRISON. 


383 


whatever  name  called,  have  right  to 
take  the  life  of  man  as  penalty  for 
transgression  :  that  no  one  who  pro- 
fesses to  have  the  spirit  of  Christ  can 
consistently  sue  a  man  at  law  for 
redress  of  injuries,  or  thrust  any  evil 
doer  into  prison  ;  or  hold  any  office* 
in  which  he  would  come  under  obliga- 
tion to  execute  penal  enactments  ;  or 
take  any  part  in  the  military  service  ; 
or  acknowledge  allegiance  to  any  hu- 
man government." 

At  this  time,  it  cannot  be  doubted 
that  the  faith  of  Mr.  Garrison  in  the  in- 
spiration and  authority  of  the  Bible  and 
the  Trinity,  and  especially  in  the  teach- 
ings and  precepts  of  Christ,  was  sub- 
stantially such  as  is  professed  by  the 
whole  evangelical  church.  And  on  that 
faith  and  philosophy  alone  were  the 
New  England  Non-Resistance  Society 
and  all  its  auxiliaries  founded. 

Among  Mr.  Garrison's  poetical  effu- 
sions, this  "Sonnet  to  the  Bible,"  may 
be  found  : 

O  Book  of  books !  though  skepticism  flout 
Thy  sacred  origin,  thy  worth  decry  ; 
Though  transcendental  folly  give  the  lie 
To  what  thouteachest;  though  the  critic 

doubt 
This    fact;     that    miracle;    and  raise  a 
shout 
Of  triumph  o'er  each  incongruity 
He  in  thy  pages  may  perchance  espy ! 
As  in    his   strength  the  effulgent     sun 

shines  out. 
Hiding  innumerous  stars,  so   dost  thou 
shine, 
With  heavenly  light  all  human   works 
excelling. 
Thy  oracles  are  holy  and  divine ; 

Of  free    salvation  through   a    Savior, 
telling. 
All  Truth,  all  Excellence  dost  thou  en- 
shrine ; 
The  mists  of   sin  and  ignorance  dis- 
pelling. 

Boston,  Nov.  1,  1841. 

Such  was  Mr.  Garrison  as  a  Chris- 
tian, as  a  follower  of  Christ.  And  sub- 
limely consistent  with  his  faith,  were 
his  spirit,  his  life,  and  his  whole  char- 
acter. 

At  home,  or  abroad  ;  in  private,  or 
in  public  ;  as  writer,  or  as  speaker ;  as 
husband,  father,  friend,  or  in  whatever 
human  position,  or  relation  ;  after  long 
and  wide  acquaintance  with  men,  in 


pulpit,  in  church,  in  politics  and  in  the 
world  at  large  ;  for  the  constant  exer- 
cise of  what  are  called  the  Christian 
virtues  and  graces,  I  surely  have  seen 
few  the  peer,  none  the  superior  of 
William  Lloyd  Garrison.  Mr.  Emer- 
son says,  "  Swedenborg  seemed,  by  the 
variety  and  amount  of  his  powers,  to 
be  a  composition  of  several  persons." 
Y ox  powers,  read  moral  goodness  and 
excellence,  and  the  remark  applies  well 
to  him. 

Revering  the  New  Testament  as 
divine  authority,  he  kept  its  teachings. 
When  he  read,  "  swear  not  at  all,"  he 
let  his  communication  be,  "yea  and 
nay."  And  no  more.  Did  he  read, 
"  Resist  not  evil ;"  he  observed  the 
sublime  requirement ;  and  preached  it 
in  his  paper,  The  Liberator,  and  prac- 
ticed it  everywhere.  Hence  arose  the 
Non-Resistance  Society ;  I  think  the 
truest  Christian  Association  ever  form- 
ed under  heaven,  or  known  among 
men ;  with  Garrison,  its  very  chiefest 
apostle. 

When  he  read,  "Love  your  enemies," 
it  ne/er  meant  to  him,  shoot  them  in 
war  •  nor  imprison,  nor  hate,  nor  hang 
them,  in  peace.  And  the  Liberator 
was  not  only  a  proclamation  of  free- 
dom, and  of  peace  on  earth,  but  of 
universal  unfolding  progress  and  reform, 
to  all  man  and  woman  kind. 

Mr.  Garrison  early  lost  his  father, 
but  became  the  hope  and  joy  of  an 
excellent  mother,  of  English  birth,  and 
devout  member  of  the  Baptist  church. 
He  ever  cherished  fervently  her  mem- 
ory ;  and  never  spoke  of  her  but  in 
tones  of  tenderness  and  affection. 
He  never  united  with  any  sect,  but 
respected  the  true  Christian  faith 
and  work,  wherever  found.  The  God 
he  worshipped  was  "  no  respecter  of 
persons."     No  more  was  he. 

But  chained  down  to  no  dogmatic 
ringbolt,  he  had  an  eye  and  ear  ever 
open  to  discover  new  truth,  in  whatever 
book  or  religion  it  might  be  found. 
Ten  years  of  violent  opposition  and 
persecution  from  almost  the  whole 
American  church,  on  account  of  his 
profound  adherence  to  the  Christian 
doctrines  of  peace  and  liberty,  as   he 


384 


WILLIAM  LLOYD  GARRISON. 


had  learned  them  from  the  Sermon  on 
the  Mount  and  the  example  of  its  great 
Author,  might  have  clarified  and  quick- 
ened his  vision,  mentally  and  spiritually. 

At  any  rate,  he  subsequently  re-ex- 
amined the  doctrines  and  dogmas  of 
the  evangelical  sects,  their  avowed 
faith  in  the  plenary  inspiration  of  the 
scriptures,  included.  As  one  result  of 
such  further  investigation,  he  attended 
a  convention  in  Hartford,  Connecticut, 
in  1S53,  called  to  consider  the  claims 
and  character  of  the  Jewish  and  Chris- 
tian Scriptures.  The  meeting  was  very 
numerously  attended,  most  of  the 
Northern  and  Western  states  having 
representation,  and  continued  four 
days,  with  three  long  sessions  each  day. 
In  one  of  them  Mr.  Garrison  offered, 
and  defended  very  ably,  a  series  of  res- 
olutions, the  first  of  which  was  to  this 
purport : 

Resolved,  That  the  doctrines  of  the 
American  church  and  priesthood,  that 
the  Bible  is  the  word  of  God ;  that 
whatever  it  contains  was  given  by  di- 
vine inspiration,  and  that  it  is  the  only 
rule  of  faith  and  practice,  is  self-evi- 
dently  absurd  ;  is  exceedingly  injurious 
both  to  the  intellect  and  the  soul ;  is 
highly  pernicious  in  its  application,  and 
a  stumbling-block  in  the  way  of  human 
redemption." 

And  yet  to  the  end  of  his  life,  no  man 
more  venerated,  or  made  wiser,  better 
or  more  frequent  use  of  the  Bible  than 
did  Mr.  Garrison.  In  an  article  from 
his  pen,  now  before  me,  he  writes  :  "I 
have  lost  my  traditional  and  educational 
notions  of  the  holiness  of  the  Bible,  but 
have  gained  greatly,  I  think,  in  my  es- 
timation of  it.  *  *  I  am  fully  aware  how 
grievously  the  priesthood  have  perverted 
it  and  wielded  it  as  an  instrument  of 
spiritual  despotism,  and  in.  opposition 
to  the  sacred  cause  of  humanity.  Still, 
to  no  other  volume  do  I  turn  with  so 


much  interest.  No  other  do  I  consult 
so  frequently  ;  to  no  other  am  I  so  in- 
debted for  light  and  strength  ;  no  other 
is  so  identified  with  the  growth  of  hu- 
man freedom  and  progress ;  to  no 
other  have  I  so  effectively  appealed  in 
aid  of  reformatory  moverhents  I  have 
espoused  ;  and  it  embodies  an  amount 
of  excellence  so  great,  as  to  make  it 
in  my  estimation,  the  Book  of  Books." 

Garrison  long  ago  learned  to  doubt 
nothing  only  because  it  was  new  ;  and 
to  accept  nothing  unless  it  had  more 
than  the  moss  and  mold  of  age  to  rec- 
ommend it.  He  found  the  world,  even 
the  best  of  it,  most  enlightened  of  it, 
most  Christian,  "  dead  in  the  trespasses 
and  sins  of  Intemperance,  Slavery, 
War,  Capital  Punishment,  and  Wo- 
man's Enslavement."  He  lived  to  set 
on  foot,  or  largely  and  liberally  to  co- 
operate in  enterprises  and  instrumen- 
talities for  correcting  all  these  fearful 
abuses,  righting  all  these  wrongs. 

Then  another  stranger  came  to  his 
door.  With  characteristic  hospitality 
that  door  was  again  opened.  The 
new  guest  was  Spiritualism ;  another 
"  sect  everywhere  spoken  against,"  as 
anti-slavery  had  been,  half  a  genera- 
tion before.  Even  abolitionists,  many 
of  the  most  zealous  of  them,  treated 
the  new  stranger  with  scorn. 

Not  so  Garrison.  And  in  giving  the 
new  idea  recognition,  lie  found,  and 
ever  after  confidently  believed,  that  he 
had  been  literally  "entertaining  angels  ;" 
though  not  "  unawares  !" 

And  spiritualism  too,  he  yoked  to 
his  great  "  chariot  of  salvation  ;"  per- 
haps in  the  full  faith  and  hope  of  the 
eminent  Lord  Brougham,  when  he 
said  :  "  Even  in  the  most  cloudless 
skies  of  skepticism,  I  see  a  rain-cloud, 
if  it  be  no  Inggcr  than  a  muni's  hand ; 
and  its  name  is  Modern  Spiritual- 
ism." 


CONTENTS  OF  VOL.  IT. 


Affections,  The  171 

After  Many  Years  239 

All  Through  the  Night,  230 

Aloft,  380 

Baker's  River,  135 
Baker,  Capt.  Thomas  and  Madame  Christine, 

his  wife,  17 

Barton,  Hon.  Levi  W.  225 

Birth-place  of  Gen.  Stark,  K>1 

Boston  Tort  Bill,  The  126 

Bryant,  William  Gullen  35i 

Churches  in  Hopkinton,  22 

Coming  of  June,  The  277 

Congressional  Papers,  No  2,  48 

Congressional  Papers,  No.  3,  109 

Congressional  Papers,  No.  4,  177 

Congressional  Papers,  No.  5,  231 

Contoocook  River,  10.) 

Cromwell,  Oliver  112 

Currier,  lion.  Moody  129 

Clarke,  Col.  John  B.  353 

Cottage,  A  367 

Day  at  Old  Kittery,  A  68 

Deacon's  Prayer,  The  145 

Dead  of  1878,  The  H4 

December  2,  1878,  160 

Decisions  of  Chief  Justice  Smith  172 

Early  History  of  the  Concord  Press,  164 
Early  History  of  the  Methodists  in  New  Hamp- 
shire, 12 

Finitio,  37 

First  Congregational  Church  in  Concord  ,  201 

Forest  Vegetation  in  New  Hampshire,  70 

Forgetfulness  of  Sorrow,  12 

From  the  German  of  Heine,  160 

Garrison,  William  Lloyd  381 

George,  Col.  John  Hatch  103 

Good  Luck,  170 

Head,  Gen.  Natt  97 

Hutchinson,  Major  Samuel  364 

Hunger,  205 

Hymn,  A  04 
Hymnology  of  the  Churches,                           302,  33, 

Illegible  Manuscript  in  Printing  Offices,  <il 

In  Battleand  in  Prison,  210 

Industries  in  Hopkinton,  121 

In  Ruins,  198 
Items  and  Incidents  in  Hopkinton,                  304,  358 

Kearsarge  Mountain,  334 

Lady  Wentworth,  The  Home  of  273 

Lancaster,  An  Old  Sketch  of  245 

Lawyers  and  Politicians,  132 


Library  Questions, 
Love  Wins  Love, 


140 

38 

14,  222 


Malaga, 

Manners  and  Customs  in   Hopkinton, 

180,  217,  251,  278 

March,  199 

Mary  and  Martha,  20 
Men  and  their  Professions, 
Men  of  Old  Nottingham  at  the  Battle  of  Bun- 

kerilill,  204 

Message,  The  304 

Military  Affairs  in  Hopkinton.  152 

Miron,  75 

Mt.  Kearsarge,  To  16 

My  Friends  and  I — Memories,  7,  52 

Nature's  Creed,  (> 

New  Hampshire  Hills,  131,  297 

New  Hampshire  Men  at  Bunker  Hill,  266 

New  Hampshire  Seventh  at  Ft.  Wagner,  208 

New  London  Centennial  Address,  311,  341,  369 

Newspaper  History,  A  Bit  of  236 

Norris,  Herbert  F.  161 

Old  Time  Trip  in  New  Hampshire,  An  28 

Poem  by  Rev.  Silvanus  Ha}  ward,  47 
Politics  in  Hopkinton,  13 
Potter,  Richard,  56 
Proceedings  of  the  New  Hampshire  Antiquari- 
an Society,  03 
Pure  as  the  Lillies,  j.03 

Rhapsody  on  Old  Clothes,  A  79 

Reviewer  Reviewed,  A  191 

Sagamores  of  the  Newichawannock,  The  two 

Last  95 

Sanborn,  Dyer  Hook,  A.  M.  91 

Senate  audits  Presidents,  Tin — Hon.  David  H. 

Buffum,  1 

Shepard,  Maj.-Gen.  Amos  299 

Sorrow,  120 

State  Senate  of  1S79-80,  The  2S9,  321 

Stearns,  Hon.  Onslow  250 

Summers's  Day,  A  340 

Sunshine  After  Clouds,  180 


Thackeray,  Lines  on  the  Death  of 

Town  Histories, 

Traveling  Accommodations  in  Hopkinton, 

I'pward, 

Variations, 

Way  to  Grandpa's,  The 
Weeks,  Hon.  Joseph  D. 
Weston,  Hon.  James  A. 
Widow's  Mistake,  The 


333 
285 

71 

209 

103 

81 

33 

321 

105